Hello! Thank you for reading my post. I think I have finally found the car that I've been looking for (black 68' coupe - oh they are so hard to find).

Problem is, the Seller claims she's about 80% restored. He says the paint is decent, could use a buff. Could potentially be repainted. There is a crack in the paint where a previous owner installed an air cleaner (not sure what that is) that was too large, and could easily be repaired. It is a factory A/C car, however all the equipment has been taken out would need to be purchased and reinstalled. Weather-stripping needs to be done on the entire car. He has them, just has not had time to put them on. Interior is new-like, engine has been gone through (I am not entirely sure what he means by that).

Can anyone let me know what it would cost to get this across the finish line? I will probably hold off on re-painting the whole car, but everything else I'll need to have done (by a shop).

Thanks!

 

probably 10k without paint and 20k with. Parts are expensive and labor as well. That is if there is no rust. Have birdcage checked first

 

OP
You don't know what an "air cleaner" is? You're already in over your head.
Buy something restored and ready to go.

 

truer words were never spoken!

 

What is your motivation with Corvette ownership – restored classic? hot rod to impress others at stoplights? daily driver? Each of these carries significantly different costs to achieve and maintain.

Without at least seeing photos of the car it's a complete crap shoot on estimating anything. Advice: almost all sellers minimize every problem and over state condition and this guy sounds just like that. Restoration to me means putting it back to, or as near as possible to, original factory condition. Many people use "restored" to merely mean it was cleaned, parts were replaced (with no attention to correctness), and that there is much to do to make it a true restoration. A cracked hood from a careless air cleaner installation is indicative of other potentially big problems with the care the car has received.

Parts are expensive and to have a shop install them compounds the cost tremendously. For example, period appropriate A/C components will set you back a few thousand for parts and installation. What kind of shop would do the work? Joe's corner repair where one takes their daily driver or a specialty Corvette-knowledgeable and experienced shop? Don't get me wrong, I truly trust Joe with my Honda and Toyota drivers but when I called for Corvette transmission rebuild advice he said he'd just exchange it for a rebuilt. That does nothing to keep my car original or restored (but that's my ownership goal with my car and may not be yours).

 

If you are not a car guy, or mechanically inclined, you're going towards a open money pit.
I'm a fairly good mechanic, and I am constantly working on my '69. Between original parts that break or wear out, and new parts that may be china crap, it never ends.

 

If you are really hot on this car, have it professionally inspected by an NCRS judge type inspector. The 68 cars have many one year only parts that were changed throughout production. Which one of the 7 engine options does the car have? If it is a true AC car, you could only get that option with 4 of the 7 options. Get the point. Have a professional inspect the car and you will be way ahead of the curve. Good luck. Jerry

 

I'm in the same ballpark as Henrikse. Others have already mentioned some of the one-off issues with the '68. The early C3 do need mechanical attention from time-to-time so it's important to have pretty good mechanical aptitude yourself or access to friends or family who are mechanically sound. Running these cars to a shop ever time you need work done can get very expensive with the "Corvette Tax". Be sure to get it checked by someone who knows C3's before you buy so you don't end up with big surprises like bird cage rust, frame rust or something else major. Good luck.

 

People have observed that you are clearly a novice to the hobby, and obviously cars in general. While I don’t agree that non mechanical people cannot own Corvettes, you should understand that you will be paying about double what most people do, given you will need both expert advice as well as paying someone to fix every single thing.

As to your question, you need a Corvette Buddy. You probably could contact a local Corvette club and get some assistance on examining the car for you, or possibly a local forum member. Be sure that person has experience with 68-72 chrome bumper Corvettes, as this specific experience is important regarding critical areas to verify. A general mechanic can be helpful, but many non Corvette mechanics wouldn’t know if a ‘73 nose was glued on the ‘68.

Finally, I note you mentioned how hard it is to get a black ‘68. It is. I’m thinking, though, that you did not check the trim tag to make sure it’s a Code 900 car. And I know you don’t know how to verify if the trim tag is fake or not. As a former buyer of a black ‘69, I’ll tell you the first 5 black cars I went to look at were originally green in their previous life. If you are buying a black ‘68 because you like it and it’s got a value enhancement, verify the trim tag.

 

FYI

I am in the middle of a complete frame-off restoring every moving component and nut and bolt on the car. I am doing 98% of the work myself.
My "parts" spreadsheet including the basket case car cost, totals $42k. Most of it is already on-site. But I still probably missed a few things!

Good thing it does not include about 1000 hours of my labor. LOL

 

 

 

My situation exactly

 

For all the reasons noted above, this is a very, very bad idea. If you are wedded to the idea of owning a C3, look for a car that is as close to turn-key-ready as possible. That's not going to be inexpensive if we're talking about a chrome bumper car. Good luck.

 

You have already been told this car has issues and will require some serious money to fix up. First off it is missing parts (AC) and someone has installed the wrong air cleaner on it and damaged the hood. Bubba has been into this car so you don't know what else he has screwed up. The paint needs "buffing" is another tip off that the car has some serious issues. You can't butf out cracks in lacquer paint, it checks and will need to be stripped and the car repainted. To do this right will cost between $10-20,000 for a non show car paint job. We get it you want a black Corvette, you need to get educated or have a big bank account to pay for your ignorance about buying an car that is 51 years old. You took a good step in coming here to ask questions. You need photographs and more details. Sorry, but if you are buying this car the best advice we can give you is find someone who knows these old cars and have them inspect the car then listen to them.

 

Whatever you think it well cost double that number. If you can’t do most of the work yourself double that number again. After consideration of that number look for a “done” car in good driver quality condition and just drive it and have fun.

 

Most paint jobs run $15000 driver to 30k for show quality.

Mechanical can be $100 to $150 per hour.

To repair the hood would run $1500 to $3000 depending on your location.

To fix the A/C will run you $5000 for a shop to do it. The average for a vintage air install here is $3800 to $4000 + the kit and Freon.

To re do the weather stripping will run you $3000+ in labor with you having the parts.


Also Remember that 68 is a stand alone year and a lot of 68 C3 parts are 68 only...

You are in over your head if you don't work on cars and have a good knowledge or mechanical repairs.

 

First off, I have no business giving advice because I am a newbie here, but I can't help myself. I would say, if you are sitting on a pile of cash, go for it. It will be fun to learn something new and you will end up with a cool car at the end of the journey. Folks say the parts are expensive, but they are nothing compared to restoring an old exotic like a Ferrari, but you get the same fun classic car experience. If you stress over $$ or are in it for the resale, maybe pass.

 

Look for a nice C5Z with Mod Red interior...wait can you drive a stick?