While I tend to prefer original and unmolested classics, I will accept a vehicle with modifications if the person involved has integrated any changes into the original vehicle design. While this 1963 Corvette is mainly original, there are a couple of changes worth noting. The car has been sitting since 2014 and needs a new owner willing to revive it and return it to its rightful place on our roads. Increasingly the temptation factor, the seller has listed it for sale with No Reserve. Located in Alexandria, Alabama, you will find the Corvette listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has hit $20,300, and with No Reserve to consider, a new home is mere days away for this classic. Once again, I have to thank Barn Finder Larry D for referring this iconic sports car to us.
The Trim Tag indicates that this Corvette rolled off the line wearing the Ermine White paint that you see gracing its panels now. It isn’t clear whether the vehicle has received any repaint or restoration work, but the paint still holds a good shine. There are no significant flaws or defects, while the same appears true of the fiberglass. The owner-supplied underside shots reveal some peeling undercoat and surface corrosion but no evidence of structural rust. The chrome looks acceptable for a driver-quality classic, as does the glass. The soft-top is tired, but swapping it would be easy and inexpensive, with replacements available for under $600. Now, I guess we need to address the elephant in the room. Somebody has thought it would be wise to convert this Corvette from its original headlamp configuration to quad rectangular units. Some ideas are better than others, and personally, I rank this a long way down the list. It is out of character with the styling of the rest of this classic and is something that I would change. Reproduction parts to return the front to its original appearance are readily available and affordable, and I would be spending some of my cash on those pieces. Otherwise, the exterior condition and presentation are acceptable for an unrestored survivor.
Tipping the hood forward on this Corvette reveals a 327ci small-block V8 backed by a four-speed manual transmission. It isn’t clear which version of the 327 we’re looking at, and the owner reveals that this is a NOM motor. The reality was that there were no slow Corvettes produced in 1963, so the performance of this one would have been pretty acceptable. Even the entry-level motor delivered 250hp, which was enough to allow the car to blast through the ¼ mile in 15.2 seconds. The car’s history is unclear, but we know that a previous owner parked it around 2014. It is one of those dreaded “ran when parked” scenarios that set some people’s teeth on edge. However, the motor turns freely, and the seller has not tried coaxing it back to life. I always find their approach reassuring because nobody has done anything that could potentially damage this engine after years of inactivity. The pleasure of hearing that 327 roar back to life will fall to the new owner.
If the trim and upholstery inside this Corvette are original, the condition is impressive for a survivor. The original owner ordered the car trimmed in red vinyl, and it retains that to this day. There is some wear and stretching on the seats, but it is acceptable if considered purely as a driver-quality classic. The door trims look good, as does the dash. The markings on the gauges are crisp, and the lenses are clear. I’m not sold on the aftermarket wheel and would hunt for a replacement. There have been no other modifications, and the original AM/FM radio is intact. If the next owner decides to retain the car unrestored, they should feel no shame when it comes to the interior condition.
The person who buys this 1963 Corvette will have a couple of choices to make. They could retain the existing modifications or return the car to its factory appearance. That is only the first choice because there are a few more to consider. There’s no doubt that treated to a total restoration, it would be a stunning car that would turn heads wherever it goes. Alternatively, the panels and paint appear nice enough to be left untouched, and the buyer could then enjoy this car as an original survivor. There is a lot of attraction to such an approach because the occasional stone ship or mark will not detract from an otherwise perfect presentation. It allows a more relaxed driving experience and is the approach I would probably take. What would you do if you were to find this Corvette parked in your garage?
This has had some front end work. The fenders are 65 66 vintage and the paint doesn’t match very well. I suspect a minor front end collision resulted in the modifications probably sometime in the late 70s when these cars were old and cheap.
The air filter doesn’t suggest regular maintenance occurred before the car was parked.
I’ve never seen a Corvette which looked better after mutilation/customization.
This car is far from a survivor. As torqueandrecoil pointed out the fender louvers are 65-66’s, and the fan shroud is a later part too. The door panels are not original, as there should be a second reflector on each panel, below the one that’s there, or holes from where they had been mounted. I’m guessing the seats have been recovered, either over the old collapsed foam, or just poorly installed. The 63 only console is missing 3 pieces, that will cost $820 to replace!
The AM/FM is not original to the car. This car is VIN 906, the AM/FM wasn’t available till around VIN 12000. One rear bumpers has 2 holes from a trailer hitch.
The parts to replace the stock headlights are available, but they aren’t cheap. The headlight assemblies run $600 each, plus another $130 each for the bezels. The motors are $390 each, and it will need the 4 body opening reinforcements and 4 bonding strips which adds $500 more. So about $2600 for the headlights, plus the cost of the paint and bodywork involved.
At the current bid of $30100, this car is probably at the top of what someone should pay for it.
The barn finds writers call almost everything a “survivor”. It drives me crazy.
RE: This being an early car which would’ve had the AM wonderbar radio, and not an AM-FM. The side mirror is another indicator. Early cars used the regular 63 style Chevy side mirror. At about the same time the radios changed, the side mirror changed to a simpler design reminiscent of the 62 & earlier style.
I would suspect bought way under current bid and look at the surrounding garage. I would think he knows how to start a car?.. If it’s not started that means he is doing what is known as a “quick flip”.. buy it.. clean it and flip it.. don’t touch it.. I suspect it was bought inspected and determined it’s too full of rust to invest any money into.. see all the racks in the background and notice not one pick on the rack.. that tells you he does not want you to see how bad it is..he does show you from “floor view”.. and what you see looks bad. In the Car world we say..A fellow car dealer always tells me “the guy with the best tricks wins the game..this guy has some great tricks”.. Buyer will be the loser on this one
Why in the world would you put 65-66 fenders on a 63. It must have had a pretty serious wreck, I’m sure that’s where the headlights went.
I would agree, it had a very hard hit. The hood fit might be the worst I’ve ever seen. I’m sure the entire front end has been replaced, which could have included the engine.
Back in the late 60’s I remember owners of 63-66 Corvettes were changing their fenders to ’57 louvers to upgrade to a ’67 look. Just that lower rear section was replace.
^. 1967 louvers
I don’t mind the custom headlights so much, but they are askew. Definitely needs reworking. I’m surprised they didn’t put horizontal taillights on it in keeping with the custom theme.
Hate those headlights! I’m surprised no one noticed the non-original shifter and that air cleaner leaves me to believe the carb might need some work.
She was hit in the beak, probably pretty hard, late 70s early 80s, at least it wasn’t scraped!
It is nothing special, just a small block Vette. It needs a complete restoration, many, many thousands of dollars of missing and incorrect parts as others here have said. What does the frame and bird cage look like? None of it is pretty would be my guess. The buyer would be so far underwater the pressure would crush him and his bank account.
I would take some time and money to install the stock headlights yes its a hard job I’ve done a few but it would be worth it in the long run
I would like to report the seller to the “Nation Flipper Offender” registry. Reason, they are not into cars, due to the fact they did not get it running! Just want a quick buck, don’t bother to get it running? Really? There is a song for them…”They call them Flipper, Flipper!”
Take the plugs out, squirt a small amount of oil, turn the motor over a few times, install fresh plugs, fresh oil/filter, and crank it, check for leaks, START IT! For about $100 parts, you added way more to the selling price!
they don’t want to get it running, hoping an optimistic buyer will over bid, thinking the engine might be okay. It could knock, tick, smoke, leak, mis-fire & they wouldn’t want to report that. I disagree with the writer that spinning over is re-assuring, spinning over dry with rusty cylinder walls can damage the oil rings & cylinder walls & bend a valve if it sticks.
AFB carb means 300hp
I am watching a real nice ’63 driver up here in WA State that is all correct, with both tops (but an auto), for just under $50K.
There is absolutely no way this ‘project’ could be brought up to match this one for anywhere near the price — unless someone really loves working on projects.
It is definitely worth doing it right and bringing her back to life!
Tread carefully. I believe that pic of the frame (it has a heart shaped hole) is a prior patch job on a rotted out frame. These cars (C2 & C3’s) love to rot out at the frame “kick ups” right in front rear wheels, it’s a structurally critical area. Perfect water traps with little or no drainage.
Lets get creative:
I would mask the rectangular headlights lights with black paint to make them look round.
(some thin chrome bezels would really do the trick) then I would put a pair of plexiglass covers to go over the outside, following he contour of the nose….Like a vintage Stingray “Grand Sport”.
It would certainly save a shitton of money!
Or , if you want to spend some real money, continue on that path and build a Grand Sport replica! IMHO, Its not worth restoring it as stock … It looks like there May have been a telephone pole or something similar “planted” in its nose at some point in it’s life! The underside rust would be a major concern as well.