There’s got to be quite a story behind this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette convertible equipped with a 427 and apparently found partially disassembled in a storage container. The photos show it in a few different forms, and it’s apparent that it was taken apart before being stuck in a box and forgotten for however many years. Wearing a sharp combo of Fathmo Green paint over a saddle interior, the Corvette has now been put back together to be made into a roller and is listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $22,500 in Medford, New York.
Combined with the thick coating of dust, there’s little doubt this Corvette has been sitting idle for many years. I didn’t necessarily believe that old shipping containers could be used for storing vintage and classic cars until I bought an old Alfa Romeo last summer; turns out, the seller had the space available to dump a few of these containers and get his project cars and parts off of his property. It actually made a lot of sense to me, but only if you’ve got the space to drop the container. This Corvette comes with old New York registration stickers in the windshield, indicating it’s been the Empire State for some time.
The body looks surprisingly good. We don’t know if it was stored with the separated chassis in the same container, or if the underpinnings were rotten and discarded when the Corvette was taken apart. The specs on this Corvette are pretty great, with the seller noting it as having a Muncie four-speed paired to that powerful 427. The listing notes that it will come with the original tank sheet which is invaluable in proving it left the factory with these options. The listing also claims the Corvette comes with period performance parts, but doesn’t elaborate as to what those are.
It’s amazing how good it still looks considering how it emerged from storage. The body especially looks incredibly sound with no evidence of significant rot or other damage. As you can see here, the doors have been bolted back on and the windows even apparently still work. The picture of the tank sticker indicates it came with a black top and Positraction from the factory, along with the 427 and close-ratio manual transmission. This is a seriously cool car in great colors and with some of the best options you could ask for; hopefully, it will get the restoration it deserves.
Sure looks like a rubber bumper to me. Who does that?
Apparently, the owner figured buyers wouldn’t notice the plastic nose nestled in there with all those other “original” parts.
rubber bumper and ’69 gills. Must’ve gotten bipped in the nose at some point…and ‘upgraded’. Still a factory 427 tripower, m22, and 4:11 gears! This car is a certified king-of-the-hill bad boy.
It’s not a rubber bumper, it’s a Mako shark conversion kit. They were popular in the late 60’s and early 70’s. There’s a few different styles including this one with the lights in the grill. Rubber couldn’t be molded into the body like that. The fiberglass or bondo wouldn’t stick to rubber.
It’s not a Maco/Mako conversion. The Motion or Silva conversions do not look like that. It’s a rubber bumper look alike made in fiberglass, probably a Ecklers custom hood or a owner custom. They still make the rubber style nose in fiberglass.
Respectfully, Fathmo green?
“The body especially looks incredibly sound with no evidence of significant rot…”
When was the last time you saw body rot on a Corvette?
Rust on the cage?
I think the entire nose is custom/aftermarket. I see no rubber bumper seam or headlight doors. Things to consider for sure.
That nose is from a 73 or 74. Crash city I’m guessing. And do not be fooled by in place bonding strips. Means nothing. You can buy them from numerous vendors. Pass.
Don’t remember all the details but, late 70s early 80s guy down the road bought a Corvette mash up ,cool hotrod , after few years got traced to chop shop ,feds came a took it he was out all his money.
Ohio had a big operation back then as I recall, until it got busted, because a lot of the parts were interchangeable, and very easy to quickly mix ‘n’ match and hide and transport in shipping containers – “oops!”
Where’s the engine? Nineteen pictures and not one of the most important thing if it is a real 69 L-71, the L-71 427! The trans is there, but I wonder if the engine is? The seller’s artfully vague about it, he says it is an L-71, he doesn’t say it has one.
Price seems high for a 69 with a 73-74 front bumper molded in, headlights molded in, 73-74 grills, L-88 hood, that will need a full restoration. If it’s missing the original engine, it’s stupid high.
22.5k for a roller…..nope. Even if it had an engine, original or not, it’s still too steep. The amount of parts that have been taken off of it, that you wouldn’t know weren’t there until it starts going back together, would turn this into a lifetime restoration.
This car is in another ad and he says the engine isn’t included so he can keep it for that price.
I know it’s BJ and things go high there but last year there was a 69 Vette with a BB and a manual, it was almost perfect with under 7k miles still original tires. I don’t have a clue what was with this car it looked like a normal BB 69 Vette with a manual? The seller got 490k for this car, I couldn’t believe it! Does anyone have a clue on why?
One heck of a car. I live in Punta Gorda Florida and a close friend just dropped off a generator he wasn’t using. Four days without power, refrigerator is on and a fan is blowing. With all the hell that has happened these last few days I’ve looked forward to opening my Barnfinds e.ails. TKes my mind off of everything, Thank You
Storage yard / container cars… I am the guy who has everything organized (not overly but nice) I have my tools organized and recently re-organized my shop space (hobby) – I have always had a rule of thumb for any vehicle I purchase. “If I cannot complete the car in six months I will not buy it”..Having said that I recently went with a buddy to his storage yard where he has several cars and wow what a experience.. it was similar to that of going to “pick a part” aka. Junk yard..the cars at this place were all outside and sun baked badly in the CA sun..his had been parked for decades.. CA real estate has exploded and as such landlords are raising rents his had exploded to $5000 a month for cars that were now probably worth that much combined.. to his eye he still thinks they are all worth $100k..it all comes down to one word.. “Lazy”.. I am nothing special but I am not lazy.. I work consistently, come over my home and guess what I make my bed every morning and clean my home daily..(yes daily)..a few minutes a day makes a huge difference.. I go outside each morning and walk my property and pick up anything not good (no gardeners).. yes I also work a full time job.. I have a family and guess what I don’t watch TV or play computer games..I make things happen. I have several hobbies and love them all.. (even my occupation is one of my hobbies).. In the end my point is these cars are from guys who are lazy..guys who talk more then do.. it’s pure and simple..most have so many cars and homes that are cluttered with junk they don’t know where to start cause they are lazy..
Price dropped to $20,500
The price this seller is asking made me spit out my coffee. What a waste of good coffee.
To get the price this guy is asking he needs a few more photos and details of what is and is not included for this vette. W/O an engine this is nothing more than yard art. Asking 22K for a piece of yard art is a waste of peoples time. A 69 vette that runs with an L-71 engine would be worth the price he’s asking.
If it’s the car I’m thinking of, it was a 69 L-88. One of 116 69’s built with the aluminum head, 430 (underrated) horsepower 427 engine. They were mainly intended to be race cars, and came with J-56 “heavy duty” brakes, F-41 suspension, and could not be ordered with radio or fan shroud (to discourage people from buying them as road cars, since they’d likely overheat in traffic).
This post was intended to be a reply to Karl’s post above, questioning why a 69 could sell for $490K at Barrett-Jackson. I must have missed the “reply” button. Oops!
A ’69 L88 recently sold on Bring A Trailer for $631,000.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-chevrolet-l88-corvette-2-2/
Ride along in a ’69 L88 – beautiful music!
https://youtu.be/BTreWpzDSfc