Vintage 1953 Corvette Raises $170,000 for Charity   

by Bob Hall

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Restoring any collector car to prime condition can be a challenging task. If that car is a Chevrolet Corvette, the bar is a bit higher. And if the Corvette is a 1953, the first year of production when only 300 were assembled, the potential problems and cost can increase exponentially. Currently, a nice example of a '53 Corvette will change hands for between $110,000 and $130,000.

This past summer, "the most perfect 1953 Corvette ever built" sold for $170,000. Instead of going into a dealer's pocket, the money all went directly to charity. The car's buyer Terry Michaelis of Napoleon, Ohio, owns more than 200 Corvettes, but says his new ’53 will be the centerpiece of his collection. Michaelis owns ProTeam Corvette Sales in his hometown and displays his collection there.

The proceeds from the Corvette's auction, held at the 2002 Corvettes at Carlisle event in Carlisle, Pa., were given to NASCAR driver Kyle Petty's charity, the Victory Junction Gang -- a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses.

This tale started almost five years ago when Chip Miller and Al Wiseman decided to produce a perfect 1953 Corvette and auction it for charity to the highest bidder. It would be a great way to kick-off the 50th birthday of America's greatest sports car, they reasoned. The two were in the perfect position to pull off such a feat. Al Wiseman, owner of Classic Car Restoration and Service Center (CCRSC) in Tarpon Springs, Fla., a modern, well-equipped facility. Chip Miller, along with partner Bill Miller, is a co-owner of Carlisle Productions which presents Corvettes at Carlisle among many other collector car events.

The Corvette was the first production car with a fiberglass body, and for the Chevrolet engineers and assembly-line workers alike, it was an on-the-job learning experience. The fiberglass quality and overall fit and finish of those 300 Flint, Mich.-built Corvettes varied widely. But in general, the build quality of the higher serial numbers cars is better than the lower.

The two cars initially involved in what became known as the "Restoration Celebration" were serial No. 147 and No. 158. But early in the project, it became evident that those two cars -- bought disassembled on 15 pallets from San Diego's Scripp's Institute -- weren't complete. So a third car (serial No. 39) was purchased in order to create two perfect Corvettes from the three '53s. Corvette No. 158 would be for the charity auction and No. 147 would be restored for Al Wiseman's collection. Corvette No. 39 provided the second actual '53 Corvette motor and the first original transmission. That's because the 15-pallet stockpile of parts was not for Corvettes only, adding to the group’s restoration woes.

Fortunately, the restoration center knows their way around Corvettes. They have restored about every year Corvette but a '53," Wiseman said. Chip Miller, a recognized authority on Corvettes, has owned 78 examples of the marque over the years. Of the 25 he currently owns, the star is the lowest mileage '53 Corvette in existence; it's traveled only 9,161 miles during its 48 years! Miller is the driving force behind Corvettes at Carlisle, the largest Corvette-only event anywhere. It attracts 6,000 Corvettes and nearly 60,000 participants to the Carlisle (Pa.) Fairgrounds every August.

Wiseman's passion for cars started in childhood and continues to this day. Along the way he became a skilled mechanic and earned a degree in aeronautical engineering. His development of the Hush Kit noise suppression device for jet aircraft allowed him to fulfill his life-long dream of collecting cars and trucks. For years prior to that, Al indulged his passion by driving and racing Corvettes. Wiseman's fuel-injected 1959 Corvette became the subject of his first restoration back in 1970. He restored the '59 "to make a nice driver out of it." But at the first car show he entered, "I found out how far off I was from being able to compete in concours." Undeterred, he learned, and went on to win first-place trophies from the National Corvette Restorers Society and Antique Automobile Club of America.

When Chip Miller shared with Al his idea of displaying a perfectly restored '53 Corvette around the United States in honor of the car's golden jubilee, Wiseman jumped at the chance to become an integral part. "Chip brought the idea up, and I said 'Let's just do it.'" Wiseman added, "I think the world of Chip. If other people had proposed the idea, I probably wouldn't have done it. But these cars are worth doing a 'concours and beyond' restoration to, while many others aren't. And now there won't be a better one in the world." That's because Miller and Wiseman spared no expense!

The CCRSC had the necessary equipment, but they would need help securing all the necessary Corvette-specific parts. Remember that no one knew whether there would even be any more built while those first Corvettes were assembled! So a number of parts are specific just to the '53s. Some examples are the fuel filler door and the very normal looking radiator cap that sits atop the very fancy chrome holding tank. Miller referred Wiseman to Jack Kershlis of Hadley, Mass., an expert on 1953 Corvettes, who would be their primary source for how and where to find parts and services.

"Jack has provided all of us an education," said Wiseman. "He knows everybody, all the sources for parts or how to get yours re-done, because some parts you can't find as reproductions or NOS (new old stock). For instance, brake cables. 'Forget finding them' Jack told us. But he knew just where to send our old ones and even sent ours along with some of his, so we'd get a better price."

The 1953 Corvette also used a specific engine block, code "LAY." And, as Jack pointed out, there were three blocks on the pallets that came from California, but only one of them was an "LAY." The other two would make great boat anchors, since they were from regular passenger cars, but they didn't help with the restoration. "Plus there were no pistons," said Wiseman. "They did give us crankshafts and a camshaft, but they weren't Corvette either, and all the missing parts were high-dollar parts."

Speaking of which, remember the radiator cap we mentioned? How about $350 for it, or $650 for the radio speaker? And that's if you can find them. Again, that's where Jack Kershlis' experience came into play. "Guys like Jack know what's available at swap meets, where they'll buy something rare whenever they see it," Wiseman said. "Plus they know what's not available." In some cases, non-availability of a certain part will lead to vendors/experts such as Kershlis to "tool up" and produce the part, if they sense enough potential customers are out there. An example is the exhaust pipe's tip for '53 Corvettes, for which Jack is a parts source.

Both Corvettes were meant to be "far better than GM expected them to be," according to Wiseman. "These will be the perfect cars GM wanted." A prime example of how the Restoration Celebration car will be different is the look of the engine. "We painted the engine to look like porcelain, which isn't correct, but is in keeping with the pristine look," said Wiseman.

Thankfully, the dedication of Chris and Jim Al Wiseman, Chip Miller and Bill Miller, CCRSC employees and everyone else involved with the Restoration Celebration will paid off in a big way for the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Richard Petty, the “King” of NASCAR stock car drivers, attended the Restoration Celebration charity auction Saturday, Aug. 24, 2002 and served as guest auctioneer. Petty asked the crowd to "put your money where your heart is" when bidding for the immaculately restored Corvette. One man certainly did that, after an exciting bidding session, Terry Michaelis calmly received the keys from Al Wiseman.

Classic Car Center – Restoration and Collision