PMorganRacing

The L88 C3 Corvette -- it's like the In-N-Out Burger's secret menu items, which you can order, but you have to be in the know.

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4XLR8N

Wow!

Alex66

What a beautiful C3 in general, and then on top of it a L88! A Dream!!

ElCid79

I want it soo bad!!!!! Can someone give me 350k? Please...

roadbike56

I remember seeing 2 of those when I lived up in New Jersey. One belonged to an employee of Malcolm Konners Chevrolet, and the other was an employee of the other Konners brother in West Caldwell NJ. They just looked intimidating and when they started up, you found out where the term "ground pounder" came into being.

Rowdy Rat

Unless there is something terribly wrong with it (e.g., the tank sticker is fake or something equally horrible), the car won't even meet reserve at twice that figure.

Regards,

Stan Falenski

danthony

come on powerball!!!!!!

ed427vette

A few things bother me about this resto. One is the smog pump. It has the 68 type pump with the button on it. I don't know the exact vin on this car but it should be after about 720000 as one of the actuator relays is on the fire wall but not too late as it has the coffee can wiper actuator (which is a repro, they should have refurbished an original after all this IS an L88). Should it not have the "shaved" type air pump on it? Also don't like the shape of the engine lift bracket. There is a better repro than the one they picked for that piece.

Other than that the car is pretty damn hot!

Staylor63

OMG! So beautiful.... I would be so afraid to drive it!

Rowdy Rat

The A.I.R. pump is correct. 1969 L-88s used a pump with a pressure relief valve... Just like the '68 cars.

The relay is a later model/service configuration (that's the one I can't believe they missed).

What's the issue with the wiper door actuator?

The car is WAY over restored, but that's just me. Many owners prefer their cars this way... And since they're paying the bill, they should get exactly what they want!

Regards,

Stan

ed427vette

I didn't know that the L88s used the early style pump. Very interesting.

The coffee can wiper door actuator is a reproduction. The originals had a flat edge around the back were the sides meet. The repros (while very nice) have a rounded edge. When next to each other it's easy to see.

I did notice the relay. The replacements have the long hump on top and the originals had the two short humps correct?

Minor things, but if they miss those maybe other bigger issues might exist. Either way, if its real, its a great example of the breed.

Sincerely,
Ed

Easy Mike

I think it's a beautiful car, but it's been professionally photographed so it ought to look good. I'd like to hear more about the "cancelled order" story.

Rowdy Rat

I'll have to keep my eyes open for this!

Correct... And as you mentioned with the wiper actuator, nothing that can't be corrected, but why not get it right in the first place?

I couldn't agree more... That's always in the back of my mind whenever I look at a car. No restoration is perfect and there are always going to be compromises along the way, but when items that are relatively easy to address are missed, well, it makes me start to wonder.

I will say this... I know Roger Gibson by reputation and his work was always considered top shelf (although I seem to remember him more as a Mopar guy for some reason). Roger Gibson, along with guys like Tim Thorpe (who occasionally posts on this forum), and Ken and Gary Naber were some of the big names in Corvette restoration when I was a young man just getting involved in the hobby. My guess is that the car needed to be completed for the auction... Not an excuse, but it would explain why some relatively easy items were apparently overlooked. The article mentions 5000 man hours to restore... That's a lot! I wonder what kind of shape it was in when they started the work...

In the end, the owner has a lot of say in how things get done. If there was a deadline, some of these errors start to make sense.

Agreed!

Regards,

Stan

avalonjohn

My August 69 (1 owner VERY original) has the coffee can actuator BTW.

Rowdy Rat

Semper Fi John,

The change from "coffee can" to "double pie pan" actuators took place about mid-October 1969... Almost the end of production.

Regards,

Stan

ed427vette

Not sure when they switched over but not long after I would think. Either way, when you have a coffee can and relay on the wall the car is after 720000 but probably not after 730000.

ed427vette

I'll try to post a pic of a original coffee can then when you the see the repro you will notice the difference right away.

3JsVette

Maybe this time. We can dream can't we?

Faster Rat

[QUOTE=Rowdy Rat;1591310569The car is WAY over restored, but that's just me. [/QUOTE]

Stan, you are not alone. Restored L88s (over or otherwise) seem to be the norm. It is so rare to see a 48 year old original car with only a mild patina on the finishes. Here are a few pictures of an unrestored '68 with the original drivetrain, paint and interior. It was drag raced with other motors but not street driven. I drove it to the car show this day and drove the '67 L88 "Flying Dutchman" parked next to it back to the shop. The current owner Jerry told me he has put the original rims back but still does not drive it.

Dennis

Rowdy Rat

Gorgeous car!

You can't blame the guys who want to restore them though... If you are going to spend the kind of money it takes to do a high quality restoration, the natural inclination is to do things better than the factory did them... In general, the guys who own them want them as perfect as possible.

There are a few nut cases out there (myself included) that get some satisfaction out of seeing them not so perfect and more like how they were actually delivered... We tend to like the truly original cars too for the same reason.

Thanks for posting the photo... Very cool car!

Regards,

Stan