My first Corvette is a REAL barn find...
10-20-2017, 08:17 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
My first Corvette is a REAL barn find...
Hello all,
I am very excited to finally be able to join this forum! So, back in June, I was on a job site in Northern California, way back in the hills, when I entered a large barn on the property. (Really it was more of a 60,000 square foot shop... but hey, barn sounds better!) Anyway, tucked away, way in the back, I stumbled onto a 1969 Stingray Convertible. The owner of the barn wasn't sure who it belonged to, someone had asked a caretaker if they could store it for a winter several years earlier, and the caretaker had passed away.
It took me a month of asking around the small town, but I finally tracked down the owner. He had owned the car for about 10 years, and had attempted to sell it several years prior. The prospective buyer had put it in the barn, and the owner had lost track of where it was, or even where the keys were. The person that was supposed to buy the car fell on hard times and no longer had the cash. The owner thanked me very much for tracking him down, but was now reluctant to sell me the car. He owned the car for 10 years, only driving it a few weekends every summer. It took me 5 months to convince him to sell, but this afternoon we signed a contract and I made a small deposit. I will travel up north on the 5th of November to take possession of my dream car!
The car is in pretty good condition. Unfortunately, the engine is not orignial, but other than that, everything is completely original. It has a small block 350, and a 4-speed manual transmission. The underside has very little rust. It is drive able, although he says it runs through power steering fluid almost as fast as you put it in, but the P/S does work when you first put the fluid in. My guess is after sitting in that barn forever, it needs either a hose or a reservoir. He also says it needs a right front brake caliper and/or hose.
I am extremely excited to get her home and start working on her. My plan is to keep her as stock as possible, although, I will be switching to electronic ignition ASAP... (I am too lazy to adjust points every few months.) The plan, in this order, is to 1) Make It Stop (pads, rotors, hoses, and calipers on all four wheels. Master cylinder if necessary. Tires.); 2) Make It Steer (power steering hoses and possibly a pump); 3) Make It Go (full tune-up, electronic ignition, anything else as necessary; 4) Make it Pretty (dents, dings, paint, cloth, carpet, etc.); and then we will see if we can 5) Make It Go Really Fast.
I am setting a goal to make her road worthy for a trip from San Diego to Seattle along the coast next summer.
I am really looking forward to being a part of the forum. I know I am going to have questions, so keep an eye out for me!
I am very excited to finally be able to join this forum! So, back in June, I was on a job site in Northern California, way back in the hills, when I entered a large barn on the property. (Really it was more of a 60,000 square foot shop... but hey, barn sounds better!) Anyway, tucked away, way in the back, I stumbled onto a 1969 Stingray Convertible. The owner of the barn wasn't sure who it belonged to, someone had asked a caretaker if they could store it for a winter several years earlier, and the caretaker had passed away.
It took me a month of asking around the small town, but I finally tracked down the owner. He had owned the car for about 10 years, and had attempted to sell it several years prior. The prospective buyer had put it in the barn, and the owner had lost track of where it was, or even where the keys were. The person that was supposed to buy the car fell on hard times and no longer had the cash. The owner thanked me very much for tracking him down, but was now reluctant to sell me the car. He owned the car for 10 years, only driving it a few weekends every summer. It took me 5 months to convince him to sell, but this afternoon we signed a contract and I made a small deposit. I will travel up north on the 5th of November to take possession of my dream car!
The car is in pretty good condition. Unfortunately, the engine is not orignial, but other than that, everything is completely original. It has a small block 350, and a 4-speed manual transmission. The underside has very little rust. It is drive able, although he says it runs through power steering fluid almost as fast as you put it in, but the P/S does work when you first put the fluid in. My guess is after sitting in that barn forever, it needs either a hose or a reservoir. He also says it needs a right front brake caliper and/or hose.
I am extremely excited to get her home and start working on her. My plan is to keep her as stock as possible, although, I will be switching to electronic ignition ASAP... (I am too lazy to adjust points every few months.) The plan, in this order, is to 1) Make It Stop (pads, rotors, hoses, and calipers on all four wheels. Master cylinder if necessary. Tires.); 2) Make It Steer (power steering hoses and possibly a pump); 3) Make It Go (full tune-up, electronic ignition, anything else as necessary; 4) Make it Pretty (dents, dings, paint, cloth, carpet, etc.); and then we will see if we can 5) Make It Go Really Fast.
I am setting a goal to make her road worthy for a trip from San Diego to Seattle along the coast next summer.
I am really looking forward to being a part of the forum. I know I am going to have questions, so keep an eye out for me!
10-20-2017, 09:17 PM
#2
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Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on your '69! Looks like you have a lot of work to do to it, but have a repair plan mapped out.
You'll find lots of good info on many of the repairs you need to make in the C3 section of CF: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s-1968-1982-5/
Best wishes with your work.
You'll find lots of good info on many of the repairs you need to make in the C3 section of CF: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s-1968-1982-5/
Best wishes with your work.
10-20-2017, 09:43 PM
#4
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Very cool barn find and good luck getting the car in shape. Welcome to the forum.
10-20-2017, 10:18 PM
#5
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So cool. 
10-21-2017, 12:29 AM
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Welcome to the CF!
10-21-2017, 05:55 AM
#7
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Welcome to the forum!
Cool story, and good luck with your C3!
Cool story, and good luck with your C3!
10-21-2017, 11:18 AM
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Enjoy while you can.
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WOW, congrats and welcome aboard