History of the 58 Chevy - http://clubs.hemmings.com/clubsites/chevytalk/GMhistory/CHEVROLET1958.html
| Enter your vehicle's quarter mile time (assuming you know it) and vehicle weight and this program will display your car's estimated horsepower. |
Horsepower Calculator
Last
Pic Por15 no web page but great used parts.. Auto City Classic, Inc, 28433 highway 65 ne, isanti, mn 55040.. phone 763-444-5880 K & N filters http://www.carsinc.com/chevy/1958_1964_chevy http://www.hemmings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/classifieds.parts http://www.56chevy.com/1958.htm http://www.shafersclassic.com/chevy/catalog/Chevy-58-64.pdf http://www.parts123.com/PartFrame.asp?ZTM=cadegihb&GHOME=www.shafersclassic.com&TITLE=Shafer%27s_Classic_Reproductions
http://www.qozi.com/chevrolet/ Chevrolet Resources: chevrolet related news, books and web resources http://www.cjhilton.com/models/58chevy.htm http://americandreamcars.com/index.htm hcity.com http://homepages.lycos.com/fiftyeightchevy/lyautos/fifty-eight.html http://www.trimparts.com/trim4.htm http://www.classicchevy.com/parts.html http://www.hemmings.com/hemmings/htm/home.htm- hemming motor news Late Great Chevrolet Association The Classic Car-Nection - Classic Cars-Parts for sale-wanted, online shopping etc. Year One, Inc. http://www.hotrodheaven.com/ http://www.impalaparts.com/store/web_store.cgi http://roadsters.com/parts/#goodies http://www.autobodypro.com/funlinks.htm HTTP://WWW.CAR-TREK.COM
LUBBOCK, TexasIn Buddy Holly's home town, it's not uncommon for someone to claim he or she has an item that once belonged to the music legend. So about 15 years ago, when a man offered Buddy Holly's '58 Chevy Impala to Bill Clement, he didn't pay much attention. "That's a running joke around these parts," says Clement, owner of Lubbock's 1950s radio station--1590 AM KDAV--and a 400-piece Chevrolet car collection. "Everybody's got Buddy Holly's everything."
But about a year later, the man called Clement again and said that he had to get rid of the car, and reiterated that it had once been Holly's car. Clement's interest was piqued and, after some investigating, he discovered that the car had actually belonged to Buddy Holly. With the Chevy in his possession, Clement set out to find a collision repair shop to restore the car, and a true labor-of-love story began.
Proving the Authenticity
After he received the second call, Clement contacted Holly's brother, Larry, to find out if Holly had ever owned a '58 Chevy. Larry Holly checked with his mother, who confirmed that her son had indeed owned a 1958 Chevy Impala, and she had the title to prove it. Larry Holly delivered it to Clement, who went to take a look at the vehicle. Clement found the car at the bottom of a pile of wrecks at a body shop storage yard. Using a dentist's mirror to get a look at the manufacturer's plate inside the car, he found that the last four numbers on the plate matched those on the title.
Clement later learned that in the early '70s, the owner of the body shop had received a call from a man claiming that his car had been hit in the rear. The person who'd run into the car had insurance, so the man who had possession of the car brought it to the shop and the insurance company agreed to pay for the damages. The problem was that the individual who had the car did not have the title.
At the time of the collision, says Clement, Holly's father still technically owned the car, and it is unclear how the person who possessed the car came to have it. Holly's father signed an affidavit so that this individual could get the car fixed. But after the insurance company issued a check, the man who had brought the wreck to the shop took the money and abandoned the car.
Clement now has the title as well as the canceled check drawn on Buddy Holly and the Crickets' account to purchase the car. "And I've got a lot of paperwork from years gone by that substantiates the ownership chain," says Clement.
Once he acquired the car, Clement had to decide what to do with it. "I've had it for 10 years just sitting, trying to decide the best way to show the car because it's rough," says Clement. "It still had the original paint--original everything--but it was very rough. We finally decided to do a restoration on it after a lot of [input from various parties]. It still has Buddy's hand print on it somewhere. It will be his car, but it will be a restoration--kind of like the axe that Washington used to cut down the cherry tree. It's had two handles and three heads subsequently, but it's still the original axe."
Restoring the Car
The car languished in that pile of wrecks for about 15 years after being abandoned. According to Clement, as soon as the body shop owner realized he was stuck with the car, he began to remove useable items such as the battery, tires, carburetor and seats. The car was badly damaged in both the front and rear, and the trunk was rusted through.
Now, several people are playing a role in restoring the car, which resides at Bigham Automotive and Electric Inc. under the care of Rick Bigham. The engine sits at Dubose Automotive and Machine, where technicians are working to rebuild it. Bigham came to Clement and offered to work on the car for free. "It's a matter of keeping Lubbock on the map, a matter of restoring history," says Bigham. "It will never become a private gain thing. We just don't want this to go away. I'm having fun with this. There are a lot of '58 Chevrolets around, but there's only one Buddy Holly car. It's kind of a labor-of-love type thing."
Volunteer State Chevy Parts, located in Tennessee, is contributing parts for the car. "It seemed like the thing to do," says Don Trevitt, owner of the business. "We manufacture some of the '58 stuff. It seems like a fun project. There are few things left that we get to do that are actually fun, and this may be one of them." So far, Trevitt's company has donated sheet metal and taillights. Clement has worked with Trevitt in the past to obtain the rare parts in which Volunteer State Chevy Parts specializes. "That's how he got us to jump on board," explains Trevitt.
After the Rebirth
Since the car's existence became public, there has been some outside interest in purchasing the car. One casino owner in Reno called Clement with the idea of restoring the car, putting it on display at the casino and creating a '50s musical revue with Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, Richie Valens and the car as the centerpiece. Another group from England came to Lubbock to take a look at the car, among them the president of the English Buddy Holly Fan Club who proposed buying the car in "as-is" condition for a "ridiculous amount of money," according to Clement. Although he stood to make a lot of money on either deal, Clement declined both.
Plans for the car now include constructing a glass "building" in a vacant lot adjacent to Clement's radio station, or adding the car to a museum that is being built across the street from the radio station. Buddy Holly's story will be a part of the museum when it is completed.
Clement also hopes to have the car ready for the town's annual Buddy Holly birthday party so attendees will be able to have pictures taken with the car ... and ensure that this piece of memorabilia will continue to keep Buddy Holly's memory alive.