My New Wheels

[z28luvr01]

Over here I mentioned some big news not related to my vacation, well here it is:

I'm now the proud owner of:

*drum roll*

A 1968 Corvette convertible. My father won it on eBay on my behalf while I was away. It's a project car in boxes, as the owner started the restoration but didn't finish it. All the hard work is done. It just needs new paint, an engine and tranny, and to be put back together. Here's the stats:

1968 Corvette convertible

hardtop and softop

L68 427 - 400hp

M21 4 speed manual

originally silver over silver, but changed to dark red over black

I plan to put the car back to the original color combo, since I want to find a correct 427 and M21 to put in it. The car's in Ohio, and I have arrangements to go get it next weekend.

I have no pics right now other than the ones from the auction listing, which are on my dad's PC at home. I'll try to get them tonight and post them.

[Sixty8panther]

Holy *&%$# cow man... that's quite a ride.

I prefer the T-top version of the 68/69 Corvettes

but on the open market the ragtop's worth a lot

more money. This is kind of a dream of mine, I

want to buy a car in boxes at some point, makes

for a very affordable way to get into the classic

car hobby.

$hit I'd take a 1959 Plymouth Suburban if it was

dirt cheap and in boxes nevermind a Corvette.

That's like one in a million!

It's a stick to boot and to really make it more

unbeleivable it's a BIG BLOCK car? Holy fu$&.

Good for you... can't wait to see it.

[Cory Wolfe]

Hmm... being in Ohio means you'll have to pass through Pennsylvania.

[ocnblu]

Ohhhh... z. This is gonna be so cool for you. Excellent news, bud! I can't wait to see it, even in boxes.

[XP715]

Link to the closed auction, please!

[z28luvr01]

Thanks for the well wishes, guys. I'm so excited it'll be pretty hard to sleep for the next week. We just called the owner, and I think he was expecting us to say "Sorry, we can't find a way to ship it." because he sounded pretty upset. When we told him that we had a car carrier reserved and were coming on the 28th, he brightened up. As promised, here are the first pics:

eBay Listing

[ocnblu]

With all those parts unattached, it seems your job will be easier building the car the way you want it. I am sure you're grinning ear-to-ear right now. You deserve it.

[z28luvr01]

me------>

That's exactly it. When you think about it, this car is closer to completion than the typical "20 footer" that looks great till you get up close. People freak out when they see a car like this, which is probably why I got it for half of what it's worth. An Eckler's catalog is on the way, and soon, a 1968 Corvette Assembly manual will be as well. The hardest part will be finding a correct 427 block, heads, and carbs (yep, it's a tri-power car )

[BigPontiac]

Very nice! Are you buying the 4 speed trans from him too?

[Northstar]

Cool!

Why does it look like it's jacked up though? That's not the standard ride height, is it?

[z28luvr01]

BigPontiac:

I will if he has it. Based on the comment he added later in the auction, I don't think he has it anymore. I'm not too worried about finding a tranny, as M21s seem to be pretty plentiful.

Northie:

It looks like that because it's missing 685lb of big block Chevy under the hood, and the interior is completely out of it. These cars actually have a really nice, low stance.

[Northstar]

Northie:

It looks like that because it's missing 685lb of big block Chevy under the hood, and the interior is completely out of it. These cars actually have a really nice, low stance.

170161[/snapback]

Ok, that's what I thought. It looks like it's been raised up on jacks so there's no weight on the wheels, but since there's so much weight out of it, I guess it gives a similar effect.

[zhawk]

Congrats z, that's a great starting point and you will have one heck of a Vette when you're done.

[Camino LS6]

OMG! How did I miss this post??

Congrats Z, well-deserved and well done!

...and it's a big block,tri-power, 4spd. car!!

[bowtie_dude]

Dude, that kicks many many levels of ass!

[Paolino]

Incredible Z! Congratulations! I need a ride now LOL

[Sixty8panther]

I'm not jelaous. No, seriously I'm not jelaous... Good for you. [head_explodes]

[Satty]

I only approve if you keep the factory 8-track player.

[AAS]

Looks like fun... will you be driving down to SD once it's all done? Keep us up to date!

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Very f@#king nice! :thumbsup:

Looks like some of the boxed-up parts are reusable, too.

[Camino LS6]

So Z, it looks like we need to change your custom title to Mr. Plastic Fantastic!

[Satty]

Ok, so I saw a C3 vert earlier today, it was a light blue color with a blue interior. I have to say it looked mighty pimp, great road presence. Keep us updated on the restoration, I may have to pick your brain in a year or two when I buy myself a C3 or early C4 as a weekend toy/graduation present.

[z28luvr01]

Well, that was a real character-building road trip. Anyone ever try driving 600 miles and back in a day? Well, we did it. Anyway, here's the details - the body is in pretty good shape with the exception of a couple of areas: the front lip has some cracks in it, there's one crack in each fender, and there was a repair done to the driver's side footwell. All of that can be fixed with some fiberglass matting. At least no panels need to be changed. The paint is rather lousy, but it's coming off anyway. The bad thing is a good portion of the interior parts aren't reusable, but I sort of knew that going in.

Here are some pics of it in my driveway yesterday morning.

Right now it's at a storage place, but I'm actively looking for a local with a garage that they'd be willing to rent out to me.

AAS: I'd be more likely to rent an enclosed car carrier, but I'd love to take it out west.

Satty: 8-track players are ahead of this car's time. I'm fortunate to have AM and FM in the same unit . If you're looking for a C3 like this, do your homework before you buy. Get The Corvette Black Book and take it with you when you go looking. You'll have the engine castings, carburetor numbers, trim codes, etc with you, so the seller can't BS you and tell you the car is original when it's not.

[Satty]

Did you sit behind where the steering wheel goes and make engine noises?

[Camino LS6]

Bring it down here,Z. We can park it in the "restoration area" of the barn next to the Jag.

[aaaantoine]

The C3 is easily the best-looking car ever built.

Two months back, I spent no less than 30 minutes staring at a newly rebuilt yellow model that was parked near my in-laws' house.

[balthazar]

Awesome catch! I always though this gen paled next to the C2s, but a buddy has a '68 hardtop and the day I checked it out, I was impressed on many levels with the design. It's stands tall with no apologies.

Just last week my brother told me his friend is looking to sell his Corvette Tri-Power set-up, complete, unrestored. Not sure what year it is (it's late '60s), will get his contact info Mon. PM me.

[08chevyguy]

hey z, you should photoshop some pics of this car so we can see what it might look like when its done

[Satty]

Hey Z, how the hell are things going with the Vette?

[Sixty8panther]

I'm still jelaous for the record... you lucky pr1ck.

[z28luvr01]

Thanks for asking, Satty. And 68 - did I mention it's a 427, tri-power 4spd car

Anyway, I haven't done too much since the weather got too cold to hold tools comfortably. I've got the rear of the car stripped of all the chrome/lights/trim/etc. and the old, rusted tank is long gone. I've been mostly acquiring parts. So far I have:

a date-correct 427/435 block, heads, and complete tri-power setup

a transistorized distributor

front and rear bumpers

AM/FM radio

reconditioned console trim plate (it's a one year design and therefore not repro'd by the aftermarket)

rear taillight lenses and housings

gas tank and associated hardware

Probably next month I'm going to start looking for a Gantry crane, so I can attach a chain hoist to it and lift the body up to replace the body mounts and make sure the previous owner did a good job restoring the frame. Then I can send the body out to be media blasted and, if necessary, have the body work done (both my father and I are allergic to fiberglass, and it can be dangerous to work with). I guess my rough goal for this coming year is to have the body ready for primer by the end of summer '07, so I can spend the winter months assembling the engine and getting it running.

[Satty]

Allright Z, update time. Make us even more jealous.

[gm4life]

Holy cow have fun with that girl. What a great car. GOOD LUCK!

[toesuf94]

Z - just caught up to your post - what a great car! And to find the correct code 427 and a tri-power setup as well! Sweet! How is it coming with the car? I love the patch job on the footwell. Reminds me of a barn find 63 SWC that I was helping with the restoration on. The rear axel on the driver's side had broken at some point and at some speed, as it broke the area behind the driver's seat as well as the inner fender many, many years before my neighbor found it. To make a long story short, we were re-installing new half shafts out back when I looked up at the inner fender and saw a gap. When I pushed on the area at the split, the whole inner fender was not attached. They never fixed it from underneath! and the hole where the half-shaft punched through the floorboards looked just like your footwell. We cut all that out and replaced it with the proper weave. The car drives looks and drives sweet now.

Oh, and I was not allowed to buy a 1970 (454) 'vert back in '89. My parents seemed to think it was a bit too dangerous of a car for a 18 year old. Needed paint, but it was a factory convertible, 454 auto in Marlboro Maroon over saddle with a saddle top. And it was an air car. If I recall it needed paint but he would sell it to me for less than $9,000. My dad was all for it, but mom was a big NO.