The best gifts are the ones that come from the heart.
Sometimes the gift comes in the form of a smile or a kind word. Other times it’s a bit more.
Most would agree Stan Chambers’ gift on January 8th, 2022, would be placed in the “a bit more” category. While the heartwarming story of Stan’s gift has quickly spread among the area’s Corvette faithful, we wanted to hear it for ourselves.
Fortunately, we ran into Stan at the 40th annual SuperVette Saturday All-Corvette show put on by Classic Glass Corvette Club at Day’s Chevrolet in Acworth this year.
Early Love Affair
Rod Worley – Editor – People often tell us they started wanting a Corvette from an early age. Was that the case for you?
Stan Chambers – In my case, that’s certainly true. I’ve loved the ’63 split-window Corvette since I was 18. Before entering the Navy in 1968, I worked at an Oldsmobile car dealership in Harvey, IL.
One day someone came into the dealership and traded their 1963 split-window coupe for an Oldsmobile 442. So, they told me to drive the Corvette from the front to the back lot.
Even though I drove it just that short distance, I fell in love with it right then and there. But I never sat in another one until last year.
Touched My Heart
Rod Worley – Editor – I’ve heard second-hand stories about how you got this Corvette, but could you share how the event unfolded and what it meant to you?
Stan Chambers: So, back on January 8th, 2022, I went to a car show sponsored by Kevin Wallace of Glass Tiger Auto Aesthetics at our First Baptist Church in Woodstock.
My wife and I were walking around the event and noticed a Riverside Red ’63 Corvette split window with its hood up.
A sign on it read, “Favorite Series Car.” Walking around the car with my wife, I started pointing out things I liked about it, including the color. And as I began to walk away, I could see a crowd of people moving toward the car out of my peripheral vision.
One of the people had a microphone and was saying some nice things about somebody and their military service. It was then that I heard the word “Dad.”
I thought that sounded like Jill, my oldest daughter who lives in the New Orleans area. Sure enough, I looked into the crowd, and it was Jill, my son-in-law, Marc, two of my grandkids, and my youngest daughter, Carrie.
Jill and Marc had flown up that morning from New Orleans, had the car delivered to the show, and presented it to me. The whole experience meant so much that I could barely sleep for days.
I can’t begin to tell you how it touched my heart.
Frame-Off Restoration
Before handing the keys over, the stunning ’63 underwent a complete frame-off restoration in 2021. The frame and all steel parts received sandblasting and powder coating to add durability and longevity.
The 327 cubic inch displacement small block had all belts, gaskets, and hoses replaced. In addition, the restoration team changed out the water pump, mechanical fuel pump, and power steering with OEM parts.
Finally, the carburetor received a fresh rebuild and tuning for good measure.
Regarding the undercarriage, the idler arm, tie rod ends, ball joints, and bushing are just a few of the new pieces. When you look over the list of replaced items, it goes on for two full pages, as you would expect from a car of this age.
At the end of the day, Stan received a like-new, roadworthy classic ’63 that turns heads whether cruising down the street or parked at a car show.
Happiness Is Contagious
They say happiness and positive energy are contagious. So even a year after receiving the ’63, we could feel the positive vibes coming from Stan and his non-stop smile.
According to Stan, the best part that keeps him smiling is being able to share the story of a daughter’s love for her dad with others.
We must admit, after talking to Stan, we couldn’t stop smiling either. Funny how that works.
When good things happen to good people, all seems right in the world.
It was easy to see Stan Chambers’ ’63 split-window Corvette was a gift from the heart that keeps giving.
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