This page is dedicated to the March 03 
VETTE magazine feature article on Killer. Words can not describe the thrill of opening up the magazine and seeing my sweat, blood, and tears gracing the pages of such an awesome magazine. The article is reprinted below with permission from Bob Wallace.
VETTE magazine feature article on Killer. Words can not describe the thrill of opening up the magazine and seeing my sweat, blood, and tears gracing the pages of such an awesome magazine. The article is reprinted below with permission from Bob Wallace.McSpeed
This is the story of how "Killer" came back to life. The following text is direct from the Feature article on my car for the March 03 issue of Vette magazine:
The Need For McSpeed
Chris McDonald Doesn't Clown Around With His Custom '69
By Rob Wallace III
Cars like Corvettes seldom die. In fact, it seems like a lot of old Vettes have more lives than a cat. They change hands. They change faces. They change motors, purposes, paint, body panels, and even when they're in dire straits and their end is seemingly near, someone almost always comes along to rescue them.For one derelict '69 roadster, its savior was Chris McDonald of Jacksonville, Florida. Through painstaking "car-cheology" as they put it, Chris and his wife, Nikki, discovered the car had come from the factory in Monza Red, was later painted Le Mans Blue, and it received a "freaky underwater psycho paint scheme" in 1975, according to the artist's signature on the rear body panel. But that's only the beginning of this poor Shark's saga.The last owner of the Vette had died, leaving the already decaying convertible to his daughter. "She was in no way able to get the car running, much less a total restoration," Chris recalls. "It sat outside for nearly a decade untouched, but no unloved. A mutual friend put me in touch with the owner to see if I could help her get it running. After seeing the car, I realized it had gone too far down hill for a tune-up and brake job."After Chris explained the car's needs and the cost of a full restoration to her, they wound up striking a deal where Chris dragged the remains home for $1,500 and his riding lawn mower. He was determined to save the poor beast and restore it himself. "Since the car was all she had to remember her daddy, I pulled the hood, signed a thank you note, and returned it to her with a wall mount to hang in her car port," Chris said.But even the best plans can be laid to waste by time and the elements. It was in sorry, frankly grotesque condition, by the time Chris got his hands on the car. Rust fell to the ground every time someone closed a door on the '69. "Before long, this frame-off reconstruction had turned into a total nightmare. We ended up cutting the 'bird cage' out of the car and breaking the Vette into four sections. It was at this time I nearly gave up hope." Even with the capacity for a total restoration dwindling, Chris would still resurrect the remains of the Shark, but on his own terms now. "I decided to continue the project, but in a different direction. I wanted to create a car that was powerful and modern, yet retain the classic look of the '69 Shark." The Killer Shark was born.In the spirit of Pro Touring, Chris and Nikki began to metamorphosis with a .060 over-bored 454 big-block, thoroughly built it up, and added fuel injection. The 9.6:1 compression engine has Speed Pro pistons, Edelbrock Performer RPM camshaft and aluminum heads, Crane 1.8 roller rockers, Edelbrock chrome valve covers and breathers, March pulleys, Hooker ceramic-coated side mount headers and side exhaust, an Edelbrock Airgap intake with Pro Flo injection, and K&N air cleaner. The Melling oil pump lubes the motor while an aluminum water pump cools it, and a 100-amp alternator feed juice to the Accel coil and electronic distributor in the stock HEI housing. The Muncie four -speed works with a Hurst shifter, and a Quarter Master clutch with hydraulic release bearing connects the powerhouse to a 3.55:1 Posi. The handling has been thoroughly modernized as well, thanks to a full Vette Brakes and Products front and rear suspension setup with polyurethane bushings, front and rear anti-roll bars, composite fiberglass monoleaf springs, Bilstein shocks, and tubular control arms. The '69 is considerably more comfortable to drive with the addition of back-the-optional power steering and power brakes, and with the help of ZL1 fender flares and offset trailing arms, the McDonald's managed to shoehorn 18x9.5 and 18x12-inch wheels with 275/35 front and massive 335/30 rear rubber under the Shark.As a Pro Touring -type Vette, it was also important to make the car comfy. That meant adding power windows, power door locks with keyless entry, Vintage Air custom A/C, delay wipers, and a Sony X-Plod stereo CD player with a 500-watt Rockford Fosgate amp, Infinity surround speakers, and a pair of 10" subs. It also meant revamping the stock interior with seats from a '94 Corvette, all new black interior panels and trim, Auto Meter Pro Comp silver-faced electric gauges, custom rollbar with four-point harnesses, and a telescopic tilt steering column.While radical touches like the L88-style hood, fender flares, and large-by-huge tires and wheels grab attention quickly and easily, it really is the subtle details that make this '69 special. For instance, the air conditioning vents have been hand formed using the stock housings, the rear view mirror is out of a C4, and Chris has said sayonara to the factory vacuum-actuated headlights and wiper door assemblies in favor of much more reliable electronic components."We started out with a rotten old hunk of rusty metal and fractured fiberglass, but after two and a half years (and much trial and error) we finally hit the mark," he proclaims. The project nicknamed "Killer Shark" came together just in time for the National Corvette Museum's 2002 Sharkfest weekend. Its inaugural 600 miles was a lot of fun, but bringing home a Celebrity Choice award from the Museum was even better! Building the roadster was anything but easy or quick. Chris and Nikki McDonald have definitely put in their dues, but now its time for McFun!
1969 Corvette Project AKA Killer
Right click and save target as, then download and play.
Here is a special treat for those of you that took the time to read this entire article. It is a special music video set to the remake of Tainted Love, by Marylin Manson. A special thanks to "Matchframe" for putting this video together for me. You can click and play from the site, or right click, save target as, and play as often as you wish.
