Watch live as a vintage Corvette turns into a 650-hp beast in 48 hours

Taking a stock 1972 C3 Chevrolet Corvette and morphing it into a race-ready beast is no easy task. Doing so in 48 hours is all but impossible. Or is it? The team at Ridetech plan to prove that not only can it be done, but it can be done well enough to compete on a racetrack immediately after. Welcome to the "48 Hour Corvette."

Back in 2011, Ridetech did the same thing with an early generation Camaro. And they did it well, documenting the whole process live on YouTube. To mark their latest 48 Hour build series, which is again being broadcast live, their C3 'Vette was purchased off eBay with a standard LT1 engine meshed to a four-speed automatic. That motor will be swapped for a 650-hp Lingenfelter LS7, and the tranny sliding places with a Tremac T-56 Magnum six-speed manual. Naturally, a wealth of other upgrades will be done, such as Ridetech's own level three CoilOver suspension, Baer brakes and a Holley Dominator EFI ECU.

The build won't be done in 48 hours straight, however; the team instead opting for a more realistic three 16-hour-a-day build, with three teams of mechanics working on different aspects: the engine bay, under the car, and inside the car.

Once complete, the machine will be driven 120 miles to the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky, where it will race at the venue's newly opened road course. The build began today and will end March 12. You can follow the action live, as it happens, here on Yahoo Autos via the video above.