CORVAIRWILD
Member
I've been lusting for a C2 or 3, and at 58 the time has come!
I pumped gas in 1972-12 years old, and the pump jockey-mechanic had a green-saddle '66, I think. Factory sidepioes and a small block, I was bitten!
The C2 are too pricey, I would only want a 365hp or 396-425, I don't like the '67. So 2 months ago on a regular-twice a year California to New York road trip, I stopped in at Fast Lane Classics in St Charles Mo. They had a nice LeMans blue '68 427-435. Supposedly all numbers matching. I looked the car over quickly, and 2 months later it's still on my mind, and still for sale. I called yest, and spoke to a salesman, he explained that there is minimal history with the car, and from my brief encounter with the car 2 months ago-it "looked very nice", I'm going to have to figure out if it's a good investment. Yeah, I know, buy it for the love, but at 55k, if I decide I'm tired of it, is like to get my money back. And if it's just a shiny but somewhat or gravely incorrect restoration, I'll suffer when sales time comes along.
I was reading about an NCRS award winning '66 L71, and a number of the year specific details that make it a '68, like spring loaded rear compartments, stuff like that. I have a feeling that your average car salesman may not know or care much past "numbers match".
My priority is that it run and drive very well-be well sorted. I can install the tower clamps and T3 headlamps. But beyond that, I'm hardly a Corvette expert. The salesman said he has driven the car and it was serviced to be ready for a purchaser who backed out.
From my brief visit 2 months ago, the car did look great, but closer inspection of the online images reveals much black paint liberally applied to everything underneath. This apparently was because the restoration-frame dipping(?) may not have been neutralized and was leaching out, so a case of black paint was used to "freshen things up".
If I could "order" my dream C3, it would be a '68 or 9, solid lifter 4 speed. I'm a real fan of options, so leather, headrest, stereo, power windows tilt telescopic and on and on... Color wise, blue or turquoise, I'm no fan of white or brite (Daytona) yellow. Black or red would work. I like red-red, I had a junker '70 GTO as a kid-red-red, 400-350 3 speed stick with Judge stripes...
I always thot convertible Corvettes looked like Marilyn Monroe-big and voluptous with a "small head". But either T Top or convertible would work.
I was reading about a '68 on one of these sites that was for sale as the restoration was nearing it's completion. It's a red 'vert-427-390 I think. I would only want a tri-power, so out comes the Impala engine and under the workbench, and a 435 goes in until I "get it out of my system".
Somewhere there's a balance between investment-fun factor. That's where I stand...
I pumped gas in 1972-12 years old, and the pump jockey-mechanic had a green-saddle '66, I think. Factory sidepioes and a small block, I was bitten!
The C2 are too pricey, I would only want a 365hp or 396-425, I don't like the '67. So 2 months ago on a regular-twice a year California to New York road trip, I stopped in at Fast Lane Classics in St Charles Mo. They had a nice LeMans blue '68 427-435. Supposedly all numbers matching. I looked the car over quickly, and 2 months later it's still on my mind, and still for sale. I called yest, and spoke to a salesman, he explained that there is minimal history with the car, and from my brief encounter with the car 2 months ago-it "looked very nice", I'm going to have to figure out if it's a good investment. Yeah, I know, buy it for the love, but at 55k, if I decide I'm tired of it, is like to get my money back. And if it's just a shiny but somewhat or gravely incorrect restoration, I'll suffer when sales time comes along.
I was reading about an NCRS award winning '66 L71, and a number of the year specific details that make it a '68, like spring loaded rear compartments, stuff like that. I have a feeling that your average car salesman may not know or care much past "numbers match".
My priority is that it run and drive very well-be well sorted. I can install the tower clamps and T3 headlamps. But beyond that, I'm hardly a Corvette expert. The salesman said he has driven the car and it was serviced to be ready for a purchaser who backed out.
From my brief visit 2 months ago, the car did look great, but closer inspection of the online images reveals much black paint liberally applied to everything underneath. This apparently was because the restoration-frame dipping(?) may not have been neutralized and was leaching out, so a case of black paint was used to "freshen things up".
If I could "order" my dream C3, it would be a '68 or 9, solid lifter 4 speed. I'm a real fan of options, so leather, headrest, stereo, power windows tilt telescopic and on and on... Color wise, blue or turquoise, I'm no fan of white or brite (Daytona) yellow. Black or red would work. I like red-red, I had a junker '70 GTO as a kid-red-red, 400-350 3 speed stick with Judge stripes...
I always thot convertible Corvettes looked like Marilyn Monroe-big and voluptous with a "small head". But either T Top or convertible would work.
I was reading about a '68 on one of these sites that was for sale as the restoration was nearing it's completion. It's a red 'vert-427-390 I think. I would only want a tri-power, so out comes the Impala engine and under the workbench, and a 435 goes in until I "get it out of my system".
Somewhere there's a balance between investment-fun factor. That's where I stand...
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