When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I passed on a Vette that maybe I should have bought
I went and looked at a 1968 Corvette Coupe 4 speed today. It had a new paint job that was good but not great...as in it had minor overspray. Additionally, it had a new 350 crate motor but no power steering or power brakes. One headlight popped up and all the gauges seemed to work except for the clock.
I looked underneath and it looked rust free in the frame rails and everywhere else even the windshield frame. He had also replaced all the front and rear suspension.
The shifter had trouble going in to first a few times and the clutch let up extremely high...this may have been why it wouldn't go in to gear to easy.
The seats were originally red and had been dyed (poorly) black but I could see the red coming through in the creases of the seats. I pulled off kick panels and it didnt seem to have any rust.
The windshield wipers were not working. Did the '68 have the vacuum cover for the windshield wipers? Because this one did not.
Well, with all that said I actually decided to buy it. I was able to work a deal that seemed pretty reasonable so I am going to pick her up today. I actually like the look of the blacked out bumpers and the wheels and tires. It might not be to everyone's taste but I like it. Im sure she will need some more work but I kind of wanted a project car and from what I hear most, if not all, still need work no matter what you pay. She looks to be rust free and I have been down the road of looking at some pretty rusty cars. I did remove the kick panels and the windshield liner to check for rust and she looks to be solid.
So it had the long hood went all the way to the windshield? 73-up. Usually doesn't line up well with the last 2 inches of the fenders. Tell him 12. he will say 14, you say 13... how far away is it? and you didn't take any pics? the seats. built in headrest? or actual 68 seats? i know of a decent used set of red leather upholstery and foam for 100 bucks. 70-up seats. what color is the car? what color does the trim tag say? https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/...146094656.html
Last edited by derekderek; 07-16-2020 at 04:56 PM.
The seats were red but dyed to a black but not very well. If you open up some of the folds int eh seats you can still see the original red. The car looks good from 5 feet but when you get closer you start to see some things here and there. Such as, the inner door handle is snapped off on the drivers side, it does not have power steering or brakes. The clutch lets up really high and I suspect probably needs to be replaced. The car shifts well but it did have trouble going in to first gear on one occasion. The owner said the linkage just needed adjusting but Im not so sure.
So your looking , is it something you could live with on the details or are you the I want it perfect type.? If you want perfect go on down the road and find the car that meets your wants. Minor and major things are normal on a 50 year old car. No matter how it is today , tomorrow there going to cost you money. More money if you can't fix it yourself.
I like to wrench and can probably fix most, if not all issues. Im just not so sure. He was going to take a car of mine on trade and give me $4k on top of the deal so its hard to say what the value of both are worth at that time. If it was a cash deal it would have been easier to finalize.
Don't let power steering and brakes stop you from a car... I have a '70 with the big block up front and the only time the steering is tough is trying to turn at about 1-2 MPH.... otherwise no problem whatsoever.... Same with the brakes..I can tell no difference there....
Heater core is disconnected, probably leaks.
Needs correct fan and fan clutch.
Needs proper fuel line to carburetor, not rubber and plastic.
Needs air cleaner that can handle a 3" tall filter.
Not sure how well hood lines up with fenders at base of windshield.
Now those of use that have been around these cars the past 40+ years probably have some real mistakes we walked away from.
me- here are some
1- 67 327-300 M20 336 convertible with side pipes- daily driven needed interior- $2500- ( 1978)
2- SOLD my 67 coupe after rebuilding it and getting it driving like new for $7200 -( 1980)
3- mint 68 convertible 327-350 $3500 (1978)
4-63 SWC- needing paint and full resto all parts there $10,000 (1981)
5- 63 SWC -silver nice paint, 4 spd, nom $18000 (1991)
6- 67 coupe fully loaded, 427 390 PG, PS,PW,AIR,Leather,tele,bolt ons, numbers matching $12,500 (2000)- this was a big walk away but not as bad as selling my 67 coupe.
There are plenty of C3's out there, take your time and look.
ok, the last 2 inches the hood is above the fenders. you can fix that but then you gotta fix the paint. as soon as you touch the paint you will be repainting the whole car. i hate the wheels, black tops, black side trim and especially the black bumpers. what is your trade? is it really worth 19 or 20 or is that an optimistic price? or is it worth 25 but you marked it down cuz you want a vette? door gaps look good. wheels are in the wheel wells like they should be. all in all even with the half-assed stuff it is close to 15. another consideration. your trade. are you tired of looking at it or is it something you cherish but you want a vette more? cuz it is sometimes hard to get the money you want. then the car you want isn't there and wifey says "When are you gonna redo the kitchen? you got all that money from that old truck you just sold!"
Last edited by derekderek; 07-16-2020 at 07:55 PM.
I wish people would stop using the term, "Dyed Seats". It's basically painting vinyl and paint wears off sooner or later. And since most seats have been soaked with Armour-All at one point in time, it's really hard to avoid some de-lamination. Course you can always touch up the worn spots.
The car in that video is definitely the same car. The owner doesn't seem to think very much of his own car, but perhaps somewhere along the way, he got burned out on owning it. He states he'd be lucky to get 8-10K for it in the video. Im sure he could do better than that, but I don't think Id pay $15k for this car.
Its a 73-75 hood on there, and Im not into the way it fits. Don't like the black painted bumpers or anything else done in black on this car. Also found it weird that he put orange silicone around all of the ports when changing the intake manifold.
In any event... its still a 68 Corvette. But much like his friend in the video says, "you could spend a little more and get a nicer car".
I wish people would stop using the term, "Dyed Seats". It's basically painting vinyl and paint wears off sooner or later. And since most seats have been soaked with Armour-All at one point in time, it's really hard to avoid some de-lamination. Course you can always touch up the worn spots.
My car had the worst "dyed" interior I've ever seen. Even the carpet was painted black. Ive since replaced just about every interior piece, but good lord it was gross.
i don't know. most 13k 72 and older are basket cases. this guy doesn't like the chrome bumpers. they talk about these 2 cars the 74 and the 68 like they are roughly equal in value. sounds like he has about 12 in it and a LOT of time. the 10k 74 is close to the max one can expect to get for that year. few 68's under 15 are gonna come close to this cars apparent overall condition.
i don't know. most 13k 72 and older are basket cases. this guy doesn't like the chrome bumpers. they talk about these 2 cars the 74 and the 68 like they are roughly equal in value. sounds like he has about 12 in it and a LOT of time. the 10k 74 is close to the max one can expect to get for that year. few 68's under 15 are gonna come close to this cars apparent overall condition.
I pretty much agree across the board. I just don't think this is the 68-72 car I would buy regardless of price.. unless of course it really was a blow out sale.
Yeah- special considerations for a '68- they're a bit of a red-headed stepchild. First run of the car. Even some early headlight assemblies don't cross-reference. THIS one has had so much done to it, I'd need to be able to pick it up for a case of beer and a song. The owner/guy in the video kind of annoyed me- he has a corvette, but he certainly doesn't understand it.
You were right to pass on it, I would have, and I'm the patron saint of basket cases.
07-16-2020, 03:37 PM
I passed on a Vette that maybe I should have bought
