judgeman70

I have been looking for a 70 454 vette, I see a few for sale but some have no documentation or owner history. How much does the documentation affect value, I have been avoiding the undocumented cars. I have been a Pontiac guy for a while and new to the vette world, with Pontiac its easy to send in for the Pontiac historical documentation and know what you are getting but with Chevys I worry about getting ripped off. Should I run away from these undocumented cars.

Alan 71

Hi j,
A car with documentation is nice but:
I'm not sure just what documentation adds to a Corvette. It seems documentation is offered to back up claims the owner is making about the car, but each Corvette will tell it's own story if given a chance.
The more knowledgeable a person is, the more complete that story will be. Even with loads of documentation the buyer needs to know what he's looking at.
I think documentation is nice to have, but lack of it wouldn't deter me from a car that appears to be as it's being described. The less 'special' a Corvette is, the less I think documentation matters.
As far as getting 'ripped off' goes… the solution there, I believe, is to PAY someone very familiar with the car you're considering to take a very close look at it for you.
Regards,
Alan

LPE385

Depends if your looking for a nice driver or a NCRS "type" car. I would get someone that knows 70's to look at a car that you have interest in. If its an unrestored car then it can be fairly easy to determine what's real or not. Also remember just because the car has "documentation" doesn't mean the documentation is real. The 70 454 values haven't been super high so there are not as many fakes or clones so to speak. Not like there are with the solid lifter cars or mid years.

judgeman70

If a car has the tank sticker, protecto plate and some owner history I would think that would be a huge plus. I am looking for a 454 4 speed convert. and worry I would be buying a 300 hp 350 car that someone dropped a restamped 454 in to get big $ out of it.

Mike Ward

And an original 454 car might still have a restamped 454 in it so documentation is no benefit there.

Easy Mike

That depends on whether you want the documentation. Documented cars are usually priced a bit higher.

Unfortunately, documentation is no guarantee against getting ripped off.

Good luck with the hunt.

68ragtop69

If you want to be sure you are getting what you're paying for then I would stick with a car that has received NCRS recognition, but then you need to expect to pay a bit of a premium.

Otherwise, I agree with everyone else. Learn a lll you can about the car you a looking for and have someone who really knows 70' Stingrays and have then either look at it are give you a list of things to verify!! Good Luck with your hunt! It's half the fun of the journey!!

Iceaxe

The nice thing about 70 Corvettes is for enough money I can build and document you a vette with any options you desire ;-)

Mike Ward

Sorry but that's just plain bad advice. There is NOTHING in NCRS judging that confirms the authenticity of a car's original build or present status.

68ragtop69

That may be true, but NCRS doesn't just hand out Top Flight awards, otherwise every vette would have one. Will it be equal to a PHS documented car…no, but Top Flight cars are usually pretty well documented…so I still think it's safe advice.

Alan 71

Hi j,
I'm pretty sure there's no information on a 1970 Tank Sticker that ties it to a particular car. The Tank Sticker does have an Order Number on it which also appears on the Window Sticker which also has the VIN sequence on it…. so what ties a Tank Sticker to a particular car is actually the Window Sticker. THEY happen to be quite rare. Once that tank is dropped for the first time the sticker could have come from many, many, cars.
I'll reiterate that having someone with sophisticated knowledge of 1970 Corvettes take an in depth look at the car for you will be money well spent. There are reliable people who do this.
Regards,
Alan

Mashman

If someone is willing to drop "a restamped 454 in to get big $ out of it", why wouldn't that same person be willing to spend a few hundred dollars to purchase a fake tank stick, protecto plate, window sticker, and more?

As Alan stated, the car will tell the story, documentation, since it can not be verified, is simply a novelty.

ryanmh

Sorry, but you could put a giant neon sign over it that said "FAKE" and as long as it looked real, and hit all the marks, it could Top Flight. It has been repeated ad nauseum that NCRS does not validate squat as being original.

judgeman70

I did not know a tank sticker did not have the vin on it. Yes I need lots of education on these cars. How about a list of the most important things to look for on the 1970 corvettes. Thanks for the advice, maybe hiring somebody that has more knowledge on these cars would be the way to go. I found this one that I would love to have but not sure about all the numbers http://www.webeautos.com/detail-1970...-11548839.html

Mike Ward

Again- that's a false assumption, not to mention that no documents are examined as a part of judging.

Alan 71

Hi j,
To help you learn about 70 cars I'd suggest you buy the NCRS 70-72 Technical Information Manual & Judging Guide and the Vet Vues Fact Book of the 68-72 Corvette by M.F.Dobbins.

Your looking for/at a serious car when you're looking at a 70, convertible, big block, a/c, car. A really TERRIFIC car of that description costs a LOT more than $39k.
The car in the pictures looks like 2 different cars….. that very shiny glittery exterior, and then the rest of the car.
To be fair to you it would be helpful to know what you're looking for in a car…. a very original car, a car with a few changes, a car with lots of changes, etc.? How will you use the car… drive regularly, drive and display at car shows, have the car judged for originality?
Are you looking for an original car, a restored car, a modified car?
Knowing some of those things will help someone understand what he should be looking for when evaluating the car for you.
Determining just what this car WAS ORIGINALLY is one thing, but what comes next is determining how much of that ORIGINAL car is STILL PRESENT is quite another thing. For example…. the car has some kind of aftermarket mufflers on it… does that matter. For some buyers that will be just fine, others not quite so fine. 70 front grills are very rare…. why not get the right lenses?
Regards,
Alan

For me when I see small details that aren't quite right it begins to make me wonder about the rest of the car…. for example it has 1972 parking lenses in the front grills. This matters not one iota to most people but makes me want to look further.
Also there's some rubber hose on the fuel line from the pump to the carb…. why?

judgeman70

Alan
I don't want a modified car or project car, a driver quality car/local show quality is more what I am wanting but would consider something nicer, I do plan on driving it. Whats import to me is matching numbers, 4 speed and power steering, all other options just a bonus. Really like the blue cars and prefer that color. Talked to the owner of the webe autos car and he has only owned it for a short period of time and knew nothing about its history which is a red flag to me. Some of the little things that you mention matters also, do not want to be searching for correct parts on a cobbled up car. I will take your advice and buy some books to do my homework. thanks

Alan 71

Hi j,
Certainly buying a 'cobbled up' car isn't a good idea.
I'll caution you to be very thoughtful about what you might want to do with the car in the future so that you buy a car now that will not disappoint you in the future.
Regards,
Alan

BarryB72

My 72 tank sticker has the VIN on it. Bottom right corner but it was typed on the other side so the numbers are reversed and in reverse order

steve0415

I have studied many 1970 Corvette engine pad stamps over the last year, including both 454 stamps as well as 350 stamps. I was asked to look at this particular car by someone else, and I have a problem with the pad stamp itself. See photo:

http://4-photos.ebizautos.com/used-1...839-68-640.jpg

The 0 after the letter T is more oval or egg shaped than any other 0 that I have seen on the many Tonowanda blocks I have seen before. I have attached photos of some of the 454 pads I have found.

Good luck,

Steve