steve0415

Hi. I am buying a 1959 Corvette from a guy in the mid-west this week, and he also has a 1954 rolling chassis that he will include for a price.

I am trying to learn the value of a 1954 rolling chassis, before I attempt to have it shipped to my home in Florida, which will cost me roughly $800.

I have not seen any for sale on Ebay or anywhere else in my recent searches.

Any ideas? It is a real 54 frame, without the fuel pump depression.

Thank you for your help,

Steve

csherman

do you know the VIN number stamped on the frame ?

steve0415

Hi. I won't the VIN # until Saturday. I can let you know then.

Steve

steve0415

Any thoughts or ideas of the value of a rolling 54 chassis? Or just a bare frame in great shape?

Thanks,

Steve

John McGraw

If it is a nice chassis, and you have a need for it, it might be a good deal, but if your intent is to sell it, the $800 in shipping makes it a tougher issue. I have seen real nice C1 rolling chassis sell for under $2000, so there ain't much meat on the bone if he wants very much for it. C1 frames are one of those things that are really only valuable if you need one, as there are lots of these floating around out there after being pulled out to make room for a aftermarket chassis.



Regards, John McGraw

steve0415

Hi John,

Thank you for your reply. Quick question for you. I know that the 53 and 54 frames do not have the "Fuel Pump Depression" on the passenger side, so is it easy to convert, or make this 1954 frame work with other C1 Vets, from 1955 through 1962?

I thought because there were less than 4000 total 1953 and 1954 Corvettes built, versus approximately 67,000 total 1955 through 1962 Corvettes made, that the 1954 frame or rolling chassis would be worth more money?

Thanks again for your opinion and help.

Steve

emccomas

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. There are a LOT of 54s being converted to resto-mods. It is very expensive to restore a 54, and it is not worth what you have to put into it when you are done.

If the frame was a 53 frame (had a real 53 VIN on it) it would be a different story.

54 frames / chassis are a dime a dozen. How many do you want?

Not much left after $800 shipping. I passed on a decent bare 54 frame for $1K. Just didn't need it.

sub006

'54s are by far the highest production year of the first three, four digit quantity instead of three. Everyone knows there were just 300 largely hand-assembled '53s, and because of the many unsold '54s left on dealer lots that summer AIR only about 700 '55s were built. Like '63 and '67, the "bracket" years of a body style tend to have more demand and bring more $$$.