History First generation '56-'62 Corvette

I'll always remember what my uncle, a Chevrolet dealer at that time said about Corvettes..."they ride like a "buck board" I'd like to have my 63 2 topper back. I swapped my 62 for a project 41 Ford sedan delivery and cash after I put in a 350, Muncie trans and a very mild custom paint job.

 

Amen!

 

I'll have to agree with him. The older ones did ride pretty hard/rough, but the newer C5's and C6's are so much better in the handling and comfort area.

 

Google the 1954 "Corvair" show car. Sheer beauty, if I may say so.
Remember peeps, the 'first gen' Vettes rode on 49-54 Chevy car front suspension. Sports cars, harumph. With WHITEWALLS no less!

There was a pretty sweet straight axle 56 or 7 in a mag last year. Nice car- very cool execution.

And, FWIW, I drove an '11 Vette a couple weekends ago. I have never been one of 'those' guys- but a neighbor had it on the GM amb***ador program. It was, quite simply, one of the nicest cars I've driven. With the 'targa' top off, it was extremely quiet in the car, the clutch was light, the 6 speed shifted easily, the HUD was AWESOME (g meter was a nice touch too, LOL). I'd never get one, but, for a minute, it was cool to 'pretend'.

JK

 

I think the 53-55 with the 235 Blue Flame are pretty cool.




One thing I noticed, the more common models after 56 always have drivers who never salute other old car owners, coming from the other direction. And they always seem to wear a cap.
Saw another one earlier this morning, when driving my coupe and I just smiled, while the driver just stares ahead. Cracks me up every time.


I just remembered another Corvette moment that shall remain engrained in my memory forever.
One day, many years ago, in the middle of summer, I am driving down Van Nuys Blvd in the valley, when a white early 60s Corvette entered traffic right in front of me.
The two guys in it were huge middle-aged body builders with really tight Hawaiian shirts and hair that didn't move in the wind.
I never forget the image how they each had to lean to the outside to even fit shoulder to shoulder like sardines pressed into the seats of this pe***e car.
They seemed good friends and really enjoyed the ride, yakking it up, oblivious to the world around them.
It was the funniest thing I ever seen in regular traffic and I never wished more to have a camera with me at the time.
I love LA ....

 

Amazing how many here are absolutely clueless as to the impact the early Vettes made in the hot rodding world. There wasn't the numbers matching bs there is now. They were daily drivers for many. There were a number of Vette customs also. Big John Mazamanians? car was certainly a Vette that made an impact on the drag scene. Just Steve (RIP) who was here on the Hamb was responsible for a total resto on that car. It was featured in Rodders Journal awhile back

 

i have been lucky & have owned 4 . one like this :



.. also had 2 '59s & 1 '57 . i really like em all & wish i had one back ........ steve

 

I'm definitely cool with the old ones, but what I want to know is why are the new ones are so damn ugly. They use to clearly be in a league of their own. Now, sort of just design backwash. Apparently perform like crazy, but less than boring in the looks department, even when compared to other new cars. And I will admit it here, I do like plenty of new cars. But the design of Corvettes since the early 70's has been pretty uninspiring at best.

 

Can't answer your question, as it's been deleted as being off subject. Your post wasn't deleted, so I thought it was alright, but I guess I was wrong, sorry. People can bash away though, those opinions are ok I guess.

 

Now imagine how cool this nomad would look with the whole top chopped right off! It would be the same vette, just a whole bunch longer!

 

People forget they were raced. Case in point is one my 74 year old gear head father in law talks about. His college roommate bought new a white '57 270hp 4spd car w/3.70 posi and then proceeded to continuously build and race it all through college. Painted it Cadillac Bahama Blue with Silver Cove. Built the 283, bored it to 301, Isky cam, Mallory ignition, headers, traction bars, Olds valve springs in the pressure plate, etc. When entered in gymkhana they swapped the 2-4's for 3-2's because the 4 barrels would flood out in the corners. It was the cl*** record holder at Peoria Drag Strip in the 1/8 mile for a year and a half. With slicks it would pull the front tires in 1st and 2nd. He vividly remembers one blast down freshly paved highway 59 at 7000 rpms in high gear (do the math). To say this car left a lasting impression on him is an understatement. Eventually the '57 got traded on a new '60.

PS. He said the Oswego drag strip was the most popular in that area at that time.

 

I can't believe the ignorance of some of these "high posters".............
Here's a pic of a very nice black '62 that is a member here and a pic of me in happier care free times!

 

Some Solid Axle cars (including the black '62 above) still getting it done last week.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/misterpat/videos/19/

 

Hey Duntov I for one like the video. I see you hit a pretty good light (.17) not too shabby. With so many of the early Corvette guys worrying about overspray on the exhaust manifolds and all the other minutia of stock judging it is refreshing to see guys thrashing on their cars they way they were meant to be used.

The cars in this video (New Jersey Outlaws) are all street driven cars (even ******* Plastic) without cages so 11.50 is the max without getting thrown out (although I see Mike waited till the end to run an 11.08). All of them are small blocks (not LS) and have 4 speeds (save for one maybe).

As to them driving like a buckboard it is not hard to figure out why a car with 1948 Chev suspension technology does not drive like your Lexus but I for one like the ride. When I take people for a ride I tell them that to expect it to be like strapping 2-2x4s to their backside while driving down the road. I have driven in some of the restomods and although they are fast and handle very well I will still take my old rough ride. Feels more like a hot rod to me, but then that is me.

I would have to agree that stock Corvettes (1956-1962) are off topic and are simply not traditional but then I feel the same about a stock Model A. A fifties-mid sixties hot rod is traditional in my book as long as you keep it traditional. Thank God I bought mine when they were cheap and I for once used my head and did not let them go down the road. You can bet some of these guys that posted their earlier possession of these cars had wished they still kept them and 9 times out of 10 it is not for the money but for the good times. They will get your blood pumping just like any old hot rod-Jim

 

I've had my '60 for 30 years now and just turned 55. Original fuelie motor is long gone and has a 327 in it now with crager mags. As for previous idiot posts, I've never had any gold chains and don't own Polo shirts. I loved these early Vettes since watching RT 66 on TV and seeing the movie "Hot Rods to Hell." Couldn't care less about vette shows or any that were made after '67. Looking to cut the hood open next year and put a blower in it.

 

Chumlee

 

"...and seeing the movie Hot Rods to Hell".
LOL.
One of my favorites....teen terrors in Farah slacks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAnWqWXd66M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaiX3K9kJwo&feature=related

 

Solid axle Vettes are traditional.
They just evolved into gold-chainerizm.

I've owned two 54's, a '62 for 20 years and a '72.
54's were sold before completing restoration.
The '62 was a low mile 340HP. The most fun car I've ever owned.
'72 was bought to replace the '62 but I didn't like it and sold soon after.



Here's my family's collection of 1962's back in the late 1970's
Maroon one 360HP FI 4sp (b-in-law still has it but now it's restored)
Silver one 250HP 3sp 25,000 miles
White one 340HP 4sp (my old car)
sold it to pay for 1/2 a house in 1991 (still have the house)

 

Corvette's have always had a bit of an iden***y crisis. They were marketed to the sports car crowd first, with the tweed coats and flat caps, but then hot rodders discovered that they were light, fast and fun to drive, plus they had a good "presence". From then on, they evolved in both directions, with most going to the street/race side of things. In the late 50's through the 60's they were the goal of every kid that liked horsepower. Big blocks fit well, all the running gear was easy, etc. They faded for awhile in the 70's, but then the "restoration" groups started going after them, turning them into something they never were-"cl***ics". It was downhill from there. Now the hot rod 'vette is the exception, (as are the customs) but they were the rule for a long time.
On a side note, I was going down I-5 to the Portland swap meet about 20 years ago and came across a 60 'vette going about 45 in the right lane. I couldn't see anything wrong with it, except the obviously stressed driver, so I moved on. When I saw it at the swap meet I found out that the guy hadn't driven on the freeway before and was afraid to hurt it by going 55. That's when I realized the change was complete and they weren't what they used to be.

 

few more

 

There are so many great pics of early Corvettes, I have a couple hundred saved myself but these two pics are two of my favorites.

The one pic is a used car lot in Glendale Ca as I understand in 1968. This is when they were still hotrods-notice the mags. Wonder how many of these cars made it? If any did make what is the chance they are stock vs modified? Notice the flopper.

The other pic of the 59/60 at the strip brings back so many memories when times were much easier. So many things about this car I really like. If I ever found it (not that such would ever happen of course other than in some time machine) the only thing I would change are the front tires. The rest is just perfect.-Jim

 

i love any vette that has (factory)chrome on it i would love to have one probably never will

im not too fond of the 54-55's and the 61-62's

my favs are 57, 58,60,63,67 68-71

 

63 split window i need to go ******* now

 

I've had my '62 since 1972. Here's a picture the day I bought it.

 

It's really sad in this day and age that some folks can't even read and/or comprehend. Perhaps we could take up a collection for this poor fellow and get him some reading books. Cat in the Hat or maybe Fun with **** and Jane....

 

I really like any of the older vettes right up to about 1973, as long as they're built drag race style. I'll never understand the attraction of all the numbers match ********. My only regret is that Chevy didn't build them a little bigger inside so full size adults could enjoy em' too. I think all of the vette designers must have been about 5'8".

 

Great pics in the avatar---

 

Car cruse very nice car. I remember the first day that I bought mine although I had to bring mine home on the back of a hook in 1977 (cracked block). It was maroon but I immediately stripped it and painted it black and went to the Chevrolet dealer (Penske) and bought a new 327/365 which is still in it. It also has a wide ratio M22.

Much the same as G***er 57 I am in a rut in that they must be drag race style. You will note the black car has the pie crust slicks and has an up stance (2" spacers up front and re arched springs in back for that unmistakable rough ride). The induction tubes I fabricated out of fibergl*** for a bit of a ram induction-not much room under these hoods for big intakes and air cleaners. She is driven regularly and is not babied for sure. She still shows pretty well as it took a first in cl*** this past year at Detroit Autorama.

The red car is an old drag car out of New Mexico that I bought as a basket case in 1982. Could never really trace its history but rather than ever entertain the thought of it ever going back to stock as have scores of other early Corvettes, it is going back to drag race style. It may be hard to really see in the pic but it is candy apple red with a high up stance and will house a 427 big block. The chrome three point I fabricated so it can be removed (and was easier to chrome) and it fits under the hardtop. As to being for little guys they can get a bit tight but I am 6'1" and I fit. With the roll bar I altered the seats so that they can be rockered and I will put a padded head rest just where my head (and the little lady) resides. It may be a bit tight but such is life for the right look.

Almost embarr***ed that the red car is taking so long but I have had some health issues (cancer) that has put a crimp on things all of 2009. Hopefully with our Michigan winter looming it will force me to get out in the shop and get this car done.-Jim

 

AMEN BRO----We are the same age. Been driving Vettes since I was 20. Drove one in college and had to have my own. Owned literally hundreds the last 35 years. We sell Vette parts (as well as other GM specialty stuff), and run into as more "****s" driving other **** than Vettes. *****s come in all walks of life. Been in a Corvette club for 35 years, and have met very few bad folks.