Red86Z51

OFFICIALLY SOLD AS OF 11/06/18

I am selling my low mile, 2 owner, well documented 1976 Orange Flame coupe. Documentation includes what's pictured below in the last shot, as well as the original window sticker and the original bill of sale (not pictured). As of today's posting the car has 19,278 miles on it. This car is a time capsule that I can't conceive how it could possibly disappoint it's new owner in the least! It is an unbelievable pleasure to drive. I know we've all seen the sales pitch statement "you can drive this car anywhere", but this truly is one of the rare examples of this statement that I would stake my reputation on. Since owning, we have had the car on road trips to Chicago IL as well as both Dayton and Columbus OH, as well as many "ice cream" trips and have thoroughly enjoyed every one of our trouble free journeys.

Everything in the car works as it should, including the original electro-mechanical clock.


Details below:


Factory options include:

• L48 - 350 cu. In. engine – Numbers Matching
• M40 - TH350 transmission – Numbers Matching
• C60 - Air Conditioning – ICE COLD - (See picture proof below) – Charged with R12
• FE7 - Gymkhana Suspension
• J50 - Power Brakes (all 4 ORIGINAL calipers AND the ORIGINAL master cylinder were rebuilt with stainless steel sleeves)
• N37 – Tilt-Telescopic Steering
• N41 - Power Steering
• UA1 – Heavy Duty Battery
• U58 - AM/FM – STEREO – now with upgraded CD Player
• YF5 California Emissions Certification
• YJ8 – Aluminum Wheels
• 70L – Orange Flame Paint (8.7% of Total Production in 1976 Painted This Color!)
• 64V - Standard Interior (Buckskin)
• HD Cooling (Now a top-of-the-line Dewitt’s Aluminum Radiator)
• Rear Luggage / T-Top Carrier Rack ***
• Factory T-Top Storage Bags
• T-Top Locks (Not a factory option)

INTERIOR The interior is equally as beautiful and presents itself spectacularly. The upper dash pad is still very soft, flexible, and pliable. There are NO cracks or splits in the dash pad speaker perforations. A testament to the car always having been stored indoors. The steering wheel retains all of its original grain pattern, showing no sign of wear. The serrated locking ring for the column’s telescopic action looks new as well – most others have long ago lost their paint.

The carpet was replaced with the correct ACC saddle carpet because the original GM carpet turned green with age.

A thread on the replacement can be found here: 17K Mile 1976: OE Saddle Carpet Turned GREEN

One more sign the car has remained indoors is the condition of the A/C and heater control. The newly designed red white and blue temperature color bar will ALWAYS lose the red to sun-fade on a car that has spent much time in the sun. The colors on this one are as bright as they were day one. It’s small details like this that REALLY tell the story. This special color bar lens is NOT reproduced.The original radio was upgraded with a JVC AM/FM/CD player. New speakers were installed in both the dash and kick panels. Notice that the kick panel grills were color coded to match the interior perfectly – They almost look as if they could have come that way from the factory!! The original kick panels were removed (and saved) and the speakers were installed in donor panels. ABSOLUTELY NO WIRES WERE CUT OR SPLICED during the install. All of car’s the factory wiring was preserved!!! The stereo sounds wonderful, even at highway speeds with the windows down!! The original radio / amp / speakers / center gauge bezel and kick panels are included in the sale.

I also installed an inline 12V cutoff switch to the clock to enable removing power from the clock when the car is not in use. This was put in to preserve the clocks life. The switch is a toggle switch next to the headlight override. NO wires were cut or holes drilled for this switch install...the switch was installed in an existing hole in the bracket and all connectors are simply plugged in and can be removed if desired.



ENGINE / TRANSMISSION / UNDER HOOD / UNDERBODY

• Engine Cooling Upgrade: The radiator was replaced with a MADE IN THE USA Heavy Duty Dewitt’s Aluminum radiator. Engine cooling is NOT, nor ever will be an issue in this car! The engine runs at a constant temperature of 195º with or without A/C on – both in local traffic and 70mph highway speeds….NEVER a degree higher!!!!!
• ALL Radiator and Heater Hoses have been replaced
• All components (ie: alternator, water pump, distributor, carburetor, etc...) are all original and numbers matching.
• L82 style aluminum finned valve covers were installed in place of the stamped steel original issue L48 valve covers by the previous owner. the PO stated he did this because he liked the look much better. I agree! The original valve covers will be included in the sale.
• Fuel Pump replaced with new Spectra Premium (Made in CANADA). The original pump works fine, I just didn't trust a 42 year old fuel pump on long trips. The original AC fuel pump will be included in the sale.
• ORIGINAL EXHAUST - engine to tail pipes. Original mufflers are as solid as new!

FRONT/REAR SUSPENSION / WHEELS/TIRES:

• Wheels / Tires: The wheels are in remarkable condition and received a light polishing to revive their original luster. The tires are brand new Blackwall Hankook P225-70R15's. The tires were replaced with blackwall tires to maintain the original look the car came with new. As can be seen on the window sticker, this car was delivered with blackwall tires. These tires are VERY quiet on the road and that fact especially obvious at highway speeds. I have this same type tire on my daily driver Buick and swear by them. The wheel and tire combo look PHENOMENAL on this car and get compliments in addition to the compliments the car receives!!!!!
• Shocks: New KYB GR-2 / Excel-G front and rear
• The spare in the spare carrier is a 2K mile P225-7015. on a correct 15x8 AZ wheel. I do still have the ORIGINAL SPARE that has never hit the road. The original spare is included in the sale.
• FRONT/REAR Wheel bearings: Front and rear wheel bearings were removed and repacked with Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease. The rear wheel bearings were just due for their 1st scheduled service according to the owner’s manual. The rear spindles were removed, the bearings cleaned / inspected / and regreased. Proper rear bearing setup, clearance, and installation procedures as outlined in the service manual were strictly adhered to. Rear bearing service should not have to be performed again for at least another 50,000 miles. All new seals were installed on the front inner and rear inner and outer spindles.

BRAKES:
All 4 brake calipers AND the original master cylinder are stainless steel sleeved units. The original units were removed in 1993 by the previous owner and sent out to be professionally sleeved at Stainless Steel Brakes Corporation. This was done so that the original parts could be kept with the car, and the problem of leaking calipers due to corroded piston cylinder walls could be avoided. I have receipts in excess of $800.00 for the work performed from the PO.



AIR CONDITIONING:

ORIGINAL R12 System with original R12 refrigerant. To illustrate how well the A/C actually works, I have included a time and date stamped screenshot of the real time outside temperature condition on 05/22 as well as a real time and date stamped picture of the actual temperature of the air at the center vent with the A/C on MAX setting. When I say the air blows cold, I mean COLD. Air temps at the center vent consistently at blow out at 36º to 38º on 90º+ days with 70º+ dew points. You will not be hot in this car in the summer!! See picture in the album link provided.

























Instead of clogging up this thread with 105 pictures, I have combined them into an album that can be viewed here: 1976 Corvette Photos



Price: $ SOLD !!!!!


Thanks for looking!

Dave

vettebuyer6369

Red86Z51

Thank you for the compliment! I have fixed the link to the gallery and all pictures should now be accessible.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Dave

zrc3john

My first Vette was a 76.....Great looking car you have....Someone should jump on this...Good luck..

Red86Z51

Thank you for the compliment! Someone WILL be very pleased with this car. It's a conversation starter everywhere we take it...and everyone really flips over the color!

A few incidental things I forgot to mention:

1) The alarm works as it should

2) I have both sets of original keys

3) The spare tire tub has it's original lock (working of course)

4) If a potential buyer wants to fly in to purchase the car, I will gladly pick you up from the airport and bring you to the house.

AND....I will include a full tank of gas if the buyer plans on driving home!

jpargo

Red86Z51

We have owned the car for about 1-1/2 years now. The car had a little over 17,500 miles when we purchased it. Because of the low mileage and the fact the car is like new, our original plan was to make this the car we take our "bucket list" trip down route 66 in...both ways. But it's also because of the low mileage that we decided against driving it on that trip and racking up all of those miles. We just couldn't seem to pull ourselves to do that. It's just such a rare thing to find a low mileage car like this...it almost seemed like we would be committing automotive sacrilege taking that trip in this car. So we decided against it.

I believe that most of the paint must be original, given the mileage and manner in which the car was cared for. The bumper covers are fresh paint. I know this because I'm the one that painted them...so those I can tell you for sure are not original paint. Also, I did NOT "blend" the paint into the body, I painted the covers off of the car as I wanted to preserve the finish on the body just as I had received it. The paint color match was done by DUB at his shop using the fuel door lid as a reference to match the paint, and the covers were repainted using DuPont single stage enamel.

I hope this answers your questions.

Dave

midigike

Red86Z51

Thank you!

It truly has been taken very good care of. Even the upper dash pad is as soft and pliable as new...which indicates to me most of it's existence was spent out of the sun.

jpargo

zrc3john

I'm always checking these forums as far as pricing and such.....I'm retiring in a little under two years, and would like to get into the classic car game as far as dealings and such....

Its obvious the seller has put a nice upfront and seemingly honest depiction of this car.....Photos speak for themselves....I feel this is a great value plain and simple...

I own two corvettes and if I didn't I would at least, take a look at this one in person..

My rides.....

Red86Z51

Thanks Ed, I really appreciate the kind words and the compliment on the bumper covers --- I put a lot of work and time in trying to get the best fit possible, and admittedly, I was quite pleased how they came out, both in fitment and the paint match. I agree with you on the crank windows..there's just something about them on the old iron that appeals to me too. On the topic of the A/C...I've read a LOT of A/C threads, and have read where people complain about how hot these cars are even with A/C and how the cooling was inadequate...well, the cars ARE hot, but if these systems are put back to factory specs, the factory designed A/C works phenomenally well in keeping the cabin cool, even on the most miserable days. When I restored my last '74, I put the system back to 100% original including the R12 charge, and had the same cooling in it as this unrestored '76 has. Contrary to some belief, GM engineers really DID know what they were doing back then!

Regarding the areas you asked about, I went out to the garage and snapped some pics for you. You know...this was not an easy task for an old guy like me at this early hour of the morning! Here you go:


FRAME STENCIL: (Note the 75 year date - this was an early 1976)






FRAME KEYHOLE:






#4 BODY MOUNT






You notice on the underside shots the orange stripes painted on the frame (you can't miss the RR stripe in the keyhole shot above)...those were put on by the original owner to be a glaring reminder of where the jack points are, as indicated in the owners manual, in the event it needed to be lifted. If you look at the next shot below, you'll notice that the car has NEVER been jacked up at the engine cross member , and you can see the FE7 pencil mark from assembly.






Oh, and I don't have any Harry Mann items other than the Bill of Sale from the dealership. Thanks again for the bump and kind words!

Dave

jhopper408

I don't think that your asking enough. Geez I would think more like $ 18.500. I wouldn't take less than 15.500 for my 77 383S!

JohnnieUtah

Sounds like a nice car but I can't open the images and I even registered on the site. Too bad. Really wanted to see the pics.

Red86Z51

I'm not sure why that would be. How are you trying to access them...computer? phone? ... Might possibly be a setting on your device or browser? I have not heard anyone else mentioning not being able to access them, and most folks aren't shy about letting you know when they can't access links. (Me being one of them!!) I did have an issue on day one (my fault), but that was pointed out to me by Vettebuyer6369 and was resolved immediately.

I just tried the link to check and the library of pics popped right up.

Lots to see for sure! Hope you can figure it out.

Dave

Red86Z51

Thank you Ed, it's great to see the "finer points" of this car noticed and appreciated!!

To answer your questions:

1) The parking brake does hold the car and does not stick or bind.

2) Surprisingly, this 42 year old gal does not drip any fluids (I can't stand oil on my garage floor or having to use cardboard "garage diapers")!

3)Spare tire pic coming up! The spare has NEVER hit the road, has all of it's nubs, and still has the factory paint info on the tread around the perimeter of the tire. Since the car came with blackwall tires, the factory install a white-line tire backwards on the AZ wheel. I have that stored in my outbuilding and will take some pics once the rain subsides.

I'll snap some spare tire pics and post them once the rains subside...I see I'll need my waders to cross the creek out back!

Dave

Jstan2014

Red86Z51

Thank you so much for the kind words!! I have no problem answering any questions whatsoever, and am more than happy to answer yours.

We are selling because we can not pull ourselves to use the car as we intended when we purchased it. We're retired and have talked for years about taking a Route 66 journey from end to end. We have family in Chicago as well as AZ (a stop along the way) and at the end of the line in CA. When we found this car I told my wife this was the PERFECT car to take that trip in...heck, it's new!!

After getting the car, the reality of it's rarity started to sink in...a 42 year old car with 17K miles...WHAT were we thinking??? Parking it in Hotel parking lots? Restaurant parking lots?? Grocery store parking lots??? ANY parking lots???? Are we nuts????? After some serious round-table discussions, we decided and both agreed, that if that trip was to be made in this car, we should not, could not, and would not be the ones to do it. In addition, I do not want I car we're not going to drive and enjoy. We are not "car show" people, so keeping it for that reason is out. ...and so, after much deliberation, it was decided to sell the car and buy (or more likely build) one we would use for our purposes...and that's the reason it is for sale today.

Some might think our reasoning for selling is ridiculous...after all, it's just a car that was made to be driven, right? So DRIVE IT and ENJOY IT! As great as that sounds in theory, we just wouldn't be able to enjoy it because we would spend too much time worrying about it...and that would suck the fun right out of it for us. Ice cream runs are fun, but we want more.

We don't need to sell it, we've chosen to sell it to someone that would take the torch and continue to care for this car as it should be, and has it has always been.

That's it, in a nutshell. Thanks for the question, it was a great one!

Dave

Red86Z51

In response to a communication I received questioning my stand on paint originality, I would like to make a clarification (NOT a disclaimer), and I would like to go on record as stating that I have not, do not, or will not claim the paint on this car is 100% original. I BELIEVE that the paint is mostly original (with the exception of the bumper covers which I clearly indicated that I painted). This belief is wholly and solely based on my observations and inspections of this car.

As I stated in the original thread under Body/Paint: I said, and I quote: "I believe the paint to be mostly factory original with some touch-ups done by the original owner." I stand by that statement. Below are some example pictures as to why I believe what I do. The areas below are areas that are ALWAYS subject to over-spray during a repaint due to poor masking, tape leakage, etc.... These areas include, but are not limited to, mirror gaskets, door handles/gaskets, antenna gasket, door striker, door latch, Door weather strip, trim tag, and so on... Most attempts to clean up over-spray are futile and the over-spray can never be cleaned off completely. A prime example is the trim tag. It is polished stainless steel. Masking of the trim tag during a repaint is usually poor at best, leaving excess paint on the tag edges. Worse examples show where the tag has been "scrubbed clean" with steel wool, etc...rendering the tag scratched to death. Often paint residue can be still found in and around the rivets of the tag.

NO such conditions exist on this car. Below are close up shots of these areas. YOU be the judge. If you think I'm wrong in my belief, please tell that I am and WHY.

Greg

Dave,
This has to be the nicest '76 I've seen. I agree with the rest that your price is very fair for this car. These mid-era C3's are fast approaching the half century mark and are thankfully finding their rightful place in the collector market. Examples like yours will certainly help to raise the bar for others.
Excellent ad, excellent history. I would also be reluctant to rack up too many miles on this rare beauty.
Hope you find the right buyer for this terrific Corvette soon.
Greg