Projects No Fuzzy Dice...Digging the History of my '57 Chevy Convertible Drag Racer

I'm amazed when I see some of the prices. When I bought it sight unseen all I knew was it was a pretty solid convertible and knew I could make some return if i decided to...the rest has just been bonus

 

I can understand your concern. The way everything lines up looks good, it's just the way that the last F is stamped deeper is kinda' odd. Something else to ponder... How scarce is a Turboglide equiped Fuelie, and does the price reflect that? Tough call...

 

From what I understand (maybe true or not), the last letter was hand stamped individually vs a gang stamp, so not uncommon to be deeper or shallower. But it's REALLY straight for hand placement.
Price is right for a core.. and with only 1530 FI engines in passenger cars in 57, it's hard to pass up if legit

 

It occurs to me that you, @flamed34 , have hit the mother lode ( jackpot that is, you done hit the lottery).

 

The last F does look deeper, but then again, the first F is deeper than the T in the middle, it's like the whole stamping is a gradient with more depth at the ends and less in the center, and looking at it like that, it's very consistent. Plus, the shape of both F's seems to be identical, in size and lengths of the "arms" coming off of it.

To me, it looks legit, certainly no big red flags. And if they did fake it, they did a hell of a good job, and don't seem like they think they're going to get rich off of it, either. If you were paying a super premium price for it I might question it more, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

Well, the "57 Fuelie" engine isn't....
I still am not sure if the seller is an idiot or trying to pull a fast one.
When it was listed, it was complete and had Corvette aluminum valve covers and an early corvette engine mount on it. He listed it as a Corvette fuelie...because he looked up the suffix of GF, saw FI, and assumed Corvette. However the GF is a passenger car code...
We talked initially and all seemed fine but it was at his "buddy's" shop. He then called me the next day and told me his buddy had pulled off the heads for some reason...oh, and he had taken the engine mount and sold it along with the valve covers, crank pulley and balancer...but otherwise all there.
Since the heads were pulled and the valve covers were off, I asked him to send my pics of the head part numbers and date codes. This was the first alarm as they were late '64 castings. The intake was also '64 or '65 but that didn't alarm me initially being that it wouldn't have been original on a fuelie.
Knowing that the the GF code was also used in 1965 and 1968, I was now on high alert. I asked for photos of the date code on the back of the block. He texted that he had already left his buddy's place and wasn't going back. Considering I was planning on leaving at 4 am tomorrow for a 16 hour round trip I told him if I couldn't get the date code, I was going to pass. He replied with a "no problem" but several hours later sent me some poor photos of the date code. The date code looked like H74...August 7th, 1964. I also noticed an 870 casting number...only used from 1962 to 1966 if I remember right.
So I called him, where he kept saying "it was only a front mount...everyone knows that's a 57...I took the mount off myself...."
I couldn't get it through his head that the corvette mount would go on any SBC, but the 57 passenger used the lower front bosses. I asked for pics of the bosses near the timing cover (poor pics again), then finally asked for pics of the side of the block - LO AND BEHOLD - SIDE MOUNT BOSSES.
I tried to educate him that those bosses weren't there in 57...still not sure if he is a scammer or an idiot.
So....it's a 1965 195hp 283....
So if you are on FB marketplace and see a 57 Fuelie "Corvette" engine listed in Clay City Kentucky....don't waste your time.

 

Something still doesn't add up though, 870 is a 327 casting number, but GF is a 283 passenger car suffix! Either way, at least you didn't waste all that time and gas money on a POS!

 

It has a block casting number of 3849852. On the rear of the engine are the casting numbers of 852 and 870. From what I read, if they were casting both block numbers at the same time, they would cast both numbers...not sure if that is correct.
The 3849852 was built from 1957 until 1966 as a 283. The 3782870 was only 62-67 as a 327. Once I saw the 870, I was sure this wasn't what it was being represented as

 

"I see!" said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw...

 

One of my father's favorite quotes

 

That's a bummer, but at least you didn't waste a trip. Doesn't sound like a scammer to me, sounds like a guy who has no idea what he's talking about. Someone told him something and he latched onto that like it was gospel and he doesn't know the difference. I run into it all the time.

It's Hanlon's razor. Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

 

Cool. You'd have to rebuild it as the drag car it was wouldn't you?

 

That's the plan...the "Day 2" build. But I also want to build back the fuelie to go with it as part of the story. My thoughts are being 1 of 68 fuelie convertibles, it's crucial to keep all the history together.

 

I have seen a factory 250 hp fuelie with the turboglide. I don't think that trans was available with the 283 hp motor.

 

I finally realized there was a shift pattern on the odometer face, hidden by the tach and 60 years of dust. It appears the original trans was a Turboglide. This aligns with the original 3.36 (now 4.11) posi rear.
One more puzzle piece...

 

As if a 57 convertible Fuelie isn't rare enough, this one is even more scarce, with a Turboglide! You hit the jackpot!

 

Ill have to research. I didn't realize the Turboglide was particularly rare. Unfortunately that trans is long gone...probably thrown out for the initial 3 speed before the 4 speed went in.

 

And now I really have to find a GF suffix block

 

For my Birthday, my wife made me a couple shirts.
What makes these special is the originals are from stuff that came with my car (pics on page 4)
The Sun Tach paperwork was included in a folder of documentation and the tach is mounted on the steering column.
The Latham Supercharger came with the car...it's a pretty rare and cool piece. It's the "competition series" that used for Carter YH carbs...super rare, super high performance for the day. The logo is from a sticker also in the documentation. The sticker itself is very rare. When the Latham was bought new (@1960) it came with a card the owner could send in. For $0.25, he got 2 stickers. For another $3 there are 2 cast and chromed "Supercharged by Latham" fender badges I also have. Of course, nearly no one actually sent in the card, so these things don't exist

 

That is a fantastic gift. She is thoughtful and knows you well.

 

This post really get's me fired up to get my recent purchase in my shop and examine in closely and see what I really have. All I know is that 10 or 15 years ago it allegedly sold at a Mecums auction and at some point later it had a short by the starter and it burned the dash and interior out of it. It was a restored car and still has the single well master cylinder and what appears to be the original 283. I'm currently in the middle of a 31 coupe build and as soon as that's done I have an original bodied 32 three window that I need to get back on and finish. Once those two are done, I can get on the 57. The floors are solid it has the one piece bumpers so there's no telling what it came with new.

 

Since my last post, I’ve taken a new job that has me living in an apartment during the week and working on getting our other 2 houses ready to sell (long story of restoring one house - a Victorian- since 98 while living in another 2 hours away until last year only to realize we didn’t want to live in the town where the Victorian house is).
So I’ve made 0 progress on the Fuelie - but continue to research and look for a correct GF block.
However, the wife did surprise me for Christmas with a few good finds! Custom Rodder and a Speed and Custom magazines with articles on the Latham as well as a diecast model 1957 Fuelie in the Incan Silver with red/silver interior and a black top exactly like mine.
Now I can read up and sit around making zoom zoom noises…

 

She definitely picked out some great gifts for you. I’m sure that you will get the housing situation worked out and will start on the Fuelie when the time is right. It’s not going anywhere and you are hunting parts in the mean time.

 

Does she have a single sister like her?

 

She doesn't even have to know how to cook.

Excellent zoom zoom noises.

 

Great find/buy. I'm a die hard hot rodder and day 2 guy. If the numbers check out and the car is truly a factory convertible fuelie I'd be restoring it back to 100% stock. There were only 68 built. Find a pedestrian model and use the hot rod parts on it. Just my 2 cents.......
https://www.americanmusclecarmuseum...vrolet-bel-air-fuel-injected-convertible.html

 

Unfortunately not, lol

 

Stock or Day 2 is something I’ve struggled with. End of the day, I think the Day 2 story has to be told…when these cars rolled off the assembly line and subjected to modifications to go fast!!
Fortunately, other than the holes cut in the trans tunnel for the 3 speed and then 4 speed, there’s nothing that can’t be returned to stock by unbolting and replacing. It will be built in full original trim including the fuelie badges, electrovac, etc but with the 327/4speed/latham in place. I’ll build out the fuelie engine and display it alongside. I think that’s the best of both worlds - a nod to both aspects of it’s heritage.

 

Not particularly knowledgeable regarding the turboglide by any means, but as I recall they had some issues related more to when rebuild came necessary, seems they were in at least a few cases swapped out. If memory serves me correct reassembly was a bit of an unknown success.

 

I thought all fuelies were stick cars?