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No Warranty: Roasted 1967 Corvette

firevette1

While most project vehicles on eBay carry the typical “no warranty” language, I find it to be a bit redundant on vehicles like this crispy 1967 Chevy Corvette Stingray. This is probably my greatest fear when it comes to project car ownership: some sort of a catastrophic loss due to an engine fire or other calamity. From an unfortunate lightning bolt to a fuel leak, there’s no limit to the paranoia cars like this inspire. Let’s all pour one out for the former owner and hope this Stingray finds a caring soul with deep pockets.

firevette4

There’s no other way to describe this Corvette besides “charred.” Where do you begin? While it does have a desirable manual transmission, there’s so much other work that needs doing before it can return to the road. The interior will need to be tossed out, the carpets replaced, dash stripped and a replacement sourced (oh, and find some new gauges while you’re at it)….the list goes on. The shift knob and console look salvageable, but here’s something else: the dirt and soot from a fire gets everywhere. You’ll be cleaning cracks and crevices for months and still finding remnants of the fire years later.

firevette3

You have to wonder – does it even matter anymore whether this car is a matching numbers example? My sense is that motor will be yanked and placed on a stand for posterity while a new crate engine is swapped in. Of course, I could be pleasantly surprised and learn that fire-damage is far more disruptive to body panels than mechanical systems, but I doubt it. Given the extent of damage to the rest of the car, I’m guessing those tires were swapped on after the fact. I’d want to find out of it rolls first before committing to a transport company to pick it up.

firevette2

Looking more like an escapee from the jungle than a fire-roasted muscle car, you can get an idea of the totality of the damage. And there’s also the things you can’t see – like, for instance, a totally melted wiring harness, I’m guessing – that will also need replacing. No word on what happened to the front clip, but my guess is that’s where the heaviest damage occurred, rendering the part to the dumpster. You can find all the details, including the fine print about the warranty, here on eBay where the Corvette is listed for $11,900 or best offer.

Comments

  1. Avatar Dairymen

    I don’t like my cars (or my steak) well done. Parts car!

    Like 2
  2. Avatar Joe Nose

    “…hope this Stingray finds a caring soul with deep pockets.””

    Or a caring soul with a deep hole to drop it into…

    Like 2
    • Avatar Rob

      Looks like someone already dropped something from their hole on the dash!

      Did you see that turd on the clock? 😀

      Like 0
  3. Avatar flmikey

    …I love how the seller says there is a “low” buy it now price…our hobby has officially gone out of control….junk….

    Like 0
  4. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Well, non repairable salvage title says it all. I do not see 12K in parts here. It is a shame, the owner has got to be heartbroken. I always carry a fire extinguisher when I go for a cruise. Cheap insurance as Dad used to say.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Van

    Maybe the nut job with the D-type?
    Na, gotta draw the line somewhere.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar geomechs Member

    I hate what fire does; it destroys–completely. Therefore I see a broken heart with this car. However, I cannot see the vendor’s justification at all. This is a (possibly) numbers-matching parts car. When they get like this you’re going to replace EVERYTHING.

    Like 0
    • Avatar RayT

      Might still have a VIN plate, but that only counts if it’s an extra-desirable factory special-order. Not seeing anything worth using on another car here.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Bob

    Pick up the radiator cap and drive a new car underneath it.

    Like 1
    • Avatar geomechs Member

      Gee, I dunno. There’s a strong chance the fire might have taken the temper out of the pressurizing spring…

      Like 0
  8. Avatar redwagon

    three thoughts.

    #1 ive never seen fiberglass shred like that. amazing but sad.

    #2 the damage is worse than you can see because fire weakens things. so even if ia part is still there and appears intact it may not have the strength it once did.

    #3 this is what insurance is for. insure it for more than replacement value. keep current with the market and increase the policy as needed. (and im not even an insurance salesman)

    Like 0
    • Avatar grant

      The fiberglass didn’t shred, the resin holding it all together burned away, leaving loose strands of fiber. If you were to burn it completely, you would be left with a pristine looking pile of fiberglass cloth or mat, depending on what it was built with. Pristine looking but it wouldn’t have any strength of course. Resin burns fast and hot. Always carry extinguishers on fiberglass cars and boats! Sad to see this. This car is garbage.

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Dave

    “dash stripped and a replacement sourced (oh, and find some new gauges while you’re at it)”

    Speedometer looks fine.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKtFIgmoqoI

    Like 0
    • Avatar JW

      I really miss John Candy, the guy was hilarious !!!

      Like 2
      • Avatar Dave

        I do too. He was the best!

        Like 0
  10. Avatar Mike

    In all of my life I had only seen 1 Corvette that had been on fire restored, it was done but another body shop, that was good friends with my Dad, Blackburn’s Auto Body restored a 68 that looked a little better then this one, but by the time it was over the owner could have bought another 68 or even new for what they spent on that car. But the owner wanted his 1st Corvette back. I remember this car because they rented Dad’s Paint booth to paint it because Dad had the newer state of the Art booth at the time, that was in the middle 80’s when all the new Federal Regs started coming out on paint booths.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar AMX Brian

    This is the perfect type of car to do something crazy, but inspired with. No Bronco chassis, please. If you have a lot of money and an idea you could take this and make something of it. Like the Fast N’ Loud F40. It was totaled so let’s supe it up because it’s not original anymore and nobody will care because it was a lost cause anyway. Then after it’s complete people oowe and aah over a car that used to be something popular like a C1/C2 corvette and build something fun like your own version of the 60’s batmobile. So basically you need George Barris.

    Like 1
  12. Avatar another Bob

    If that were mine, I’d put in the ad “Needs work but fires right up!”

    Like 2
  13. Avatar Irish Bill

    Cut the back off and make an awesome couch! Anything else is fool’s folly.

    Like 1
  14. Avatar John D

    As was pointed out, this is a non-rebuildable title car. You can’t get the title fixed, unless you have a good friend in your county’s tax office AND a good friend at the state level . . . AND you are still breaking the law . . . this is parts only . . ..

    On a less positive note . . . did you see how the control arm is bent! How hot does it have to get to cause one of those to sag??? Wow!!

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Mark S

    IMHO this car is finished to think otherwise is just straight up foolish. Not sure why the car has had the tires replaced. Is there anyone that would want to take a guess at the scrap weight value I’m guessing about $40.00, who in there right mind would pay $12000.00 + for this POS.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar DRV

    It has 1 really nice bumperette. That’s it.

    Like 0
  17. Avatar PHJ

    Talking about extinguishers, remember to take them out of your car every once in a while. The powder will settle and become rock hard otherwise, then useless if you need it.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Julles

    What you have to think about is investment value. Don’t you wish you had that Ferrari that someone called a basket case 50 years ago. So how far down do you think the value of a C2 coupe is going to go down? Is this a car that in 10 years is going to quadruple in price? Do you have a barn you could just set it aside in to see if it does increase in price? This car, with the amount of parts available to replace what is needed, can be fixed. The problem with this car is not whether it is fixable and might be an investment, it is the title and vin number. A non-repairable title as John D. stated would be nigh on impossible to fix and if you did it would mostly be illegal or unethical. But on the other hand, a man built a Jaguar D Type with only the original block of one, got it a VIN as a D-type and sold that sucker for millions. So the question becomes, are you feeling lucky and scruples over how you make your money not a problem?

    Like 0
  19. Avatar Franke

    Definitely not for the faint of heart. Imagine the firefighters responding, dousing the whole car with water and possibly retardant, getting down into the carb and every crack and crevice. This car should be fixed/restored, not parted out. It’ll take a lot of time and money, but worth it. All the old cars out there should ba saved not scrapped, because once they’re gone they’re gone.

    Like 0
  20. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Sold, $11,900.

    Like 0
    • Avatar bruce baker

      Holy ashtray !!! How are they ever going get rid of that smoke smell even if it is restored?

      Like 0
  21. Avatar Van

    This car will be on Craigslist next year.
    “67 vett frame off restoration just bought from widow that didn’t know what she had, she lost the title, bill of sale only.”

    Like 1
  22. Avatar Jim

    This is too crispy even for my wild imagination. It could be a donor for someone needing a drivetrain or a IRS swap into an old hot rod but the price is pretty off the wall.

    Like 0
  23. Avatar Jay

    I know there’s an ass for every seat, but clearly the New owner has money to burn!
    You could buy a running driving Corvette for less than that restoration will cost.

    Like 0
  24. Avatar Barry T

    Someone has more $$$$$$ than brains.

    Like 0
  25. Avatar Steve A.

    I think I could buff that out.

    Like 1
  26. Avatar Doug V.

    “The shift knob and console look salvageable”

    Pretty much says it all. Can’t believe it sold for that much.

    Like 0
  27. Avatar THEAZT

    For those of you who think it’s worth something, let me help you out,get barbeque lighter fluid, bag of marshmallows and go to town. I wouldn’t give a single dollar for this.Fire of this magnitude has weakened the structural integrity. Useless.

    Like 0
  28. Avatar ACZ

    Fire was fuel fed so the fuel sender is probably in good shape.
    This often happens when a person replaces the metal fuel line, between the pump and carb, with a rubber hose.

    Like 0
  29. Avatar bruce baker

    What’s the Forest Gump odds on this car ever catching fire again ? I once repaired a 1968 Olds Cutlass after a gas fed engine fire. Luckily for the car, and my ex-wife, a fire truck pulled her over as fire was coming out from under the back of her car. This happen as the firemen were returning from a false alarm. I found a matching color hood and wire harness in a junk yard. To bad the brain dead tow truck driver took the freeway without dropping the drive shaft as i demanded. The car now had no reverse, if i remember right. It also smelled like smoke.

    Like 0

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