There were 10 different colors and 3 engine options available for a buyer to select when ordering a 1974 Chevrolet Corvette. The person that ordered this car chose well. They picked Code 80 Corvette Orange with a black interior. For engine options, they chose the L-82 350 cubic inch V8 engine and checked the option for a convertible. This car is for sale here on eBay with one day remaining in the no reserve auction. The car has been bid to only $14,100 so far. The Corvette is located in Miami Beach, Colorado and this is one of two convertible 1974 Chevrolet Corvettes that the seller has listed.
The base engine for the 1974 Chevrolet Corvette was the L48 195 hp small-block 350 cubic engine. The L-82 engine maintained its power output from 1973 at 250 hp, while the 454 cu in (7.4 L) LS4 engine horsepower rating dropped to 270 hp. Surprisingly, Hi-Performance Cars magazine stated that the L48 engine was their favorite engine among the three options. It delivered ample acceleration, while also exhibiting excellent cooling capabilities, smooth idling, and the ability to sustain cruising speeds of 100 mph for extended periods. The L48 engine achieved a 0-60 mph time of 6.8 seconds, slightly slower than the L82 engine’s 6.7 seconds and the LS4 454’s 6.4 seconds.
The interior looks to have normal wear but appears to be in good condition. The car is said to have been sitting when the seller found it but now runs and drives nicely. The seller installed a new gas tank and convertible top, while restoring the brakes and rebuilding the carburetor. The Corvette is probably going to need new tires as they appear to be old Goodyear Eagles.
The engine is said to be numbers matching and is backed by a GM turbo 3 speed automatic transmission. The car has a solid frame and all the gauges, power windows, etc. work except for the clock. A new owner will be selected in the next day or so as this auction is no reserve.
The car is in Miami Beach Colorado? The oceans really have risen!
Same lead shot in the same spot at the same intersection as the brown ’74 below.
Interesting to own two identical year, identical engine cars and put them both on the market at the same time. I never liked the seam down the rear bumper either, but it looks like somebody’s cashing out of the market.
Is the brown one in Miami Beach Colorado too?
Is that a mid print or did the tow founders really have a sense of humor like those in California Pennsylvania??LOL!
L82 far better engine than a gas sucking 454. I know, I had a 454. Torque monster but can’t wind up like an L82. Convertibles are rare. Too bad this isn’t a stick.
Wheels are from a 1976. Option YJ8 was announced in 1974 but the wheels cast in a Mexican foundry were faulty. It took until 1976 to get them sorted.
From Hemmings-
“The YJ8 wheels, as they were coded in GM-speak, first appeared on prototypes in the early 1970s, and were initially deemed ready to go into production for the fall of 1972. Pilot cars appeared in photos of many of the major car magazines wearing these American Racing-cast wheels, PR photos were released, and serious anoraks may even recall Bill Bixby in The Magician driving a Corvette wearing these. Significantly lighter than steel wheels and left in as-cast aluminum to emphasize their alloy construction, they made a big splash, even appearing (in modified form) on GM’s mid-engined Aerovette concept car of the early 1970s.
Hundreds if not thousands of Corvettes were ordered with these new YJ8 aluminum wheels, at a cost of $175 a set, but a total of four were built with these wheels before GM recalled and destroyed them. Why? As seemed common with aluminum wheels at the time, there were porosity issues–the suckers just wouldn’t hold air. The remainder of those who ordered these were credited and given PO2 full wheel covers instead. Rather more of these were available over-the-counter from your local Chevy store: Up to 800 sets are said to have been manufactured. These wheels had unique lug nuts, including recessed, black-painted centers, and were not clearcoated.
Fast-forward to 1976. Chevy has switched wheel manufacturers, to Kelsey-Hayes. It became a $299 option on Corvettes; 6,253 buyers opted for them. For 1977, even though they went up to $321, the YJ8s ended up on 12,646 Corvettes–roughly a quarter of the then-record 49,213 units built. The YJ8 wheel was still an option in 1978, despite their seeming ubiquity: 28,008 buyers of 40,274 total plumped for the $340 it took to get their Corvettes wearing aluminum. These wheels had a natural, unpolished aluminum finish and black paint in the recess around the lug nuts.
Quality improved, but still wasn’t perfect, as GM had to send out a service bulletin on repairing the wheels. The wheels “may exhibit a slow air leak due to a porous condition existing in the wheel.” They recommended pressurizing to 50 PSI and dunking in a water bath to check where air was leaking, then plug the hole with Dow Corning RTV or equivalent.
Later wheels, from 1980-’82, looked identical but were 8 pounds lighter each (eliminating 32 pounds of unsprung weight is no mean feat), and were polished and clearcoated. Their aggressive, high-tech look made them a favorite of Chevy customizers for years–a factory aluminum 15×8 wheel was nothing to sneeze at–and can be seen on lots of customized muscle-era Chevys to this day. A wheel identical to the YJ8 was also made by Western Wheel.
The “seller” is a dealer.
In the Corvette Community, this seller has a less than stellar reputation for piecing together Vettes that look okay, but are all pieces of crap.
A reader here on BF got sucked in and has a boatload of work ahead of him that he did not count on.
BUYER BEWARE!
There are so many other honest Vettes for sale that it just surprises me every time this seller is featured here on BF. In the Corvette Community, this seller has a less than stellar reputation for piecing together Vettes that look okay, but are all pieces of crap.
Thanks for the heads up pr4asnw !!