richopp

So, I joined the board as I have been looking for a C2 ever since I realized that the '91 560 SEC I wanted was affordable to buy but not to maintain as I could not work on it; having owned a couple of these cars in the past, I realized that they are "shop fix" cars rather than "I fix" cars, and I just did not want to get into that in retirement. Yes, it may be the "best car" MB ever built according to many MB people, and it certainly fits with the "image" of where I live, but in the end, I not only did not want to get into that abyss or portray that "image," but I also wanted to drive an American car in my "golden" years. I have no idea why, but have some inklings.

I searched and searched for 18 months and was finally going to give up as MOST cars advertised were way into 6-figures or darn close, and I could have bought a new MB for much less than that and had a warranty! I joined this board since I have been redoing GM A-Body Buicks for 40 years and the Buick boards are very good.

I posted a question about supplying a recommendation in my area and a board member made a suggestion. I followed up on it, and now I have a car! I was turned-on to a somewhat well-known NCRS judge and Corvette restorer who just happened to have a friend who wanted to sell his '66 that met my requirements: convertible with factory A/C. Not only that, it was HALF the price of most other cars like it and was an NCRS "survivor" class car as well that these people have maintained for the owner. We made a deal, and I asked the restorer if he could do a couple of things on the car for me. He said he was totally booked for the foreseeable future, but that as a favor to the seller, a good friend, he would work me in and get the items taken care of. Not only that, but his hourly rate is so low I will never reveal it, and it includes 2 people (both NCRS judges and mechanics) working at the same time. As he told me, they have been doing this for 45+ years and pretty much know what they are doing and do it fairly quickly, as you can imagine. Now, I was able to borrow the $$ for the car, but this work is coming out of my pocket right now, so I have a relatively small budget for the work I needed done.

How lucky am I?? I came on the board a complete stranger and lucked into this situation. Imagine me purchasing the car and needing someone to do a few things I cannot do and having to take a chance that the person I hired (for at least twice what I am paying/hour!) may or may not know what to do and how to do it like experienced NCRS judges/mechanics would! It would have been a possible nightmare in the making given my relatively slim budget.

SO, THANK YOU to the members who made this possible; I plan to DRIVE THE CAR--327/300 PG--as much as possible as I NEVER see C2 cars driving around my area and want this piece of art to be seen and admired as much as possible around my town.

I realize that anything but a big-block/4-speed car is not considered a REAL Corvette by many members, and I respect that idea. I would have purchased this car at the price I got if it had a BB and 4-speed, but alas, it did not. It DID have a hardtop and knock-off wheels, 450 interior, and the factory A/C, so I consider myself pretty lucky! I will post pics when the car is ready in a month or two--I have a month's work I need to do after the restoration shop is done with a couple of big things--and I am very much looking forward to getting greasy again as the last Buick I did went back to CA where it was born about a year ago.

THANK-YOU VERY MUCH to the members who so graciously helped get this done. I am a new owner who will enjoy his car as often as possible on the road as it was meant to be enjoyed . People in my area, look for me driving around after the first of the year!

Cheers,
Richard

Factoid

colo63sw

Congrats on your purchase and your willingness to 'show the art' to the neighborhood.
All corvettes are corvettes, the only unreal corvettes are the ones that a customizer with no taste has hacked up a car to an absurd level, those cars should be locked away never to see the light of day, or shipped off to a 3rd world country.

Enjoy!

Redbird

So, let's see a picture of the car already!

richopp

I really on have "insurance pics" but here it is now at the former owner's house:

Railroadman

Congrats and welcome to the addiction!

richopp

Thank-you, and yes, it obviously is a type of addiction. I thought after the last Buick I did (below) was done, I would be too, but I guess not!

Cheers,

Richard

3JsVette

That's a beautiful with great colors 2 top convertible. You're very fortunate to find the type of Corvette you were looking for within your price range.
Good luck with it and enjoy the ride.

richopp

Thanks so much. I realize how lucky I am--perseverance and LUCK paid off--and that is why I am thanking board members who led me to the right situation for me. Otherwise I would be without this beautiful car. I originally wanted white--I prefer white cars after 46 years in SO FL, but the one I liked was WAY out of my price range. When I saw this one drive up at the meeting, I was totally sold. Never thought I would buy another blue car--I did buy a new '71 Bridgehampton Blue Corvette back in the day--but this combo is really beautiful and shows off the extraordinarily excellent lines of the car so well that I was sold on first sight.

Life is full of surprises, and I intend to enjoy this one and make sure everyone around here sees it on the road as often as possible. If you are in SO FL and see me, give a wave!

Cheers,

Richard

OHSIXX

Happy Motoring, Richard.

R66

BEAUTIFUL, both the NOT REAL CORVETTE and the BUICK (really not a REAL CORVETTE). Congratulations.

A car lover loves cars and has individual taste, much like our wives. Many dream or obtain a beauty queen model that dazzles others they can brag about. Some like the more practical women that better satisfy them in their pursuit of a long term relationship.

We too are NOT A REAL CORVETTE owners and love it, as we drive R66 (300 hp 327 4 spd) and enjoy the hell out of it. Let the REAL CORVETTE owners brag and bash our cars, as they have little else to do while we are cruising.

Ron

ptjsk

Congratulations! Looks like a great car!

Pat

Jeffthunbird

dahogan

Congrats, enjoy em while you can!

richopp

Thank-you. I am very much looking forward to getting behind the wheel of this beautiful car!

Cheers,

Richard

richopp

Thank-you, Ron. I was kind of kidding, but understand from my Buick days that if you did not have a '70 Stage 1/GSX / 4-speed car you were great but not really owning the "key" car. I bought four new GS cars new back then as well as the '71 Corvette, and kept the '72 Stage 1 convertible (1 of 81 made) for 40+ years. Had to sell it due to divorce, but such a wonderful car is fine for shows but I never drove it after I redid it:



I really missed it, redid a number of other GS cars over the years, but missed DRIVING the cars. That is why I wanted a "driver" for the Corvette, and I am very pleased with my luck and the help from this Forum members. I can't wait to get the car, do the work I need to do, and get it on the road. February is the goal!

Cheers,

Richard

richopp

Thank-you, Pat. I am pretty excited to get it on the road, and given its history, I am sure it will be fun.

Cheers,

Richard

63Corvette

Congratulations Richard, you have bought a beautiful car:-) There is a wealth of knowledgeable information on this board, from a lot of VERY helpful members. Enjoy your new Corvette:-)

richopp

Thank-you, Jeff. I was kind of kidding, but am very pleased to have the 327--after all, Chevy made tons of them and they run all day long, so I wanted something that was "practical"--(ha, ha!) for a driver and I think I got one. I can work on a 327--after Buick 455's, it will be nice to have a smaller mill.

Regarding your friend's Buick, my first one was a '68 back then and it was a great car for its day--much better than the Chevelle and the Mopar cars I test drove. Believe it or not, back then they gave you the car to drive for he week-end to see if you wanted it. Imagine THAT today--unless you are the dealer's brother or something! '68 cars are not as popular as the '70-'72 cars, but the price you quoted is very good unless there is significant rust on the bottom of the front and rear quarters. No sheet metal for Buicks to speak of; NOS metal requires your first born plus $$, but patch panels for these areas are available, as are floor pans, so if it is a solid car, $8K is a good price depending upon what might be under that vinyl top...A/C is also a plus and those compressors will freeze you out of the car with R-12--I know that for certain! Tell you friend to post it here: http://www.v8buick.com/index.php

At that price, and given that it runs OK and is not rusty, it should sell fairly quickly. Best of luck to him!

Cheers,

Richard

richopp

Thank-you!

I am very much looking forward to putting some fun miles on the car!

Cheers,

Richard