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Don't really need a project, but we looked at a 58 Corvette that has been sitting in a garage for a long time. Apparently the owner died who had started working on the car, and his son just pilled junk on top of it. Now the son has died and we have a chance to pick up the car. It is a 283, 4 speed car with the factory hard top. Body is in various shades of primer and the interior has been gutted. No bumpers or trim strips. The engine numbers are for a 1957 engine. Frame appears to be in good condition and we can find no signs of the car being in a wreck. I am thinking that if we could pick this up for under $10,000 we should buy it. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
Barn finds are unloved cars. The previous owner(s) did not do anything to maintain this car. They just left it to rot in the garage. Beware of barn finds.
You're really buying a car that may need lots of work just to get it running properly. At $10,000 it's worth a shot though.
A full restoration will be a $150,000 project so keep that in mind. It might be best to just make this car a nice driver. This is not a collectible Corvette. It does sound like a possible hobbyist car though. Nothing wrong with that.
Collectible is an interesting term. What is it that makes a car collectible?
I'm working up to an article on just this topic. Is it the dollar value of the car? Is is the rarity of the car? Is it the unique engineering features of the car?
The Corvette Grand Sports are collectible. No one questions that.
How about my base-engined '58 PG? To me my '58 is a hobbyist car. There's nothing special about my '58. If it should catch fire I can replace it it 6 months.
Abington PA - A long time ago.
I would put my '58 on the opposite end of the continuum from the Grand Sports. It's the cars in the middle that get confusing.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (track prepared))
2019 C1 of Year Finalist (track prepared)
To me any '67 or older Corvette is very collectible. While one person's opinion doesn't make any car collectible, a large number of people in this hobby seem to feel the same way.
I don't have to know it's history, and it doesn't have to have been built to be top-of-the-line performance wise.
If this car is reasonably complete, has a title, and a VIN plate, it should be a great deal in this price range.
Any Corvette is collectible, it's just a matter of degrees. 1958 is a highly collectible year. (ANY car that is worth more than its original sticker price as a used car is collectible)
And it doesn't take 150k to restore one, necessarily. And Barn Finds are NOT necessarily unloved (see today's 'after 30 years my '62 is running' post), they are cars that for whatever reson are parked for long periods of time. 90% of the time, by well-meaning but unrealistic owners who lack the time and resources to fix, maintain, and drive these old cars. My own '61 was a barn find, and had been sitting non-running for decades, owned by a well-meaning farmer who, in his son's words 'never finished anything in his life'. So I got a car that I could afford, get operational for less than 2k, and I have been driving it the past year. It will not be getting a 150k restoration.....at least not by me. It is possible to repair, drive, and enjoy these cars without a full restoration.
A good driver at least personally is a lot more fun to own than a garage queen. Park them anywhere no worries abouta ding scratch or a chip, worry free! Gettiing usage!!
Always thought I wanted a perfect car til I built one, wrongo.
04-29-2016, 10:45 AM
58 barn find
