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One Family Owned: 1970 Chevrolet Corvette 454

It’s not hard to see why the chrome-bumper C3 Corvettes have developed such a cult following. They tick a lot of the right boxes for anyone seeking a car with attitude. They are low, sleek, and aggressive. When you find one that is original and features a big block under the hood, you would have to feel like you were onto a winner. That sums up this 1970 Corvette in a nutshell, and now it is looking for a new home. The decision to sell must have been a tough one because this classic has been a member of the same family since the day that it rolled off the showroom floor. Located in Rockledge, Florida, you will find the Corvette listed for sale here on Craigslist. Hand the owner $35,000, and you could find yourself the proud owner of one of the most potent American classics that money could buy in 1970. I have to say thank you to Barn Finder Pat L for referring this beauty to us.

We’ve seen a few nice C3 Corvettes appear on our desks here at Barn Finds in recent times, and this is one that I particularly like. The Daytona Yellow paint is said to be original, although the owner admits that it has received a few minor touch-ups. Hey, it’s a 51-year-old car, so that probably isn’t any great surprise. The paint still holds an impressive shine after all of these years, and the chrome is just as nice. The supplied photos aren’t clear enough to rule out any fatigue cracks in the fiberglass, but it still looks promising. The fact that the vehicle has always been garage-kept is a significant positive. While the owner makes no mention of any rust issues, I would expect that a Florida vehicle that has been well maintained shouldn’t have any problems. The item that cements the tough appearance of this Corvette is the side pipes. These are relatively new and cost the owner a cool $5,000 to buy and have fitted. To my mind, that was money well spent.

Someone once said that there’s nothing as great as a big V8, and this is a classic that delivers on that front. What we find is a 454ci V8, which is hooked to a 4-speed manual transmission. This V8 is the LS5 version of the 454, which means that the driver has 390 raging horses lurking under their right foot. Performance is legendary, with this beast capable of smashing the ¼ mile in 13.7 seconds before hauling its way to 134mph. Today, there are American cars that can eclipse those figures, but in 1970, they made you the king of the road. The Corvette is a numbers-matching car, and it appears that it has been treated with TLC. I can see that the ignition has been upgraded at some point, so we have to hope that the owner has retained the original in case the buyer wants to present the car as an unmolested survivor. There are no oil leaks, with all of the seals in the V8 having been replaced. The owner claims that the Corvette has 117,000 miles on the clock and that he has spent $17,000 on maintenance and refurbishment over the past decade. He has receipts to verify this claim, and confirming the car’s history should not be difficult due to it having belonged to the same family since new.

There is only this single photo of the Corvette’s interior, but what we can see looks pretty positive. The door trims are in excellent condition, while the leather covers on the seats seem to be free from wear and tear. The carpet looks faded, but it isn’t too bad. If the buyer wants to preserve the car as a survivor, then it could be left untouched. If perfection is the goal, then a complete carpet set with the correct pile and pads can be found for under $300. It isn’t clear whether there have been any aftermarket additions, but ice-cold air conditioning should make life pleasant on those warm Florida days.

There are a lot of things to like about this 1970 Corvette. Its overall originality is a huge plus, while it should possess enough power to satisfy all but the harshest critic. It is a chrome-bumper vehicle, which increases its desirability. The fact that potential buyers can trace its history because it has been part of the same family since new is icing on the cake. It has been on the market for less than a week, and I suspect that someone will snap this one up pretty quickly. Will that someone be you?

Comments

  1. Avatar Tooyoung4heyday Member

    Im sure there will be all of the naysayer yellow corvette people, then those that complain about the weight of the big block and would rather have the small block but I think it would be pretty hard to honestly complain about this car. It looks clean, is seemingly well kept throughout its life and has a lot of the right options. Sidepipes always make these look a bit tougher. Its hard to argue with the pedigree of a C2 but Ive always loved the C3 lines. Low, sleek, yet muscular and some good engine options through the years. Obviously during the pre smog years versus the later C3’s which looked good but were low on power. Also, you could fit a beefier tire under these compaired to the skinny minnies on the C2’s. The other nice thing about C3’s is their price, theyre reasonable as far as classic car market goes. Overall, nice ride that shouldn’t have an issue finding a new home.

    Like 15
    • Avatar Mark Member

      I love yellow vettes, especially the 90′ on.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Mitchell Gildea Member

    This looks perfect. Jump in and cruise.

    Like 10
  3. Avatar Mike D

    Wasn’t 69 the only year for factory side pipes?

    Like 4
    • Avatar Steve R

      Does it matter? They look great on this car. Good choice by the owner.

      Steve R

      Like 4
    • Avatar Frank Sumatra

      It was. Not sure why GM stopped offering them. They look much better than the earlier stove pipes.

      Like 3
    • Avatar bucky66

      Yes it was but you could order the pipes and covers direct from GM for several years after 1969. I did and had them installed on my 72.

      Like 4
      • Avatar Joel S

        Bucky66, other than 69 side pipes were dealer options, not GM options. Yes they look great and IMHO sound great but not everyone loves the volume of noise.

        Like 0
  4. Avatar Rick

    To my knowledge the only way to get leather seats in a ’70 was by ordering the Deluxe Interior which also included door panels with woodgrain inserts.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Steve R

      Vinyl is the new leather.

      Steve R

      Like 9
  5. Avatar DayDreamBeliever

    Don’t ask too many questions, just go buy it and live the dream.

    When it gets at all tiresome/less fun, then sell it and get your money back.

    Win/Win.

    Like 5
  6. Avatar Desert Rat

    Oh man, would I love to own this little Vette! My favorite motor has always been the BBC and in a yellow Corvette with a 4 speed well ,It just don’t get no better for this Chevy guy…

    Like 3
  7. Avatar moosie

    Nice Corvette,,,,,, even being Yellow. I like the added touch of the LT-1 Pin Striping on the hood. Seems like a very fair price and if all the documentation is verifiable someone will wind up with a treasure, One thing that struck me was the aftermarket A/C compressor, the car is listed as being factory A/C ? The ’69 side exhaust puts the icing on the cake.

    Like 8
  8. Avatar Super Glide

    Still another handsome car and fine trans!

    Like 3
  9. Avatar 19sixty5 Member

    In addition to the aftermarket AC compressor, this car also appears to have an HEI distributor as well. Hopefully the distributor is equipped with a tach drive!

    Like 2
  10. Avatar George Mattar

    Reasonable asking price if the documents are legit. The 69 side exhaust was made by Walker for GM. Heavy ugly and in contrast to 65 to 67 system sounds like crap. It was one year only because few ordered it. This is a beauty of a car and this is the second 70 454 390 hp Corvette om Barn Finds at the same time. The other is green with PO2 wheelcovers.

    Like 1
  11. Avatar TMK

    I can’t believe the price for the side exhaust. I had a 73 yellow Corvette that i purchase in spring of 1974 for $6500. I had friend who work at a chevy dealership and got me set for a 350 engine . And I know that they didn’t cost me that much.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Chunk Plepgeat

    I cannot for the life of me fathom how sidepipes cost $5000 – that’s INSANE.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Joeinthousandoaks

    And it’s already gone

    Like 0

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