Reader Casey O found this 1974 Corvette at an auction and clearly it’s been parked for a number of years. It was being auctioned off by the previous owner’s estate, so he decided to bid on it and ended up winning it. That’s when reality hit and he realized he can’t take on this project. He doesn’t know much about the car’s history, but he’s willing to answer any questions you might have. Values for C3 Corvettes are on the rise and this one looks to actually be in decent shape. He’s asking $4,600 and it’s in Camarillo, California.
What Makes It Special? Barn find that was last registered 1995.
Body Condition: It has been sitting in storage since 1995. Needs front and rear bumper, otherwise, everything is there. It looks accident-free. I don’t know much about the history.
Mechanical Condition: I don’t know anything about the engine it has been sitting for about 22 years.
Casey isn’t sure which engine this car is equipped with, but if the finned valve covers are original than this could be an L82! In ’74, Chevy offered the Corvette with the base L48 350, the L82 350 and the LS4 454. While the 454 adds value, the L82 is a great engine. It was rated with just 20 fewer horses than the LS4, 250 vs 270, and is quite a bit lighter. While it would be nice to know the condition of the engine, it doesn’t appear to have been messed with and it’s an AC car.
Finding C3 projects with nice fiberglass panels that are unmodified and complete is getting to be more difficult. Hopefully, Casey has some wiggle room with his asking price though, as there are a lot of unknowns here. Being a California car is hopeful on the rust front, so as long as the engine turns over, it could be worth picking up. If you have any questions for him or would like to make an offer, be sure to use the form below!
- Asking Price: $4,600
- Location: Camarillo, California
- Title Status: Clean
- VIN: 1Z37T4S410395
If you have a classic that is in need of a new home, please consider listing it here on Barn Finds!
The T in the VIN shows it left the factory with an L82, it would also be nice to know if it was an automatic or 4spd.
Has the seller transferred the car into his name? If not, dealing with the DMV would be a deal breaker.
Steve R
I see a transmission dipstick tube.
And an L48 would have a J in the fifth digit of the VIN. Definitely a factory L82. But given the amount of work it needs I think that’s kind of a moot point.
Geez. Nice price, nice factory color. Nice year..
Plenty worse out there.
If it were closer I’d buy it sight unseen.
Bumpers missing is a plus for me. I’d do a metal bumper conversion anyway.
As far as the powertrain it dosent get any simpler than this. Chevy is easy, only thing that sucks in a vette is the cooling if it’s a 454.
Other than that throw a 350 outta an old breadvan etc, put some headers on it and 🚀
I don’t know about many states but I do know some if you have not turned the plates in on last registration and now want to register the car you have to buy all those missed registrations. 22 years of registrations could be a big deal to some.
A few years ago a friend bought a car that had aged out of the DMV’s computers due to being parked without filing for a non-op with the state. It cost him almost $1,000 in penalties. Since then the California DMV has raised registration fees significantly so that amount is likely to be much higher. Also, if the car is no longer in the system, someone at the DMV, CHP or other authorized person will need to verify the VIN in two locations. This will require access to the CON VIN, or concealed VIN, sometimes that requires the buyer to disassemble substantial portions of the car to make this happen.
Steve R
You don’t want to know what i’d say. heard a rumor about going back to last plated in chi.rahm is going back; i read 20yrs. on unpaid tickets, how da hell would i know if i paid them? you’ll need proof to fight them!!!!
In Arizona we are fortunate. You just pay current going rates for the year of the vehicle. My youngest son (12 years old. Lol) recently picked up an 88 RX7 convertible that hasn’t been registered and plated in 10 years. Part of an estate sale. Anyways, after getting it roadworthy I went to MVD and the title transfer and one year of plates only cost a little over $20.00.
A bargain at $4600. Put $20,000 in it and you have a nice $15,000 car. Dry California car? Camarillo is about 10 miles from the coast. Plastic bumper vettes are for amusement parks.
The 1973 Corvette was tolerable with the rubber nose instead of the chrome bumper of the earlier models. The rubber bumper on the 1974 was derisively tagged “The Hemorrhoid Corvette”. Seriously ugly IMHO.
Another Corvette? Either someone here likes Corvettes a lot, or people are dumping grandpa’s ‘Vette. It’s happening in my family.
If it was last registered as a California car in 1985, it won’t be in the California dmv system. All you’d need to register it again (in California) is a vin verification and a fee for the new tags. No smog test needed since this is a pre-’75. Not sure how they would come up with the cost for the fee. I recently registered a car that was off the road for 15 years and that was all I had to do.
If the car is newer and the registration lapses, the fees won’t go away. The max time the fees will grow is 3 years. Now that everything is more computerized, it is easier for the DMV to keep track.