I’m not really a Corvette guy, but I do have a favorite Corvette: It’s the ’54 model. Although it’s fundamentally the same as the introductory ’53, Chevrolet made ten times as many of them, so it’s not quite as precious to my middle-class sensibilities. Don’t get me wrong, the ’54 is also well out of my price bracket, but somehow the dream seems more attainable than a commensurate ’53. So why, when I have 72 years of Corvettes to choose from, do I choose one of the slowest, one of the wallowiest? It’s the styling, that Harley Earl-dreamboat, Motorama-stage, spotlights, oohs-and-ahhs styling, simple as that. Here’s one I could afford and couldn’t afford. What you have here, on eBay in Austin, Texas, is a 1954 Corvette shell that’s missing a whole lot of parts; therefore, if you have been sitting on a hoard of 1954 Corvette parts and wondering what to do with it, this is the car for you.
Early Corvettes are well-documented. They’re basically cut-down Bel Airs with a fiberglass body and a hotter 235 Stovebolt. Enthusiasts have long dismissed the early cars as posers because of their cast-iron six and Powerglide automatic, but the Corvette was brisk for its day; with a zero-to-60 time of 11 seconds, it didn’t quite have the measure of an XK120, but it wasn’t too far off either. Our feature car does have a non-original 235 and Powerglide, but is missing all the ancillary components, including those three sidedraft Carter carburetors. The frame has “light surface rust” but is in good shape, as is the body.
Obviously, the car is a roller, with front and rear suspension and a set of old tires so you can load it onto your trailer. Equally obvious is the fact that this Corvette seems to be a “what you see is what you get” project. It’s missing its lights, grille, badging, bumper, and radiator up front. It doesn’t have seats or gauges inside, and is somehow missing its door hinges (how are the doors hanging in there?).
With a nice body, a semi-complete engine, and a clear title, what’s the next step for this ’54 Corvette? The seller says that it is “a perfect project for a resto rod,” which is one possibility. They also claim that it could be restored to NCRS specifications, which is also true, but that takes money and parts, and parts for early Corvettes are not as easy to find as they are for a C2 or a C3. It’s going to take a devoted 1954 aficionado to take this one on, and the purchase price will have to make sense. The current high bid is $9,600, but it has not met reserve. What do you make of this Motorama superstar?
Too dear, I think (but obviously not for some folk). What I would do would be to find a rotten BMW 635 and transplant it…
On the topic of the 635, allow me to dissuade you.
I was a 635 fan, (enough so that I removed my auto transmission and replaced it with a 5 speed stick), thinking that I was going to have a hot rod. Mine 635 was even grey market spec, with all the trick components and suspension.
Meanwhile, I also had a ’63 Chevy 327 V-8 with a Nova transmission that I swapped in, replacing the 3 on the tree.
Of the two vehicles, the Chevy truck was much faster in all the gears and up to it’s top speed. The 635 was better in cornering, and had a higher top speed.
The 635 was ALWAYS showing warning light of one kind or another, and a chip in the flywheel in the Bosch Motronic fuel injection gave me a miss at 2500 rpm. Fixed that, and it was one expensive problem after the other for about two years. It’s embarrassing to have a hot car like that limping along, or stuck waiting fora tow.
I NEVER got stuck in my Chevy PU.
As a vehicle, the 635 was far worse than my other big 6 BMWs – the 7 series which also turned out to also be generic lemons. Overall, it’s mainly that those engines are total junk and that’s why they were discontinued when the small BMW 6 of the same displacement came along.
So, the introduction of the small 6 resulted in a complete discontinuation of the Big 6 lineup and all the goofy cars that had them. The joke is that those cars were zink dipped – leaving their rust free useless shells as reminders of a car that never should have been. Meanwhile, Japan was making reliable cars with higher horsepower and torque.
As for my naturally aspirated Chevy, it ALWAYS started and ran like it could not wait to race somebody.
Moral of the Story: This Corvette deserves a Chevy V-8. If the BMW big 6 cyl is itching for a transplant, I recommend shopping Lowes Garden Center for a flower box.
It won’t be hard to find a rotten BMW 635. They are all rotten.
Please read my other comments on the subject….
Think I’ve seen this car before
Ok, this is a car that could actually use an LS. Probably too far gone for an actual high end restoration but would still be a very fun car with some modern upgrades.
Chevrolet built 3640 Corvettes for 1954, far fewer than planned, and yet still too many. There were over 1000 unsold 1954 Corvettes at the end of the model year. That’s one of the reasons there were only 700 1955 Corvettes built. Chevrolet would have given up, if not for the Ford Thunderbird.
I just came back from a visit here. Only 6 miles on the odometer.
https://www.woodlandautodisplay.com/1954corvette.shtml
Agree that this car is unlikely to remain original. I’d give thought to keeping an I6 in the engine bay though. Some candidates aren’t Chevy and the best choices might not even be American but if you’re building it, it’s your car and your money.
A last minute idea might be a GMC Typhoon.
I would likely think of a GMC 302 I6 with a little work and a 350 auto to put a little starch back into this car. Having raced GMC engined cars back in the day I would render many checkbook heros drop jawed looking at the tail of this old corvette. Aw the fun of sleeper cars, of which there were many in the old days.
One of the hardest Corvettes to restore but if you’ve got pockets deep enough to bring this classic Vette back there’s nothing but love for ya.
The seller has obviously made coin stripping and selling all the parts off this car. With non-matching engine and tranny, this shell can’t possibly be worth the reserve.
Yep, “Jay’s Corvette Parts” has taken everything off that is valuable and an easy resell and is now trying to dispose of the carcass.
Should have probably listed it under another EBay seller name.
The missing parts are going to cost a fortune and some are going to be extremely hard to find. I have owned Corvettes since 1966 and it is my opinion that they are one of the most desirable cars out there. That being said, I have always thought of the 53, 54, and 55 as the least desirable of all of the models. Personally, I would never take this one on.
Owned a ’54 for several years in the late 60’s. It was almost complete down to the spinner wheel covers and mesh grills over the headlights, and translucent plexigass side windows. Being a ’54 Chevy, mechanically, it was ultimately reliable, being very front heavy, it was useless in snow, just wanted to go straight, and even on dry pavement, it was not happy going around corners. The three Carter sidedraft carbs (no room between the top of the valve cover and the underside of the hood for the regular carb) all leaked gas, but it never caught fire. There are exhaust ports in the rear bumper, but in ’54 and ’55 they were fake, since GM found that the exhaust rolled up over the trunk into the passenger compartment. Mine had a dent in the X frame where a previous owner had hit a rock, crazed fiberglass, especially in the front from minor hits into snow banks and the Wonderbar radio had been removed in favor of a later GM AM/FM radio. But, unlike my Jag, it always started, always ran, parts were easy to get, and drove it in the winter when the Jag would not start, run, or was sitting waitng for parts.
I had a 56 Chev 2 door 3 speed with a 235 engine that I put a Corvette 6 cam in it. Undefeated for 2 years at 2 different strips, running in stock class. Loved beating V8 Mustangs. Of course the 4.56 rear end and headers also helped.
PAR4SNW: Very good point and probably spot on.
Hmmmm a C4 corvette has a 96″ wheelbase, and this has a 102″ wheelbase. C4’s are always a bargain when they are perfect, and almost giveaway prices when needing love. So, a C4 donor just might be what this 54 could use. Reliable, excellent driving, and parts available everywhere.
Ohhh the possibilities, my would probably divorce me haha
I may have known one of the owners in 1966.!!! Went to Travis High School with him.