Joemac8

I have no experience with C1 cars and went to look at one today. This is a very early car produced in the first month of production. I used the NCRS judging manual and got advice on this forum on what to look for. I'd like to present what I saw and get some opinions from those of you with experience. Now I know that this is not a new car and that it has been use for over 40 years and it shows. Here are the strong and weak points:

PLUS
Strong engine
Clutch feels good
Shifts correctly
Engine casting number correct
Engine pad numbers correct
correct intame manifold
Both carbuerators correct
Correct generator
Correct distributor
Correct master cylinder
Corect fan clutch
Vin present on steering column
No under body rust
Axel straps present
Body straight for most part
Repainted quite a while ago but still decent
Correct hardtop with correct glass

Minuses
Replacement valve covers (have casting flaw not present till 65)
car is white, wheels are red
engine compartment very rough with extensive rust on exhaust manifolds and other unpainted metal
Trunk lid high in lower left & upper right corners (bowed?)
Radiator painted
Under hood paint seems to be semi-gloss instead of flat black
Wrong seat belts
Window & door rubber needs replacement
Wrong antenna
Tach doesn't work
Radio doesn't work
Clock doesn't work
Odometer doesn't work, spedo does
Heater fan doesn't turn on (switch?)
4" indented line in glass over rt rear wheel, evidence or repair felt underneath
Wiper scratch on windshield
Replaced passenger door glass

The strangest thing of all is that there are snaps inside the windshield on the top of the dash and then encircling all around the passenger compartment on the top outside of the dooors and in the glass where the convertible top should be where a vinyl cover snaps on similar to an old MG midget. This is apparently a hardtop only car. Is this factory? Dealer?

This is a lot, but can I get some idea what you folks think? The asking price is upper $30's

Thanks and sorry for the long post.

Ironcross

There are or were no snaps on the windshield and doors. Some one added a cockpit cover. Those items listed that are broken are expensive to replace. I guess if you like it, and apparently you do, buy it.

muncieman

Keep looking, don't buy the first car you look at. In the upper 30s you should be able to do better.

65coupe

I think the pluses far out weigh the negatives. I have seen nice 61's with 350 motors going for that kind of money. In fact it is difficult to find a correct dual quad correct 283. It sounds like a very correct car that you can enjoy right away and correct the "negatives" over time and about $10k.

Jimbo64

Sounds like a lot of "sheckles" . Would bet that you could do a lot better if you're willing to keep shopping and looking.

62fuelie

Depends on what you want for a finished product. If you're looking for a Top Flight car, be prepared to spend another $25K. If just a nice driver, maybe another $10K. Just paint can run anywhere from $3-4K for a nice job, to $12-15K for a "perfect" job.
Personally, I wouldn't want to sink much more than $33-35K in a car needing that much work. MAybe a little less if the car has no soft top. That alone will run at least $3K to install, probably more if the car never had a soft top. Hard to sell a hardtop-only car these days.

Matt Gruber

the question is, should you buy any c1, at your age

Joemac8

I must be missing something, what does my age have to do with my question?

Ironcross

?????????

Matt Gruber

as i recall, in '75, the average age was 25.
not sure in 61, but, that's about the ideal age
(i was 23)
assuming of course it is a car to be driven and not artwork

Chuck Gongloff

I usually make it a policy to stay out of "what's it worth" threads, but I'll make an exception. Sounds like a NICE car. You've found an original motor dual quad 283 with most of the right parts there.

Needs cosmetics...paint, some detailing, etc. Needs some new rubber, etc. You don't find many cars like that. The price? In the ballpark. People pay 30K for incorrect basket cases with the wrong motor, etc.

I honestly feel that the bargain days are long gone. You could look for a LONG time to find a car like this again. Chuck

Joemac8

Well I am 57 and want a car to drive but I also want protection for my considerable initial investment. I will pay a fair price for a good car and I will drive the car. I am not looking for a trailer queen for $10,000 nor am I looking for a $50,000 driving mixmaster.

I asked for opinions simply because this is the first C1 that I looked at. Had I been looking at them for a while and had a frame of reference upon which to base my evaluation, I would not have posted my request.

63FI

How about a '61 with the original matching number motor. It's a project
car but has 90% of all it's original parts. $25K

Milehigh66

So let's see, you should have been around 25 in '75 to buy a corvette, and somewhere between 23 and 25 (because that was your age) to buy a 61, and only if it is to be driven should you be 25 to buy one now, but if you are older you should show it as artwork? Wow! If that is what you meant, at my age of 40 I should be just starting to turn mine into artwork and not driving it? Crap, I wish I knew this, I would have quit driving it! I certainly was too old to buy it at the age of 36, right? Unless I was turning it into artwork, then that was O.K.?
Or maybe if you where 23 in '61 then in 2004 you would be now in your later 60's and are too young to turn it into artwork and should drive it, is that it? Or at Joemacs age of 57, he is way young to do what exactly? Or is he to old to do what exactly?
I am so confused, why again does age matter with these cars? Or why does it apply to this post of a man that is newer to the forum asking questions about his dream car?
Can someone help me please? I really don't get this.

Plasticman

Joemac,

Looks like the thread got off on a tangent! You ask a good question, and you will always get a variety of answers - some you like, some you don't, and some you (or I) simply don't understand!

Bottom line is that you found what sounds like a nice C1 for a "normal" price - for this area. But if your going to drive it, you might want to look at other C1's that more fit your usage and "strengths". The 61 you found looks to be more of a canidate for a complete restoration (since it appears to be numbers matching, etc.), with an attending price tag (afterward), but then you would be prone not to drive it (it then turns into a TQ). Drivers in good shape are out there, but it takes time and luck to come across them.

I was lucky (it only took a complete summer driving from Ohio to Wisconsin - twice). We found a great driver with a completely rust free frame, great chrome, good body, paint, & interior, and the engine, etc. were not numbers matching - which was/is exactly what I wanted. It did need quite a bit of detailing and mechanical work - which are my "strengths". So I was / am one happy camper.

If you are going to do most of the maintenance yourself, then find one with most of the difficult (and pricey) work already done to your satisfaction. Some wise old soul once said to buy the most Vette for the money you can afford. To bring an older vette back from the dead will always cost you more in the long run, than if you purchased a Vette in good shape to begin with. Besides, if in good shape, you get to enjoy the Vette right off (unless you really "want" a project).

Good luck,
Plasticman

Ironcross

Hell Joe, buy it! A matching number 270HP car is a good investment. It can only get better.

Milehigh66

Sorry, I got off tangent as well.
I looked at a few 66 BB's before I bought, mine was (or is not perfect yet) when I bought it, but it was the right car for me, it needed and still does need work, but it was all there. I believe that if you have that correct block and accessories that the car will be worth it in the long run. The things that you mentioned can easily be fixed with some money, but if you do it slowly you won't feel it in the pocket book to badly, at least that is how I slip it by my wife, one piece at a time.
If you have the ability to replace the parts yourself you will find a whole other joy in a corvette, I find the time in the garage fixing things as much fun as driving it.

Blkblt

......

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Jeff; Charter CCC
1966. Modified L72
The Silver Beast
Keep on

Coves4me

joemac8,

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. If I knew then, what I know now when I bought my 59 last year, I probably wouldn't have bought it. BUT, then I wouldn't get the enjoyment of seeing it in my garage everyday knowing it's MINE!!!

It's a period correct 283 (57 best I can tell), Muncie tranny (not correct), passenger car open rear end (not correct), and no hardtop. But over the last year, with the wealth of help from this forum, magazines, videos, and the new Vette friends I have made, the car is starting to come together.

I've acquired a correct posi rear end, the tranny's gonna stay but rebuilt, and the engine is going back together to appear to be correct. It will never be numbers matching, but then if it was I couldn't enjoy it.

You seem to have a lot more savvy about C-1 Corvettes than I had when I was looking. It sounds like you're on to something good. Take a chance, and then take your time bringing it to the level you want.

Joemac8

A couple of other things that I forgot to mention was that the seller claimed he owned this car over five years and was selling for health reasons as bad knees made it difficult to get in & out of the car. When I got to his place the car was on the driveway with the top off. When I asked about the hardtop, he took me to his barn to see it. When we got in I saw a 74 under a tarp undergoing repairs/restoration. He said it was his son's car. I also noticed a pretty big oil puddle where the 61 sits.

Finally, I forgot to mention that the steering wheel was broken.

At any rate, I figured that it would cost at least $15,000 to get the car right, so I e-mailed an offer in the low $30's, $5,000 under his asking price. I apologized for the low offer but stated my reasons why. I estimated that although not show quality, it would be a very good car and I would have almost $50,000 into it. That was Wednesday and he has not replied.