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1970 Bloomington Gold Survivor Coupe 104,000 original miles. 4th owner. Have owned this Corvette for three years now. Drives great. Very reliable! The best cars are original cars. Showing 56 years of use. Your opinion matters so I’m asking if you would restore this #’s matching, all original car or just repair all the things that need attention after these years and miles? The paint is showing and engine bay very dirty along with lots of leaks underneath, noisy u-joints and likely bushings with wear. Also, if restoring, who would do great work on this C3?
My vote is to keep it as original as possible. Make a list of issues, estimate cost and time involved for each, prioritize, chip away. Part of the fun of owning these cars is working on them, understanding their quirks, and learning what makes them tick.
You can restore it, however I doubt you'd get your money back, and I think it's better and more enjoyable as an original. I’d get it running well and safely, and enjoy it.
And you have to remember that Bloomington Gold and NCRS certifications are snapshots in time... don't necessarily mean much after a while. There's a car I regularly see at shows that has two NCRS certifications, from the 90's, that the owner is so proud of. After 25 years, the car is so far from original and NCRS certified it's not funny.
My 1975 coupe was purchased from the original owner with 41K miles a couple of years ago. Original lacquer paint has lots of fading and crazing.... but I will leave it as is. Leather interior cleaned up pretty good with seats out of the car and heavy use of Leatherique, which I have used successfully on other cars. Door cards were cracked in several places.... a little JB weld and some touch up paint made them look better but certainly not perfect. Dash was beautiful and treated with Bicks leather conditioner.
I enjoy the car on a regular basis, having replaced the cracked diff cover leaf spring support, some suspension bushings, shocks, rebuilt PS control valve.... just the usualy stuff for a 50 year old car.
My vote is to leave your beauty as original as possible and fix those items in need of repair.
It all comes down to how much you love the car.
If you plan to keep it and want it to be once again factory new, then restore it.
If you love it just how it is then fix the things that need attention and have fun.
If you’re planning to have it totally restored by a restoration shop, you could easily end up spending $100K or more before it’s finished.
Oh hell yes, at this point keep it original. Just take stuff off, clean it and put it back. I have a boat load of original stuff that I took off the car 15 years ago scattered here and there around my house that I will probably never be able to sell. Let Allan71 be your guiding light as to just how cool original can be.
Hello You might try: Gary Bosselman at Roscoe Restoration in Roscoe, IL (815.389.9500 or 815.289.1559).
I believe Gary understands working on original cars.
Regards.....
I would make it mechanically safe. Power wash the engine compartment. New seat covers and foam if needed?
I hate to say this but folks that own these cars are aging out just like the street rod folks.
I sold our 71 C3 vert a number of years ago. I did LS swap and it went down the perfect but I'm a bit over 6'2" and 220 lbs so it was a bit cramped. So we sold it and we bought a 14 5.0 Mustang GT vert with a 6 speed. Great car. Then 4 years ago I got tired of shifting and so we traded the 14 for a 2020 Mustang GT 5.0 vert with the 10 speed auto. Again a great car. They are the only Ford cars we have ever owned.
My current older hot rod is a 80 Camaro RS with a LS3/4L60E swap. 28K original mile car. Zero rust. Everything new underneath. Drives nice but not nearly as nice as the 20 Mustang. We call the Mustang our long distance hot and the Camaro our local hot rod.
Repair the components that can leave you on the side of the road. *f you want to learn, buy a Tech Manual for your year model.
Repairs are easy to do if you read the chapter a couple times. I've "been there". When you clean the engine bay wrap the igniton components, carb, and alternator with thick plastic bags to prevent ruining them as old as they are. You may need new radiator and hood insulation to prevent the ngine from overheating. have a shop replace all 6 U-joints if you have no experience repairing joints.
I agree. Drive it, enjoy it. Freshen up what it needs. Keep projects relatively small whenever possible. Driving it in between and spreading the expense out.
It'll let you know what it needs and when.
Today I went to the Australian Corvette Nationals. Corvette's from all over the country. Every type from the 50's to numerous late model ones. I think I was one of the youngest attendees! And I'm 66. The young people today don't buy Corvette's. Of any age much less 50 plus year old ones. Getting your car restored could take several years and cost God knows what. Only to have a car that has a market that is constantly declining.
Sounds like keeping it as original as possible while correcting any mechanical issues and just enjoying the drives seems like the right decision and what all of you who weighed in would do. So that’s what I’ll be doing this year. Thanks to all of you for taking time to give me your kind and honest opinions. Much appreciated and typical Corvette owners kindness. Take care all!
I really enjoy my unrestored NCRS Top Flite ‘69. It will never be judged again under my ownership (now more than 30 years). I keep it original and make sure it’s ready for a cross country trip anytime I want to go. Stone chips and sand are no worries, ever. Enjoy driving it rather than staring at a partially completed rolling chassis with lots of cardboard boxes and power tools stacked on it.
Lately I’ve been seeing quite a few stalled restorations for sale. Cars are easy to take apart. It’s cleaning up little pieces and putting it all back together that takes way more time than you ever imagined. I don’t know if the world has changed or people have changed but big projects take some real stick-tuit work.
Right now I’m on year 15 of a jeep restoration and those are as simple as it gets. Imagine the cubic hours more that it would take to do something with more complexity like the C3.
Drive it, enjoy it and each winter fix and detail something that you want to do.
I'm kind of a sucker for stalled projects. The best stalled project I bought was a 67 Nova SS with a botched LS swap. PO got screwed by a so called LS swap expert. Real SS but original drive train long gone. A couple pics.
In regards to Jeep projects. I LS swapped a 98 Wrangler. Was a insurance theft recovery. Been a great hot rod.
Restore or do not restore
