The popularity of the C2 & C3 Corvettes has experienced a significant boom in recent years among the Pro-Touring crowd. Traditionally most of these early Corvettes spent more time on trailers and in garages than they did on the track, but that is quickly changing. With the production of performance suspension components, complete chassis swaps, the LS engine, and overdrive transmission swaps these cars are experiencing a new found glory that used to only be found with a Bloomington Gold award.
Over and over I hear more Corvette owners talk about how badly they need an overdrive transmission to make their cars more enjoyable to drive. This desire has spawned the development of bolt in conversion packages that allow a Tremec TKO 5-speed to be installed into a C2 or C3 Corvette without any major modification and still allows for a factory look on the console. The ability to maintain a factory appearance and also abstain from major alterations to the car has been the sole focus of our product development here at Bowler Performance Transmissions.
One of the most asked for upgrades when doing an overdrive swap is to also change out the factory mechanical clutch linkage to a modern hydraulic set up. Typically most of these hydraulic systems rely on a firewall mounted master cylinder to actuate the release bearing, but this can be an issue on a car that has a fiberglass firewall. With the amount of pressure and stress being applied when pushing the clutch pedal you can easily crack or fracture the area where a traditional master cylinder would mount.
Our master cylinder design locates the master cylinder away from the firewall and off the frame rail. We utilize the factory Z-bar frame bracket to affix the new master cylinder, doing it this way allows you to put as much force as you want against the clutch pedal without any fear of damaging the fiberglass body. We are also utilizing a space that was already being occupied by an existing clutch component to avoid modifying or moving other components.
Most Corvette owners are very detail oriented and have a distinguished taste in the fit and finish of their car. We have taken every effort to source the highest quality and best looking products to finish out our hydraulics kit. The Tilton 78 series master cylinder is in a class of its own with a sleek design and premium finish. The Bowler Performance designed billet reservoir and mounting bracket are finished in a black anodize that blends nicely with any color scheme. All the included connecting lines are Teflon lined braided stainless for superior performance and longevity. You simply cannot find a better looking or performing hydraulic conversion for your C2 or C3 Corvette.
