Vette Vues article #4 on #29

[Barn53]

Getting my Vette Vues yesterday I was thrilled that they had another article on the "real" #29 1953 Corvette. However, I see a pretty glaring error in regards to the gas cap door, which the author calls a "second design". It is in fact still the 1st design, probably one of the last used, not one of the 1st used of the second design.

Also, the author mentions, and are pictured a pair of left and right sheet metal hinge covers which he calls "completely unique". Now, for all I know these covers were used on every early body style Corvette from then on, but he leads me anyway, into believing he is saying they are unique to this particular car. Well, if that is his contention, I have to say that I have the same covers on my '53.

I found it interesting that #29 has the number 46 stamped into both pairs of headlight buckets and doors. Mine has one pair stamped 38 and the other 51.

 

[53 Blue Flame]

I haven't seen the pics that were printed but I can tell you that the real #029 does not have a first design gas lid cover. Never did from the factory.
http://i41.tinypic.com/2gv27q1.jpg

Also, the conv top hinge coves are not like any that I have ever seen on any 53-54 Corvette. I was there in Jan and inspected the car from front to rear, top to bottom with Ken Keyser. These two aspects of the car are unique in that I have never seen any like this on any 53.

What vin # is your 53. It's possible that you could have the same hinge covers if your car is very early in the production run. Car #035 did not have this design covers, not to say that a later vin could not have them. There's no cut and dry cutoff for most characteristics on these cars. Only trends, IMO.
http://i43.tinypic.com/2ce2etd.jpg

 

[Barn53]

First, I should apologize to everyone for making my first post on this GREAT Board a critical one. I should have introduced myself and my '53 first, but I will do that in a new thread.

53 Blue Flame, I re-read the Vette Vues article and it seems to be saying that there are 2 very early gas filler door types that open above the car body but are very close to it. Then comes the type I have which opens into the cavity but makes it very awkward to remove the gas cap and then the fourth kind which opens above the body once again and is used thru 1960. Is this correct? If it is today is a good day because I learned something. I based all my information on the article by John Amgwert in the Vol. 16 No. 4 - Spring 1990 issue of The Corvette Restorer. I found it interesting that #29 has two drain holes drilled in the fuel filler cavity and my car, which I am sure is later, does not.

As for the hinge covers, I took my new copy of Vette Vues out to the barn again and I am sure mine are the same as the ones from #29. But what I don't know is, do the rest of the 53's have hinge covers and if so are they VERY different from these?

You ask what my car number is, well that has been my quest for many years, and reading the article on #29 piqued my interest to find out what my BODY number is. I've known for 20 years that it was roughly between numbers 30 and 75. What I have read in the past couple months on #29 leads me to believe it is on the far early end of that scale. I will explain the history of the car in a new thread.

Jim

 

[53 Blue Flame]

Hi Jim. I only know of three fuel doors. #029 had the 2nd design. The hinge covers for the conv top are the only ones that I have ever seen in this configuration. Can you post some pics of your covers. If your fuel door opens up underneath the fender, it's most likely a fairly early car.

I look forward to pics of your 53!

Brett

 

[Barn53]

Hello Brett,

OK, but if you consider the gas filler door of #29 the 2nd type, what do you consider the first type? How would you describe it? I have no access to any '53 other than my own, so can only defer to the article I mentioned in the Corvette Restorer by Mr. Amgwert. I don't think I'll violate any copyright laws by quoting a paragraph from that article, it's only a fairly short quote and I'm giving credit to the author, here goes.

"Pictured are examples of the three metal gas filler compartment doors used during 1953. The initial design (using a spring hinge from a 1953 Chevrolet passenger car) fastened to the upper fiberglass lip of the gas filler cavity and allowed the door to slightly swing out over the exterior fender surface. Almost immediately it was discovered that, when opened, the door would come into contact with the body, thus marring the exterior paint. A quick (and crude) temporary fix was facilitated very early in 1953 Corvette production by reversing the hinge (which is welded to the cover), adding two hand-fabricated "L" brackets, and securing the part (with nuts and bolts) to the back of the gas filler cavity. By reversing the hinge, the door would not swing-out, thus eliminated paint damage. However, the door's inability to swing out caused interference with one's ability to easily remove the gas cap during a fuel fill. The crude hand-made appearance of this second-type filler door indicated that it was a temporary fix, awaiting a better redesign soon to come. Then, somewhere between 1953 serial numbers 076 and 083, a new door with larger hinge was introduced that remained on the Corvette through 1960. This most-common gas door again attached to the upper cavity lip and swung farther up and out, lessening the chance of body contact and providing easy gas cap removal."

Jim

 

[53 Blue Flame]

Hi Jim. After re-reading and looking at my pics, I'll change my statement on the fuel filler cover. I confused myslef on the orientation of the cover lifting either underneath the fender over the top of the fender. According to my picture posted above, car #029 actually has an original third design cover that does raise above the top of the fender. The second design cover bolts directly to the back of the fuel filler housing and swings underneath the top of the fender. There is no eveidence of the car ever having a second deisgn cover installed since the car was built.

Now, one would think that as early as car #029 is, that it would wear a first or second design fuel cover door. One point that needs to be taken into consideration is this;
Car #029 was built in September. Very few of these cars were released until later in the year, meaning Oct-Dec. It's very plausable that an early car could have been released from Flint with the third design cover. When the first and second design covers were fabricated, it's doubtful that very many were made until they were proven to be what Engineering approved. Thus, even an early car could have a mixture of early and late parts (June -December).

I hope this makes sense.

 

[Barn53]

Brett, what you say makes total sense. I looked at that article for about the fifteenth time and the gas filler door on #29 sure looks like the 3rd type. On my '53 the speedometer has a date much later than I would anticipate on as early a car as I think I have, but it was a test car and not sold (or given) till mid 1954, so anything could have happened. I'd love to put some pictures on here, but I'll have to buy a camera as I gave my old one to my nephew. Also, I'll have to learn how to post a picture. If computers were lethal weapons I'd be banned from having one.

Jim

 

[53 Blue Flame]

It'd nice to see your car whenever you're able to post pics, Jim.

Just received my Vette Vues copy today. Is it true that the camera adds on 20lbs?????

 

[Tyler Townsley]

It'd nice to see your car whenever you're able to post pics, Jim.

Just received my Vette Vues copy today. Is it true that the camera adds on 20lbs?????

Its not the camera that adds the 20 lbs. Its great to see another car surface.

Tyler

 

[SebringBill]

Actually, I looked at #029's headlamp assys at Old Town and one pair was stamped "46" while the other pair was stamped "31."

(Sorry, Ken; that's my memory and I'm stickin' to it!)

Also, I had the opportunity to observe #014 some 30 years ago; it's headlamp assys were stamped "14" and "16."