Bleach Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I was looking through some old photos of the 63 Riviera I once owned. There was a decal in the windshield that was one that said it was "Ansen Equipped". I never asked the original owner what it had meant nor did I ever find anything really obvious what it could have been on the car while I owned it. No one I asked back then really knew what it was.Can anyone help solve this old mystery for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelman Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Ansen is still in business. Valve covers are their specialty. Don't know if they made Nailhead covers back then, but they don't list any now.Ansen USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 4 bufords Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 when i was in the air force 62-66 i had a friend with a 55 ford.it had an ansen floor shifter in it,never saw anything with an ansen shifter.4 bufords from ct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 The valve covers were stock and as far as I could tell the shifter was stock too. I'm wondering if the shocks were something they supplied.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 Ansen was also a major producer of "mag" wheels. One of the most popular models was the Ansen Sprint. If you go to Google Images and type it in, you can see the wheel that most rodders favored in the 60's.Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted November 24, 2011 Author Share Posted November 24, 2011 I remember those wheels well. I cleaned a few in my time but my Riviera didn't have them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 (edited) Out of curiosity, I just typed Ansen into the ebay search window. Besides wheels, lot of other items showed up: steering wheels, transmission adapters, valve covers, finned aluminum oil pans, log intake manifolds for Ford 4-bangers, and a couple of decals just like the one shown in your picture. There's also an Ansen Speed catalog for sale. Sounds like they might have been the Mr. Gasket of their day. As I looked a some of the pictures, I seem to remember that the Ansen Sprint was one of the favorites of the Gasser crowd.Ed Edited November 24, 2011 by RivNut (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted November 24, 2011 Author Share Posted November 24, 2011 I wonder if that speed catalog would shed some light on this mystery. The original owner was in his 60's when he bought the car new so I kind of doubt he was any kind speed freak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I'm guessing one of two things. 1) The car once upon a time had a set of Ansen wheels on it and over time they became a real chore to take care of or the owner wanted originality back, or 2) someone found a decal and thought it looked cool. I'm voting for the latter. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted November 24, 2011 Author Share Posted November 24, 2011 I tend to agree with the latter at this point too. The car was nearly totally stock except for radial tires when I go it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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