`59 Biscayne Project For Sale on eBay

This Biscayne was auctioned on eBay. It's typical - possibly on the nice end - of what you'll find when looking for a `59 project car. A person can still find a solid low-mile edition of a `59 if they put some work into it. This particular car is described as a long-time family owned car (1964), and still wears its original Code 970 Gothic Gold / Satin Beige two-tone paint. One thing I find interesting about this car is that the "Biscayne" logo is on the front fenders above the spear trim. While I'm not positive, I would conclude that this indicates an early production vehicle since many of the print ads for the Biscaynes show the logos ahead of the doors. This car's VIN would also substantiate that theory, as it's low-numbered. My Biscayne has the logo just ahead of the tail lights instead, and it does not appear to have been moved. I have now seen `59 Biscaynes with logos in both places.

Adding to the desirable nature of this car is that it's from North Dakota. The Dakotas historically are good places to find classic cars, as they have dry climates and were not states that used salt on the roads in the winter time. Granted, this car has some rust, but I've seen `59s in wrecking yards that are so rusty they are falling in on themselves. This car isn't even close to that, and appears by all the pictures in the listing that it's mostly complete and solid.

When it was all said and done, the car got $2150 for a final bid. I would say that is reasonable for a two-door sedan project currently!

`59 Cop Car in Leawood, Kansas

"Car 641...come in Car 641. We've got rabble rousers down at the soda fountain, over..."

Isn't eBay amazing? All one has to do is put in a search string of "1959" to come up with a wild array of products from back in the day. The picture to the right is one such item; I got it a few years ago doing a simple year search. There were no markings anywhere on the 8x10, and the photographer is unknown. The photo depicts mechanics at a local garage in Leawood, Kansas standing next to the local prowler Biscayne, which has presumably been in for repairs. Crossed flags and a "V" on the hood indicates the 348 cubic inch V8 for power. If you look closely to the right there is a `59 El Camino hiding just inside the garage door. It's hard to determine if this is a police maintenance garage or if it's the Chevy dealer. Seems unusual that these guys would be lined up to get photographed with a car that came in all the time, so it's more likely that it's the dealer's garage we're looking at.

The license plate under the nasty dent on the front bumper says "Kansas Centennial 1961" so we can determine that the picture is from the early 1960s. Knowing these bumpers, I'd have to say the "incident" that caused it was no small matter. These things are extremely sturdy and tough to bend. I once uprooted a cement post with the front bumper on my `60 Buick (similar to this car) when I was 15 and learning to drive. It did little or no damage to the Buick.

Now take a look at the line down the middle of the bumper; for those in the know this is called the "two-piece" bumper, which denotes a car built somewhere other than California. "One-piece" front bumpers were put on all cars built in Los Angeles; I've never heard the true reason behind it, other than the rumor that it was for purely aesthetic reasons - the one-piece front and rear bumpers look far cleaner than the two-piece front and three-piece rear bumpers that were on all other cars. Given Leawood's proximity to Kansas City, the Chevy plant there probably built this car.

Some of the men are smoking, and although they look like my parents some are likely younger in this photo than I am now. Notice there isn't a single t-shirt wearin' mechanic among them. This was the button-up and slacks generation, accented by a pack of Lucky Strikes and Thursday night bowling. The big pod thing on the fender was called "The Growler," which we all know now as The Siren. It sounds like a cross between a big bird and an air raid warning from the Cold War. Nothing like the Flip-N-Blip psycho sirens we here now; The Growler was purposeful and simple.


This is still one of my favorite pictures involving `59 Chevys. A copy of this picture was also donated to the Johnson County KS Museum for their collection.

`59 Driver's Ed Picture

"Your Chevrolet dealer helps make driving safer."

Came across this great looking ad a while back, when I was buying old magazines at Goodwill (click on the pic to see it larger). It depicts the sparsely appointed Biscayne sedan; from the outside we can't determine if it is the Biscayne Utility (no back seat) or the standard Biscayne. Either way, the driver was not given much in the way of comfort or convenience. This was all car and no frills. Color is Highland Green DDL-42495. Notice the lack of sideview mirrors; it's likely that the car also lacks seatbelts, as at least in Washington State they weren't required until 1964.

How nice it would have been to have a `59 Chevy Driver's Ed car, instead of in my case a wimpy Volkswagen Dasher. And when they wanted to pull out the big power, they rolled the Dodge Aspen out of the garage for our freeway test. Having this car would have been much more fun, and possibly safer given the amount of metal each one took to build.

The Practice Classic

Recently I got an email from a younger car lover looking for help. "Just wondering if you'd lend a helping hand and push me in the right direction," is what he wrote.

"I have always loved every bit of detail and beauty in the '59 Chevrolet Impala. I'm not much of a car buff or car maniac, but when it comes to the '59 you could talk to me for days and I wouldn't lose interest. ...After a while I would definitely love (and plan to) buy and restore a '59 Though I've still got plenty of time before this happens...In the meantime I'd like to study up on car restoration and anything else that could help. ...I'd like to ask for any words of wisdom, advice, tips, or resources (besides your site haha). I'm somewhat of a beginner when it comes to cars as I have only done minor checks and replacements (brakes pads, rotors...) so any suggestion will be well accepted."

Well I can't blame him for liking the `59. It's one of a kind. His email led me to believe that maybe some folks should consider buying what I call "The Practice Classic." A car from the 1960s would be a good place to start in your training towards restoring a `59. Some are more forgiving than others - six-cylinder cars and four doors - because they're often not totally trashed even at 40+ years old. Having a driver like that gives people the opportunity to polish up on old-school maintenance skills - tune ups, water pump replacement, front end rebuild etc. - and maybe even a bit of body work. It allows people to cut their teeth on an old car for which the parts are plentiful and simple to replace; this can help you later, as the car projects become more complicated (and they will...believe me). Good candidates for a Practice Classic would be any Slant-Six powered Chrysler product from the Sixties, or even a a 1967 Cadillac Sedan Deville.

Searching for a `59 Chevy currently is fairly easy, although with each passing year it becomes tougher to find good ones that aren't expensive or beat up. Craigslist is a good source, as well as Collector Car Trader. Hemmings Motor News also has comprehensive nationally-based classifieds. One of my Biscayne's suspension parts came from Montana, thanks to Hemmings. If a person doesn't have an affinity to four-doors, a Practice Classic like the `59 Chev four-door sedan is also cost-effective and usually in better shape. Biscaynes and Bel Airs can still be found functional in the mid four-digit range, with non-running projects costing quite a bit less (beware of RUST...it's deadly on `59s and took most of them out by the end of the 1960s. It's a miracle there are any left today). Hardtops? They are getting out of the grasp of regular folks in my opinion, even the four-door hardtop "Sports Sedans" are getting pricey. The project cars are out there, and most need a lot of love. And Convertibles? Yes, they exist for a price or a project; scrap ones now start in the five-digits, and I've seen some so rusty that they're falling in on themselves from rot. Funny development for a car one could barely give away in 1980.

My thought is that a `59 four door is a good "way in" to your dream. A person's relationship with a car like that can become lifelong if it proves to be dependable and fun; or it can function as a "filler `59" until such time that the desired model is found. Either way, it's hard to go wrong with a car that is getting more and more popular on the street as the years go on.

Repairing The `59 Driveline

The `59 driveline is a two-piece affair (front and rear shafts) and a carrier bearing in between.


The carrier bearing attaches to the inside of the "X-Frame Tunnel" between the trans and the differential. If you crawl underneath you'll see what I mean; the driveline runs through the frame in that spot. The carrier bearing often fails in one place, right where it attaches to the frame. When it fails the driveline flails around like a big floppy fish when you gun it. This is a common problem with all X-Frame Cars (1958 to 1964), and the carrier bearing is common part to order from your local parts store.

To remove the driveline, first back the rear wheels up onto a pair of ramps and set the parking brake. Block the front wheels once the brake is set, and then put the car in Neutral (I'll explain later). Look for two bolt heads on the underside of the X-Frame; these are the two bolts holding the carrier bearing inside the tunnel, and the holes through which they pass are slotted for adjustment. Remove these bolts completely. In addition, four bolts hold the rear universal joint in the differential yolk. Remove them and pry lightly forward on the driveline to unseat the u-joint from the yolk. Once it's free, just pull slowly on the driveline to remove it from the tunnel. When it's on the ground, look at the attachment point for the carrier bearing (it's upside down "T" with two bolt holes). Chances are the metal around the base is broken or torn (see picture). It's a weak point that has been addressed by the aftermarket, with the use of a billet aluminum support and replaceable bearing. These are available through periodicals like Lowrider Magazine, and are for specialized applications like hoppers or cars equipped with hydraulics. For most purposes however, a trip to your parts store will get you a carrier bearing with a support made of mild steel; this will likely last for many years and is not an expensive item.


Now the tough part. Because this driveline is an intricate press-fit deal, it's best to simply give the whole assembly -- along with your newfound carrier bearing -- to a machine shop and have them do the installation. While they're at it, have them install 3 new u-joints (also a very common Chevy part); that way your driveline is fresh and ready for battle. When you get it back, reverse the process to put it back into the car. At the front, turn the driveline with your hand to line it up with the back of the transmission and then insert the yolk. Since the transmission is in neutral, you can then spin the driveline to line up with the differential yolk. Fresh bolts on the differential yolk and the carrier bearing are also a good idea, since the ones on the car may be circa 1959.

A few years ago I created a PDF on Repairing the `59 Chevy Driveline. It lays out all the necessary tools and procedures involved in working on this important part of the car. Feel free to download this process and try the job yourself. It's not that hard...once you have done it several times ;-) I've done enough of these drivelines to know that they can be a weak spot for the car if left unserviced. It's usually the first thing I do without question when purchasing an X-Frame car. So make sure to grease the front & rear u-joints often, and try to service the one inside the X-Frame at least once per year. If you do that, you'll be driving your `59 till 2059!

Kurt Clark

Originally written October 13, 2001 Edited and updated for this blog

Exhaust, the X-Frame, and You

Before pursuing a hard core exhaust project on the `59 Chevy, it's important to get the big picture and figure out exactly how to accomplish the job. It's not a simple deal using aftermarket stuff. On the contrary, the `58 to `64 Chevrolet requires some finesse in creating an exhaust system that works correctly. It's all about the X-Frame design. Allow me to explain...

One nagging problem I got with Big Daddy was the exhaust; the car had been drag raced for a number years and still had the big-tube racing headers installed. They did a great job breathing, but the shear size and length of the tubes caused multiple problems. Underhood heat was high, undercar clearance minimal, and oil drainplug access was sacrificed. In fact, the drainplug couldn't be removed completely because of a header tube running right in front of the hole!

After working with and around these things for a while, I decided that installing a more factory-type exhaust was the only way I would have a better system. Full size headers wouldn't work well on this car, as it sits 2" lower than stock. The simple act of carrying a passenger has the car scuffing the tarmac all day long. I considered stashing the Big Block in a corner and installing an L-82 350 - that thought lasted all of 10 minutes, because I LOVE Big Block motors and will probably always have one in this car. I considered Block Hugger headers, which have become popular with the Street Rod crowd; these would have been ideal for this application, given their ability to pass pipe in the smallest of places and close to the engine block. They also have an exit point that is closer to the stock small block manifolds that would have been available on the car. But when someone offered me a pair of 454 exhaust manifolds for FREE, I snapped them up and went stock instead.

The manifolds I got were from a `71 454 Caprice. Luckily they were "oval port" just like the heads on my `72 402. The collector was all the way towards the back of the manifold, closer to the firewall than the front of the car. If you've ever seen a "ram horn" off a small block, you'll understand that the collector drops straight down the middle of the manifold below the 2 middle exhaust ports. The 454 manifolds exit at the back of the engine, so the point where the exhaust system would begin is not advantageous.

Why is this a problem? Frame clearance primarily. Things aren't always easy with cars that sit on X-Frames. Rather than having parallel rails (which the exhaust would between), the X-Frame meets in the middle and has space for the driveline to run through. Because of the path of the rail toward that middle point, the exhaust system has to make a very tight 180 degree turn from the inside of the rail to the outside. This is accomplished with exhaust pipe that measures 2 1/4" OD or less. I am told that, if a person tries to bend a bigger OD pipe at this tight angle, the result will be a pinched pipe. Another bottleneck is the rear frame area where, according to a veteran exhaust builder, there is only enough room to run 2" OD pipe past the differential. Bottom line is that these cars were not built to run contemporary Big Block Exhaust!

So for me the resulting exhaust is described as follows:

1. 454 Exhaust Manifolds w/2 1/2" collectors
2. 2 1/4" aluminized pipe, turned 180 degrees from inside of frame rail to outside
3. 2 1/2" aluminized pipe, following contour of rail on the outside of frame
4. 24" Cherry Bomb glasspaks, 2 1/2" OD
5. 2 1/2" aluminized pipe, exiting in front of rear wheels
6. 3" aluminized tailpipes, angle cut NASCAR style

The sound is deep and mellow. The exhaust is toned well inside the car at freeway speeds, and cannot be heard by someone even two car lengths away with the windows up. I have seen underhood temperatures drop, and my neighbors are happier now when I fire it up in the morning. I initially experienced a drop in gas mileage, but attributed that to the inefficient nature of the factory exhaust manifold design. Turns out my carburetor on the way out and I got the mpg back when I switched to a fresh carb.

Small block cars are much easier to configure, because the stock path can be utilized stem to stern; Miss Ruby, our `59 Impala, had 2" factory exhaust, quiet factory mufflers, and factory routing all the way out the back. The 350 breathed just fine with this system.

Kurt Clark

Originally written October 02, 2001 Edited and updated for this blog

Finding Your Own `59 Chevy in a `57 Chevy World

Finding a `59 Chevy isn't as easy as finding a Camaro or a `57 Bel Air. It is common to come across the two latter cars as often as you try. `59 Chevys are a different story. Since so few survived the 1960s, the search for that finned wonder car takes more effort and patience.

But the search is worth it, because the result is a car in your driveway that is not often seen or considered by enthusiasts. You too can be a only one at a cruise-in or a car show with a `59, and park it next to the dozens of Camaros and `57 Chevys in attendance. The car generates questions from youngsters, and memories from oldsters, even when it's in less-than-pristin shape. When you drive a `59, you become accustomed to phrases like "my grandma drove one of these until she died," or "is that real?"

Once you've decided that a `59 is right for you, start your search on the Internet. Impalas - two & four door models - will be the most common types for sale since their general value made them attractive restoration projects. Other models - the Biscayne Utility, the Biscayne, the Bel Air, and all wagon models - still show up for sale from time to time, but not in the same numbers as Impalas. If you have the funds, I recommend that you buy a finished vehicle in need of little or no repair; it's a great way to start enjoying your Classic `59 right away. Project cars are still out there, and if that's your thing make sure you buy one with all the parts (especially trim); some stuff is just darn hard to find now.

Here's where to look:

1. The single largest source of information that can be used is Collector Car Trader Online. This website has a international focus, and its searches can be broken down even to into specific area codes or price ranges. Various links within the pages can also provide automotive shipping services etc. With the entry of the proper criteria, one can have access to all the `59s listed with Trader Online throughout the world.
2. Craigslist has emerged as an "up and comer" in finding `59 Chevys. The site interface is simple - sometime #1 seems to lack - and that makes for easy daily searches. Most times the cars that show up in ads here are projects, but there are usually pictures of the cars which helps to determine if they're even worth looking at.
3. Hemmings Motor News online classifieds have also arisen as an excellent source for finding `59 Chevys. Hemmings has been trusted for decades by classic car nuts all over the world, for its ability to put buyers and sellers in touch with each other. How else can you know that someone in Montana is parting out the very car you need to scavenge? That kind of help becomes priceless as these cars get older and tougher to keep roadworthy.
4. Not surprisingly, eBay Motors has at least a handful of `59s for sale each week. It would be worth the money to be in touch with a classic car appraiser and with a car transporter, as both of these individuals will come in handy when the final bid has been made. It's not impossible to get a `59 cross-country, but more complicated than picking it up down the street. Most important thing to know about bidding on a car? "Buyer Beware." Educate yourself, and only bid on cars that are within your reasonable expectations. It's pretty hard to return two tons of Chevy if you don't like it.
   
5. Swap Meets will sometimes have complete `59 Chevys or even some project cars. It's almost guaranteed that you will find parts for `59s at the swaps, little stuff like handles, chrome bits, some trim etc.
6. If you're headed to a car show, bring a pen and small pad to write down phone numbers; you never if you'll find a `59 Chevy for sale down the aisle from six Mustangs, four `55 Chevys, seven Camaros, and a `72 Chevelle SS clone.
7. Chevy59.com also has links to several auto dealers in the US that are focused on classic cars These companies often have information on available cars that the Internet doesn't have, and can be contacted to do more than sell you a car. They can often point you towards unbiased classic car appraisals as well for a fee, which really comes in handy when you live in Buffalo NY and your dream car is in Tigard OR. Believe me, it's worth paying someone to check it out, especially if the car is selling somewhere in the five-digit value range and is close to fifty years old.
8. One source that often doesn't pan out in a search for a `59 is the local newspaper classifieds; for some reason, these cars don't get advertised there too much. This is not to say that you won't find your dream car in the local paper, just less likely. Try anyway! What the heck? You may end up with something that the seller just thinks is "another old car."
   

The key element to your search is patience. Don't always jump on the first car you see, just because you're afraid that another one won't come your way. Relax...it will. Don't "settle for one" if you don't like it. Be patient and keep looking. Your search may take a while before you find the right car but - like I said before - the search is worth it.

Now go get that finmobile!

KDC

Originally written October 13, 2001, edited and updated for this blog