I am a VW guy myself but just ran across a 79 corvette stored in a barn for who knows how long. It is a 1 owner with just over 14000KM on it. I would like to buy it but have no idea what the value is or what I should offer. just from me experience with old VWs , if its been sitting it will need brake, tires, fluids changed, battery changed, interior cleaned( smells like mice) which scares me that they might have gotten into the wires. Thank you in advance for all your help

 

Is the car for sale? What is the seller asking?

 

What was he trailering?

Couldn't pay me to take it.........

 

Hi WB,
I think the hitch was installed as a convenience to the new owner…. something to attach a tow strap to, without having to get under the car, in order to pull the car out of the barn!
Regards,
Alan

 

It looks bad but it has potential , if you can get it for a decent price I'd go for it , it's not a great value car to begin with but it may turn out to be a fun driver , do you do your own work , where are you located, I've seen cars in worst condition that people bought and they turned out nice , Ron

 

Thank you all for the replies. I did not crawl under it when I was there. The car could potentially be for sale but I think it is going to be one of those make a offer deals. Was there different engines for this car and can you tell what this one has? It has cloth seats in it and looking at others I have noticed most have leather, is this a lower end base model? so all in all if this car was a road ready nice driver car it would be about a $10000 car? I think they are cool cars and again I have never owned one and don't want to over pay and l be in the hole big time. I have also read the thread on here as what to look for so this is going to come in very handy. Are the parts expensive for these cars? Do you just buy from a dealer or are there specific sites that deal in Corvette parts?

 

What do you find looks bad? I thought it was just covered in dust and bird crap and would just clean up real nice. I am in Alberta and I have some mechanical know how( well on VWs anyway)

 

Any ideas why he also added a trailer wiring harness?

 

It's hard for any car guy (or girl), to not be drawn into a neglected collectible car, with the idea of getting it cheap, and fixing it up.
There was/is a reason cars are parked, and forgotten about.
In most cases cheap, turns into expensive rather quickly.
Corvettes as cool as they are, have their own unique set of problems, which in many cases can turn a great candidate for restoration, into a serious money pit.
Not trying to talk you out of buying it, just educate yourself on their pitfalls.
Good luck.

 

That 14180Kms on the odometer is more likely 114180Kms. If it had that few kilometres on it I believe it would have been better stored.
Do your homework on this one. It could be a gem or a basket case with many $$$$$ spent on the horizon.

Mike

 

I was thinking the same with the km it's probably more like 114000 but the interior does not look worn so that's why I thought the 14000 might be right. As far as the storage and what I have been told so far is it was bought brand new . The husband dies many years ago and the son went crazy and is now in a mental hospital. The wife is like 83 now and I am just waiting for her to call. It is on a old non operational farm. There is also a ******* jeep in another barn and 3 model t type cars in other out buildings. There is 76 antique tractors, vw beetles and so much more. It's like a pickers paradise. They were hoarders and never sold anything

 

'79 was the highest production year for Corvettes (about 54,000 made) so it's among the least desirable for collectors. But it's also among the least expensive to buy and easiest to obtain parts. Less than 15,000 had the higher output engine (L82) so that's definitely a desirable option.

Power windows and door locks (that one has neither) were extremely common options so that one is probably fairly basic. I did notice that it has cruise control and a tilt/telescope steering wheel so it wasn't completely basic.

The general engine (short block 350) and automatic transmission (TH 350) were so common for so long that parts for them are easy to find and inexpensive. The same goes for a surprising number of general parts. Reproduction (their quality varies WILDLY) parts are available for nearly everything in that car. There is reasonable demand so prices aren't ridiculous but costs can mount quickly.

Cloth with vinyl and leather with vinyl interiors were the same cost and simply a matter of preference. Leather was a far more common choice but it generally didn't hold up as well as the cloth. Only the seating areas themselves were leather--bolsters and door panels were always vinyl.

I too would be very skeptical about that odometer reading. Were that truly its first go-around I would have expected the car to have been stored much more carefully. Even though '79 is not a good year for collectors, a low mileage example (especially an L82) in very good condition will sell for significantly more than it cost originally. It looks to me like it had some serious problems and was simply abandoned years ago with this idea of fixing it "some day" and that "some day" never came...

In some ways, the 78+ third generation Corvettes are very desirable. The driving position is much improved over earlier years. The (non-California) engines had reasonable power--nothing like the big blocks of the late '60s but nothing like the dogs of the mid 70s. The "fast back" rear window that some love and others hate certainly made the cabin far less claustrophobic.

Granted I'm very new to Corvettes and only have a '79 myself. In my estimation I would offer very little and also expect quite a bit of work and expense to get it functioning reasonably. While I find mine fairly easy to work on, some things about these cars are neither fun nor cheap to repair. Rear end problems involving the differential and trailing arms definitely fall into this category and I suspect that is why some are homing in on that trailer hitch and electrical connection as a sign of BIG problems to come.

 

OK, my two cents. I drove the 1979 in the pic for 17 years (a few years ago!). I believe the mileage of 14,100km (8,800 miles) to be true. I had that light beige hounds-tooth-like cloth interior when I bought it with ~40,000km (25,000 miles) on the odometer. When that cloth wears, the dark circles enlarge as that wear occurs. I saw that on mine. In the pics above the cloth shows no wear at all. I searched for replacement covers for mine but the vinyl/cloth was not available anywhere. I had to go with vinyl/leather. I mention this because some may ask if the covers in the OP's pic are replacements after many kms/miles of wear owing to high mileage. I would say no and believe that the 14,100km on the odometer is the real thing.

As to whether it is an L-48 or L-82 I can't tell from the engine pic. The former will have blue valve covers and a blue cast iron intake manifold. The latter will have finned alloy valve covers (painted black between the fins) and an aluminum intake manifold.





My (former) 1979 L-82.

 

I'm not convinced that is a high mile car. The dash, door panel, and carpet looks real good to me. I would want to know three things if I were considering this car. What was towed with it? How is the paint going to clean up? And are the rubber bumpers cracked? Many cars have towed small boats in their life without adverse effects. Cracked or damaged rubber bumpers will require replacement and painting. Then the issue becomes matching new paint with the old. Probably would require a total repaint and then the cost really go up. If the bumpers are good, apply some polish and wax to one small section of the car and see how it will clean up. If you can avoid paint and body work, you are only dealing with typical mechanical issues that can be budgeted for. If you are satisfied with her info regarding the tow hitch, and the paint and body are good, offer $2500. You could drop another 5k in it and would still be ok. I could do a lot of work to a car with 5k. But not if it needs paint and body work.

 

First check the frame and body mounts.

 

If it's not too rusty 1500-2500 tops

 

Just noticed something. Very unlikely to be an L82. If it were you would see "L82" written in the lower half of the tachometer just above "RPM/100". The engines had different red lines so that's why there is a different tachometer face.

While the picture quality is very lacking I agree that the interior looks pretty good. If only 14,000 km (9,000 mi) I'd say it saw pretty rough use; if 114,000 km (71,000 mi) I'd say it was very nicely cared for. Both are definite possibilities.

 

I had forgotten about the L-82 on the the tach face. You are correct. This car is probably an L-48.

 

I've either got good eyes or a great imagination. I can see blue valve covers in the last picture in the series.

 

Too dark for my old eyes .