This two owner 1969 Chevrolet Corvette is for sale in Garwood, New Jersey. Ikey Heyman found it listed here on Craigslist and sent the for sale ad to us. This is an interesting Corvette. It is an unrestored, original Stingray that someone installed an LT-1 hood on at some point. The seller is asking $24,500 which seems pretty enticing for a 4 speed 350 horsepower Corvette in running and driving condition.
The interior matches the red exterior and you can see the driver seat and console arm rest are stained or dirty. The odometer on the Corvette reads 78,000 miles. The Corvette has power steering, power brakes, rally wheels and an aftermarket tachometer mounted on the dash to the right of the steering wheel. As with all C3 Corvettes that were not convertibles, this car was built with removable T-Tops. The seller is including a second set of T-Tops with the sale of the car.
The seller states that the Corvette is still equipped with the original small block 350 cubic inch V8 engine that it came with from the factory. The engine is rated at 350 horsepower and is backed by a Muncie M21 4 speed transmission.I don’t know if it is the lighting or dust but the exterior paint looks more garnet or maroon than red, which is what is in the description. I think this car is actually an original Marlboro Maroon paint. Even though the hood has been replaced, it matches the rest of the car. The Corvette is equipped with factory installed side pipes which were available from 1968-1972. I have a set of these side pipes installed on my 1979 Corvette. They are loud and get a little warm but not too bad.
The owner is losing his storage space where this car has sate for the past 10 years. The exterior paint does have some nicks and chips in the paint but being over 50 years old, that is to be expected. Although the car is driveable, I think I would rebuild the brakes and fuel system before driving it to the tire store to get new rubber on all four wheels. This is a reasonably priced Barn Find and I hope it finds a new home and is driven and enjoyed.
If original paint,looks like Garnet Red.Nice car!
This is a nice vette to have and resto along the way. Not gonna loose on this one. Always a taker to this type of pedigree.
It is not original paint. Red oxide was the factory primer. Also, that would have to be Monza red for ’69.
One tip for the C3s is the body around the headlights is always distorted if original at this point in time.
Marlboro Maroon in ’67 was Cordovan Maroon in ’68 and Burgundy in ’69…and this doesn’t look like it. This looks more like a ‘fire mist’ color. It may have come with side pipes but, either these are not the original covers. or they’ve been sprayed black.
Having said that, this looks like a decent buy for a weekend cruiser.
Should the factory tach be broken with so low mileage?
Why a nice vette would not be covered in a garage for many years apparently – is beyond me.
There are more red flags with that Vette than my ex-wife! First off that hood does not match whatsoever – makes me think it’s likely not an LT-1. Next, why would you mount a tach to the dash when every C3 came equipped with one in the gauge cluster from the factory? Finally, you can see the rust around the top of the windshield where the inner surround has broken – typical result of leaky t-tops and a prime indication that the birdcage is toast on this car. Given my experience with women and classic Vettes, I wouldn’t date this one, let alone marry it and bring it home. You’ll end up heartbroken and penniless. Hard pass…
You are right, it is not a LT-1. They were not available until 1970.
Ad states “The Only Thing That Was Changed is the LT 1 Hood.”
If the tac-drive distributor was upgraded to hei or dual point the factory tac won’t work
78K miles and the tach drive distributor went out? Decent looking car but should be about 17 G’s.
The side pipes for this style were only offered from the factory in 1969. You could order them from GM and put them on any C3 but someone other than the factory would have had to install them. 4,355 1969’s were so equipped. I have a set on my 1972 put on in the late 70’s. At that time GM was still making them.
Not a Vette guy, but where is the brake power booster?
Frame also should be suspect, especially a new joisey car. Know what you are buying. Look it over good. Stay safe and good luck.
Cheers
GPC
DRV is correct, Monza Red was the only red in ’69. Distortion around the headlight doors is an indicator of the metal panel bonded to the fiberglass starting to rust. Ugly to fix. A rusty birdcage is an expensive fix. Does not have power brakes, no booster. A lot to overcome for a vehicle that Old Cars Report places somewhere between $8,000 and $17,600. ( did like the ’69 though)
Looks like a 427 hood with LT-1 letters.
The 68-72 427/454 hood is the same hood as the 70-72 LT-1 hood. Big blocks had chrome letters on the hood for the engine size, while LT-1’s had an “LT-1” decal on the hood, and the pinstripes. But this car is neither a big block or an LT-1 though.
This car may be “unrestored”, but it’s not all original or untouched.
It’s clearly been repainted, that’s not an original color, and it’s obvious from where it’s pealing that it has quite a bit of paint on it, far more than GM used. Also, as others have mentioned, there were 2 reds in 69, Monza Red & Burgundy. You couldn’t get a red interior with burgundy, and that’s not Monza. 69 350’s came with a low rise case iron intake. This car has a high rise aluminum one, which is why the hood was changed, a high rise won’t fit under the 69 small block hood.
The scariest thing about this car though is the rust in the windshield frame. The pictures of the windshield clearly show serious rust in the header. Chances are that the a-pillars are rusted too, and likely the cowl where it meets the pillars. Other areas of the birdcage are probably rotted too. It costs about $2500 to properly replace the windshield frame, not including painting.
The car may look pretty good in the pictures, but I think it’s hiding a lot of sins. An unknowing buyer may find this car get expensive quickly. To me, this is a low teens car, no more.
With rust visible above the windshield and flaking paint, this price is about double what it’s worth and I’m being generous. $15k for a real paint job, and a worn interior and you still need to investigate the birdcage.
If you ever drove one like this in the summer you would not want it. Side pipes and no a/c don’t go well. I drove one to a customer 35 miles and had a headache when I got there.
My brother has a ’72 LT1(original motor) that has been sitting in his garage for almost 20 years that is in similar condition to this car. He’d take a lot less than $24K…he just doesn’t take the time to get it on the market.
Bla Bla nit pick nit pick looks like a nice car for someone its all there we have seen a lot worse price is fair.
I had a ’69 Coupe with the L-46 350ci/350hp engine. My motor had different valve covers with the Corvette flag decals along with a cast-iron intake. It was a fun car to drive and I kept it for 25 years. I wish I had hung on to it. I did double my money when I sold it.