Motion Pictures The 1953 Corvette... A factory Hot Rod

Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post:

The 1953 Corvette... A factory Hot Rod

Continue reading the Original Blog Post

 

Everyone always carries on about the fact that they all came with Powerglides (I agree that it should have been a no brainer to cobble together a floor shifter for the passenger car three speed and use that), but if you read the road tests of the day, the magazines were still impressed with its performance; even Ford lover Tom McCahill liked it.

 

Live axle Corvettes are the most hot rod production cars ever. Lightweight roadster body, obsolete chassis and the best motor you can find. What's more hot rod than that?

 

Beautiful front ends, tail light sticking out are just plain ugly.

 

Built in St Louis, MO when full production started. I got to take a tour of the plant in the early 70's. That's before GM moved production to Bowling Green, KY.

 

I agree. They should have used 1949 Roadmaster tail lights:https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Q56UPT7H&id=3D63BC5D9E84DB7D2ABE2A592E28E06DA9FB8E86&thid=OIP.Q56UPT7HUVjOCYFpQvHvdAHaFj&mediaurl=https://photos.classiccars.com/cc-temp/listing/103/6557/10015823-1949-buick-roadmaster-std.jpg&cdnurl=https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.439e943d3ec75158ce09816942f1ef74?rik=ho77qW3gKC5ZKg&pid=ImgRaw&r=0&exph=960&expw=1280&q=1949+roadmaster&simid=608001382050694378&form=IRPRST&ck=9DE0CC9411B835C6B00F6D077E49D5B7&selectedindex=0&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0&vt=2&sim=11
Also. they should have used a 1955 Belleayre grill instead of something that looks like it belongs on a DeSoto.

 

It wasn’t exactly a back yard custom project, it would be highly unlikely that Harley Earl would use 4 year old, off the shelf taillights on a new project.

 

It must've really been something in 1953 to see one of those beauties cruise by. I'm a Ford guy and I really like them except at 6'3" I'd never fit in one.

 

The guy who designed the 49 Buick taillights could have come up with something better than the 53 Corvette lights. Maybe 1953 was when Harley started losing it. HE had definitely lost his mind when he did the 1958 Buicks and Olds.

 

No comment.

 

I'd certainly like to buy one....at 1965 prices, of course.

 

In 1970 I had a chance to buy Corvete no. 46 for $150. It was in tough shape but I had a rusty 1958 Biscayne with a strong 283 that it could have used. I'm still sorry I passed on that.

 

In 1969, my oldest brother's best friend could have bought a '53 in decent shape for $500.00; unfortunately, he had just pulled every string at his disposal to buy a new '69 'vette, and hardly had enough money left over for lunch.

 

I always wanted to buy one, remodel it a bit so the seats sat back so I could fit, chrome 8 pack of stacks sticking barely through the hood, cut down windscreen, single chrome roll bar, slight nacelle behind the driver, ultra lites, paint it silver, put a number on the door, side exhaust, lakes tarp over the passenger area. Kinda of a James Dean Corvette.

 

Every time I see that engine, I have to remind myself that somewhere out on the shelf I have a complete three carb manifold with the sidedrafts for a 1953 Corvette. Bought it probably 30 yrs. ago laying on the ground under a guys table at a Michigan swap meet. I have a donor 235 engine and just for fun a Mallory new in box distributor. Seems like I have everything except the motivation !!

 

The six cylinder/automatic Corvettes always struck me as the automotive equivalent to a dancing bear. The amazement wasn't how poorly the bear danced, but that it danced at all.

 

Yep, the puffy seats wasted lots of precious interior room. Ergonomics were not a thing in the 50’s!

 

I love 53/55,I owned a badly used 1954,a very short time in 1962. It was a ragged out one,but I cleaned it up inside an the 6cly engine box,got that running on all 6 again !,,but didn't get the changes to fix the white gelcoat=it had gone to alligator skin.
I had traded my full custom "J" for it,after close to two weeks,kids Dad shows up an,has my Dad tell me to trade back!;;;This after the kid blow out my full customs intake gaskets in my Old's Rocket 88,,,from dicking around turning key off an on ,to hear it backfire{ so now ran very poor}.
So when I found out what was going on,I switched two plug wires on the Vett,before trading back. I would done a lot more,but didn't have time.

 

When I was a senior in H S back in 19--, a guy who garduated a year ahead of me had a 54 Vette with PG trans. I got left behind at a dance with no ride till Dave rolled thru the door looking for his ex HS sweetheart. She wasn't there & he was drunk. Asked me if I'd drive him home before he fell down. I fell in love with that car!! Remember, I'm a Ford guy. The sound, performance, the feel & even the smell of that thing won me over. In 1965 I bought a 58 Vette....contagious .....If i had the $$$, I'd buy a 54 today.

 

1966 .... got back to San Diego from a 9 month vacation on the South China Sea. First liberty, I walk a couple blocks from the Seven Seas locker club to a Chev dealer to look for a '49 - '54 Chev. No luck there, but he had a '53 Vette with most of the engine in the trunk for $300, & a '54 that looked new for $1095. Had to wait for a while, but found a nice '49 Cad in the Sunday paper ...

 

a 54

 

I can still hear the first early Corvette drive by my house. I was sitting on the front porch with my sister who moved out when I was 7. It was a black '54, belonged to a neighbor girl. I wonder where it ever got to?

 

I've always loved the space age rocket ship tail lights.

 

The car was and still is a work of art .

to the naysayers I say nay! The car is simply perfect .

let’s face it , it’s a car that should of never been created never mind survived all these years and has been elevated to super car status.

the C1 & C2 are legendary

the C3 while a smog box underpowered behemoth of a car , was and is still cool to drive .

the next few generations have elevated it to the same if not better status the cars worth a ton more then the “ lowly corvette “

for a car that never should of been it’s Chevrolet’s crown jewel .

 

It was a great looking design, but until it got roll up windows it just didn't sell a lot of cars. Americans were used to cars with roll up windows and not side curtains. Add a V8 in 55 and you had a cool car, with the original body. Still no roll up windows though.

 

Back in 1998 a guy wanted to trade me even up his stock '54 for my modified '55 Chevy.
As he was saying "I'll trade you..." I said no.
Another guy offered me a '63 for the '55. Same result.
Probably should have traded as so many folks trip over their bank accounts to own one but no regrets.
Never been a fan

 

The only corvettes I’ve ever loved. 53-54 and of course the split window.
the tail lights looked great to me.

 

I've always liked everything about the'53-'56 Corvettes, being 6' 6" I would never be able to drive one though.
Now if I were to start a car museum, there would have to be one on display... so innovative, unique, and being the start of a body model Chevrolet has continued on to this day. Worthy historical value/recognition.