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hi roy, thanks for posting. was the engine on 699 the original engine? being at the end of the run I was wondering what the numbers on the exhaust manifolds and heat riser were. also judging manuals do not state what type of vacuum advance is used on cars with three speeds. the number and date code on the distributor with the number of the vacuum advance would help answer that question.
#699 does have the original engine GR, the exhaust manifolds I dint pay attention to, the heat riser is missing .
Both cars had #1110855 Dist both date codes 5F7 no operating vacuum line #1116098 second design Dist's
Many original items were missing
thanks again roy. very nice looking car. looks like it has great alignment on doors and trunk. hood also looks very rigid when open. thanks for the pictures of the distributor. 699 was the first 3 speed I seen with the original non-operating vacuum advance. most 3 speeds are displayed with a operating advance. one of your pictures showed the mold number of the vacuum advance being 1. unlike other vacuum advances with different mold numbers, the 098 vacuum advance only appears to have one mold(1). I did not recognize 5F7 as being a corvette distributor date code and after looking closely at your pictures I see it is actually 5F9. 5F9 is found on most 55 vettes in the 600s.
thanks again roy. very nice looking car. looks like it has great alignment on doors and trunk. hood also looks very rigid when open. thanks for the pictures of the distributor. 699 was the first 3 speed I seen with the original non-operating vacuum advance. most 3 speeds are displayed with a operating advance. one of your pictures showed the mold number of the vacuum advance being 1. unlike other vacuum advances with different mold numbers, the 098 vacuum advance only appears to have one mold(1). I did not recognize 5F7 as being a corvette distributor date code and after looking closely at your pictures I see it is actually 5F9. 5F9 is found on most 55 vettes in the 600s.
I looked again your right 5F9, do you know 3 speed transmission clutch linkage is like no other design out there ? and lower radiator shroud only 55, one piece or two piece always missing on restored 55's
roy, it would have been interesting to see if the lower one piece radiator bracket was used till the end of the 55 production run. there are enough examples on the first half of the 55 corvette production to know that the two piece brackets were used. I cannot say that I ever seen the one piece bracket on a very late 55.
My 55 #401 has the one piece also #699 and #700 . Well I see there may be less then a handful of people on this forum have or are interested in 55"s.Your the only one that I know on here. Dave Ferguson sent me this drawing years ago , he and I spend many years talking and taking original pic. of 55"s before he passed .
My 55 #401 has the one piece also #699 and #700 . Well I see there may be less then a handful of people on this forum have or are interested in 55"s.Your the only one that I know on here.
- easy Roy - there are several of us on here......
- easy Roy - there are several of us on here......
Wish they would e-mail me and talk ! By the way this sister was vary nice too and surprised seeing my 55 and talking about them ,she also knows vary little about her 55 and never meets other Corvette guys . The side windows may be the first time they ever saw light when I took them out (PERFECT). Her father replaced the 3 speed with a 4 speed and the other sister has it stored along with some NOS parts like a grill shell .
- easy Roy - there are several of us on here......
Hey Roy, I'm sure you don't remember me, David Price, but I met you at Bloomington some years ago. I had a 55 red automatic car that was for sale. You pointed out that my ignition shielding was missing!! I waited, and then bought the shielding for my 55, which I still own. It seems 55 owners are more demure than other C1 owners?
I'd say there are enough of us around to still warrant talking about them.
I'd love to have someone really knowledgeable about the cars to tell me what I really have. #127, so early car. Have traced it back to 1961, originally appears to be white, blue interior (still in it but stained red), black top replaced in 62 because the owner said it was ratty and needed replaced. In '61, it had a three speed, later (70's) changed to a 4speed (still in it). Correct engine, but was decked a while back, so numbers are gone.
I know the placement of holes on the transmission tunnel may be different, I don't know about holes for the windshield washer (jar vs bag) if that would be easy to figure out (now has neither).
Is there a place that I can take pics that someone may be able to tell me if this was originally some kind of prototype stick?
My dad worked for GM, and ordered cars for his plant's exec. We had all sorts of one off cars that you supposedly couldn't get normally. So, in '55, with so many '54s left unsold, I'd be GM would have done almost anything to sell a car. I am not counting on it being original, but the blue interior is a possibility, the dash was blue in 61, I doubt that is something someone would have changed that early on. There is a tag on the driver's seat frame, if I remember right.
If anyone can give me some guidance, I'd like to figure this out. Car won't be sold, going to my oldest son. I have a picture of him in it when he was 1, hanging onto the steering wheel to stand on the seat. I've owned it since 1990.
I'd say there are enough of us around to still warrant talking about them.
I'd love to have someone really knowledgeable about the cars to tell me what I really have. #127, so early car. Have traced it back to 1961, originally appears to be white, blue interior (still in it but stained red), black top replaced in 62 because the owner said it was ratty and needed replaced. In '61, it had a three speed, later (70's) changed to a 4speed (still in it). Correct engine, but was decked a while back, so numbers are gone.
I know the placement of holes on the transmission tunnel may be different, I don't know about holes for the windshield washer (jar vs bag) if that would be easy to figure out (now has neither).
Is there a place that I can take pics that someone may be able to tell me if this was originally some kind of prototype stick?
My dad worked for GM, and ordered cars for his plant's exec. We had all sorts of one off cars that you supposedly couldn't get normally. So, in '55, with so many '54s left unsold, I'd be GM would have done almost anything to sell a car. I am not counting on it being original, but the blue interior is a possibility, the dash was blue in 61, I doubt that is something someone would have changed that early on. There is a tag on the driver's seat frame, if I remember right.
If anyone can give me some guidance, I'd like to figure this out. Car won't be sold, going to my oldest son. I have a picture of him in it when he was 1, hanging onto the steering wheel to stand on the seat. I've owned it since 1990.
Jim
When SACE was young before turning into SACC we held a national convention where the 54 and 55 were made and we had five original workers there that worked on the 53-55, we all had the opportunity to question them . They all said GM would paint a 55 any color just to sell one and most anything else
When SACE was young before turning into SACC we held a national convention where the 54 and 55 were made and we had five original workers there that worked on the 53-55, we all had the opportunity to question them . They all said GM would paint a 55 any color just to sell one and most anything else
Roy, you are indicating that a blue interior could have been factory installed on a '55? What about the timing on the introduction of the 3 speed? If I understand things correctly, it is generally accepted that the 3 speed was available in the last 3 months of production, or is this too not certain?
Money now determine what's original or correct . I've seen many 55's selling and geting awards claiming it's a original 3 speed car, anywhere from 200 to 700 Da! Sure
This is not a hobby anymore , money rules ,that's why we rarely see young people into Corvette. SAD
The 55 3 speed cars are the last 25 cars, #676 thru #700. I do not think that anyone has produced a invoice or sales papers to prove otherwise. Although judges have accepted cars before #676 as three speeds, they basicly know the cars have been altered. So #127 began as a automatic. In the future I believe that judging guides will start to reflex that only the last 25 are thee speed cars and start weeding out the others. As for blue interiors, I think blue interiors make a appearance after 56 with people wanting to give their car the appearance of a SR-2 car. The mention of a black top is also not a 55 color.
hi roy, thanks for posting. was the engine on 699 the original engine? being at the end of the run I was wondering what the numbers on the exhaust manifolds and heat riser were. also judging manuals do not state what type of vacuum advance is used on cars with three speeds. the number and date code on the distributor with the number of the vacuum advance would help answer that question.
Originally Posted by scopeli
The 55 3 speed cars are the last 25 cars, #676 thru #700. I do not think that anyone has produced a invoice or sales papers to prove otherwise. Although judges have accepted cars before #676 as three speeds, they basicly know the cars have been altered. So #127 began as a automatic. In the future I believe that judging guides will start to reflex that only the last 25 are thee speed cars and start weeding out the others. As for blue interiors, I think blue interiors make a appearance after 56 with people wanting to give their car the appearance of a SR-2 car. The mention of a black top is also not a 55 color.
John, just curious why you are convinced only the last 25 cars were 3 speed cars. The GM Heritage site lists it's best guess as about 75-80 cars were potentially 3 speeds. I sure would like to know the site where you got your information. Other sites have expressed that the 3 speed was introduced just past mid production of the 700 units built. It's certainly mysterious how the other Corvette years seem to have concrete information, while the info on the 55 is very vague/sketchy.
1955 #654 was ordered to serve as the chassis for '56 Sebring #5 or 6 and was a 3 spd chassis, as was its sister car (VIN unknown to me but in the same time frame).
Problem with '55 clarity is the "spotty" build sequence - in only TWO months did they build more than 100 cars. Tends to splash component build dates all over the place.
Last edited by desertpilgrim; 10-01-2017 at 03:37 PM.
11-01-2015, 08:32 PM
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