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Good Running Project: 1971 Chevrolet Corvette

There were few visible differences between the 1970 and 1971 Chevy Corvettes except the latter were starting to feel the early changes to improve engine emissions. This ’71 has both hard and soft-tops as the convertible edition, with a numbers-matching engine and transmission. With its aftermarket side exhaust and wire wheels, this Corvette has a bit of a “gangsta” look to it as it awaits a cosmetic restoration. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, this Chevy is available here on eBay where the bidding stands at $16,000.

One benefit to the 1970-71 Corvettes being virtually the same was that the production crew at GM’s St. Louis, Missouri Corvette plant had more time to focus on product improvement. After all, the ‘Vette was Chevrolet’s “halo car” and it deserved both performance and quality engineering. The changes they did have to work with were the ones where the engines were being tuned to run on lower octane fuels going forward. The reduction in octane ratings translated into a reduction in compression ratios to 8.5:1. That meant the basic 350 cubic inch V8 was down from 300 to 270 hp.

The seller’s ‘Vette is one of 7,121 convertibles built in 1971, a decline from the past after the C3 Corvettes added T-tops to the mix. It has that standard 350 and the seller says the car, with a 4-speed manual transmission, runs great. The odometer reads about 80,000 miles, which is low by today’s standard but not so much the way cars were built 50 years ago when the drivetrain warranty was usually 12,000 miles.

Under what may be faded grey primer is the car’s original Mulsanne Blue Poly paint, according to code 976 on the cowl tag. The interior is mostly good, but it will need new carpeting and a rework of the upholstery, at least on the driver’s bucket seat. The seller has a video of the car in driving mode from a cold start which is available upon request. If I bought the ‘Vette, I’d probably go back to stock exhaust and wheels, and tires without white walls.

Comments

  1. Avatar 8banger Member

    Indeed. The whitewalls gotta go. Maybe put them on someone’s LeSabre.

    Like 2
  2. Avatar Rw

    Wasn’t this on a episode of Pimp my Vette???

    Like 4
  3. Avatar Frank

    Gonna have 30k+ into by the time you are done.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Ike Onick

    A good “Run Away From” project.

    Like 3
  5. Avatar Melton Mooney

    I like everything about this one. All the right equipment for a nice cruiser, or daily with a short commute. Hope pwr steer is hiding in there somewhere. The hood is wrong, although I’d keep it, and the exhaust and wheels is maybe $3k, including upgrades, and 1-2 days worth of work. After that, it’s pay as you go. I even like the (original) color.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar dogwater

    Looks like a good project for someone at the right price that will do a lot of the labor themselves

    Like 0
  7. Avatar PRA4SNW

    $19,300? Not likely. There are at least 2 shill bidders in on this one.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Stephen Coe

    No way no how, brakes and suspension rebuild 6k interior more big $$$, 2500 to get A/C up and running

    Like 0
  9. Avatar DonC

    I sold my 71 Corvette convertible in 2007 for $14000. Red original paint, black interior, 350 motor, 4 speed just like this one. Body was good but areas needing attention but better than this one. Given that was 14 years ago, this one may pull $25K which may be fair.

    Like 0

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