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So I got this '72 Stingray for the cost of shipping it home. My uncle is in very rough shape and wanted me to have his Corvette and keep it in the family. Last week, I flew down to Santa Barbera and spent some time with him, as well as arranged to have it shipped home to Minnesota. It's a base 350 with the 3 speed auto. It took a lot of effort for him to speak, so unfortunately I didn't get much info on the car. He told me the engine was "built" by the original owner who raced it at several tracks in the Orange County area. My uncle is the second owner who purchased it in 1977 with 28k on it. Dark saddle deluxe interior, but the interior is toast. Needs new carpet, seats, door cards, dash mat, etc. Exterior is almost perfect. Has the original center caps and chrome rings for the wheels, but I took those home with me in the suitcase. Runs/drives great. Just had brake work done and the carb was just rebuilt before I got there.
Should be arriving sometime this week. This car will open up a whole new world for me. Our garage is pretty eclectic ('80 VW Scirocco, '13 Infiniti FX, '01 Grand Marquis), so it won't have any trouble trying to fit in.
Congratulations on your special gift. If I can help with any 72 information please let me know. Consider getting a 72 AIM, supporting vendors like Willcox have them on CD and you can sort data in them. Very helpful data.
Look forward to seeing pictures and hearing more.
Best regards,
David Howard
AllC34Me
Congratulations. A chrome bumper corvette is a nice gift to keep in the family like that. good luck on the restoration. And as mentioned earlier, get the AIM- assembly instruction manual for your 1972. It has schematics and drawings of every part of the car. Its a great resource and starting place for working on your vette.
Welcome to the forum, great car....you have made one of the smartest decisions a C3 owner can do. Joining this forum. The people here are so smart and have so much experience and insight-but most of all they are eager to share and help you with your issue (at the time! Cause there will be a few...)
Congratulations. Be sure to maintain steady progress and keep your uncle informed as often as you can. He will find great peace and satisfaction in knowing his Corvette is in your hands!
Welcome to C-3 family! There are a number of us that are working on cars that have been passed onto us through our family. Be sure and get some pics of your Uncle with the car if possible. And copies of any pics he may have of the car during his years of ownership. (As well as any paper documentation). Likewise, take full advantage of the time you have with him - it is PRECIOUS! (You can't get it back!). You will find many sweet memories as you work to bring this sweet ride back to pristine condition. Be prepared to make a hefty investment to bring her back to that point! But let it be a labor and investment of love! Check in often on the forum and feed us photo sharks lots of pics! You will also find a lot of sage advise and know-how amongst these guys. Glad to have you along for the ride!
Great Uncle and a great car! I'm sure you'll always think of him when driving and working on it...
My first Corvette was a '72 coupe...Boy do I wish I still had it!
Enjoy the car...Having one with family history is the best...
Great looking car. With brown interior, I'm assuming that it didn't come from the factory painted red. No big deal....but you might want to make the interior black or red when you redo it.
If you have the original interior parts, I suggest that you KEEP them and repair whatever you can, rather than buy new parts. New parts are expensive and some don't fit that well. Repairing existing parts isn't that difficult, if they aren't completely 'toast'. And, after repairs are done, all interior parts can be recolored with good quality vinyl dye (not rattle can paint ) and will look nearly as good as new.
When you are ready to do so, ask plenty of questions about how to work on old interior pieces and what to get for the recolor work. Right now, your first order of business is to purchase two reference documents: the Assembly Instruction Manual (A.I.M.) and the Chevrolet Chassis Service Manual for your 1972 model. The AIM is stocked by most Corvette parts vendors. Some have the CCSM, too; but you might have to go on eBay to find one. These are MUST HAVE items, if you are going to do your own work.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Feb 22, 2016 at 10:06 AM.
First off...sorry to hear your uncle is in that kind of shape. I wish him and his family well.
Second....I hope you grant his wish to keep it in the family for a very long time. Car looks wonderful. I too have a 1972 base motor auto but mine was needing a full restore.
Great!!! I also own a red '72, base motor Stingray. It is a great car and fun to drive. My car has the pop-out back glass that is wonderful when the weather is fine and T-Tops removed. Have fun!
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-‘18
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Congratulations! Great looking car! Not meaning to be cold but I hope you had all the paperwork taken care of while you were with your uncle. These things can become a nightmare if not done right.
Thanks for the kind words and warm welcome! All the paperwork was done while we were down there. Going to the DMV tomorrow with the title and going to try and see if they will let me run Year of Manufacture plates on it. He loved this car. He had everything from Corvette Club of SoCal coffee mugs to Corvette baseball caps. I can't imagine how tough it is for him to let go of it, but it will definitely be staying in the family. Unfortunately this was likely the last time I would see him. He was bed-ridden and in very rough shape (awake for maybe 15-20 minutes at a time). He's lived a good, long and interesting life and he's told me so many times. It's just a tough situation. I know it'll make him happy to see the car kept in the family, enjoyed by his nephews and finished up (interior restored).
My plans are basically to keep everything the way it is, besides the basic interior restoration (door cards, seats, carpet, dash pad, etc), clean up the wheels and re-chrome the front grille.
One question; I believe he told me the paint is original. Was it possible to order a red exterior with the brown interior? A bit of an odd color combo, yes, but the again it was the 70's....
One question; I believe he told me the paint is original. Was it possible to order a red exterior with the brown interior? A bit of an odd color combo, yes, but the again it was the 70's....
Read the door frame trim tag to decode how the car was built. The short answer is; yes. The color/trim combinations were factory suggestions. But if you wanted a green car with a red interior, the factory would certainly build the car that way.
My $1,200 '72
) and will look nearly as good as new.
