I have been looking at a 1971 Coupe. Automatic, Air conditioning, 62,000 miles on the car. The original engine is not in the car. It will be sold with the car. I do not know the reason the engine was removed. The owner had the car for 40 years. I have looked for rust in the usual trouble spots. Surface rust only.
My question is, in general how much less is the car worth with out the original engine? I do not plan on having the car judged at NCRS . Just drive and enjoy the car.
This may be a stupid question without seeing the car.

 

I would be concerned with what engine is currently in the car? Is it a period correct engine, a 383, or some engine from a Suburban. If the last, you want the original engine since the car's value is less and the amount depends on the general condition of the car.

 

I would find out the reason the engine was removed. If that’s something you care about, you can always rebuild it and put it back in.

As for how much less it’s worth. Really depends on the options/condition of the car.

 

Well, if you are getting the original engine, buy the car based on what engine it has in it and assume that the original engine has failed massively, but tell owner that the engine is part of the deal. Unless the owner can PROVE that the original engine is still operational, that engine should be yours at no extra cost. He can't get anything for that engine, since no one else has that specific car. He should include it in the deal.

 

I personally would never buy a car/engine that someone else installed . You don’t know there mechanical skill level . A lot of things can be installed incorrectly and road to a dead end begins .

 

This is an excellent point and also applies to the other mechanical parts on the car. For example, I lost track of how many " rebuilt" steering boxes, diff's, and TA I had to correctly rebuild over the years. Given the choice of a car with higher mileage original parts or one that was "rebuilt" I would look closer at the original. Now, that is not to say you can't get a good rebuilt car, however, that car should have complete documentation of what was done, by whom, and detailed. There are and have been 100's of scammers and flippers of these cars over the years. It hasn't changed. I recently was asked about a unit that was in need a real rebuild. The owner didn't want to invest any money and was doing the work himself to sell the part. Since he was clueless on the parts and procedures, what do you think the final outcome was? If sold, the new owner will be faced with junk to now correctly build. Spending more than it is worth.

As for this 71 coupe. The fact the engine is out but with the car wouldn't be a deal breaker, depending on the price. If the paint, interior, frame and general condition are all good, then it comes down to price. 71 is good year, last for the fiber optics, similar to 70-72's, which I think are very nice-looking car. Late 71s had better diff's than most 71's and better than pre 71's, but not without fault.

 

We all like having original engines, But i think it has become too much of an issue. If its a base model it was a basic 350......if its a nice car for good price i wouldn't worry about it. I think we need to get back to enjoying these cars. And funny enough it seems to be less of an issue when it comes to Camaros, Chevelle's, nova's unless its was a high perf car. I think we all created a hyper purist mind set when it comes to corvettes. As for NCRS.....Great organization but i wouldn't buy a car worrying about their judgment. Plenty of great corvettes out there that wouldn't judge well.

 

Worth less?? Or worth more? Really depends on the engine that's in the car now. An awful lot of motoring enthusiasts pull a original base engine and install something much, much better.
And sometimes a original engine fails and any old junk yard replacement goes in to save money.
So, value would really depend on what is under the hood now.

 

Thank you for your help.