floyd66

Nice car but If the mileage is correct as you said i'd place my money on it .Why did it need to be rebuilt at 37,000 or close to it ?

Midyrman

I am not old enough to give a first hand answer but maybe other Forum members who drove the special high performance (SPH) big blocks during the 60s and 70s can.

These cars, especially the SHP cars, were intended to be run hard. With a 4:11 rear end, I would suspect there would be an inclination to push the pedal a good bit and hold on. Many of these cars lost their engines. I would not think that a rebuild would be that unusual at all.

Buttonhead

Midyrman is on the right track. I am old enough. I drove these cars in the day. With a 4.11 rear, the car would be running over 3300 RPM's at 60-65 MPH. That is over half way to redline of 6500 rpm. We don't know if this woman raced the car or just drove it on the highway. If she drove it on trips and more than just around town, engine rebuild is completely possible. Unlike today, engines of that kind would be lucky to make it to 50,000 miles. Oils were not as good, and a 427 solid lifter motor spinning a lot of mass at high rpm's is going to wear out relatively qucikly. I'll bet she broke several rocker arms during normal driving and by 37,000 miles was probably burning oil as there was a broken ring. All these thing were very likely to have happened. I know because they happened to me in a SS 396/375hp Chevelle with 4.56 gears several times in 1967.

floyd66

Buttonhead how do you know this engine had a broken ring ? Do you know this car & Midyrman? Thanks

Buttonhead

I am strictly speaking from my own experience. I don't know this particular car and I have never met midyrman. I do know it has been posted on the forum for sale before. Your question relative the engine is a fair one. I am just saying it was not uncommon in the day to have a rebuild,particularly of a high performance engine. Is there any way of proving this particular car had the engine rebuilt and why or when, unless there is documentation? Of course not.

Midyrman

Have no paper on the engine rebuild. It was done quite a few years ago based on the practice of the professional engine builder's stamp. Jim Gessner might know when that practice began and ended./.

Dooms day seems to be the norm with trying to sell a car these days. Swimming against the tide is an opportunity. Don't think you will see these lower prices again....particularly if Nov results in a change of the guard in DC and more of an optimistic view of our future returns.

1974purchase

there is competition from newer high horsepower cars. no shortage of expensive toys. the issues of faked documentation and parts did not help the market for these cars either. i agree better days are ahead. these are great cars to have.

427vette

My 67 435 coupe did that exact thing back in 1970 at 35,000 miles. Original owner was leaving work for the day(yes, it was a daily driver), and when pulling out of the parking lot at idle speed, dropped the #4 intake valve through the top of the piston. The notion that these high hp bb's all had engines that were supposed to hold up for 150k is laughable, as they were bought to drive HARD. Nobody expected them to last, they were street driven RACE CARS for gods sake.

Buttonhead

Dead on! That happened so often that every guy had a story about his car. Believe it or not, most of these were fixed at the dealer under warranty because it happened to new cars. My only Corvette now is a 67 427/390hp car. It was running lousy when I bought it and I knew exactly why. We found two broken valve springs, one of the weakest parts on these engines. The car now has a complete hydraulic roller cam kit in it, which is modern tech that prevents these kind of problems. To truly find one of these cars with it's original motor is a rare find indeed. Midyrman has the P-O-P and verification of the stamp pad. That is good enough for me.

SupremeDeluxe

I've admiried this car when it was offered previously, and am still enamored with it now. Timing is poor for me again, as I am drowning financially in the red 435 convertible I bought over the winter. If I had not bought the red car, I would be on a plane to see this car immediately.

Anyone who thinks there is a comparable example elswhere for less money is simply not calibrated with the market for midyears.

Midyrman

There was a time prior to the new C4 coming out in 1984 when the C2s were the ticket to the most powerful Corvette......you could even say they could hold their own on handling etc. If you wanted high performance you had to look to the past. Today, we are fortunate to be able to walk into a showroom and find high performance. However, I still prefer the older cars. I had the L72 out yesterday and got more looks than anything else on the road....and despite being 46 years old is still an exciting ride to say the least.

427vette

It seems to be a sign of the times. The casual speculators have jumped ship from the housing market into the muscle car market, and bring their misinformation, stupidity, and general ignorance of what they are speculating on with them. I long for the days when it was a badge of honor to be referred to as a "gearhead". Now everybody's gotta be an "investor" Gimme a break!!

Midyrman

Thanks for any interest in the car.

Mountie43488

Great dialogue on this L-72 and good humour with the guy who knows nothing about Midyears and offering 40K. For this guy I offer you this.

In 2004 I purchased my 66 -L-36 427 vert from the original owner with 39,900 org miles. 3/3 rule. Rust free frame, GM published documentation, and No hit body. Silver on Silver, org soft and hard tops, tint, radio, pwr steering, M-21 and Off road exhaust.

I just completed engine rebuild, valve seals dried out =blue smoke and broken valve spring OE ( prone to breakage). Body on restore and clean up frame, rear end, front end, new carpets, seats of org and mint as are door panels. New lacquer paint and re-plated OEM bumpers. Scored 97.2 % NCRS Top Flight first time out. Car looks brand new and placed in show recently at local GM dealer. Body lines perfect. I was set to keep this car till I died ( I'm 48)...........car collector offered me $ 125K. To good to pass up.

If your L-72 was not Nassau blue which represented 6,100 Corvettes that year I would be all over it for your price........425 hp car, GM docs, no hit body and low miles............it does not get better......

Revfan

1974purchase said When I am ready to buy, I hope I can find a seller that has the same sentiment.

Midyrman

Your L36 sounds nice....sharp colors. They say the right buyer for your car comes around once a year. You both met up at the right time.

Midyrman

I wouldn't be surprised that I could continue to drop the price and the car would sit here.

"Something must be wrong with the car if the price keeps dropping."

"The price is dropping and I don't want to own something that continues to depreciate."

Interesting market out there. Looks like the gentleman asking $60k for his L72 blue conv barn find having sat for about 30 years with an NOM, no paper and probably incorrect M21 recently sold.

1974purchase

but i will share some:

(this is not an offer) would i take 45% of my asking price ?

(followed by) would i take 55% of my asking price ?

what would i really sell it for ?

i know a guy who knows a guy who paid .....




need a new thread:

you know you are a tire kicker when .........................

1974purchase

in 1982, on a test drive after changing the oil, i was going about 25mph and heard a knocking. mechanic told me it "sucked a valve". any of these high performance engines with over 30k miles is due for a rebuild.

SupremeDeluxe

Not to mention the propensity to overheat with excessive idling and the vacuum advance connected to ported source as-delivere