We all lead busy lives. Sometimes we see purchasing the car of our dreams as the mountain we have to climb. After reaching our goal, it is human nature to move on to another mountain. That may have been the case for the owner of this 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. According to the seller, it has been in storage since 1973. Perhaps there were new challenges that moved this Corvette into storage so long ago. Complete with custom touches from the engine to the taillights, this black drop top is finally back on the road and looking for a new owner. Could that be you?
1962 was a transition year for the Corvette. It would be the last year of the C1 cars, which dated back to 1953 in terms of chassis technology. With a solid rear axle and classic styling, they were still beautiful cars. Chevrolet had even given a subtle tip-off to the rear-end shape of the upcoming 1963 Corvette in 1961. There were a few other changes, such as the 1962 introduction of the 327 cubic inch V-8 and a deletion of the chrome trim that encircled the famous coves on the sides of the car. Still, you have to wonder when the public got its first hints that a very different Corvette was headed for production and began to act accordingly.
The 1962 Corvette you see here isn’t exactly an off-the-showroom-floor representation of a typical 1962 Corvette. At an undisclosed time during its life, the car was subject to several custom touches. Most noticeable are the six taillights instead of the original four and the replacement hood with 1967 Corvette big block styling cues. The wheels appear to be classic Cragars and the car has a definite rake to its overall profile. The black paint looks exceptionally good for being in storage since Nixon last sat in the White House.
Inside, things aren’t as good. Most noticeable is the missing section of the lower dash and what appears to be the fascia of a more modern radio where that area meets the transmission hump. What is likely a Hurst shifter is sticking out far above the rubber shift boot as well. There are some splits and aging in the seats as one would expect. The seller tells us that the car carries with it a hard top only.
It is not revealed exactly which engine choice and optional accessories this Corvette left the St. Louis factory with. It now is powered with a 383 cubic inch Small Block Chevrolet V-8 and is backed with a (not-original to the car) T10 four-speed transmission pushing power through a 4.11 rear end. That 383 is a four-bolt main bearing engine with a Scat crankshaft, forged pistons, a Crane hydraulic lifter camshaft, Dart heads, and a Holley 750 CFM carburetor. All that speed is slowed down by a front disk brake conversion and cooled with a new radiator. Purists will be happy to know that the original engine, T10 transmission, brakes, and radiator will accompany the car with the sale.
In all, this is a pretty unique Corvette with some changes that make it stand out from the crowd. It is nice to see it out roaming the roads again. Depending on how it left the factory, this may be a rare variant or just a run-of-the-mill car that got the custom treatment like so many others. When Corvettes of this vintage hit the marketplace, rest assured that Corvette brokers are poring over the ad and the pictures looking for clues. As always, purchasing a Corvette, even a fun custom like this one, is a task for experts. If you are interested in this Corvette or any other, please carefully do your homework and invest in the services of a professional. They are fun cars, but every C1 is an investment at this point. Act accordingly.
Are you looking for a C1 Corvette project? Then check out this 1962 Chevrolet Corvette for sale on Craigslist in Queens, New York. With a few custom touches here and there, this Corvette project car is fresh out of decades of storage and can be yours for $45,000. Thanks to Mitchell G. for the Corvette tip!
Nice car, but with that jacked up rear end you don’t want to do any more than creep around corners. A wheelbarrow full of rocks will handle better than this car.
“And all the Jag could see were my 6 tail lights”,,,whoa, powerful stuff indeed. I don’t ever recall seeing a Vette with 6 tail lights. Remember a time when the Corvette was the standard in performance that by which all others were judged? Petrige Farm remembers,,,that passenger grab handle was there for a reason. The ’62 with the trunk is probably the most sought after one. The world had some pretty impressive cars, but dag nabit, the ’62 Corvette was surely one of them. Kind of funny how times really haven’t changed all that much. Watching vintage drag racing, ‘pert near every car was a ’62 Corvette in that class. Today, we’ve seemed to go full circle, to every car being a Camaro now.
Pepperidge Farm says if you are going to use their advertising slogan in one of your stream of consciousness submissions you should spell their name correctly
Could have been voice to text….HoA dont make mistakes :)
I kinda like the 3 tail lights…I could do without the slicks…..been for sale for 30 days…seems like the market is speaking. With enough money to spend this one could be straightened out…start by putting the oem engine back in……ditch the hood. On the other hand….it is representative of a certain period in modding.so….
Not a Family Guy fan, eh? That was the joke, spelled a little different to get out of legal issues. Once again, you would expend energy to bash my comment, and nothing about the car. Why are you even here?
Six taillights instead of the original four very rare but there are owners who’ve chosen to ruin the car with them.
Very popular trend was 6 taillights on stringrays even dealers would install .
Absolutely love them. I added them to my 63 many moons ago.
Yeah, like Howard, I thought of Jan and Dean the second I saw that rear view. Not sure why Chevrolet didn’t just go with that design from the get go. You figure the top of the line Impala had 6 tail lights, yet the lesser models had 4. I always liked the coves a different color, but thats just my personal preference. My favorite is red with white coves or turquoise with white coves. This looks solid, and that 383 stroker under the hood is bound to surprise someone at a stop light.
the 62’s all had coves matching the paint color, no more two-tones
That hood scoop has to go
I like the hood scoop a lot better than the six taillights. Too many taillights
A friend bought a new 62 with the 327 and let me drive it one day, scared the crap out of me with all that power. It was stolen and stripped shortly after. Beautiful car, red & white or white & red.
That paint does not look 50 years old..
I don’t know if anyone else noticed the tow bar under the front. And the 77k on the clock but both indicate this car has been around the block a few times. But for what he’s asking doesn’t seem to be far off track. We don’t know if the original hood and radio is included what the under side looks like. I don’t think this will last long.
You are right, it looks like it went around the block a few times, which isn’t a bad thing. I’d pretty much leave it alone other than swapping out some of the performance parts for some 60’s era equipment.
The price doesn’t seem out of line, but it’s located in Queens, within easy reach of millions of potential buyers, yet no one has acted in the 29 days since this ad was posted. Good deals don’t last that long.
Steve R
That motor hasn’t been sitting since the 70’s…..anyone see a trunk open ?
I really like the looks of the front end. Reminds me of 2 double barrel shot guns. The rims and tires look ghetto. Makes you wonder the quality of the modifications done. At least someone didn’t put a tacky spoiler on it.
In storage since 1973? And it has a 383 with a hei distributor, kinda confusing
First time I have ever heard Cragers called ghetto
Not knocking cragars Rw but to my eyes some things just don’t flow. Those wide rear tires and raised rear end doesn’t sit right. Envision this corn flakes and butter milk, great grandma sporting a mini dress great grandpa wearing platform shoes and bell bottom pants. Believe me I’m one who thinks outside of the box and color outside of the lines. And I’m still trying to understand Picasso.
I like it. The hood and tail lights look like they fit and no one who wasn’t a fanatic would know the difference. I guess if you’re a purist and an investor you’re going to return it to stock but front drum brakes, AM radio? No thanks. I’d keep it just the way it is and fix the interior upholstery and drive it.
ACK roger, I like it , it was built in my 30thy year, had I not just bought another car I would but this love the style.
In High School my friend built up a 62. He found an automatic 327 car and put on fuelie heads, the Z28 option cam and big 4 barrel carb. That car was a monster. I vividly remember sitting in the middle (3 of us in the car with no belts in those days) and wondering why Joe was pulling is butt out of the seat after the second pass on a dead end side road… Only to realize that he had BOTH feet on the brake and was using all of his considerable strength trying to slow down the projectile we were riding in that was closing on a busy intersection and the light was against us… He managed to get it slowed down some and turned into a shopping strip alongside the road and we coasted thru the lot (no longer slowing down at all) and merged with traffic by cutting the corner.. Drove a couple more blocks to a friends house and stopped the car by coasting onto the grass and up a bit of the front yard with smoke now billowing out of all four wheel wells… The lesson was that Vettes of that vintage could go like hell, but didn’t stop worth a darn if you tried to stop from high speed more than once. If it wasn’t for the fact that God watches out for dumb kids in sports car’s it would have been a bad day…