C3 Advice

[mhc64]

The weather finally got nice so I thought I'd take a picture of my 69 I bought last month. The car looks nice but needs little things done to it. It is a matching number 350. I was wondering if I could get a little advice. One of the previous owners turned it into a Mako Clone. Is it worth changing the front end back to original stock and if so what is the best way to do it? Any idea what type of budget I need to do it?

Thanks for the help.

 

[BBShark]

It looks like the headlights are just glassed in and someone has added lips to the fenders. Should be pretty easy to do. Fiberglass work, replace the headlights and paint.

 

[paintdaddy]

It looks like if you change the front end youll also need to get rid of the rear wheel well flares to match.

 

[Jack]

Is it worth changing the front end back to original stock ... ? Thanks for the help.

It looks like a very nice car, you should be very proud of it ... if not, why not sell it & get what you want? ... again, a very nice looking '69 ... but I don't think a reversion would be worth it.
JACK:gap

 

[Erik S. Klein]

It looks like the headlights are just glassed in and someone has added lips to the fenders. Should be pretty easy to do. Fiberglass work, replace the headlights and paint.

You can see that?!?! Wow!

I'd guess you are right but there are also the front grills and related parts to be dealt with.

I suspect that it's only "worth it" if you really want the car to be stock. I.e. if you intend to get it judged at NCRS type meets then you'll want to go back to the factory look.

Otherwise, if you liked it enough to buy it, why spend to change it now? You'll always have an opportunity later when the paint is tired or after you've enjoyed the car for a few seasons.

As for budget, you could spend $10K or more on top-notch paint and body work alone, plus the parts needed to bring it back to stock (headlight buckets and motors, front grills, etc.) although a lesser job could be cheaper.

Good luck!

 

[mhc64]

Thanks, I really like the way it looks. It is just different enough to make it my own unique Vette. It just looks unfinished. Is there an aftermarked supplier that sells grill parts for the clone? I'd really like it to look complete, one way or the other.

 

[GTR1999]

If you want a stock looking vette buy one, drive this as is and enjoy it. It would cost a ton to convert unless you do all the work- spend it on gas instead.

 

[dracor1117]

If you like it, then leave it. As far as a finished look, there are probably hundreds of little things you can do to dress or change the look. Again, since it is your vette, looking finished is up to you. Enjoy it for a while before deciding what you want to do with it.

 

[Evolution1980]

I agree with everyone here. Unless you really want it back to stock for judging, leave it. In this case, I wouldn't put that much consideration into the "matching numbers" idea.
Coming from someone that's not 'matching #'s, unless your main/only goal is NCRS, I think having the numbers is too heavily weighted, bordering on clichéd nowadays. A later C3 with matching numbers that doesn't run worth a damn isn't likely going to be worth as much as a non-matching that runs beautifully. But it all comes down to "what's it worth to you?"
You seem more impressed with the body style than the number's matching aspect. Don't revert the body.

 

[mrvette]

The ONLY conceivable reason my may want to revert to the ugly stock system is for some imaginary STATE inspection requirement, for instance, that car would be not legal for driving in Maryland...would not pass state inspection....headlight height requirement....IF your state has an issue with that, you will have to change it to get tags...

Maryland inspects ONLY on car purchase, not every year, so a freind had one similar to yours and could drive it in Md....but not get it re registered in Md.....

any state without 'safety inspections' will not care much about the headlight height...

GENE

 

[mhc64]

Thanks for all of the great input. I'm learning more about Corvettes all of the time. The only reason I mentioned the engine and #'s was that if it was a big block I thought it might give some bearing as to whether it was worth going back to stock. I'm looking forward to working on it and driving it .

 

[JJS]

You said you like the way it looks, so keep it that way. As long as you like it, that's all that really matters. I think it looks very nice! Also, keep in mind that silver is a very difficult color to match up. You may wind up having to paint the whole car once you start mucking with the paint. -John

 

[en2burrell]

The ONLY conceivable reason my may want to revert to the ugly stock system is for some imaginary STATE inspection requirement, for instance, that car would be not legal for driving in Maryland...would not pass state inspection....headlight height requirement....IF your state has an issue with that, you will have to change it to get tags...

Maryland inspects ONLY on car purchase, not every year, so a freind had one similar to yours and could drive it in Md....but not get it re registered in Md.....

any state without 'safety inspections' will not care much about the headlight height...

GENE

I agree with Gene. The headlight height requirement may be a problem in your state. Years ago in Colorado, a friend of mine also had a '69 Vette with similar headlight placement. One day (during daylight hours), a Colorado State Trooper spotted him at an intersection and pulled him over, took out a tape measure and measured the mounting height of his Vette's headlights. Supposedly, Colorado law required a minimum headlight mounting height of 24 inches and my friend's headlights were about 10 inches high. The trooper gave him a written warning to have the discrepency corrected and then have the repair inspected by the authorities within 30 days or his vehicle registration would be suspended. My friend got rid of the Vette shortly thereafter, as the repair cost would have been exhorbitant.

-en2burrell

 

[Evolution1980]

have the discrepency corrected and then have the repair inspected by the authorities within 30 days or his vehicle registration would be suspended. My friend got rid of the Vette shortly thereafter, as the repair cost would have been exhorbitant.

:ugh:cry