RIDE OF THE WEEK: 1964 Chevrolet Corvette

by Michael Golubiewski
Production Editor

A car with ‘sting’

Frank Bonick of Wilkes-Barre has owned this 1964 Chevrolet Corvette since August 25, 1996. The Corvette, produced since 1953, is Chevy’s signature sports car. There have been six generations of models so far, with another generation — the C7 — in the works by General Motors for 2012.

The 1964 Corvette belongs to the second generation, or C2, of Corvettes that were available from 1963-1967. Models from some of these years — 1965 and 1966 especially — are among the most collectible ’vettes today because of their distinctive split rear window design, hood vents and independent rear suspension. The second generation had a body design known as the Sting Ray and, like Bonick’s, featured a 2-passenger coupe body to go with the original convertible model. The hood indentations were used only for the 1964 model year.

The left rear pillar vent, decorative in years past, became functional in the ’64 and uses a 3-speed fan to pull fresh air in from outside for better ventilation. There were 22,229 Corvettes built for 1964: 13,925 convertibles and 8,304 coupes. Bonick says that even though the car is more than 45-years-old, it still has its original motor, transmission and rear end.

Some modifications Bonick has had done to his Corvette include boring the engine 30 over, which means that the cylinder is bored .030 inches larger than it was) and the head gaskets were cut .005 of an inch. The Corvette has an L-79 camshaft, which is usually used with the 327 cubic inch Chevrolet engine. The Corvette also has Hooker head gaskets, 600 Carter AFB true spoke wheels.

Bonick’s Corvette is powered by about 300 horsepower. It features an AM/FM radio, back up lights, air conditioning and a special 3.08 highway rear end. All in all, Bonick says that he’s very pleased with his Corvette and loves to show it off.

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