The former owner of a 1959 Corvette that he drove in the Chicago suburbs for a few years in the early ’80s is very appreciative of all the work that has been done to this ’59 currently being offered on Bring a Trailer.
“It was a handful to drive (but a great workout for arms and legs),” the ex-owner recalls under his Oldhockyplayr post on BaT, “and being a hardtop only offering, I was forced to spend many lonely hours sitting underneath gas station overhangs waiting for the rain to stop when the weather changed unexpectedly. I only wish I would have had the much-needed upgrades + improvements featured on this ’59!”
Apparently, others agree with that former owner’s desires, too. With three days left in the auction, the bid has already climbed to $85,000.
No wonder, based on the nine videos and 200 photos, along with further explanations from the owner in later posts, this car has been carefully and thoughtfully updated over the past 13 years, including the installation of a new frame, powertrain, and interior in 2016 and 2017.
Underneath the hood of this beautiful red-with-white-coves over red interior ’59 is a modern LS3 V8 engine mated with a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission and a Dana 44 rear end, along with the addition of power rack-and-pinion steering (with a tilting Ididit column) and four-wheel disc brakes.
Other features include a new Al Knoch interior kit, white convertible soft top, removable body-color hardtop, 20-inch Deluxe Wheel Company wheels with integrated whitewalls, Vintage Air climate control, rebuilt Wonder Bar AM radio, and Dakota Digital instruments.
Before the new black powder-coated Corvette Connections frame was installed in 2016, the car had been repainted around 2010, and touch-ups are noted in the photos, along with wear and blemishes on the chrome and stainless steel trim.
In an addendum to the original listing, the seller recounts the story of how he bought the car in 2012 from a man in the Salt Lake City area who had owned it since 1981.
“The car was stored in a climate controlled garage (boy was I jealous!) and covered when not in use,” the seller writes. “I think he was very nervous when I told him that I wanted to drive the car home which would take two days covering a little more than 700 miles. Beginning our drive home from Salt Lake City during the morning rush hour traffic, cars were passing me right and left even though the speedometer was reading 65/70 mph. Before getting on I-80 for the long ride home, I stopped at a Home Depot to open the hood and make a general inspection of the car. I asked my wife who was following me what speed I was going and she said 50/55 mph. Okay, the speedometer was not correct some parts must have been changed. I looked over everything in the engine compartment and found a fan belt was beginning to cut into the lower radiator hose. I went into Home Depot and bought some flashing and wire. I wrapped the lower radiator hose in flashing, covered it with duct tape and used the wire and the generator mounting bracket to gently pull the hose away from the belt. Off we went with another stop near the Bonneville Salt Flats for a second check. All looked good and from there the rest of the trip was uneventful.”
Further inspection at home led the current owner to believe the car’s original engine had been a 283/270 horsepower V8. Though it had been replaced when he bought it in 2012, it still had the dual four-barrel carburetor set-up and a high RPM tachometer with a 6000 redline that would have been used for the 270 HP dual quad cars and the 290 HP fuel injected cars, he says.
He also explains that the car has been completely re-wired using American Autowire’s Highway 22 Series Main Power Panel and Grounding Kits. The original power panel/fuse box was located behind the driver side kick panel, and the new power panel is now relocated to the trunk. He also used American Autowire’s grounding kit to ensure that all circuits would have proper ground.
“Think of one big wire that runs from the trunk, through the cabin, into the engine compartment and then connects to a negative terminal on the battery,” he explains. “The ground for each circuit was connected to this wire. Having owned two other early Corvettes, a 1963 convertible and a 1967 coupe, I wanted to minimize any chances of electrical ‘gremlins’ showing up in the future. All electrical wires were connected using heat shrink crimp connectors with heat shrink tubing added over the top of each connection. This took more time, but again, I wanted to minimize chances of electrical problems down the road. I placed sheathing over the groups of wires in the trunk and engine compartment for a cleaner look and for additional protection.“
Source:
Bring a Trailer
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