Where you might find some value for the engine is with the current owner of the '70, IF it's still in existence. Huge IF!

 

I don't think your correct about the 1989 price you just quoted. I was shopping for my first Corvette in 1988. I had to settle for the C3 because the 427 C2 was already going through the roof. I paid $21k for my 69 427 in 1992 which I still have. The non original engine small block C2s were around 18-20k.

I still have a bunch of Vette magazines with the price guides. They were actually fairly accurate. I'll look up the price guide for 1988. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

I bought my '69 427 in 1989. I could have bought a white 300hp 67 for $14,500. '67 435s were $40,000 or about 3x what I paid for my '69. The prices really started to jump at that time. Remember the August 1988 Motor Trend?

 

Originals were just as important then as now. Restamping blocks started in the 80s. That tells you it was important back then. I was ONLY interested in a documented original vette back in 1988. It was important. All the sellers who had original cars back then knew what they had. I looked 4 years before I found a car I was happy with. But that had more to do with I didnt really know that much back then and was just extra cautious. I passed on some cars that I should have bought.....

There were fewer AVAILABLE because cars were not yet being restored with great regularity. The aftermarket industry started booming with repro parts so that these cars could get restored easier. And it made it much easuer. Also, everybody who owned the cars just let them sit in "barns". Didnt care if they sold, didn't know the value or maybe intended to fix it one day on there own. Some died. Car becomes available.

Those of us who were young, stayed alive, got older, made more disposable money and saw the value in a restored vehicle, then the restos started. Some would sell there cars increasing the available cars for the market.

If we didnt want a restored car and wanted to restore one on our own we then we had to find one. The barn find was born.

 

KingRat!
That's great!

14.5k would have been a good price for a 67. $40k back then was BIG MONEY for me. The 21 I paid was a boatload but I wanted the car.

I also remember when the first 67 435 hit $100k. They couldn't stop talking about it. "When will it hit a million". It was crazy. I also remember as I kept looking prices kept going up faster than I could add to my stash of extra money. So naturally I bought just as the bubble was about to burst....I should have waited a few more years when prices leveled out more.....my crystal ball sucked...

 

You and me both! There were sooooo many cars that I looked at. I didn't have the money then but was finding a lot of really nice cars. Now I can afford them but can't find the cars! So frustrating. Anyway, the point is, I bought my '69 June 13, 1989 at the age of 19 and the first thing I did was look at the engine stamp and date code of the block. It was very important then.

 

In 1974, a friend wanted to sell me his '67 C-2 fastback, 427/400, 4 speed, side pipes, in good, clean condition. He had gotten older, the family responsibility had grown, it wasn't the first Corvette he had owned, and over time, it had become a "garage ornament".

He wanted $3500 for it. I had the money, but no place to keep it, so I had to pass......And yeah, I know what you mean about the "town taxes". Even though I'm over 65, and get the "senior citizen break", my taxes are $7000.

 

On the people who want c3s now and as time passes,
Most part younger generation?
The ones who are into cars and i feel because of changing times that number is less than it was 20 30 40 years ago
Those few car guys go for somewhat newer somewhat less expensive and mostly imports they can "tune" the very few into old cars like c3s will likely lean towards restro mods with the later more modern engines etc, only a very skinny number will desire original,
I do not know if collectors who want 100% orginal time pieces are being replaced as quickly as they are falling off,
Doesnt seem like it, that too will hurt c3s in the future,


Trends come and go there was a time people wanted to personalize their corvettes, more radical body modifacations were the norm, so even corvettes that appeared stock likely had lots of mods under the skin,
Most of the buyers at the very least hopped up engines and did day two or as i call them "carwash" mods

They overlapped but I saw a trend of wanting original forming as the modded cars were waning in popularity,
Guys especially pre c3 wanted the cars orginal, that had its trickle effect to c3 and that was a new tread that is alive and well today,

Where does it end, it doesnt, trends come and go, and always will,
in general at this time the high dollar most sought after c3s are very pristine restored orginal cars that were rare or rare ish in some way, big blocks, 4 speeds, chrome bumpers etc, and well done top end restro mods,
These are mostly used in a play toy fashion if driven at all,

At the top end of money spent on c3s those rare orginals will likely always beat out the restro mods because factory hp and chrome is just cool.

But that top 1% isnt where most c3 owners are or even desire to be,
The biggest movement i see is cats who want a c3 to be a car they can drive, nothing worn out, some demand more hp or better suspension, others might be happy with just nice radial tires, a few want flares, scoops etc but they dont have these cars just to look at or take to a show or cruise and park their butt in a lawn chair, nope, the biggest trend growing fast is "drive that c3", maybe not like you stole it but at least like you own it and see that its a "car"..

 

hate to say it but i lost an orig engine in a 68
327/350/
shop screwed the bores up
bought a gm LT1 short block from goodwrench to replace it.
even with that, car had big money offers

 

This reminds me of my 71 which has, supposedly, numbers matching engine.
Well I say supposedly because if you look how the numbers are stamped into the engine at the front it makes me laugh.
On the other hand my friend has 81 Corvette which is leaking everywhere and the engine is long on its last legs and it is cheaper to buy new engine and throw that in than to find a good workshop who will rebuild the original here in Europe.
Also his 64 Corvette has crate engine in it. And just because of that he saved around 1/3 of the price when he bought it.