Amusing (at least to the author) anecdotes?

[Jeff]

The thread on the 65 Knock-offs reminded me the aquisition of a 65 (faux) FI coupe and a set of original KOs I later found for it. Both stories are a little off-beat and was wondering if anyone besides me likes to hear that stuff.

As much as I enjoy the cars, the thing I like best are "as found" photos and the story that goes with them. I also wonder if some of the newcomers might find it amusing to hear about the days when C1s and C2s were just 5 or 10 year old 'used cars' to their original owners who drove them regularly and couldn't believe you wanted them to sell it to you at the stoplight.

If anyone has any interest and feels it's an appropriate topic for this board let me know and I'll try to compose my thoughts. I, for one, would like to hear any stories anyone else is willing to post.

JP

[Bill Baird]

Re: Amusing (at least to the author) anecdotes?

I always enjoy such stories.

Bill Baird

[Bill Baird]

Re: Amusing (at least to the author) anecdotes?

I always enjoy such stories.

Bill Baird

[Tom B.]

Re: Amusing (at least to the author) anecdotes?

Jeff,

Since you asked....I'll kick off with a short one.

I fit in as a "middle-of-the-roader", meaning I grew up and was a teenager in the late 60's early 70's. My fasination with Corvettes began with my uncle's new 66 427/425 Laguna Blue coupe with side exhaust. It's been my "standard" ever since. I still don't know how true his stories were but he used to tell me how he could set a 6-pack ahead of the front wheels and "hop" over it. Another time he was stopped in a small town one afternoon by a patrolman and was cited for "loud exhaust". The cop had said he heard him for two minutes out on the highway coming into town before he actually saw what it was.

Anyhow, in those days I used to walk to school and was in Junior High. There was a white 63 split window coupe I would pass EVERY day and one of the things I would alway drool over was those "Turbine Wheels" that guy had on his car. As time passed he moved, but not out-of-town, I eventually got my license and my second car (1st Vette) was a jacked-up-rear-end 69 convertible with a modified 350/300, that I bought for $2100. (I was 17 and drove the Hell out of that car) In about 4 years I traded it and didn't own another Vette until the late 80's.

Time had marched on, I had grown up, married, etc. and decided to get back into the Vettes. At the time I got what I could afford, which was a 66 Laguna Blue convertible, 327/350 with side exhaust (which I wonder how I decided?). Anyhow, I was driving out in the country one afternoon with the top down when I couldn't believe what I saw, it was that same 63 split window with the "Turbine Wheels". It couldn't be the same car. So I stopped, the guy came out, we talked and I told him the story of the car and the wheels from 20-some-years ago. This guy has always had Vettes over the years (he's had 17) and he went on to tell me that he had bought (and kept) the 63 with some front end damage back in 67. He paid $600 for the whole car. The wheels were 66 knock-offs from a guy he knew that had totaled-out his own 66 shortly after getting it.

We got to know each other little by little, and I stopped in frequently. Then out of the blue one day, he told me how he was going to "build" another racer (he races, too), he needed to finance some of his project, was willing to part with the knock-offs and asked if I was interested in trading for the repos I had on my 66 (with some cash). I didn't hesitate, it was done that afternoon, and since we both knew the story of how I had admired those "Turbine Wheels" for so long, be both laughed about how I now owned them (and still do). Tom #24014

[Tom B.]

Re: Amusing (at least to the author) anecdotes?

Jeff,

Since you asked....I'll kick off with a short one.

I fit in as a "middle-of-the-roader", meaning I grew up and was a teenager in the late 60's early 70's. My fasination with Corvettes began with my uncle's new 66 427/425 Laguna Blue coupe with side exhaust. It's been my "standard" ever since. I still don't know how true his stories were but he used to tell me how he could set a 6-pack ahead of the front wheels and "hop" over it. Another time he was stopped in a small town one afternoon by a patrolman and was cited for "loud exhaust". The cop had said he heard him for two minutes out on the highway coming into town before he actually saw what it was.

Anyhow, in those days I used to walk to school and was in Junior High. There was a white 63 split window coupe I would pass EVERY day and one of the things I would alway drool over was those "Turbine Wheels" that guy had on his car. As time passed he moved, but not out-of-town, I eventually got my license and my second car (1st Vette) was a jacked-up-rear-end 69 convertible with a modified 350/300, that I bought for $2100. (I was 17 and drove the Hell out of that car) In about 4 years I traded it and didn't own another Vette until the late 80's.

Time had marched on, I had grown up, married, etc. and decided to get back into the Vettes. At the time I got what I could afford, which was a 66 Laguna Blue convertible, 327/350 with side exhaust (which I wonder how I decided?). Anyhow, I was driving out in the country one afternoon with the top down when I couldn't believe what I saw, it was that same 63 split window with the "Turbine Wheels". It couldn't be the same car. So I stopped, the guy came out, we talked and I told him the story of the car and the wheels from 20-some-years ago. This guy has always had Vettes over the years (he's had 17) and he went on to tell me that he had bought (and kept) the 63 with some front end damage back in 67. He paid $600 for the whole car. The wheels were 66 knock-offs from a guy he knew that had totaled-out his own 66 shortly after getting it.

We got to know each other little by little, and I stopped in frequently. Then out of the blue one day, he told me how he was going to "build" another racer (he races, too), he needed to finance some of his project, was willing to part with the knock-offs and asked if I was interested in trading for the repos I had on my 66 (with some cash). I didn't hesitate, it was done that afternoon, and since we both knew the story of how I had admired those "Turbine Wheels" for so long, be both laughed about how I now owned them (and still do). Tom #24014

[Richard T.]

Re: Amusing (at least to the author) anecdotes?

That's a great idea ! As an official old 50s gear head it's easy to recall when you found these cars all over the place , even parked on city streets. You could buy one for a few hundred bucks in many cases. Fix it up (or ruin it)and have a neat street ride. Rich #2276

[Richard T.]

Re: Amusing (at least to the author) anecdotes?

That's a great idea ! As an official old 50s gear head it's easy to recall when you found these cars all over the place , even parked on city streets. You could buy one for a few hundred bucks in many cases. Fix it up (or ruin it)and have a neat street ride. Rich #2276

[Lou Lapham]

Re: Amusing K.O. wheel story

A friend of mine who is in the OEM automotive parts business told me a story about a large quanity,several thousand,of original K.O. wheels complete with all the adapters that were scraped during the 70's.He saw them in a warehouse after his company had aquired the division that made them.He was able to get a couple of sets but a few months later upon returning the same warehouse was empty.The bean counters decided to clean up these unneeded assets so they scraped everyone!Lou