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Restoring a '53 roadster for the Corvette's 50th

What better way to honor the 50th anniversary of America's star spangled sports car than to locate a first-year 1953 Corvette roadster, restore it, and auction it off on behalf of charity at the launch of the year-long Corvette birthday party at Corvettes at Carlisle 2002? Couldn't think of one? Well, we couldn't either, and neither could Chip Miller of Carlisle Productions or Al Wiseman, a Florida Corvette dealer, collector, and restorer. So, that's exactly what they are doing. Well, actually, they're taking a trio of 1953 Corvettes and making two restored cars using the best parts of the three. One of the restored first-year Corvettes will be auctioned at Corvettes at Carlisle in 2002 with the proceeds going to a charity or charities yet to be determined, while the second restored fifty-three will join Al Wiseman's celebrated collection, where a premium spot has already been reserved.

It's an adventure known as Restoration Celebration, and it's a project undertaken as a tribute to America's reigning champion of sports cars ... the Corvette. It's a major restoration effort in which three 1953 Corvettes have been acquired, disassembled and their parts evaluated to determine the best two of three on every score. Then the two best collections of parts will be professionally restored to concours condition at Wiseman's restoration shop in Tarpon Springs, Fla. "We will make these two cars authentic in every detail but will correct all factory defects and produce a pair of quality cars," Wiseman and Miller announced, explaining that the results will probably not meet NCRS judging criteria because they will be considered examples of "over-restoration," but they will complement the standards of such prestigious events as the Pebble Beach Concours. The two roadsters will be as close to perfect as possible ... just the way styling envisioned the Corvette when it was first designed ... just the way manufacturing was supposed to assemble it ... and just the way engineering intended it to perform.

Neither restored '53 Corvette will be a matching-numbers NCRS Top Flight or Bloomington Gold Certified type of show car, but will instead be restored to an even higher level cosmetically and functionally. "Our goal is to use as many original parts as possible, but the body fit and finish on our 1953 Corvette will exceed current restoration standards," Wiseman admitted, adding, "it will require considerable time, effort and craftsmanship to make every original body panel fit perfectly, but we will nonetheless produce a Pebble Beach level of quality. They will be the most perfect 1953 Corvettes ever built" ... by Chevrolet or anyone else!

Miller and Wiseman started their special endeavor by buying two Corvettes from the Scripps Institute in San Diego, Calif. Both were part of a large collection of cars, including 10 Corvettes, donated by a wealthy individual in Southern California to the non-profit Institute, which then sold the cars. Both represented older restorations, but they were partially disassembled and in need of rerestoration. They were even missing a number of parts and had some pieces damaged or worn beyond reasonable repair. Consequently, a third 1953 Corvette, one that was complete but had a ravaged body, was acquired in Florida to serve as a donor car. Many of the missing or badly damaged parts on the two California cars are in excellent condition on the donor vehicle. While the California cars were formerly restored, they were purchased from Scripps virtually in boxes, real project cars in the true sense of the term, "basket case."

As the accompanying photos attest, the three cars are now disassembled and the parts sorted and cataloged. The best parts, of course, will be restored for the two show cars being created. The rest of the parts will be sold off at the conclusion of the project.

As previously mentioned, one example will be placed in Wiseman's collection, while the second tours the country and then is auctioned off at Corvettes at Carlisle with all proceeds going to one or more charities. The Miller-Wiseman show car - the one to be auctioned - will have its public debut at Corvettes at Carlisle 2000, where a restored rolling chassis will be displayed. Then it will make appearances at major Corvette meets around the country, showing recognizable progress at most meets before being auctioned by Barrett-Jackson during Corvettes at Carlisle 2002.

It is anticipated that the restored 1953 Corvette roadster will bring as much as $200,000, due in part to its celebrity status as "the perfect '53 Corvette." It will certainly be the most celebrated '53 Corvette partaking in the anniversary tribute during 2002-2003. (Tentative plans call for Chevrolet to launch the 50th birthday party at the Monterey Historic Races and possibly a tribute at Pebble Beach in August of 2000, followed a week or so later by the Corvettes at Carlisle salute.)

The two men are ideal partners for a project of this magnitude. For starters, they are brought together by a passion for cars, particularly Corvettes. Both have owned many automobiles over the years, from antiques and classics to sports cars and exotics. Chip Miller is better known, thanks to his high profile position as the co-owner of Carlisle Productions, which holds some 12 automotive events each year, including nine at Carlisle, one in New Jersey, another in Bloomington, Ill., and a third out-of-state adventure in Evansville, Ind. The main claim to fame for Chip Miller and his partner Bill Miller, of course, are the major events in Carlisle, including the always sold out Fall and Spring Carlisle shows, their biggest events and the second and third largest old car meets in the world (trailing only Hershey Fall) and Corvettes at Carlisle every August, their most prestigious show. Held at the Carlisle Fairgrounds, which offers 82 acres with more than 8,100 vendor spaces, 33,000 square feet of indoor space, and a 15-linear-mile grid system of paved roads and aisleways, the nine Carlisle car-related meets collectively draw in excess of 450,000 visitors annually.

Chip Miller has been a car enthusiast for most of his 58 years, going back to 1957 when he was 15 years old and bought his first car. He completely disassembled, repaired, refurbished and reassembled that car. A few years later, in 1962 just after graduating from college with a degree in mechanical engineering, he purchased the first of 77 Corvettes he has owned to date. It was a wrecked white 1962 fuelie that he rebuilt himself. After his tour of military duty was completed and he was honorably discharged in 1962, Miller bought another fuelie, a first-year Sting Ray. Then, in 1969, he bought a brand new L46 350hp coupe that he still owns today.

Chip, whose full given name is Elliot S. Miller, nurtured for years a burning desire to own a true pioneer Corvette, one of the first made. That came to fruition in 1970 when he acquired a 1954 roadster (that year he also became a charter member of the National Corvette Restorers Society - member #29). Two years later, in 1972, he made what he described as "the most incredible purchase of my life" when he picked up a 1953 roadster, one of only 300 made that inaugural season. But this one, unlike virtually every other '53 roadster, had just 8,788 miles on it. He paid $5,000 for it and turned down an offer of $10,000 just a month later, and many other offers since. He has vowed to never let the mileage exceed the 10,000 mark. As of this past July, it showed 9,160 miles and remains the lowest mileage 1953 known to exist.

When he decided that the '53 was sufficient representation of the early years, he elected to part company with the '54. And that's where Carlisle Productions originated because, when officials at the gigantic Hershey (Pa.) meet wouldn't let him sell the car because it wasn't old enough, he and his good friend, Bill Miller, decided to start their own post-war equivalent to the prewar-oriented Hershey. The first Carlisle automotive event was Fall Carlisle in 1974, and three years later a spring version was added as a companion meet. In 1982, the world was blessed with the first Corvettes at Carlisle show, which has grown to become the world's largest Corvette-only event.

Chip Miller currently owns 25 Corvettes, including five Challenge racers, among them is the number 17 EDS Scott Lagasse car that Chip actively campaigns today. He and his son, Lance, race Sports Car Club of America spec racers at such tracks as Daytona, Sebring, and Road Atlanta. Chip is a judge for Bloomington Gold, the NCRS and NCCC, and is a lifetime member of the AACA.

Of the project, Miller commented, "We're putting something back into the Corvette hobby and raising money for very worthy causes. I'm very pleased and honored to work with Al to make this dream a reality."

While Miller and Wiseman have both reached the same final pinnacle as Corvette enthusiasts, the two traveled different paths to get there. Al Wiseman devoted his first working life to aviation, including a stint as president of Airborne Express and then head of Hush Kit, which makes noise suppression kits for airplanes. However, as he says himself, "my career was in aviation, but my real passion has always been cars." He retired from aviation in 1997 to dedicate himself full-time to collector cars.

His first association with the Corvette centered around a solid axle racer, a 1959 fuelie convertible that he bought in 1970 and ran regularly at area tracks. At one time, he remembers, "I raced that Corvette nine straight weekends, then partially disassembled it, detailed it, put it back together and entered it in a judged show, where it took first place." Then, he got super serious about showing his car at the national level, and he got a rude awakening. "I thought my Corvette was pretty nice, but I soon found out how far off I was from being able to compete in a true concours." He hauled it home, took it apart, and restored it again to correct judging specs. "It was a process of learning on that car. I had to do it three times." Since then, his cars have won hundreds of top awards in all forms of national competition, including the most stringent.

He would go on to own several solid axle Vettes, before expanding into Sting Rays and sharks. Al now owns about 20 Corvettes, but that's only a small portion of his overall collection, which is well over 100, including dozens of full classics and brass cars, and several celebrity cars.

Wiseman moved from Ohio to Tarpon Springs, Fla. in 1997, building a new home on 21 acres, which left him enough space for a gigantic building to house his collection, plus another smaller structure to accommodate his own personal restoration shop. He then opened a nearby collector car dealership, called Classic Corvettes & Collectibles, with the Corvette as the house specialty. The original 16,000-square-foot facility soon became jammed with cars for sale, so the company is substantially expanding its quarters with a 13,000-square-foot addition, bringing the dealership's total showroom space to 29,000 square feet, which will make it the largest collector car dealer ship in the south. The new addition is slated to open in September of this year, and just in time as the current quarters are bulging with 125 to 130 cars for sale.

Wiseman then expanded into the restoration business. He acquired a 25,000-square-foot building that was once home to a Chevrolet dealership. It's located on the next block from his dealership. State of the art restoration equipment and machinery were installed, and brothers Chris and Jim Brand were contracted to run the new Classic Car Restoration and Service Center. The two brothers, who have been in the restoration business for 23 years, impressed Wiseman, who had become one of their better customers since moving to Florida, with the quality of their work and their conscientiousness about doing it right. So much so, that when Al decided to open his own shop, he was determined that the Brands would run it. Actually, the new CCR&SC is a joint venture between Wiseman and the two brothers.

At the front of the renovated building housing the resto shop is a recreated 1930s Texaco service station, complete and authentic with gas pumps and other station trappings. But behind the facade of an old-fashioned gas station are the wonders of modern restoration technology. There's a frame shop that features computer-controlled laser measuring devices, a media blast booth big enough to handle a bus, and a paint shop with three computer-controlled paint booths. It's an impressive operation.

Miller and Wiseman have not yet selected the charity or charities to benefit from this escapade, and are actually stalling the selection until a celebrity has been identified to award the car in 2002.

"Whoever is picked to present the car may have a favorite charity that we can consider," Miller said. But one thing for sure, everything that we invest in this car and its restoration will be donated to the selected charity." Wiseman echoed Miller's sentiments, "The designated charity will receive the funds, not the sponsors of the restoration project."

1. Under a heavily veiled cover of secrecy, Corvette magazine editors and writers were lured to this charming facility in Tarpon Springs, Fla., at the special invitation of Chip Miller and Al Wiseman. This recreated 1930s Texaco service station, incidentally, is the entrance to Wiseman's restoration facilities, Classic Car Restoration and Service Center, on S. Pinellas Ave. in Tarpon Springs.

2. Chip Miller, of Carlisle Productions, Carlisle, Pa., announced that he has teamed with Wiseman on a new project, the restoration of a 1953 Corvette roadster in honor of the car's 50th anniversary.

3. Al Wiseman answers questions concerning his role in the anniversary project. He and Miller have located and purchased three first-year Corvettes in order to make two concours-quality cars, one for a benefit auction at Corvettes at Carlisle in 2002, and the other one for Wiseman's own collection. Classic Car Restoration, a full-service facility, will handle the entire project. A completed chassis is scheduled to debut at Corvettes at Carlisle this year.

4. All three bodies have been stripped of trim, interiors, accessories, etc. Two of the bodies are very straight and mostly problem-free. One, however, has been hammered and poorly repaired over the years and will not be used, obviously. for the twin-bill restoration. The best parts and pieces of the three cars will be used on the two receiving the concours restoration. Being fiberglass there is no rust out to worry about, of course, plus the fact that all three cars appear to have grown up outside the rust belt. One came from Florida, the Orlando area, and the other two from southern California.

5. Rear axles are lined up and ready for restoration.

6. Two driveshafts await rebuilding. The one on the left appears to be in good shape as it is presumably off of one of the once-restored cars.

7. All trim pieces, dash parts, mirrors, etc., have been removed and inspected to determine the best of the lot for the double-barrel restoration project.

8. The brightwork will be straightened, polished, buffed or replated to a high sheen.

9. Steering wheels, speedometers, instrument clusters, radios, etc., are lined up awaiting restoration.

10. All three gas tanks have been salvaged. This one is from car number 147, which is the 147th Corvette assembled in the 1953 run.

11. Cleaned and prepped is a pair of old stovebolt six engine blocks that await reconditioning.

12. Chris Brand, honcho of the restoration shop and heading the '53 project with his brother Jim explained some of the procedures the project will employ over the next two years as the Corvettes are restored.

13. New-old-stock wheel covers will probably be the last items mounted on the restored twins from '53.

14. The headlights, buckets and shields for the '53 models.

15. This is a complete engine from one of the once-restored cars. It will receive a thorough rebuild with new everything.

16. What would a "classic" Corvette be without that toothy grin up front. You can bet that the very best in chrome plating will be applied to these grilles.

17. Al Wiseman (left) explains to a group of journalists how the restoration project will be handled as the group inspects the body for Corvette number 147, which is the Florida car, the one that won't be restored. The tour of the restoration facilities was not only impressive but educational as well. The quality of the work being done is top notch.

18. Here's the body and the bare interior for '53 Corvette number 158, which was one of the Corvettes ftom California sporting an older restoration.

19. Chip Miller (left) asks Jim and Chris Brand (center and right), the two brothers who operate the restoration shop, about the technology involved in the frame inspection and alignment machine. Chris said that the ftame seen here on the rack was from one of the two restored cars, yet its frame was off factory specs by 9 mm. It's the frame for car number 39 (the 39th produced out of the 300 made in 1953), which was restored years ago.

20. Deck lids await restoration, and are in decent shape.

21. Miller inspects one of the three trunk lids, all of which are complete and in basically good condition, but in need of restoration.

22. The restorers will have their choice of the best two out of three hoods.

23. There will also be three complete sets of doors from which to choose the four best for restoration. The two restored cars have the nicest looking parts and pieces, of course, but the trim from the third car, the parts donor from Florida (number 147), is the best of the lot.

24. Miller comments about the superb job the shop did restoring the one frame. It was a practice run, as this is not one of the two frames to be used on the restored pair of '53 Vettes. It looked darn nice to us, though.

(Editor's Note: When I first heard about the press preview of a special project involving Chip Miller and Al Wiseman in Tarpon Springs, Fla., I had a suspicion that it involved a '53 Corvette and the upcoming Golden Anniversary, but it was to remain a big secret until the announcement in Florida on July 7, 2000. In fact, at Bloomington Gold this year, I advanced my theory to Chip Miller, who is a fellow panelist on a workshop seminar. I said, "I'll bet you're going to buy a '53 Corvette project car, restore it over the next two years, sell raffle tickets on it, and give it away at Corvettes at Carlisle 2002 or 2003." My inquiry was met with a stern "no comment" by a stonefaced Chip Miller. I would have to go to Florida to find out. And, although I wasn't exactly right, I was very close. Besides, the trip to Florida and the tours of the resto shop and Al's personal collection were awesome, though Florida certainly would have been nicer in January than July!)