emccomas

OK, I need to get an idea of what the hard to find / expensive parts are for a 1953 Corvette. The car is a mid production car if that matters.

I know the engine block, cylinder head, and valve cover are expensive and hard to find.

What else is hard to find / expensive for a 53 Corvette?

Please don't say EVERYTHING; that doesn't help me.

I need to search a barn / shed for any parts I can find for a 1953 Corvette.

Some of the parts that I am thinking about are:

Engine compartment
Radiator (date coded)
Intake manifold
Three one barrel carburetors
Bullet style air cleaners
Tach drive distributor
Horn relay
Powerglide relay
Horns

Chassis
Corvette powerglide transmission
Drive shaft
Steering column
Rear end
Front and rear suspension

Interior
All of the gauges
Shifter
Wonderbar radio and power supply
Radio speaker
Seats
Seat frames
Rear view mirror
Door release mechanisms
Steering wheel

Exterior
All stainless trim
Grill oval and grill
front bumpers
rear bumper
headlight wire grills
Convertible top frame
Convertible top latches
Windshield frame
Hubcaps

OK, what have I missed that is really expensive and / or hard to find?

For the purposes of this discussion, lets say that any part that costs in excess of $250, or any part that is difficult to obtain / doesn't come up for sale much is a candidate for the list.

All assistance greatly appreciated. The treasure hunt begins this coming weekend.

gbvette62

Side curtains and ignition shielding.

csherman

Exhaust manifold
RH and LH hood pulls
Dash rear view mirror
Brake pedal assembly
Brake Master cylinder
Wiper motor
Heater

TNVettGuy

Noise canceling capacitor that goes through the ignition shielding.
Glass washer bottle & pump
Trunk mat, side curtain bag for the trunk
Original Jack

emccomas

Excellent guys, thank you. Keep them coming.

Rick Gower

JV,

I know you did not ask, but Pro Team has been advertising what they say is an original engine and transmission for a 1953. Good luck with you hunt and project.

Rick

desertpilgrim

Sounds to me like you need to make a list of "What You've Got".

deejaydu

JV I know that you said not to say everything but the reality is that if you need everything or even most of the things that you have listed you need a new car. I am not kidding I have firsthand knowledge of how rare and expensive these parts are. You can call Steve Newsom at 281-413-0028 and he can sell you a lot of these original parts that you are needing.Tell him Jay said to call.

Jay

emccomas

What I am trying to figure out what parts to focus on locating in the barn / shed.

Obviously I want to find as many parts as I can.

I could search for days and not see everything that is in there.

I don't want to spend hours looking for a part that is easy to find online, and relatively inexpensive.

I also don't want to search small containers, drawers, etc. for a cheap and easy to locate part that is too big to fit is those small containers.

And I don't know a while lot about 53 Corvettes.

A 1953 AIM would be a really nice thing to have.

haccpguy

May be very basic, but I would make sure you have the VIN tag.

emccomas

Got it.

I have the check the frame this weekend to make sure the frame number matches the VIN tag.

csherman

First off - Head and block......
real 066 head is $$$$

emccomas

I am not buying a 1953 Corvette, I am helping a friend sell it.

The car was disassembled over 30 years ago, it was a running car with a 55-57 6 cylinder passenger car drive train.

My goal is to locate the parts for the car in one of the most disorganized garages I have run across.

I only have a rough idea what parts are in the garage, and where they are.