I bought mine out of a mans front yard with grass growing half way up the doors. He had to get a weedeater out to let me look inside (honest). It's come a long way since I got it, and it's going to be one fine vette when I get through with it.

At least he had the sense to sell it before it was too far gone.

 

Look at all the C3's here :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :cry http://www.carsinbarns.com/Bowties%2...Barns/pg9.html


[Modified by wackedvette, 8:40 PM 3/2/2004]

 

Top Knotch ---- I think that's a great story!... I truly hope someday you can afford to restore it. You are a little different from the people we are talking about. These people are ruining these cars leaviong them out side for years with no real intentions... The 67 I was talking about when I started this thread had beed sitting in the exact same spot out side since '72...... I totally agree with the post that once the car leaves the dream dies! .......it's still insanity for those of us "Corvette Nuts" out there!
:chevy

 

:iagree:

 

Hey Top_Knotch.......WHO WAS YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT......they have any more houses like that????? :lolg: :lolg: :lolg:

 

Great story Top_Notch ! :cheers:

You're :cool: and so was the previous owner of your '66 ;)
Why ?
A Corvette that sits & sits & sits waiting to once again rise to glory ain't all that bad..... :crazy:
A Corvette that sits Outside in the elements while rotting into ****** Earth is a whole 'nother story. :yesnod:

Let me use an example.....your '66 not bad.....
This C2 on the other hand has 'cancer' and the owner should hang his / her head in shame for such careless allowance of waste to an American classic. Not that it cannot be restored.......but that it'll take a lot more $$$ and years before it'll move on pavement again back when it ran. Heck, the darn thing probably was running before being parked for 20+ years !!! :eek:

http://www.carsinbarns.com/Bowties%2...arns/pg34.html

 

PROSOUTH

Loved your prose and insight. Keep it up, its appreciated!

-Jim
:hurray:

 

:cool:
Great post.
:cheers:

 

Hey Top Notch, I don't think people were aiming their frustrations towards a situation like yours. You have your prize in a GARAGE, just waiting to be done up when you have the time. I assume you keep her clean and will be doing little things as you can. That roadster is just patiently waiting for you to get her back on the road. Whereas you have these other morons out there that would just haul that beauty into the yard and let it rot for 10 years to the point that even if they finally DID have the time and money to do a resto it wouldn't even be worth the effort as the car is pretty much a pile.

Congrats on your purchase!! and I can't wait till the day you can get to working on her!!

:cheers:

 

Vette Dream....

Tired, worn, & out but not dead,
Stains of moss on curves of glass,
Was a legend so some said....
Waiting for a doctor at last.

Weeds in the engine bay,
Rat nests in the carpet,
Cracked glass stingray,
For 35 years it set...

Every dream of a schoolboy,
Was to have a cool ride,
To drive it was pure joy,
To own it was sheer pride !

'Neath it's decay & neglect,
Despite being alone in a field,
What a beauty of a wreck,
What a true dream it yields.

For this in not just a car,
Nor a junky rusty heap,
But thoroughbred by far,
Forever American to keep !

~Corvette~

 

After being raced from `71-`80 this old racer (original`69 427/400) sat in a barn from `81-`03 it now sits in my barn!!
...redvetracr

http://images.cardomain.com/member_i...974_2_full.jpg




[Modified by redvetracr, 11:12 AM 3/3/2004]

 

I definitely can relate! I bought my '68 from a guy who owned the car since 1975. He bought it from a good friend of his that had a small block '69 that was my car's twin. Back in '75 we were just recovering from the first arab oil embargo and gas prices jumped up big time. I think they went from $0.30/gal to all the way to about $0.70/gal!! :D The used car market was in a panic and nobody wanted the gas guzzling big blocks anymore. Thus, my car's previous owner bought my '68 from his friend for what he said was a steal because his friend thought the big block cars would never be worth as much as the small block cars again.

My car's previous owner drove the car for another two years until he started having brake problems (surprize :eek:). The cost of replacing all the calipers and redoing the braking system was too much for him since he had just purchased his new lakefront home. The car was parked in his pole barn for 20+ more years in a corner under cover. All the while, he hoped that someday he would get the money together to do a total restoration on it. What finally motivated him to sell the car was that he got short of cash because of a large addition and remodelling job he was doing on his house.
When I bought the car and came to pick it up I could tell that he was truly sorry to see it leave. ...One small dream of his that would never come to be.

Turns out, we work for the same company for different divisions (didn't know it prior to seeing the car). He e-mails me frequently to get caught up on my progress with the car and we've become pretty good friends.

I've had the car now since 1998 and have been making slow but sure progress. Yep, the family certainly does take away from the resto time. A restoration that would have taken probably a year of dedicated effort is taking 6+ years but things ARE moving along. I hope to finish the car this spring. It is just about ready for paint. The interior and trim is all restored and ready to install as soon as the paint's done. :party:


[Modified by LemansBlue68, 12:06 PM 3/3/2004]