In search of Dads 64
 

Searching for my dads first car, I would really like to find it for him or at least find out what happened to it. It was a 1964 convertible, Daytona blue with a black top and dark blue interior. It had 1965 Corvette hubcaps and redline tires when he sold it. He bought the car in Raleigh in 1968 and brought it back to Wilson NC for a few months, before moving up to Newport News Va.; where he worked on the nuclear power plant in Surry Va. Then in 1970 he traded the car in to a Chevrolet dealership in Smithfield Va. Drivers door was probably still beat up from his neighbor backing into it (the dealership may have fixed it when they took it in though). We have no information about the car outside of this story (no vin, license plate #’s) so we are hoping to be able to follow stories to it. I realize it is a long shot to find it but I'm hoping to run across that one person who says "oh yea I remember that car so and so bought it" and that might snowball into finding it or what happened to it.

Sorry about that, didn't know the best place for it

Without any data such as the vin you stand little chance of finding it. Too many years have passed and so many Vettes have been crashed, restored, modified, shipped/moved around the country. I wish you well. :cheers: Dennis

That is the sad reality that I am sure I will face. However I'm going to give it my best shot; even if that just leads me to a guy saying "yea I scrapped that piece of s#!% back in the 80's. It would be nice to at least know its fate if possible.

You have nothing to lose by posting it here and stranger things have happened - you may get lucky. But as you say it may have been wrecked or scrapped. Or it may now be red, or a drag car, or in California, or who knows what?

The VIN is the best hope altho it's not easy even if you have it. But the problem is that even if you find a Daytona Blue '64 with 65 hubcaps, you can't say for sure if it's the specific car he had. Old insurance papers? No repair records or DMV stub? Any old photos?

This probably won't help you with finding it, but if you have access to old newspapers in Smithfield (library microfilm, maybe?) you might look through the dealership's ads in the weeks following his trade-in, just to see whether they put it on the lot and for how much. Even if the dealer's ad says "300hp", or "automatic" you will know a little bit more about it.

One request, if you ever do make progress, post back here even if we are not how you found it. It's always neat to hear how these searches play out.

Chase,
I agree with Railroadman.
Maybe try finding a picture of one that looks close and post an ad on Norfolk, VA. craigslist.
I see a lot of ads like this on the L.A. craigslist. Some of them have to get lucky.
Offer a finder's fee if someone can lead you to the car and describe it as well as you can, dark blue, dark blue interior, black top, engine and trans if you can, and where it was sold in what year. It only takes one person to remember a friend having a car like that.
I know what it's like to do this. I chased a car for years that my folks bought new. Would have been satisfied even knowing if it had been wrecked and written off.
Good Luck! :thumbs:
Greg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...5c378537de.jpg

Try joining the Norfolk, VA Facebook page and asking about the car once a month-keep trying it takes time.
Good luck.

Railroadman - Sadly no, I don't have any insurance papers or records either. Dad told me that he only ever had one picture of the car on his wedding day and he is currently trying to dig it up in the house. And btw if I ever do find the car I will certainly post it on here!

I have had people tell me to go talk to the company he had it insured with to see if they happen to have records that far back, but it was a small local insurance company that has long since been closed or gobbled up by a bigger one. The Chevrolet dealership that he traded it into is supposedly still open in Smithfield, and I've thought about trying to see if there is anyone who has been working there for 30+ years that might have access to a back room with boxes full of old documents (if such a room even exists!). And as far as I know the DMV doesn't keep records that far back, someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that because that might be a good place for me to try.

Greg,
I posted the story and a picture of a similar car a week or so ago on the Norfolk Craiglist. No leads from there yet but I have had a couple people give me some ideas on other places to look, such as the C2 registry which was a good idea I hadn't thought of.

Chase, you might want to contact the folks in the Eastern Carolina Corvette Club. They're out of Wilson, North Carolina which covers a large portion of that part of NC, including Smithfield. They formed after your Father would have moved to Norfolk, but some of the folks in the club have been associated Corvettes all their lives. I would try Fletcher or Buster, if they don't know the car (quite likely), they know everyone in the area that does know just about every Corvette from the area if it spent anytime there.

Good luck... GUSTO

with-out a VIN ,you could be standing right next to it and not know it

and what if some got it and painted an diff color?

Hadn't thought about asking them, I'm from Rocky Mount (in Charlotte for college) so I've been to alot of shows put on by them. I know my dad knows a couple of those guys but I do doubt they will know what happened to it since he traded it up in Smithfield Va. It might be worth a shot though, I'll have to see about getting ahold of them since I'll be home for break in a couple days.

Chase, If your dad bought the car in North Carolina he has a right to obtain his own DMV records, if they still have them. North Carolina is one state that has old records so I suggest you obtain their vehicle history form MVR-605A online and send it in with a cover letter and a copy of his driver's license explaining what you are trying to do.If they have an old record that is searchable by his name that would give you the VIN. You can also try that in Virginia. The odds are not great but there is a chance. Bill Gould

Well yea, you're honestly right, but like I said I'm hoping to follow stories to it so if it's been painted that will fall in someones story somewhere. Now in the off chance that I actually do find "the car" from following stories, I technically will never be able to really prove it was his since I don't have the vin, but I'll still take my shot in the dark regardless

Wow I did not realize you could do that, I just printed the form out and I will be trying this, thank you!

Chase, you can send an email to Fletcher or Buster at the link I provided. :thumbs:

If nothing else point them to this post and ask if they can help...

GUSTO