Some cars are staid and placid vehicles designed to get you from Point A to Point B with as little fuss and as much anonymity as possible. However, some cars fit the same mold as this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. They are loud, brash, brutal, and have absolutely no idea what the word “subtlety” actually means. For many people, life is too short to accept things that are mediocre, so maybe that would make this the perfect restoration project for those individuals. If that sounds like you, then you will find the Corvette located in Galion, Ohio, and listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN on the Corvette has been set at $19,900, although the more optimistic amongst you could feel free to make an offer.
As a starting point for a restoration project, the Corvette holds a lot of promise. The paint that it wears isn’t original, because it rolled off the production line wearing the much more vibrant Daytona Yellow. The body itself is in quite good order, with only one known minor repair on the nose. It would appear that all of the external trim and chrome is present, and it seems to be in good condition. The glass also looks free of any significant flaws or defects. One component that is missing is the factory side-pipes. All of the correct heat-shielding for this is present, but the pipes themselves will need to be replaced. The frame has a coating of surface corrosion, but there are no signs of any rust or rot. The owner states that cleaning this up should be a pretty easy task. The birdcage is said to be solid, and if this is true, then the exterior of the vehicle would appear to be in need of little more than a cosmetic refresh, with no structural issues for the next owner to consider.
The Corvette’s interior is complete, and it does appear as though it is largely original. The owner says that there is some wear on the driver’s seat, but the rest of the interior is in good condition. The photos that he supplies are a bit dark to see things in clear detail, and while there are also a few marks on the console, it does seem to be quite good. The Hurst shifter isn’t original, and the factory radio has made was for a Panasonic AM/FM stereo unit. The interior also isn’t loaded up with luxury extras, but there is a tilt/telescopic wheel to make life a bit more comfortable.
The original owner of this Corvette knew what they wanted when they ordered the car, and that was to go fast. As a consequence, they ordered the Corvette equipped with the L36 version of the 427ci V8, pumping out a healthy 390hp. In addition, they chose the 4-speed close-ratio manual transmission, a Posi rear end, power steering, and power brakes. The good news here is that the Corvette is a numbers-matching car, with all of the original major drivetrain components still in place. In addition, that 427 has been given a rebuild and hasn’t been fired up since this occurred. Now we get to the bad news. The reason that the engine hasn’t been kicked into life is that as you see, it isn’t exactly complete. The owner states that there is a story behind it, but that all of the original external accessories have gone missing. This is a real shame because with the rest of the car being so original, the loss of these components means that it can never be classified as a full, numbers-matching car. Still, locating date-correct components should be possible. Personally, I’d be itching to get this beast up and running once again. In its prime, this was a car that could accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds and was capable of demolishing the ¼ mile in 13.9 seconds before winding out to a top speed of 137mph. That sounds like good, fast fun to me.
Okay, so let’s talk dollars and cents here. The owner has set the BIN for the car at a touch under $20,000. It would appear that this is a car that would need no structural work, so it should represent a fairly straightforward restoration proposition. If fully and properly restored, there is no reason why it couldn’t be worth a figure in excess of $50,000. NADA suggests closer to $64,000, but they might be a bit optimistic on that one. Even allowing for the lower valuation, a full restoration would seem to potentially make good financial sense. Of course, for some of you, restoring this Corvette would be less about ultimate value, and more about wearing an ear-to-ear grin every time that you buried the right foot. I can respect that.
Tough one. Value at 50K minus 20K to buy leaves $30K for a restoration that will take more than that to do especially with needing to replace the “parts that have gone missing”.
Great car. Maybe I missed it, parts gone missing…..that is too bad for sure. Where is the 427 hood? I had a 454 car, not sure if the 427 hood is different….I think it is?
Weird rust on interior console areas as well the underbody tells me it was near high levels of moisture….hmmm….I guarantee you there will more of this to be found and seen in this car which will cause the restoration costs to go WAY up.
Again, I did not read every word but, was the car Daytona Yellow? Now not yellow. as a numbers matching corvette and collectability it needs to be the birth color which is going to be a $30K paint and body job alone. So, Resto budget should be probably $70K on a motor that has never been run….this again is a $100K story for a $50K car. Just sayin. Tough one for sure.
Broken record…..THE GUY WHO OWNS IN NEEDS TO RESTORE IT. Then try to get your money. The only right way for anyone to restore this one is the same way, BACK TO ITS BIRTH SPECS. That is the only way this car will once again be valuable. My opinion.
My opinion would be for people to read a description before they comment. Just makes you look lazy and stupid.
Thank you Chris, it gets tiresome to read some persons comments about cars that they didn’t read the listing and then to make erroneous assumptions about the car.
I’d buy it at $15k, dump $30k in it, so $45k in a $50-65k Vette.
For $55k or maybe less, I’ve got a ‘66 Chevelle. Much better investment in my world.
For the shape the car is in now, wouldn’t waste my time restoring it. Just get it mechanical sound, paint the hood and enjoy the car. Not every Vette needs to be NCRS certified.
Gee O its going to cost 50k to put it back together,NOT if you have guts to do it yourself some of these comments are guys that are sitting on the couch with a bag of chips and a 6 pack ( honey whats for dinner)
Why do you think its going to cost $50K to put together? Unless you plan on farming everything out, yes its going to cost that much. I’ve rebuilt a few cars over the past 35 yrs. You have to work a little to get the deals done. I’m frigging cheap when building cars so this Vette would cost going just by pictured would need around $10K to be driveable.
Oh yea I am a couch potato also!
Don’t forget NADA pricings are averaged out. So some sold higher on record as well as some sold lower. Always did like the 69 Vette.
Jerry Z makes the most sense here. Not everyone needs an NCRS trailer queen that is too nice to drive. I did that with my 71 454 coupe years ago. Afraid to get a stone chip on it. I now enjoy my really nice and rust free 73 coupe with 4 speed. Real nice 10 foot car, never hit, orig. engine, rear, trans, all new interior just because I drive it and the seat foam turned to dust. New foam and covers made it like a different car driving wise. The paint is so so and 30 years old. I don’t care. I rebuilt entire suspension, rear wheel bearings, e brakes, all new BF Goodrich radials on YJ8s black walls out and all new front suspension and radiator. All new repo correct exhaust from Central. Had it aligned by an old timer and I can drive this thing at 70 mph with one finger. No shaking, tracks straight, runs 170 degrees even on hottest days. Buy this 69 and DRIVE it.
I think this looks like a pretty nice car, of the frame and everything is in good shape it wouldnt take much get it looking pretty darned nice. Since the care will never be a numbers matching vehicle I think you could find better parts than it ever had for less money than looking for date correct parts, again since its never going to be numbers matching who cares? If it were mine I would do a leakdown on the engine so I can see what I have, then I would pull the body off the frame do whatever cleaning/painting etc. on that then get everything mechanical back in shape and down the road give it fresh spray of the color of my choice. Would be a pretty fun driver!