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1971 Corvette 454 Project

Corvette 454

Here’s an unfinished project that could be interesting! It is a 1971 Corvette with a numbers matching 454. It’s been in a basement garage since 1996. The value of these Vettes has declined a lot in the last 5 years, so perhaps that discouraged the seller from finishing his car? The seller appears to be into classic cars and is possibly even parting them out, so they could also just be flipping this project. They do offer a detailed description with decent photos. It clearly has rust issues and the fiberglass work could be a massive job , especially if you’re not skilled with fiberglass. There has already been some bad work, like where it’s over sanded on the left quarter. This Vette, with a good restoration (say between condition 2 and 3) would only be worth around $30,000, perhaps as much as $40K. Do you think this project could be completed for less than the car is worth, even without including labor? If not, what could one do with this Corvette? It’s listed here on eBay in Frenchtown, New Jersey with a starting bid of $6500 (reserve not met) with no bids yet.

Comments

  1. Avatar JW

    I’ll leave this one up to you Vette gurus, looks like a nightmare to me.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar JW454

    Something is not right here. If this car is a true 454 the vin should have a “W”. It looks like an L in the picture.

    It can only be:
    “K” = base 350
    “L” = LT1
    “W” = LS5

    Just sayin’….

    Like 0
    • Avatar Craig

      The VIN # you are referring to is from the donor birdcage, 1971 VIN #’s do not designate engine size. If the picture of the front of the engine were more legible you could make certain of its originality by the suffix stamped there along with a partial VIN.

      Like 0
      • Avatar JW454

        Craig you’re right. I can’t get used to this small screen. I thought it said 1972 M/Y.

        Like 0
  3. Avatar Bobsmyuncle

    This car as a 2 or 3 would be 30 or 40 grand?! That can’t be right can it?

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Rick

    Birdcage in this one is toast. And probably the frame, too. More effort (and money) than it’s worth to fix. Though… if you had a donor car where the body had been hit, swapping the body wouldn’t be a big deal if you didn’t mind a non-numbers matching car.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar dogwater

    This is a parts car at best, the C-3’s are going up in value a little but to put this car back together could cost 10k good luck

    Like 0

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