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CORVETTE GRAND SPORT FANS:

Although few might admit it, Corvette owners owe a deep debt of gratitude to the original Ford Thunderbird. The fledgling Vette, introduced in 1953, was General Motors’ idea of an open-air, wind-in-your-face sports car that was apparently an attempt to recreate Europe’s success with the MG. Unfortunately, the General didn’t get it quite right. The cars were equipped with the underwhelming Blue Flame Six, side curtains for the windows and an experimental body made of that new material called fiberglass, which had more than its share of production difficulties. Only 300 versions of the Polo White cars were completed that first year, and even though 10,000 were scheduled for 1954, only 3,600 actually rolled off the assembly line.

XTREME LEE

To the uninitiated, this may look like the General Lee ’69 Charger featured in varying numbers on “The Dukes of Hazzard” television show. A closer review tells of an even greater historical connection. Xtreme Lee is as much a statement of intent as it is the car’s moniker, and when you’re pressed into the seats, there’s little question it lives up to its name.

EVEN ’GLASS IS SCARCE

For 1933, Dodge had a full line of automobiles, and the salesmen of the day no doubt touted that there was a Dodge model perfect for you. But of all the sedans, coupes, convertible sedans (of which only 13 four-door convertible sedan eight-cylinder models were built) and station wagons, the convertible coupe was no doubt the most stylish of the bunch. The ’33 Dodge convertible coupe was a rare car in 1933, with only 1,563 units being produced, and, of course, there were 56 more built with the eight-cylinder engine. So, while the convertible coupe was a strikingly good-looking automobile, it was not the best of times, and the practicality and affordability of coupes and sedans far outsold the convertibles of the time. Today, finding a ’33 Dodge convertible coupe is truly a challenge.

Spotlighter

MULTITASKING FOR THE MASSES

Installing Haneline’s 3-in-1 Gauge Clusters

Author

Matt Emery

Story & Photography

Say you drive an older pickup in which the original designers weren’t all that interested in engine management. Thanks to the addition of that high-horsepower engine, however, you are very interested in what it is up to. But you are also interested in keeping the dash area clean and don’t want to put a bunch of holes into it. You also don’t really want to have an old-style gauge panel hanging beneath the dash. What to do?

For those who drive a 1947-’53 Chevrolet pickup truck, the ideal way to handle this problem is to install Haneline’s 3-in-1 gauge clusters.

Haneline has a long history of producing high-quality gauge packages that are designed as a direct replacement for a majority of classic autos and pickup trucks. It is well known for its “machine” finish gauge panels and vintage-appearing gauge faces, but with the advent of these multitasking gauges the company is reaching out to those owners who don’t actually have dash panels.

As with most of the Haneline product line, the 3-in-1 gauge clusters are a snap to install. It takes only an hour or so to install the units (not including the time to install the senders).

We were on hand as Jim Bible showed us how to install the units into a Chevy dash. Okay, it was not one that was actually mounted into a truck; it was one that Bible used to design the billet ring, as well as the size of the gauges that he would use in the kit. Haneline includes a detailed installation sheet with the kit, which takes into consideration not just how to install the gauges into the dash, but how to install the sending units and even how to calibrate the speedometer to work with a variety of tire sizes.

So if you like a clean dash, as well as being completely informed on how your truck is running, take a look at Haneline. You will probably like what you see.