Long, vague, old corvette story

My dad ordered a new 63 vette when he was fresh out of college. I think he ordered it in late 62. He was laughed out of at least one dealership at the time because he was too young looking supposedly. He finally got a dealer to believe that he had the money. The car was black, red interior, two tops and a 340 hp engine and close ratio 4 speed.

My mom and dad had a lot of great memories in the car and she begged him not to sell it but of course he did.

My dad's childhood friend took the car off my dad's hands in the early 70's in a trade; my dad got a mid 60's 4 door Cadillac if I remember correctly. All I recall growing up was hearing these stories about this fantastic car and seeing the occasional photograph when we watched slides.

The car the last time I checked it was still owned by the same gentleman all these years later. He did repaint it the original color, put sidepipes on it from a 64 vette and put it in some car shows back in the 70s but never did anything else to it other than change belts, brake pads, oil, etc. He told me he street raced the occasional Chevelle and usually blew their doors off (seems to be that the 340hp, solid lifter engine might have been a wee bit underrated). I went to see him over 10 years ago. The car is in Florida but I won't say where just yet.

If you ever watch the show American Pickers, you see that people don't want to sell things sometimes, even if they are not using or enjoying whatever it is they want to hang on to. Of course this is understandable for all of us when it comes to cars so as you might imagine, the gentleman would not agree to sell it. In fact, he told me he turned down a lot of money for the car, he turned down a lot from one English guy who wanted to buy the first right of refusal.

The car was sitting in an old barn, no wait, more of a shed actually, which didn't even have a front door, the car looked like it hadn't moved in awhile. The fiberglass and/or paint was cracked. When I noticed that the top was all ripped, the owner told me that his dog used to climb up on the car and sleep on it since it was soft, which caused it to tear. He told me the batter was dead so I didn't get to hear it run. It was kind of sad really but it was nice to see this mythical car in person as I had only seen it once before when I was young. To show you how dumb I was, I didn't have a camera with me so I didn't take any pictures. I will say I had a great visit hearing old stories from my Dad's friend even if I didn't end up with the car at that time or even in the future for that matter.

I haven't spoken with the gentleman in a few years... after my visit I would call him from time to time but haven't done so until yesterday. I sent him a letter yesterday just to see what would happen and I am eager to hear from him again. Of course the ultimate goal would to be to somehow buy it back and have it in the family again.

Not sure why I'm sharing, just thought you might like to kill a few minutes reading this.

I enjoyed killing a few minutes by reading that. Good luck!

Really good story. Stay on it!

Not to be morbid but since the guy seems to be getting up in years and doesn't want to sell you might want to contact his kids. Not to try and make a grab for the car but to let them know that if he passes on that you've been talking to him and that you're interested. Otherwise you might lose track of the car when it goes to the guy's crackhead nephew who sells it cheap for drug money. But I'll save that story for another time.

Thanks for the story there. Would you come back and tell us how it turns out?

good luck. You are doing the work of the Automotive Gods

Another vette story.. These where bought new.....

more pics

makes me sick every time I go over there.

http://www.streetcarforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=106693&stc=1&d=1241491269

In reply to Junkyard_Dog:

His daughter and boyfriend or husband (not sure which) live right down the street and she too wants the car so the chance of me ending up with it are pretty slim but what the heck, I think she already knows of me. The best chance I have for getting it I think is to convince the current owner to sell to me but like I mentioned, hes got more immediate pressure to hang on to it so that she would inherit it. I really don't blame her of course, it has good memories for her as well.

Must have had some kind of cash to order a new Vette right out of college. What bank did he knock over?

Xceler8x wrote: Thanks for the story there. Would you come back and tell us how it turns out?

Yeah, even if he doesn't sell it I would like to go down there in the next couple months and take some pictures if he lets me. Again, I have to keep the location secret for obvious reasons. Of course I will post pictures though. He keeps it hidden and out of sight; I think he wants the neighbors to keep from seeing it so I may have to photograph it in the shed, if it's still there. I'm waiting to see if he will contact me. I think I scared him at one point a few years ago, he indicated he would give me a chance to buy it if he ever sold and when I offered to send an appraiser to look at it he got kinda of nervous and told me he wasn't ready for that, especially since he likes to keep the car hidden. By the way, I too was nervous about sending appraiser over there, how do you know the appraiser won't try to buy the car out from under you or at least tip off someone else who might be paying him a finder fee? I was never comfortable with that idea. From the best I was able to determine the car was worth about $15-$20 grand, at least that is what one corvette restore thought it was worth based on only a verbal description of the car a few years ago. I really have no idea if that was accurate then or now. I would have a tough time coughing up that money all at once anyway so maybe Im just nuts for pursuing this. Bottom-line is some barnfinds are truly "finds" others take awhile. It would make a great story wouldn't it, Dad buys car, son buys it back from Dad's friend 40 years later?

This guy is a real car guy and when I spoke with him he told me some stories about his other cars which included some corvairs. Like I said, it's one of those deals where even if I don't end up with the vette at least I got some entertainment on the few occasions when we spoke by listening to him "share his secrets" with me.

FLATLINE wrote: Another vette story.. These where bought new..... more pics makes me sick every time I go over there.

over where? is this a barn of a friend? a relative?

JeepinMatt wrote: Must have had some kind of cash to order a new Vette right out of college. What bank did he knock over?

No bank robber, just was really smart, had a full scholarship so no student loans, high paying engineering job plus he traded in his hot rod studebaker hawk. By the way, I remember I found a file he kept on the car which had some of the original paper work that he hung on to, I think the original cost was around $3,000 or something silly like that.

I blame the guy with the "Bitchin Camaro" post for reminding me about all of this. That might be a good subject (hijacking this thread is fine with me) what cool cars did your parents have???????

My Dad had cool cars pretty much from the start. After a short stint with a 63 Bel-Air (that one ended up being passed around the family for years and years) he had a 68 MGB, to an Opel GT, to a 68 Firebird, to an 80 Celica, to an 84 Caprice with the entire cop package, and while he had this he bought a 1957-59 Austin Healy 100-6, it depended on the VIN and the Title as to what year it was. After the Caprice, he had an 87 T-Bird Turbo coupe--the car I was brought home in.

The Austin Healey he sold after he replaced his T-Bird with a 93 MB 300E and tired of seeing the Mercedes in parked outside in the rain. But needless to say, my earliest memory is standing in the drivers seat of the Healey and barely being able to look out over the steering wheel.

At least it exists. I know the cool rides my old man had (62 SS impala, 69 Roadrunner convert) died glorious deaths and now live on only in memories.

plance1 wrote:

FLATLINE wrote: Another vette story.. These where bought new..... more pics makes me sick every time I go over there.

over where? is this a barn of a friend? a relative?

Gut down the road has them in a old chicken house. They are scattered all over the property. Belairs, Indians, Harleys, triumphs, old race cars, A REAL OLD Ski Nautique. and Other corvettes and convertible mopar. He's got showroom new harleys in his kitchen. You name he's got it. He's kinda a hermit/hoarder. He's been divorced for 40 years or more and just lives with a small dog.. He owned the local motorcycle shop forever. He's in dalton ga. He will let people look around. Sometimes he will sell something sometimes he just will tell you story behind it.

Plance1 said: American Pickers

Did you see the episode where an 82 year old woman has a 1963 Nash Metropolitan that her husband bought new, he wanted her to learn to drive. She never did but the car is still in the shed.

I emailed them, no response yet....

plance1 wrote: I blame the guy with the "Bitchin Camaro" post for reminding me about all of this. That might be a good subject (hijacking this thread is fine with me) what cool cars did your parents have???????

I have been trying to find the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 4 door post that my dad had when I was born. In 1979 it was sold in Lakeview, Michigan. It had a 302ci destroked 327, powerglide, sidepipes and Ansen Sprints and was jade green with a white top and a pale green and silver interior.

plance1 wrote: That might be a good subject (hijacking this thread is fine with me) what cool cars did your parents have?

1st series Spitfire, 71 Charger R/T 440, 69 Camaro RS/SS, and the one I inherited... a baby blue 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V that he bought new and kept in showroom condition. Question is, now what do I do with it?

My neighbor is in his 60s and is single with no kids. He has 3 corvettes from the 50s (56, 57, 58 I think) All V8s. He has a 50's Caddy, and newer caddy and '03 vette (which he calls his "throw away corvette"). Like I said he doesnt have any kids and he's also the only neighbor I talk to, and I'm young enough to be his son. I just hoping...

My Dad's first car was a 66 GTO 389/4 speed. He traded it in on a new 69 GTO with a 400/4 speed. I wish I could find at least one of them..

In reply to 914Driver:

I did see that episode! My wife and I are having an ongoing "discussion" about the show, funny thing is we can't make up our minds what side we are on. On one hand, it could be argued that they are taking advantage of people, usually elderly people who don't really know the value of what they have. On the other hand, you could argue that the pickers have all kinds of overhead, advertising, travel etc, costs that cause them to offer the amounts that they do and the people who have this stuff would never do anything with it anyway and they are better off to take whatever is offered to them since noone else is out there who will track these folks down and offer them money. Its a thought provoking show. That lady with the Nash was sweet, I bet that is half the fun, meeting people like that.

Agree with everything you say Plance, but then there's folk like the old farmer that wouldn't sell ANYTHING! "Nah, gonna hangonda dat".

You guys can be Wayne Carini's wing man, I want to ride with these guys!

Dan

plance1 wrote: That might be a good subject (hijacking this thread is fine with me) what cool cars did your parents have???????

1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce. One of two cars my dad bought without a test drive, and one of his favorites. Sold it back and forth with my grandpa (mom's side), and they sold it.

I post every once in a while on the Alfa boards looking for the S/N, and I know the person who has probably the next Spider Veloce that was made behind my dads.

I would love to find it.

Eric