This is a nice car in your price range.
http://www.mershons.com/view_photo.a...image=Exterior

 

You need to look around more. There was a 69 427/435 convertible with Hooker sidepipes for $20K. The engine was original; the biggest problem was that the speedometer, which also means odometer, hadn't functioned for many years. The car was in great shape and I would've bought it if I didn't have mine. There was another 69 427/435 convertible on e-BAY two weeks ago that went for under $13K. It needed some work, but that would leave a lot of money for you to make it the way you wanted it. For the money you're talking, you have a wide range of choices. I would suggest the 69 because of the bumpers, the gills, the headlight washers, and the fact it is the only year that came with sidepipes (C3). I bought my 69 427 Coupe for $15, and if I had another $15K I could be putting together an aluminum big block. A crate 502 is only $6-7K. Spend time on e-BAY and traderonline. Don't be afraid to look for a car outside CA because many, not all, of these cars have been taken care of and been in the salt too much. If you know what to look for, you can quickly find a suspect frame. Biggest thing is to get a car you like and don't worry about investment or what others think. When you find THE car, you'll know it. Also, I have never met an owner that didn't change something after buying the car. Finally, my car ran well on 93 octane without additives, and the previous owner had the wrong, higher compression, pistons in it. (Stock CR for a 69 427/390 is 10.25-1)

Good luck and don't be afraid to look around some more.

 

Thanks for the pricing history. I'll keep them in mind when looking around. Looks like I agree with you in that I think the 69 is the best bet too.

I am kind of partial to the 454 though. Although not as valuable as a 427 for the most part, I get the feeling they are easier to live with given previous feedback. The only year those were available was '70 (I think). But the '69 has the 427 Tri Power, which is something I really like, although I've been told that it won't run on pump gas.

 

454s were available from 1970 to 1974. For '70, '71 and '72 they were LS5s and for '73 & '74 they were LS4s. As mentioned above, in '70 and '71 they were rated 'gross' hp at 390 and 365 hp respectively. In '72 they changed the rating system to 'net' hp instead of 'gross' hp. This makes the hp look like it took a huge drop but it really didn't. To give you an example, the gross hp for a '71 LS5 was 365 hp while the net hp rating was 285 hp. The ratings for '72, '73 and '74 were 270, 275 & 270 hp respectively. So from '70 to '74 the horsepower difference was probably only about 30 hp between all of them. Not a huge difference.

Like I said above, the '73 is where you'll probably get the best value for your money. Adding the chrome bumper up front will cost you big but won't improve stock performance much. '70 costs are inflated because you not only have the 'highest' hp rating for that year for a 454 but you also have the fact that the least number of corvettes were produced that year because of the srike. Supply low, demand high, price goes up.

There are a ton of websites that have cars for sale. Email me off line and I'll send you a list of about 10-15 sites. If you don't find a decent car for $30K, I'll sell you mine (maybe).

 

This is just an opinion and opinions are like @-holes, everybody has one. :)
In my opinion the best value in a big block steel bumper 'vette, are the 71 and 72 coupes. If you're looking for an investment, then the 73 is really undervalued and a bit of an oddity, but for BigBlock on the cheap, look at the 74, there are some great values out there on 74 Big Blocks. A little head work, a good cam and headers and you'll have a real torque monster.

 

Check this one out at Vettefinders. A nice '73 with 275 HP 454 for $11,500? I'd buy it today if I had the cash. Of course, it's in Canada and I'd want to go check it out, but with $30K in my pocket and a $11,500 car, I think I could swing it. Also, this is listed on Vettefinders which is a forum advertiser, and I know at least one of the employees there is a forum member. I'd check it out:

http://vettefinders.com/index.cfm/fu...d/2010/g/3.htm

Says it has 108,000 miles but the engine has been rebuilt, he has the tank sticker, Canadian documentation (good). Numbers match. Worth a look.



[Modified by 79MakoL82, 8:15 AM 10/26/2001]

 

This is why I bought a '71 LS-5 many years ago and I am glad I did. It has doubled in value during the last ten years. It has the best combination of styling, performance and drivability.