A Honey of a Rampside
Norman Rogers of Albertville, AL purchased this sharp rig from Will Elliott of Wewahitchka, FL in August, 2004.
You may have read about the truck in an article that Will wrote for a Corvan Antics newsletter in 2002. Will was the fourth owner and bought it in 1999 while he lived in Tennessee from the grandson of A. L. King. Will researched the truck backward to the first owner, who was identified as Leroy Gannon from the Owner's Protection Plan book that still exists! Will tracked down Mr. Gannon and they had a nice talk.
The engine appears to be original given its date code (T0423WB), which indicates a 110 HP engine with PowerGlide transmission, built on April 23. The engine build date makes sense for the truck, which was assembled in May. The Owner's Protection Plan book gives the date of sale as May 11, 1964. It was sold by Ballance Chevrolet Company, Inc. of Morristown, TN.
When Will bought the truck, it still sported heavy-duty springs, installed when a previous owner mounted a Cam-pact aftermarket camper on the truck.
Will spent about 2 1/2 years restoring the Rampside. The truck was repainted from its original fawn to what you see here, which Will described as "Light Evergreen Frost, similar to the '66 Corvair Willow Green and the '67 Mountain Green". He described the stripe color as "Medium Fernmist Green", a 2000 Chevrolet minivan color. The interior is a leather/cloth combination with door panels.
Will credits many people with helping restore the truck, including his wife Jimmie and fellow Corvair nuts James Law, Billy Bruce, and Duanne Luckow:
"It is only through the help of these friends that the restoration was possible. Since I am unable to walk even short distances, the ramp and cart have provided a way for me to continue a hobby I really love, not just for the beautiful cars and trucks, but most of all for the Corvair Friends Jimmie and I have made over the 31 years we've been involved in Corvairs."
This Rampside has done very well at several shows, including a first place in St. Augustine, FL and best of show in Navarre, FL (February, 2002 Corvair Lovers Holiday).
The first three photos below were taken at Lake Alice, near where Will lives. Will noted that Wewahitchka is known for fresh-water fishing and Tupelo Gold honey.
New owner Norman Rogers took the following six photos. This is his 84th Corvair since 1964! Norman currently also owns a rebodied '62 Fitch Sprint and a '65 Monza coupe.
Norman is very happy with his newest acquisition; he said that it is tight and rattle-free, like a brand-new truck.
Information from the data plate
Description |
Description |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5Z60GA |
Custom equipment, fawn interior |
5528AA |
Fawn, solid color |
none |
N/A |
(Click on a heading in the table for more information on that item.)