woodsdesign

Guys,
I will have access to a complete 65 BB rolling chassis. It is complete with a rebuilt 396 Corvette Engine, numbers matching to the rebuilt transmission and differential. It was done up very nice about 8 years ago and never driven. All components were rebuilt or replaced new.
The engine was broke in but since it sat for so long I'm thinking it should be looked at before starting.
The current owner is making a resto-rod out of the car mainly because he discovered that the trim tag is a replacement.
I have to admit that I am thinking about putting it under my 65 coupe, which is a N.O.M. car. Even though I know there is a lot of other changes to a BB body.
Can anyone give me an idea of a fair price?
Thanks,

Larry

Nowhere Man

If it's indeed a real 962 four bolt main with a real IF stamp with all other component correct and 65 dated the complete engine could be worth around 10k. But there is a lot of ifs involved. The chassis around 6-8k depending who needs it.

But even if the trim tag is fake but the engine is original to the body and frame there is some value there

woodsdesign

Thanks, Nowhere Man, That is what I was thinking, about 15k.
The motor is all correct and is 425 HP. It is all numbers matching. We even found the correct dated heads. (took three sets to find ones good enough to rework).
The trim tag is a fake. The car is currently in process of getting a new chassis and a LS3 motor. The owner has asked me to handle the sale of the rolling chassis.

Nowhere Man

Does it have the correct intake and correct dated carb? How about the ignition system?

woodsdesign

Yes, The carb is completely redone including the correct bowls. (not o.t.c. replacement bowls). The distributor is an original but I am not sure about the TI box etc. I can't remember if we had the dizzy redone.
Correct intake.

Nowhere Man

Those parts sell for about 5k alone

Procrastination Racing

This is where Bloomington Gold and NCRS have just gone too far off track of what the hobby should be. Because of one item, the vehicle is now not worth anything so we can build it into a custom. Ridiculous!

Yes, NCRS and BG didn't tell him to do it, but no one would have ever given that much importance to a trim tag before BG and NCRS.



Sorry for the deviation. Good luck with the chassis. If you put it under yours, you have radiator differences and wiring under hood differences, but nothing you can't overcome with not too much expense.


Pull the distributor and run a pump primer on it to circulate oil in the bearings.

Pour some light oil down the cylinders, turn it over by hand a few times, then spin it with the plugs out on the starter a few times. Spray oil in between times. I doubt it rusted up, but unless it was in a damp, wet environment, I doubt you have anything to worry about.

rfn026

He asked about value. The value is determined by the provenance of the car (or parts).

A forged Trim Tag calls into question the provenance of the car. That lowers the value. NCRS and BG have nothing to do with the value of the car. They simply help us recognize authenticity.

None of this really matters if you just want a Corvette to drive. If you're a collector though this is a big deal.

Richard Newton
Preservation, Conservation and Restoration

midstyle

Agree --- this is absolute madness

65 fi

Why not offer to buy the body too? You could volunteer finding a suitable candidate to restomod versus modifying a real 396 car.

GTOguy

While I am horrified at what's happening to both cars, I can tell you that if the engine was run 8 years ago and has been properly stored (inside) since then with the air cleaner on, all you need to do is put in fresh gas, oil, and coolant and run it. I've started/put into service many engines that have sat longer than that with no issues whatsoever. Good luck in your project!

VetteRed1965

[QUOTE=Nowhere Man;1593769351]If it's indeed a real 962 four bolt main with a real IF stamp with all other component correct and 65 dated the complete engine could be worth around 10k. But there is a lot of ifs involved. The chassis around 6-8k depending who needs it.

I think 12k would be fair and make you Vette one sweet ride

provette67

Is the chassis completely restored? By that I mean is it fresh and in show condition? What condition was it in before restoration? Any need for rust repair? Is the rear diff a '65 big block? You mention that the carb has been rebuilt with correct small fuel bowls. Is the carb an original dated carb? If so how early is the date?

Railroadman

If the title stays with the body, and the body is not for sale, what's the point of "numbers matching" on the rest of the stuff? It's worthless IMHO. To me the whole point of "numbers matching" means you have it all, the whole package, complete. If one component is not original - be it the motor OR the body - it's no longer what it started out as.

Should we call it *** - Not Original Body?

Procrastination Racing

For years, we have been told it is all about the stamp on the engine pad and if the engine is original or not. The trim tag is about color of interior and exterior and some options linked to those. Unlike a Camaro, the tag doesn't mean it can/can't be a fuelly, L88, or anything else. It will say it can/can't be a black with red interior '67 435 hp, though.

As long as the engine pad matched the VIN, then the car was valuable. But since you have stated the color can't be confirmed, the car is now so worthless it can be chopped up for a custom. That is pretty radical.

That is worse than an NOM. Remember, as you pointed out the Grand Sport is the most desirable midyear Corvette, yet none of them have their original engines.

No one is chopping one of them up.

Few of the 1967 L88s have their original engine. Or at least didn't have, as per the 1988 Bloomington Gold Special Collection where many of them were shown.

No one is resto-modding one of them either.

BG and NCRS have EVERYTHING to do with the value, regardless of how much they protest. They set the standards for judging originality, and it is that originality that makes the value. If BG and NCRS didn't exist, or had run only show and shine events like NCCC, then collectors would have used standards such as AACA.


And obviously, the owner of this car is no collector, so what does the right/wrong trim tag matter? I say that because how can a person who removes the original frame and drivetrain from a relatively rare car to modify the car drastically be considered a classic Corvette collector?

I have to agree with Railroadman, the real value of that engine is with the car it left the factory in. Sure, it has value for a person missing his original 1965 396, but nothing like the value to the car it belongs in.

emccomas

Is the original trim tag available to the owner of the car?

I just ran into a similar issues with a 66 coupe that had a replacement trim tag. The original trim tag was returned to the owner when the replacement was installed. It has since been misplaced / lost.