The 1953 Corvette to now thread.

No one did Stars and Stripes on a Vette better than the Greenwoods

 

Happy 4th of July

 

No pics but about ten years ago in my town a burly bearded young man inherited a '54 vette from his grandpa. He lived in a not great part of town and started driving the car every day like it was a '98 Accord. It was pretty surreal to see him driving it around in the winter. Not sure whatever happened to it. Just stopped seeing it eventually. Somebody probably saved it with a big check i guess.

 

Probably stolen from him.

 

Corvettes at Lexington Cars and Coffee 7-6-24

 

Hello,

Last week, I wrote a short post on my involvement in a early 54 Corvette. No, it was not mine. That sporty car was far above what we could afford at the time. But, a friend asked me to help him with his “borrowed” from his dad, a new 54 Corvette during our high school days.

It was only seen at our high school parking area on rare days and we did see it cruising around Bixby Knolls on some rare Friday-Saturday nights. But, for the most part, our friend’s dad knew teenagers and sporty cars don’t always mesh in the right way. So, it was the once a month or so, type of “loan” for the Friday night date or just the monthly cruise. At the teenage drive-in restaurant hangout, it was a one of a kind car sitting in the lot.

If a different Corvette did come into the parking lot or cruise area where we gathered, it was a couple of older 20-30 something, guys that had jobs and were able to purchase the latest models. But, certainly no teenagers. Yes, what were those older guys doing cruising a “teenage hangout” on a Friday-Saturday night?

There were some recollections of those sporty cars coming in to the hangout on a Saturday night with a white shoe polish markings on their side windows. We knew they did not roll down the driver’s side window after they left the dragstrip nearby. The instant roll down of the driver’s window usually wipes off the water soluble white class designation the dragstrip tech committee paints on every competitor.

We also knew if the designation was still on the window, it was a class champion for the day/night elimination races. (usually, unless told, the return road E.T. time card person wipes off the designation as the elimination racers come back to the tower to get their timing slips)

Jnaki

Here is the old post:

“But in their haughty dismissal, they miss the point entirely. The Corvette embodies the raw, untamed spirit of American car culture. It’s not about precision—it’s about power, aggression, and the sheer joy of hooliganism. It’s about blasting down Main Street, the engine’s roar echoing through the night, a fiery testament to the wild, unapologetic heart of the American culture.”


What to high priced European sporty car writers know about Corvette history and being a teenager in So Cal or elsewhere in the USA. The feeling of getting to drive any car was a vast turning point. What teenager did not look forward to, or over a steering wheel at the road ahead in anything that moved? If it was there, teenagers had a hand in it and were looking ahead for that DMV card that had an ID that said you were a legal driver… of any car or pickup truck.

With all of the family cars available, very few were Corvettes. Unless, of course your dad was named Cormier and owned a huge Chevrolet dealership just blocks from our high school. The flurry of Corvettes we saw with a young driver was almost a weekly event. But, we knew it was privileged moment and everyday teenager did not have access to a bevy of Corvettes at their disposal.

My first encounter with a white 54 Corvette was with a friend who “borrowed” his dad’s new toy. A white Corvette was not the flashy all red one we saw in advertisements, but it was an American sporty car and it looked different than our Chevy and Ford sedans. The power from our modified Chevy sedans may have been more, but the white Corvette did its share of turning heads on the roads of So Cal and in the weekend drive-in restaurant cruise nights.
early teenage high school memories…
It was a 6 cylinder blast at every corner and the wind in our faces and hair was part of the mystique of a fast Corvette. It was the only one in our car driving teenage group and it was a “borrowed” one at that.

So, through our experiences of having modified our sedans and various motors, it included a 1960 v8 Corvette with dual quads to a single quad for better drivability for the original owner. But, we certainly had fun test driving the dual quad 60 Corvette to see the power in a lightweight sporty car and when finished with our job of converting the carb set ups, the late night cruising was pure enjoyment. The v8 certainly made a difference and that led to todays version to keep up with the onslaught of high prices sporty cars in the field.

In late 1960, our thoughts of that powerful 671 SBC motor sitting in our backyard garage covered up with a large canvas tarp certainly played in my mind. What if we installed it in my black 58 Impala with the C&O Stick Hydro? Or better yet, in my friend’s 57 Bel Air Hardtop Sedan that had the dual quad SBC modified motor…

Then one final option was to install it in a lightweight 54 Corvette body and chassis for the super fast, local So Cal sporty car set up for the drags, but strictly for the weekend cruises all over… What a cool event that would have been if it had been approved.

A lowered rake to accentuate the “mean” attitude for all to see and HEAR!

Note:

Sometimes, as early as our time during the drag racing scene, Corvettes of all shapes and sizes were ruling the sporty car classes all across the USA. For the Ford racers, there were some out West. But the T-bird, the main competitor in sales and at the drags were competitive with certain drivers and factory support. It was not just the ordinary “Joe” and his two person sporty car but those with a dealer + factory backing made some noise at the local drags.



Most of the Corvette racers were older folks as the average teenager could not afford the high price sporty cars. Unless, of course, your name was Cormier and your family owned one of the biggest Chevy dealerships in downtown Long Beach.

Corvettes, always out in front of the USA sporty car scene. But, for the average teenager, not the most popular brand or owned car for sure…

But, it was the feeling of being in a Corvette, modified or not, to make the evening cruise pleasurable. Not all teenagers had enough money to get a Corvette. Plus, it only held two people and in their own bucket seats. Being together in any situation other than straight driving from point A to point B is/was a difficult proposition. But, a Corvette just had the style from the beginning.

NOTE 2:

My brother and I saw a cool looking similar 1962 Corvette on the streets and wanted to get one for ourselves. We had tons of experience in Chevy motors and stuff, so it would be in our ball park. But, at the time, we saw it and had our deep thought discussion as to which direction we were going to go for our next adventure. Strictly street for daily driving after our accident at the drags, or using the Corvette for the recipient of our 671 supercharged 292 c.i. inch blower spec SBC motor as a means to get back in the game.

One direction of strictly a daily driver would work well. But, the thought of our powerful 292 SBC 671 motor in a small bodied Corvette sent shivers down our backs. And the cool thing was, we would not have to build the motor again. It was sitting in our backyard garage on a rolling engine stand ready for the next go around. Most all of the other remaining parts from our Willys accident were sold and given away. The last thing was the motor.
old Friday Art
The 671 would be covered up to keep the look of the Corvette relatively stock appearing. But, for the supposed times and speeds that we knew we could achieve, a parachute would be necessary. But, not for daily trips to the local high school parking lot. HA!
We all like a nice rear end !!!
with or without a parachute…

A high school parking lot... or a teenage hangout parking lot show/shine/race, here we come... YRMV

 

Love that hood!....

 

Sitting at a local dealership yesterday. I think it was an employee car. 427 4 speed

 

Nice GS sitting at a restaurant in Lexington, his dad was driving a freshly build El Camino, I posted in the What You See Today thread.

 

The Daytona yellow one is one of 2 ZL-1s built in 1969...

 

Hello,

Our history goes through thoughts of owning a Corvette. But, once my wife and I drove in an older Corvette, that was it. More thoughts and as we got used to seeing plenty of So Cal Corvettes all over the place and almost every year model past our favorite 62 version, it began to take on its own aura. We came so close to getting a Corvette as our daily driver. No need for a back seat as we liked being together and obviously a Corvette was made for two.

But, for two young 20 somethings, it was a little higher than we could afford. We would rather save up for traveling up and down the coastline to the S.F. Bay area to see if that is where we permanently want to live. Mexico? Back then, perhaps, but today? Not so much. The Corvette was there, but a little out of reach, even used ones.

We moved to our last house many years ago. It is a small house down from our gigantic 3000 s.q. ft. house earlier. But, as thing go in downsizing, we all have to take into account, what comes with such a move. Most of our old stuff got sent to relatives and friends. What we could not fit into our smaller house was given away to one of the local charities.

But, as our neighborhood was, it did have some tones that just rang through the air in the quiet of the night and even during the day. High performance motor sounds with a fancy shifting 4 speed upon acceleration. It was a standard thing to hear late at night. There were two “out of the homes streets” with long straightaways and that provided a home court. We heard a powerful motor going through the gears and it was not a sporty car. We saw a late 60s Corvette with its powerful motor creating some fairly loud rumbles and when the neighbor accelerated, the sound took off with the sporty car.

As the years rolled on 20+++ years, he had gone through a couple of newer versions when the body styles changed. So, we got to see a local neighborhood car show during those times. Whenever he fired up his “new” Corvette model of the time, we also were treated to the starting rev up and for some continued noise down the street.

The models got lower and flashier and for some reason, the start up sound was powerful. But, now as he backed up and we saw him rolling down the street, it seemed quieter.

Jnaki

Then finally, he got a brand new Corvette model and of course, bright red. So, now, when he fires up, the tone is pretty awesome. But, the one thing it has was the initial start up. As he drove down the street and one day we were behind him on the coastal highway, it was very quiet idling. Upon initial acceleration from the stop light, it was actually quiet. So, what gives? Computer controlled sound altering exhaust system? He obviously will not get a ticket unless he is speeding. Certainly not for loud exhausts, as the current CHP is giving out in droves to loud exhaust sporty cars. YRMV

 

Edgewater near Cincinnati.

 

I'll take mine with the 3x2 intake and a 4-speed....
.....Or the L-88..