I was at a NCRS meet on Sunday and saw a 1962 big tank car. I was wondering of the two hundred plus cars actually build that year does anyone know how many still remain?
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
I thought option RPO 687 was required on all big tank cars? Why else would you want a big tank car if it was not for racing?Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
I am aware of a "regional salesman" whose territory included all of northern Michigan and part of Ontario who ordered and drove a base motor, black/silver coves, '61 Corvette as his sales car. The gentleman has been retired for a long while in Sun City and the car is in Mesa AZ. As far as "company cars" go, I think his customers probably thought he was "ahead of the game".Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
Yes, and today's owner has the tank - but not mounted.Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
I know of 3 62's that were originally big tank cars that are not right now. Also about a dozen and a half that were and are. They include a 300hp car that originated in Montana, a 340 car originating in West Texas, and a 300 hp car that appears to have originated in central California high desert.Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
Judging from what I am reading can I assume big tank cars sole purpose was to get more gas and less stops at the pump? I dont see why that would make them so sort after. I always thought big tank cars were all part of option RPO 687 which included special brakes, steering and wheels? I would think such cars primary goal was track racing. Having a car with a huge gas tank without RPO 687 would appear its sole purpose was to do long distance driving.Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
To put another emphasis on rarity, for SCCA races in that vintage, even the "big tank" (24 gallons) was unnecessary for distance; for 12 Hour/24 hour races, GM simply expanded out to 36/37 gallons, only to find out in April that 36/7 was not enough to go 25 laps at "Full throttle". An additional 5-6 gallons blister was added to the tank, out to 41 gallons. The work order to build the 36-37 gallon tanks is simple, calling out that there would be a total of 6. Locating the tanks is quite simple, 3 to Cunningham, 2 to Camoradi and 1 to a Dallas Chevrolet dealer named Delmo Johnson for his black '59 at 1960 Sebring.
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
Loren,
You are referring to the 36/37 metal tanks,or the fiberglass ones, or both? What about the glass ones that Grady Davis and others got? Weren't the metal ones pre-60 and the fiberglass ones 60-61? All out the back door of GM, of course. At Bloomington in 86, Bartush and I had a metal one and a glass one next to his U-Haul in the swap area, and we got virtually no interest from anyone on them. No one knew what they were!Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
Mike, my referral is to the 6 fiberglass tanks done in 1960. I remember the tanks leaning up against Pillsbury's trailer - was that really 1986? Excuse me, it's time to lie down. The niche that I have assigned to metal tanks (other than the Italian tank in 1962) confines the metal to 1956, which may or may not be correct. Delmo once referred to the RH Fill big tanks as "Doane tanks", because he wanted to get the gasmen farther away from the track action - circa 1958, I think.Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
Applying that formular will power windows and power top add 10 to 20 percent or more to a C1's value with such options since this makes them super rare? How about a radiator clutch fan on a 59? Only 67 cars had that option. Should and owner add 40% or more to the value of his or her car? Yes I am being sarcastic because I am under the conviction that MOST big tank cars had option code PRO 687 and 686. The car I saw at the show I was told was worth about $250.000. Since I never found the owner I was unable to ask him what options the car had but I assume it did have option 687 because of the tire size and hub caps. All of this brings me back to my orginal question. How many big tank cars are still in existance since I believe most were used for track racing. Does anyone have that type of information? The story on these rare race cars is usually intriguing. 12 years ago I met the owner of one of the 1961 Gulf oil cars. The owner found this car in the south and it was in stock condition with a amature and poorly done restoration job. He only had a serial number to go on bought and restored the car from its owner and brought it to its original race condition. The car was a work of art and i was told its price or value was near the 1 million mark when complete. Many pain staking hours were put into bring this car to its race days shape.Some parts had to be made by hand.Comment
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Re: Remaining big tank cars
Walter: I'm having a hard time keeping up. First, you were told the tank was a separate option from HD Brakes & Steering - correctly, I might add. It should be added that there were 65 tankers built at St Louis, BUT that this was also a Parts Department purchase. Acquisition may have been a little harder than a set of spark plugs, but they were available. Second, some examples of real tankers WITHOUT racing ties were provided. Leif then makes an observation about rarity that you belittle. Sorry, but its true. I will never lose the memory of that base motor 61 with a 24 gallon tank, picturing it in the winter in the wilds of Ontario & Michigan. You didn't NEED the owner of the car you observed; a drop to the floor would have provided a look at brake air scoops, finned drums and fast steering, but it would not have told you WHEN they were put on. There may well be more HD Brakes straight axle cars under construction RIGHT NOW than were ever built in a model year. But no one has been crossing them off the list as they expire because no one was in a position to do that, and 45 years ago very few cared.Comment
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