Hello, everyone. As I move through the process of finding the C3 of my dreams, I’ve been receiving fantastic feedback on several cars, and also some great leads on my WTB thread.

By way of quick background, I want a 4-speed 1969 coupe, preferably with a small block engine to keep in Idaho and have fun driving around on weekends, etc. I split my time between ID and So Cal, so there is a broad geographic area that’s readily available to me. I know any car this age will need ongoing maintenance, doesn’t have the creature comforts of modern cars, etc. I am not mechanical so wouldn’t be doing any of the maintenance that so many of you guys here do. So, I don’t want a project car, and want a driver ready car for me to fire up and enjoy. Through research I have a pretty decent grasp of the market, and am willing to pay more for a car in more restored condition. That being said, I certainly don’t need a car in show condition, and I think a largely original car in good mechanical condition might work just fine for me.

I’d prefer an L46 (and am willing to pay more for one). A/C isn’t a dealbreaking option, but my thought is that above a certain price point, I’d want it. My color preference is for blue/blue, although I consider other colors as well on the right car. A fellow forum member led me to a 1969 coupe that’s been for sale on Facebook marketplace for about a year, for $25.5k, located in Connecticut.

It is a numbers matching base engine, with a 4-speed transmission, without PS, or A/C. The current owner has owned 14 Corvettes over the years, and is selling it because he doesn’t drive it much. He bought it over 5 years ago from the original owner (his friend, who was getting older and unable to use it, and who is now deceased), which is a plus for me. As I understand it, the car really hasn’t been modified, but things that have needed maintaining or fixing have been fixed, from the alarm buzzer to the manifolds. He says that everything works, that as far as he knows there is not any collision damage, the body is great, and it has no rust on the frame or birdcage. Photos seem to show that the bumpers are tight, there aren’t noticeable gaps in the doors, etc. He says that the wipers work, the headlights work (and go up and down). He says that everything he replaced (eg the broken original radio, wheel covers etc.) he has. He kept all of the parts.

The seller says that the original owner did some transmission work, but it’s not clear to me if the transmission was replaced altogether or just worked on. The manifolds were taken off, the copper lines were replaced, and the air pump has been changed. The original owner put in a new clutch and pressure plate, He says all of the ignition shields are there.

The seats and seat belts are original, and functioning, with all of their clips and retainers. From what I can see, it probably needs new foam if it’s original. He says the carpeting is new up front (not in the back, although he has the carpet for it). It has new Rally wheel covers, but he has the original wheels. He has an aftermarket wood steering wheel on it now but has kept the original one.

He says the bumpers are in excellent shape, as are the T-tops.

Its VIN and date code place it in August 1969. It’s not on the C3 registry. He has a mechanic, and emphasized that everything that has needed fixing or replacing has been done, the car needs nothing, and is solid. He did not send me undercarriage photos, but he will take the car to the mechanic for an inspection (which l’ll pay for). Obviously I will get a full report on frame, birdcage, and body. The luggage rack has pitting, and what appears to be discoloration or surface rust. He says the car has been garaged and well-maintained. The car has been repainted (its original color), has a blemish up front, and needs waxing.

I will post the photos next, in the next post.

If there are any follow up questions I should ask, please let me know. If the car checks out mechanically then I’ll go see it and drive it. I am concerned about the lack of power steering. One of my C3 owning friends says it can be easily added (especially if there isn’t the A/C equipment under the hood) while my other C3 owning friend says the opposite, i.e. lack of PS makes the car difficult to drive, and it can’t be added easily or inexpensively. I’d be curious to get feedback here, especially because this car isn’t a quick flight away from me.

In sum, what appeals to me about this car is its originality and condition (assuming a mechanic corroborates the condition). I do have a larger budget for more restored cars, and my expectations as to condition would be adjusted accordingly. While it doesn’t have the L46 engine or PS, it still has its original small block engine, and doesn’t seem to have the “bubba” modifications that people warn about. At this price, lack of A/C isn’t a dealbreaker. But, I also remain patient and open minded, as I don’t want to get a car that needs too much work for me to handle, or wouldn’t be fun to drive (which is literally the point).

 

Base engine, numbers matching

He says he has the antenna.




Front bumper looks tightly affixed.

 

He has the original steering wheel. Original interior

 

On the surface it looks like a nice car. As you have done your research (from other posts), knowing the condition of the frame and birdcage is critical.

Adding power steering is not complicated as it is essentially a bolt-on process. A lot of C3 owners, including yours truely, have installed a Borgeson but that does require a shortening of the steering column and some fiddling of the hoses to get them to fit (route) correctly. The beauty of the Borgeson is that it eliminates all of the claptrap that hangs down low on the stock setup and is quite problematic. You can read up on many posts regarding this conversion.

You can acquire all of the needed stock parts if you have the time to do this but there are companies that will sell the whole package for around $1200.

There are other conversion options (rack and pinion) but you will need to research the opinions of those who have gone that route. I know of some posts where folks have removed the R&P and installed the Borgeson so that tells you something.

The C3 front suspension does not afford much caster (which allows the wheels to center more easily). The more caster you have, the straighter the car will track but along with that comes harder steering effort so the engineers compromised on that aspect with the C3. You will most likely want power steering.

 

That is very interesting information. I will definitely take that into account. I think all of the C3s I’ve driven thus far have had PS.

 

Non power steering in these cars are not an issue in my opinion. Unless, you have to do a lot of maneuvering, as in parallel parking or navigating parking garage, etc. On the open road manual steering is a delight. Keep in mind, that smaller aftermarket steering wheel is going to add a little to the steering effort over the larger stock wheel.
Car has later model lower rocker covers. They can be painted to resemble the stock black covers if you like.
Good chrome is a big plus on these cars. Replacing chrome or replating is a huge expense.
Don't be surprised if the interior looks more tired when you see it in person than what the pics show. Big plus though is that interior looks unmolested.
Hopefully those door edge mouldings come off cleanly.
If frame and birdcage check out, then for that price, car looks like good deal.

 

Rust is the deal breaker with these cars. Its an East coast car so they rust no matter what. What everyone has told you about checking for the rust is your main concern with this car from what the photos represent. If its been grage kept for its entire life and has not spent anytime parked on a dirt driveway or on the grass you could be fine. THe T top cars always had leak issues and the windshield would would rust out from the inside. If you can get a good look under the dash and the base of the windshield where the A pillar connects to the top of the door jamb and have them pull the kick panel so you can see the front body mounts that will tell you the story of the T as well.

 

Re: P/S
As 69L88 said above, adding power steering is simple and not very expensive. I just wanted to add that whether a car has A/C or not really doesn't have any effect on it. Fan belt orientations may need to be reconfigured but that's really minor.

Interesting that this car has a speed-warning speedometer given its base engine and no other options. Speaking of which, are you sure you're going to be happy with a base engine when you are really looking for something with more oomph? 50 hp is noticeable, however, you can certainly do basic internal changes to the 300hp version to make it a 350+hp engine (~$5k for good solid rebuild with more performance oriented parts).

 

I always wanted the speed warning option....just because its cool

 

Forgot the luggage rack option. Some folks love them and some hate the look.
And the vent chrome bling.

Does it look like the alternator has switched sides? There's a bracket the fuel pump is connected to that seems out of place for anything other than the lower alternator bolt...

What's with the coloration on the exhaust manifolds?

 

My 70 didn't come with power steering (or any other option). The Borgeson conversion is easy and works well. Just check for RUST, everything else is fixable.

 

The alternator is on the correct side. The HD iron bracket on the pass side of engine used to support the Smog pump. I would think that a late build Aug 69 would not have the big 68-E69 wiper door actuator can. The rams horn exhaust manifolds look to have been smoothed and plated or have been replaced with reproduction plated cast iron units. Bothe 69s I’ve owned have had the top of the fiberglass engine surround in front of the wiper door painted satin black like the rest of the engine bay. This car appears to be painted blue and may indicate repaint due to prior damage. I also noticed wavy glass under the paint between the headlight doors and the leading edge of the hood. Likely caused by rivet corrosion and delaminating fiberglas, common issue on C3. It makes me question the claims of being always garaged and having a rust free birdcage. Looking forward to pics of the underside.
Good luck,
Ken

 

If possible, consider A/C in my humble opinion.

 

Skip the stock ac set up it sucks and get the vintage ac 10 times better and for power steering get the borgeson box and as far as 300 hp or 350 there both gutless wonders

 

The double pie pan actuators didn’t start till very late 69. The Coffee can actuator would be correct for August cars.

 

Agree, My very original 1969 has the coffee actuator. Early August 69 build.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. I still have no undercarriage photos. I hope to get more information this week.

 

if not rusty it is underpriced. he wants the car to leave. and he wants it to get the correct next caretaker more than he wants to maximize his profit. take this car to one of the dealers you have been shopping at and they will spend 2 weeks cleaning it up and it will be priced at 40k...

 

No comments specifically to the car; just my personal observation that here's a car that's almost 54 years old and I'm looking at it as if it's only 20 or 25.

My sense of time is shot to heck!

 

Dude…I look in the mirror and still see 25 year old me! 😃 My kids keep getting older, though.