I have just bought a 69 coupe L71 wich has been stored for 30 years. It is partially disassembled and my question is whether or not i should leave it as I have found it with all the original but old interior and paint etc. or should I restore the car?. I am new to the Corvette forum and am not familiar with the preferences of the marque. Maybe some oldtimer advice would help me decide what to do with this unique car.
Thanks

 

Congratulations! You have not mentioned paint or interior condition. There are so many questions that a few pictures will answer. If it is still a good looking car that drives well, you may have a 'survivor' that is probably best left alone. Otherwise, you have a project. There are many threads on picture posting. Short version, open a photobucket account and get us a few shots of the new girl!

 

How do you know FOR SURE that it is an original drivetrain L71? Really valuable cars do not sit disassembled for 30 years. Before anyone here can offer advice on what they think you should do...more information is needed.

 

i will try to get some photos going but this will be a project in the sense that a repaint is in order - LeMans Blue - and interior work will be necessary.
Thanks for the advice

 

Paint and interior are the last two things you should be thinking about doing to a car that has been sitting for 30 years. Unfortunately it is the first two things that bring the oohs and aahs at local car shows and therefore is on the top of the priority list for newbies to the old vette hobby. I call them "lipstick on a pig" because they are the easiet and quickest to apply. The Cubans here in Miami have a saying that goes "you can dress a monkey in silk, but it is still a monkey."

If the car is a real L71 with original drivetrain and properly documented as such, then it could make financial sense to correctly restore it...providing you do most of the work yourself. If neither of those is the case, then you have just another old car in need of just about everything. Anything can be fixed...it just takes time and money.

 

What were you intending to do with the car when you bought it?

 

After cleaning up all the Rat/Squirrel/Mice droppings and getting a real good l;ook at the car I will put it on the Restore List along with the 4 Old Porsches I have in my Hobby shop. Being retired and knowing several older Big Block Tech friends I think ressurecting this one will move along fairly quickly.
it is a real L71 - motor number matches the Vin and the PO is a friend who has had the car in storage for the last 30 years - 25 of which were here in Hilton Hwad SC. He bought it from his best buddy 30 yrs ago. Car has 54K on it and comes with the original 3x2 set up. I will be needing some parts as they disappeared during the move from NY to SC 25 years ago. Side mount exhaust,Radiator and mount,Gas tank, and a few other items come to mind - we are still going through the storage unit and finding parts of the car.
Anyway thanks to all for the positive remarks, perhaps this forum will be as helpful as the Pelican forum has been as I restored my Porsches.
Regards Eric

 

Eric

Glad you included squirrels with the rats and mice. Too many people think their furry tails make them cute...but they are all vermin.

My '69 L36 side exhaust coupe was put into storage by the PO in '82 also, with 56k documented miles. Long term storage is not a good thing...unless it is humidity controlled. I bought my car 8 years ago and have spent a lot of time and money restoring it, yet the mostly original paint, interior and chrome remain. My effort was probably not the wisest financial decision that I have ever made. Your car, being an L71, stands a better chance. Maybe you will even be able to justify new paint and interior? I know that I can't with my car...even if I wanted to...which I don't. I rather like the patina (matches that of my own wrinkly face) and being able to tell people about the car's originality.

Dennis

 

I can see things like trim rings and maybe the spare tire come up "missing" in a move like you stated, but the gas tank!?!?!?! radiator?!?!? (2 of the hardest things to remove from a Vette!!)

 

for those of you who have made positive comments - I thank you
Those that have made other remarks have convinced me that this forum is not for me
Goodby

 

Glad to hear about your L71 purchase, but sorry to hear about your reception here on the forum. There are many knowledgeable Corvette enthusiasts here that can help. They far outnumber the a-holes that never have anything positive to say and that likely don't even own a Corvette or are old enough to possess a valid driver's license (or at least act that way).

My first suggestion is that if the comments by the trolls bother you, go to the User CP tab, scroll down to the "Ignore" list and add that user to the list. You'll never have to hear from them again. Personally, their comments entertain me. Their ignorance shows with every post. Anyone who thinks a Corvette radiator or gas tank is difficult to remove couldn't fix a flat tire on bicycle. As far as valuable cars not sitting disassembled for 30 years, that's BS pure and simple. I just ran a across a fully documented '67 L71 Goodwood Green Coupe that the owner attempted to start to restore many years ago and lost interest in it when he realized how much it would cost. I'd have bought it but with two kids in college and another project in the works, the timing just isn't right.

Second suggestion is to get your L71 back together in good mechanical order, drive it a bit, then assess how much further you want to go with it. Consult with the Bloomington Gold "Survivor" standards, consider how much you would have to replace and whether it would still meet those standards when you're done with it. Then decide whether you'd be happy with it as a survivor with some patina or if a more thorough restoration is in your future.

Welcome to the CF, post some pics when you get the chance, and don't feed the trolls!

 

TO LeMans Blue - Great Idea that Ignore List , I can think of several "real life" applications but I have already applied this to the Forum responses and will stay aboard thanks to you.
My full intention is to get this old girl running and driving in the next month or two, redo the interior to decent driver standards and enjoy the machine.
I removed the seats last night and took photos of two of the largest and smelliest rodent nests i have seen and i have seen a lot of old cars. I m still trying to figure out whether or not the car came with a M-22 so tonight I will jack it up and see if there are any stampings on the trans as suggested by an earlier message. It has the original hi-po heads and 3x2's -block serial number matches the vin# and the engine is a 911LR block. I will pull the engine and take off the heads to inspect the cyl. bores and bearings then reassemble - paint orange and put it all back together. I have looked through the ecklers catalogue and plan to have some side pipes /gas tank and radiator sent over from them. Any suggestions on the best side pipes and radiator as several are available?I think a more modern radiator might be a good idea as i live in SC. there is no a/c in the car (also no PS or PB). Years ago i had a 63 Vette roadster with Hooker headers and my ears are still ringing!
So far I am happy with the car and it is unusual that it is Lemans Blue because one of my Porsches is a Factory original 911S Lemans Blue.
I will try to get some photos going and will respond to all non trolls that attempt to help out.
Thanks LeMans Blue
Eric

 

Gland your're staying. Look forward to some pictures of the progress.

 

I dont see anything wrong with a 30 year old partially apart Vette.....I parked mine in 1973 with 28,000 miles partially apart for a couple of reasons. The 5 year warranty ran out, and the Jewish/Arab war......gas went crazy for the first time and performance went out the window.

A couple of years ago I started to gather its parts and re-newed almost everything and fixed rotating parts that deteriorated even though it was stored inside. The engine was done back in 73 and stuck in my 67 Camaro so I knew where that was.

Paint, brakes, interior, {carpet, leather seats, and door panels} wiper door, hood bumps, exhaust, and a re-cored radiator.....I only lost a couple of items over the years .....a stainless door button ring and the coil bracket......Switched things around to there rightful locations, the Vette getting its L-88 engine back and the Camaro its L-78.......the cost I don't know because that's one of our businesses......it just cost more as problems came up...Mine was worth it but my investment started in 1968......not 37 years later

 

I am sure there are some that do. I never said that none exist. More often than not projects are abandoned because their owners perceive little value in completing what they started. If they fail to properly store the bones (as in a barn or chicken coop) then they really don't care about the car. I just question every time a newbie comes on the forum believing they miraculously came across that elusive pot of gold, that proverbial diamond in the rough. The OP sounds like he knows what to look for.

 

ok guys - now I am really laughing It is quitting time and I am heading up to my shop to keep cranking away on the 427

 

Welcome to the forum, Eric. Lots of knowledge and experience here. Sometimes you need to mine for it a little.

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that a Porsche guy ends up with a 911 block?

 

The irony was not lost on me.
Eric- I have to encourage you to stick around, there are some great and knowledgeable people on here, and then there are others. Most of us try to help where we can, and steer you to someone else if we can't. I sure would like to see a picture, the car sounds like it is a nice set-up. I know a thing or two about finding missing parts. My 68 was partially restored, and left for 14 years when I found it. You, at least, have the engine in the front. Mine was in boxes!

 

A verbal brouhaha and I'm not even involved. Doesn't seem right somehow.

EDL0944, there's a ton of reproduction parts available for these C3's. You would do well to support this forum's sponsors on the left sidebar.

 

That's actually an example of 'coincidence' and not 'irony', but what is a 911LR block? I'm guessing it's part of the engine machine code stamping T0911LR. (?)