[VIDEO] Turning a Lifted C5 Corvette Z71 into a Vet-Ski

Who needs an all-wheel drive E-Ray when a C5 “Vet-Ski” is available?

When a rare Kansas snowstorm rolled in — about seven inches, the most the state has seen in a decade — one group of gearheads led by YouTuber Westen Champlin saw more than a weather event. They saw an opportunity.

Their mission: turn a battered 1999 off road Corvette into a full-blown snowmobile before the “bass” hit. (Watch the video for an explanation of what that means.)

This particular Corvette has lived a hard life. It’s been beaten, abused, jumped, and even fitted with saw blades to drive across a frozen lake. Yet somehow, it still runs. As Champlin put it, “Dude, this hands down proves how tough Corvettes are. This thing has been through the absolute ringer and it still just runs perfectly.”

The idea had been sitting in the shop for years — literally. Three years ago, the team bought a set of bolt-on snowmobile tracks designed for cars and trucks. They’d never used them. With snow on the way, the timing was finally right.

The plan was simple in theory and ridiculous in practice:

• Bolt the massive tracks onto the rear of the Corvette
• Fabricate steel skis for the front
• Lock the front hubs so the wheels couldn’t rotate
• Reinforce everything enough to survive the abuse that was sure to follow

The shop’s CNC table cut out custom ski plates, complete with the crew’s “Redneck Science” logo. Welders buzzed nonstop as they boxed in weak points, reinforced hubs, and patched up body panels that were already hanging on by a thread.

By the time the storm arrived, the “Vet-Ski” was ready — a 300 horsepower, track driven, steel ski equipped Corvette snowmobile.

Getting it out of the shop was the first challenge. Tracks don’t like concrete, so the team had to jack the car up and slide it outside. Once it hit snow, though, the Vet-Ski came alive.

It threw snow everywhere. It slid, carved, and clawed its way across the powder. It also immediately broke a weld, bending one of the front ski mounts. The crew shrugged, dragged it back inside, and welded “the bleep” out of it again — stronger this time.

“Redneck Science, baby,” one of them joked as sparks flew.

With repairs done, they trailered the Vet-Ski to a “top secret testing facility” — a snowy field with room to roam. Out in the open, the machine actually worked. It skimmed across deep snow, turned surprisingly well, and even held its own in a friendly race against an 1,100 horsepower Ram TRX.

The Corvette didn’t win, but it didn’t embarrass itself either.

Inside the car, things were less glamorous. Snow blasted through the open windows. The heater barely kept up. Passengers screamed, laughed, and occasionally regretted their life choices.

“This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done,” one rider yelled after being launched over a drift.

By the end of the day, the Corvette was overheating and low on coolant — not surprising for a 25 year old sports car turned snow machine. But it survived. And more importantly, it worked.

A Corvette on tracks shouldn’t make sense. It shouldn’t function. It definitely shouldn’t be this entertaining. But somehow, against all logic, the Vet-Ski delivered.

In Kansas, when the snow finally comes, you make the most of it. Even if that means turning a Corvette into a huge abominable snowmobile.

Source:
Westen Champlin / YouTube

Related:
[VIDEO] Driving a Saw Blade-Wheeled C5 Corvette on a Frozen Lake
[VIDEO] Off-Road Testing a C5 Corvette with 33-Inch Tires
[VIDEO] Jumping a C8 Corvette 110 Feet Off a Dirt Ramp in the Woods Because Why Not?

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