Sean’s VetteKart
I call it the mudslinger, he does many of the Gambler events in it.

1999 Corvette C5 convertible, 3000ish pounds, no idea on the HP or the torque.  It’s been completely rebuilt, new 6.2 block, cam, clutch, everything had to be redone from me hydro locking it.  I’m not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination.  I let the guys in the shop do their thing.  When they dyno tuned it I know everyone was very excited, apparently it put out good numbers.  Who knows?

Custom stuff includes the cage, wheels, wheel spacers, stereo, cameras, spare tire mount, the list goes on.  The entire thing was a custom job.  Luckily, I have a great friend who owns a fabrication shop. 

It’s still just a stock suspension. 

I was inspired by the B is for Build team.  They did a vette kart and I fell in love with it.  Basically, I copied them.  They were actually really cool about it; a few times I would have an issue and I would email them a photo of what I was doing and they replied with how they solved the problem.  I really did it just because I wanted a new toy.  I really didn’t have any plans for what I was going to do with it once I had it. 

I remember seeing it online and sending a photo of the B is for Build version to Wes, my friend with the fab shop, and asked him, “If I go buy a corvette can I use your shop to build this and have you do the cage for me?”

“You bet!” he replied.

At the time I was traveling in Idaho, so I started looking at adds on Facebook Marketplace, found one I liked, and went straight from the airport to where the car was and drove it home.  I rolled into the shop the next day and surprised the hell out of Wes.  He knew I was serious; he didn’t think I would do it that quickly. 

There was nothing at all wrong with the car when I bought it.  It was just your run of the mill Corvette C5 convertible, noting special.  The couple I bought it from were building a new house out on some family farm land they had.  Their drive home consisted of about 11 miles worth of gravel roads.  They hated driving the vette on the gravel, getting it dirty, worried about nicks, etc.  They just wanted their baby to go to someone who was going to love it. Knowing full well what I had in mind for that car, I walked around it with the owners and completely picked it apart.  Every ding, every scratch, every little issue there was, I pointed out.  Then I made them my offer.  I stole that car; I was so excited!

Once it was finished, I did reach back out and I sent a few photos to the old owners.  The husband thought it was the coolest thing he had ever seen, the wife, not so much.

It wasn’t until after I had it all done that I randomly met someone who asked me if I did Gamblers with it.  I had no idea what those were.   I did a little bit of research and fell in love!  I take that car all over the country now to every Gambler I can go to.  Even into Mexico for one.  It’s been a total blast!

Luckily, it’s still licensed and insured as a Corvette.  Living in Iowa I didn’t require any type of inspection or special anything.  Because it’s registered here in Iowa, it’s street legal for everywhere else I go.  I’ve never had any problems with it or been pulled over for that sort of thing.