DYE/SWILLEY 57

DYE/SWILLEY 57

ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME: WILSON SWILLEY

Text Box: 1969 COTATI, CA.. IT WAS LIKE A STREET RACE. THEY BUILT A SHOP CENTER AND HOUSES HERE, LATER

Text Box: THIS WAS WHAT I HAD BOUGHT FOR $400.00 IN 1975. ROLLING CHASSIS AND A BODY WITHOUT THE HOOD, DOORS AND CONVERTIBLE TOP LID. FEW STEWART WARNER GAUGES

Text Box: 1987 IT HAS RETURNED FROM THE GRAVE, WITH A LOT OF IN BETWEENS…. TRY TO FILL THEM IN WITH A BRIEF HISTORY

Text Box: The car was abandon in the Berkeley area for some reason. Mike who worked at a Shell station off Shattuck Ave had gotten it from someone's yard. He was junking it out because he was building another 57. A friend Kip told me about the car because he knew I had a thing for Corvettes. I was driving the 63 split window at the time. So I went to see it at the station. It’s a pile of junk alright. I decided not to take on such a project. That same day I visited Dave, the guy I owe a lot too. I told him of the car and what it was missing. He suggested to me to buy the old 57 he had out back and between the two you could make a car. He would help get the rest of what I needed. Went back to the station asking him what he want for the car 500.00. I said ok as long as there's a title. That he didn’t have at the time and said he would get. I took the car to Point Richmond, where I lived at the time. I wasn’t going to pay for it until he delivered the title. I made a study of the car and remember seeing a 57 with 43 on it at Sears Point years ago. But could not place the owner. So I did a title search, with DMV, which you could do in those days for 50 cents. The car belong to a Bob Dye of Oakland Ca. with an address that he was no longer at now. I confronted Mike with what I had found out. He told me I could have the car because the guy he had gotten the car from didn’t have a title either. So I got the name of the guy he had gotten the car from, Frank . Who lived in the Albany area, not to far from Berkeley. Paid Frank a visit he told me he hadn’t seen Dye in years. He went with Dye to the races as pit crew. Dye had left the car at his place for some other guy to race years ago. After blowing the engine, he started scrapping it out. Frank told me Dye was friends with Jerri Brown an Alpha driver and gave me his number. From there I got on the trail of Bob with Jerri’s help. Found him at a Restaurant at Buchanan Field In Concord. He was a flight instructor. We arranged for him come out with the title. I think Bob was a little shocked to see the car in such shape. But he want 400.00 anyway. I was glad to give it to him, with the title, all the history and photos he gave me. Told him I was going to restore it. But I don’t think he knew I was going to make a factory style RPO579E car instead of the way he had it. Got the back have of 4742 and the frame from Dave and some other parts I need and started on the build the 579E car. Had AN original air box, brake ducts, 62 684 brake system came with the Dye chassis. This was the car that ended up in the Antonack Book. Had Dyes frame (#806) and front end. About 1986 decide to vintage race the car restore it more like the way Dye had it. Had another body from a 5966 serial number car. Rather than cut up the good show car body with Dye’s front end. I would put 4742 frame under that body and put 806 frame under the 5966 serial number body and modify it to look like the Dye race car. SEE PHOTO HISTORY NEXT PAGE © Swilley 2005-2008

AS SHE WAS AT DRIVERS SCHOOL HMSA 1987. DYE AND I DRIVING IT. SHE FELT GREAT. BOB LIKED IT TOO.