Posted on 06/02/2019 11:52:55 AM PDT by ETL
Jay Leno’s Garage
Published on Jun 8, 2014
1963 Corvette Stingray: Master judge and restorer Mike McCluskey took this rare fuel-injected Sting Ray (that Jay bought sight unseen) back to stock perfection.
Jay's video presentation (22 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lJXLalMKSA
I was just a kid, but he got rid of the 63 to get the Porsche, that times out about right.
To be fair, just because some feature adds value to the car as a collectible, doesn't mean one has to like the way it looks. Regardless of the increased value aspect, I simply like the looks of the split-window, although I think both split window and full window look great.
As for the Roadrunner Super Bird, Charger Daytona, etc, with the large rear spoilers and 'pointy' nose additions, I don't care much for them at all. I think the Roadrunner and Charger look much better without them.
In my opinion, 1963 had the best styling of any of ‘60’s models; i.e. Chevy Impala SS, Ford Galaxy, Pontiac Gran Prix, Olds, Buick etc. What a great year for cars.
Metal?
Yes, cars are made of metal. Well, at least they used to be.
As I posted in #11 in ‘63 I was 12 which would make
me about 68.But what does that have to do with
anything? To be honest I probably didn’t give it a
lot of thought until the ‘64s were released and I
compared the two models. That collectors place a
premium on them is interesting but it doesn’t effect
my opinion of the look. They are not wrong and neither
am I. Would I own one? I’ll put it this way: when I was
even younger I thought the Edsel was the most butt ugly
thing on 4 wheels. When I grew up I saw beauty in
the Edsel ugliness and understood there was an
interesting history and learned also that they would be
a real collectible. People joked about Edsels for
years and that piqued my interest, as well.
So, yes I would own a ‘63 Vette, no question. But if
given a choice between a ‘63 and ‘64 only, I would
choose the ‘64 unless there was a substantial
compelling financial reason to pick the ‘63.
The split window Stingray had always been prized and was only one year on the Stingray coupe
It is a holy grail Corvette item especially if combined with a Z06 engine then it’s off the charts....3/4M
It’s not just any other feature for collectors....it defined that squatty muscular coupe Sting Ray....it’s iconic
Honestly the only Corvette pre modern I crave..
That And the 67 L88
As for trunk wings on MOPAR
Not sure what good they did but I like a 1968 moss green road runner black vinyl top 383 tbar Hurst shifter my cousin had
Lotsa fun for the money
I asked your age because I grew up in that era and was around Corvette fans as well as other muscle cars and even as kids ...I was grade school we loved them and knew as kids the split window was the bomb
And it’s remained so.
It’s iconic not just some little feature that adds value like the big gas tank
It exemplifies the Stingray coupe
So I figured you to be young and unaware of that legacy
I was wrong..
You are not young...well maybe at heart
How do you keep paint from "de-glossing" on fiberglass?
Lol! Ok, I just realized what you were getting at. The Vette bodies were of course made of FIBERGLASS...
Sorry, FRiend!
A coworker of mine had a 63 split window back in the early 80s. He was using it as a daily driver but eventually had to sell it for something more practical... practicality and great car ownership usually being mortal enemies. That was the first time that I heard that they were sought after by ‘Vette fans. I probably still wouldn’t know if not for that.
My brother in law was in the Navy in the late ‘60s. One of his shipmates owned a Cobra. Not a Mustang, but a for real Shelby 289 Cobra with the AC Ace body. He sold it around 1970, maybe to finance his marriage. Practicality.
I’m pretty sure that Corvettes always used fiberglass body panels.
Yes, I acknowledged my mistake in post 52.
-snip-
“Horsepower isn’t the only measure of performance,” said Harlan Charles, Corvette’s marketing manager. “Balance and low weight are just as important and that’s where the Corvette excels. It has a heritage of employing cutting-edge technologies and materials to help optimize performance.”
Corvette’s use of advance materials began in 1953, when the first Corvettes were produced with all-fiberglass bodies. Every Corvette since has featured a composite-material body.
Fiberglass, the lightweight, rust-proof composite material, was first considered for use on a GM vehicle by legendary designer Harley Earl. Besides being an exotic choice for the early Fifties and having an undeniable weight advantage, fiberglass offered an economical way to create the low-volume Corvette without the expense of large sheet metal stamping dies.
Starting with the third generation in 1968, the body parts were manufactured with a press mold process, whereby the fiberglass material and resin were shaped in a die-like tool that produced smoother parts more quickly. It was a significant advancement in forming technology and laid the groundwork for a change in the body panels’ material in 1973.
That year, the composition changed from conventional fiberglass to sheet-molded composite, or SMC, which was composed of fiberglass, resin and a catalyst formed under high heat and pressure. The ratio of resin to fiberglass was reduced with SMC, while the fiberglass itself was a bit coarser. The new material helped produce panels that were smoother right out of the mold, resulting in higher-quality paint finishes.
All Corvettes since 1973 have used SMC body panels, but the material composition has changed dramatically, featuring less traditional fiberglass and more lightweight plastic.
The early SMC material created parts that were stronger and more rigid, but more brittle. As SMC technology and production experience evolved, Corvette engineers were able to alter the material composition and the body parts’ specifications to trim the Corvette’s curb weight. Mostly, that happened through making thinner body panels, because SMC was denser and stronger than conventional fiberglass.
It’s rare that a next-generation model of any vehicle is lighter than its predecessor, but that was the case with the fifth-generation (C5) Corvette in 1997. In fact, the 1997 Corvette was larger overall – longer and wider – than the 1996 model, but it weighed nearly 100 pounds less. A greater emphasis on advanced materials was the reason.
The contributors that helped drive down the C5’s curb weight included the use of SMC body panels with more plastic than ever before. The material, basically the same used in the current sixth-generation (C6) Corvette, was composed of about 40 percent resin – polyester, vinyl ester, styrene or a blend of all three – 33 percent calcium-carbonate filler, 20 percent chopped fiberglass, The remaining 7 percent is resin and hardeners that improve the out-of-mold surface finish.
The C5’s panels were exceptionally light, but so was the Corvette’s all-new chassis, which used beefy rails and hydroformed sections to provide strength with less complexity and weight. The floor sections used a sandwich of materials including featherweight balsa wood – a renewable material – to minimize mass. That continues with the C6 cars.
Even the C5’s Gen III small-block V-8 contributed to weight savings and overall greater balance. Compared to the Gen II small-block it replaced, it delivered a lightweight aluminum cylinder block, aluminum heads and a composite intake manifold that weighed less than 10 pounds. The Gen II engine used a heavier iron cylinder block and aluminum intake manifold. A lighter engine improved the front-to-rear weight balance.
The C5 also introduced titanium and carbon fiber to the Corvette. The 2001-04 high-performance Z06 model used a 26-pound titanium exhaust system that was 70 percent lighter than the conventional muffler/tailpipe assembly of other models. A lightweight carbon fiber hood was used on a special-edition 2004 Z06 model and it was nearly 11 pounds lighter than the already lightweight standard SMC hood.
The introduction of the C6 Z06 in 2006 brought an aluminum-based chassis structure and a greater percentage of carbon fiber body panels, representing the most significant advanced materials initiative in Corvette history.
Despite looking like the steel chassis of the base Corvette, the C6 Z06’s aluminum frame weighs nearly one-third less.
Magnesium is used for the roof structure, engine cradle and some of the other suspension attachment points for greater mass reduction. On the outside, the Z06 uses carbon fiber panels for the front fenders, front wheel houses and rear fenders.
The Corvette ZR1 uses the same aluminum chassis structure as the Z06 and incorporates even more carbon fiber body parts, including the roof panel, rocker panels and more.
The new 2013 427 Convertible model also uses lightweight carbon fiber in the hood, fenders and floor panels.
Another advanced material found on today’s Corvette is the carbon ceramic brake rotors that are standard on the ZR1 and available on the Z06. These space-age composite components deliver a significant weight savings over conventional iron brake rotors, while offering exceptional wear resistance.
“Corvette has never been focused on an exclusive material – be it aluminum, carbon fiber, or fiberglass,” said Corvette Executive Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter. “Instead, we are constantly looking for the best materials structure, powertrain, and chassis to improve the performance of Corvette.”
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com
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