We’ve had a lot of Corvette coverage on Barn Finds over the last week or so, and here’s another in the form of a ’62, the very last of the C1 series. No doubt about it, this one is a project but it’s a driver too, so let’s see what’s really here. This ’62 Corvette is located in Ransomville, New York and is available, here on eBay for an opening bid of $30,000.

This ‘Vette has a definite “Roadkill” vibe to it, but at least it’s together and runs and not in pieces with an owner that got cold feet, or whatever, halfway through the redo. The seller claims 50K original miles but there’s no way to know with certainty and no referenced documentation. The good news is that there has been quite a bit of work performed already including a body/frame separation. The seller states, “new brakes, bushings, cables, stainless lines, etc. original body untouched, all doors and trunk latch need cables for hood latches, comes with a useable convertible top, frame good, original glass, nice gaps, all original body panels“. It’s a rough-looking body and while not showing signs of crash damage, the finishing work will be substantial. Additionally, the bumpers are pretty tarnished and will require attention but most of the trim is present and accounted for.

Power comes via a non-original 327 CI V8. Options in ’62 abounded with horsepower ratings of 250, 300, 340, and 360 (fuel injected) for this first-year 327 motor. The seller adds, “new clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, master cylinder, and Edelbrock carburetor”, along with a “runs great” proclamation. The transmission is the original Borg-Warner T-10 and it’s spinning a 3.55:1 differential. Digging deeper, we learn, “only been hot-wired to drive, needs exhaust finished, could be driven with a little work“. So yes it drives but not in a way that can be easily facilitated. This Chevy has only experienced ten miles of motion since the frame and body reacquaintance.

As for the interior, it has its issues. Besides the obvious with the missing underlay and carpeting, the driver’s seat has problems and the gauges and radio’s functionalities are unknown. The seller does mention that the wiring looks OK and hasn’t been cut. There is a fabricless convertible top frame present too.

Corvette hit a high-water mark in ’62 with over 14,000 copies produced but things were about to change dramatically a new design that would push sales considerably higher for ’63. But other than the name, and the engine line-up, there weren’t a lot of similarities between the ’62 and ’63 Corvette. I have gotten to the point where having to have a really nicely finished, old car has become old hat. The experience of just a sound running, older automobile, with a presentable exterior, is satisfaction enough. There’s too much to worry about with a pristine example of an old ‘Vette, Mach 1, GTO, Charger, etc., you name it. You can actually drive this Corvette, but having to use a screwdriver and a jumper wire to get it started every time you want to take it out is not the list of acceptable car behavior. And that’s before we get to the matter of the open exhaust.

This ’62 Corvette has some solid fundamentals going for it but methinks it’s going to take quite a bit of effort to get it to a minimally acceptable motoring level. Bidders apparently think so too, since there’s been no activity at a $30K tip-in. What’s your estimation, a worthy project here, or better to look elsewhere?