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53 Corvette hardtop?


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The removable hardtop was not available for the 53-55 Corvettes. First year was 56 along with outside door handles and roll up side windows. The aftermarket did come out with hard tops for that body style later on but not from GM. Also all 53 soft tops were black only. 54 soft tops are beige along with most 55s. A few 55s were made in yellow with a green interior and green soft top.

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Ah, thanks.

this is another NFM (not for me) car. Guy wants the 53 but with a hardtop. Not sure if he is confused or what. I'll let him know.

Would a hardtop from say the 57 AMT kit work on the 53 without lots of work? Saw a bunch of those for sale. Could tell him he needs to buy that kit as well and give the leftovers to me :D.

Thanks,

Russ

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Ah, thanks.

this is another NFM (not for me) car. Guy wants the 53 but with a hardtop. Not sure if he is confused or what. I'll let him know.

Would a hardtop from say the 57 AMT kit work on the 53 without lots of work? Saw a bunch of those for sale. Could tell him he needs to buy that kit as well and give the leftovers to me :D.

Thanks,

Russ

You'd have to do some cutting and trimming perhaps to get the windshield contours to match up. Being that '56 was the first year for the factory hardtop, the windshield naturally was taller, and looks to me like it had a slightly different shaped header. Of course we're dealing with models, but the rear deck of the car, namely where the hardtop sat over the conv. top lid, would be shaped the same in 1:1.

BTW, the '57 AMT kit (newer tool out of the '90's) did NOT come with a hardtop-----the MPC issue did which was (I think) reissued by AMT/ERTL at various and sundry times. 

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Russ, also your friend might be thinking of a 1954 showcar which previewed what was to come for '56. This was basically the standard 'Vette, but had the '56 style bolt on hardtop with the taller windshield. Chevy didn't offer this for '54, but it made the auto show rounds back then with the Nomad wagon, Corvair "Coupe", and the standard Corvette.

OK, just found this pic on the 'net. Note the Gold/Yellow car------notice the windscreen that's a bit taller than the standard 'Vette next to it. This was the showcar I was referring too..............

serveimage (2).jpg

As I mentioned, you'll need to do some mods to get it to fit correctly......

Edited by MrObsessive
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BTW, the '57 AMT kit (newer tool out of the '90's) did NOT come with a hardtop-----the MPC issue did which was (I think) reissued by AMT/ERTL at various and sundry times. 

And the MPC top doesn't fit on the AMT body, at least not without modification.

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Seems the only 53 out (AMT?) is only a convertible. Is there a hardtop version, or would resin be the only way to go?

Thanks,

Russ

He may have been talking about or seen the Corvair show car from 1952 ?  It was basically a Corvette with a fastback hard roof.  Someone many years ago did a resin kit, do not remember who.

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He may have been talking about or seen the Corvair show car from 1952 ?  It was basically a Corvette with a fastback hard roof.  Someone many years ago did a resin kit, do not remember who.

I believe it may have been Reliable Resin (!), or perhaps Mini Exotics----I can't quite remember who as well. Either which way, it's pretty much unobtainium unless one turns up on the 'Bay and for sure it'll go for a CRAZY price! :o

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It wasn't a hardtop, it was a coupe. Door frame goes up around the windows, remember? Not a hardtop. B)

Door frames around windows on a '53 Corvette, Snake? I'm a little disappointed. Normally you know your stuff. '53 Corvettes didn't have door frames around their windows. The car used removable side curtains. True they had a frame structure to hold them in place. But, it was nothing like window frames used on a coupe or sedan.

And even though the '56 - '62 Corvette optional solid tops did have little quarter windows with frames. Most people, including Chevrolet referred to the top as a removable hardtop.

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If that's what Snake was talking about, I am wrong and I apologize. He is right the '63 - '67 Corvettes with the permanently attached roof are coupes. Not hardtops.

Yeah, he was responding to a post saying that '63 was the first hardtop...making the clarification between a "hardtop" and coupe. 

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Technically there is no such thing as a '53 Corvette hard top. They were all convertibles.

That goes for 1954 and 1955 as well, as those were continuations of the original 1953 (1955 getting the first Chevrolet 265cid V8).  1956-62 Corvettes could be had with a lift-off "hardtop" that latched down pretty solidly to the rear deck and windshield header, and with their rollup windows really could pass for hardtops even though the hard roof wasn't permanently a part of their body shells.

Art

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If the original poster is in fact asking about the 54 Corvette fastback showcar, Google "Corvette Corvair", the name it went under at the motoramas.  My Neighbor  builds 1:1 replicas of if.

corvette corvair.jpg

I think GM made a huge mistake not mass-producing this car...it's so beautiful!

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I think GM made a huge mistake not mass-producing this car...it's so beautiful!

Perhaps not, considering that at the end of the 1954 model year, Chevrolet had several hundred unsold Corvettes.  Of course, any debate on the merits/demerits of their not doing that Corvair dream car as a production model would be, at best, academic.

Art

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Mini Exotics did the Corvair FB and the Waldorf Nomad kits for use with the AMT 53-55's. I've got them both since new. Cool cars. 

Factory did 5 plexiglass HT's, not available for sale, and there was a small run of 20 or so aftermarket plexi tops done too. Both done in 54-55 IIRC. 

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If the original poster is in fact asking about the 54 Corvette fastback showcar, Google "Corvette Corvair", the name it went under at the motoramas.  My Neighbor  builds 1:1 replicas of if.

corvette corvair.jpg

I do wish I could get a model of the above car. I have the 1/64 scale Jonny Lightning version. But, I really want to built a 1/25 scale one.

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I do wish I could get a model of the above car. I have the 1/64 scale Jonny Lightning version. But, I really want to built a 1/25 scale one.

There's one on ebay now. But that sucker has a "Buy It Now" for more than I've ever seen for one of them!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MINI-EXOTICS-R-D-UNIQUE-1954-CORVETTE-CORVAIR-SHOW-CAR-1-25-Model-Car-Mountain-/381599944736?hash=item58d9211020:g:zQcAAOSwT5tWPhjl

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