'49 Dodge "Corvette"

broncr

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It's sitting in my Mom's backyard. I think it's a Coronet - Flathead 6 cyl w/ fluid drive ( torque converter on a clutch), but my son SWEARS it's a CORVETTE. I learned how to drive ( & how to flunk driving tests) in it - it still hasn't turned 100K all Colo. miles... 2nd owner...

Broncr
 
You are right. Dodge made Cornets and Meadowbrooks in the years. I had a '50 meadowbrook for my first car. Wish I had it now. i used to win bets from guys thet didn't know about fluid drive by betting them I start on hills without spinning the wheels on slick snow or on ice. just put the thing in 3rd and be easy on the go peddle. Is this one of those mit a 3 speed or one mit a 2 speed trans. I had a girlfriend thet had '51 cornet mit the 2 speed.
 
Yep,they made Cornets back then allright. There's one in my warehouse. It belong(ed)to the Junkman's late brother Jared,he got it free from a man who bought it off a used car lot in the early '60's. Seems his new '60 Impala 4 door was stolen out of a parking lot at his place of work at the time,and while he was waiting for a reply from his insurance Co.,he bought the '52. He paid around $150.00 for it(MMMmmm....remember THOSE day'z? :D ). Within a period of 3 months,he got everything settled,and he had himself a brand new 1961 Impala "Bubble--Top" hard top,complete with 348/250Bhp engine and "Turbo-Glide" automatic transmission('member those as well?)with an LSD rearend. It was Red with a White roof----very nice. He put the Dodge up for sale. Weeks passed. No bites. So,in the end he simply gave the Junkman the car for nothing....at that point,he simply had enough of timewasters and gave the car away. Interestingly enough,in 1972 when the Impala's owner passed away,his wife gave the Impala(which,at the time had only 7700 miles on it......)to Jack & his brother's,and in 1975,it was placed in storage. It's been here ever since! As this is written,the Impala has 9055 origional miles on it's 348,and is completely origional & rust free. The '52 Dodge has just under 66,700 miles on it,and it too,is pretty much rust free. It does have a little crease here & there,but no rust holes(the trunk is amazing,clean as a whistle)noware. The car still has 2 packs of LUCKY STRIKE ciggerets in there as well(one on the dash,and one in the asstray). Exacetly the way it was found. Seems Jack likes to leave the cars he accuired over the years just as he finds them. What's even more neat is that the Dodge and the Impala sit right next to one another. Hmmm....a case of the "New" replacing the old? How did the 2 cars ever know they'd wind up as eternal roommates together?! Neat. OO6.
 
"Our" old Dodge belonged to a man my dad worked with at SW Bell. He bought it new in Pueblo (Colo). It had 49K on it when my Dad bought it from him in '69 for $100. Dad figured it would be a good learner car for us kids, since the "hydromatic" allowed one to dump the clutch without killing the engine. My big sis was first, then big bro, then me.

My brother drove it to college and I rebuilt the engine for him in the mid seventies. It took it's ONLY trip out of Colorado when he & I went back to visit family in Iowa one Summer. It's been sitting in Mom's backyard for years now. I occaisionally (not often enough) start it up and take a spin around her back yard.

It could use paint & reupholstery, but it still only has 89k - I think. One of these days... My brother "gave" it to me, but my mom waffles about whether it's his or hers, so that's where it sits...

I debate whether to leave it stock or put a hemi in it... I'll have to get my hands on it first.

It's amazing how things get set aside and kind of forgotten. Broncr
 
Searching for info, I came across this oldie. I see I never answered the tranny question. It's a "three on the tree", clutch & shift, per usual, or dump the clutch in any one & it will act like an automatic, except it WILL NOT shift itself. Yes, 3rd is great for slippery starts but, on dry road, 0-60 is prolly around 1-2 minutes :LOL: . Compares to maybe 20-40 seconds if shifting through all three.

I really never imagined 7 years would pass between the original post, & fruition of the plan (start up), but here we are. Big Bro has given a tentative OK - w/some start up $$$ for battery, belts, oil changes, and fuel system & carb flush/clean out. Gotta see if it will run like it did when it was parked. Plate has a '79 sticker on it - last time it saw the road. I drove it around the back forty many a time since.

Anybody got a clue what octane gas was in the late 40's? Seems I read something about 101 or 104 REGULAR gas, back in the day, somewhere?
 
:) Hi broncr.IIRC, in those days of old ran about 75 to 80 octane for regular or LESS.This info is based on what I was told by mechanics who were still working in those days,(the 40`s and 50`s).The memories are from the 60`s.In the 40`s and 50`s I think that the only gas that was in the 100`s range was avgas.Regular avgas was 80 octane.
Leo
 
broncr":ybzmtiem said:
.....

Anybody got a clue what octane gas was in the late 40's? Seems I read something about 101 or 104 REGULAR gas, back in the day, somewhere?

101 or 104 octane in the 40's? Not a chance, not even close. Do you remember seeing those Phillips 66 signs, or the Union 76 stations? They were advertising the octane rating of their premium fuel, regular grade was in the high 40's to mid 50's octane rating. Most anything you find today has more than enough knock resistance for your 49.
Have fun,
Joe
 
Thanks guys! 'Maybe it was in a 60's owner's manual? I think I recall seeing it, but it really doesn't matter. So long as I know that pump gas will keep it rolling (with a lead substitute, I presume), I'm good. (y)

Thanks again!

Broncr
 
Back in the 1960's there were 100 oct premium available, even some brands with 101, you could run with 12-to1 compression. :unsure:
 
IIRC, we had & have higher octane at higher elevations, to offset the thin air? Nowadays it's 85 reg, 87 mid & 89 premium. I believe Coneeco ("The Hottest Brand Going") offered 104 (could be wrong on that), which I ran in my early 70's 11.25:1CR SBC rat
( I was young... :roll: ). Maybe it was down into the 90's by then?

I was off on a Turbo-6 tangent and saw FSP mentioned as a good source of info (y) . There was disagreement as to how well the old flatheads would benefit & stand up to 7-ish boost. Again IIRC, the FSP crowd was mostly in support of turbo'd flatties. Or was that Corky Bell? (Have it, just gotta re-read it).

:beer:
 
Ummm....... higher elevations typically get lower octane fuel; think about it. Less dense air = less dynamic compression = less detonation. We flatlanders have 87-89-91 octane at this time.
 
That makes sense, and that's what I love about this site - people willing to freely share their knowledge. It seems I learn something new almost every time I visit!

Thanks, once again!

New related question - could running 85 octane regular possibly cause damage to an engine designed for 70's octane gas?
 
When I used to pump gas in the late 60s regular was 95 and High test was 100. AvGas at the local air port was 110. I think Sunoco 260 was 105. All this changed in the 70s with the advent of low lead and then no lead fuels. Cars from 71 on had lower compression ratios and hardened valve seats to deal with the new fuel.
regards
rikard
 
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