Posted 14 years ago
CompanyMan
(1 item)
Trying to learn as much as I can about this pedal car.
It has been in my family since it was taken out of the dealership and given to my mother when she was a young girl.
Car is all original at this time. It is missing windshield (have pieces of the original), missing 1 tail light and missing small piece of chrome on the front. It does have a couple of cracks, one crack on the side near the bottom (not a very big crack) and the seat is cracked in the middle.
I would also like to know if this item should be restored to preserve it or left as is........
Thanks
John
I never laughed so hard when you mike and frank got stuck in that old barn with that emu chasing you then the potbelly pig and the donkey. It was classic. I needed to laugh and you made my day. Hi Danelle. You should ask for a raise as much as you do.
Hello people, this car is belongs to me not Frank & Mike or even Danielle.
I am just a person trying to find out information on my pedal car.
iam very new on this site..'' but i hear these cars have a very great value../ dont give it away..i have a similar car..and i am going to try the pawn shop guys on the history channel
i would say your car is pretty good shape i would leave it as it is
In it current state it be worth more in it original state
restoring at this time would actually reduce it value
if you want to replace the windshield ,taillight, and chrome piece that would be ok
but i wouldn't do a complete restoration on it
Why would anyone want to try the Pawn Stars?
They would want it dirt cheap and then turn around and sell it for a price you could have gotten if you would just do a little work.
Heck, I would eBay before ever going to a pawn shop like that.
Your car but they dont make it any longer and only gets more valuable in time.
Patience is key and you really should try connecting with other collectors before being raked over by any pawn shop.
Just my opinion
i mentioned the pawn star's because they bought a shell for like 150.00 and made it worth 2.000 the car was a mercury.'' but they had to put in about 500.00 more'i have a freind that restores these little guys.'he knows where to get all the decals and parts also'...i have had old cars in the past...i mean real one's, and some of these private --''buffs'' are the cheapest --mf''s on the planet''.....i got more by weight'''when i crushed them..lol''...but again these little guys done weigh much..?
mine is missing part's but i want 300.00 otherwise it will hang on my shop wall till the auction...after my death''my freind does fire trucks''
Very rare , Very desirable , With the right advertising it will sell to a guy with more money than sense for a ridiculously high price . I wish it was me .
My biggest problem has been the two train of thoughts:
Original versus Restored
I don't mind spending the money to re-chrome pieces, powder coating frame and repainting the car for preservation.
Then I hear from people who say that keeping it in current condition would be better.
So hard to say who is right, but I am leaning toward restoration just so this car can be preserved for my son or if I decide to, sell it.
Restore it , but keep it as original as possible and resist the temptation to paint it purple with chartruse flames . Also make sure the repairs are done carefully by a pro or someone you are sure is competant . Powder coating is a plus .And if you really want to make some money have a mold made of body and blue print the running gear so it can be duplicated . Oh and let me know so I can buy the first one produced . Not kidding , Jack
Jack - I plan on pulling the body and having the frame powder coated. All the chrome trim will be pulled off and then will have it re-chromed, car only has 2 cracks (seat and on side of body) these are small and hopefully I can get them fixed (cosmetically). I would paint the car back to white with black, or even a black body with white. Then I will need to make a windshield replacement, I have enough pieces of the original to make one (or have one made). That is about as far as I would go with it. Would not put any flames or exotic paint scheme on this car. Guess the front and rear stickers would be the problem to replace, my thought was to use original corvette emblems on the front and rear since there is no way I could replace the decals.
Let me know if anyone has any suggestions on this project.
John
You could use original or reproduction emblems .(expensive)" Danchuk" would be a place to start for parts or where to find parts . You could also have decals made but unless you had a bunch made (like you were going into production ?)oops , theres that word again . also expensive .
Charlie, if you want to sell, I am interested
It's called the kiddie corvett it was manufactured in duduque Iowa in 1956 and 1957
i am trying to restore my car but i am missing some trim parts,windshield,hubcaps, ANYBODY HAVE ANY LEADS ON WHERE TO BUY THESE PARTS???????
also what was the orignal paint scheme whitee/red
and what are the paint codes
thanks in advance
Dominick
Dominick,
Trim Parts - Good luck, no body makes them. I was missing 2 trim pieces on the front right of my car, lucky I was able to have a machinist/welder build me duplicates from the left side pieces.
Paint code - car was original white, so I would guess the paint code for the 56 Vette would be it (that is what I am using on my restoration).
Windshield - that can be made by using plexi-glass. It was not very thick, maybe 1/16" inch. So, just make a mold and you can make your own. This is what I am going to do to finish mine off. I have original pieces left of my windshield but not all of it. Appears the windshield was only approximately 6" tall.
It's only original once. If you do restore, do not over restore. Powder coat was not original was it.
Oh, by the way, this thing is sweet.
thanks for the info
I bought mine for $600 from my neighbor-Fair condition---most chrome is in place----a few cracks here n there, dash damaged---going in restaurant for display or attic
You probably already know that these corvette pedal cars were raffled off at the Chevrolet dealerships ....and the kids had to fill out a ballot and place it in a box from which they drew the winner.
I have one of those "corvette pedal car BALLOT BOXES"
...... has a picture of a child in the pedal car
.... and it says "Deposit your ballot Here"
...well, this box was never used
.... the slit in the top has NEVER been punched out.
....... Good luck with your pedal car!
do u have an extra ballot box or are willing to sell yours pay top dollar being offered atleast could u send me a picture dmaebay@wbhsi.net
I was one of those winners, actually my grandmother was, but gave it to me! I was three or four years old and my dad was the mechanic for the local Chevy dealership (small town in Kansas). The owner of the dealership wanted it and bought it from my folks. They don't remember how much they got, but at the time they felt like they couldn't refuse, as there were a lot of things we needed worse than a "kiddie car". Believe me, they have kicked themselves a lot over the years for not keeping it. I do have pictures of me with the car. Didn't get another one until a few years ago when my husband and I bought a white '72 Vette.
I too have one of these little guys. I had it painted in Artic Blue with silver cove and a red interior to match my real '57 restored Vett., which I sold about 6 years ago
To the best of my knowledge there were only about 200 or so Vetts painted with this color combination in '57.
What I need help with is finding a good grille bar. The one I have is curved which does not fit the body, and it is not chrome plated.
I'm afraid I'll break the bar if I try to fit it to the car. Is there any one out there that makes parts for these cars?
Thanks for your help.
I too have this '56 peddle Corvette and I have had it restored. The body is styreen and very brittle after 55 years. The restorer used fiberglass underneath to stablize the body to prevent it from cracking any further. I too have 2 missing chrome pieces, the bumper under the parking light and the bumper gard that is below the grille. I would appreciate contact information for the metal worker that reproduced yours. The sheet metal workers that I have contacted are unable to reproduce the compound curves of those 2 pieces. I am also having difficulty finding white license plate reflectors. One is lost and the other is clouded after all these years. I have replace them with amber until I find white. This car has been in our family since it was new and the body was cast in white styreen and the waffle seat was cast in red styreen. The steering wheel was painted red, and the wheels were red with white outer ring. All of the bright metal was chrome plated except the actual grill bar,which I believe was cast aluminum, like the steering wheel. In the restoration I had the grill bar chrome plated since the original Corvette had a bright grill. The steering wheel originally was all red but I had it sanded and brushed and only the rim painted red to look more like the full size Corvette. The windshield and the rocker panels had a plastic bright trim which seemed identical to door edge gard. There was no color on the body and no bright metal side trim. For my restoration, I replated all of the metal pieces, painted the grill recess black to enhance the grill bar and bezel. I painted the cockpit red ( the dash board and side panels as well as the seat) and used a flexible chrome to outline the front wheel wells and cove. I painted the cove red also. The under-carrage I gave a coat of flat black just to even it out. I did have to replace 2 of the gears in the peddle box. The original gears were nylon and lost a few teeth after being driven by my sister and my 2 kids. Now my grand kids will enjoy an easy peddle. The car has 2 forward gears and neutral. The gears in the rear box survived well. I am very pleased with the end result. It looks so great that I may not let the grands drive it.
I've owned my 56 kiddie corvette since 1984 and have done extensive research on it since then. Early 56's did not have side chrome trim. The trim was available later and came in a GM box. Later 56's and 57's came with the side trim attached The kiddie Corvettes were used in promotions and sold at dealerships for $37.50. In 1957 the Corvettes were also available at some toy stores. Ive heard that the ones sold in toy stores have a decal that states Kiddie Corvette, not Chevrolet Corvette like the dealers models, but I've never seen a Kiddie Corvette decal except on repros that were done about 15 or so years ago. I believe the repros were available thru Corvette Central. I have 2 promotional posters and a 3rd. reproduction that were used at the dealership in 1956. I sure wouldn't mind having the contest box that was listed earlier. By the way the original windshield is vinyl similar to convertible back window plastic with a slight yellow tint, and the windshield trim can be replaced with door edge trim. The windshield screwed into holes at the windshield's bottom. There is no trim on the bottom of the windshield only on the top. Besides the posters that I have and the contest box I'd love to have, there is also a merchandise kit for the dealer. During speed weeks at Daytona in 1956 the children of the race drivers and officials raced kiddie corvettes at the beach. I have a short video of the race and a newspaper clipping discribing it. They also had a display truck with 10 kiddie Corvettes displayed on it and had a wishing well contest were several of these cars were given away during speed weeks. I have an extensive collection of '56 Chevrolet promotional items and the little Corvette is my favorite. Thanks for all the cool posts!
The foremost authority on the Eska "Kiddie Corvette" is GM licensed model car pattern-maker John Arnold. He runs a company called JAM, Inc. (short for John Arnold Models) in Los Angeles and has restored a dozen "Kiddie Corvettes" over the past 10 years. JAM has replicated nearly all the Vette's unique parts and some have turned up on eBay. There is someone selling their replacement windshield on eBay right now for $99 a pop.
I had one of the 56 Chevrolet pedal cars as a child since my dad worked for Chevrolet. My understanding is only one was issued to each dealer. I also understand collectors will pay several thousand dollars for complete ones. They are rare and if you have one dont let anyone steal it from you with a low ball price. The orgiinal are work big cash.
So what would the value of one of these Corvette Kiddie be for fair or good condition with no restoration done? Thanks.
I was given one of these pedal cars by my father when I was five years old. His best friend was a Chevrolet dealer, and he was able to talk him out of it for me. I LOVED my little car, and drove it daily until my older, much larger, cousin came to visit and wrecked it. Instead of trying to repair it, my father trashed it breaking my little corvette heart! I have just recently found out that there are still some of these out there. I have always wanted to find one. Anybody know of anyone who is willing to sell theirs??? THANKS!
I recently purchased a 1956 Corvette Kiddie Car and enjoyed reading everyone's comments and questions. My car also needs parts that the above car owners are talking about. If anyone has information on a windshield and frame, I would appreciate the information. Also, the above talked about someone making a front bumper piece. If there is anyone out there making these, I would be interested in talking to you. Does anyone have any information regarding a seat for mine is broken.
If your still interested I have (2) sets of origional dashboard decal sets for your Corvette. one set is red the other set is white both over chrome. They are In perfect condition! The sets include Speedo, Pass side grill, Fuel, Temp, Batt, Oil, Clock, (6) knobs & a grill. The decal set says "Pedal Classics" by G I Harp 1957 Corvette version #4.
I am interested in getting more information. Please email me at 55mgw57@gmail.com thanks!
Hi best thing to do is get the parts u dont have then put it away or on display
clean it polish it and admire it cause in time to come that car will be a very very rare item,im Australian never seen one
here onlu photos from the US
amazing car so i would hang on to it as is.
Just my opinion.
Cheers.Garry