Survey 63 vs 66

[GotMyVette]

Hello Everyone,;help

I'm looking into buying my first C2 vette. I'm stuck between a 63 or 66. Both are convertibles 327, and have no options. 63 is red/red, white top and standard. 66 is red/black , black top and standard. Both are the same price and are pretty close in appearance. Not sure what to buy. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
GoMyVette.

 

[Tuna]

Show car?
Driver?

The '66 has 4-wheel disc brakes and other improvements that might make it more desireable for you.

 

[Dad]

You may have to make up your mind by which one looks best to you.

As a side note I get along fine with drum brakes as did all of America for 60+ years.

 

[Red Vette]

I had both, a 63 SWC and two 66's (both 427s), a coupe and a convertible. As mentioned previously, the 66 had disc brakes which is a major improvement. Assuming that the cars both are manual transmission, the 66 had the Munce while the 63 had the Borg Warner. I found the Muncie to be a better tranny, and the shifter much tighter with no rattles. The 66 had the AM / FM radio while my 63 had only the Wonderbar AM radio. I really preferred the 66 convertible over the 63, but loved both of them. I still regret getting rid of them, but that was another era and who knew what they would be worth today. The 66 also had a removable hard top which was a desired option in the snow belt country. I preferred the gauges on the 66 over the 63. I think it is a matter of choice, but if it was mine, and both cars were equal, buy the 66. The best choice is to purchase both.
Barrett

 

[Tom Bryant]

Any time you get a newer version of a model it will have improvements over the earlier ones. Drum brakes are fine for most driving situations. Discs will stop shorter in an emergency. On these old cars. One of the biggest restrictions to short stopping distance was the skinny tires that had a very small contact patch. Even six piston Brembos won't do much with 7.75/15 bias ply tires. If you are getting this car for a driver consider radial tires. I put radials on my '65 and it made a different car out of it. By the way, it was a red/black interior/ white soft top, 327/300, 4 speed and no power steering or brakes. I like your choices.

With both cars being equal in price, options and condition it will be strictly up to you as to which one you like to look at better.

What a problem to have.

Tom

 

[Toms007]

Either one would be great. Me personally, would probably go for the 66. But it is strictly because that is my favorite year....even over the 67.

I'm assuming that the cars are pretty equal, quality, price, etc. If so, it would only be a matter of choice.

Good luck.

 

[GotMyVette]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm now dealing with both sellers and looking for the best price. I would be happy with either one.

Thanks,
GotMYVette

 

[magicv8]

the 63 has a lot of 1 year only parts on it that are expensive to replace and/or hard to find - only really important if the car is not complete or will be driven a lot and you want it to look and drive at its best

 

[jjmish]

66 was the zenith of the midyears

I have a FI 63 coupe and look lovingly at the 66 models, especially the 427s.

The 66 was the zenith of the mid year models. The best of the best!