Art Dexter was the premier Chicago area sign painter/pin striper BITD. The color on the license plate and the Land of Lincoln phrase on it date it to 1962, and surprisingly Dexter still had a shop in Elgin, IL. as recently as two years ago. In fact he might still be active, if @oldbobsign sees this I bet he’ll know if he’s still working.
Jim, Great post and I for one am grateful to the many really nice people I have met along the way at the early Corvette shows in the 70's, the establishment of the NCRS (National Corvette Restorers society), tracking the early production cars, various publications and so much more. It was a very special and enjoyable time for me.
Dan, If you are 58 as your profile states, by the time you were a teenager, values had already increased substantially. AND it was a numbers game that greatly affected those prices. For example: Fuel Injection, cars with AC, the early big blocks 396/425 HP, 427/425 and 435/HP, cars with Knock-off or the '67 Bolt On wheels, original engines and mechanical components, original untouched bodies and finish and more. By the mid 70's, those were the Corvettes I purchased like a documented, mint '67 Coupe with a 427435HP and others as well. And you are right, the hobby has become a bit insane with all the crazy prices for just about anything, even so many of those old pickup trucks I love dearly!
The lower 6 feet may or may not have had a device pounded into the pole which accepted a slide in step. Above that steps were pounded in. You can see them in the photos. It was before gaffs or strap on spikes. Big company $$ savings when spikes were approved for climbing. No more wasted steps that could rust. In 65 when I started I was able to buy a “floating” belt which allowed me to turn in the belt about 30* plus the twist in my body…..way better than what the older linemen were using at the time
The Jalopy Journal
