Event Coverage Captivated by a Corvette

@J.Ukrop

Hello,

Nice story about the Corvette. A good looking driver with lots of fun miles in its own story. But, I pity the owner if it lives in San Francisco. The daily dose of salt air is a standard. But, watching it do its particulars to paint and body work over time is disheartening.

One year I was visiting my brother who was getting treatment in the UCSF Medical Center. I stayed in a small ocean front motel in Ocean Beach and it was a hectic drive on some days to get to and from the medical center. It was not the traffic, but the thick fog that inundated the whole area for several hours and then disappeared for several more.

I was not in our El Camino, but a small rental 3 cylinder convertible car that to me was almost not a car for this city. Talk about powerless positions on the street when going up the steep hills… yikes! It was a rental car my brother’s wife had rented for me. Yes, we were friends… despite the size difference between the teeny convertible and the other cars that looked like tanks coming down the road.

The thing I noticed coming from an ocean front So Cal living area that sees fog almost daily, this was an area that is not just fog, but winds that push the thick fog, miles inland. It was difficult to get back to the ocean beach motel for the night. Darkness and thick fog at night with small headlights was a disaster waiting to happen. On a car-less portion of the road, I actually turned off the headlights and it seemed to clear the foggy road vision until lights appeared in the distance.

Jnaki

But, if I owned a Corvette like this version, it would be leery to drive it at night, in the fog. My friend who owned a highly modified 57 Chevy bel air hardtop and I had already experienced riding around in a 1953 first gen. Corvette. We liked it as it was small and different than what we owned. Our experience with a 1960 Corvette was during our high school days. My friend with the 57 Chevy Bel Air and I were responsible for exchanging a dual quad set up with his single four barrel carb on a 60 Corvette. The owner did not like the dual quads and wanted an easier driving Corvette.

Since we had the Corvette for a couple of days, the trips all over the local cruising grounds were a must prior to making the exchange. The Cherry Avenue Drags location got a full use activity and it was exhilarating. The small body, the powerful sound of the dual quads while we were plastered to the tight bucket seats was outstanding.

NOTE:

Who got the best of the exchange? Well, the 57 Chevy was the only one in Long Beach to have dual quads and a 4 speed we installed. With my 4:11 Positraction gears in his car, Hedman Headers and Traction Masters, my friend’s 57 was nearly “unbeatable” on the Bixby Knolls streets. (“nearly”) As for the Corvette? The owner did not feel as though he was second in happiness. The easier driving Corvette was just what he wanted and it paid off in dividends for both parties. YRMV

 

I always heard that '56 Vettes were a "dime a dozen" in San Francisco :

Two Dozen 1956 Chevrolet Corvettes
image from the General Motors Media Archives​

 

Joey Ukrop - Not to derail your TJJ Blog (& its resultant H.A.M.B. thread) . . . BUT, you really oughta do a story on Kevin's Deuces:

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I had a 57 Silver, red orange coves and interior, 2X4, 4spd. 4:11 rear end. Narrow tires way too fast for a young kid to have. Lifters floated at 100MPH because it ran out of gearing. Sure, as hell got there quick though. Loved that car. The guy before me blew it up. Got it bored out to 301CI. Did I say it was scary on those bias narrow tires?

 

Yeah. I wish I could afford another one. Anything from 1967 back. I remember waiting for my wife at the main gate of Westinghouse Electric in the fall of 1967. I had a 1961 Corvette. Somebody had a yellow 1968 Corvette who was sitting and waiting for their girl friend/wife. I couldn't get excited about them , even when new.