1972 was a year of lasts for the Chevrolet Corvette, as it was the final model year for the C3 to feature chrome bumpers on both the front and back and the last year with the removable rear window that was found on the 1968-1972 coupes. 1972 was also the year that General Motors changed their horsepower ratings from SAE gross measurements to SAE net, which reduced the HP numbers on paper but made them more appealing to insurance providers. Small blocks and automatic transmissions were becoming popular by 1972, but thankfully Chevy was still offering big blocks and 4-speeds as well. If you’ve been on the lookout for the latter, this 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray would be well worth your time to have a look at. Located in Bellmawr, New Jersey, it can be seen here on Craigslist with a price tag of $35,000. Barn Finds would like to thank reader Pat L. for the tip on this one.
I was a little confused when I first glanced at the ad, but as I read through it again it began to make sense, and while I think I’ve got things sorted out it would be great if some of our readers with vast Corvette knowledge could confirm or correct. The ad says that this Corvette is an original big block car, with a true 454 LS6 engine. My first thought was that the 1972 models came equipped with the LS5, but then I realized that the ad never stated that this was the original 454 motor. So my thoughts are that if the 454 is indeed an LS6 that it is not the original engine. The motor has had the top end rebuilt and the seller says that the transmission is an M22 Rock Crusher 4 speed.
This Corvette presents beautifully from every angle, outside, inside, and under the hood. The seller says that the car has been in his family since 1995 and that the red paint is beautiful, and judging from the photos it’s looking really top-notch. There’s nothing to fuss about inside either, as the interior seems to be very well preserved, with the clock being the only thing not functioning. The steering column has an aftermarket tach, and I hope that the radar detector stuck to the windshield is included because you’re probably going to need it. The car also has powder-coated Hooker headers, side pipes, power steering, and power brakes. The seller says that this car runs and drives great, but also assures potential buyers that it has never been raced or driven hard and has been meticulously maintained.
The car has also been slightly lowered for a more beautiful stance, and those Eagle GTs sure are filling up those fender wells nicely. What are your thoughts on this 1972 Chevrolet Corvette? Is 35 grand a fair price for what you’re getting here?
The clock in my 72 Stingray has not worked for the 22 years she has been under my watch. Pun intended. Never bothered me. Nice looking ride minus the wheels. Gotta laugh out of the ‘Never raced or driven hard’ comment. Oh, and go buy a real wheel chock.
Great car, decent price, and agree on the wheels.
Lose the stripes and racer decals. Install the wheel center caps . Other than that a nice car.
Wheels ugly. Ditto on that LeMans gas cap. Typical 70s mod. 35 seems a bit steep for me with those 69 ZL1 stripes.
Nice vette,but I would lose that gas cap,change the wheels (I still favor the correct rally’s). I,M out to lunch on the stripes. I like the front one but the rear stripe looks a bit much. Clean machine though.
Like the stripe on the frontend but ditch the stripe on the rearend. Ditto on the wheels. Needs ralleys or minilites. Rest of car is sweet.
As a non-original car with period correct mods it looks great. A little steep at the asking but I’d drive it as is.
I think the stripes on this work and are tasteful enough. If this were mine I would vote that they stay.
Agree with all the comments on wheels and stripes but this much horsepower performance and 4 speed this car should be $45K. This car is a muscle car absolute bargain!
Never understood why someone would take a light car that’s suppossed to handle well and put a HUGE HEAVY Big Block motor over the front wheels to hinder the handling??
I’d rather have the lighter small Block like I’d rather have a 289 or 302 in a Cobra instead of the 427.
But I want it ALL if I’m spending Big Bucks, Great handling AND power…..some people r ALL about drag racing.
Unless it was the ’69 big block 427 all aluminum ZL1 motor which weighed 35-75 lbs less than a small block!
Did Corvette off an LS6 and M22 in 72? Articles I find say 71 was the last year for ls5 and M22 because poor sales of 188 units in 71. So this car can’t be original or “true”
That’s a pretty nice Vette, and if She passes inspection an offer would be made. I could live with everything but the wheels for a short time. SumDeaks would rant and rave about it not being 100% spot on original, that’s just the way things are. Absolutely perfect numbers matching spot on is great for that person who rather look than drive. Much more money would be in the conversation with the seller, and we might be paying more for InspectorGadget to go around back with his Bore Scope looking for God knows what.
It looks like someone wanted to do a Motion tribute
Yes, but an all aluminum small block would be even lighter than the all aluminum big block. I am with MotorCityMan, for me I like a well balance roadrace set up.
If this Stingray is what it is claimed to be–and doesn’t have any hidden problems–the price seems to be realistic. 1971 was the only year for the LS-6. If a real LS-6 is in this ’72–even if from a non-Corvette (Chevelle?…) then I continue to say that the price is in the real world. A real, matching-numbers LS-6 from 1971 commands prices into six figure territory–triple to quadruple this one’s asking price.
Like some of the others who have commented, I don’t like the wheels. I would replace them with something chromed. The stripes are also a bit tacky. The front one is meant to impersonate a ’68-’69 L-88–as is the hood bulge. The back stripe is indeed a tribute to the Baldwin (NOT Alec!) Motion cars. Overall worth consideration by a serious buyer.
Those glass fuel filters have burned down more cars than ex wives…
So I’m 59 and I don’t feel old but I’ve just figured out that these prices are pretty much for people my age who have enough disposable income and the DGAF to pay for something they want that takes ’em back to their youth . This one rings a lot of bells and should be sold pretty quickly .
like it a whole lot, would def change the wheels , but that’s about it
The chrome shield shrouds are missing from the plug wires which renders the radio useless. Otherwise, a nice muscle car less the wheels and rear stripe. I wonder why it has a tach mounted on the steering wheel? My guess is that it has the wrong distributor, no cable hook-up. Mileage and rear diff ratio?
Another possible answer about the tachometer, Stan: I once owned one of these that had left the factory with a 350. The next owner had put in a modified, thundering 500 bhp 454…but the tachometer wasn’t working. I took the car to my local classic Corvette specialist, and was told that the tach worked but was disconnected…because a 350 tachometer hooked up to a 454 sends the needle all the way to the 7000 rpm line and stays there until the engine is shut off. This was in 2009 and at the time there was no one anywhere selling either new or used tachs for a big block Stingray. My Corvette specialty shop proved its mettle by custom-fabricating for me a correct electronic (non-cable) tachometer for the 454 motor, which it fitted into the 350 tach, which looks identical from the dash. The car in this ad is said to have had a big block originally. My guess would be that the original tach gave out at some point, and that a previous owner put in that of a 350 and encountered what I came across in 2009. Perhaps he didn’t find or look for a shop that could custom-make him a 454 tach, so he put on one of those after-market steering column ones for cars that don’t come with rev counters.