'59 Barn Find
 

Well....sort of. A former colleague of mine just recently inherited this '59 from his uncle. I won't get into the particulars but the car has been sitting since '65. The plates have a tag as late as '77, but while it may have been licensed, it has not seen a city street or county road since the mid 60s. I would speculate that the 40,000+ miles on the odometer is the correct mileage.

The car was owned by the family (as second owners) since 1961. It is a base engine CQ suffix with a BW T-10. The motor has been cammed and the induction system now sports three Stromberg (I would guess 97s) 2 bbls.

My friend has enlisted me to help him in getting the car driveable. He is not at all interested in doing a restoration and would prefer to keep it fairly original without submitting to the temptation of rechroming, painting, etc. The paint and body look quite good, as does the frame, from what I could observe by viewing it in the dark shed. We will know more once we get it transported to the shop and get it on a hoist and subject it to the "light of day".

I will post some pics in a few minutes and will keep you up to date on what we find. I have my own ideas as to what we will need to do, and alot of it is has to do with refurbing the fuel, brake, and cooling system and probably pulling the original motor and replacing it (code: saving it), but any suggestions from members are always welcome. I will let him see your reaction and ideas to give him some sense as to what C1 aficionados would do if they owned this car, so feel free to fire away.


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Where's the pictures? :toetap: :D

You've covered a lot Dan, but one thing I always do with an old car, especially one that has been sitting is to replace ALL wiring

UUUggghhhh. I love stuff like this. :thumbs:

WOW ! Sitting in a vault since the mid 60's those seat covers look real good. The foam inside them will be dust but what a car. That is a ripper. It's such a shame that the car has been in a Vault for so long. I hope he drives it once shes up and going. I'm Soooooooooooo jealous I would love to find one of those. Ask him if I can come and wash it and give it a good buff. I think it will come up shmik ! :thumbs: Stewy

Oh and I kind of like the tripples look to. Way cool....... Stewy

Very cool. Thanks for the pics. Like I always say, there are a lot of them out there,you just have to find them.

Jim

Wish my 1959 was as complete when I started it

Rory

AWESOME!!
I would pull the drivetrain and go thru all of it. Def keep the 3x2's...after all there is a hole in hood for 'em!!! Plus they are way cool!!!! Edelbrock makes a new trip sb manifold...and keep the flavor of a 60's rod!

If he wants more "go" build a 350/383 but keep the look 60's...

Lets hope the cold Wis climate has preserved much and Mr Mouse (Mice?) have not been tenants :D

Perhaps best not even to clean it up. NCRS could one day invent a barn find survivor class to complement their survivor class. This car would be a lead pipe cinch winner. Neat looking piece of history just the way it looks now.

Sweeeeeet! Give it a good cleaning before make any definite plans. I love the 3 2's. I'd make a scoop just big enough to cover the hole in the hood and keep them. Fuel system is a must to check as well as the wires. Be careful the first time the battery is hooked up. This car will suffer from project creep for sure. Looks like a lot of fun ahead. :thumbs:

FANTASTIC!!
great find... goes to show you they are still out there.
regards, xiaoman

Jim find me one ! Stewy

LOVE IT!! :cool:

Way :cool:. :thumbs:

Looks like she saw a little trailer towing duty in her life !! :) I love to see old cars like this that get a second chance. They are still out there !!! Thanks for posting. :thumbs:

I am going to suggest that the 3x2bbls. stay. There is a company in Florida that reproduces the Strombergs. They need to stay with the car, I think. By retaining them, it would preclude having to patch the hole in the hood and matching the paint to the rest of the car might be an issue. I see no hint--at this point--of mice issues which surprised me. I know he wants to keep the car looking the way it did back in the 60s. My suggestion to him will be to save the OEM block and drop in a mild 350cid. They are plentiful and the cost is reasonable. Again, he just wants a driver.

Stewy:

I think you are correct. I think that the paint will buff out fine. The body and paint look pretty good, despite the half inch patina of dust. I have a few more pics that I will post later.

I love it and the garage its in. Classic old coffee cans for nut/bolt assortment storage. Are those rectangle oil cans made into drawers?

That's just WAY TOO damn cool!!!

:thumbs:

Some advice:

DON'T throw away anything, nothing.nada. Keep all of the old hardware and reuse. Anything that will dry rot ie. rubber, vinyl, gaskets, hoses, brake line, etc. check, check and recheck, if anywhere near bad replace with new, keep old. Change all fluids ( can throw that stuff out but that's the only stuff). Do one area at a time. Do the interior and top last, you'll be in and out of the car a million times, with the top up and down many times, don't want to mess up a new interior if you do need one. Good luck. Nice find

Looks like a great find, very complete and for its story looks in pretty good shape. Keep us posted with the progress.

I would clean it up, replace the hood and put the orginal manifold back with 4bbl and show it as an orginal unrestored 59. I would not drive it much as I would want it as a show car. I would have the newly painted hood blended in with the orginal paint condition.

He will, in all likelihood, never take it to a show. He has no interest in that kind of thing. NCRS will probably never get within 1,000 miles of the car. It just isn't his thing. It is more important that it is taken back to the way his uncle modified it. That is why the Strombergs will most likely be retained, but I do appreciate the input. Keep them coming.

I'd wash it, clean it up, deal with the fluids and safety systems, and DRIVE it! :thumbs:

I agree with JohnZ, wash it , clean it, buff it, go through the brakes, carbs, check the wiring which is probably OK if its never been messed with stored inside if no mice. These cars from that period unrestored are show stoppers! Great car!

I agree with the above comments......clean it up, make it safe and drive it. That is a great find!

BTW, what are the lights on each side with the yellow or amber lenses?

Please keep us posted on it.

Thanks, Doug

They are spot lights. There is a large floor switch above the headlight switch that must have been used to activate them. BTW, I am told by people who were familiar with the car, that the owner devised a signaling light that came on when the carburetors went into progressive mode. It is near the heater control and clock.

Just a thought.....before you start using those seats, try to use a conditioner on the vinyl covers to moisturize them. They are going to be very dry and brittle from sitting and will crack. Never Know it might work.

Good thought.

Dan, I love to see stuff like this. Thanks for posting the pics. Please post more when it gets cleaned up. :thumbs:

Amazing! What a sweet project. Wish I had an uncle that had cars like that stored away.

You may be surprised at how this ends. Once the owner drives it a little he may get caught up in the enthusiasm and all the attention the car will get. That may lead to a few local shows and then a visit to a big corvette show. At that point the hook will have been set. That's a great car and people are going to love it on the road. :thumbs:

Clean the black widows out and replace ALL the rubber fuel lines and brake lines.

Rebuild the carbs and brake cylinders (and fuel pump).

At least it won't burn to ground then,and it has a chance of stopping safely.

The rest is cosmetic, or perhaps comfort(suspension/shocks/seats).

Doug

Great find Dan! A lot of good suggestions given. Only one I can add is to check the exhaust system for holes and the heat riser valve if it has one and check the steering box for lubricant. Keep the pics coming as you move along on this project. Guess that's three. :cheers:

To get mine running after 39 years:

Replace radiator
Replace all freeze plugs
Replace block drain bolts (originals disintegrated)
Flush after flush after flush with high pressure water, CLR, and Prestone flush
Replace thermostat
Replace radiator hoses
Replace fan/generator belt
Engine oil and filter
Spark Plugs
Ignition points
Battery
Steering box grease
Top off brake fluid and adjust brake shoes
Tires

...and I'm driving it. I've done quite a few other things by now but that was the major stuff that had to be done for it to start and run well.

The gas tank was empty and clean with the original cap still intact. I'm still getting a little bit of tiny rust specs at the bottom of my fuel filter but nothing big.

Pleeese post pics of it after its cleaned up. I wanna see how the paint looks.

Wash it, make it safe to drive and preserve as a memory of Corvette heritage before the resto-weenies took control. Most of all, drive the wheels off it. :thumbs:

Will do. My friend says that he has come across some pics back in the 60s when his uncle was driving it. I will post those as soon as he gives those to me.

I would change all applicable fluids, checks out brakes, tires, ect. then drive it. Way cool! :thumbs: :cool:

That's a barn find right out of the movies! Awesome.

Great find please do not forge to register her on www.c1registry.com and share your pics!

Ah the "Patina" You know all I would do is give it a bath and buff, change all fluids in car make sure the earth straps are good to go ( Corvettes burn like gasoline) and just cruise with a big arse smile on his face. Lucky Bugger ! Stewy

I love that these old Corvettes keep getting discovered! :cool:

I would like to spend a day and go through that garage . What a time capsule .

Bill Purdy

This might be obvious but I dont think it was mentioned.....you'll have to put new tires on it... :cheers:

What are those lights used for that are mounted on the front window frame?

Fog lights?

jack

Undercover police car?

Barnfindes is interesting reading even if it is not a Corvette:)

I suppose there will be a lot of stuff in the cooling parts,engine that needs to be cleaned on that car that has been in storage for so long

Hope he chrome and paint what is needed

First time i have seen search lights on a Corvette

Check out the weathervane falling off of the end of the garage! :cool:

Keep in mind that the weatherstripping is probably toast and as you start meesing with things it will crumble. The hard top rubber makes a real mess on the deck once the first layer of rot falls off so be careful.

As they say "ask me how I know!"

Tell your buddy enjoy the journey. :)

....earth straps, he he he, and check the moon straps while your at it.

Not Strombergs.
 

What's on there now are Ford 94's. They replaced the earlier ('30s) model '97s post war. Three 2GC's would be sooooooooooo much better. Use Pontiac GTO air cleaners.:thumbs:

Those tiny air cleaners only filter out rocks and small animals.:rofl:

Look like spotlights. You can move them using a handle mounted inside the car. It was a custom touch used before you were born(?) Fender skirts, lowering blocks, spotlights, blue dot taillights, Smittys (glasspacks). This look died when the drag race look over in the early 60s.

I have in my possession some pics of the car taken in '62. I will post them tonight.

There were also dummy spots for those of us who couldn't afford the real ones but wanted the "look" ;).

-- Steve

What a great "find". Regardless of what you ultimately do with the car, save all original parts and document everything. If the majority of car is original try to make any changes reversible. If it's already a jumble of different non original parts then just have fun with it. I don't remember reading about any documentation coming with the car. We all know how valuable that can be! Good luck and keep us posted.

Junior Member? I've been on this forum for quite a while and I'm 62 yr old...did I check the wrong box?

This is the week of red 59 barn finds !
 

A good friend called me last night about a red/ red 59 that has been in the barn since 1969. He was looking at it last night. Will report when I get an update.

Nope. That moniker is purely a function of your post count. Your profile says you joined the forum yesterday. :thumbs:

Ok I'll let you check the grounds straps as well ! Yea the tyres will be buggered. Stewy

It's a 60 hardtop. Did GM in St Louis switch add ons when they ran out of material?

What is the car's condition nowadays?

I hope pictures will be posted after the car have gotten a good cleaning

I gotta move to someplace with more barns :D

I'm sure it's been cleaned by now..........this post is a year and a half old!! It would be nice to see some recent pictures though. :thumbs: Dave

Thanks, Jeff. I saw Dan's "revisit" he posted again today as well. I missed it the first time apparently. The car came out a real beauty!! :thumbs: Dave