I posted about a missing lower bellhousing cover on this 68 427 C3 that I'm looking at for my wife. It's her dream car: the right color, t-tops, big block, automatic, power steering, etc. Life has been good enough to us that I can get it without strain, and still be able to maintain it. Intent is for it to be an occasional driver. We're not collectors or purists or show car people, and I don't expect she'll drive it a ton or farther than a couple hours from home. We're both aware it will require maintenance and work as a 58 year old vehicle no matter how well it's been restored. I'm capable of doing the maintenance, and a good bit of repairs, but hoping not to have to do any right away.
Here's the ad:
1968 C3 Corvette
​​​​The last Pic in the ad is obviously not of this corvette. The seller doesn't have any engine bay pics in the ad, but sent me a few I'll add below.



I have a few more pics but there's not a lot of additional info to be gained from them.

I'm in NC, so I'll have a 3rd party inspect it next week. If that goes well, I'll go there to check it in person and drive it before commiting.

My wife's cousin is a retired NY State Police mechanic and a classic car guy, and I've gotten his opinion on the pics. He's said it looks pretty good. I may be able to drag him to Illinois to look at it with me. He strongly suggested finding a radiator shroud to reduce the chances of overheating.
OK folks... What do you see that I should know about?

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There are quite a few things not standard in the engine bay, no pictures of the engine stamp or tag etc... For me I think it's high, others may disagree.

 

Gotcha. I'm not a stickler for absolute originality if the change makes sense, or makes it a better driver. Appreciate you responding!

 

Actually, the last 2 pics are of a different car.

It's missing at least the upper part of the fan shroud — not sure how '68 shrouds were made, but my '67 and '72 are one-piece shrouds that don't have a removable top section. C3s are very susceptible to overheating, so a functional shroud is mandatory.

The PCV system is hooked up backwards — the valve should be in the driver's valve cover with the fresh air intake on the passenger. I don't know if the engine's rotation aids the airflow from passenger's to driver's side, but that's the way GM designed it. The engine has an Edelbrock intake and unknown carb, so maybe this is why the PCV is wonky.

• I'm not sure what the aluminum box is above the heater box — the website on it goes to a Corvette resto shop in Georgia...
• It's missing the stone guard flaps in front of the retracted headlights.
• Side exhaust wasn't available in '68 and it's still got the under car exhaust panel. Not a very refined modification.
• Inappropriate screws in the shift console plate, which is kinda marked up with scratches too.
• Make sure the fiber-optics work, I've no clue how expensive that system is to repair/replace.

Do you know if it's original engine and trans? For $48,900 asking price, I think it's on the high side by $15k-$20k, given it's presented condition.

 

Here is the selling description:
If the paint is indeed original, it's likely to show a lot of crazing in the lacquer. You can still get a nice shine, but up close the crazing is apparent.
Says matching number drivetrain - make sure that's the case. Before you travel, ask for clear, high-definition pics.
427 "rebuilt to factory specs" isn't going to make 500hp, so way more was done than rebuilding to specs.

I stick by my comment that it's over priced by a fair bit. Premium pricing is either based on originality or high quality resto-mods... I don't think this car displays either of those things.

 

I looked into that box. I believe it's a cover over the wiper door mechanism converted to the electric motor, but it's "out of place" looking isn't it?

Thanks for all the detailed comments! I'll look into all that.

 

I see a lot of issues with the car for the asking price. I would keep looking and find the best car for your budget.

 

Would you mind expanding on that? Maybe things I can use to leverage a better price?

 

There are a lot of incorrect items under the hood. The passenger side headlight looks to be a different shade of paint. The front hood doesn't align well. Not a factory side exhaust car and the rear panel hasn't been changed to fill in the exhaust cut outs. Even if the car has the original motor it is overpriced for a 68 390 HP automatic car. It is a driver car and IMHO you are better taking the $5k you will put into this car making it right and expand your budget by $5k and get a much better car.

 

It may be just the angle the pics are taken, but the front wheels on both sides don’t look to be centered in the wheel well openings. Hard to tell from the pics.

 

Hello,
Very pretty car from a distance.
Kind of a 'sloppy' rebuild.
If you REALLY mean this..."We're not collectors or purists or show car people"...then this car could fit the bill.
It's over priced though...by $10,000 (?) or maybe even more after an inspection by a knowledgable 68-72 Corvette person.
Regards....

Is it now or has it been RUSTY?????

 

Being the owner of an early 1968 C3 Corvette I too noticed that there were many things that needed to be addressed before the C3 could be a reliable road car. The biggest no-no is the lack of the radiator shroud as the car will overheat like that.

To many "bubba" repairs and the car becomes less and less original. That car is priced high for a 1968 with a 427 even if it is the original engine.

There are some amazing cars that keep popping up for sale so don't jump at the first one or it might be a financial nightmare.

Find a NCRS group that meets near your home and sit in with them. They would know who and where the best repair facilities are in your state.

Before buying a 1968 Corvette just be aware that the 1968 is the Rodney Dangerfield of Corvettes, they get NO RESPECT from many Corvette owners! Paragon employees asked me why anyone would waste their money restoring a 1968 back 30 years ago.

The1968 C3 is a unique beast in many ways. If you can deal with the gaps and such then you will be okay. Put a 1969 C3 next to a 1968 C3 and the differences pop out at you.

My 1968 Corvette is a awesome Corvette and I love it and all it's peculiarities!

I wish you the very best in finding the "Right" car for you!

Best regards,
Chris

 

A new aluminum radiator with electric fans will cure the overheat problem . Like any old car it needs things but I have seen worse

 

one of my cars is a 69 convertible and I get nothing but respect

 

Not sure if it has to be an auto, but in the 50k range this is a much nicer option. It has A/C also.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-56-500-a.html

 

JustANewbie, compare the engine pics on this '69 with the '68. They should appear just about identical, so you can see all that's missing or changed in the '68. If I were limited to only JustANewbie's linked choice or this one, this one wins hands down.

 

Very nice!! How heavy is the clutch pedal on the early C3 corvettes? My wife is worried her knee won't tolerate a clutch anymore. We're both getting the 60+ discounts at IHOP. I think she could do it.

 

Hello,
I'd be careful about buying a 4-speed car now that you've mentioned your wife's knee.
It would a shame to buy a car that isn't pleasant for her to drive.
About 18% of 68 cars were equipped with the automatic transmission. I don't knew if there's a b/b s/b breakdown.
Likely the b/b auto cars are going to be quite a bit rarer.
Still think this car is too much money.... but an in-person inspection by a knowledgable Corvette person will settle that.
Good Luck!
Regards....

 

68's used a one year only one piece plastic shroud. Without a fan shroud I can't believe that car wouldn't run hot. This is probably why there's a piece of foam stuffed in the opening in front of the top of the radiator.

I don't know if it's an optical illusion or the angle the picture was taken at, but to me the fan looks like it's positioned too high in comparison to the radiator?

Right or left, the position of the PCV shouldn't make any difference. Single carb Corvette big blocks had the PCV in the left (driver's) side valve cover, and the breather in the right side cover, but 67-69 tri-powers had the PCV in the right (passenger) side valve cover and the breather in the left cover. 63-67 327's didn't have the PCV in either valve cover. Those years had the PCV inline between the base of the carb and the intake mounted oil fill tube. The 327 blocks were vented by a breather coming from the rear of the block to the rear of the air cleaner base.

 

I (approaching mid-60s) don't find my '67 clutch to be all that stiff; it's a straight factory replacement, so nothing heavy duty. A follow-up question is what type of driving will she be doing most often? Frequent city driving with a bunch of stoplights is definitely more stressful on the knee than a few stops then open road.