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Editor's note:This is part of a series at KSL.com featuring some of Utah's coolest cars. If you own a customized vehicle — from sports cars to semitrucks — email jormond@ksl.com with a photo of the vehicle and a brief description for consideration.
PARK CITY — Tom Kendrick wanted what he calls a "visceral" driving experience: all of his senses interacting with his car and the road. With today’s sports cars adding so many extra features, he decided he had to build it himself — or, rather, strip it himself.
Kendrick found a 1989 Corvette in Colorado that had been stolen and crashed. He said every body panel was damaged including the roof, though the car hadn't rolled. He estimated it would’ve taken $15,000 to get it back into good condition, after which it would be worth $8,000.
He paid $2,000 for the crunched Corvette and immediately started the symbiotic project of stripping it down to a bare driving experience by selling off the extra parts: all of the interior, sound deadening, trim, power windows, driver information center, tire pressure monitors, mirrors, and all-electric amenities, save for the engine control module, anti-theft system and lights.
With every part removed the weight went down, simplicity went up, and he got closer to paying off that $2,000. He yanked and sold the ABS system, surprised that it weighed 25-30 pounds. All of the body panels went into the trash.
Once Kendrick got the car stripped down, he saw that his fears were realized: the frame was bent. He straightened it himself using a porta-power hand pump with a hydraulic ram. He made his own aluminum dash using 2x4s, clamps, and a mallet. Afterward, he had it covered with padded marine vinyl. He put in a Summit tach-gauge package that keeps it simple and light.
Kendrick paid $1,500 to get a roll cage built and continues to sell unnecessary parts to pay for that investment. He says he’ll list certain parts, but people contact him asking for others he hadn’t thought of: One guy paid $10 for the center view mirror screw.
The rebuild is mostly done and mostly street-legal. The deputy who conducted Kendrick's VIN inspection wasn’t too concerned about details, but the officer who wrote him a fix-it ticket on Aug. 17 was. Kendrick made his own hood and fenders to clear his name.
He also made his own 8 ½-gallon fuel tank, and he found the smallest headlight-turn signal combo he could off a Chrysler Cirrus. He’d like to add a locking console but said it will never have a trunk.
A 1989 Corvette from the factory weighed about 3,300 pounds. Kendrick said his stripped-down Vette Kart topped the scales at a metal recycling yard at 2,280 pounds.
So what do you get when you sell off 1,000 pounds? Kendrick said you get a visceral experience, where your senses feel the road, the engine, the transmission, and little else. He hasn’t touched the stock engine, but with just 245 horsepower — since it’s not hauling around air conditioning, a stereo, and other cush stuff — the acceleration is "phenomenal," according to Kendrick. He races it at Sports Car Club of America events, but not against the poor Corvette drivers weighed down with creature comforts.
Kendrick owns a fully-equipped Corvette for those days when he needs some shelter. But when the weather’s right, he gets his raw driving experience commuting to work and running errands in the Vette Kart.
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