Hot Rods 54 Corvette Gasser Barn-find(kinda)

I am a Corvette and a gasser guy. This combo is fantastic!!

Bill

 

With the engine in place the transmission mount needed to be fabricated. I'm using a 5 speed out of a Camaro. A lot of people I've talked to about using these are puzzled by the transmissions angled mounting and how to adapt it to a conventional application. Just drill out the 4 front mounting holes to 1/2 inch(they are a slightly smaller metric size)and bolt it into your old bellhousing then build the trans mount on an angle. There was a large hole for a shifter and some damage on the tunnel so I cut out the offending part and glassed in a patch from another car. I also cut off the stock shifter handle and welded on a Hurst type stick to make it look better. . View attachment 3230683 View attachment 3230683 View attachment 3230687

 

Nice fabrication trick, the car is looking great.

 

I keep coming back to this thread, and I'm in awe. A stashed away 54 gasser....keep thinking of something to say but I cant. I'm overwhelmed with awesome. I'm definitely tuned in for this one...

 

Doing a little work on the hardtop. I installed the red tinted back window and stuck a headliner in it. I had some red "Doeskin" headliner material left over from an old project so I used that to make the interior a little more inviting. Also chiseled some seat belt brackets off the bottom of a body shell I've got laying around. Corvettes didn't have seat belt anchors until 56 so I installed some later ones in the 54. It's getting close now, just need a cooling system, exhaust and carpet.

 

I remember seeing an old hot rod movie called Ingenuity in Action and that reminds me of you. The 54 is looking great, keep up the good work. That is a cool little Corvette boneyard that you have.

 

yeah I would love to see more pics of the boneyard

 

It's alive! For the first time in 48 years the 54 moved under it's own power. Scored a very nice Corvette radiator of Ebay and got the exhaust done last night. Brake pedal is low and the steering wheel isn't centered but everything else seems pretty good. More updates as I put some time on it. Now to get it licensed .

 

man this car is too cool

 

Not a corvette guy but wow

 

More than just "Cool" - that is a Winternationals decal from Pomona, CA 1966 ~ So that car did some real racing to come down south!

 

Great find, great story, thanks for sharing. One of my earliest hot rod memories as a 14 year old was of a guy who stuffed Buick nailers in these in 1954/55, not a misprint, they were new or nearly cars then. I'd hang around rubbernecking 'till I got in the way. There was a completed one at the curb one day with the hood up while they were completing another. I wonder if any survived. The shop was in Wheaton, IL

 

You've put together another nice Corvette ...well done !

 

F'n eh, it's a living time capsule! And so glad you stayed with the Chevy engine too. No sense repeating a mistake, right? We had a 62 Ford uni pickup that had a 430 MEL in it. My uncle tried everything to make it really run good. After all of his tuning and $$$$ spent he got waxed real bad by a 429 Caddy that used 2 qts of oil a week. That was our other truck, a 67 long box Cad powered. That race was a Sat morning, by Mon it had a 63 390 Caddy in it and ended up faster than us. but back to your car, I can only say it again, F'n eh...

 

Nice find and good work on what you've done.
Love solid axle Vettes and have had some over the years.

Funny Vette story... In 1991 had my fairly stock 340hp '62 on cheater slicks at the drags. Old guy comes up and says "You shouldn't be treating that car that way" ... I answered with "Last time I checked it says Corvette. Isn't this what they're made for?"... He says "ppfffftt" and walks away.

I've have my eye on a '54. Modified with a 4 speed in the 60's and painted wrong color. Original engine but dead since the 70's. (I have an L79 327 & M21 waiting) Owner and I are getting closer on negotiations. Suspect it'll be mine in the next couple years.

 

Oh hell yeah!

 

Went to the first "cruise night" last night with the 54. Maiden voyage, went very nicely. Surprisingly smooth and quiet on the freeway. May need a radio before long. Ran cool. Seems tight with few rattles. Got a lot of looks. One of my friends was insisting that at some point I am going to paint and beautify the Corvette so it would be nice like my others and I told him "No way". He went on to tell me how much he enjoys seeing unrestored cars and how he really appreciates the history of such cars but the Vette should be restored. I said "How can you tell me you like unrestored cars and then be such a bigot towards my car?" He said "But it's a Corvette, it needs to be beautiful." I said"Yeh , like there aren't enough restored Corvettes in the world. I like it "as is". He didn't care much for my buddy's gold Vette either.

 

Right on. Looks great just the way it is. Like the gold one too !

 

Restored Corvettes are ok, (yawn) but unrestored Corvettes with attitude make for a great automotive "in your face" to the cookie cutter guys.
What drivetrain does the gold 'vette have?

 

Big block with a manual trans and just a little baffle in the fender well headers.

 

Great job! Now, how about that name on the trunk lid ( see my previous post). Was there a grudge race after the show?!

 

Still a possibility, My friends got one on his.

 

Killer car!

 

Two bad-ass Corvettes there.

I really like the way the hardtop looks on your car. Almost a Thunderbird-esque-ness to it, but better. Bitchin.

 

The nice thing about a hard top corvette is that you can run gas coupe/sedan and gas roadster in the same event and only have one car.

There is just something about a man having the intestinal fortitude to take a very early corvette and not try and do a resto out of it. Like all cars they were made to be hot rodded not looked at.

 

We went to a large car show on main street Friday night here in my town. Probably 350 cars. Thousands of people,bands,concessions,etc. I'm starting to suspect that it's going to be much simpler to just nod and agree with people when they say "Boy, that's gonna be real sharp when ya getter fixed up". Rather than trying to explain that I'm leaving it as it is. They either refuse to believe me or look at me like I'm insane. Most people don't get it. Course there were a few that went nuts over it too.

 

awesome as is

 

nailed it

 

I invited the 1964-67 owner to the cruise night to get a picture of him with the car. Here they are 52 years apart. I thought it was pretty cool. We tried to get his wife to pose on the front fender but she was too shy.

 

How cool is that. And 1967 seems like only yesterday......