Corvette Advice sought....

Viking64

motorhead43026

The 63 split window was the pinnacle of Corvette styling.

motorhead43026

If I had only 20g to spend and did not care about appreciation look for a 68 model. I have seen 427, 4 speed models in this price range. The reason, nobody wants 68's.

nooshinjohn

427 4speed for 20k??? On what planet? These cars are 65k plus all day.

@Tony... the cheapest 308 I have seen pre-dates the Magnum PI Cars by 4 years and still goes for 40k. The ones you speak of go for 65k and up these days. Any less than that and they will need 25k plus put into them just on deferred maintenance.

ZLTFUL

My brother and I owned a 308GTS for a while...even though it was low miles and was well taken care of, it rapidly turned into a money pit which we managed to finally get out from under it by selling it to a local collector who still has it and covered pretty much all of our expenses on the car.
As a "normal" sized American, my biggest complaint beyond the money side was the fact that my feet were too big for the pedal locations and I had a bad habit of clipping the brake pedal when stabbing the gas or the clutch.













That being said, C5s are amazingly good cars for mere mortals.
They are comfortable for a sportscar, the aftermarket world is FULL of goodies for them and they are common enough that the pricing isn't stupid.

I have a buddy (a different one than the ad I sent you) who has a 900hp C5 that he has owned and built for the last 17 years and while it is due for new coilovers (he put some on it shortly after he bought it), it still is a fantastic car to take a weekend trip in and still shocks people on the street and the track (he roadraces it).

motorhead43026

Yes, a 68, 427 390hp, 4 speed that needs a bit of work for $20, 000.00, or less. No way do these bring 65k. You are referring to the 435hp tri power 427's, that demand the larger dollars.


Here are some drivers for around 35,000.00, that look to need nothing.

https://www.carsforsale.com/1968-chevrolet-corvette-for-sale-C1057021

So yeah, the same planet.

Viking64

My brother has a pair of black 1970 Stingrays. (Well, at least one of them is, for sure.) One is a 350 automatic convertible. The other is a 454 4-speed t-top. (With those cool Ferrari Dino "fins" that trail behind the cabin out onto the rear deck.)

They both have been sitting in a garage for 25 years. A few people have looked at them over the years, but nobody wants to offer anything near what he has into them.

I have driven the 350, and the power curve seems to go upwards constantly. It isn't incredibly fast off the line, but from 60-100 it doesn't hesitate one bit.

I have never driven the 454, but I can only imagine what that beast would be like.

I remember around 1990 he sunk a lot of money into the front-end of the convertible. After several trips to a normally reputable shop, it still had issues. The wishbones had more than 10 spacers on each side!

By today's standards, it was quite a rattle-trap, but there is nothing like sitting behind the wheel and having to peer between those huge front fenders.

ZLTFUL

motorhead43026 wrote: »

Yes, a 68, 427 390hp, 4 speed that needs a bit of work for $20, 000.00, or less. No way do these bring 65k. You are referring to the 435hp tri power 427's, that demand the larger dollars.


Here are some drivers for around 35,000.00, that look to need nothing.

https://www.carsforsale.com/1968-chevrolet-corvette-for-sale-C1057021

So yeah, the same planet.

My uncle had a 69 427 Tri Power Stingray in gold...this car but with white guts...


To this day, he talks about this car as the one thing in his life he never should of gotten rid of...heck, he doesn't even talk that way about my aunt that he divorced!

motorhead43026

Yep, many of us have had a car, a woman, or both in our lives that were the ones that got away. We never get over the car.

Toolfan66

If you can't take it to the beach I wouldn't bother..

Viking64

Toolfan66 wrote: »

If you can't take it to the beach I wouldn't bother..

Everything should fit in this.

DaveHo

^ That is hideous & cool all at once

Viking64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DDswtLUhdM

nooshinjohn

Anyone near Boston can drop by and put some eyes on this one for me? The flares on the back need to go but at least the wheel arch appears intact. A ‘65 would be an absolute dream come true and this price appears too good to be true as well

nooshinjohn

I am going to see a 1963 Corvette Fuelie convertible tomorrow. It is essentially a barn find car that has been in SoCal it’s entire life and is original all the way down to the seats. It still retains the numbers matching drivetrain and the rochester f/i unit.

The car has not seen the street in thirty years, and has not run in twenty... what should I look for on this one?

mrbiron

Cup holders.

charley95

The question should be, what should I not look for. Pay up and get a finished one that you can drive. A barn find mid year is a huge undertaking and serious $$ and probably many years to make road worthy again.

NotaSuv

lol with that type of investment its not a matter of asking what to look for, but hiring someone who does know to take a front to rear assessment of the car..good luck in your search...

txcoastal1

Small tank or Big tank original
Will tank have to be replaced

pitdogg2

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I am going to see a 1963 Corvette Fuelie convertible tomorrow. It is essentially a barn find car that has been in SoCal it’s entire life and is original all the way down to the seats. It still retains the numbers matching drivetrain and the rochester f/i unit.

The car has not seen the street in thirty years, and has not run in twenty... what should I look for on this one?

How badly the mice have ate the wiring harness and everything else and how big are the mice nest's in the heat ducts.. Those things get into everything in vehicles that just sit.

tonyb

pitdogg2 wrote: »

nooshinjohn wrote: »

I am going to see a 1963 Corvette Fuelie convertible tomorrow. It is essentially a barn find car that has been in SoCal it’s entire life and is original all the way down to the seats. It still retains the numbers matching drivetrain and the rochester f/i unit.

The car has not seen the street in thirty years, and has not run in twenty... what should I look for on this one?

How badly the mice have ate the wiring harness and everything else and how big are the mice nest's in the heat ducts.. Those things get into everything in vehicles that just sit.

Good point Ivan, I get mice in my newer cars engine compartment in the winter. Can't imagine one sitting in a barn for years. Those types of cars are for the dudes with a team of guys in a shop, not your run of the mill driveway mechanic. Your basically rebuilding the entire car at that point.

charley95

i know of several guys that have these projects sitting in their garage that haven't been touched in decades. It's always "I'm gonna fix it up one day" type of thing.

pitdogg2

charley95 wrote: »

i know of several guys that have these projects sitting in their garage that haven't been touched in decades. It's always "I'm gonna fix it up one day" type of thing.

It takes stacks of cash to completely do a frame up restoration. If you need to then locate parts that is another monkey chase.

motorhead43026

What do you have to pay, to get too experience what all it needs, 30-35 grand plus towing fee?...LOL

charley95

Rode in a buds 17 Z06 on friday and it has more HP than anyone could ever want. He's owned over 50 Corvettes through the years buying and flipping mid years back in the 80's. He sold his last 66 big block roadster in the early 2000's and while he said it was a great car, he'll never look back to the old ones again. Values are dropping constantly on the late model stuff. With the next generation coming soon with the mid engine, there will be killer deals on C7's.

Think of how much more use a late model would be. These old ones are fun for short drives,local cruise in's... Long drives are not fun in any old Vett. You'd have so much more enjoyment in a late model with more HP than needed.

nooshinjohn

A C3 is where I started out, and still may end up, but a 63 fuelie is a milestone car that will only go way up in value. The only things I am not capable of is laying down the paint and powder coating the frame and other parts that need it. Everything else is a piece of cake, so restoration costs will not be crazy expensive. The goal for now would be to make it run, and I am thinking all the will take is a new intake and carburetor.

I will know more after seeing the car....


**EDIT**
And there is now no car to see. It was sold earlier this morning for less than 30k.

nooshinjohn

txcoastal1 wrote: »

Small tank or Big tank original
Will tank have to be replaced

The “tankers” are all coupes to my understanding, and they made just 199 of them.

WagnerRC

One of my favorite rear ends.

mhardy6647

That body style is (still) my all time favorite -- but -- Philistine that I am, I preferred the single rear window morph to the split rear window morph.

I suppose that the latter just reminds me too much of...

mhardy6647

What's up with the tires on that one? Looks like duallies?!