Features Corvette hot rods - picture thread

Here are the pictures of my new project. Notice the radiused rear fenders and the astro custom wheels. Has an Oldsmobile rear end and the front inner fenders were cut out for fender well headers I believe. The worst part is the previous owner totally hacked out the dash board. My plan is to make it a sixty's style hot rod. No paint over spray and chalk marks for me.

 

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Congratulations Lumpy! That is a neat car! That is a bummer about the dash but two things: 1, it can be replaced although not cheap - 2, given the rest of the car having been a race car I could live with it.


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Lumpy it is a cool car but I have seen parts of dashboards at swap meets. I bought a portion a few years ago for a repair. When some shops install front clips some clips come with the top of the dash and they sometimes cut them off. You have a couple of places in San Diego; Crane's Corvettes and then Mary Jo Rohners in Poway. I have bought from both. Try and find out who does front clips in So Cal and you may get lucky to come up with pieces. I have a car with a aluminum dash and it is not bad-may give you a chance to get creative.Your shop looks familiar. When I had a shop in San Marcos it was in a tilt up like your shop with a similar door. Brought back good memories.

 

Thanks Jim, Crane hooked me up with an NOS lower dash section and I found an instrument bezel in New York. Still on the hunt for dash top

 

Wow instrument bezels go for a few dollars. I have passed up several minus gauges in the $750 range. I will ask a buddy regarding a dash top-he has done several clips in the past couple of years (two for guys in my car club alone).

 

The hard work is already done. Lol That's gonna be a great car.

 

lumpy it's no help but if you were closer to Carlisle PA there is an Corvette only swap meet and show in August. Anything you can think of is there.

Pat

 

A while back i was looking for some 57 body chunks and was given a contact. I ended up buying from someone else, but you could try this guy:
Tim Juffer at CrossFlag Corvettes---he has a lot of C1 bodies and will cut you whatever piece you need (he did for me).

His number is 712-441-4338and email is crossflagscorvetteparts.com .

 

Thanks Scotty!

 

TOO COOL !!!!!!

 

That would need to be driven every day!!!


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Anthony that picture is interesting. The split window Cadillac in 1958, with even the vent treatment on the sides, looks like it has t-tops which I believe Dick Teague designed on a Packard show car in the 50s.. I wonder what the date of the picture actually is. The Vette in the background has 57 tail lights, 58 bumpers and a 57 dash and the wheel covers are different than stock. Cool pic.

 

Jim do you mean other than the date written in white on the photo of 1-30-56?

 

looks like 56 the tag has 58 on it
I zoomed in on the nomad in the background, something odd about the side trim
those t-tops are interesting
seeing the split widow design 7 years before it came out is cool

 

You have a good eye Jim.
I didn’t notice those details until I
Enlarged the photo and looked very closely.


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Dan, I saw the date but not sure if that is the date that the photo was developed or the date of the actual scene-maybe I am over thinking it but I find the photo to be interesting to say the least. It seems this work was done back in 1955 which is amazing.

 

Jim I thought you were thinking something like that. In the last 10 years or so I have heard a couple of different stories about who offered up the split idea in the '63 back light. This photo which is in-house and I have seen before brings up questions about those stories due to the date . In the last couple of years I have seen a picture of a European car that predates these and has a similar back window.

 

Does the plate on the Cad say 1956 or 1958?

Was there some type of show in Dayton, around January 30, 1956? Which was, btw, a Monday.

I know GM styling could have been playing with the bumpers, dash, tail lights and trim several years ahead of production release dates.

The 1960ish fins on the Caddy seem to skip a generation also.

 

2 more

 

I planned to have this picture framed in my garage one day when I own a corvette again.....hopefully soon!


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The bulbous 1958 Corvette design study follows marketing inputs Ford replicated in the upsized, four-seat 1958 Thunderbird. Larger Thunderbird was wildly successful, outselling Corvette more than 4:1, 38,000 to 9,000 units. Without Thunderbird, Corvette would have died.
(Remembering the June 1957 Automobile Manufacturers of America self-imposed "Racing Ban")

 

Boodlum although I have read a number of people claim the Corvette would have died if not for the T-Bird, I am not sure I believe that claim. Originally the 53 Corvette probably owed a good portion of its DNA to Harley Earl who was more of a gadget guy added onto "stylish" designs (my opinion). When Duntov came along with his input as to using the new V-8, the Corvette had a chance as a real sports car, that had looks and performance. The Racing ban you alluded to was in response to the horrific accident at Lemans in 55 which affected a lot of the suits at GM Headquarters. I believe there were enough guys at GM that would have wanted to keep the Corvette alive but they had to tread lightly with the panty waisters upstairs. The development may have slowed but I am not convinced it would have disappeared completely. The deal is though is the T-Bird connection makes for a good story but we will never know the whole truth anyways. It gives us something to speculate about on forums I suppose.

Funny thing is my grandfather bought my grandmother one of the very first 55 T-Birds and my older brother and older sister and I used to pile into that car on many occasions. I liked the car but it did not have the right sound, even to a young kid. My grandfather had a friend with a V-12 Ferrari and the sound of that car moved my young soul. The next car that hit me in a similar way was a 62 Fuelie Corvette with off road exhausts. It was then I knew I was hooked on sports car with performance and sound, as well as looks.

 

That 1958 Corvette design study give me a whiff of 1958 Cadillac Eldorado/Biarritz