Great Expectations

[Mac]

Okay, maybe I'm just getting a bit cynical (highly likely, as a matter of fact) but does anyone else think this guy's expectations are a little too high?

1963 SWC- body only

We're not talking about a mint piece here, we're talking about the final remains of a beat-up Vette. There is no engine, frame, chassis whatsoever. There's a few bits of chrome but many finish pieces missing. The current price is $6400 and it still hasn't met the reserve price. Damn!

-Mac

ps: the jig which the body is sitting on isn't included. :eyerole

 

[67HEAVEN]

I especially like the square rear wheel openings.

 

[IH2LOSE]

I can see the value in the car "parts" if it sold at its current price just for the rear split,rear glass,rear glass trim inside and outside.

From that the doors alone are worth 1000.00 for the pair.the other useable parts (not many in site ) add up pretty quick.

The title with the vin plate and trim plate also have there own value.

I can tell you When I purchase my 62 (I am sure you have seen the pictures) I paid a little bit less then what I had sold a Pefectly restored to factory correct standards 1970 mustang Mach 1 for in 1995 ,the new owner of the Mustang took it a national Mustang show and it took 2nd place in its class of over 85 cars.

These vettes bring insane money ,I should of fell in love with corvairs or model TEE'S that are more affourdable

DAMM that 67 435 coupe with side pipes I took a ride in,That was got me hooked on vettes,That one stinken ride has caused me alot of money (and I am still spending)

 

[Mac]

Good points, Larry. If only I coulda fell in love with something less expensive. :eyerole

-Mac

 

[John Mcgraw]

Wow Mac,

I just bought a complete 65 minus the engine and trans for that much! I can't believe that someone would pay that much for that little.


Regards, John McGraw

 

[ArkShark]

These vettes bring insane money ,I should of fell in love with corvairs or model TEE'S that are more affourdable

I agree completely. I have a co-worker thats big into VW's.
He was telling me about a Bug that sold around $15K. He was surprised.
I was thinking... damn.. thats nothing. (relatively speaking)

But, wow. Corvettes kick ass.

 

[Mac]

The auction just ended (unsuccessfully) and the reserve was never reached. I wonder how high it was?

Less than $6400 for a complete 65 sans motor/tranny? When the time comes for me to go C2 shopping, I'm going to be calling on you to rustle up some rust-free iron from Texas for me. Besides, I wanna meet you!! Incidently, do you remember Ron D from other forums? He just joined up at the CAC... user name ron*d.

The next project, however, will be a hardtail Harley knucklehead but first- the mortgage.

-Mac

 

[John Mcgraw]

Well Mac,

It ain't no cherry but it is pretty much all there. It has been sitting since 1978 and I have been trying to talk a friend into selling it to me for years. He kept it indoors until last year when he fell on hard times and had to sell his house. Ever since, it has sat out behind the welding shop that he works at with rain coming in through the rotted out top! The pevious owner had glassed up the headlights and the tail lights but kept all the parts, so returning the proper head lights and taillights will be fairly easy. Lucklily, they never finished their "customizing" of the car so none of the parts had disappeared. The rear quarters have small flares, but I have not decided whether to just repair the openings, or whether to completely replace the quarters. The car is not a candidate for restoration, and I will probably put a SRIII frame under it with C5 front and Dana 44 rear. I am thinking that I will use a LS6 on this one unless a new LS2 or LS7 becomes available before I have to buy an engine.
After the LS1 in the 59, I have bcome a real fan of the computer controlled drivetrains. The learning curve was steep, but you just can't beat the end product.

Regards, John McGraw

 

[henny496]

Hello
I saw the e-bay pictures and although the price is high, the value of 63 parts are not for the faint of heart. I would of never imagined the cost of some parts when I started mine. If I had of known the costs involved then, I would not be doing my car now. Rear window stainless alone is insane for a 63. I don't know what it is worth,(e-bay car) but it is probably more than you think. The interior trim is different than 64-67(narrower) The bird cage looks rotten and it has been outside for a while...dunno

 

[vette]

That high bidder is a good buddy of mine. He dose corvette restorations here in CT. He told me he was bidding on that car so I stayed off it. I would pay that kind of money for that car with the parts he has. I would have liked to make a deal for the car and the frame he has. That is the frame I would like to put under a midyear. The cage rot is a nightmare due to the amount of glass parts that would need to be removed. My bet is the whole cage is junk.These cars are so much money to play with, sometimes I think I am out of my mind. But it looks like I am not alone.

 

[Sting Ray]

Mac,

Glad to see Ron is back around again.

Tom M

 

[allcoupedup]

If I had a lot of money and time (read real wealthy and retired) I would seek projects of this nature only to bring back cars from the dead. What better car to bring back than a '63 coupe???


Brian

 

[Mac]

Mac,

Glad to see Ron is back around again.

Tom M

I was glad to hear from him again.

Although I would love to rescue every Vette but I'm practical enough to know it's not possible or even practical. When you look at a project car like this one, you have to know there's other Vettes out there that aren't as hacked up, aren't missing the entire drivetrain. For a project like John's or Larry's (chassis replacement) I suppose this is a decent solution but it's still missing the entire front end!

John, it sounds like you've got another good project candidate!

-Mac

 

[jerrybramlett]

I am puzzled.

I have a '63 coupe with a nice original chassis but a thoroughly rotten birdcage. The body looks about like that one on eBay, but with seats and without window trim and gauges. It's a Texas car with a clear title.

I posted an ad to sell these remains for $6,500 on a Corvette discussion board last year. The ad got a couple hundred hits, but generated exactly 0 interest in buyers.

My next step is to buy a mid-year coupe body tub with a nice birdcage to get the car back on the road. Have you priced rust-free birdcages lately? Ouch!

 

[Mac]

How about rebuilding the existing birdcage? If it's rusted in the usual places, I believe you can purchase all of the assorted pieces required to restore same.

-Mac

 

[jerrybramlett]

Mac, I wish that was true. All the pieces aren't available, and replacing them one by one is like rebuilding a bird's nest stick by stick. It just doesn't come out the same. A sixteenth here and a fraction there and your door and windshield fit are crap.

I've done enough birdcage welding on customer's cars to know that this particular cage is beyond any realistic hope of repair. There are only a few members above the floor worth keeping.

 

[Mac]

Too bad. I expect that's why you were unable to offload it in the first place. Now you have the unenviable task of finding a body with a good cage but a rusty frame. Then you get to dispose of the old rusty-cage body which likely means "sectioning" it or worse.

Hmmmm, will a convertible body fit onto a coupe frame? I don't recall any differences...

-Mac

 

[jerrybramlett]

Plan 9 from Outer Space

I drift between two plans: 1) putting another GM body tub on this chassis, and 2) installing a one-piece Grand Sport replica body like a D&D. The cost is about the same. Both are a whole lot of work. Economically, neither make much sense.

I faced a similar problem with another Corvette years ago. It was a '69 coupe that had been a factory 427/435. It had survived several wrecks and a bad garage fire only to catch cancer in the eighties. I played with it from 1991 to 1997.

When I bought this '69 for $3,500, the body was covered in a custom Imron paint job. The thick paint hid the Bondo which covered the burned fiberglass and plywood body sections. The engine was a smoking 350 with a 2-barrel. I rebuilt the chassis and installed a crate LS-6 before realizing I didn't have the energy to restore that body. Even the roof panels had burn blisters below the paint. I replaced both doors, the rear deck panel, the tail light panel, and bought two NOS quarters for it before giving up. However, I couldn't find anyone who wanted to restore that car, even though I priced it low.

I finally found a vintage racer who was willing to keep it alive with a small block and a convertible body. He cut off the rusty upper birdcage and built a roll cage to provide body stiffness. He paid me $2,500 for the stripped body and chassis. He didn't want to buy the never-hit front fiberglass that I'd found. He even brought his own wheels.

 

[Mac]

The GS replica would stand a better chance of recouping value plus the absolute cool factor of building one on a 63 frame. Work? It's not work if you're having fun, right?

Plywood body sections? I'm trying to imagine how that worked and failing!!

-Mac

 

[ron*d]

Hey yall,

So what gives here.. we have a fallen star that is in need of a little lovin and you guys are reading it, its last rights fip fip fip:cry there aint no such thing as a vette that cant come back.. those rear fenders will buff out and well the nose errr ahh hmm ... guess some one blew just a lil to hard.. but comon lol them bird cage parts you speak of.. cant a guy get a new one at the pet store

Ron