Daily Slideshow: Big Block 1966 Was Found in a Cornfield!

Never Give Up

David Engler wanted a Corvette his whole life. Engler, who's 66 years old now, retired last January and was hoping that his time of having a Corvette-less garage was coming to an end. However, his wife, not wanting to see his heartbreak, tried to manage his expectations by telling him that he'd possibly never have one. Looking at living on a fixed income, and with the values of classic Corvette models climbing, he could be forgiven for believing her—but it never hurts to keep one's eyes and ears open.

Before retiring, Engler worked for the local Roads Department. Also working there was a younger mechanic named Kyle. Kyle knew Engler had a few older cars, and he'd heard Engler talking about his desire for a retirement project. Well, you can probably see where this is going—Kyle mentioned that his uncle had an old Corvette that had been sitting in a barn for as long as Kyle could remember. He wasn't sure if his uncle would want to sell the 'Vette, but Engler asked him to put in a good word. Then, in 2014, after a bit of coaxing, Kyle's uncle called Engler and asked if he was still interested. Of course, he most certainly was! That Corvette turned out to be this 425 hp 427 ci L72, complete with a four-speed and a Posi rear end with 4.11 gears! 

The Go See

Engler got that call on a Friday, and by Saturday at 8 AM he was out at the barn to check out the '66 Vette. He told the owner he was very interested, but you know how people who've been holding on to treasure for 40 years sometimes are—they have to let the idea of parting with it sink in a bit. The owner told Engler he'd let him know. Three days later he called Engler back and said they could make a deal.

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The Go Get

When Engler, his oldest son, his nephew, and his restoration technician buddy Ken Schoenthaler, went out to the farm to get the convertible, they had to battle their way through forests of weeds and a collapsed building. After all of that, they found the prize inside of a container—an aluminum truck box with a wooden floor to be exact—that the car was stored in. They dug a few feet of dirt away from one side of the rickety building to get better access to the container—which was, unfortunately, missing its backdoors. But there it was, wearing its hardtop under all that dust, Engler's first Corvette. 

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The Roll Out

The '66 was a tight squeeze in the truck box, and sitting on flat tires with valve stems that had long since disappeared didn't help matters. The guys brought a set of 14-inch off of a Camaro to get the 'Vette rolling, but when they tried to bolt them up they found that the rims wouldn't clear the calipers. A quick trip to retrieve a set of 15-inchers and the Corvette was ready to roll. Engler credits the box's wooden floor with keeping moisture levels down enough to keep the brakes from seizing—he was even able to bring the discs back into service with a simple skim cut. 

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Flat Earth

This is what bias-ply rubber looks like after sitting for 40 years.

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Number Matching

With the C2 out in the open, they took it a closer look. The engine had been removed and wrapped in oil-soaked burlap, but it was the correct motor, and the stock raised hood was intact. They found the bell housing nearby and had to saw down a tree to get to it, but it too was numbers matching.

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Critters

After digging the car out, Engler and company started digging out 40 years worth of rodent fun party mix. 

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GM Quality

The Corvette's Milano Maroon paint was original and correct, but a little too worse for the wear to be saved. This particular 427 car was a real performance specimen and came without power steering or power brakes, though the factory AM/FM radio was not only present but still in working condition! 

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Day One

The original owner admitted to Engler that with the way he drove it back in the day—including a catastrophic and intrusive clutch failure—he's lucky he survived long enough to sell it on. For his part, Engler's since finished a complete restoration of the '66, but we hope he still finds a few things he's missed, or maybe just things that he needs to keep polished. Everyone needs a hobby in retirement—one that hopefully doesn't blow up clutches.

>>Join the conversation about this Big Block C2 left to rust right here in Corvette Forum.

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