FULL Custom Early Corvettes
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
FULL Custom Early Corvettes
Back in the fifties and early sixties, most of the Corvettes featured in Rod & Custom and Car Craft magazines were full body customs. These were usually built from wrecks in body shops all across the country. But where are they now? I haven't seen any modern photos of those old feature cars during the last 30 years.
I'm not talking about "mild" customs with odd paint jobs and Cadillac tail lights, I mean the cars with almost unrecognizable bodies by George Barris or the Alexander Brothers. These cars would have been just about impossible to restore back to stock. Here's a good example of a body too far gone to restore: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rod-Custom-Magaz...QQcmdZViewItem Or how about the red car at the bottom of this cover: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rod-custom-oct-1...QQcmdZViewItem Yowzah!
What happened to them during the seventies and eighties? Are any of them still intact out there?
I'm not talking about "mild" customs with odd paint jobs and Cadillac tail lights, I mean the cars with almost unrecognizable bodies by George Barris or the Alexander Brothers. These cars would have been just about impossible to restore back to stock. Here's a good example of a body too far gone to restore: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rod-Custom-Magaz...QQcmdZViewItem Or how about the red car at the bottom of this cover: http://cgi.ebay.com/Rod-custom-oct-1...QQcmdZViewItem Yowzah!
What happened to them during the seventies and eighties? Are any of them still intact out there?
Last edited by jerrybramlett; 07-20-2008 at 03:18 PM.
#2
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Come to think of it...
ProTeam had a "restored" full custom '59(?) Corvette a few years ago. I think it was red with a white interior, and had vertical headlights with tall tail fins. They were asking big bucks for it at the time. This wasn't the '58 with the retractable hard top.
#3
Live Free or Die
Here are a few others that have popped up in the last few years.
#5
I want to put side exhaust on my 64 Coupe,but because they were'nt offered til 65 my frame does not have the key hole cut out for mounting the back of the exhaust to the frame.I currently have the body off the frame ,so I cant use it as a reference and I would like to weld up the entire system before I put it back on.Anyone have any idea how far from the rear of the frame,"in front of the rear tire"the key hole is on a 65,6,or 7 ??
Last edited by FAST64; 07-20-2008 at 08:31 PM.
#6
Le Mans Master
I have a lot of 50's - 60's Hot Rod magazines. I wondered the same thing the other day when thumbing through them. I remember only seeing 1 straight axle back in the late 70's with one of the modded front ends on it.
Now, in a small town like this a Corvette was exotic anyway. Not knowing anything about Vette's back then. It was a REAL exotic to see.
I was born in 1964. Downtown on the w/e nights (up until about 1980) was just like American Graffiti though. There WAS a circuit you followed to cruise through town I remember seeing lots of Camaro's, Chevelle's, Nova's and the like. But no Vette's in this small town. So I don't know how many REALLY got modded ? Do you guys remember seeing many heavily modded Vette's ?
I just figured people bought those modded cars and returned them to factory original...
Now, in a small town like this a Corvette was exotic anyway. Not knowing anything about Vette's back then. It was a REAL exotic to see.
I was born in 1964. Downtown on the w/e nights (up until about 1980) was just like American Graffiti though. There WAS a circuit you followed to cruise through town I remember seeing lots of Camaro's, Chevelle's, Nova's and the like. But no Vette's in this small town. So I don't know how many REALLY got modded ? Do you guys remember seeing many heavily modded Vette's ?
I just figured people bought those modded cars and returned them to factory original...
#7
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
I want to put side exhaust on my 64 Coupe,but because they were'nt offered til 65 my frame does not have the key hole cut out for mounting the back of the exhaust to the frame.I currently have the body off the frame ,so I cant use it as a reference and I would like to weld up the entire system before I put it back on.Anyone have any idea how far from the rear of the frame,"in front of the rear tire"the key hole is on a 65,6,or 7 ??
#8
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
#11
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Separated at birth?
This nose design and tail treatment sure look the same as Harerazin's.
http://cgi.ebay.com/May-1959-Motor-T...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/May-1959-Motor-T...QQcmdZViewItem