[dinger]

Garrell, hit us with a question, it's time for me to hit the sack. Dan

[garrell.770]

Four of you have turned this into Auto Genious Thread, I am truly impressed at some of the details and facts you know and some of them I don't believe you can find in reference books. I believe if I asked a question about the boat that Washington crossed the Delaware in that Brian had a chance to ride in it once. Has anyone ever checked his profile to see just how old he is and I think we should have Boothboy take a visual verification test because I think he actualy is a computer! No really I am impresed with you guys.
Question: What was the first Corvette's body panels built from and why did the decision be made to use this material?
Wait until I get out of the way before you jump in and answer this one .

Garrell

[garrell.770]

We have to leave pretty early for a Doctors appointment so if you think you have the correct answer your are wrong until I get back.
Here is a bonus question I was going to ask once and I forgot the answer and I still don't remember it and I have googled until my googler is worn out so this is one to see if anyone knows the answer, I read it in an article once but it is in one of those folders in my mind.
Question: How many components are there in a Gen 1 Chevy block including heads, intake etc now remember this is not the oficial question and I don't know the answer, this one is for brownie points.

Garrell

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by garrell.770

Four of you have turned this into Auto Genious Thread, I am truly impressed at some of the details and facts you know and some of them I don't believe you can find in reference books. I believe if I asked a question about the boat that Washington crossed the Delaware in that Brian had a chance to ride in it once. Has anyone ever checked his profile to see just how old he is and I think we should have Boothboy take a visual verification test because I think he actualy is a computer! No really I am impresed with you guys.
Question: What was the first Corvette's body panels built from and why did the decision be made to use this material?
Wait until I get out of the way before you jump in and answer this one .

Garrell

Well if there is one thing I know it's Motorama cars. The first Corvette (designated "EX-52" Shop order 1737 in the styling dept.) was simply built from Fiberglas as ever Vette after it up until the mid Seventies or early eighties when they went to SMC (Sheet moulded compound). It was made from fiberglas simply because it was easy to form like a clay model but into a real car. They actually planned on making it from Metal and planned on putting them into production before the first Motorama show it was in but when they saw such a big response they immediately began building them in fiberglas. That's "Fiberglas" with one S as the manufacturer called it.

If this isn't correct I am going to be blown away as I won't be the Motorama know it all I thought I was and will be humiliated in front of my friends and family. Though I admit my memory isn't not what it was and I had to go to my favorite book on the subject for some details.

Brian

[boothboy]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Well if there is one thing I know it's Motorama cars. The first Corvette (designated "EX-52" Shop order 1737 in the styling dept.) was simply built from Fiberglas as ever Vette after it up until the mid Seventies or early eighties when they went to SMC (Sheet moulded compound). It was made from fiberglas simply because it was easy to form like a clay model but into a real car. They actually planned on making it from Metal and planned on putting them into production before the first Motorama show it was in but when they saw such a big response they immediately began building them in fiberglas. That's "Fiberglas" with one S as the manufacturer called it.

If this isn't correct I am going to be blown away as I won't be the Motorama know it all I thought I was and will be humiliated in front of my friends and family. Though I admit my memory isn't not what it was and I had to go to my favorite book on the subject for some details.

Brian

Of course there's always differences in some of the answers. After reading Mr. Martinsr's answer I beg to differ! The first concept Corvette, the car that was displayed at the New York Autorama, that I personally viewed as a child at the San Francisco Autorama, that was used to pull parts from for the first years production vehicles ( some 300 to 315 depending on who you want to believe), that is still in existence and is on display at Kerbeck Chevrolet in Atlantic City, that was the actual test bed for the 265 V-8, that was built in 1952, is of course the EX-122! The EX 52 was actually called the Corvair and hardly bears any resemblance to the EX-122.
Fiberglas was used as a weight saving material so the car would be able to compete with the European Sports cars. Also it was a media that was easier to work with for some of the curves on the vehicle.
As to your bones question, I know the answer to it also! How many parts are used in the Gen 1 small block? Answer: All of them! Ha Haaa!!!

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by garrell.770

We have to leave pretty early for a Doctors appointment so if you think you have the correct answer your are wrong until I get back.
Here is a bonus question I was going to ask once and I forgot the answer and I still don't remember it and I have googled until my googler is worn out so this is one to see if anyone knows the answer, I read it in an article once but it is in one of those folders in my mind.
Question: How many components are there in a Gen 1 Chevy block including heads, intake etc now remember this is not the oficial question and I don't know the answer, this one is for brownie points.

Garrell

The usual answer about the fiberglass body was it was for the light weight. I believe the end result is heavier using fiberglass, though and the reason 'glass was used was to form the compound curves easier.

On the SBC engine question, are you counting a head as one part, or will all the parts that go into the head (or oil pump for instance) count individually?

Odd that a car numbered as being "122" would precede a car number "52". The rest of the article on #122 is here.

[boothboy]

Originally Posted by cobalt327

The usual answer about the fiberglass body was it was for the light weight. I believe the end result is heavier using fiberglass, though and the reason 'glass was used was to form the compound curves easier.

On the SBC engine question, are you counting a head as one part, or will all the parts that go into the head (or oil pump for instance) count individually?

Odd that a car numbered as being "122" would precede a car number "52". The rest of the article on #122 is here.

I poked around a little more and believe that Ex 52 was a chassis number rather than a vehicle number.

"Rumors are rampant about the whereabouts of the Nomad as other GM Motorama cars make appearances at auction events throughout the states. Unfortunately, the best educated guesses are that the Corvette Nomad was destroyed by orders of GM in the mid to late 50's. The 1954 Corvette Nomad was a static display rolling model, constructed primarily of fiberglass and built on the first Corvette chassis, serial number EX-52, which was lengthened and became the 1954 Corvette Nomad StationWagon Show Car #857."
I also found a reference that said the the EX 52 referred to the fact that much of the chassis including frame came from 1952 components. I don't know if I buy that but it again points to the chassis rather than the whole vehicle

[MARTINSR]

I am still a little confused on the EX52 vs EX122 being the EX52 is called a "Corvette" in my books and was destroyed. But the good part is, the actual name has nothing to do with Garrell's question so if I am right about what it was made from and why, which I think I am, I still win the game.

Brian

[boothboy]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

I am still a little confused on the EX52 vs EX122 being the EX52 is called a "Corvette" in my books and was destroyed. But the good part is, the actual name has nothing to do with Garrell's question so if I am right about what it was made from and why, which I think I am, I still win the game.

Brian

See my last post.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by boothboy

See my last post.

I'm sorry, yes I did read that and that is now that I think of it the way I had learned it. Funny thing was I had originally put EX122 which was in my head then went back and changed it when I grabbed a book. That's what I get for poor study.

Brian

[boothboy]

No I think that this stuff was so long ago and the people who have written about it rely on what few surviving documents can be found and what other people can remember. That doesn't mean its always right. But it makes good reading! What I love about this thread is that doing the reaserch fills in more of the story about things I knew a little about. I never heard about the EX 52 before you mentioned it but I knew about the EX 122 because I ran into it a dozen questions ago! ain't the internet great! Although before the internet I use to do things> @*%&$#(*^ internet!

[boothboy]

Oh yeah, I don't know if I'm right or wrong but it sure is fun!

[garrell.770]

Fiberglass was probably easier to work with but hold on Brian that was not the reason a decision was made to use fiberglass, at least I asked a question that has created a lot of dialogue. Now the show car that was shown at Motorama could have been built with fiberglass for convenience but the actual reason was totally diferent,
The article I read about how many components in a small block gen 1 Chevy counted block heads,oil pan, gaskets everything, the article was actualy about how many fewer components there was in GEN 2 engine. Remember I don't remember the answer but I thought the genious team could do some research and find it but I have looked for two weeks and could find nothing.

Garrell

[MARTINSR]

I am dying to hear this one!

Brian

[garrell.770]

Thats not a concesson is it, all of you will have to tell me when you cry uncle!

Garrell