1970 LT 1 Roadster Question?

[Greg Robertson]

I have the opportunity to buy a 1970 Daytona yellow LT 1.

This car has approximately 100,000 original miles. It has a black top, tan interior, AM/FM, manual steering, stainless steel brakes, ralley wheels, luggage rack, and restored interior. It does not have the tank sticker or the original motor. The original motor was swapped into a Blazer back in the early 80s (I may be able to locate the Blazer that was sold locally in the mid 90s). The gas tank leaked in the 90s and the owner pulled the tank and found what he said was, "A dirty old piece of paper," and he threw it away!

The car still has the TI and is in working order. It has had one repaint, not a high quality one, and you can still faintly read the LT 1 stickers on the hood that were not sanded off before paint. I have no doubt that this is a real LT 1 as it still has the original single 3/8" fuel line without a return line and the 6500 RPM red line tach. It has no power steering, but it does have power brakes. The smog equipment is missing and has headers. It has some vacuum problems, as the headlights and wiper panel operate on their own.

I know the three previous owners and the first guy bought it used in 1974. I can get this car for $10,000 which includes a 400 horse power, 350 cu inch race motor. The car is running and driving and has only been driven 50 miles in the last 20 years. Would this be a good buy? Is there any other location for a build sheet in a 1970?

Any comments or help would be appreciated.

 

[MidShark]

Greg


Welcome to the CAC!
I would say that if the frame is in good shape, slap the LT-1 letters and striping back on the hood, and have a heck of a fun driver! The icing on the cake would be if you could track down and purchase the original motor.
I look at an LT-1 without the original motor the same as I would a '69 Z-28 Camaro- the motor is what "made it" what it was. Don't get me wrong, it's still an LT-1 Corvette or a Z-28 Camaro, it just takes a bigger hit when the original engine is gone, as opposed to what a 270 or 300 HP car would.
And it is a convertible, to boot! So, where could you even find an NOM 270 HP car for that price? You should grab it, or give ME the guys phone number!

Rich

 

[Greg Robertson]

Rich, thanks for the reply, and for welcoming me to this excellent forum.

The '70 has a good frame because the car has been in Ca. most if not all of its life. The race engine was built using mostly Chevrolet parts from the dealership, but I think it would be hard to drive on the street with the gas they sell here in Ca. I belive the engine has 11-1 compression with angle plug heads, and a radical cam.

I hope to find the blazer with the original LT 1, and get this car back to original. I am going to take your advice, and buy the car, I will post a photo sometime next week along with the codes from the data plate.

Thanks again, Greg