1957 air box car info
I resurrecting this old thread on the Corvette forum and decided to post it here as well.
Reading this
about the first page NJ found air box car reported to be the "prototype" Makes
me wonder what has been learned and proven since my experience with these cars
from back in the late 70s.
My name is Darryl Dayton my phone number is
928-239-0017 for anyone that wants to talk about MY old car.
Much of this below info
is copied and pasted from emails I have saved from years past communicating with
several knowledgeable people on 1957 racers. It is old info and there certainly
may be new info that contradicts what I am saying.
About 1976
myself and partner Jerry Gendreau purchased V.I.N. 834 from a garage very close
to the Mississippi river outside of Savanna Illinois. The car was in very poor
condition as it had been partially under water in the big 1965 flood of the
river. After talking to several "Corvette guys" that were far more
knowledgeable about air box cars then us (which did not take much as neither one
of use had ever heard of one) at the urging of Mike Hunt we took the car to an
NCRS meet in Rockford Ill. around 1977. It was inspected by Mike Hunt and many
others there and was photographed by and later pictured in Nolan Adams first
book showing the engine compartment. The caption for the picture was "would you
buy this mess?" as the car was as found and we only had limited info as to what
we actually had at that time. See the NCRS RESTORER magazine Vol 5-4 and 13-2
for Mike Hunt's stories on the car back in the day. Mike pasted away in July
2007, but his research is still being treasured by Ken Kayser, and other 57
history freaks. Back in those days, Mike had 17 "air box" cars identified
(today there are 29 of the 43 made), and this car was one that he felt was legit
even though the air box cars production fall into the vin number 3950-6339
ranged of May 57 production and later. The late Mike Hunt, the authority at that
time on these cars said it could only be the mule car for the Sebring cars with
as early a V.I.N. as it had. I hope to hear if this is still thought of as true
and any other documented updated info about all of this. According to Mike Hunt
at that time it was the first factory 57 Fuel Injected car built in late
1956 and had the famous cold air box, big brakes and suspension. It like the
rest car for the Sebring racers was supposed to have been recalled to GM
and destroyed when they banned factory sponsored racing, however as was the
custom back then it "slipped out the back door" later to show up at Elkhart Lake
racing. My research indicates the car was raced by Jim Jeffords at Elkhart Lake
and sold there to the owner prior to the owner we bought the car from. Jerry and
I both knew this man as well as he lived only about 14 miles from us.
I
sold my interest in the car to Jerry early on around 1978. The car was missing
many of the rare parts and over the course of several years he managed to locate
most of them. He later sold the car and parts as a basket case to Tim Partridge.
Tim restored the car and painted to appear as a Sebring racer and offered for
sale. At one of the CORVETTES AT CARLISLE's recent RACE CAR REUNION, which
occurs every five years,Tim Partridge was present with vin #832, (this may be a
typo on the V.I.N.) which is his TRIBUTE #P3 race SEBRING car. At some point Tim
sold the vin #834 car to I believe Jim Jeager past
CEO Cincinnati Microwave inventor of the Escort radar detectors--current owner
of our old Corvette V.I.N.834 air box car
This will make all of
you chuckle. We paid $2000. for this car when we found it. LOL! Can only guess
what the value of this car is today.
Much of the info gathered and shared here is OLD
from around 2009 from conversations with the two below people.
Jim Gessner
1346 Laurelwood
Lane
Mentone, CA 92359
909-794-7905
jim@vettefinderjim.com
Dom
Acquisitions
& Historical Research
Racing Preservation Museum "-Preserving the
memory of those On the track, In the pits & Behind the scenes-"
301.706.4855
rpm57scca@aol.com
Reading this
about the first page NJ found air box car reported to be the "prototype" Makes
me wonder what has been learned and proven since my experience with these cars
from back in the late 70s.
My name is Darryl Dayton my phone number is
928-239-0017 for anyone that wants to talk about MY old car.
Much of this below info
is copied and pasted from emails I have saved from years past communicating with
several knowledgeable people on 1957 racers. It is old info and there certainly
may be new info that contradicts what I am saying.
About 1976
myself and partner Jerry Gendreau purchased V.I.N. 834 from a garage very close
to the Mississippi river outside of Savanna Illinois. The car was in very poor
condition as it had been partially under water in the big 1965 flood of the
river. After talking to several "Corvette guys" that were far more
knowledgeable about air box cars then us (which did not take much as neither one
of use had ever heard of one) at the urging of Mike Hunt we took the car to an
NCRS meet in Rockford Ill. around 1977. It was inspected by Mike Hunt and many
others there and was photographed by and later pictured in Nolan Adams first
book showing the engine compartment. The caption for the picture was "would you
buy this mess?" as the car was as found and we only had limited info as to what
we actually had at that time. See the NCRS RESTORER magazine Vol 5-4 and 13-2
for Mike Hunt's stories on the car back in the day. Mike pasted away in July
2007, but his research is still being treasured by Ken Kayser, and other 57
history freaks. Back in those days, Mike had 17 "air box" cars identified
(today there are 29 of the 43 made), and this car was one that he felt was legit
even though the air box cars production fall into the vin number 3950-6339
ranged of May 57 production and later. The late Mike Hunt, the authority at that
time on these cars said it could only be the mule car for the Sebring cars with
as early a V.I.N. as it had. I hope to hear if this is still thought of as true
and any other documented updated info about all of this. According to Mike Hunt
at that time it was the first factory 57 Fuel Injected car built in late
1956 and had the famous cold air box, big brakes and suspension. It like the
rest car for the Sebring racers was supposed to have been recalled to GM
and destroyed when they banned factory sponsored racing, however as was the
custom back then it "slipped out the back door" later to show up at Elkhart Lake
racing. My research indicates the car was raced by Jim Jeffords at Elkhart Lake
and sold there to the owner prior to the owner we bought the car from. Jerry and
I both knew this man as well as he lived only about 14 miles from us.
I
sold my interest in the car to Jerry early on around 1978. The car was missing
many of the rare parts and over the course of several years he managed to locate
most of them. He later sold the car and parts as a basket case to Tim Partridge.
Tim restored the car and painted to appear as a Sebring racer and offered for
sale. At one of the CORVETTES AT CARLISLE's recent RACE CAR REUNION, which
occurs every five years,Tim Partridge was present with vin #832, (this may be a
typo on the V.I.N.) which is his TRIBUTE #P3 race SEBRING car. At some point Tim
sold the vin #834 car to I believe Jim Jeager past
CEO Cincinnati Microwave inventor of the Escort radar detectors--current owner
of our old Corvette V.I.N.834 air box car
This will make all of
you chuckle. We paid $2000. for this car when we found it. LOL! Can only guess
what the value of this car is today.
Much of the info gathered and shared here is OLD
from around 2009 from conversations with the two below people.
Jim Gessner
1346 Laurelwood
Lane
Mentone, CA 92359
909-794-7905
jim@vettefinderjim.com
Dom
Acquisitions
& Historical Research
Racing Preservation Museum "-Preserving the
memory of those On the track, In the pits & Behind the scenes-"
301.706.4855
rpm57scca@aol.com
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