Guest Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 A friend on another site shared this puzzle and frankly, I'm stumped. He has a 1963 Corvette coupe, 57K original miles, orig. drive train and other than one repaint, a very nice unmolested car. The person he bought it from owned the car since 1978 so it has not been through too many hands. Here's the issue, underneath on the driver's side rear, a tube has been added. It is approx. 3 inches in diameter, opens inside to the rear floor area underneath the carpet (yellow circle area) and exits between the driver's side muffler and the spare tire carrier. As you can see by the pics, it is not a cheap hack job. Rather a pretty well executed install meant to last, with its welded flange, gasket and bolt pattern. Several theories abound but none really make sense. First thought was some type of drug dump tube for smaller quantities of pot or coke. But I think the location is too inaccessible for either driver or passenger for this purpose. Others thought it may be some type of ventilation device but that didn't really wash either. Being as this car was built at the height of the James Bond craze with his famously tricked out Aston Martin, a more clandestine use could be the answer for this purpose built tube. The answer just seems elusive today. Have any of you seen anything like this before? Any and all ideas considered. Thanks, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Did he buy the car sight unseen? If he inspected it before purchase, wouldn’t he have asked what it was? Perhaps the former owner knows. If a removable flexible tube was inserted to the cab end, it may make an effective pee tube. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locomobile Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 A very James Bond method of dumping the hooch. Maybe it was a test car and engineers used that to run wires and hoses through to outside instruments? Although, never confuse good workmanship with good ideas. People do some pretty bizarre things and often do them very well . 😀 Ron 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 63 Vetts split windows were very hot in the summer. He probably had a cooler full of beer and ice. That’s a drain for the cooler so the melted water didn’t splash around !! dave s 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locomobile Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Too big for a water drain. A half inch hole would suffice for that, this is a duct three inches in diameter. It's most likely to run hoses and wires through. This was likely a test vehicle, back around that time I seem to recall car companies selling ''factory demo'' cars. Nowadays they don't due to liability. Out behind Dearborn engine at the Rouge which I designed and built tooling for, out back there are 30 foot rollaway dumpsters full of brand new engines, that were simply taken off the line for one reason or another and considered contaminated. Everything gets scrapped now. That place is like a hospital inside. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 It looks like the connector hose to the tailpipe tip is missing. You can still get those kits, but you need a prescription from your marriage counselor. Not sold over the counter. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Can you scrape any residue and get it tested? I guess if it was indeed a test car nothing scary would show up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, George Smolinski said: Did he buy the car sight unseen? If he inspected it before purchase, wouldn’t he have asked what it was? Perhaps the former owner knows. If a removable flexible tube was inserted to the cab end, it may make an effective pee tube. Very creative thinking George but this area of floor is up hill from the driver's seat so one would need to keep a large roll of paper towel handy. 😄He said previous owner could not explain it either. Edited March 12, 2021 by GregLaR (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I had also considered a cooler drain hose but like you said, a half inch hole would have served this purpose. I wondered about some type of test equipment too or even movie studio use, but could not expand on either. Appreciate all the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Locomobile Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 31 minutes ago, GregLaR said: Very creative thinking George but this area of floor is up hill from the driver's seat so one would need to keep a large roll of paper towel handy. 😄He said previous owner could not explain it either. Nahh, just a very strong bladder 😁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 A little follow up info. Car was sold new in Connecticut and is still there today. My friend is only the 3rd owner. Second owner could not recall who the original owner was after so many years but knows he was also from CT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wetherbee Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 The movie camera idea has some merit, maybe it was used for a couple Route 66 episodes and then sold... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I got to thinking about this and that car is from the era when stories were still floating around about '59 Chevies lifting due to air across the fins. I would be inclined to think that someone with enough engineering knowledge to be dangerous installed that pipe as a pressure equalizer to prevent air currents over the fastback rook from sucking the rear windows out at high speed. Them good old boys would sit around and think up stuff like that once they finished getting their baler to bind 180 pound bales. Lots of engineering went on in the back barn. And you could buy a new Corvette by selling three Heffers and a few acres of wheat back in those days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28 Chrysler Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 A camera mount doesn't make sense in that location and being a 3" thin wall tube. A microphone would make more sense by the exhaust. Some type of venting ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 It's odd for sure. Answer is probably in road tests from the time. I guess there's enough scavenging effect from undercar airflow that it wouldn't suck exhaust fumes back into the cabin. Awful close to the tailpipe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Do these Corvettes have any buffeting issues like my crew cab does? Long shot, but could be some kind of pressure equalization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHuDWah Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 As you say, it's a Bond-era car so the tube obviously is for dumping an oil slick for your pursuers. 🤣 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 (edited) 3 hours ago, rocketraider said: It's odd for sure. Answer is probably in road tests from the time. Speaking of road tests, I was thinking it might be designed to accommodate wiring for a fifth wheel as used by magazines for performance testing. Edited March 13, 2021 by joe_padavano (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 28 Chrysler, Agreed, camera mount doesn't make sense but, I thought, perhaps the wiring or cables for some type of camera? Just a guess. JACK M, These early coupes were not prone to buffeting. Although the later C3 body 1968-1972 had a big issue with buffeting when the T tops were off and the rear window was removed. joe_padavano Funny you bring this up. I was searching for that very picture last night. I began thinking, rather than camera cables running through the tube, it made more sense if it was test equipment cables, exactly like a 5th wheel would have. Nice find, Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Used for delivering news papers. Kid sat in the back, and dropped them down the chute. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Overflow drain for refueling a tanker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 42 minutes ago, GregLaR said: joe_padavano Funny you bring this up. I was searching for that very picture last night. I began thinking, rather than camera cables running through the tube, it made more sense if it was test equipment cables, exactly like a 5th wheel would have. Nice find, Thanks! Ironically, it appears that new ones use Bluetooth, so no wires. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 1 hour ago, padgett said: Overflow drain for refueling a tanker. I'm not familiar enough with the "tanker" Corvettes to know how/where the oversized fuel tank was installed. Anyone have pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 13, 2021 Share Posted March 13, 2021 Here you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 (edited) I had a 1964 Corvette Coupe (non air conditioned) with the optional rear area exhaust fan and duct which was, as I recall, mounted aft of the driver's seat in the "cargo" area. I lived in Miami, Florida at the time (early '70s) and found the rear area exhaust blower to be quite effective at drawing air out the rear of the car and, coupled with the regular air inlets, it was quite effective at cooling the interior when driving at highway speeds with the windows up. It even helped a bit when driving around town with the windows down. The rear exhaust blower was not available in the 1963 Corvette Coupe, and the 3 inch diameter duct may have been part of an experiment to exhaust hot stagnant air from the rear "cargo" area of the '63 Coupe. The exhaust blower duct (1964 & 1965) exited from a grille located in the driver's side B-pillar, but the '63 coupe had no such grille opening in its B-pillars. Perhaps, in an attempt to not mar the exterior body work of the original owner's new 'Vette, he chose to vent hot air through the floor of the "cargo" area, using an exhaust blower mounted in a box above the 3 inch diameter tube. The rear "cargo" area exhaust blower and ducting system was discontinued for 1966. Maybe factory-installed air conditioning had become more popular by that time. Here is a link to some details of the "cargo" area exhaust fan system of the '64 and '65 Corvette Coupes: file:///C:/Users/capngrog/AppData/Local/Temp/Mid-year%20coupe%20rear%20blower%20components-compr-1.pdf I apologize in that I was unable to include a "live" link in my post, but if you copy the link and paste it to your browser, it opens up just fine. Well, that's my theory anyway. Cheers, Grog Edited March 14, 2021 by capngrog add information about link (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, capngrog said: file:///C:/Users/capngrog/AppData/Local/Temp/Mid-year%20coupe%20rear%20blower%20components-compr-1.pdf I apologize in that I was unable to include a "live" link in my post, but if you copy the link and paste it to your browser, it opens up just fine. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. The "file:///C:/" in that URL refers to a file on YOUR computer. It opens fine for you because your browser is retrieving a file on the same computer. If you try that on a different computer, it doesn't work because the file it's looking for is on your private hard drive, not the internet. Too bad, because it sounds like an interesting setup. Edited March 14, 2021 by joe_padavano (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Man Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 I think Grog is on the right track, this could have been a prototype system used for testing, location is correct. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 2 hours ago, joe_padavano said: Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. The "file:///C:/" in that URL refers to a file on YOUR computer. It opens fine for you because your browser is retrieving a file on the same computer. If you try that on a different computer, it doesn't work because the file it's looking for is on your private hard drive, not the internet. Too bad, because it sounds like an interesting setup. Try this (I hope it works): Mid-year coupe rear blower components-compr.pdf Cheers, Grog 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 5 hours ago, capngrog said: Try this (I hope it works): Mid-year coupe rear blower components-compr.pdf Cheers, Grog Perfect, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Interesting. That predates the "Astro-Ventilation" (1968) which resulted from the recall for exhaust leaks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 I could see a ventilation tube of sorts, but it looks like a poor design with it coming out right beside the tailpipe? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketraider Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Was AstroVentilation a forced air (blower) system on Corvette? Know the other carlines used high pressure air from the cowl area. Some 69-71 cars had optional blowers for the upper level vents. I remember thinking how cool 1968 GM cars were with "AstroVentilation" etched onto front door glass. I also remember my parents grumbling there were no vent windows to draw their ever-present cigarette smoke out of the car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pfeil Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 (edited) On 3/14/2021 at 7:31 AM, padgett said: Interesting. That predates the "Astro-Ventilation" (1968) which resulted from the recall for exhaust leaks Yes , but Chevrolet deleted that vent system starting in 65 or 66 stingray. The earlier cars did have it. Best bet; have this posted on the NCRS site. Edited March 15, 2021 by Pfeil (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryankazmer Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 On 3/14/2021 at 11:26 AM, rocketraider said: Was AstroVentilation a forced air (blower) system on Corvette? Know the other carlines used high pressure air from the cowl area. Some 69-71 cars had optional blowers for the upper level vents. I remember thinking how cool 1968 GM cars were with "AstroVentilation" etched onto front door glass. I also remember my parents grumbling there were no vent windows to draw their ever-present cigarette smoke out of the car. I asked my Dad what he thought of the "Astroventilation" on his then-new Chevy. He kinda mispronounced "Astro" in his unfavorable reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 My '72 wagon was the last GM to have vent windows. And now "wind wings" have gone south. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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