lookin' at buying a 64

[hAZcAT]

Hey guys I need help, a friend of a friend has a 64 she no longer has a home for, and well she told my friend who told me, her price is really right, I am going to look at the car next week (300 mile trip).

what should I be looking for on the 64?
anything that should make me run away?
how would I know if it is number matching?


thanks guys,

 

[IH2LOSE]

I am not that falmilar specificly with the 64.

But Beside the numbers and date codes .

The main area of problems are with rust in the rear Kick ups.this is the area just infront of the rear tires.the part the rear wheel is connected to is called the "rear trailing arm" And if you look at where the rear trailing arm attaches to the frame that is considered to be the "rear Kick up" thats the area prone to rust.

Also there problems with "bird gage rust"

I am not sure what your looking for but I have learned that its always less exspencive in the long run purchase the most car you can in the begining.

If your looking for a NCRS type car dont start with a custom car and try to make it one,it will be a long exspencive road to get it there.

There is a list 67heaven had post here last year or so to use as a check list I hope he still has it and can post it here.

Good Luck

 

[67HEAVEN]

To quote JohnZ:

Frame rust (especially at kickup ahead of the rear wheels)
Rear Wheel Bearings (play, growling noises)
"Flat" rear spring (should be arched)
Leaky brake calipers
Water leaks under the dash (perforated windshield frame)
Engine Temperature (correct aluminum radiators are expen$ive)


Also, Rob has posted an excellent Buying Form, and here it is....
http://corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/buying.html

 

[BarryK]

most importantly, and as already mentioned, check the frame and birdcage as thoughly as possible. surface rust is ok but make sure nothing is very bad or rotting thru in places. The kick-up area just in front of the rear wheels are one of the key points. The birdcage is hard to check as most is covered up but if you look along the line of the bottom of the windshield and in the doorjamb areas you might see hints of rust peeking thru as an indication of any problem. Check for good bodypanel fit and alignment and the door and hood gaps. When you open and shut the doors do they latch and unlatch easily and smoothly or do the doors drop a biy when they unlatch? 41yo cars are rare to find that have never had any body repairs in their history but look for signs of major bodywork repairs if you can. how is the chrome on the car? is it in good shape or pitted or rusty? most of the chrome and SS trim pieces are available as repro if you need to repalce them but they get expensive. Each of the 4 chrome bumpers runs about $425 to replace if needed.

re your question on how to tell if numbers matching, check the VIN tag under the glove box (next to the Trim Tag) and than check the motor. On the passengerside front of the motor is a flat area on the block called the stamppad. this will have a bunch of numbers including a derivative of the last 6 numbers of the car's VIN number on it if it is a numbers matching car. Nothing wrong with a NOM car either, just don't pay the same amount as if it was a #'s matching car.
JohnZ'a list that Bob posted covers the most important aspects to check thoughly as these areas are also expensive to repair if needed.
If you need, when you go look at the car grab as many numbers off the trim tag, vin tag, and motor as you can along with pics of the car and post them up on here and we can help you out further.

As to what would make you want to "runaway" from the car - I checked out a car last week that was local to me for someone in Ca and I advised very strongly to runaway from it. I found the frame seemed a bit "soft" in the kick-up areas, showed signed of a LOT of previous and poorly done body repairs, panel alignment was horrible on the car, it had a very nice brand new paint job but it was easy to see the new paint was hiding a lot of problems underneath it - I could see bubbling just under the bottom of the windshield trim molding that concerned me as possible major birdcage issues, the stamp pad numbers and code were all correct indicating a #'s matching car BUT the casting number on the engine block was completely wrong for the year of the car making me believe it was a restamped replacement motor, and the list went on and on. I spent 3 hours going over every detail on the car for this person since he was relying on me and my evaluation for his purchase decision where I would have left after 15 minutes if I had been looking at the car for myself. The scary part was that the more I looked the more things on the car made my skin crawl.
If you are not familar with C2's than i'd also suggest seeing if you can find someone you know that does know C2's faily well to go with you to look it over. If that's not possible, than at least get the info and pics and post them up on here for us to help you.

 

[stepinwolf]

Professional help

Most members, myself included, will do their best to come up with various lists of areas, item's, parts, etc. that you should be looking into. Sadly even if you are on the lookout for the troubled areas, it often takes a trained eye, to properly catch the problems.

My recommendations would be to try and get in touch with someone who can offer you, for a fee, professional assistance in properly evaluating the present condition of the vehicle. What ever fees are charged, will on represent a fraction of the cost's of repairing a flawed vehicle. It's really a small price to pay to insure that your prospective purchase, will be something that will turn out to be a good investment, and not a long term money pit.

Lastly, and I know this is going to ruffle more then a few feathers, the 64 model, is not the most sought after model year. I don't mean any dis-respect towards anyone, or their vehicles, but thirty some years of buying, and selling have proved to me many times, that it's actually the less desirable of all the mid-years.

I have no logical explanation as to why, but it has just proved to be the case during all the years I have been working with the 63-67 model years Corvettes.

Good luck with your decisions

Stepinwolf

 

[hAZcAT]

thanks for all of the advice and tell tale areas, I talked to the owner, it is not currently running but he thinks he can get it started (dead battery and most likely dead gas) it has about 64,000 miles on it, Black repainted white, it has sat for close to 30 years in his grandmothers garage, and she is moving back east. It sounds like a good/great restore project and well I am going to look and see, I am really not up to another project. I have restored several cars in the past and to do it, takes time and of course money. I haven't set up my new shop most of it is still in boxes and in my dad's shop, so if I pick the 64 up, It is going to sit for a couple of more years in a garage before I could restore it. the more I think about it, I should pass but I am going to go look anyways. oh the price it sounds like the owner wants about 13k

 

[stepinwolf]

Easy decision

For 13K if it's not rusted out, it's a no-brainer. Weather or not you get around to restoring it, if worst comes to worst, you can probably turn it over for more money.

Hell, I can even part it out for more money then that.:bang

Stepinwolf

 

[65TripleBlack]

1964 is the least sought after of all the midyears. There were no significant features, or options to single them out. I would not pay a premium for any 1964 model. For 13K you don't have much to lose. Let us know the condition of the car.

 

[Kid_Again]

Can't add much to what is said here but I'll give you the best advice I ever got about buying a midyear. DO NOT take it for a ride before you go over it mechanically and with a critical eye. It has nothing to do with mechanical soundness (although you really do need to make sure it is a safe car to drive), it's just that you don't want to fall in love with what might become a real money toilet. Buy with your head, not with your heart.


Also, check the master cylinder reservoir fluid level before you decide to put it in gear.

BTDT

The only possible downsides to a '64 is drum brakes (which will work just fine if you know how to properly rebuild and adjust them) and you can't easily fit a bb in the frame. No big deal. It is, afterall, a midyear!