When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

[Bill O.]

CALFORNIA COPS AND CORVETTES -CHAPTER # 4





On one such night, the Vette was taking me home up Second Street through Belmont Shore when a new XKE passed. Now I should explain how the LBPD ran radar in those days. One car would be parked in a line of parked cars with the trunk lid wide open. One or more pursuit cars would be up ahead beyond your headlights.

The Vette caught up to the XKE, moved to the left lane to pass, saw the raised lid and braked shapely, passing radar at a trickle. The XKE kept on giving it all until he saw the MARS lights behind him. Ouch. Then one came after me.





Am I the only one old enough to remember this stuff?

[Jay G.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

Back in the early 70's I was scheduled to do a concert (I'm a photographer) shoot for Jackson Browne (name droppin). Anyway my then girlfriend (now wife) was with me in the 58 Vette had at the time. Wer'e haulin thru West Hartford traffic doin' apx. 75 in a 35 Zone. Saw the cop at a thru street. Downshifted 3rd pulled over got out of the Vette w/ my licence reg. etc in my hand. He pulls up a huge mad on. Walks up to starts to open his mouth. I chimed in "Well figure I'd save you the trouble." As I handed him the stuff. He asked where I'm going. Told to Bushnell Audtorium for sound check etc. He said "Like your car like his music, now getta outta here." Never for got that cop.

[Steven B.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

Well, the first time was in the '57, Spring of 1965. I had just bought a roll of plastic racing stripe tape from Hires Automotive in Fort Wayne, Indiana and put it on. I wanted to see how much faster it made the Vette so I took US 6 East out of Butler, Indiana, home then. I made a top end run and turned around a few miles out of town and decided to try one more time since there was no traffic and it was a very straight section of road. You could see forever. As I was going past 6000 rpm in 4th I saw a blue and white with a gumball coming straight at me (State) probably a mile away. As we passed each other I looked in the mirror and saw his front diving and rear pointing toward the clouds. I kept going, hit home, got it in the garage, ripped off the stripe, opened the hood thinking I was actually going to cool it down and locked the garage door. As I looked out the window I saw Carpenter, our State cop, go by the house very slowly. That was Sunday.

Monday I was at the Chevy dealer, next to the cop shop, and John Jones, our local policeman, was sitting on the steps and asked me to come over. Not smiling, John asked me what the "H" I was doing yesterday. He told me Carpenter would be in town that afternoon to inspect the city restrooms (yeah, I know) and he wanted to talk to me. Later that day John and Carpenter were sitting on the station steps as I walked up. Carpenter repeated John's question of earlier and I told him I did not know what he was talking about. After my tap dancing Carpenter asked if I wanted to know what his "VASCAR" had clocked me at. Then he said, I know you thought you were faster but you have alot of slippage in that thing and just laughed. He used to run guys in his Police 413 and was a pretty good guy.

Then there was the time with the Hamilton, IN Constable (heading into town again, but it involved a girl and --) and then twice in the '77 when it was new and a city cop and a State Policeman and a road block and gun and ---. But those stories later. Some people just don't learn.

I never got a ticket in a Vette, not even a warning.

[James C.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

There are some very decent state patrol officers in Georgia. In 1980, I received a call from my sister that my mother had had a heart attack and was in critcal condition at University Hospital in Augusta Georgia. At the time, I was living in a suburb of Atlanta and I immediately left work to get to Augusta ASAP. I was running about 100+ MPH in my 1979 L82 Vette, when I saw the flashing lights from a State Patrol crusier rapidly approaching from the rear. I pulled over and waited for him to pull up behind me.
I could tell that he was very tense from such a high speed pursuit, but he was very professional asking for license and registration When asked while I was going so fast, I related the news on my mom. As I waited, not knowing whether I would be ticketed or be on my way to jail, he returned and related that he had called the Emergecy Room at University Hospital in Augusta to verify my story. He informed me that my mother was stable and doing OK. He then warned me that he had called ahead to his fellow troopers to look out for me and told me to drive sensibly the rest of the way. He said that our family did not need me to get killed getting to Augusta. He was a very decent man and I am thankful to this day for the kindness and consideration he showed. He acted in a very professional and caring manner. My mother went on to live another 12 years. Thanks!

[Dave F.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

It was early summer 1968 around 2:30AM at the corner of Dixie Highway and Commonwealth Avenue in Erlanger,KY. I'm in my '65 396 coupe (with sidepipes) and waiting for the traffic light to turn green so I could turn right (before the days of right on red) and a '57 Chevy pulls up along side of me. He had his header caps off and was revving his engine in anticipation of getting me off the line. I did the obligatory revving back but when the light turned green I turned right as he blasted down Dixie. About a block or so down Commonwealth a cop pulls me over, gives me all kinds crap, takes my license and has me follow him to the police station where I was booked for "inciting a drag race". This was my one and only time in a jail cell because I had to wait for a friend to bail me out. I wound up getting a 3 month suspension out of that fiasco and have avoided Erlanger, KY like the plague ever since.

[Paul H.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

I got so tired of the cops chasing me around as a kid in a Vette in the early 70's I became one

[Steven B.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

I got so tired of the cops chasing me around as a kid in a Vette in the early 70's I became one

Most seem to be great guys, and gals. Carpenter, the Indiana State Policeman I spoke of, attempted to start a car club for kids in the county and keep speed off the streets and organize drags and safety instruction at the abandoned county airport. Unfortunatley too many folks in higher places against it. After my car was brutally attacked by a large corn fed buck he would stop by the body shop frequently to see how the progress was coming. He even gave me a couple of performance improvement ideas.

He told a bunch of us one day how a 427 Cobra came out of Michigan onto the then new I-69 into Indiana and no police car could catch him. A road block was set up near Auburn and the Cobra driver stopped in the middle of the Interstate. He also told us the guy was taken away in cuffs and a number of the police argued as to who would drive it to impound.

[Roger W.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

Back in 1972 I had my 59 on the road. It has a slightly modified 340 horse 327 and is pretty quick. There was a 14 year old kid that used to hang around my friends convience store who wanted a ride in my car. I gave him a ride with the usual burning rubber in all 4 gears. Then a little while later this guy in a 70 Chalanger with out of state plates started playing cat and mouse with me. We came on this stretch of road that I knew had many radar Speed Traps, so when he speeded up, I let him pass me. All of a sudden, there is a cop on the side of the road flagging both of us down. I imeadiatly pulled over but The challanger kept going There was not another prusute car so he got away. I wasn't to worried because I knew that I was going about the speed limit while the calanger was going much faster. The cop asked me for my license and registration and went back to his car. After checking me out he came back with my papers and no ticket. He said: "Tell your friend from New York that I will get him next time". As with many of us my car has been of the road for quit awhile with much restoration being done as time alows. Now that kid that I gave a ride so long ago produces a car show every August. Every year that I see him there he tells one of his friends about the ride in the 59 Vette.

[Stuart F.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

Steve;

Looks like you qualify as a member of the "I killed a Deer with my Vette Club". That makes 3 of us. Always looking for more new members.

We always used to say, jokingly of course, Cops and Crooks were cut from the same cloth. They just took different forks in the road of life.

I never had any episodes with the Police since 1963 when I bought my Vette. Don't ask me why, but I guess it's because I got it out of my system while I was a kid, Ha!

My most memorable experience was late in 1961. I had just had a bad wrap up to the drag racing season with my 298.5 CI V8 57 Chevy post. I had dropped out the drive shaft at about 105 mph on my last run, busting up my 4-speed, starter and bell housing. I put the car back together with it's original rebuilt 3-speed overdrive, still running the 4.56 rear end. I installed a hand operated control switch for the overdrive unit which allowed me to select 6-speeds up and down. The roller clutch was a little slow, but it was still functional.

One night, I left rt. 100 heading south on rt. 41 (now I-94) from Milwaukee back home to Racine. I was pedal to the medal through all six gears when I spotted a new State Patrol "Pursuit" Dodge going northbound. It was red and white (normal cars were blue/white) with a gumball on the roof which lit up as soon as we passed. In an instant I made a decision to proceed south based on the thought that these pursuit Dodges were fast, so much so that the Trooper driving it (from shear ego) would turn around to chase me and NOT call ahead for an intercept. He had to show me what he had!

Well, I hollered to my Buddy to spot me the rt. 20 exit east bound to Racine and when he said "coming up!", I started my down shifting using my column shift and switch, made the exit without use of any brakes, then a hard left on to rt. 20 and hit my rear lights kill switch. then it was back up through the gears and a hardy "hi oh silver!" as we watched that gumball "ga-dick-a-dicking" on its way south to Kenosha.

I laid low for a couple of weeks and asked my friend the Police Commish from Racine (he owned gas station where my group hung out) whether there were any new pursuit reports he wanted to share with us. A few months later, I sold that 57 and joined the Army (not because of that, rather my number was next up in the draft).

Stu Fox

[Bill O.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

Stu -

Great "encounter" stories by you and all. I had not thought of tail light and brake light cut-off switches in 100 years. Christ did we use them to fast exit the highways without rear notice, but mostly in retaliation against the Virginia State Police who used to chase us at night with their headlights OFF.....or was it they retaliating?


Bill

[John H.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

I had not thought of tail light and brake light cut-off switches in 100 years. Bill

Brake light kill switches were standard fare on our "Woodward" cars in the late 50's-early 60's; made great use of mine in my '53 with a 6-71 blown Buick "nailhead".

[Dick W.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

The old variable speed heater switches worked very well for the tail lamps. Gradually dim them, giving the appearance of running away from the following car. Not that I would ever do anything like that.

[Mike M.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

The old variable speed heater switches worked very well for the tail lamps. Gradually dim them, giving the appearance of running away from the following car. Not that I would ever do anything like that.

now would you ever toss a # of roofing nails out the window as the lights wnet out.mikie

[Stuart F.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

Mike;

Roofing Nails!, I almost forgot about them. That's a whole different story about the infamous "Kilborne Road" Sunday night races on the Wisconsin/Illinois border. The end of the quarter mile was a dirt cross (escape) road. Last cars out spread the bags of nails. Farmers kids came out popping shot guns at the cars - ohhhh! Nasty!!! Chicago boys didn't like that much. Extrapolate the rest.

Stu Fox

[Kirk M.]

Re: When We Were Young With Our Corvettes - Chapter #4

Two cop memories growing up. The local police in my town use to follow me in my modified Trans Am (dual intake Holley carbs, Edelbrock manifold, shift kit that burned rubber in every gear and an L28 racing exhaust that we tipped with the original chrome fake dual exhaust tips so no one knew what was underneath - she looked stock) all the way home, pull in my driveway and slowly back out and take off. Just a bit of intimidation you think! Never caught me though because it was hard for one small town policeman to keep up with us. While in college (Mount Union - northeastern Ohio), I got pulled over by the cops in town in my Trans Am for racing a motorcycle. I told the very young cop that was just crazy, no one in a car would ever try to race a bike. He chuckled and then proceeded to tell me all about his modified mustang and challenge me to a drag on a dead-end strip of interstate just west of town! He didn't seem to mind the smell of beer in the car either! Jeeze we were stupid back then.