jerrybramlett

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?

jerrybramlett

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.

Plastic Pig

That was a '53 called. Harerazin





Here are a few others that have popped up in the last few years.

vetrod62

DO NOT DO DRUGS AND BODY WORK AT THE SAME TIME !!!!

FAST64

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 ??

Grey Ghost

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...

jerrybramlett

I like Hippos too.

jerrybramlett

Thanks for the clarification and photos. Those are the kind of customs I was talking about.

62Jeff

I believe you forgot this...

jerrybramlett

Ah... Jessica! Oh baby, baby. Who's your daddy?

jerrybramlett

This nose design and tail treatment sure look the same as Harerazin's.

http://cgi.ebay.com/May-1959-Motor-T...QQcmdZViewItem

sub006

The split grille on the black '58 makes me think of a Studebaker Hawk. Which remains a classically pretty design.