I am getting close to one day buying and owning a C3 vette convertible. However, as they are a bit older these cars have a few items that we now take for granted that back then were options:
1) Power brakes. A must I think. I remember older cars w/o were horrible stopping. Roughly what % came with this option, and how hard would it be to refit with this option?....new master cyl and brake assemblies?
2) Power Steering: My first car, was a '67 chev had no power steering. Absolutely sucked in a parking lot. Same questions. How rare & how hard to refit.
3) Power Windows: Not essential, but I'd like it

BTW: Any idea what % of vettes sold were convertibles? Seems like not many. Also, if adding these options is bolt-on I'd imagine doing so would not detract from resale value....Y/N?

 

Dare I even add a 4th option: Air Conditioning (yes, in a convertible)

Am I looking for a Unicorn?

 

No not at all. With the exception of power windows. Most of these were very common. PB is very common. Although these cars have MUCH better brakes than most old cars. The manual brake cars actually stop really well.
PS. Extremely common. And very easy to add if it doesn't have it.
Air-con, got more and more popular throughout the years. Non air Cars can be fitted with Vintage air systems that are much like a modern car.
all Verts are 75 or older. So power windows are out there but not as common. Yes they can be added later. Not certain it is really worth the cost. But some people do add them.
The car your looking for is certainly not a Unicorn.

 

What were the brake options? Were the standard brakes drums? When you got disk was it just the front? Could you get a power brake booster in Drum or disk?

 

Perhaps a book on Corvettes is in order. Your questions show a lack of basic knowledge about Corvettes.

 

The answers to your production number questions all hinge on the model year. Different % each year and over time.
The same holds true for coupe v. convertible, but convertibles are by no means rare for any year. They did stop offering them in '1976, so only convertibles you may find that year or after were customized after the cars left St. Louis.

All Corvettes after 1964 had 4-wheel disc brakes. If you wanted to convert to power brakes, you only need the booster, vacuum supply from the engine, and the appropriate master cylinder.

Finding all of your wants wouldn't be that difficult as you progress from '68 toward '75. These convenience options were practically standard items on a high number of orders by '75.

 

This is not the very best site, as there are a few typos, but it will get you started.

http://vettefacts.com/

Convertible C3s were 68-75 only. If you want a chrome bumper car, you are likely much better off adding a new Vintage Air system than trying to find one with working stock AC.

All C3s came with disc brakes at 4 corners. Some consider manual steering (and even manual brakes) an upgrade over the stock system.

 

Power Brakes. Personally I never found power brakes to be a big deal in a Corvette, in fact I actually prefer how they stop with manual brakes. I think the unassisted brakes in a Corvette give better feel and feedback then when equipped with power brakes, but that's just my personal preference. When I got engaged in 1979 the first thing I did was find a Corvette for my (then future) wife. We ended up with a 74 L-82 4 speed coupe with power steering and AC, but no power brakes. She drove it for two years until we traded it in on a new 81, and she never once complained about the brakes or the lack of power assist. Adding power brakes isn't that difficult other than getting access to the underside of the dash to add the holes needed to mount the booster. And every Corvette built since 1965 came standard with four wheel disc brakes (other than about 300 65's that people ordered with drum brakes for a $63 invoice credit). A conversion to power brakes using all OEM style parts shouldn't effect the value of any car.

Power Steering. There's no denying that parking is much easier with power steering, but once moving there's not much difference in the level of effort needed to steer a Corvette. Power steering is a bolt on if you want to use the original style PS with a slave cylinder and control valve, and it can all be had in a kit for $1000-$1400 (depending on the engine and year). If originality is not a priority to you, Borgeson makes a kit that eliminates the control valve and slave cylinder and replaces the stock steering box with a more modern assisted box, that all sells in a kit for around $800. A conversion to PS using the stock style will not hurt a car's value, while a Borgeson conversion may, depending on the buyer.

Power Windows. Power windows are nice to have but the interior's small enough in a C3 that it's not much of a reach to manually crank down the passenger side door glass. Without a doubt the conversion to power windows is the most difficult. Not only do you need window motors, wiring and switches, but you also need a relay and different regulators and much of the interior has to be removed to install everything associated with the power windows. A properly done PS conversion shouldn't have a negative effect on a car's value.

Air Conditioning. There's no denying that AC is nice to have unless maybe if you live in North Dakota or farthest north reaches of Maine. The factory AC system used before 1977, with the A6 compressor didn't do a great job of cooling the Corvette, and put a fair amount of drag on the engine when the compressor was engaged. This is especially noticeable if your use to modern systems that will chase you out of the car and put no noticeable drag on the engine when in use. The 77-82's with the R4 compressor and steel instead of fiberglass floors (added in 76) do a much better job of cooling the car, but of course none of those years were available as a convertible. If you're considering adding AC it's hard to beat the aftermarket systems available from companies like Vintage Air and Old Car Air. These systems work great and can usually be added without having to modify the car, though they are a major project and beyond the abilities of many backyard mechanics. Stock AC would almost always be a plus value wise, and even an aftermarket system is probably not a detriment to a car's value today, except maybe on an other wise showroom correct 100 point show car.

As far as finding cars with more options, the newer the year the better the chances. Corvettes built in 73, 74 and 75 tend to have more options than cars built in 68, 69 or 70. It also seems that 70-74 454 cars are often found loaded with more options than base motor cars from the same years. In 68 only 5,600 of the 28,000 Corvettes built had AC, and 9,500 had power brakes and 12,000 had power steering. In comparison, by 1975 of the 38,000 Corvettes sold 32,000 came with AC, 36,000 came with power brakes and 37,500 came with power steering, so obviously your chances of finding a PS, PB, AC convertible improves when looking at cars built in the mid 70's.

 

It's funny how everyone is different on options. I personally don't care for Power Steering or Power Brakes, I like how manual options feel driving. Plus less leaking problems. I suggest if you can go drive one with and one without and see which one you like.

On a convertible I don't see the point in A/C either, but that is just me as I always have the top down.

Now for power windows, that is something I want. So to each their own.

 

Wow, what a great summary....Thanks !

 

No C3’s came with drum brakes. Only disc.

 

My 1970 convertible came with one option (radio). I have never felt the need for PB since the car stops great with non power brakes. AC would be useless since my top is down 99.9 percent of the time. I did install a Borgeon steering box which is worth every penny.

 

i would suggest that for starters you go to ebay and pick up an older "corvette Black Book". a handy, fact filled collection of all the essential facts on corvettes from 1953 until whatever the year of the edition you buy was published. as such you can find a good used copy to cover the years 1968-1982 (the complete run on the C3 generation Corvette). because you aren't looking for the very latest edition they can usually be found for sale for under $20.00. even the brand new on from 1953 through the most current C8 can usually be found for around $30-35. it's nice to have in your pocket when you go look for a car as it will give you the start number and the ending Vin number of production throughout each model year in addition to available options each year, how many were fitted with each option, engine exterior and interior codes which comes in handy to see if the car is really in it's original exterior and interior color, etc in my opinion etc. well worth the purchase

 

I had the A/C in my black '69 convert serviced a few years ago. Even with a modern compressor, the little cooling that did result was basically useless, and it did affect the idle. I just unplugged the connector and haven't missed the A/C....of course, I do live in SoCal.

 

Instead of randomly asking questions, you could search for "Original Corvette" by Tom Falconer - every year of C3 and every option with plenty of pictures

Found a few copies on eBay. Much better than the Black Book for what you need to know

 

just my opinion of course , power steering is not a big deal if you are on the young side , i'm getting to the age where manhandling a car in a parking lot is not something i care to do , same with power brakes. A/C is an absolute must , florida summers with the top down is brutal , its very comfortable cruising in a nice cool bubble. my 72 has factory air and it works quite well with a blower upgrade. my top hasn't been up in close to 15 years so power windows are no big deal either