Very Strange Delete Option

[Tom Bryant]

Today at Auburn (Auctions America by RM) we found an unusual '59 Impala. Being familiar with no radio and no heater/defroster Corvettes it isn't too uncommon to find other Chevrolets without these options too but this one threw me for a loop. It is a 1959 Impala built in California with the one piece bumpers. It has defrosters only. No heater. The dash panel in photo 1 has a lever for the fan control and a lever for the defroster. There is no heat lever. Photo 2 shows heater hoses going into a panel on the firewall where the heater box would have been. I have no idea what type of core would be in there for a defroster only. Photo 3 shows another '59 Impala with a standard heater core box on the firewall. Photo 4 is the car with defrosters only. I can understand why in a warm climate you might need a defroster but never need a heater. I find it hard to understand why Chevrolet would offer this option. It would seem that if you want a defroster you would have to get a heater/defroster like everyone else.

Has anyone ever seen one of these before?

Tom

 

[bill81vette]

I seem to remember hearing that in Arizona/New Mexico bound cars,they did not put heaters in them back then...a/c was still in its infancy back then....
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[catbert]

I've only seen heater deletes in race cars, and I lived in Phoenix back in those days.

 

[Tom Bryant]

For 1959 Corvette production there were 9670 cars built and 8909 of them were equipped with heaters/defrosters. It was a $102.25 option. I have seen examples of stripper Biscayne 6 cylinder cars with no options that have come out of south Florida, Texas, Arizona ect. with no heater or anything else. These were usually utility company or municipal cars of the time. If you figure the same percentage of buyers would have not ordered a heater on full size cars as did on Corvettes there would be a lot of them out there. I don't know if you can apply that thought though. I would think that more Corvettes would have been bought without heaters for competition use whereas a full size Chevy would have been bought that way just to save money. It just seems odd that someone would have stepped up to an Impala with a 348 and Powerglide, radio ext. and decided that they didn't need a heater but wanted defrosters. I'm still amazed that the defroster only option was even available.

Tom

 

[67vet]

When my Mom and Dad bought a new 1965 Dodge Coronet 440, they thought and thought about spending the extra money on tinted windshield only or all around.
The difference was an additional $25.00 or so.
They got the all around tint as well as positraction. Ruby red two door hardtop.
Why spend extra money if you don't need the option.

I never use the sun roof on my cars - but I could not order them without sun roof.

 

[Toms007]

Well, I guess with the 348 in there, maybe they did race this one. But I don't think I've ever heard of a heater-delete, but defrost is kept.

 

[Mac]

It doesn't have to be cold to need defrost... but I've never seen one like this before...

-Mac

 

[JohnZ]

I think what you're seeing in the first two photos is the "bargain-priced" optional heater, which only recirculated inside cabin air - it had no inlet for outside air; it only had a "fan" lever and a "def" lever. The "Deluxe Fresh Air" heater was different (shown in the third photo) - the blower housing brought in outside air from the plenum area between the bottom of the windshield and the firewall, and it had three levers - fan, def, and heat (the same as the later standard equipment heater).

I remember making that choice when I ordered a new '57 Chevy Bel Air hardtop - the "Deluxe" heater was about $20 more than the "base" optional heater; Michigan winter weather made that choice easy.

 

[mr.beachcomber]

I think what you're seeing in the first two photos is the "bargain-priced" optional heater, which only recirculated inside cabin air - it had no inlet for outside air; it only had a "fan" lever and a "def" lever. The "Deluxe Fresh Air" heater was different (shown in the third photo) - the blower housing brought in outside air from the plenum area between the bottom of the windshield and the firewall, and it had three levers - fan, def, and heat (the same as the later standard equipment heater)...

I tend to agree. As high school student, I bought a used 1960 Impala SS back in '63 that had been ordered with both a radio and heater delete. There was a block-off plate on the firewall where the heater would be normally installed as well as a plate where the radio would have been. Still, I had a fan plus a dash/defrost lever to recirculate the air inside the car. On hot days you could use a cable pull (one per side) for outside air around your legs and feet. On really cold days in Atlanta, I used the vent-a-planes to direct air to the front windshield. Of course the inside temperature was the same as the outside temperature using this method to clear the windshield! :L

 

[Tyler Townsley]

I seem to remeber that in some states it had to have a defrost capability for safery reasons, but not have heaters.

Tyler

 

[Tom Bryant]

What John says makes sense. The first half stroke of the fan lever opens the air flap and the rest runs the fan speeds. I'll bet you would play heck finding a heater core for that one. The water hoses don't connect in the same place. This is what I like about the Auburn Fall Auction. I have seen more odd and unusual stuff over the years there than I can remember. I also found a '57 Chevy with dual fours and powerglide. Probably a 245 horse. The unusual thing about that car is that it's original and unrestored. It's also in pretty rough shape. Its amazing to find one of these that is not made up and hasn't been messed with since it was new. I have the pics on my desktop so I'll have to post them later.

Tom

 

[hotmtrsports]

I'd like to see the pics of the stock 57 with dual quads.

Thanks,

Chuck M

 

[Tom Bryant]

OK, Here ya go.. It's a red Bel Air Convertible. The front fenders and door had been repainted and the rest was peeling and dead. It looked like maybe a very old repaint at some time in the past. It was a solid restorable car though.

 

[SebringBill]

Many moons ago in college (Charlotte, NC) I owned a 57 Nomad with a 6 cyl - 3 spd. Only one with that combo I've ever seen (over the years I've seen 2 other 6 bangers, both with auto). It was a Calif car (LA assy) with the 1 pc bumper. Had the "deluxe" heater but it had a block-off plate over the cigarette lighter! This was aluminum and styled to match (had a concave design that looked waaaay too nice for Bubba work!). I'll hafta look at a lighter-less 57 150 one day to see if my memory is valid...

 

[Tom Bryant]

It makes you wonder how many rare block off plates or hole fillers have been tossed when options were added to cars that didn't have them.

Tom

 

[hotmtrsports]

The prices on those would be just as bad as the radio delete plates are!

Chuck M

 

[JohnZ]

I seem to remeber that in some states it had to have a defrost capability for safery reasons, but not have heaters.

Tyler

That MVSS requirement (heated defrosters) started effective with the beginning of the 1969 model year (September 1, 1968); 1968 was the last model year when RPO C48 (less heater) was offered, although there were some administrative exemptions issued during 1969 for cars destined for Hawaii.

 

[K & B Special Products]

I tend to agree. As high school student, I bought a used 1960 Impala SS back in '63 that had been ordered with both a radio and heater delete. There was a block-off plate on the firewall where the heater would be normally installed as well as a plate where the radio would have been. Still, I had a fan plus a dash/defrost lever to recirculate the air inside the car. On hot days you could use a cable pull (one per side) for outside air around your legs and feet. On really cold days in Atlanta, I used the vent-a-planes to direct air to the front windshield. Of course the inside temperature was the same as the outside temperature using this method to clear the windshield! :L

GM did not build a 1960 Impala SS. The SS option started in 1961.

 

[mr.beachcomber]

GM did not build a 1960 Impala SS. The SS option started in 1961.

You are correct. (Although I had to look it up and verify that the SS option started in with the '61 MY. It's hard to accept that your memories are wrong.)

The car was a '60 model (last of the 2nd gen Impalas) so it wasn't an SS. Must have confused it with a later '68 SS I had. (Dang these senior moments!)