Dan Hampton

Narrative below

Dan Hampton

Found this old pic that has been on a journey of disintegration but thought I would post it, all the same. A good friend of mine in high school (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) owned this '55. It had come from California and he paid $1,650 for it in 1964. Original everything was long gone. It sported a preppy 301 with a BW-T-10. Fifteen coats of hand rubbed enamel, to boot. About 1967, he yanked the drive train and installed a blue printed 337 cid SB with a Crane 513 cam, 12:1 compression, 5:13 gearing, but still retained the Warner. This was a reliable 12.2 quarter mile street racer and it was so stable that you could blast out of the hole and hold the steering wheel with two fingers. I was always impressed by that. I learned to power shift with his earlier drive train but not this one.

Now, for the bad news. In 1968, he was thinking of building a gasser and had removed the engine and trans. He was either going the ******/Anglia route or convert the Corvette by dismantling the entire car (straight axle, Pontiac Diff, the whole nine yards). He was on the fence. I was at his house over spring break from college and we were looking at the car and he said that he was leaning toward the ****** idea and would probably sell the car without the drive train. He said, "if you want it, you can have it for $700". The price seemed right but I already had a '57, was going to college on my parent's dime, and really gave up the idea rather quickly. Where would I store it, get the money, and find more $$$ to reconstitute the car?

Long story, short, he dismantled the car, lost interest and sold it "as is" about three years later. It supposedly went to someone in Des Moines, Iowa but the trail to find it has gone cold, according to my discussion with him a few years ago. Perhaps, It is sitting in one of those notorious Iowa barns.

DansYellow66

Wow - 15 coats of enamel. Must have looked like it was heavily powder coated. Might just dust to dust now, or might be a 98.8% original (like so many L71s) judged car.

Dan Hampton

Found a better pic which reinforces what a dumb *** I was for not buying it. It was really a neat car. So damn fast.

reno stallion

Did you say ****** gasser

warrenmj

Woulda, coulda, shouda. Probably everyone on this forum has a story of a car they should have kept or bought, but back in the day, most of the collectible cars of today were "just" another car!

68hemi

Yeah, we all have a story.

Back in about 1976 I was looking at a REAL 427 Cobra trying to figure out how to make a top and windows for it so I could justify buying it by driving it daily because it was going to cost me the crazy high price of $7800.

C.T.

Did you say Anglia gasser? Mine, 'back in the day'.

DAN70

Cool story...
Gotta love a Hot Rodded 53-55 Corvette..

Dan Hampton

So fast that it was hard to photograph standing still!!!!

Westlotorn

I am betting that was 15 coats of Lacquer, not enamel. Many coats of lacquer was common back then for a great paint job.

Dan Hampton

There was a note attached to the underside of the gas door indicating the "enamel" which was a warning, I think, to not spill gas on the paint. I know nothing about paint, but that is what the note said. The paint really didn't look that great. Sort of a dull look without much shine. I have a unrestored Datsun 240Z sitting in the corner of my shop that I bought new. The paint is very similar in that it lacks the same luster as the '55.

Mr Fufu

My story is not buying an Ontario orange 1971 LS-6 Corvette back in 1981. It was in very good condition, with a $14k asking price. I thought it was too much car for me, so I bought a '65 L-76 instead. I should have got the '71. I only later learned how rare that car was, with only 188 made!

Godholio

That car's not standing still, those front wheels are UP! AWESOME!

GTOguy

And the rear slicks are all wrinkled from the torque, and the wheelie bar is on the tarmac. I call that a car in MOTION!

C.T.

Thanks guys. That picture was from 1971 at 75-80 Dragway, Monrovia, MD. Truly a homemade car. Fantastic times!