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I am new to this forum and have recently started looking for a '69 convertible with the 427. There is a black one for sale on this forum posted by Ruskus. If anyone can take a look, what do you think. My concerns are, light surface rust, not the original engine and interior issues along with some other minor issues. I cannot decide if I want to spend the bucks for a '69 that is near perfect or spend less, see if I want to keep the car long term and if so, restore it. What do you all think about the asking price? $19.9 seems steep but, I could be wrong. What price range am I looking at for a near perfect car with matching numbers and a frame off restoration. Any advice on a PPI or having a body shop look at a potential car as well? Any other good locations to search for the right car? Thanks for the help and I hope to join your ranks soon.

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[Modified by widget, 1:25 AM 9/3/2003]

Corvette ED

First off welcome to Corvette Forum. You will learn a lot of information here. Now to answer you question.

A frame off 69 427/435 convertible with matching numbers is a $50,000+ car. To send your car to a top notch Corvette restoration shop will cost $50.000 to do.

Here is a link to one of the better shops http://www.da-corvette.com/ check out what it costs.

I am doing a frame off on a 67 427/435 car and can tell you that just doing the frame and drive train to make a rolling chassis there is $20,000 in it already.

wayne_69_427

Now is the time to decide are you going to drive the car or have a show car. Once you make that dessision you will know where you are going. I personally enjoy driving the car. My car is pretty stock but if I have the chance to choose an original part or a better part I will go with the better part everytime. I do not get hung up on the original part with a certain finsh because thats the way it came from the factory (who cares). Technology is better now might as well take advantage of it.

JB

Ed, I don't thing Ruskus's car is a tripower. It is a pretty nice NOM sidepipe big block. Frame off 427/390 cars (what Ruskus's originally was) generally go in the low to mid $30K range these days. Surface rust is pretty much the same thing as no rust at all--all unrestored 30year old frames will have surface rust. What Ruskus is saying is that the car doesn't have frame rot, which is the biggest thing to beware of when buying a C3.

I think it's kind of bad form to make specific comments on the price of a car that another forum member has for sale (and you couldn't trust it, anyway, since if I say it's a great price I could just be supporting a forum bud and if I say it's outrageous I could just be a jerk!). So I won't.

JB


[Modified by JB, 9:15 PM 9/2/2003]


[Modified by JB, 9:22 PM 9/2/2003]

Corvette ED

I was just using a 435 car as an example what a totally correct frame off car with matching numbers is worth.

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JB, I have to tell you, I am a lot less worried about bad form than dropping too much $$ on a car that is not worth it. I thought this would be a good place to get some honest advice. As a newbie to the forum, I have to say that the Porsche 928 forum I spend a significant amount of time on due to my ownership of one, can be painfully honest to those trying to sell their cars via that venue. Just looking for some valuable insight and by no means meant to insult anyone. By the way, he posted his car for sale on a public forum with the asking price so, a discussion about the perceived worth is fair to those of us considering purchasing the vehicle. Cheers.

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[Modified by widget, 3:23 AM 9/3/2003]

JB

Naw, don't get me wrong. Not bad form to ask, just bad form to tell. What I meant was I personally would think it's kind of tacky for me to say that his price is good or bad, since this forum is very much a kind of "wrenching buddies" sort of atmosphere. Not much brutal honesty here about each other's rides--more like how you tell your buddy his baby's beautiful even if the kid looks like a pit bull.

But what the hell, I'll say this much--I think $19K is pretty reasonable for a very low milage NOM big block convertible with factory pipes in the condition Ruskus's car seems to be in. Damn, now I feel tacky. :D

JB


[Modified by JB, 9:38 PM 9/2/2003]

427V8

What you really need is a experienced forum member to take a look at it in person. IT's hard to tell what something is like from way over here...

WA 2 FST

A good frame-on/off recently restored, NOM BB '69 vert is going to be low-$20s in most areas. You might find one somewhere in BFE that is cheaper. I know what I paid for mine and ruskus's car is very similar. I do not think $19.9k asking price is bad at all.

But I do agree with others... you will only know when you get right up next to it and look the car over very carefully, and drive it.

Then again, I know what I've got into mine now and it would take high-20s, low-30s to pry it from me...and several people have already offered that unsolicited. So, you see... its really worth what you think it is.

If you're buying the car as a real investment, then NOM is a turn-off. I wanted to get a clean car and make it faster than the original. Mission accomplished. :)

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Thanks a lot for the replies. You too JB. Can you guys tell me more about the NOM big block? Things to look for etc. You guys need to post pics of your '69s! Thanks again.

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Alwyn678

Is the car in Atlanta??

JB

Most of us have 'em in our sigs. If you haven't done it, you might want to go to "My Profile" and change your profile to show sigs.

JB

Cor6996vette

Welcome to the forum . You will have a better car for the money because the help of this forum. :yesnod: :cheers:

69Rat

Hey JB.. your's and mine could be twins! :cheers:

JB

Sure could. Wish I had that pretty Hayabusa for mine to sleep with!

JB

tiger

At the risk of sounding like I'm just regurgitating what others have already said, I would suggest you first have to decide what will the car be used for. I'd forget about it being an investment. If you have $20k, and want to invest it, there are far more aggressive and convenient financial instruments available. Low risk investing could get 5% per year (dividends from utility companies, for example). If you want one to have fun with, then I'd go with something cheaper. Something with issues, and priced accordingly. All the interior parts could be changed/repaired for about a grand, if you do the work yourself and if you don't get **** with the originality and date codes. That's what I am in the middle of right now. I bought a '69 for $7k three years ago. It was a good solid clean-title Southern car. Very little of it was original. But who cares. I can't drive it anywhere without someone making a comment about it.

Unless it is near perfect, I'd have a hard time spending $20k on it.

sammyb

Maybe I'll just keep my pie-hole shut on this one...since mine was just a lucky lottery ticket.

(For the benefit of the new guy to the forum, I got my 427/435hp convertible, which basically was in the same condition you described for $6K...I have another $1500 into it. It was nothing but luck...)

In terms of putting back the original engine. If I could find a correct block, manifold and tripower setup for a reasonable price, I'd probably do it, just because it's so dang cool.

BTW -- I've seen show-quality restored 427/435 roadsters sell at auction at under $40K. Outside of Corvette-specific auctions and the winter Barrett-Jackson, the mako-shark Corvettes are not bringing the insane money right now.

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Thanks again for the replies. The car is located in NJ and I start working out of LGA later this month so, I will probably take a look at the car. I am starting to lean more towards a car that is not close to being perfect but a strong driver and just enjoying spending time on the car making it better.

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