Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

[John P.]

Any one out there who has installed a luggage rack on a C2, I would be interested in your advice.

[Leo M.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

I acquired a pretty original 65 coupe with a rack. While useful I did not care for the appearance. I have before and after photos if interested. I have the rack, an original installation sheet and a feature story on these racks from an old Restorer Magazinem

[Paul J.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Any one out there who has installed a luggage rack on a C2, I would be interested in your advice.

John, think about this before you do it. I believe that these were dealer installed options and will get point deductions if you have the car judged. If you decide to go back, the repair will be obvious from underneath.

Now for the practical stuff, how will you put gas in the car with the rack loaded? And I'm not sure about this, but it would seem that the loaded rack would affect your radio reception. Finally, There must be some sort of weight limit considering the mounting points in the center of an unreinforced fiberglass panel.

Now that I've been so negative, I'll try to help. There is/was a couple members of this board who went cross country with a luggage rack on thier C2. One of them has a blue 66 or 67. I looked for the thread that has a picture of this car with a broken rear wheel bearing but I could'nt find it (obviously, the wheel bearing issue had nothing to do with the luggage rack). That post was several years old, maybe you can find it in the archives.

Paul

[John P.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

I acquired a pretty original 65 coupe with a rack. While useful I did not care for the appearance. I have before and after photos if interested. I have the rack, an original installation sheet and a feature story on these racks from an old Restorer Magazinem

Thanks, Leo. Would love to have a copy of your original installation sheet and the Restorer Magazine article, as well as a photo or two of the rack. Would you consider selling the rack?

[John P.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Thanks, Paul. Appreciate your insight. Will look thru the archives.

[Scott P.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

John, A friend of mine built one for his 63 that used a 69 style rack. He used 1/2" or maybe 5/8 OD SS tubing bent to support the rack at the front using his Hardtop deck lid holes and at the rear with a 1" square foot with a rubber pad that rested on each of the bumpers. One piece of tubing on each side of the car that the rack was bolted to. Nothing was done to the car to mount the rack, just used existing holes and bumpers. We used it on our 63 for a weekend trip, plying up the luggage on it, and it worked great. I would be glad to make you a drawing of it if that interests you. Scott

[John P.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

You're kind to offer the drawing and I'll take you up on that offer....thanks, Scott.

[Gerard F.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Now that I've been so negative, I'll try to help. There is/was a couple members of this board who went cross country with a luggage rack on thier C2. One of them has a blue 66 or 67. I looked for the thread that has a picture of this car with a broken rear wheel bearing but I could'nt find it (obviously, the wheel bearing issue had nothing to do with the luggage rack). That post was several years old, maybe you can find it in the archives.

Paul

That's me Paul and the luggage rack is in my avatar on my 67.

The rack is an after-market rack I put on in 69, when stationed in Norfolk and getting ready for discharge from the Navy.

It is a 68-69 rack similar to what is presently sold, and not a dealer installed one which is different for a C2.
I put it on myself and it was easy to do, all you had to is drill the holes in the fiberglass. Back in 69 it was just a car

When I got out of the service in 69, I made the trip from NY to CA with everything I owned in the car and Samsonite luggage on the rack. The rack is still on the car, and thus the sign on the luggage I take to events says "California or Bust 1969"

I found at judging you don't lose too many points. They deduct just for the holes in the fiberglass. Hope they don't change that rule

[Gerald C.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Jerry,

I'm looking to put a correct luggage rack on my 1967 Convertible. I'm planning on using the center spine as my centering mark. I got the center of the rack and it allows the opening of the gas lid. My question to you is how far down from the split of the decklid did you go down? Someone mentioned going down about 5 inches before making the marks for the holes. How far down is your top holes?

Thanks,

Jerry

[James W.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Gerold,

I have the original GM luggage rack installation instructions for the 1965 to 1967 Corvettes. If you are interested, I can send you the sheets.

Regards,

James West

[Mike M.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Gerald: I'd place the rack on the car, center the rear legs of the rack on the rear bumpers. then mark the rear top surround . that's how the rack was positioned on my 65 that previously had the rack installed. good luck. mike

[William F.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Just an opinion but these things look like what you put on the side of a barn to hold hay for a horse, called a "hay manger." please don't mess up the classic rear deck of your corvette.

[Mark E.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Check out the car on the left page. I've seen a lot of '65 Chevys (my first car) but never saw a luggage rack on one.

[Gerald C.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

Mike,

After I receiveed the rack you gave me, I found one that mounted on the car itself without using the bumpers. It's like the rack that Jim West shows in his response to my question on installation. I'm still not sure if I want to install the rack. I'm going to wait and decide later on what I'm going to do. If I decide not to install your old one, I will "pay it forward" to another owner.

Thanks,

Jerry

[James W.]

Re: Installation of period correct luggage rack for C2

There was Restorer article on them about five or six years ago that may help you in your decision. Here some pictures of my '65 with the dealer installed rack. It's been on the car since before we owned it. The instruction sheet was still in the glove box when we bought the car in 1973. The car has had only one repaint back in 1978 and my dad elected to leave the rack on the car since he knew that even if he removed it and glassed in the four mounting holes the repairs would eventually shrink. When I bought the car after he passed away in 2005 I decided to leave it on. The points deducted during flight judging are minimal, plus I could never match the original lacquer paint if I repaired the holes.

P.S. Our horses love it.

James