Originally Posted by fyreline

When I was 18, three buddies and I jointly purchased a 1954 Corvette. It was pretty much a wreck - bad frame, lots of body damage, no drivetrain. But it was a Corvette, damn it, and pooling our resources together, we could just afford it. We were also just barely smart enough to know we would need a place to keep it and work on it, as it was obviously going to be a non-runner for quite a while. Fortunately (for us, not for him) the dad of one of our group owned a landscaping/garden shop business with a few barns and storage sheds, and was OK with our using one. I guess he figured that a project like this during those turbulent times (1972) would keep us constructively occupied. And man, it sure did.

Our original plans of restoring the car to stock didn't last long. We did give it a brief try, amassing countless catalogs and some parts including a complete Chevy six out of a late- model Nova (I know, I know) but it quickly became apparent that just to get it running would quickly exceed our initial $800 outlay for the car. It needed everything . . . Motor, tranny, interior, a new frame, and lots of bodywork. To make an interminably long story short, we ended up getting a new(er) frame, dropped in a Buick nailhead mated up to a 4-speed whose pedigree escapes me, some cheap aftermarket wheels and wide tires, and 18 months later we were on the road. The teenage bodywork wasn't exactly concours quality, and the interior was mostly red vinyl with some red duct tape and staples where you couldn't really see 'em. Some white paint, and by God from ten feet away she looked pretty good. We actually won a few trophys at local shows - truth be told, frequently because we were the only car in our class.

Never mind all that. It was a GREAT experience I wouldn't trade for the world. As a few years passed and we all went our separate ways, the car was eventually sold in 1976 for $3500. For what it was, that seemed fair to all of us. The most amazing part of the story? Whether it was deciding what part of the project to tackle next, who would do what, actually turning wrenches, chasing parts, or (eventually) who got to drive it, I honestly don't remember one argument during the entire period of our ownership. We were focused on the Corvette, and it kept us together over many, many nights including late-night conversations about girls, cars, girls, life, and girls.

Now we are all nearly 60, with grandchildren. Still friends although separated by distance, we still all get together once in a great while and talk about the White Whale. And yes, we all own Corvettes. My C6 is light years removed from the Whale . . . But man, would I love to drive that car one more time. Not gonna happen, though. The Whale met an ugly end at the hands of a dump truck a few years after we sold it. Fortunately no one seriously hurt, but the car basically needed two flatbeds to remove it. A couple of us went to look at the wreck, but any thoughts of a White Whale II were too daunting to undertake. I do know that the very, very few original and usable 1954 Corvette parts that remained were salvaged, so I hope that somewhere on someone's nicely-restored 1953-55, some small part of the Whale lives on. Even if theirs is a 100-point car, they can't value it as much as four teenage boys did.

Just thinking about that car always makes me smile.