68-72 questions from newby

[stall]

I am thinking of purchasing a 68-72 Corvette (3rd childhood sort of thing) and while ive looked at some obvious junk i ampretty sure i will find one in Florida (winter in Delray) as there is a very large dealer in Pompano Bch. My question is about the possibility of a coupe. Ive been told that 68-72 T-tops have a removable rear window , is that true? It might change my mind about only wanting a conv. I have already limited my search to 4-speeds on the basis of "lets have a real toy". Any info on this question , dealers or anything pertinent to these cars would be greatly appreciatedby this newby Best Regards , Murray
Murray Stahl <stahlwerk1@aol.com>

 

[Eric]

First of all, welcome to the CAC! Great place, great cars, great community. We like to think it's the best little Corvette website going!

Secondly, you are correct about the removable back glass. All 68-72 coupes had t-tops and a removable back glass. I would advise that you do all of the research you can on these cars before you buy. There are tons of books about covettes out there, check in The Corvette Portal for starters. Get yourself a Corvette Black book and Corvette Buyers Guide, they give you a good overall understanding. There is also and out-of-print book called the VetteVues Fact Book 1968-72 that is great and can be found occasionslly on ebay. Education is key, get out and find local cruise nights and talk to owners - nothing we love more than to talk about our cars so walk right up and state your case. Most owners will gladly give you first hand advise on what to look for.

There are several FLA members who may know about dealers in your area.

Also, here are some links to previous threads about others looking and some of the things to look out for:

Thread on frame rust - very common problem
Basket Cases

Best of luck in your quest and keep us posted. Let us know what you see and any questions that come up.

 

[Yoda]

Murray~Welcome to The Corvette Action Center Community~

Gee a "Third" childhood... .. to the business about 68~72 Corvettes.

The 1968 was the first year of the T-Top Corvette (Coupe). From 1968 ~ 1972 Corvettes had a front and rear Chrome metal bumper outer covering. Most times they are refered to as "Chrome Bumper Corvettes" or just plain "Bumper Corvettes". ALL 1968 ~ 1972 Corvettes were either built as a Convertible or as a T-Top (Coupe). Engine options were pretty good back then, you could get some really nice combo's all the way up to a 454 cid or a 427 cid @ 435 bhp in 1969. For specific quanity built for each you check out our specifications pages for numbers and options.

I'm not real sure of the last year of the removalbe rear window, I think it was 1972, but I'm not real sure. Also I think the 1972 was the first of the SHARKs to NOT HAVE Fiber Optics for instrumentation in the console.

Make as many Car Shows as possible, if they are all Corvette so much the better, but there you will see them and be able to talk to the owners. This may give you some ideas and where to look, and what to look out for.

Good Luck in search, please keep us updated as you progress in you search for your "3rd Childhood Toy"

 

[69MyWay]

Welcome to CACC.

There are quite a few dealers in Florida. It is really hard to say which one will best serve your needs. I have seen good clean cars and junk cars on all the lots.

Rust is a major problem. Having been there, done that, I can tell you that you really want to be picky about what you buy. Not to mention, there are many "tricks of the trade" out there to patch things over just long enough to get the cars sold.

We have a local dealer in Jacksonville that is also in Illinois I think. They go by Ideal Corvettes. Right now they have an awesome 69 convertible four speed with the 427 in a kind of steel blue color. It is not show quality, but looks like a nice driver.

Let us know when you get one, and please post some pictures so we can all enjoy it.