Hi Guys,

Interesting story. My boss's dad passed away recently. I knew he worked at GM but did not know what he did. Anyways, he was the chief engineer who designed the "Mystery Motor" which eventually became the famous 427

http://www.vetteweb.com/features/vem...ery_motor.html

http://www.348-409.com/forum/showthread.php?p=151273

Anyways, he had mentioned that it would be cool to have an L-88 vette. Now these things are going for big bucks and there was only 216 of them so he decided a BB427 would be cool also. The idea is to have something around to share with his young children.

He likes the hour glass stingray C3 vettes and I did a quick search and came across a couple that he is interested in. I really have no idea of what to look for in what is wrong or how to verify if its all original like it says

I don't really know what a 68-70 BB 427 goes for.

I did a quick search locally and found these

He really likes this first one

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/cl...ationId=277067

http://www.duffys.com/inventory/view...te%20roadster/

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

I know alot is subject to preference but out of the choices is there one that would be better to hold onto in the long run than the others?

Anything tips?

Thanks,

Mike

 

My .02: the '69 seems to be the better buy. The red '68 very carefully says "correct" engine, meaning it's a date correct replacement and probably not original. Notice that the blue '68 doesn't mention anything about the original engine.

This helps. covers all C3s.


Have your boss join the forum here. He should learn as much as he can about these cars. Big block cars are expensive items and there are fakes out there. Before he spends big bucks on a car, he should know what he's looking at.

He might be interested in joining the National Corvette Restorers Society http://www.ncrs.org/. Membership is worth the cost.

 

good info Mike

I did not notice "correct"

Appreciate the feedback

 

I agree with everything Easy Mike said. Also, FYI, no 427 in 1970, 68/69 only. Went to a 454 in 70. The tri-power cars are pricier and may hold their value longer, but I prefer the single carb 390 horse. 2 fewer carbs to play with.

If you find a car that is of interest, have someone that really knows them go over it first before any money changes hands. Easy to make a big $ mistake if you are unfamiliar with these cars. Big Blocks are fun Good luck.

 

Great story. The LeMans Blue 69 for $37k looks good, but still make sure he has a CF Member or qualified Corvette person inspect such a car. Ask on here- I am confident you will get some good responses.

Your boss should have had his Dad autograph a bunch of BBC valve covers! (And if he did, I would like a pair for my 72 LS5 red/red coupe!) That would be a very cool thing, I believe, to have your engine signed by the "Mystery Motor" man himself.

Rickman

 

On the blue '69: I don't like how badly the hood fits in the front. There's also a fit issue with the driver's side headlight. Looks like the valance is pushed down/bent. Something funky is going on there. And why doesn't the wiper door close correctly?

Interior looks nice. Engine compartment is so-so.

I'd have the car very carefully checked for signs it has been wrecked due to the fit issues. Look on the backside of body panels for globs of fiberglass resin, mat or bondo indicating bad repairs.

 

Tell your boss to take his time and find the right car. Three cars to choose from on the internet is not enough. I knew that I wanted a 427 vette, '69 was the last year and the 390 hp coupe was then and probably still is now the most affordable. I spent 18 months educating myself, searching the ads and looking at a lot of cars. Ended up flying to Oregon to look this one over before pulling the trigger. For me, the car had to be original drivetrain, 4 speed, original side exhaust and well documented. I ended up with both original window and tank stickers! Looking back, it would have been financially wiser to find one already correctly restored...but then I wouldn't have had all the fun (?) working on it over the past six years. These cars are an absolute blast to drive. Good luck on your search and don't hesitate to ask for help. Click on my profile and look at all the pictures in my albums.

When I bought it



After recently rebuilding the engine

 

Hi Mike,
I agree that 'real' 427 cars can be expensive and therefore some (many) of them can be 'recreations'. (A nice word for fakes.)
A 'recreation' may be just fine for your friend, BUT he should pay the proper price for a 'recreation'.
If he wants a real 427 car he needs to realize what it''s going to cost.
Under any cirumstance the advice you've received about having, (paying), a person who is very knowledgable about BB 68-69 cars look at the cars you're considering is essential and money well spent.
Regards,
Alan

 

Hi FR,
I think those 2 pictures you posted are new for my eyes.
The engine compartment and engine look terrific!!! As you know I understand how much work it is to have that fresh out of St. Louis look.... or maybe even a bit NICER.
WELL DONE!!!!
Regards,
Alan

 

Thanks guys for the great feedback.

specifically I was referring to the L-88 427 cars being way out of his price range of what he wants to spend. The "regular" 427 cars that are original are within reason.

The few ads I posted were just examples, although I don't think he is committed to spend alot of time traveling to find the right one. He is a car guy but I don't think that much. I flew to a different state on my current car and drove it back.

I do have a vette guy that will do the inspection for me and that is the plan but its very helpful as zwede pointed out about the hood and other references to keep an eye out for.

My guy already told me that the blue 69 is high but I guess we will see. I just saw red 69 w/ 427 that appears to be original for $28k

Keep the comments coming

Thanks

Mike

 

Viper
If your boss wants to own the car for the long run, then he should invest now in a real car. The real 400 and 435 tri-power cars are more expensive than the price ranges you are looking at. Sure, you can buy a fake one for less but down the road, it will still be fake. If he has to have that 427, he would be better off buying a real 390 car that is in really good original condition or correctly restored. You better be looking at cars north of $40K. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

beware of the word original, there is great motivation to fake a 427 car, just because it is stamped correctly does not mean it is original.. get the best condition car that your money can buy..
just because the current owner says original does not mean that it is.. it is absolutely unreasonable for any owner to guarantee that any 40 year old car's engine is original unless there is a very low owner count ( like 1 or 2).. it is unreasonable for the buyer to believe him if he does too... a car may have been faked 5 owners ago and the current owner may not know it..

 

When I bought it



After recently rebuilding the engine

[/QUOTE]


VERY NICE!!!

 

Joe
I don't totally agree with you. If the car is totally unrestored, has never been apart, as evidenced by all the dirt, rust and grease on every single component and fastener...which are all correct, has most all the original, correct, date coded components, the carpet is old and smelly, the seats are worn, the paint is faded, the chrome is rusty...see where I am going with this? If the engine looks as old as the rest of the car, somebody would had to have switched it, with a correct date-coded expertly re-stamped block, a long time ago. This would be highly unlikely on a '68-'69 390, as they have only gone up somewhat in value over the last decade. On the other hand...with restored cars, I will agree it would be harder to detect and a whole lot more scrutiny is required.

Now as far as the highly valuable '67 435 convertibles, almost all have been seriously restored by now...reportedly twice as many as ever left the factory. Therefore you can assume there is a 50% chance that you are looking at a fake.

Of course one will become more sure of a car's authenticity as it gets torn apart. All of this is difficult to determine during a pre-purchase inspection...but not so hard after you get to know the car. I don't think any owner should ever guarantee anything, but I will tell the next caretaker that I have every reason to believe my car has the original drivetrain and not one single reason to believe it does not. The buyer will have hundreds of photographs from before, during and after the restoration to examine as evidence and all receipts. My block was not decked by the rebuilder (deck height can be measured to verify) and the impeccable stamp pad is untouched. The more authentic documentation, ownership history and maintenance receipts with mileage that a car has...the more likely the car is the real deal.