Central Valley Corvettes - July 2017

Photo on the left is of the 13th Corvette produced. The remaining production was equipped with
the faux knock-off style (right).
All 1953 Corvettes were Polo White with a red interior and a black canvas top. There were two
options offered: a signal seeking AM radio ($145.15) and a heater ($91.40). Although listed as
options, all 1953 Corvettes were equipped with both items. The base price was $3,498.00,
including the federal excise tax and $248.00 for shipping and handling. The radio had an
interesting feature: since fiberglass is electrically inert, the antenna was simply incorporated in
the trunk lid. This would not be possible with a conventional steel body.
When introduced in 1953, the Corvette featured the "Blue Flame" six
cylinder engine. This is not as the Chevrolet engineering team wanted
things, but they had no choice. Although other GM marques featured V8
motors they were not willing to share; a very different situation compared to years later when
various divisions would feature the same powerplants. It was renowned for reliability but with a
rating of 105 HP, performance and sportiness was not included. The engineering staff responded
with the usual engine upgrade methods. A more radical camshaft rubbing on solid lifters, dual
valve springs, and a higher compression ratio cylinder head (8.0:1; previous was 7.5:1) all
contributed to the effort. The largest gain was achieved via an upgrade to the induction system
(right). Three Carter type YH sidedraft carburetors featuring "bullet" air cleaners with an aluminum
manifold were incorporated and the output soared to 150 bhp at 4,500 RPM.