Old Corvette Pics
03-10-2010, 10:32 AM
#41
Melting Slicks
Frankie:
I put down $750.00 (lawn mowing money) and borrowed $500.00 from Dad and paid it off the day of high school graduation (14 months later) working in a DX station on nights and weekends. The money would have been better served by investing with Buffett but, then again, I wouldn't be swapping war stories on the Forum with you guys if that had taken place. Some memories are priceless, I guess.
I put down $750.00 (lawn mowing money) and borrowed $500.00 from Dad and paid it off the day of high school graduation (14 months later) working in a DX station on nights and weekends. The money would have been better served by investing with Buffett but, then again, I wouldn't be swapping war stories on the Forum with you guys if that had taken place. Some memories are priceless, I guess.
That car or $750 was not even a possibility on what I was able to actually "save". I had more money than most kids back then, because I did work so hard...but it still wasn't adequate....I finally said pi$$ on it dropped out of school and moved to the West Texas oil field and went to work on a drilling rig...THEN I could finally buy real cars... Went back to the oil field after Nam..named my first son Derrick, spent another year in the patch and saved 11 grand, opened a garage, and went on into the car business years later...so I could have all the cars I wanted I guess.. Never looked back. My last hot rod will be this old vette I'm building. Cars are all I've ever done (after I got off that stinkin' dairy farm and got my oil field grub stake) ...life's been good. I always liked my Boss and got live the dream..
Funny thing...$50-$100K now for those old cars (nice ones anyway)...they still are out of reach for most. Just like back home in the old days.
Last edited by Stan's Customs; 03-10-2010 at 10:44 AM.
03-10-2010, 04:08 PM
#43
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Great pic. You have to love those BW photos. Great story, too, Stan. Today people don't realize how much $1,000 was back then--or how difficult it was to accumulate that much money.
Later on today I am going to put up a thread on the Lombardo Phenomenon. There is one picture in there that just haunts me and I think many will agree with my assessment. Stay tuned.
Later on today I am going to put up a thread on the Lombardo Phenomenon. There is one picture in there that just haunts me and I think many will agree with my assessment. Stay tuned.
03-10-2010, 04:17 PM
#44
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Great pics & great memories. Here's a pic of my '63 340 hp back in 1967 that I bought that summer just after returning from Vietnam. My sister in the picture, she was livin' large at high school when I let her drive it to school. I'm from a small rural community, and it's the first Corvette I ever remember in this part of the country.
Great pic and your sister make a better model than I do! I know a lot of guys who bought Corvettes after their tour in Vietnam. That is curious. I met a Corvette enthusiast/friend who came home from Vietnam and his Dad had purchased a '68 Tri-Power BB with 4:11s. He said he loved the car but the best mileage he ever got was 8.5 mpg going down the Indiana turnpike at 45 mph.
03-10-2010, 04:31 PM
#45
I inherited my dad's nearly-totaled yet rebuilt '62 Stude Lark in high school. It did have the "big" 289 4 barrel, duals, traction bars and a 3-speed overdrive (on the column), so it was semi-fast.
Got my '64 in the middle of my senior year. It wasn't particularly fast in a straight line, though at least in the 85th percentile of cars at school. A girl drove her dad's '64 coupe to school and another guy had a '54 or '55 with a 327, but that was it for 'Vettes.
The hot cars in school included a 390 Comet, a 390 Mustang, a 440 Plymouth GTX and a '64 Falcon Sprint with dual-quad Cobra equipment on its 289.
Oh yes, one classmate snagged the first '67 Camaro SS with a 396 in Orange County. You might have heard of him, Herb "Sonny" Bryant. He makes rods, cranks and other parts nowadays, NASCAR teams are big customers.
Got my '64 in the middle of my senior year. It wasn't particularly fast in a straight line, though at least in the 85th percentile of cars at school. A girl drove her dad's '64 coupe to school and another guy had a '54 or '55 with a 327, but that was it for 'Vettes.
The hot cars in school included a 390 Comet, a 390 Mustang, a 440 Plymouth GTX and a '64 Falcon Sprint with dual-quad Cobra equipment on its 289.
Oh yes, one classmate snagged the first '67 Camaro SS with a 396 in Orange County. You might have heard of him, Herb "Sonny" Bryant. He makes rods, cranks and other parts nowadays, NASCAR teams are big customers.
03-10-2010, 05:15 PM
#46
Drifting
Here one from about 1969. A typical Sunday afternoon. Some burgers and beer. Than a little drag racing.
The first car is my blown red '62 that is my avatar, in this picture it had a 350 with a tunnel ram. The next car is my friend's green '61 with a 302. He and I still race today. The third car was a '65 fuelie coupe. It was totalled in a fatal crash. The old chevy pick up with a tow bar connected to '66 425-427 coupe. Tube axle, big cam and slicks. We all still have cars, except the '65, of course.
None of us had any where to work on our cars , so 4 of us rented a four car shop. $100 per month. Some of the guys parked in front of it.
The first car is my blown red '62 that is my avatar, in this picture it had a 350 with a tunnel ram. The next car is my friend's green '61 with a 302. He and I still race today. The third car was a '65 fuelie coupe. It was totalled in a fatal crash. The old chevy pick up with a tow bar connected to '66 425-427 coupe. Tube axle, big cam and slicks. We all still have cars, except the '65, of course.
None of us had any where to work on our cars , so 4 of us rented a four car shop. $100 per month. Some of the guys parked in front of it.
03-10-2010, 05:31 PM
#47
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Those are outstanding pictures. Not what NCRS necessarily would envision as great judging material, but they are exactly the way we all liked them back then. Pretty rough and tumble. The last pic could looks like what might have been the remaining members of the James Dean Racing Club.
Last edited by Dan Hampton; 03-10-2010 at 05:34 PM.
03-10-2010, 05:41 PM
#48
Melting Slicks
[QUOTE=Dan Hampton;1573374714]Great pic. You have to love those BW photos. Great story, too, Stan. Today people don't realize how much $1,000 was back then--or how difficult it was to accumulate that much money.
...so true. In high school I got $1.00, front and back, for lawn mowing, $1.25 for a "big" yard, (about an acre).
...later, our fiirst home (1971,rented)..was a two bedroom brick, cost $80 per month.
...my first child (includuing all prenatal care) $213, second was $400, and about then (1973 or so)..the cost of everything began to take off...and never stopped.
...so true. In high school I got $1.00, front and back, for lawn mowing, $1.25 for a "big" yard, (about an acre).
...later, our fiirst home (1971,rented)..was a two bedroom brick, cost $80 per month.
...my first child (includuing all prenatal care) $213, second was $400, and about then (1973 or so)..the cost of everything began to take off...and never stopped.
03-10-2010, 05:47 PM
#49
Melting Slicks
Here one from about 1969. A typical Sunday afternoon. Some burgers and beer. Than a little drag racing.
The first car is my blown red '62 that is my avatar, in this picture it had a 350 with a tunnel ram. The next car is my friend's green '61 with a 302. He and I still race today. The third car was a '65 fuelie coupe. It was totalled in a fatal crash. The old chevy pick up with a tow bar connected to '66 425-427 coupe. Tube axle, big cam and slicks. We all still have cars, except the '65, of course.
None of us had any where to work on our cars , so 4 of us rented a four car shop. $100 per month. Some of the guys parked in front of it.
The first car is my blown red '62 that is my avatar, in this picture it had a 350 with a tunnel ram. The next car is my friend's green '61 with a 302. He and I still race today. The third car was a '65 fuelie coupe. It was totalled in a fatal crash. The old chevy pick up with a tow bar connected to '66 425-427 coupe. Tube axle, big cam and slicks. We all still have cars, except the '65, of course.
None of us had any where to work on our cars , so 4 of us rented a four car shop. $100 per month. Some of the guys parked in front of it.
03-10-2010, 06:03 PM
#50
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gives a new meaning go chrome or go home
03-10-2010, 06:06 PM
#51
Melting Slicks
The 66 425/427 at the rear was very early to be used as a race car. It never really had much life as a nice every day Sports Car. You said the photo was taken around 69 which only means it was 3 years old ! It looks like it had a hard early life ? Awesome photos, was it the norm to take off the front chrome on the 58- 62 cars when they were dragged. Have you any more photos of your 62 in current form. Love the wheel stands. 
Stewy
Stewy
03-10-2010, 06:36 PM
#52
Le Mans Master
Ron:
Great pic and your sister make a better model than I do! I know a lot of guys who bought Corvettes after their tour in Vietnam. That is curious. I met a Corvette enthusiast/friend who came home from Vietnam and his Dad had purchased a '68 Tri-Power BB with 4:11s. He said he loved the car but the best mileage he ever got was 8.5 mpg going down the Indiana turnpike at 45 mph.
Great pic and your sister make a better model than I do! I know a lot of guys who bought Corvettes after their tour in Vietnam. That is curious. I met a Corvette enthusiast/friend who came home from Vietnam and his Dad had purchased a '68 Tri-Power BB with 4:11s. He said he loved the car but the best mileage he ever got was 8.5 mpg going down the Indiana turnpike at 45 mph.
This was probably the best and my favorite of all the Corvettes I've owned, a 340 hp as mentioned, two tops, 4:11 posi and close ratio 4-speed, silver blue with a dark blue interior. Bought it from a guy who owned a nightclub in Gaslight Square in St. Louis just after returning home. Gaslight was one of the popular nightspot areas back in the day, and he had several really nice cars.
And, I was single and freewheeling at the time, playing guitar in the clubs, and meeting lots of the girls! Back from the military, I was like a lot of the guys in my position, ready to kick back a little!
Now we call those the "Good Old Days", don't we!
03-10-2010, 07:56 PM
#53
Drifting
The 66 425/427 at the rear was very early to be used as a race car. It never really had much life as a nice every day Sports Car. You said the photo was taken around 69 which only means it was 3 years old ! It looks like it had a hard early life ? Awesome photos, was it the norm to take off the front chrome on the 58- 62 cars when they were dragged. Have you any more photos of your 62 in current form. Love the wheel stands. Stewy
Stewy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AzkvWQYeb8
The picture with the 3 solid axle cars shows the cars all being prepped to to paint. Only the car on the right had the bumpers removed. The other two had all the bumpers and chrome re-installed. The car in the middle is the green 61 in the first picture.
BTW, removing the front bumpers and brackets removed a lot of weight.
Have you any more photos of your 62 in current form
I guess you are referring to the red car?? I do not have many pictures of the car because it was in built in the 90s prior to me using computers and digital cameras. Did you look on the 2nd page of "My Pictures"?? I will have shoot some in the Spring. Here are 2 more. But lets keep it with the old photos. I like them best.
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03-10-2010, 11:35 PM
#56
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You have to factor in that me and my group were drag racers, Some at the track , but mostly late at night when the cops were sleeping. The 66 coupe had a lot less done to it and was raced a lot less then our earlier cars. Here is a picture as the looks today. The video shows me beating on it at Norwalk Raceway Park.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AzkvWQYeb8
The picture with the 3 solid axle cars shows the cars all being prepped to to paint. Only the car on the right had the bumpers removed. The other two had all the bumpers and chrome re-installed. The car in the middle is the green 61 in the first picture.
BTW, removing the front bumpers and brackets removed a lot of weight.
.
I guess you are referring to the red car?? I do not have many pictures of the car because it was in built in the 90s prior to me using computers and digital cameras. Did you look on the 2nd page of "My Pictures"?? I will have shoot some in the Spring. Here are 2 more. But lets keep it with the old photos. I like them best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AzkvWQYeb8
The picture with the 3 solid axle cars shows the cars all being prepped to to paint. Only the car on the right had the bumpers removed. The other two had all the bumpers and chrome re-installed. The car in the middle is the green 61 in the first picture.
BTW, removing the front bumpers and brackets removed a lot of weight.
.
I guess you are referring to the red car?? I do not have many pictures of the car because it was in built in the 90s prior to me using computers and digital cameras. Did you look on the 2nd page of "My Pictures"?? I will have shoot some in the Spring. Here are 2 more. But lets keep it with the old photos. I like them best.
03-11-2010, 03:18 AM
#58
Drifting
Thank you guys!! These old pics and storys behind them are super intresting!! Plese keep sharing your memories. Real life,real history 
03-11-2010, 06:45 AM
#59
Melting Slicks
Here is a picture of our 67 in 1971. Had gold lace on the hood, painted rallys, and Thrush side pipes (remember that stuff). And notice the gas price. Sorry no guys with those you know what shorts or swim trunks or nice looking sisters/girl friends. Hey Dan, liked that shot of your high water pants. Remember when we used to wear those calf tight pants that were so high and with no socks
03-11-2010, 09:01 AM
#60
Here is a shot of my 63 in 70 or 71, I probably don't have 5 pictures of it in the first 10 years I owned it. The ultimate lift, the steepest ledge I could find in the front yard.
Dan you started this, you guys can make fun of my shorts, but you can't make fun of my dads shorts. I think we won about 10 features that year and probably won a wopping 1000 bucks. It isn't a Corvette but it was all Chevy.
Jeff
Dan you started this, you guys can make fun of my shorts, but you can't make fun of my dads shorts. I think we won about 10 features that year and probably won a wopping 1000 bucks. It isn't a Corvette but it was all Chevy.
Jeff