Hi guys: It's been a wile. i finished up the 69 L-88 race car, and i've been out and about. Here is todays question. I have found a 1972 coop. 454/auto, tilt/tel. elect windows and door locks factory air. Red with black interior. the car has been parked sense 1978. It is/was covered in a carport. the person wants 9,000 for it. betting on New paint( 3,000) new interior(1,200) new brakes (1,200) is it worth it?? i can do all the manuel labor my self. BUT I can't do paint and body.
Also, is there a retail place that would give a discount,If i bought all or most, of the service parts at once.
Thanks for your help Larry

 

Corvette Central has a "Start to Finish" deal. I believe your first purchase needs to be $2,500.00.

Can't say on the price of the car. Your estimate for paint sounds a little low. Post some pictures here, the "what is it worth" threads are pretty common these days.

 

I really hated to do it. But, I'am just lost on vette pricing. As the paint price i do mech work for the body guy. SO, he tries to take care of me plus it's going back orig color.
Right now muscle car pricing is all over the place. Just how desrible are 72 big block cars?? I know it's a low horse motor. BUTTTT.
Larry

 

If it has been sitting in a carport for 32 years, it is hard to tell what condition things are in without a close inspection. You should find someone who knows these cars well and have them look it over with you. If the frame and birdcage are rusted out, $9k probably isn't going to be such a good deal.

 

thank ou for your input. I'll try to pot some pictures thi weekend. Wile it has been in a carport it has been under car covers. But the Red paint is faded pretty bad. I don't think it will buff out
Larry

 

I own a 72 LS5 AT Coupe, and have become quite familiar with them, altho I will never reach expert status. They are torquey, fun cars to drive. As you probably know, the 72 closed out the era of the chrome bumpers and removeable rear window.

The 2 most important things here are:

1. RUST- You absolutely must be sure you are starting with a rust-free platform before going any further. Get a C3 expert to check the car out, or search "rust" on this Forum. Like Frogday, I believe that a 72 sitting outside for 32 years may potentially have some serious rust issues.

2. ORIGINALITY- The more original the car is, the higher its potential restored value. Tank stickers, Protecto Plate, #'s matching, the A.I.R. are all very important to collectors. And yes, documented, properly restored and original 72 LS5 coupes can be worth up to $35k. A not so original car, like, say MINE!!, up to $10k less.

Rickman

 

Probably. Any original paperwork with the car? Post some pics.

No electric door locks for 72.

 

Hi LL,
I agree with Rickman that the value could vary a great deal.
If it's been outside (even covered) for all those years, the elements will have taken their toll without even asking permission.
His comment about originality and value is right on too.
Lots of pictures and lots of detail will get some better estimates from people.
How did the owner come up with $9000 as the price?
Regards,
Alan

 

I takled to the owner again. NO POP or protect-o-plate. All that stuff was lost years back. BUT, the gas tank has never been out of the car. So, mabey hope there. The 9Gs is probably just a number he picked below 10,000. 10 Grand in buying and selling stuff is kinda a boundry. A lot of people will walk away from a 10grand price tag But will keep looking at a 9 or 9,500 one. I'am sure the A.I.R. is gone. that is one of the first things to go back in the 60s and early 70s. I took more than one car form the dealer ship straight to the muffer shop for headers and a 2" exhaust. He said it still has the original Exhaust manifolds.
I'll get Picts sunday. Going over with a floor jack and a camera.
Larry

 

Hi Larry,
I was thinking sort of the same thing about the $10,000 barrier.
It'll be interesting to see some pictures.
Regards,
Alan

Wouldn't it be nice if the same amount worked for congress? With them it's $1,000,000,000!

 

Brakes, get them locally at your parts store....They should know what there doing to provide you with the correct parts and about 1/2 the price of the Vette parts stores...

 

As mentioned triple check the bird cage and frame for rust...........

 

Thanks Guys: I'am going to check on it Sunday. I have informed the seller that i was bringing a floor jack and camera. this is a friend of a friend deal. SO, you never know what to expect. we had our weekly car cruse to night and i looked at a 71 small block verry close. we will see.-- if there is any thing special i should look at please chime in. The only thing i know to check on the frame is with a welding hammer. just tap-tap and more taps. looking for week spots.
Thanks Larry

 

A quick search on the VIN will tell you if it is still wearing original equipment ( I would say yes, since it was only driven for 6 years). The welding hammer will work, but take off the kick plates by the footwells and see the body mounts on the birdcage. Also look for signs of rust around the windshield frame. Pulling off trim and chrome is the only way to know for sure, but I am sure the owner will not allow that. If the kick plate areas look good, the rest is probably fine, too. That is a gamble, but we all have been there. Good luck!

 

You could get lucky, but don't count on a legible tank sticker being there.

 

Unfortunately, '72-'74 cars are thought of as "low horsepower" motors, when in reality, they are essentially the same motors as '71. This, and other factors, seems to have depressed the prices of '72-'74 cars in general. Add to that the fact that most people who buy these cars want to use them as nice-day cruisers, and the coupes are selling for substantially less than the verts. I think the AT cars are less desirable, and therefore should sell for less (theoretically), but I have not seen any real evidence to back that up.

The result: assuming a numbers matching engine that convinces me it is likely original, I think of a '72 BB auto coupe as about a $20K car. Obviously condition and options can drive the price higher or lower, and I would subtract about $5K for NOM. There is a nice example of a '72 BB auto coupe in the for sale section asking $22,500 that looks ready to go to me. If it was my money (and my knuckles, and back, and...) I would check that one out, and any others I could find that were ready to drive right now, before I spent $9K on a project car.

 

Hi guys: First i would like to thank all who responded and offered insite.
It was verry bad. I got there about 1 pm. The car was still under raps with all 4 tires flat. We took off the tarp & car covers. First thing. What little paitn that was left was burgandy. NOT red. second thing fiberglass was cracked in lots of places. I do not know if this was due to age of junk piled ontop of it. third thing. Interior is now red. Not black as described. he told me he changed it. who knows?? foruth thing. All carpet and weather strip demolished,center consloe also.
Open the hood. Small block there. i was told it was a BBC. He states he has the orig big block in the shed. BUT, all A/C brackes compressor pullies are gone. BUT he has the exhaust manifoles. Carb is MIA.
Wile I wanted to kill the guy for wasting my Sunday off, I was polite.
i told him I would run some numbers and see what it look like. So we walked away on this one. All the time he was telling me how he new what it was worth and don't try to beat him down on price.
O well, Thanks again for all your help. there are more and better projects out there
Larry 2206 AA/SA