Hi all.

I recently purchased a 71 c3 for what I would consider to be a good price. $15,000 but the chassis is stuffed but the engine etc seems ok and the body is very good interior as expected needs replacing.

Im considering purchasing a re engineered rolling chassis from corvette USA.

If I restore it id like to keep original but I'm wondering what people think? Im not a mechanic and I couldn't do this myself so I will outsource the rebuild so to speak.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks peter

 

Hi Peter,
Welcome! First Post!! A 71 Corvette!!! NICE!!!! (maybe?)
You describe the car with a bit of detail, but not a lot. What does "the chassis is stuffed" mean?
So we don't really know what all the car will need and what you'd like to do in order to make it into the car you want.
$15,000 seems like a lot to pay for a 71 that needs a new frame. Is there any chance the existing frame can be repaired?
Is there anything special about this car… is it an LT-! or a big block, is it a convertible?
I ask because it will likely be quite easy to spend more money on the car than it will be worth; especially if you need to pay people to work on it. Might you be able to do some of the work?
So describe your new 71 in more detail, and list the things you think will need to be done.
Some pictures will help people understand what lies in front of you.
Regards,
Alan

 

Hopefully he means stuffed... full of cash... especially if too much needs to be outsourced.

Just kidding (not really) welcome aboard.
M

 

Yes thanks Alan i guess a little more detail would be helpful.

Firstly it's probably worth pointing out that I'm in Australia now a reasonable 71 coupe sells for anywhere between $35,000 to $40,000, a really good one can be up to $50,000 for a standard model.

To be honest i don't know if my car has any special features, other thank it did come with "LT-1" stickers. Also it is a magnificent looking car!!

I've posted some photos below. I guess the plan has always been to keep this car and as you can see my son in the picture would kill me if i sold it!

The engine, transmission, steering, runs well and the interior i can probably do myself. Of course the lights and the windscreen wipers don't work but i guess they're not big issues.

I like the idea of buying a rolling chassis as then i know all these parts are practically new and it will save whoever puts the car together a lot of time. Also the cars safe. I don't live in the city so most driving will be along country roads.

Of course i know this is a "how long is a piece of string" question but my thinking is that at that starting price, then i'm kind of reducing the risk of over capitalizing?

I guess one specific question is, The rolling chassis will cost approx $15,000 to get to Australia is there anyone with experience in buying and using one of these?

Thanks for the input

Peter

Here are the photos:

 

Does Australia have some super strict rules as to how original these old cars have to be to be licensed or was that somewhere else? (And maybe it's only the motor)

Anyway, there are several good members on here from Australia so I'm sure one of them has looked into these types of things.

(M A Fry comes to mind)

http://www.corvettesdownunder.com.au/

 

Yes it does but you can import spare parts. I know there is one company that makes restored rolling chassis complete with front and rear end. Corvette USA does anyone know of any others?

Thanks

Peter

 

but,is this car orignal?,numbers matching?

 

What is a "stuffed" chassis? The frame you want and swapping it under the car is going to be very expensive. Do you actually need to do it?

 

Hi,
Without seeing your frame, suspension, and running gear, I'd still think you could replace and rebuild everything that would need to be done for 1/4th the $ you're talking about, unless your car has been living in a lake for the past few years.
Reconsider your options, please!
Regards,
Alan

 

Look up Bud2 on the forum. He's had a ton of stuff shipped to your country. He could fill you in on the better ways to go about it. By the way, Welcome

 

Oh I forgot, if you locate a frame here, someone on the forum lives near it, most likely. I'd bet they'd take a look at it for you.

 

I know this might sound like a stupid question, but when you say matching you mean chassis and motor right? Question is how do i find out?

Thanks

Peter

 

Peter,
"MATCHING NUMBERS" = The VIN number of your car...being stamped in the frame, engine and transmission. SO they all MATCH.

DUB

 

I still want to know what "Stuffed Chassis" means. I've got a brother-in-law that lives in Melbourne. The Aussies always have neat ways of describing things.

 

Stuffed means cant be repaired there are cracks all over it there are flakes coming from inside the chassis, when you lift it, it bends and cracks . It was almost completely covered up when I bought it.

Its with a mechanic now so I will get a 2nd opinion at some stage

 

Welcome to the Forum!

If you can take some photos of rusted areas on the frame, post them here.

Expert Forum members can give you advice about repairing damage if possible.

 

Hi P,
I think it would be wise to have a knowledgable 68-72 Corvette person take a look at your car and give you some recommendations.
This needs to be more than just a mechanic, it needs to be someone very familiar with Corvettes from the ground up. Not someone trying to SELL you repairs.
It would be very easy for you to go off in the wrong direction which might spoil a nice car and waste a LOT of your money. Costs of the kind of work you're talking about can easily double the estimate.
I'm surprised a car with the frame you describe could even be driven. I'm not saying the frame may not be rusty, but I'd think there would have been warning signs before you paid for it if it's in such unusable condition.
Who did you buy it from and how did you learn about it?
Regards,
Alan

 

Yes thanks Alan, i think they are wise words. I'm going to attend the local vette club meeting to see what some older "vettes" think.

When we bought the car I took a friend of mine that is a mechanic and has been for some years. We both saw some rust but it all kind of looked repairable and he agreed.

I then took it into a mechanic who works on american cars and he gave me the prognosis. The rust had all been painted over and fiber glass had even been used to cover up holes in the chassis!!

The mechanic rang me and said, DON"T DRIVE THAT CAR!" IT IS A DEATH TRAP. I then went in and he'd peeled back some of the cover up and to me it looks obvious.

I then rang the seller and told him how unhappy i was and we have since come to an agreement on a proper price for the car which i'm happy with and one that i think if i do properly will mean when finished i'll end up with a great car.

I guess the hard thing is that given i'm not a mechanic is to get someone that will do it the right way, but with something like this how do you know? I guess you really have to pull it apart to get a proper understanding of what actually needs restoring.

The body of the car is really good, the interior needs work but thats to be expected and the engine runs quite well so i think I have a fair base to work from.

Buying a rolling chassis from corvetteusa.com sounds attractive because it's done, it has all the parts we can't see basically new, it will reduce the amount of time a mechanic will spend on restoring it (keep in mind that a mechanic in Australia will charge a minimum $80 an hour!) so if they've got to remove rusted bolts, rebuild stuff that's really costly that's $640 a day!

Anyway thanks for your input.

Peter