If you’ve been visiting this website for any time, you’ve likely heard about the folks at Dream Giveaway. They create some of the most desirable prize packages for enthusiasts and they also combine some cash into the grand prize to pay for the taxes! We’ve covered many opportunities to win some amazing cars and trucks and this latest prize package is building to be another show-stopper. Who wouldn’t want to win an LS-powered midyear Corvette, right? Well, to make things even more amazing, the folks at Dream Giveaway are tossing in a 750-horsepower 2024 C8 Corvette that has been souped up by the engineers at Boost District with a Lingenfelter Engineering Magnuson supercharger!
While both Corvettes are awesome in their own way, we’re going to focus on the extensive transformation of this 1963 Corvette. Even though the car had already experienced the beginnings of a resto-modification when they purchased it, the folks at Dream Giveaway wanted this midyear to match its brand-new Corvette sibling in every way. Everything from the suspension, powertrain, interior, and even the upholstery has since been updated to a modern standard.
Rebuilding The Corvette From The Bottom Up
Corvettes first received disc brakes in 1965. One of the first things that enthusiasts upgraded on many early midyear Corvettes was changing the factory drum brakes to a set of modern discs on all four corners. Rather than go with mid-‘60s technology, the team at Van Steel Inc. upgraded the Sting Ray’s stopping power with a complete set of Wilwood brakes.
Van Steel began the transformation by updating the C2’s suspension.
While the car was at Van Steel, they also blessed the bottom side of this Corvette with a complete coilover suspension featuring Van Steel’s tubular control arms, offset trailing arms, and strut rods. The suspension upgrade features QA1 single-adjustable coilover shocks with hand-picked coil springs by Van Steel for the best ride and performance possible.
Both the front and rear suspensions were updated to QA1 coilover shocks. Van Steel also added tubular control arms and offset trailing arms. Wilwood brakes replaced the 1963 Corvette's aging drum brake system. 
Once the Corvette was rolling on its modern suspension, it was wheeled up to the team at J&M Enterprizes for a major renovation inside and out. No strangers to complete restorations and resto-mods, the team’s task for this particular prize was more mechanical in nature. To start, the drivetrain was removed, along with the complete interior of the Corvette. This allowed them to assess the condition of much of the vehicle before everything went back together.
The first-gen small-block was removed and a brand new LS3 engine and TREMEC TKX five-speed transmission were nestled down into the engine bay. 
Even though this car was a project-in-motion when Dream Giveaway purchased it, there were many good reasons to take the car back down to its bare elements to ensure that the winner receives a prize worthy of the Dream Giveaway name. Any cracks in the body were addressed and the frame, interior, and many of the mechanical systems were replaced and updated completely.
A new Tanks Inc. fuel tank was installed. Midyear Corvettes have huge fuel filler openings (center) and this EFI-ready tank is a bolt-in replacement with modern sensors and an internal fuel pump. 
To start, that first-generation small-block was replaced with a brand-new Chevrolet Performance LS3 engine from Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center. More than just a quick and dirty LS-powered midyear Corvette engine swap, the folks at J&M updated the entire fuel system to provide the appropriate amount of fuel to keep each of those new 500 ponies under the hood happy.
A complete Holley Sniper EFI system and Holley front accessories keep the engine bay sanitary and up-to-date. A new quick-ratio Borgeson power steering box replaces the OEM steering box and the midyear's notoriously leaky power-assist ram assembly. 
Topside, a complete Holley Sniper fuel injection system regulates the air and fuel mix to each cylinder. A new Tanks Inc. fuel system was swapped under the frame rails, featuring Tanks’ GPA-series in-tank fuel pump and internal baffling to prevent fuel pump starvation.
The module for the Dakota Digital gauges was mounted under the dash (left). Once installed, the gauges look very much like the factory gauges (center) but when you turn on the key, it becomes obvious there's more than meets the eye in this dash panel (right). 
A Silver Sport Transmissions transmission swap kit was utilized to modernize the three-pedal setup. A TKX five-speed overdrive transmission was placed immediately aft of the new LS engine with a McLeod clutch assembly keeping them timed appropriately. The TREMEC TKX transmission is beefy enough to handle 600 lb-ft of torque, but is designed for everyday street use, making this 1963 Corvette reliable and enjoyable to drive for the lucky winner.
If you win this LS-powered midyear Corvette, you’ll most certainly appreciate the new, complete leather interior from the Al Knoch Interiors Custom Shop. This Sting Ray’s gut features black leather with blue accent stitching to really set it apart from the OEM offering.
There is also a set of Dakota Digital Retro RTX gauges that now fill its classic C2 dash. Designed to replicate the factory originals, these gauges bring new levels of accuracy and customization blended perfectly with that classic midyear styling. The upgrade from the factory meters becomes immediately obvious when the gauges power up and the glow from the LED backlights fills the gauge faces with a blue hue.
This LS-Swapped Midyear Corvette Is Similar But Different
When you look at the exterior of this 1963 Corvette, it’s easy to see many of the external differences that have occurred since it left the factory. While proper restorations favor those iconic knock-off wheels, this LS-swapped midyear Corvette features a round of Forgeline wheels to set it apart on the show field, around the apexes, and on the highway.
This 1963 Corvette underwent a complete color change (left). All chrome was either removed or powder coated in gloss black (center) and a new black top was installed (right). 
You’ll also notice that this LS-powered midyear Corvette no longer features those tell-tale chrome faux grates that every other ’63 Corvette wears on its hood. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find any chrome on this Sting Ray. What hasn’t been dipped in Rapid Blue paint has been covered in a shiny black powder coat to match it more closely to the car’s younger C8 sibling, which you’ll also win, if you are the lucky ticket holder.
Thanks to the efforts of shops such as Van Steel (suspension), RC Customz (body and paint), J&M Enterprizes (engine, driveline), and Land and Sea (interior), this Corvette is almost as new as the C8 that it is paired with in this latest Dream Giveaway. But you need to enter to win this 1963 Corvette if you want any chance of parking it in your garage. And, as a valued Chevy Hardcore reader, you’ll receive DOUBLE the number of tickets for any order over $20.00 when you use the promo code CHEVYHARDCORE in your order.
Be sure to get your tickets now for a chance to win this 1963 Corvette because just like each of these cars, this opportunity is going fast. There are only a few more months before we find out who will win this 1963 Corvette and this 2024 C8 Corvette. It may be you!
