garagedweller2

how well does one handle? Are the drums adequate for such a lite car? Which C1 is the most valuble?

Cruzmeisters

My '62 goes like HELL on a straight-a-way; on curved roads my '91 Caprice useta outrun it (with wife driving ;) )
Drums stop it fine; WOULD like to have a dual master cylinder - for added safety - but never got around to installing one.
Most valuable? IMHO, a '53; estimates are that there are 250 of original 300 left :sad: Also, IMHO, '57 Feulies with 4 speed are probably most covetted :cool: Other opinions? :confused:
Cruz

SebringBill

Well...lessee now... :rolleyes: I'm kinda partial to 57s (since I have one:D ).
While 53s have got to be valuable, especially since their 50th anniversary is approaching, I would lean towards either an old race car with a very successful, popular and documented history or a documented one-off styling or engineering car. I know they're out there still...I'm trying to document mine! As far as driving, well, there are some folk that can attest to my 57 doing some pretty fancy work out on the asphalt. I've run the road tour at the NCRS Orlando (f/k/a Cypress Gardens) show for years and have been chased by everything from a new C5 to a ZR-1 to an L-88 A-Production racer. While I sure can't outrun 'em I still have the element of suprise since most people don't expect me to throw the 57 into the curves like I do. (Ask anyone who was at Atlanta Motor Speedway in '99 with the National Corvette Caravan to the Museum's 5th Anniversary about my "hot" laps!



Or here at Road Atlanta...(geez, that was fun!)


Oh yeah, about brakes...I added a bolt-on front disc brake kit from JMT Engineering in Clearwater, FL in 1998. No dual master cylinder, no proportioning valve, just replaced the front drums and took off.


[Modified by SebringBill, 11:53 PM 1/9/2002]

itza56

Shake, Rattle and Roll :lol: mine rides like a lumber truck, but I'm working on that.
Brake's ? what brake's ? It will stop if I stand on it, just kidding, but you need to understand 4 drum's are not like todays big disc's....
I really enjoy my ol 56 and I drive the sock's off it....

the money cars are the 53's and the later fuelie's, very rare and expensive...

John McGraw

Which C1 is the most valuable? Hmm, probably any C1 on ProTeam's lot.
In reality probably any fuel injected, big brake, 24 gal tank car which has a racing history, was owned by a celebrity, has less than 50k miles on it and has never been restored!
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

58Vette65

Personally I think my ’58 ride is better than a friends ¾ ton pick up and on par with a lot of the SUV with trailer package and heavy duty springs. All of the discomfort goes away right after the first thumbs up or wave. I like the way mine handles, not as good as a C5 with all the fancy gadgets but not unlike many of the muscle cars for the ’60 and ’70 and a lot better than the other late ’50 era cars -- just proving it was ahead of it’s time. Of coarse, when you get on for the stoplight you get that muscle car fish tail and the sounds of burning rubber – probably a little driver induced fish tail – but brings back memories of no traction control and rear wheel drive cars.

I have drums on my ’58 and can lockup all four wheels – the foot pressure to lock up the wheels is about twice what it would be on a modern disc brake car. I remember all cars back in those days had to crank over a couple of times to start, took both hands to crank the steering wheel and you had to pickup you foot and put it on the brake to stop – not just toe pressure on the brake. Are we getting lazy!!! In emergency stop the fear factor comes into play and pressure you would apply to a disc break car and a drum brake car would probably be equal and produce about the same results. The problem is high-speed stops and drum break fade or driving in rain and getting the brakes wet. I try not to drive in the rain and I rarely go over 65 mph in my ’58 so drum brakes are not really a factor with me.

As far as the most valuable C1 it seems like it is the one that I’m trying to buy!! The highest asking price on a C1 that I have seen is the 1958 "Retractable Hardtop" at Proteam Corvette and I seen a price on it of $750,000.00 and it has been there a while. Over all the ’53 brings the top dollars and the rest of the C1 are pricing is all over the charts. Like my mother use to tell me “Its not what something is worth – it’s what you can sell it for” or “The Worth is in the eye of the beholder” and that holds very true in C1 and C2 Corvettes.

My main gripes is that I’m 6ft 2in and driving with the top down my forehead is above the windshield and gets wind burned. Also, when driving on a four lane road cars will pull along side to take a better look and let their car drift over into my lane.

I’m probably the only one of the forums that does this but on a cold winter day with several inches of snow on the ground sometimes I will just go out into the garage and sit in the drivers seat, turn on the radio and wish for a warm spring day!!!!!

micropro_wright

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I’m probably the only one of the forums that does this but on a cold winter day with several inches of snow on the ground sometimes I will just go out into the garage and sit in the drivers seat, turn on the radio and wish for a warm spring day!!!!!
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Well, there are at lest 2 of us. I do the same thing now with my 92 conv. It is staying in the heated garage till all snow & cold(teens) weather is gone.

It is a sin how good that feels sometime after working a million hour week. Only thing that could improve on the experience, would be if I had C1 with a "283/270" that has GREAT sounds. Then I could sit in the garage with the motor on...Love those sounds !!!!

a63vette

Make that 3...and when I am really ambitious I take the cover completely off for the full experience :)

"I’m probably the only one of the forums that does this but on a cold winter day with several inches of snow on the ground sometimes I will just go out into the garage and sit in the drivers seat, turn on the radio and wish for a warm spring day!!!!!"

Cruzmeisters

Been doin' THAT since '67! ;)
Also, I named mine "Teddy Roosevelt" 'cause it's a Rough Ridin' *****...... :yesnod: :yesnod: :yesnod:
Cruz

67HEAVEN

Cruz,

I think I'm likin' you more all the time! :cheers:

Tyler Townsley

Bill how come you didn't tell them about having to finish the road tour using my ZR 1 and me taking your ailing old car back to the meet at 10-15 mph. (If I could just find the picture of your car on Joels trailer.) LOL A 57 is a handfull at 10-15 mph, at 'normal' speeds Bills car is a great car hopefully he will be chasing me to the west coast in Aug.

Tyler
68 L 88 clone

Blkblt

58Vette65 wrote: "I’m probably the only one of the forums that does this but on a cold winter day with several inches of snow on the ground sometimes I will just go out into the garage and sit in the drivers seat, turn on the radio and wish for a warm spring day!!!!!"
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WHAT????!!! Ok... This could be an entire thread. IMHO, that behavior is the norm around here. H***, the last time I had the Beast on the road was 2 weeks ago, and I have been sitting in her...WITH the radio on....twice since then!!! :cool: :D

And; I have the carpet stripped (Hi, Al Knoch), and the consol out for a Hurst shifter change (if forking CC ever decides to deliver....but, enough on THAT rant). I have had this car for a very short time...just over 3 years...and I still cannot get enough....even when Lars shows up with snow on the ground to build something or check some C3er's part. :cheers:

No, 58Vette65...you are in the majority, not "the only one"..... ah.hhhh....spring........ ;)

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Jeff
Ô66. Modified L72
ÒThe Silver BeastÓ
Keep on :flag :seeya :cheers: :cool:

Cruzmeisters

67Heaven: Valentine's Day falls on February 14 this year ;) Send $$$(U.S.) or add my name to your credit line @ Casino Niagara :yesnod: :yesnod: :yesnod: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

JohnZ

Momma got me a flexible exhaust system for the garage that goes over the pipes and goes out through a port in the garage door (like commercial shops have) for winter tune-ups for Christmas (wonderful lady :) ) - come to think of it, I could crank up the 283/270 and just sit there on those below-zero/snow up to my armpits winter days and listen to the Duntov and solid lifters sing and the oldies play on the AM WonderBar - life is good again :D

58Vette65

Now what you need is a large picture of a winding country road in full autumm colors and a LARGE fan on HIGH mounted on the front wall of your garage!!! :D