A known ownership history is desirable when someone is considering spending their hard-earned cash on a project vehicle. Although the 1977 Corvette was no longer the brutal beast it had been in years past, this one is a one-owner survivor that needs little to return to its former glory. The listing suggests its shortcomings are cosmetic, making it an ideal candidate for an enthusiast seeking a hands-on project. Its original owner recently passed away, so it is listed by his estate here on Craigslist in Skyline Country Club Estate, Tucson, Arizona. You could drive away in this classic by handing the seller $13,560. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for striking gold and spotting this promising project.
The seller indicates the original owner remained its custodian until he recently passed away. They describe its condition as great, although the Code 13 Silver paint carries the fading and patchiness typical of this color when exposed to harsh UV rays. It’s begging for someone to address that problem, but they should be doing so from a sound foundation. The fiberglass seems free of cracks and crazing, although the buyer will almost certainly strip away the tired paint to achieve a high-end result. The ‘Vette might be missing one of its aluminum wheels, but the remaining three and the trim look acceptable for a driver-grade restoration. There are no glass issues, and the T-Top shows no evidence of leaking. The initial impression is that the exterior requires a simple repaint, making it an ideal candidate for someone with a home workshop.
Considering the climate in which this Corvette spent its life, its interior is surprisingly good. It is common to see trim and upholstery as baked as the paint, but this presents well for a driver-grade car. The Smoked Gray Leather shows no evidence of wear or major flaws, with the same true of the door trims and interior plastic. The carpet may be slightly faded, but its lack of wear means that replacement is not a priority. The shifter boot looks dry, and that may be the only item requiring replacement. What the interior needs is a deep clean because that should remove any dirty marks and lift the presentation to a higher level. It isn’t loaded with luxury appointments, but I believe there is air conditioning, a leather-wrapped tilt wheel, and an AM/FM radio.
We receive no engine photos, but the seller supplies plenty of relevant information. The original owner ordered this classic with the entry-level L48 version of Chevrolet’s legendary 350ci V8. It was no ball of fire, sending 180hp to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. Buyers must have wondered where the days of 14-second ¼-mile ETs had gone, with this car taking 16.7 seconds to complete the journey. Even the top speed was nothing startling, with the small-block running out of breath at 108mph. For every negative, there must be a positive, and this Corvette offers plenty. The car has a genuine 71,000 miles on the clock, and its ownership history suggests there may be verifying evidence. The ‘Vette might look tired, but the seller says it runs and drives perfectly. That leaves the buyer with the option of indulging in some immediate classic motoring pleasure while they devise their restoration strategy.
Later C3 Corvettes remained largely ignored for years by the classic community as they focused on the more potent chrome-bumper models. However, times change, and values for the 1977 model have grown at an extraordinary rate in the last few years. Although this car features the entry-level L48 small-block, it could still command a value beyond $20,000 if restored to a reasonable standard. With its needs seeming so minor, the process should prove straightforward and relatively inexpensive for someone willing to undertake some DIY. Could that convince you to pursue this project further?
Nice car, but no pictures of the engine. Maybe the paint will buff out. Maybe not. Interior is nice. I just sold my nice condition 77 Vette for $12.5k. The writer is getting a little carried away if he thinks this car can be worth $20k. I had yokals offering me $10k.
I guess that makes me a “yokal”! My 1976 had the silver paint and it buffed out nicely after stripping the paint and applying a $3000 paint job back in 1988.
1988? You proved my point. See below the price for a paint job now!
Nothing to see here except the 4-speed. And not a car that will bring a strong ROI. It needs a re-paint and who knows what else. $7500 tops. It’s an estate sale so somebody wants it gone ASAP. And as always, there are 1,000’s of these for sale every day. “Buy in haste, repent at leisure”
Decent paint costs $15k these days. Already underwater.
15K better be nice paint!
I think this would be “paint it yourself” territory.
There will never be a 1976-1982 Corvette (With very rare exceptions), that would justify $15k in paint work.
What Lee said. 77 cars have many one year only parts. If you ordered cruise control, available only with auto trans, that stalk was a nightmare to repair. 77 started the hideous blue engine and first year for a corporate radio. I agree the only strong point here is the 4 speed. Only 2,060 cars had it out of 49,213 cars. The silver lacquer GM used in 77 was total garbage. I worked at a Chevy Olds dealer then as assistant service manager. A very good customer ordered a new 77 with L82, 4 speed in silver with red leather, stunning, but the factory paint job looked like it was final buffed in St. Louis with 80 grade sand paper. After months of waiting, the car arrived. He refused it due to the crappy paint. We called our service rep. He told us to strip it and repaint. After that, I never saw the car again. Ironically, today, I own a silver 73 Corvette that was repainted about 35 years ago and still looks great.
You got that right. The hood on my car waved to you on the way by. It had a pretty good repaint and I touch up the stone chips with rattle cans. The paint is laquer so you can wet sand and buff to mach.
My cruise didn’t work. Don’t know if it was in the column of the firewall connection. I did have trouble with that connection because of starting problems. The gunk they used as a sealer worked it’s way into the connectors. When it was warm it wouldn’t turn over.
I put a 400ci motor in it so it was red, and a aftermarket radio that looked original, but had bluetooth. I really can’t complain. With the 400 motor it had lots of power. The guy that bought it, got a pretty good car.
I watch a You -Tuber channel that list all the faults with a1977 Corvette. he said try and stay away from purchasing one.
I had a 77. Please include a link to that video.