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If you want to part it out, like said previously, the T-Tops alone will pay help pay for a good portion of the asking price. Somebody will also want the parts to convert their automatic car to a stick.
Anothor choice is to just get it running, and see what else happens.
A lot of times you see a car that you think " if I got it for free I would still lose money on it"
Not this one. If the frame is OK you can't go wrong at that price.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
Running vette for $1700? Good job. Have fun. Throw some covers on the seats and drive it for a bit so you can enjoy it before you start tearing it apart. It will remind you that it will be fun when your done replacing parts. It does stop well, right? I had to keep messing with my brakes to get the air and water out of the lines before I had a decent pedal. Have fun and welcome aboard.
"Thanks for your input. The amount of work associated with restoring this car does not phase me, I am just trying to get a feel of what the market is for late model C3 projects as all I've been able to find on ebay/autotrader are decent looking cars for $12-20k (no projects)."
Decent looking car for $1700.
As someone who recently sold an '80, I can tell you that the prices you're seeing online and elsewhere are asking prices. Many of those people are straight out of their minds as the prices realized are often very different.
Finished, you might net 10 grand for this car depending on where the market goes in the next few years. 12 - 20K? Maybe for a pristine example with under 30K miles on it in the most desirable color/option combination.
Oh, I am acutely aware of that fact. To use your phrase, "Ask me how I know"... I've got a 1987 Trans Am GTA with a 560 HP SBC, T56, Strange Rear End, etc, etc that still needs paint and interior and a litany of little (but expensive) pieces to finish. All told I expect to have $25k in it, and it will be at best a $10,000 car.
My other project, a 1950 Chevy 3 Window Pickup will be much closer to a breakeven proposition because there is a market for those, and that is what I am hoping for with the Vette. I don't mind being upside down, I just don't want another '87 TA kind of a loss if I do decide to sell.
I hope that makes sense. I really appreciate y'alls input.
take all that hp out of the 87 and drop it in the vette more bang for buck if you ask me.
The tires were too dry rotted, and the trailing arm shims were gone leading to a bunch of rear steer, so rather than trying to get it on the road and drive it for a bit before tearing it apart, I just went at it.
So here is where I'm at.
-The car has not been wrecked anywhere. Body is virtually perfect other than 2 small cracks and the rust (see below)
-The interior, windshield, and back glass are all out of the car
-The motor and transmission are the original (VIN is present on both)
-It has the full Vette Products suspension under it (Fabricated upper and lower front control arms, transverse adjustable rate mono-leaf up front and 330# mono-leaf out back.
RUST:
-Windshield frame is good
-There is substantial surface rust on driver's side cowl, minimal on the passenger side, but no perforation on either
-Both floor pans are shot
-Both #2 body mounts are rusted out, as is a section of the passenger side rocker channel
-Bottom edge of Core Support is rotted out
-Both #3 body mounts are solid, as is everything else on the back half of the birdcage
Obviously I will have to replace the #2 body mounts, the floor pans, and at least the passenger side rocker channel, but looking at the picture of the cowl, is it worth pulling the front clip to really clean that up and paint it properly, or do I just dribble a bunch of POR15 or other rust inhibitor down there as best as I can and call it good?
Also, where is the best place to support the body on a dolly if you are going to be cutting up the rocker channel, floor pans, and #2 body mount?
Finally, with all that weight out of it, is it safe to pick up the body by the windshield frame/roof, or do I need to go from somewhere lower down?
As long as the cowl area is not rusted through I would clean it up the best you can and use something like POR15 on it. Based on your photo that area does not look too bad. The #2 mount in the picture looks scary to me. How bad is the other side?
The other side is about the same. I'll know more when I get the body off. With the interior gutted is it safe to lift the body by the roof/windshield frame, or is that likely to crack some fiberglass or bend the windshield frame?
The other side is about the same. I'll know more when I get the body off. With the interior gutted is it safe to lift the body by the roof/windshield frame, or is that likely to crack some fiberglass or bend the windshield frame?
I haven't lifted a C3 body myself but I think you're likely to bend the structure if you try to lift by the windshield frame/roof. The pictures I've seen of people doing this show the lift straps being attached at the bottom of the car along the rocker channels, or I think some may have used the seat belt mounting areas for attaching lift straps.
Congratulations!
