Known as one of the great American sports cars, Corvettes aren’t always cheap cars to get into. This 1975 car is a little rough around the edges, but appears relatively complete, and the engine and bay are particularly clean. With a $500 opening bid and no reserve, this Chevrolet may be a sweet deal. Check it out here on ebay out of Miami, Florida.
With a 350 V8 and a 4 speed manual, this seems like a hot ticket to some fun. The engine is simply described as “good” and overall the engine appears clean. The thermostat housing area is a bit chalky, but otherwise this engine looks fair, and is equipped with air conditioning.
Despite the exterior appearance, the interior doesn’t look too bad. The driver seat has some splits near the stitching, and there is apparently a box of parts in the passenger seat. Although all of the glass is removed, the dash and carpet look great.
At some point in time this was someones toy, as the sweet long tube headers appear to be of quality. The biggest downfall of this Corvette is the paint. My guess is the factory burgundy like color faded, peeled, and chipped, to where the car was then primered black. Looking beyond the primer, there appear to be no cracks in the body work, making this car seem all the more reasonable. With some paint and general elbow grease, this Corvette could be a sweet deal depending on the outcome of the auction. What would you pay for this American classic?
I have noticed over the years, when a Corvette gets to this condition, it seems to become a money pit. I have never really been a Corvette person even though I have owned 2 of them, but never really never missed them after I sold them. The first one I bought, 1974, looked a lot like this one, and I bought it cheap and put a good deal of cash into it and well broke even when I sold it, the next one was a 78, not the Indy Pace car model, just the same color combo. Well it got backed into, and cracked the nose. I replaced the nose, and repainted the entire car, because blending that color was hard to do. I liked it, but something about after a Corvette has been wrecked and rebuilt, them just don’t seem to have that same feeling, so I sold it to a buddy, who still has it. I will stick to my classic’s instead.
My 1974 after I got it done, it is at a Corvette car show held the 5th year I owned it at the County Fair. I am thinking this was around 1998, I had it back on the road after 3 years of work.
Corvettes are actually often very cheap cars to get into. You can get a low mileage and mint C4 for around 8 grand, maybe less if you take your time looking. You wouldn’t even get the paint and body ready here for that. Pass.
I agree with Big Mike, seems like a lot of Corvette’s lately. I heard, buying Corvette is like a boat. Fun to buy, great to sell. I’m not a Corvette person either, never even rode in one. Don’t get me wrong, cool cars, but the days of swoopy, personal, sports cars seems to be waning, people are more interested in where they are going, rather than the ride itself. And again, like Mike sez, very hard and expensive to repair. My brother has a Vette like this, needs a heater core, doesn’t know where to begin with that, and tried to sell it, not one call.
One of the things I did in my 74 was I had to replace the Heater core/ AC coil, the heater core had been bypassed when I got the car, and the AC envap. coil was trashed but of course at first they were the least of my issues with the car. It was the last thing I did before putting it back on the road, I should have done it when I had 90% of the interior out of it, but I forgot or it had gotten rubbed off the repair board, I will tell you this, it is a pain in the bottom, I had to remove a great deal of the inside of the car again I even removed the passenger seat to give me more room to work. After 3 days of work and countless cuts on knuckles and fingers I had it in, I also installed a new blower, and an after market screen to help prevent leaves and trash from getting down in the blower box. It is a hard job to do if you have the tools and worked on cars as much as I have over the years, other wise take it to a Corvette repair shop or a dealer who has staff trained to work on Corvettes.
Not enough of a challenge. Get rid of the sbc and drop in a Jag v12 or straight 6.
I looked at new Corvette in the mid 90’s…I felt like a million bucks on the test drive.
The wheels are worth at least $500.
Not too terrible of a car. Dig the flame-job on the valve covers – HEE HEE….
One thing, is that carburetors have needs, and mathematically, that air cleaner ain’t making it.
The problem is that this vintage of C3’s will never bring in big dollars. Average performance and a lot of them were built.
It would take some work to get this one ‘right’ again. Not impossible not cheap, especially with paint involved. At least it looks like the engine runs based on the engine shot where it looks like the fan is turning.
If nothing else, fix what’s needed and run it as is, not the worst thing that could happen.
Agree with Mike on this too. I owned one back in the day and liked it at the time but seeing one now doesn’t give me warm feelings …..well actually does. The thing had poor A/C and the heat coming up through the floor would come close to boiling you. Bad ride.OK when you are a kid. Also this vintage is not the performance car as the earlier versions and drink about as much gas.
Most of the cars I have had would consider another but not a Corvette. To me a car has to be useful. When I go to the store I would like to haul more then a shrink pack of bottled water and not burn to death doing it.
The problem is GM got lazy. Instead of changing and evolving the car they left it in production way too long. To the novice a 73 looks like an 82. GM targeted women as well. I remember my aunt bought a new 77. She was still quite attractive in her 50’s and the car fit her. But this generation of Vette diluted the name. That in part is why the values are so poor and one would be wise to pass on these plastic fixer uppers.
Each to his or her own. You never know who is looking at these listings. Somebody might have the tools, talent and time to restore this to their liking. Yes, they get hot inside as you mention. The engine is about a foot in front of you and you are sitting on the transmission and rear end. There are aftermarket insulation kits that help a little bit and somebody probably has some steroids for the A/C system. Take a look at the listing, if you like it, OK. If you it doesn’t interest you, move on. I realized I was becoming one of the BF Grouchy Old Guys and I’m trying to avoid commenting on cars that appear to be beyond help. I’m not hitting 100% just yet, but I’m working on it. My 2 cents and worth every penny. Thanks.
I had a new ’68 without a/c; my only complaint was the heat in the cockpit.
Everybody is allow their own opinion, that is what is good about BF, they allow us to voice our opinions. Just like you!!!!
Looks Like A Great Fixer Uper I Had A 76 And A 79 Vette Great Cars I’d Like Another One Some Day And A Fixer Like This Would Be Fun To Me Looks Like All The Main Things Are There ,20th Street Auto Parts Here In Phoenix Would Have All The Parts Needed And I’d Paint This One Black A Fun Project Forsure.
I also owned a 1976 and a 1979. The 76 was a great, low-cost introduction to the Corvette hobby and NCRS. It was nothing special, base engine, automatic, air conditioning and the finest LUGGAGE RACK you ever laid eyes on. The usual story, did the stainless steel brake upgrade, rebuilt the engine and had it painted. I sold it with the dream of finding a 1990 ZR-1. That never happened. I started looking for another 1976 (Something about that Vega steering wheel!) and I ended up finding the 1979. That was an interesting car. L-82, 4-speed, FE-7 gymkhana suspension, no air conditioning and roll-up windows. It ran pretty good for a late 70’s performance car. I bought it from the original owner with all of the supporting paperwork and any original parts (Smog pump, cat converter, shocks) that were removed. Now I’m onto a C4, but I have a real soft spot for C3’s.
I would wonder why the pin on the clutch release is loose and appears to have been removed for some reason — perhaps it has needs in the bellhousing? But it sure would be fun to play with and parts seem to be plentiful.
You guys are forgetting this is a 4 speed, much more desirable than the TH350. The bidding is now up to $2500. I’d still buy with a shipping charge of less than 1K. Paint is cheap when you do your own, IDK why you guys are thinking of big money, you don’t need a show car paint job. Thanks for listening, this is a fun site!
From somebody that has spent his life in the Auto Body Shops and/or now Auto Body Parts supplier, you would know that a “Cheap” paint job on a Corvette does not do!!!
I think it is because it takes a very good talent to paint one of these and the Paint has to be a special formula to work on the metal and plastics of a Corvette.
If you ever see a Corvette with a cheap Paint job next to one that has had a professional paint job done to it you would understand what I am saying!!!
Of course this is just my opinion!!!!!
Oh and I have been involved with the Auto Body field for the last 41 years, not bad if you consider I am 55!!!
I painted my ’79 Vette Big Mike, and it’s beautiful. Painting is not hard, anyone can do it.
I did not mean that a Corvette could not be painted easy, what I meant is that if you do not know what you are doing it will show on a Corvette, I say the same about painting a car or truck high gloss Black, it will show. I have spent the last 41 years working for either my Dad or 2 other auto body shops and have spent a great deal of time in a paint booth, so much that everything spells like paint (LOL).
I was taught by the best in the field in my opinion, and I have painted everyone of the classics that I have rebuilt except for 2, and there was reasons for that. I have painted everything from Corvette to Stock Cars, to farm equipment to foreign cars.
But like I was meaning it take a special talent to paint certain cars and make them look correct. I was not saying that only certain people can paint a Corvette.
Sorry if I offended you!!!
I own a 1980 c3. I love it. Half the fun is working on it and the other half is driving it. If you don’t like working on them then don’t buy one. Mine now has over 500 horses and new brakes and interior.
I saw a beautiful 1980 red L82 at a big Corvette show last month. I spoke to the owner and praised his car and judging from his reaction I think I was the only one who noticed it among the huge amount of C6s and C7s that never get a second glance from me.
I wish that I had given him my number to contact me if he ever wanted to sell.
I purchased a 1974 4-spd car with low-mileage back in the mid eighties for $6000. I later learned from a co-worker that the car ended up in the Atlantic when the original owner went to college in Florida. That would explain the water in the transmission. I invested less than $1000 in the car and drove it for 2 years, then sold it for $8500.
Different strokes for different folks.
After I sold the ’70 I owned for almost 30 years, I thought I was done with Vettes, onto something different.
It’s been a couple of years now, and I still don’t have a new toy in the driveway. But, of all of the possible replacements that I thought of, I keep going back to a Corvette, possibly even another C3.
There’s just something about a Vette, you either get it and love it, or you don’t.
“There’s just something about a Vette, you either get it and love it, or you don’t.”
Very well said, I feel the same way about Harley Davidson.
……..oh and I don’t……either of them.
Barn Finds: Thank you for replacing your Maverick obsession with C3s!
I Painted Many Vettes Easy To Paint Like Dave Said Anyone That Paints Can Paint A Corvette And Turn Out Great !