Chevy59.net

`59 "Original Lead Sled" on eBay

2008-05-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

Not very often you find a `59 Impala with 12,000 original miles. This one, according to the description on eBay, was customized right out of the box in 1959 and was known as "Little One" during the 1960s. Quick search of the Internet doesn't find any records. Starting bid is a nickel under $30k.

My thought is that the car is probably worth the money, if it can be documented both as a low-mile car and as an ex-show car. The mods shown in the crummy auction pictures make the second point very likely. The fit, finish and drivability of the car would prove the first point. The pictures on the auction do nothing to add value, as they are grainy and badly posed.

I've sold $40 bicycles with better pictures than this!

Auction ended with no bids. Maybe we'll see it with better pictures, next time `round!

`59 Convertible on eBay

2008-04-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's sorta sketchy, but appears to be a good project. Watch this one go up in value by simply making it drivable!

Original `59 Impala on eBay

2008-03-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

Considering the age, and that it has not been touched, this is a pretty nice car. Look for more value in vehicles like this one with the 6-cylinder; they seem to survive.

`59 Chev Sedan Delivery on eBay

2008-02-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a chance to buy one of the rarest `59s made; the Sedan Delivery isn't as rare as the fuel injected cars of the year, but it's still very tough to find in workable condition. And at $10,000 initial bid for a running car, this one appears to be a good candidate!

eBay Motors: Chevrolet : Impala (item 250214953538 end time Feb-17-08 17:05:58 PST)

Vintage Print Ad - "Magic Carpet"

2008-02-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Click on this ad to read how one retired businessman "designed his own magic carpet." He even sprung for power steering and brakes; living high there, brother!

I just came across the carcass of a `59 Impala convertible on eBay today. It's insane what they're worth now, even if they're rotted out like the one I saw. 5-digit prices get you a rebuildable machine, plus some spare parts from another scrapper. They're beautiful once completed...I'll say that much!

New Chevy59 Shirt Design

2008-02-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

The Chevy59 Store is proud to present a new t-shirt design - Space Age Style! This is a design inspired by the commercial art of the late 1950s, and is sure to bring a smile to anyone who appreciates the era.

The design features the `59 Impala Sport Sedan, a nicely-shaped four door car that had a lot of character. The lines up top were far nicer than the regular sedan. They were also used regularly by rental car companies.

As with all the designs at Chevy59.com, Space Age Style is available on lots of quality apparel. I can say this from experience, as I have several of my own shirts that are 4 to 5 years old and they've held up very well. So visit the Chevy59 Store and decide which design best suits you.

Don't delay...order today!

Merry Christmas from Chevy59!

2007-12-25T06:20:00.001-08:00

Here's to the hope that you have a safe and memorable Christmas. Onward to 2008!

Enjoy! Kurt

Santa Claus Car - 1913

2007-12-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Don't ever say they were without style 100 years ago. This Santa Claus Car outdoes just about any Rat Fink-inspired rod out there if you ask me. A moose head with antlers on the hood? This thing is out there!

Option for Your 80s Camaro

2007-12-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

Now why didn't I think of this?

What Happened in 1959?

2007-12-07T05:49:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia tells us all about it!

Classic TV Ad - Hot Wheels Sizzlers

2007-12-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

Found this gem on YouTube today! I had Sizzlers when I was a kid. They ruled.

What Would Mercedes Do?

2007-11-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

Okay, it might not be a classic car, but this Mercedes is just...ummm...well look for yourself.

ClarkBlog.net | The Clark Family Blog: What Would Mercedes Do?

Happy Thanksgiving from Chevy59!

2007-11-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hope your Thanksgiving was filled with plenty of food and fun. Integrating your classic car into a day like this would make it that much better.

Enjoy! Kurt

Website Spotlight - Plan59.com

2007-10-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

The things that define a decade don't necessarily fall within that decade. Take 1959 for example; in my opinion 1959 has more to do with the can-do attitude of the early 1960s than it does with the can-doowop 1950s.

Today's Website Spotlight is on Plan59, which provides us with a view into what's called "Mid-Century Art." This hopeful era falls within the first twenty years of the Baby Boom generation - 1945 to 1965. Best part of this site are the awesome old car ads! I'd say this pic of a `58 Ford wagon pretty much defines the hopefulness of the late 1950s. And if there's something you like, it's available as a print right through the website.

So check it out and spend some time on Plan59! Enjoy. Kurt

Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR)

2007-10-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Man, this is amazing! Thanks to the folks over at Neatorama for posting this YouTube video. This system, with side and forward-facing cameras, can check 3000 license plates per hour.

Big Brother? Maybe. But it shouldn't matter if you aren't doing anything illegal, right?? For the record this is nothing new as it's been used in the UK for a while.

Find out more about Automatic License Plate Recognition.

Vintage Ad - Volkswagen Transporter

2007-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

A fine piece of vintage German animation! Jalopnik posted the YouTube beauty this morning. Leave it to VW to be catchy, funny, absorbing, and edgy (like THIS).

Tacoma's LeMay Museum building sooner

2007-10-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

The LeMay Museum, the world's largest private car collection will be on display sooner than we anticipated. This is great news for classic car lovers in the Pacific Northwest!

Website Spotlight - OKChevys.com

2007-10-14T06:04:00.000-07:00

The Central Oklahoma Classic Chevy Club has done a nice job of transcribing vintage car reviews on their website, including Speed Age's December 1958 review of the `59 Chevy. In fact they've cataloged reviews from 1955 to 1971 in the Memory Lane section of the site. Any classic car nut can appreciate a project of this magnitude, because to duplicate it would mean spending countless hours either at the library, the swap meet, or on eBay finding the backissues they've compiled right on this site. Nice work!

Their site overall is worth a look so visit http://www.okchevys.com to check it out. You'll be greeted by a nice Flash intro that has fun pictures of "The Hot Ones" from 1955 to 1957. Once you're into the site, there's some great information in the Reference library and club car photos in Club Information.

Once you're ready to see the car reviews, click [Nostalgia] and then [Memory Lane] to visit the list. Enjoy your visit...I sure did!

`59 Impala Rocket Sled?

2007-10-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

You've never seen a model like this one before! Half imagination, half urban legend. While you're on the site, check out the video of a full-size rocket powered X-Wing fighter!

Supercharged `59 Impala

2007-10-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

My oh my...

Super Spy James Bond had a family motto: "The World is Not Enough." I'd say it holds true for this righteous `59 Impala too. This thing is too much! 509ci big block, aluminum heads, TH400, 3.70:1 gears, and a 10.5 second quarter mile.

Check it out!

Website Profile: Jims59.com

2007-09-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a place to spend your coffee break. Or maybe an entire afternoon! Jims59.com outlines - in tremendous detail - the restoration of a low-mile `59 Impala that had been stored for 35 years. The restoration photos include many shots of the car in various states of assembly; Jim also discusses methodically what type of work needed to be done to each corner and each panel. The car was so nice that he ended up only repainting the blue portion of the car; the white paint was perfect. This section of the website can be used by `59 enthusiast to see exactly what their own `59 might look like underneath the grit and grime. This car is beautiful!

Aside from the restoration, Jims59.com also provides some vintage photos of `59s going back 25+ years. Also a nice feature to the site is his section on Vintage Schwinn Bicycles. Make sure to stop by his site today and check it out!

KDC

`59 Biscayne Project For Sale on eBay

2007-09-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

This Biscayne was auctioned on eBay. It's typical - possibly on the nice end - of what you'll find when looking for a `59 project car. A person can still find a solid low-mile edition of a `59 if they put some work into it. This particular car is described as a long-time family owned car (1964), and still wears its original Code 970 Gothic Gold / Satin Beige two-tone paint. One thing I find interesting about this car is that the "Biscayne" logo is on the front fenders above the spear trim. While I'm not positive, I would conclude that this indicates an early production vehicle since many of the print ads for the Biscaynes show the logos ahead of the doors. This car's VIN would also substantiate that theory, as it's low-numbered. My Biscayne has the logo just ahead of the tail lights instead, and it does not appear to have been moved. I have now seen `59 Biscaynes with logos in both places.

Adding to the desirable nature of this car is that it's from North Dakota. The Dakotas historically are good places to find classic cars, as they have dry climates and were not states that used salt on the roads in the winter time. Granted, this car has some rust, but I've seen `59s in wrecking yards that are so rusty they are falling in on themselves. This car isn't even close to that, and appears by all the pictures in the listing that it's mostly complete and solid.

When it was all said and done, the car got $2150 for a final bid. I would say that is reasonable for a two-door sedan project currently!

9/11/2007

2007-09-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

50 Worst Cars in History

2007-09-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

Thankfully the `59 Chevy doesn't show up on this list!

My First Car - 1960 Buick LeSabre

2007-09-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

1978 - I'm a 14-year old paperboy, which is something that I did for far too long. Being a long time car nut and already subscribing to Car Craft Magazine, I was on the lookout for that special car. You know the one: Free or Near Free. I was not afraid to get dirty or work on something that wasn't necessarily running. Initially I made a deal for a 1958 Chevy Bel Air owned by one of my paper customers, but somehow the deal fell through and she had sold it when I went to pick it up. Eventually my first car was found sitting for the better part of seven years, in the front of house 5 blocks from my own.

This 1960 Buick LeSabre 2-door hardtop had been purchased as a parts car for restoring a 1960 Buick Invicta. It had a 364 "Nailhead" V8 with a two-barrel carburetor - known in the contemporary circles as "the economy engine" - and a "Twin Turbine Dynaflow" transmission. The Invicta's restoration was never done and the car was eventually sold to my buddy Curt (he still has the car from what I'm told). LeSabre simply sat. Fifty dollars later it was mine. My dad insisted that I pay for it myself; to this day I'm glad he did, because it truly instilled a sense of value in me. We hauled it home on the end of a rope tied to our station wagon; thankfully we didn't have to go far because I couldn't imaging hauling it any farther than that. Two hours later it was coughing to life. Now the real work started.

The car needed a number of things (hey, it was fifty bucks -- what DIDN'T it need?). The muffler was blown out, the intake manifold had a huge leak, the tires were bald, and the interior looked like threadbare turmoil. But the doggone thing ran, and it ran pretty well. My memory says the car only had about 100,000 miles on it. The bumpers were straight and the trim, with the exception of the driver's side spear, was also decent.

Within a couple of months, my measly paperboy income was getting the Buick closer to being a dependable car. I was still to young to drive, even on a Washington Learner's Permit, so my Dad was happy enough to drive it to work. I think he liked the car more than I did. Together, we discovered in many ways that this was an unusual car. In 1978, unless you were looking for tune-up parts, replacement stuff for `60 Buicks was near impossible to find. I can't imagine restoring one of these today; it would have to be true and pricey devotion!

Once I got my driver's license, I was in heaven. All the time and effort I had put into repairing things, tracking down parts, and bartering goods & services had finally shown its value. I put a bunch of miles on the car and it really was dependable. The engine always purred and its road manners were wonderful. It just cruised! It also leaked transmission fluid out of the front seal.
This car had a transmission called a Twin Turbine Dynaflow; it had two forward gears but used only one in regular driving. The torque converter had two stall speeds, and used them depending on how much throttle was applied. Essentially it was a 4-speed automatic if you put the right mix of throttle and shifter together. Pretty slick, but also pretty old, pretty heavy, and pretty wet from a dried up front seal.

Add to the dilemma the fact that the driveline was encased in a Safety Tube from the back of the trans to the differential. My Dad and I had neither the ability or the place to remove a 600-pound transmission plus encased driveline. So I sold it in 1981 to get a car that I could work on -- a `65 Chevy. That Chevy ended up needing more repairs than the Buick ever did. Oh well; you live and learn.

And I still miss my Buick.