We’ve covered a lot of 1954 Corvettes here at Barn Finds, but typically they are either completely ratted out, customized beyond belief or already restored and commanding big bucks. This one is none of those–it’s just waiting for you to come into its life and sympathetically bring it back. Sure, you’ll need some work and to source some parts, but a lot of the hard to find stuff is actually still in place on this car! It’s listed for sale here on eBay and is located in Walker, Louisiana. Bidding is starting at $1,000, but of course there’s a reserve.
It doesn’t look like the car has been in any major accidents, that’s for sure. The seller says it has been a California car up until now and was purchased from an estate. But there’s one surprise–the car was originally Pennant Blue with a tan interior! According to this site, only 300 1954 Corvettes were produced in Pennant Blue, and they’re the only cars that featured that tan (beige) interior at all.
It looks like you will have to do an entire interior replacement to get back to beige. Perhaps some creative dye work? No, with a car like this you’re going to want it just right…right?
In case you need some inspiration, this is what the interior should look like! Isn’t that gorgeous?
Important stuff! Side curtains, valve cover and more. We’re told that it even has the original “wonderbar” radio! And since the body hasn’t been off the frame, all those little fasteners, shims and do-dads will still be there when you are getting ready to do this car right. And you will do it right, won’t you?
Ok, this may slow you down a bit. No cylinder head. As the seller points out, there is one available on eBay for $1,200, but you are also going to need manifolds, carburetors, linkages, and no doubt a bunch of other components. But are you up to it? Have you always wanted one of these early Corvettes, but didn’t want white with red? Here’s your chance!
Any time i see a cali c1 corvette, makes me think of the one missing woman “robin ann graham ” got into over 40yrs ago , and was never seen again..
Better weight balance without the head / manifolds installed. Question: Is it STILL numbers matching without the head / manifolds ? Perhaps time for a small block ?
Isn’t there always time for a small block?
Technically it could still be considered “numbers matching” as, only the engine block had numbers stamped into it to match the VIN on the tag of the car, not any of the other items that it is needing. Date correct parts would be necessary, of course. I am assuming that they would not be the easiest or cheapest to locate.
With a paint and interior color change it’s a stretch to call this one unrestored. A car that’s close to original but not quite all the way there is gonna draw untold hours of droning comments from the purists, the majority of which have never actually owned a Corvette or even held a wrench in their hand for that matter. As for me, I’d make it run and drive the way it sits and pack a case of bug spray in the trunk for the trip to the Vette rally.
In the years when my primary focus was buying, restoring,or just ‘freshening up’ and selling specifically Corvettes, I only remember seeing one of the Pennant Blue with the Beige interior 54’s in person…It was at a huge Corvettes at Carlisle, Penn. event. It was definitely a gorgeous combination in excellent condition. If memory serves me right, (which sometimes,…well… you know…), I had just bought an oddball low mileage 59, White on Black automatic, Hardtop only, small hubcap Corvette in Dallas a few weeks before and did not have the funds to purchase the 54, which if I remember was somewhere in the $15,000 to $20,000 range back then…in the early 90’s… I remember paying $12,000 for the 59 in #2 condition and already had 3 other late 60’s early 70’s I was working on to sell at the time,… so the 54 was just put on the ‘wish list’ … The 6 cylinder cars were not as attractive to buyers as the later V8 cars back then….That being said,… the engine parts other than the intake, exhaust, and distributor were basically the same as all other Chevy engines…as were some of the suspension.
LAB3….
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. it’s definitely UNRESTORED that means… it has yet to BE restored…
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just like tens of thousands of Classic cars around the World….
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I’ll agree a cosmetically “Freshened up” car is not a restoration. It’s the whole purity and perfection thing that gets to me and I’ll freely admit that aspect of the hobby often leaves me speaking from an orifice generally reserved for excretion.
ls1 and six speed, disc brakes up front, leave it cosmetically alone
If you’re going to do that, just get this:
https://www.streetsideclassics.com/vehicles/2427-atl/1954-chevrolet-corvette
GMC truck engine in ’54, at least that is what I was told by the dealer where I took my $500 car to be serviced in l966, not the ’53 Chevy engine. Much of the rest was ’53/’54 Chevy convertible underneath. X frame. If it has a dent in the X it was mine. Always wondered where it ended up.
20 years ago a friend’s neighbor had the best looking unrestored ’54 Corvette I have ever seen. He had bought it cheap in 1960-1 and was very proud of it. He also had a Corvair and a Corvair van in his garage in very good unrestored condition. I have sometimes wondered what ever became of the cars. If alive today he would have to in his late 80’s-early 90’s. This Corvette would have had to have been in the top five of all original survivors.
I would check this car close as there was a very bad flood in that area last year.
One of the Corvette Club members just finished a 54 Restomod. Black with a Red interior, tube frame, C4 suspension, sbc that looked to be a 327. Sounded like it started out as a complete 54 with the Blue Flame 6. It was a beautiful car and I’m sure it drives well. Only issue he said he has is it has a tendency to overheat.
Because it was an original 54 when he started, I would have loved to see it more original but it’s his car. Same thing here, whoever gets it will do what they want with it.
I see a Ballast Resistor mounted on the firewall, did a 54 Corvette with a six volt system need one???
I thought there was nothing in the 53-54 Corvette VINs that ID’d the paint color? I’ve been hearing that for years. You could rebuild that Blue Flame 6 to better than stock glory using Offenhauser parts (http://offenhauser.co/); they do a lot of speed stuff for the 40s- 50s cars. And old cats recognize the name; it’s what they put on their cars back then.
As Wally says, check the car close, that area also has a significant presence of Katrina damaged cars.
Numbers matching engine (VIN) didn’t start until 1960, before that you had to look at “correct “build dates
Did these cars have different horn rings? The pic of the tan interior car has a different horn ring than the one for sale. Which one is ’54?
This is the proper horn ring for the 1953-55 Corvette.
Thanks. So the car for sale has the wrong horn ring, correct?
It seems like someone went out of their way to mess up a nice color combo.
It is 63 years old? At 66 myself things do change, imagine how many owners had this one. There were about 3000 of these things built, I had a neighbor that was doing a NCRS restoration, a very expensive project. I think that you probably lose points if the paint is perfect of if some of the fiberglass cloth isn’t visible, the move from Flint to St. Louis ended the Great Spatula Shortage in Flint, supposedly GM bought every spatula they could find, just to work the resin over the fiber glass cloth!
Unless these were just parked, the fiberglass was prone to cracks and checking, and mine, at 12 years old was a mess up close. Filling and repaint was required if it were to look good. So, as long are you are going to repaint, repaint a color you like, and, since when they were 12, like any 12 – 20 year old car nowadays, they were basically worthless. Who would care if I repainted my 15 year old Audi A-4 with the big engine a color other than the silver it came with? In great running condition, superb power, handling, braking, would outrun my Jag XK 150, let alone my ’54 Vette, it is worth only about $1000.
Like the old song once said” well it really doesn’t matter anymore”.
Back in 1961 when I was just 19 I bought a beau white with silver coves 59 with both tops, low miles, and 61 red pleat seats. I had to please the wife and TRADE it for a 61 Belair convert in baby blue…..I should have traded her but those were the times of young love misappropriated…signed hank @82