Hello everyone, well I have finally found an old corvette in a garage and it is one rough 62 convertible, I know it has been sitting for over 25 years. I finally got the owner to show it to me and she is willing to sell it. The problem is she does not know how much it is worth, although she thinks it is worth a bunch. I don't think it is worth much because it is in such bad shape.
It has no engined, no transmission, the rear end is not original, the hard top is on it, the plexiglass is popping out, and the rag top is in the storage compartment but is all eating up. The body has been stripped, so I can see all the imperfections on the fiberglass. The left rear quarter panel has a chunck out of it, the front headlamps back about 8 inches are cracked do to a front end mishap, and the right front fender is missin a chunck do to the fender bender. Plus, the seem on the left front fender has opened up do to the fender bender. The tail end at the point is splitting slightly. The interior is all destroyed, dash and steering wheel ok, all the trim parts gone or dented. This is a complete frame off restoration obviously. But, I do not know what a decent asking price would be. They would not let me see the vin number which I can not understand, they do say they have the title. So I do not know why I could not see the vin. I did take pictures and I do have them, but, If anyone could give me an idea on a realistic asking price I would be appreciative. I have always wanted to restore an corvette and now I am 57 and it is time. Can anyone give me any guidance?

Dave V

 

Dave, sounds like a big project. To be direct, I would not get into this deep of a project without the original motor. To do a complete restoration on this car, you are going to have way more into it than it will ever be worth. Just in parts alone to finish this car will be mega expensive. Not sure if you plan on doing all the work, but it still would not be a worthwhile project to me unless I got the car for free, and even then it might not. Sorry, but just my humble opinion and you will probably get many.

Bill

 

This doesn't sound like a project car; it sounds more like a donor car for a project...

 

If you have digital pictures, and if you would like to get them posted to the forum, you can send me a Private Message and I will post them for you.

 

its a cheap way into a solid axle ,if you can do almost all the work yourself you will have about 20grand or so into it , i bought my 61 it was a real project, it was what was left of a parts car, no doors ,quarters were cut off, no trunk floor, the firewall was cut in three pieces, and the nose was busted up the best part was there were no parts to decide to refinish, i just got all new or very good used parts but that was 10 yrs ago when the parts were plentiful and the prices were a lot cheaper,remember 1 thing, its fiberglass its 100% repairableif you get it for a few tho its well worth it , a frame is 2 ,000 a conv top is 1500 the hard top is at least 1500 needing work plus all the original parts you are getting take it a little at a time it will take a fewb years to do so don;t rush into buying parts ,they fall into place as needed ,but you should at least have some auto or mechanical experince,and be willing to tackle all the work yourself , otherwise some people charge 10,000 for paint 10,000 for interior labor,you could easily have 100,000 into it

 

by the way i would price it at about 10,000, thats what projects go for in the condition you describe if you get it cheaper thats good,good luck and keep us posted

 

hardtop refurbish

$1500 for kit from Glassworks
$400 for headliner
$600 for the SS to get restored
$300 to $1500 for the hardtop to get painted
$200 for new latches

TOTAL $3,000 to $4200 for a hardtop redo


softtop redo
$3000 from Coffman Corvette - take your top apart and redo all the pieces with powder coat, install new soft top and latches


bumpers rechromed - $180 to $350 each depending on if you want them just chromed or show chrome (there is a difference)

window posts rechromed - $200 to $300 each

door posts rechromed - $200 to $300 each

all SS replaced or polished and dents removed - $800 to $1500

sounds like you need a hood surround as a minimum - $1500 for the pieces and more $$$ to get them installed and of course the car painted and the other body sections fixed - $15,000 to $20,000 (sounds like there are a lot of areas needing attention)

you get my point.....it is going to cost a bunch of $$$, and some of the pieces you may be missing in this car may set you back even more....


I agree with Frankie the Fink.....you might be better off looking for another car that has all the pieces there, it may cost you a bit more but will be less in the long run......just my $0.02

buy price - less than $10,000

here is what got replaced on my car....

 

Buy it if you want to make it a Driver and just have fun. Pass on it if you want something NCRS correct.
But for a toy,, throw a 350 under the hood, Slap a paint job and hit Ebay for tons of stuff.
Sounds like a cool toy if you can buy it right.
Good Luck!
Mark

 

Value of hardtop--approx $1500
soft top approx. 1500
Windshield complete frame $1000-1200
The rest---???
My suggestion is that you buy the car for $7-8000, part the car out for about $12k, and use that toward a car you can purchase that needs less work.
Of course, parting it out takes work, too. Wouldn't pay more than about $8-9k for it in any case.

 

You will be 62 before its done. Think real hard on this one. I(m guessing 10k

 

That's a real tough one in today's car market. You said a lot was missing if the seat frames are missing - that's big all the metal parts for trim really adds up fast.
But i doubt anyone getting advice from their Barrett Jackson watching friends will ever advise her to sell for $8-10K . And someone ( A first time buyer ) who has always wanted a Corvette will give her $15 to $20K and either they'll get buried or try to sell it down the road. At least that's what Ive seen lately.

 

Just take a "PASS" on it!

 

Your real dilemma is whether or not you go back to this lady and give her the bad news...she probably thinks she is setting on a gold mine and reality is gonna hurt some...

You may want to print out this forum thread info from knowledgeable folks with "dirt under their fingernails" and show it to the gal and leave her to mull it over...

 

..I've never seen one for less than $14,000 in similar condition. If I did I'd buy it ...even though I have 2 '61 projects already. But that's just me..

Seems like I have to rebuild the whole thing no matter how good it looks to begin with..... there is oft times a lot of wicked gremlins lurking under shiny paint.

 

 

Paul

 

The car sounds like a wreck but the 2 things you stated that would tell me I need to move on are:

1. They think it's worth alot as it sits
2. They refused to let you view the VIN

If you are looking for a project I would keep looking. It's a real buyer's market out there.

 

The ONLY way in God's green earth that you can possibly come out ahead is to do MOST, if not all, the work yourself (and of course, you can't do things such as rechroming, engine machine work, etc). If you take it to a restoration shop, there is no way to know, nor any way to control, parts and labor. You will be at the mercy of the shop. Some are quite reputable and some are questionable.
Personally, if I wanted to have a NICE 62, (based on your description) I would not even entertain an offer over $10K.

Tom Parsons

 

yep! Easily... The small stuff gets expensive. You might want to see if she still has all of the parts shoved in a box somewhere. The small parts adds up fast.

Bodywork can set you 20k without paint. Plus, check for rust. If it has bad rust then pass on it. It might be a good candidate to do a restomod or an old hot rod.

 

$10K - absolute tops, maybe less. Even if you do the work yourself (body work included!) you will put close to $30k+ into it for just parts. And unless you love the labor (which I do) - you'll lose. I have $25k in parts alone in a '61 I am finishing up and it was good, driveable, non-numbers matching car to start with.

Top recondition - $3k +
Interior - $5k (using aftermarket seats)
Engine (including acc and cooling) - $5-$7k
Tires and wheels - $2k
Exterior stuff (emblems/chrome) - $5k
Chassis (brakes/shocks/exhaust) - $5k

Didn't have to rechrome anything - rebuilt the 327/350 that was in the car and didn't touch the gearbox or rearend. Although I did invest in the Jim Meyer Racing front end. I recovered about $3k selling off parts.