The car sat for another couple years, then I finally decided I wanted to put it back on the street so I could enjoy it again, but with a 409 this time, as it should be. I hauled out a ’62 409 motor I had put away and rebuilt it. (still standard bore) I used an original ’63 425hp cam and the single point distributor with vacuum advance, which would have been in production when my car was built in the 4th week of April at Framingham, MA. I installed it with headers and hooked it up to the same exhaust system I had which used ’66 Chevelle mufflers. I got rid of the roll bar and put the original rear seat back in, took off the fuel pressure gauge, added the ’65 M/T wheels, found another good hood and had it painted, and the car was back on the street! I also changed to rear coils to a NOS set with the correct specs. People have asked me if I lowered it?! Nope, that’s how those cars sat when new.
At that time, these cars were starting to become popular again, and showed up in the magazines, but only as restored versions. The modifications I did to it when I first got it weren’t popular at all, (stupid hot rod stuff) so I considered replacing the wheel, the gauges and original fuel lines, etc (which I saved and still have). But then I thought, the heck with any current trend; this car doesn’t have to please anyone but me and it’s still the way I made it back then and I still like it, so it all stayed. So maybe it’s a “Day-1
ay-2”, at least for me anyway. (Funny how things come back around, isn’t it?)
I still had the itch to drag race, and I looked for every opportunity I could find for some nostalgia drag racing. I’d put the same 4.56s back in and the same old slicks (or a set of Casler cheaters) and had lots of fun. I wore the threads out of the nuts on the carrier changing the rear twice a week for weeks on end. It managed a 13.34, short of the blueprinted L-78. Well, this is already becoming a BOOK, so what the heck; I want to relate a special moment that I will never forget.
In ’84, our club hosted the National Convention for the Late Great Chevy Assoc. in Mt’ Laurel, NJ. We rented Atco for a drag day and our guys handled the tower chores. Lot’s of people at the convention wanted to make a pass in their restored cars just to have fun (which is what it’s all about), and I was no exception. Even though I was the coordinator of the convention and spent most of my time running around with a clip board in my hand, I managed to get the ’62 down there, with the good gears and the old Casler cheaters on it. Who do I come up against at the line? A red ’62 Corvette, 340hp 4-spd. Now, if you could turn back the clock, this HAD to be the classic rivalry on the streets of America in ’62!!! I ran the old ’09 as hard as I could and somehow beat the Corvette by more than 3 car lengths! When I came back down the return road in front of the stands (and they were packed) everyone was on their feet cheering and clapping. What a great moment!! That sure made me feel better than winning trophies at E-Town.
Four or five years ago, I got a “sense” about the car that I’d been hammering on that motor long enough and I feared that I was risking it, so I put the cast iron manifolds on it with a stock exhaust system, got rid of the scattershield and put a ’62 T-10 back in it with a different old Hurst with the welded handle, and now just drive it. That doesn’t mean I don’t clear the fuel out of the front carb once in awhile though…!
Many years ago I deciphered the marks on the trunk panel from the original dealer emblem that Reedman had just popped off. It was Laffin Chevrolet in So. River, NJ. (later I was able to confirm that through the NICB, when it was easier). Anyway, I went down there and was lucky to find 2 older guys, about to retire, who worked there back in ‘62. I brought pictures and they actually remembered the car because the owner caused them so many problems. (and it was the only one like that they sold) They confirmed that it was a 2x4 car originally, 4-spd and 4.11 posi. They replaced TWO engines under warranty, and then said the owner had a THIRD replacement done at a private garage in town after the warranty expired. The one guy was a mechanic there and said he replaced a few shifters in the car because the owner kept bringing it in with the handle bent out of shape.... I have those conversations on a pocket tape recorder. They gave me a couple original Laffin metal emblems, but without the posts. (and yes, all the older records had been thrown away)
The car still has its original engine harness with ballast resistor and its inner fender wells with the screw holes for the tach sending unit (and the hole in the firewall for the harness). I did have to cut the inners for the headers to install the first 396 though. I found that the passenger door had been replaced due to a collision. That’s the worst paint on the car. The damage extended past the door into the quarter, so there are puller marks in that section and some bondo near the wheel well lip. That side of the quarter was repainted. That all happened sometime prior to ’68. The rest of the paint on the car is original. (of course, I mentioned the hood) It sure shows its age though, but it’s a deeper black than can be bought today. It’s never had any rust on it anywhere.
Original options on the car were the 409hp 409, 4-spd, 4.11 posi, SS equipment, padded dash, Am push-button radio with rear antenna and C&C equipment which included 2spd wipers with washers, an ISRV day/night mirror and a LH OSRV mirror. That was it! No tinted glass or any other dress-ups. In the ‘80s I did add a complete dealer P/B installation kit onto it when I added metallic brakes. The dealer kits were Bendix boosters rather than the assembly line Moraine units. Those brakes are amazing. When they’re hot, they’ll pull the car down so hard that you can hear creaks like the body is trying to leave the frame. Oh, I also added a set of seat belts which are almost 100% correct except for the 3 row webbing (which is ’63).
I’m probably the 3rd owner. The name on the open title we got from Reedman’s was Spanish and a very careful look at the tops of the front fenders shows evidence of lettering that was compounded off that said Lady “L”. Outside….., bumpers, grille, rockers, side moldings, trunk panels, windshield trim, glass frames, the rear license valance, and all but one taillight are the original pieces. In the interior, I replaced the carpets, kick panels and the red vinyl on the seating surfaces of the driver’s bucket. I had to replace the top well behind the rear seat and bought a new top boot. Other than that, what you see is still original. I replaced the original convertible top in ’83. I found a total of 3 build sheets in the car, but being a kid, I just thought they were needless papers and tore them out and threw them away. I did leave one intact though that’s glued to the back of one of the rear side upholstery panels under the ashtray. It’s so faded though that you can’t read it. It needs a CSI kind of inspection. I may know someone who could possibly arrange that, which would be cool.
So, since I put the car back on the road in ’83, I’ve driven it to St. Charles, IL, then up to Union Grove to race it, Charlotte twice, Chicago, Columbus OH, Toronto Canada, Columbus again for the NHRA Reunion, Winchester IN, Baltimore, a Hot Rod Power Tour as far as Georgia and numerous 200mi trips from home. Most people know that I’ve gotten myself pretty involved in the history of these cars since then, and I must say that this black ’62 is entirely responsible for all that interest and research. I had my share of people who saw the car in the ‘80s and later and said, “that would be a great car to restore”. But I decided that I will never restore this car to factory condition. If I did, it wouldn’t seem like the same car anymore. When I get in this car, it looks the same as it did when I was 17, and it makes me feel the same way too! You can’t put a value on that.
Verne
I would like to thank Bruce, who without him, we would never enjoy so many cars on this fine site. And thanks to those who seemed to have an interest in this old ’62 Chevy. My apologies to anyone who actually took the time to read this whole thing……………!
