Hi, Dave here.

I'm interested in your Corvette. I live in the Indianapolis area. Within a few weeks I will be driving down to visit my family in Huntsville. I plan on mountain bike riding, so I’m waiting for when it hasn’t been raining for several days. When I do come down it would be easy swing by your way on my trip.

Until then can you get pictures of the under side of the car, showing the suspension components? Also the frame rails? How is the rust under there? Have you looked under the door sill plates to see if any rust is under there? How about at the top of the A-pillers, can you see pitting where the chrome is on the corners?

You say, "the engine was "decked" and the VIN on the build pad was lost". To be honest I had to look up what decked meant. Non matching numbers isn't a deal breaker necessarily but the price would need to reflect a “Non Original Motor”. Reading up on that kind of issue, it’s not uncommon but definitely unfortunate. I appreciate your forthright approach on calling out the issue!

I’m partial to a black car with a black interior. If I can get a solid car at a good price I could hopefully have enough in my budget to get a good, black paint job. Your car could be a good candidate! I sure have been looking all over. So far every one I’ve seen has rusted frame rails despite what they are advertising. I’m beginning to believe the don’t actually know how bad it’s gotten. My “inspection method” is pretty rigorous. I take a lot of pictures and crawl around under the cars from stem to stern. Truth be told, I’m having fun with my search. I don’t know a lot about these cars but I love learning.

Anyway, let me know if you have any other info to pass along, especially like more pictures and any other things you can tell me about the car. Putting it on a lift is probably a long shot, but it’s worth mentioning it. If you did and I didn’t buy the car, people love seeing images from under a lift. I know I take longer looks at pictures of cars up on a lift. It could pay off for you.

Cheers!

Dave,
Here are some pictures of the underside (not on a lift, but with my camera under the car) and the top of the A-pillars. On the underside, if I remember right, the owner before me tried to paint as much of the frame as possible without removing the body. I try to drive it weekly, so it is not perfect underneath.
You’re welcome to come by in a few weeks. Be sure to let me know a few days in advance, since I sometimes travel for work and do have some vacation planned this summer
For other issues... The car is 49 years-old and, like most classic cars, does have other minor mechanical issues and quirks, but nothing major. A big part of the reason I am selling is that lack of time to have fun with it and tinker with it to address them. I don't mind sharing these with you because you are a ways out and if I were I buying I would want to know everything. I have 16 years of history on this car. Some of these you would not find with a test drive or even with a mechanic inspection, but here they are (in addition to the major ones in the ad):

1) When the engine is completely heat-soaked (after running about 30 minutes or more, depending on outside temperatures), if you floor it and open the carb secondaries the engine will bog down or may rarely backfire. I haven't researched this in depth but think it is a carb or timing issue, not a major repair.
2) Also when heat-soaked, there is sometimes a clicking from the front that can be heard when coasting about 40 mph, but not when idling. Haven't figured this one out, but performance is not affected and it has done this for many years. Sometimes I think the fan is barely hitting the radiator shroud, but don't know.
3) The transmission has a very small fluid leak. Figure about one drop an hour. After driving about an hour it will drip onto the exhaust and you can smell the fluid burn for a bit, then won't smell it again--but I haven't driven more than two hours in a long time. After driving, it may leave a couple drops on the garage floor (maybe quarter-size spot).
4) The rear-view mirror is loose. It rests in a good place for me, but does occasionally need adjustment during a drive.
5) The driver-side power window is functional, but needs some help getting the window to the very top.
6) The fiber optics all work, but a couple are a little dim.
7) When not driven, the battery will run down in a few days. I have a quick-disconnect on the battery terminal. Always start with a fully-charged battery to avoid burning out the regulator (which I have done before).
8) The original radiator expansion bag is still in place, but not in use. Any coolant overflow goes to the ground, but after it reaches a certain level it stops and I never have to top it off.
9) I would be hesitant to drive it in a parade or stop-and-go traffic on a hot (90+) day because it may stall due to fuel vaporizing. This might be solved with an electric fan or aluminum radiator, but I like the engine looking stock so I never added either. You might consider something like that for a true daily driver in any weather.
10) I sometimes think I hear a small exhaust leak up near the manifold, but haven't tracked it down.
11) I believe the exhaust pipes hang a little lower than normal. If you hit a good dip too fast, they will scrape the road. Suspension could be a little soft and contribute to the issue, but it rides and handles well-enough.
Another note on the engine. It is bored 0.060" and stroked with a 350 crank. The builder lowered the compression slightly from original 11:1 spec so it would run better on pump gas. I always use non-ethanol premium. I do have the original 327 crank to give the new owner.
I’ll send a few more pictures in a different email.

...I keep looking at this online: http://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/fo...ette-S414.html...It's black!...