https://www.autolist.com/listings/194679S711083

https://classics.autotrader.com/clas...tte/100867830#

Hi,

I just joined this forum and from what I have read so far it is as helpful as another car forum I belong to. I am interested in some what comes immediately to mind, high-level thoughts forum members may have on these two 1969's for sale. Thank you in advance, and history below to give an idea of my background, capabilities, and why I am looking, if you so desire to read. It is long.....




A little background on me. My last two classic cars were a 1962 Impala convertible and a 1963 Impala SS, both sold decades ago. I did all my own work on them and the last car I did truly any real wrenching on was a 1976 4-door Nova that I put a new engine, radiator, transmission, Edelbrock manifold, and Holley carb but that also was almost 20 years back. Since then I got involved in my Honda sportbike, built my own house, and remodeled four others. I am done with the sport bike, sold all the houses, and I am sitting in a rental house contemplating my next move. My family has been involved in classic cars since the 1970s so I am very familiar with them and the culture: 1956 Mercs, Fords, 1950 Shoebox Fords, mid-late 60's mustangs, early 70's Chargers, early 60's Buicks, mid-60's Chevy trucks, my Impalas, and 1968-69-70 4-speed 350 El Camino I cobbled together. I came close to buying a 1967 Camaro RS in 1983 in Sunnyvale, CA for $10,000 but had just bought the 62 Convertible. Needless to say I am not daunted by a car that may need continual work. The last 5-6 years I have been enamored with the 1996 - 2006 Jaguar XKR convertible, and in the last 3 years decided the 2010 - 2015 XKR convertible is more of my liking. I made an offer on a 2012 XKR Convertible 3 weeks ago but the seller & I could not close the deal over a difference of about $1,100 - the cost of 3 tires. He wanted to replace the one with a sidewall cut, and I wanted all 4 replaced. And, since then I learned Jaguar has initiated a complete makeover of their business model and is closing 75%-80% of their dealerships, going all electric in 2025 (nuts..Jaguar with their Lucas electric issue history going all electric? lol ), and many dealers, including my local one, are stating they will work on pre-2015 Jags ONLY if they can get parts. And, they are stating Jaguar North America is telling them parts will become scarce without factory support. Crazy....anyway, although enamored is how I described myself about the Jaguar XKR getting a classic convertible or El Camino has always been a close second to the Jaguar. Given the proliferation of computers in the new Jags and pending scarcity of parts, I am beginning to look at the classic convertibles & El Caminos. I came across these two 69s and they look really nice, and are within my budget. But, although I know the other Chevy's & Fords, I have never truly been involved with a Corvette. Anyway, thanks for reading my "book" and thoughts on these two cars.

 

Welcome to the forum!

With your background in the Impalas, you can certainly handle the mechanicals of a C3 Corvette.

The bigger issue with these cars are the potential rust of the frame and birdcage, as well as any fibreglass body issues. Have a look at the top rules to buying one of these cars in the sticky above, paying particular attention to the birdcage issues.

As for the yellow convertible - there is surface rust on the undercarriage, which is not a big deal, but it will be the hidden rust that will be a problem. Have another look at the photo of the VIN tag. Looks like a bunch of rust bubbles. This tells me that there will likely be more rust around the windshield frame, and likely at the bottom of the birdcage, by the # 2 body mount. If this is the case, leave this car alone - not worth buying at any price.

This car also has a lot of cracks in the bodywork in typical areas. What concerns is that with a shiny paint job - it tells me somebody did some sketchy bodywork, and slapped a paint job on it get rid of it. Will be very costly to repair and paint correctly.

As for the red coupe, not really enough photos to make a determination. You will need to see a lot of photos as to what lies underneath.

When you do get to the point of clise to making an offer, try to see the car in person first, and absolutely in-person before buyimg!

Keep asking lots of questions here - we are here to help....we were all looking for our first C3 at some point!

cheers,

Rob

 

I didn't see any engine stamp photos for the yellow convertible. The console tag indicates 350/350 (L46) but the tach appears to be 5600 redline for the 427/390&400 engines and not the 6000 redline for the L46. It's got some nice options (A/C, PW, PB) for a ragtop but is in very unrestored condition perhaps with little maintenance (there appears to be a differential leak, lots of corrosion of the side exhaust covers and license frame, who knows about the copious staining on the underbody). I fear it's going to be a long and constant project car to make it reliable and presentable. The paint and bodywork will be $10k-$15k if you decide to repaint.

The red car isn't as optioned but appears to be in better overall condition and has the optional L46 350/350hp engine as per the engine stamp. No pics of the chassis so that would be helpful to see. It's also got a non-factory big block/LT-1 hood on it. Nothing jumps out as a big warning on the car.

If you are after a stock, restored/restorable, numbers matching, documented car both need to be examined much more closely. Both need to be closely looked at for windshield frame rust as well as body mounts and frame kick-up at the rear wheels.

 

Thanks to you both. This is the exact kind of help and info I was looking for.

 

You're welcome. I find it fun - kinda like "where's Waldo?"

One other thought about the yellow car: it appears to be at a dealership, so why didn't they at least steam clean/power wash the underside?

 

For sure ask away with any car. Forum members here were super helpful in my search last year. I kept a running list of things to ask about whenever looking at a car.

The rust and corrosion at the frame and birdcage areas are important to look at, as well as the condition of the body.

I’m not going to get into all of the mechanical things to look for.

The yellow car is definitely below market value, which is an indication of how much potential work it needs. It is an A/C car; does the a/c work? There is also a lot of surface rust all over the car.

The red one is also a decent price, but doesn’t have a lot of photos. As is noted, it has the small block engine but a big block hood.

Another thing to keep in mind is paint. Because of the fiberglass and the curves, these cars are very expensive to repaint. So, unless a repaint is part of your budget, it’s a good idea to be satisfied with how the paint is. The C3 in particular tends to photograph better than how they look in person.

I was surprised to learn just how many of these cars are listed by private parties on Facebook Marketplace. I found that it’s a good idea to check those listings, to get an idea of the current market. Now that winter is over, many consider this to be Corvette selling season, so expect more for sale now and in the coming weeks.

Definitely drive as many as you can. These have all been worked on, and have had different “lives” since they rolled off the lot a half century ago, so it’s a good idea to get a feel for them.

It’s excellent that you can work on these old Chevys yourself!

 

The red one is the better deal from the pics available..the yellow one needs a ton of work...it has a ton of surface rust on everything underneath , the interior is faded, the paint needs work plus all the fluid leaks underneath.....yellow is not worth 27k...more like 15k at best

 

Although these two listings are with "dealerships" , the to shown are the type that are consignment houses - they do not own the cars, but sell them on behalf of the owner. The last thing they want to do with an old car is prep it for sale, since it may may a problem worse, on cause a new issue while fixing the first.

They shine a bunch of lights on them and make them look as good all glossy in a photo. That is why you want to see them in person. Same reason so many cars from Barrett Hackson and Mecum on TV, but not-so-great in person...

 

The yellow 69' is a well worn car that has zero upgrades....and needs paint.....plus a shitload of detailing and refurb of trim parts and underhood/chassis......max on this IMHO is about 21k........
The other one simply doesn't have enough pics or info to make any kind of judgement on it.......be wary of ads like this as they are deceiving, and generally, if somebody wants to really sell something, they will be all over it, that ad is not all over it.......red flag.

Stay away from consignment houses as they are 20-30% right off the top more expensive for the same condition of car........

Look at the for sale section here......I sold my 69' Tri-Power car here and bought my 72' here.......

My advice? By the BEST paintjob you can afford........these cars are over 10k to paint now and they really have to be done at a custom shop with buttloads of experience......BUT, it seems you can wrench.....so find an unfinished project that someone has painted.

Example: My 72' as I said was purchased here and has like 8.5 out of 10 paint, an 8 out of 10 interior, 10 out of 10 chrome trim and bumpers and has never been hit...perfect door and hood gaps......, with a 10 out of 10 birdcage (body structure/frame).....but the engine shook and the wiper door was inop......bought it sight unseen here.....
When I got it......it was exactly as I thought but better.......the engine leaked terribly and there was oil from one end of the engine compartment to damn near under the whole car.........which was a blessing! After it was all powerwashed and cleaned.......all I had to do was wipe everything down with enamel reducer and it was back to new! Car has 56,000 miles shown and I believe the mileage to be correct as nice as it is underneath....it had brand new wheels and tires on it, the original M20 4 speed and a full VB&P front and rear suspension.....I gave 19.5k for the car (2015 money) and $800 to get it to my house.......built a 500hp 406 small block for it and had fun.......as it sits, I probably have 28k in the car total with many other things besides the engine......
BUT! I have been around these cars since birth and know more than even a savvy car guy about them so buying this 72' was a calculated risk for me.....there was nothing but junk and rip off here in Texas so I fanned out the search and got what I wanted on my budget.....
You can find what you want but you have to SHOP these cars......too many folks are trying to pass off wore out, jury rigged garbage passing them off to the unknowledgeable.......
Get LOTS of pics and ask LOTS of questions.





Good luck!

Jebby