Straight-Axle Corvette Enthusiast




Most C1 owners probably recognize this car. A Top Flight 1955 owned by Roy Braatz. Roy manufactured the bubbletop on the car



When Roy Braatz and Noland Adams formed SACE, Roy wrote:

The goal of SACE is to:

1) bring together individulas that have an interest in straight axle cars of all variations,

2) to involve every family member in actively shaping this "hobby" together,

3) to give diffferent judging divisions to different groups of Corvette restorers based upon the extent of "back to original" restoration,

4) most importantly - help you enjoy your old Corvette.




SACE found a niche market - C1 owners who wanted something more than NCRS restoration. Looking thru SACE's quarterly magazine, you will find an interesting blend of articles focused on original parts, technical tips, and car stories. The magazines are very informative - a "must have" for anybody who really enjoys and restores C1's.

The Corvette hobby has a fair number of people who know "alot" about C1's - people who know what C1's looked like originally. Roy is special, however. Like some, Roy has spend countless hours comparing orginal parts to later GM reproduced parts to reproduction parts. But like only a handful of others, Roy has attempted to pass his knowledge on to others thru the written word and pictures. The SACE magazines are a very fertile source of information for C1 owners. And Roy continues on today, offering information about parts on internet chat forums such as the NCRS tech advice page and CorvetteForum.

I have been in the C1 crowd for only a few years, and had no knowledge of C1's at all prior to 2003. Thus, I have found some of Roy's writings to be extremely helpful. With information gleanded from one his internet postings, for example, I successfully restored the gas sender on my 54 Corvette. I suspect that Roy will have a lasting impact on the Corvette hobby, because newcomers like me, who did not grow up with C1's, will learn about these cars from his writings.

Given Roy's willingness to share what he knows, it should come as no surprise that Roy has graciously allowed me to reproduce the SACE magazines and Technical Guide on this website.

Thanks Roy!