January 2012

Candy’s Dream

Tom Stinnett #10180433 • Fort Wayne, IN

Photos by Jim Knight

Ever since I could drive, I’ve always had this dream of owning a ’55. Like most people, I had to wait until I could afford to buy one. When CCI had their 1997 summer convention here in Fort Wayne, IN I took my wife, Candy, to see all the Tri-Fives. That was all it took to give her the bug. It wasn’t until 1999 that we found our classic Chevy. While coming home from a local show we drove past a car lot and saw two Tri-Fives sitting there. I went back the next day and made an offer on this ‘55 and ended up bringing it home. Continue reading →

A New Year – A New Look

By Robert Snowden

It’s always nice to see a new year roll around. It’s like getting a fresh new start but I’m not big on “New Year Resolutions.” I figure at my age there’s not much hope for changing things in my life! 2012 promises to be another great year for Chevy Classics magazine and for our worldwide membership!

We plan to make every 2012 issue of Chevy Classics something special. To start 2012 off to a fresh new beginning, we’ve made a few changes. The first change that should have been obvious is our new Chevy Classics front cover masthead. Diane Bryan of our art department worked hard to create this new masthead for 2012. Her goal was to design a masthead that was new and bold yet retain the Classic Chevy look. I feel she did both.

We’re working hard to bring you more stories and photos about the cars you love. And we’ll continue to expand our coverage of Camaros, Chevelles and El Caminos too!

I would be happy to hear what your feelings are, should you have any, on both of these new changes for 2012. Send your emails to robert.snowden@ecklers.net. Or you may call me at 321-269-9680 (ext 1432).

1955-1972 Cowl Tags – A Review

By Alan L. Colvin

I’m sure that for many of you “Cowl Tag” information is old hat. But surprising as it might seem, this information is the most often asked-for information at Chevy Classics. Not a week goes by that we do not receive a telephone call, e-mail or letter asking us to decode a cowl tag!  For those of you who have seen this many times, please bear with us as we once again provide this vital information. Due to the massive amount of (model, paint & trim) information, we will only be presenting how to decode this tag – for more detailed information consult additional sources such as the Classic Chevy Tech Book (cowl tag information) or Chevrolet by The Numbers by Alan Colvin.  

This aluminum plate is riveted to the cowl. For 1955/1956 cars it is found on the top of the cowl on the passenger’s side. The 1957 first design cowl tags can be found on the cowl toe panel just to the driver’s side of center. The 1957 second design cowl tags can be found on the cowl just under the heater control valve (the 1957 cowl tags themselves do not have different designs, the positions are different). The tag is 2 1/2″ wide and almost 4″ long. It contains seven main areas of information. The 1955/1956 cowl tags for air conditioned cars are on the driver’s side.

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