DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

[Ron R.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

What's so interesting about my car is the production date of early November. From what I can tell and others, it appears to be original as far as the N03 option.

[Michael H.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Michael,

Was that the Sebring Car from Alabama??? Via Arkansas, Virginia, Illinois?

JR

The sebring silver/black N03/AC car (#17,307) was delivered new to a dealer in Ky. (I believe V V Cook Chev) A Dr Michael Scriven purchased it at Cook, immediately drove it to Calif and sold it two weeks later. (he hated the car)

It stayed in Ca most of it's life

[Sydney G.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Hi Michael,

I believe the 2nd known non Z06 tanker was a late production Red/Red coupe also with A/C.
Is that correct or is there another one out there that I don't know about??

That Red tanker is also the last/latest produced Big Tank car I've seen for '63.

Syd

[Michael H.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Finally dug out the info on the N03/36.5 gal fuel tank option. The new separate option was announced to dealers in a letter dated 17 December 1962. I'll try to scan and post the letter later.

The Z06 special perf package would then be available minus the N03 fuel tank and P48 KO wheels. Z06 also became available for conv.

Price info is shown for the new list of separate options.

[Wayne M.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

...I believe the 2nd known non Z06 tanker was a late production Red/Red coupe also with A/C.
Is that correct or is there another one out there that I don't know about??

Syd -- Yes, that car is VIN # 20537, and also has automatic, pb, ps, pw. Believe it was offered by Proteam a few years ago as a '63 "bookends" package along with a red/red FI coupe.

[Sydney G.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Syd -- Yes, that car is VIN # 20537, and also has automatic, pb, ps, pw. Believe it was offered by Proteam a few years ago as a "bookends" package along with a red/red FI coupe.

That's the car Wayne.
The Red car is also a 250hp. The Silver a 300hp.

So I guess the 63 car total for the N03 Tanker option were accounted for after about serial #6,000.
I know of 13 cars 'said' to be Z06 tankers before #6,000 so that pushes the N03 total to 76+ cars for 1963.

Syd

[Joe R.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

The sebring silver/black N03/AC car (#17,307) was delivered new to a dealer in Ky. (I believe V V Cook Chev) A Dr Michael Scriven purchased it at Cook, immediately drove it to Calif and sold it two weeks later. (he hated the car)

It stayed in Ca most of it's life

Michael,

The silver 63 NO3 car was purchased by Gene Roberson from a guy in Alabama, sold to Tom Christman and then somehow sold to your friend in Illinois. Now in California, again!!!!!
Need to see a bunch of pics of the tank with the cover off??? Got em!

JR

[Ron R.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Finally dug out the info on the N03/36.5 gal fuel tank option. The new separate option was announced to dealers in a letter dated 17 December 1962. I'll try to scan and post the letter later.

The Z06 special perf package would then be available minus the N03 fuel tank and P48 KO wheels. Z06 also became available for conv.

Price info is shown for the new list of separate options.

Michael, since it appears the N03 option was not available until late December, is it possible my car being a early November car, could be a pilot car to introduce the N03 option.Just trying to learn more about my car.Appreciate any advice.

[Michael H.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Michael,

The silver 63 NO3 car was purchased by Gene Roberson from a guy in Alabama, sold to Tom Christman and then somehow sold to your friend in Illinois. Now in California, again!!!!!
Need to see a bunch of pics of the tank with the cover off??? Got em!

JR

I don't remember who Cristman bought it from. I know it spent the first 25 years of it's life in Calif but I don't remember the owners name. Cristman sold it to Fred Sadowski and I got it from Freds wife. I sold it to K.D. James. He restored it (if we can call it that) and sold it to a guy in Illinois. I don't know where it went after that.

Sure was fun to drive though. Putting 30 gallons of fuel in it sure made the guy at the gas station look. He even looked under it to see if gasoline was running out the bottom.

[Michael H.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Michael, since it appears the N03 option was not available until late December, is it possible my car being a early November car, could be a pilot car to introduce the N03 option.Just trying to learn more about my car.Appreciate any advice.

I don't know if a "pilot run" of the N03 tank would have been necessary as several Z06's with the 36.5 gal tank had already run down the line a month or two prior to your November car. Pilot cars/runs are basically to make sure that all of the things on paper actually work, physically, in real life on the line.
Installing the N03 in a non Z06 wouldn't have required that.

Anything is possible though. Well, almost anything.

[Joe R.]

Re: DOCUMENTED 1ST 63 TANKER(non Z06)

Michael,

A few years ago, I saw it in Marty Fowler's shop. A fellow from California bought it and had Marty try to fix the stuff that was ruined in Texas and replace the stuff that was replaced when the original parts were removed.

Even with an expert like Marty working on it, the car was in sad shape.

I have pictures of the 63 when it was owned by Roberson in Hot Springs AR. Good pictures of the famous "Varga" Signature and dated 3-20-63.

Later,

JR