Coronette

Hello, everyone.

This particular Craigslist ad has already been the subject of a thread in the “for sale” section. I’ve been corresponding with the owner at length, and have talked to him a few times on the phone. I am seriously considering a purchase. It’s way out of state, and before I send someone over to inspect it for me, I wanted to ask some questions here based on the information I have so far.

The owner seems very honest, and has owned it since 1974. He’s told me the history of the car, paint issues, etc. It’s not a show car, but a nice car. He’s clearly loved and maintained it well since then, and it’s been garaged since the 1970s. He says there’s no rust on it. The rear underside and mufflers are painted black.

He’s been maintaining it himself for decades. For personal reasons, there were long periods of time where he didn’t drive it at all (around 13 years) so the mileage (117k or so) is genuine. It’s drivable right now but definitely needs new tires and most likely an alignment. He suggests 245/60R15 BFG Radial TA tires.

It’s the base 350 4-speed engine.

The suspension is stock. He said he put some heavier duty Monroe shocks on it in the 1970s. He’s had bigger maintenance issues such as a valve job (1982, at 79k miles), timing chain (1982, 86k miles) and clutch work (1985, 92k miles) in a shop. The radiator and heater core have been replaced. He’s recently worked on the lower ball joints, idler arm, water pump, PS control valve, master cylinder, and RR caliper.

The factory A/C works but needs recharging. The tachometer does not work. He said he fixed it, it worked for about 3 weeks, and it broke again. He said something about the gears being stripped.

He joined a Corvette club early on, so that impressed upon him to keep it as stock as possible.

Here’s his ad, with more information;

https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/c...484091307.html

I don’t have a lot of photos. This is pretty much what I have. I don’t think I’ll be receiving any more photos. Again, I intend to send someone out to inspect it, but before I do I wanted to see what else to ask or look for.

Again, my goal is to get a ‘69-‘72 4-speed to enjoy driving around town on the weekends, and not a project car. From talking to him, it seems as if there are some things to fix, but it’s manageable. The long term ownership and near-stock condition is very attractive. Again, as a total novice, I don’t want to get in over my head, so I’d appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

reno stallion

If you like it fly out and drive home. If he says it will make it. I have done this. If when you get there it's not what you expected fly home. Best way to do it

LT-1 kid

that car has popped uo here a few times, seems from the pics and owner discription like a decent car, but its a base motor coupe that needs some work
in my opinion its a low 20k car

leigh1322

I haave done it that way and it works well. I have also hired a National Car Inspector and he checked the car out for me, and sent me a 100 pics for like $125. Saved me a flight and had it shipped half-way cross country sight unseen. People do that with classic cars all the time.

Which ever way you go, at least get him to pull the lower ankle-high trim panels and look at the #2 body bolts. What you do not want to see is rust flakes, the ones that come from up above from the windshield frame.

I know you are from CA and not MI. But Ohio & MI cars rust very badly if they are driven in the winter. This one may have been when it was new. OTOH many collector cars are summer-only cars up there, and are actually more clean than ones from the south. Those never get driven in the winter and always get garaged. You'll never know which one it is unless you look.

But it looks like a really clean solid car with nice options. A nice well maintained driver. And fully optioned. Cool color too.
Corvette DNA app is very good and basically agrees with the price. Maybe 30.2

kansas123

What is this, a reflection of something I hope. It looks all boogered up? Car looks very good to me otherwise, good luck with you searches.

derekderek

this car looks pretty nice. blue-blue is sought after combo. matching numbers? engine, trans and hopefully frame? there are a lot of cars people post about and we say don't touch it. this is not one of them...

Coronette

The other photo shows a reflection from the barn door.

Coronette

I appreciate everyone’s input. Thank you.

I split my time between CA and ID, and the car would be kept at the latter locale. There’s more room for the car and it’s safer. The car is for the proverbial “Sunday drive” with the targa top roof open, going to dinner, etc. Snowy winters means a shorter driving window.

I generally don’t like broken things, and would want to fix the tachometer. I have no idea, however, what’s involved with that, e.g. remove the dash, etc.

I agree with the rust analysis, and did ask for a photo of that body mount.

I’ve heard that cars that go undriven for a long time can have issues. This has 117k miles from 50 years of driving. To me, this sounds fantastic, but I’m not an expert.

I fully expect any car this age to need ongoing maintenance (just as my 1929 house needs more attention than a new one does, but its unique and timeless charm and its high build quality have won me over). Tires, belts, hoses, fluids, brakes, etc….these are all things I expect to be on top of, and replace and maintain on an ongoing basis.

I’m trying diligently to avoid buying a car that’s in the shop more than it’s on the road. I recognize my limitations, and am fully prepared to acknowledge if this isn’t the right car for me, and I should instead focus on acquiring a more restored example (which I presume are at a higher price point). If this car isn’t a good match for me, no doubt it would be for someone else.

As to price, I wouldn’t make any offer without having someone inspect it first. If I do decide to move forward, I do intend to negotiate. If it doesn’t make sense for me, then I’m prepared to walk away.

I’m very grateful and appreciative for everyone here on the forum generously sharing their expertise.

general ike

A/C needs charging is never a good thing and will probably, potentially be a very very expensive repair. I think it would be wise to assume that it will be.

At that price all major components need to be correct. Including engine, granny, rear, carb, starter, alternator, glass and hmm what else.

I did not see any mention about the paint. I assume the color and interior are correct and match the trim plate. It also needs to be extremely nice at that price point.

I think it might be priced at the top of the price range. The prices have been steadily rising but I think, I think we may have peaked and will start to see a back slide as the economy sputters. You may want to take that into consideration as well.

On the other hand screw it, buy it and enjoy!!!

Good luck. Ike

PS:I forgot to add that the muffler’s bottoms were painted Black by a blackening out process done originally by GM to clean up the appearance of the rear end of the car.

derekderek

i always say it is less painful to regret the car you passed on 6 months ago than to regret the car you should have passed on 6 months ago. the one you passed in is all sweetness and light and mechanical perfection. the one you shoulda passed on is that rusty pig-dog leaking oil all over your garage with a bunch of worn out expensive parts and you KNEW at the time it was a baaaaad idea, but you got impatient and it had shiny paint...that being said: this car looks pretty good. better to overpay for a solid car than to be going on youtube learning how to mig weld!

ThumpingLotus7

The tach issue is likey that the gear on the main shaft is stripped -- which means either putting in a new tach drive distributor or having the one in the car rebuilt, relatively speaking small potatoes! No dash dissasembly required! Swapping a distributor is 1hr of work, the part last I checked is ~$125 (though that was pre-pandemic) just be sure to save your original distributor.

The AC is a can-o-worms depending upon where the leak is... and that you won't know until you have a shop test it with dye etc It's not like a modern system where you throw in some freon, it works for a season and so-what. The AC requires R-12 which is rather annoying and expensive to get now-a-days. Also FWIW AC on these cars even when functioning well, just does ok... point being its not a must fix... you can choose to open that can on your terms, just make sure you're not paying for functional AC on the way in, so that it doesn't hurt when the next guy doesn't pay for functional AC when you sell it.

Pricing seems fair, likely can haggle to 29K on the AC -- the hard work has been done (valves, timing chain, radiator, heater core) I would not be worried about the miles -- I have a 71 base motor with 120K which I just drove from NY to Florida and back over the course of a week and I imagine it will keep running as it is for another 100K miles before I have to do my timing chain again! An L48 in this era of car, well maintained (as this one appears to be) runs really well for about 100K before needing a timing chain.

This is a very high option base motor car, TT, PW, PB, AC, likely PS too in a solid color combo. If that is what you want, then this is a good candidate... Higher options though in particular AC does mean more of a PITA to work on it (or more $$ to the mechanic who will maintain it).

Most definately do not buy until you have it inspected by someone you trust -- to find someone you trust start with the local NCRS chapter -- they'll know someone who can take a peek for you, and tell you what the car is, and what the car is not... I know the NCRS is not for everyone, but I think its good to know what you're buying before you buy it and I know there are a bunch of C3 experts (the guys who literally wrote the judging manual) who live in that area, and my guess is the local chapter can get you hooked up with someone who can tell you what it is.

Best of luck!

Coronette

Thanks everyone. It is helpful to know the amount of work involved with those items. The A/C issue might be a non-starter. On the other hand, I’m here in ID on this first weekend of June, and it’s raining. As the saying goes, if you don’t like the weather in ID, wait 10 minutes, as it’ll change. I may call one of the local Corvette mechanics here and ask about the A/C.

He did assess the tachometer issue as being stripped gears. What may be a simple fix for some might not be for me. Again, this is helpful, and warrants a follow-up on my part.

The paint is the same color as factory, and was repainted a few years ago. He said he had to find a color match, and found a company in New Orleans that advertised in classic car magazines to find it. It’s been touched up over the years; he’s told me it’s not perfect, but passable at a distance.

I also concur on inspection and price.

I’ve been continuing to research and inquire about other cars. I’ve also tasked my friends who are into cars to be on the lookout for me as well. The long term ownership is very appealing, as I know about maintenance, no body damage, actual miles and usage, etc. I’m also using a business like approach, and if a particular transaction doesn’t make sense, so be it.

Coronette

Huge gap with chrome bumper.

Different car but also a noticeable gap.


These are not the Chicago car we’ve been discussing, but two other cars I’ve driven and seen in person. These are my photos. Both of them were at dealers that had no history on the car. Both had these gaps up front with the bumper. To me, something like this is a red flag, given my essentially nonexistent mechanical skill set. If this is what I can clearly see, what lurks underneath and inside? Clearly stuff that’s too much for me to handle. The top car had so many maintenance and fixing needs (way, way beyond the bumper) that it clearly wasn’t the car for me. It’s since been sold, and it will be a great project for someone. It looked awesome in photos, though, and if I’d bought it online, sight unseen, I’d be in a bad place. That was a great lesson for me to learn early on in this search. Inspect, or no-go.

I wanted to add that there were other signs of body alignment issues with these cars, e.g. one had chipped paint on the headlight lid, as the lid would nick the frame as it went up and down, fiberglass tear on the door at the hinge, etc.

The plus of buying a car from a long term, private party owner is that we can discuss any known body damage, etc. But, again, if this Chicago car doesn’t work, it will for someone else, and I’ll keep looking.

67:72

If you can turn a wrench and a screwdriver, tap a pin out with a hammer and rod, and use a dental pick, you can repair the distributor tach gears. The only other thing you'd need is a timing light to reset the timing.

68hemi

I would NEVER buy a car with the A/C not working. Common thing to tell a buyer it just needs a charge. If that is the case have the seller do it AND check it for leaks. If it leaks in the evaporator it can be a very expensive fix.

Coronette

That is very helpful to know.

I’m wondering if it’s better to get a car that never came with A/C.

Coronette

Thanks! This is super helpful.

69L88

I’ve seen several cars with bumper gaps like that and it may be a reproduction bumper is the culprit. What do the gaps look like at the corners?

derekderek

Broken ac is easier to fix than no ac.

Mr D.

There is no such thing as "The factory A/C works but needs recharging", it blows cold air or it doesn't. If it doesn't than the AC doesn't work.

Based on the pictures and what you posted I would not be against owning this car. Someone said it was worth low 20's and seller is asking low 30's so that is your spread, keep in mind this is a 50 year old used Chevy so value is what the buyer and seller agree on. I have said on this forum many times before if this is the right car for you don't let a few thousand dollars stand in the way of what you want. Good examples of these cars are getting harder to find.