William Howard Mock

On May 10, 2010, I received a letter from Bill Locke and David Burroughs stating that I was one of the first ten inductees to be inducted into The Great Hall at Bloomington Gold. What was this all about, why me, what did I do, who is Bill Mock and who the hell cares? I contacted Bill and David to find out why I was even considered to deserve this recognition. I was told that I was among the first ten people selected to be inducted into The Great Hall out of a total of 120 people and the vote for me was unanimous. What an honor! I was told that I needed to write a bio about myself and tell my story from the beginning to the present. I hate things like this! I am a keeper of things so I started looking through my old files and pictures and the flood of memories came rushing back. SO HERE IS MY STORY! MY EARLY YEARS My interest in cars began as a young boy. My father had me help him whenever he worked on his cars and told me that it would save me a lot of money down the road. As a Cub Scout in 1953, one of my projects was to make a scrapbook of the 1953 automobiles. The highlight of my scrapbook was a press release announcing the 1953 Corvette that appeared in Newsweek magazine(which I still have). I was building models of World War Il airplanes at the time. My first two car models that I built were of the new Corvette and the 1951 Buick LeSabre concept convertible. What neat cars! Every fall I would go to the new car dealerships to see the new cars and pick up the new car brochures especially the Corvette brochures(which I still have). I would read all the magazine articles and road tests that I could about the Corvettes. There was much fanfare with the new cars; the BIG Three were always trying to outdo one another. The biggest excitement that I can recall was the 1963 Corvette split window coupe and the 1965 Corvette with disc brakes and the 1967 Corvette. I remember waiting in line at the dealership when the new Corvettes were unveiled and waiting my turn to sit in them. What a thrill! I knew one day that I would own one. My first car was a 1966 Ford Sunliner convertible with a 292 V-8 engine and stick shift that I bought for $700.00 in December 1960. The car that I really wanted was a triple black 1956 Chevrolet convertible with a 265 V-8 engine and stick shift but it was $900.00 and I only had $700.00. I ruined Christmas eve of 1960 by putting a clutch in the Ford and tracking grease on my mother's carpet. Years later this was the Christmas that my parents always remembered! This was my first and only Ford! When I graduated from high school in 1962, I was lusting for a 1962 Corvette but my Corvette dreams were put on hold as my college education was more important. My next two cars in college were a 1957 Pontiac Starchief convertible that I paid $700.00 for followed by a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door post that I paid $350.00 for. 1966 was supposed to be the last year of the Sting Ray body style and 1967 was supposed to be the new body style based on the Mako Shark show car with a coupe with a targa roof and a convertible. But GM fooled us and due to design problems the new body style was delayed until 1968. GM revamped the 1966 Corvette with minor changes for the better and released the 1967 Corvette as we know it. Sales of the 1967 Corvette were slow at first as the public was expecting the new body style. Sales gradually picked up and a total of 22,940 units were produced(down from 27,720 units in 1966). I fell in love with the 1967 Corvette! 1967 was a big year for me! I purchased my first Corvette, graduated from college, enlisted in the United States Air Force and got married. I was ready to order a new 1967 350hp327 Corvette coupe when I learned of a 1966 Corvette convertible that was for sale. It was seven months old with 3,800 miles on it and was a 390hp427 with side exhaust and air conditioning. The owner wanted $4,400.00 for it. I really did not want a convertible or a 427 engine but went to look at it and test drove it on Friday March 31,1967. I made the owner an offer of $3,600.00 that I knew he would refuse as I really did not want a big block convertible. He came down to $4,000.00 but I said no as I would rather order a new 1967 if I was going to have to pay that price. I told him that my offer of $3,600.00 was good until the following week when I would place an order for a new 1967. He called me up on Sunday evening April 2,1967 and said that he would take my offer. So on Monday April 3,1967 I purchased my first Corvette! Not exactly what I wanted but for the price I couldn't complain. In May 1967 I graduated from Oklahoma State University with a bachelors degree in mathematics and was hired as a computer programmer by Phillips Petroleum Company in Bartlesville, OK. On Saturday July 8,1967 I met my future wife at the A&W Drive-in in Bartlesville. I was in my 1966 Corvette and she parked next to me in her 1965 Nassau blue Corvette convertible. I had been trying to catch her for the previous two weeks but she was always driving in the opposite direction from me. I asked her out on a date to go "Corvetting" the next evening to Tulsa for dinner and a show. In October 1967 the draft started breathing down my neck so I decided to enlist in the United States Air Force. In early December 1967 I had driven my 1966 Corvette to Miami,FL where my parents lived as I was awaiting orders to report from the Air Force. On Sunday evening December 3,1967 I called Carolyn and proposed to her and she accepted. I flew back to Oklahoma and on Saturday December 9,1967 Carolyn and I were married and it has been Corvettes ever since. We took a 3,000 mile honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls in Carolyn's Corvette(Oklahoma to Niagara Falls to Miami). Everything that we owned was in the back of her Corvette! The only problem that we had on the whole trip was the alternator bearing went bad in the alternator. We got it repaired at the Chevrolet dealership in Gettysburg, PA for at total of $5.00(parts and labor). LIFE WAS GOOD! I finally got my orders to report to the Air Force and on January 11,1968 I entered active military service at Coral Gables, FL. Carolyn and I had been married for 33 days. It was a sad day! I was flown to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX for basic training. After basic training, Carolyn drove her 1965 Corvette from Miami to San Antonio to join me. Because my scores on the Air Force aptitude tests were all 95 (the highest that you could get) and my education and experience in computer programming, I did not have to go to tech school. I went direct duty as a programming specialist to the 835*h Combat Support Group assigned to the 23d Tactical Fighter Wing("The Flying Tigers") of the Tactical Air Command. Our mission was to train the pilots on the Republic F105G Thunderchief ("Wild Weasel") for combat missions over North Vietnam. The nickname of the F-105 was "Thud" because that was the noise that it made when it hit the ground when it crashed. The F105G had a top speed of 1,387 mph; slightly faster than a Corvette! My duty was to maintain the programs involving the aircraft maintenance and operations records and the pilots flight logs. My pay was $99.00/month and Carolyn's allotment was $125.00/month(at Phillips my salary was $660.00/month and Carolyn's was $450.00/month). Although we did not have much money, these were some of the best times that we had! LIFE WAS STILL GOOD! MOCK AUTO SPECIALTIES - CORVETTES After the Air Force and a semester in graduate school, I returned to Phillips Petroleum Company in February 1971. I always wanted a Corvette coupe so I purchased a 1965 Corvette coupe in late 1971 from the president of the Tulsa Vette Set. Carolyn drove it to work one day and her boss fell in love with it and had to have it. So I sold it to him and made a profit. In early 1972 most 1953-1967 Corvettes were selling for $1,000.00 to $2,000.00. I started buying and selling them and got a Oklahoma dealer's license for $26.00 to be legal. I liked the 1963-1967 Corvettes the best and in particular the 1967 Corvette as I felt that it was the best Corvette made. I was obsessed with them and would read, study and research everything that I could about them. The hot item was a 1963 split window coupe and a 1967 Corvette 327 air coupe. You could not give a big block Corvette away; no one wanted them. Carolyn and I would go out on Corvette buying trips, clean and detail them and check them out mechanically. I also enjoyed flying out to buy a Corvette and driving it back to Oklahoma (Corvettes were supposed to be driven weren't they?). I would price them for $300.00 to $500.00 more than what I paid for them and hope to get a close offer. It was like picking money off a tree! I would advertise in the Tulsa newspapers and nationally in Hemmings Motor News and Vette Vues Magazine. By 1973 I had sold over 100 Corvettes. I was working during the day at Phillips and was up to midnight working on Corvettes and talking to people all over the country about Corvettes. By 1975 I had a five year plan that by 1980 I would no longer be working for Phillips as I was eating, breathing and living Corvettes. I quit Phillips in October 1977 and never looked back! LIFE WAS GOOD! MOCK AUTO SPECIALTIES - PARTS In 1974 I started selling Corvette parts at car shows and advertised nationally in Hemmings Motor News and Vette Vues Magazine. I started a mail order business in 1976 by selling original Corvette hose clamps and Corvette t-shirts and in 1978 added original rebuilt Corvette water pumps. I would have people trade me a FI set-up even-up for a carb set-up (people did not know how to work on a Fl unit) or people would trade me "three headaches" (1967-69 tri-power set-ups) for a four barrel set-up or they would trade a set of knock-off wheels for a set of stock steel wheels and hubcaps because the knock-offs were dangerous and might come off. If you were lucky a Fl unit would sell for $200.00-$300.00, tri-powers for $200.00-$250.00 and a set of five knock-off wheels with hammer for $250.00-$300.0. But, no one wanted them; you couldn't hadly give them away. So, I had FI units, tri-power set-ups and knock-off wheels stacked like cord wood. Kind of like money in the bank; let it sit there and see what happens! What a deal! LIFE WAS GOOD! SAVE THE WAVE! In the 1970's Corvettes were inexpensive and fun; cheap gas, bell bottoms, big hair and disco were in. Corvettes were more than a means of transportation to and from work and running errands. Carolyn and I would go on one day trips and vacations in our Corvette and go on Corvette picnics and road trips with Corvette friends. "Save the Wave" was the Corvette motto; wave only at other Corvette drivers. The must have Corvette publications of the 1970's were: "Corvette News" magazine, editor Joe Pike of General Motors. Every new Corvette owner got a welcome kit including a free subscription. Karl Ludvigsen's book in 1973, "Corvette - America's Star Spangled Sports Car - The Complete History". What a great book! I read it over and over! "Vette Vues Magazine", editor Jim Prather. Full of articles on Corvettes, shows, Corvettes and parts for sale and wanted, etc. I could hardly wait for the next issue! "Vette Super Shopper" by Bill and Pat Carlson. Corvettes and parts for sale and wanted. Michael Antonick's pocket book in 1978, "The Corvette Black Book". Numbers, facts, options, colors, etc. Every Corvette enthusiast had to have one in his hip pocket! Some 1970's Corvette show promoters were: John and Shirley White, Byron Cooper, Bob McDorman and Don Cooper. Some 1970's Corvette parts vendors were: Terry Michaelis, Mike Yager, Eckler's, James Neuffer, Al Fierke, Richard Fortier, J.T.Piper, Bud Caley and Dan Lekander. Some 1970's Corvette dealers were: Terry Michaelis, Bob Wingate, Bill Jacobs, Richard Buxbaum, Bob McDorman, Ray's Corvettes, Lincoln's Corvettes and Eastside Motors. Some 1970's Corvette restorers were: Ken and Gary Nabor, Tim Burke, Roy England and Bill Fellers. Some 1970's Corvette collectors were: Jim and Sherry Krughoff, Jerome Shinkay, Chip Miller and Bob McDorman. Some Corvette people that I respected in the 1970's: David Burroughs, Chip Miller, Bill Locke, M.F. Dobbins, Dale Smith, Mike Hanson, Bob Jorjorian, Noland Adams, Sam Folz, John Amgwert, Gary Mortimer and Bill Wilhelm to name a few although there are many more. And my hat off to Zora Duntov, Vince Piggins and Joe Pike of General Motors! What a fun, neat car! LIFE WAS GOOD! CLEANY, CHROMEY, PAINTY (Non-stock, Clean, Chromed Corvette) In the mid-1970's I would show my Corvettes at local shows in the original stock class. At the smaller shows, I would do okay but at the larger NCCC(National Council of Corvette Clubs) it was a different story. It was a witch hunt for dirt(Corvettes were cleaned with Q-tips), who had the best paint, best interior, etc. I showed my original unrestored 6,000 mile 1967 435/427 Corvette coupe(it was a GM promotional car assigned to Ralph Miller of GM) at the 1975 Southern States Corvette Show(NCCC) in Oklahoma City and came in last. After the show a lot of people came up to me and said that I had the best car there! In 1976 I showed my original unrestored 1967 "Shriner" Corvette convertible and came in Th out of seven cars. I asked one of the judges what did I need to do to compete and was told that I needed to strip the original paint off, block sand the body("Save the Wave" had a new meaning; do not block sand the waves out of the fiberglass) and have a perfect paint job put on; chrome this and paint that; modify this and that; put mag wheels on it; etc. Because Corvettes were cheap, a lot of them were modified with spoilers, fender flares, paint jobs, changed engines or stripped down for racing. This was very upsetting to me that a person would take a pure stock Corvette and trash it! But what could be done about it? LIFE WAS NOT SO GOOD! NATIONAL CORVETTE RESTORERS SOCIETY (a step in the right direction) NCRS evolved from the Classic Corvette Club(1953-1955 Corvettes only) and was formed in June 1974 by seven of the members from the Classic Corvette Club. NCRS was founded on the principal of the preservation and restoration of 1953-1962 Corvettes in their original condition. I learned of the National Corvette Restorers Society in August 1974 and became a member on September 1,1976(I still have my cancelled check for $10.00 membership dues). Carolyn and I drove our 1962 Corvette to the NCRS St. Louis meet on the second weekend of October 1974. The meets had a show, small swap meet, tour of the Corvette plant, trip to Bush Gardens and an awards banquet. Our 1962 Corvette received the first place award for the 1961-62 class(no such thing as flight judging). On January 30, 1975 NCRS had grown to 337 members and membership numbers were assigned(I am member #93). In 1978 the mid-year 1963-67 Corvettes were admitted for judging. I was asked to help write the original 1965-67 NCRS judging sheets and updates and served as 1965-67 Judging Forms Team Leader. The first national meet where the mid-years were judged was at the 1978 Flint Michigam meet the week following the 1978 Bloomington Corvette Corral. At NCRS national and regional shows I would participate by showing, judging, parts vendor, technical advisor, special display, etc. In 1979 I helped form the Oklahoma Chapter of NCRS and served as Vice President and then President. LIFE WAS GOOD! BLOOMINGTON CORVETTE CORRAL John and Shirley White held the first Bloomington Corvette Corral at the fair grounds in Bloomington, IL in June 1973. By June 1974 it had doubled in size. I had to check out this show. In June 1975, Bill Wilhelm and I drove to Bloomington in my 1974 Vega station wagon. We had never seen so many Corvettes and parts in one place! We were in Corvette heaven! I checked out the Corvette show and decided that I would show my 6,000 mile 1967 435/427 Corvette coupe there in June 1976 and also get a vendor space in the swap meet. In the spring of 1976 I received a telephone call from a David Burroughs from Bloomington, IL. He had heard about me and that I liked 1967 Corvettes and said that he liked them also. We found that we had the same concerns about the direction that the Corvette hobby was going and something had to be done about it. I said that I was going to show my 1967 Corvette coupe at the Bloomington Corvette Corral show in June and he said that he was going to show his 1967 Corvette coupe there also. We met in person at the show on Sunday morning. It was a long hot day! At the end of the day my 1967 Corvette took first place in the original unrestored 1967 Corvette class and David's 1967 Corvette took first place in the original restored 1967 class. MY 1967 Corvette finally got the recognition that it deserved! LIFE WAS REALLY GOOD! NATIONAL CORVETTE CERTIFICATION BOARD In April of 1977 David Burroughs purchased a red 1965 "396" Corvette coupe from me. He flew down to drive it home and was like a kid at Christmas with a new toy! Naturally, all we talked about was Corvettes and our concerns. The 1977 Bloomington Corvette Corral was just more of the same judging; a competition between Corvettes for a first, second or third place award. The system was broke and something had to be done! In the fall of 1977 through the spring of 1978 there were many brain storming telephone conversations between David and myself. One national Corvette publication in 2007 said that Bloomington Gold judging was the brainchild of David Burroughs and Bill Mock; but it was a collective effort between David, myself and other Corvette people whose opinion David respected. The basic premise was that a Corvette should be judged in the original condition that it left the factory, no better and no worse. Up to this point each Corvette competed against other Corvettes in it's class for a first, second or third palce award. This new system of judging leveled the playing field. The new system awarded points for the cars condition as compared to when it left the factory whether it was an all original low mileage unrestored Corvette or a frame-off restored Corvette. Based upon the total number of points awarded the Corvette could receive a Gold, Silver, Bronze or no certificate. If all Corvettes in a class scored enough points to qualify for a Gold Cetificate, then all were awarded a Gold Certificate. With this new system of judging, the National Corvette Certification Board was formed with 30 judges that David hand selected(including myself) to judge at the 1978 Bloomington Corvette Corral. There was a good turnout of Corvettes to be judged at this premier event. As I recall, I along with "Stretch" Zimmerman and M.F. Dobbins judged 25 1965-67 Corvettes. It was a long hot day but in the end it was a most gratifying experience. The end result of all the Corvettes judged was that there were very few Gold Certified, some Silver Certified, many Bronze Certified and a few non-certified. Side Note: (NUMBERS, NUMBERS, NUMBERS. In the late 1970's- early 1980's I started seeing more and more Corvette engines that did not have the original engine numbers(matching serial number and engine code) stamped on the engine pad. These restamps were pretty obvious at the time. I had already started a reference book of ain for future reference and kent adding to it with rubbings from Corvettes that I knew had original engines. As time went on restamps got better and better. I started making rubbings of the engine pads of the engines that I judged at Bloomington and putting the rubbing on the engine sheet. People wondered what I was doing! I would compare the rubbing to my reference book to see if it appeared to be a factory stamping or a detectable restamp. Eventually there was a separate judging sheet for engine numbers, VIN plate and trim tag and a separate stamp judging team. A Corvette with any one of these altered would subject that Corvette to be not eligible for a GOLD Certificate no matter how high the judging score was.) For the next 24 years I judged 1967 Corvettes for the NCCB at Bloomington as engine judge, stamp judge, senior stamp judge and Survivor judge and contributed to judging sheet revisions and updates to help improve the NCCB judging system. I also was a parts vendor, participated in workshops and showed in the Special Collection. After judging in 2003, I retired from Bloomington Gold after 25 years of judging. LIFE IS GOOD! LOOKING BACK It seems fitting to thank my parents for my upbringing and my wife, Carolyn, for her support. I've had the honor of meeting and knowing many Corvette friends. I've had the privilege of owning some of the finest and rarest Corvettes produced but the best have always been the 1967 Corvettes. I was lucky to have a job that I really enjoyed! Over the years I helped write and was a technical consultant for many articles about Corvettes, in particular 1963-67 Corvettes, that appeared in many Corvette and automobile publications. The most memorable Corvette shows for me were the Bloomington Corvette Corral in 1975 and 1976, Bloomington Corvette Corral in 1978 (first year of NCCB certification), Bloomington Gold in 1988("Earthquake '88!"(Shock and Awe)), Bloomington Gold in 1992("Celebration '67!" (25th anniversary of the 1967 Corvette)), NCRS St. Louis Meet in 1974, NCRS National Meet in Flint,MI in 1978 and Knoxville Corvette Expo in 1979 and 1990. Years ago it was said of me, "You have a great mind Mock; FOR TRIVIA" and "Bill Mock - Whether you like him or not, he will tell you the way it is, whether you like it or not!" It has been a long wild ride with many fond memories that I would not trade for anything! LIFE IS GOOD! THE PRESENT Although I am "retired", I still have my used car dealer's license and sell a car occasionally and still sell rebuilt Corvette water pumps. In September 2009 I became an authorized Pace American trailer dealer. To date, no one has asked me if a trailer has the original engine with matching numbers! Carolyn is an accomplished wildlife and western artist (Mock Art Studio) and I help her with her business and shows. I have gone full circle and am ending with what I started with: I still have my first Corvette and my first wife!!!!!! LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!!! Happy Convertting! Bill Mock