Time has taken its toll on this 1964 Corvette Coupe, but it is a car that is still ripe for restoration. It appears to be an essentially solid car that still retains its original drive-train. The owner floats the idea of either undertaking a full restoration, or returning it to a roadworthy state, and driving it as it currently stands. Regardless of which of these options takes your fancy, you will find the Corvette located in Milan, New Hampshire, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has climbed to $29,999, but the reserve hasn’t been met. However, with the bidding now at that point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone hit the BIN button at $32,000.
The photos of the Corvette leave a bit to be desired, but they do help us to get an overview of the car. The car has been parked in dry storage for 18-years, so it will be interesting to see how it has survived its hibernation. The picture that the photos paint seems to be reasonable, and while the Ermine White paint is definitely well past its best, the body appears to be quite reasonable. I can’t see any stress cracks or fatigue in the fiberglass, and the owner states that the car has never had a hit. The frame has a solid coating of surface corrosion, but the owner doesn’t mention any specific rust issues. What he does mention is the fact that the frame has received a repair on the bottom near the kick-up. He does provide a photo of it, and it looks solid, if a little bit “agricultural.” The next owner may choose to leave it as-is, but they might also choose to have this redone. It will be dependent on what a personal inspection reveals, and the next owner’s personal feelings when it comes to perfection. All of the external trim and chrome is present, and while it is all pretty dusty, I suspect that it will polish up quite well. All of the glass is present, and there are no obvious signs of cracks or chips.
The news is pretty good when we lift the lid on the engine. It looks a bit neglected, but this is a fully numbers-matching car. The engine is the L75 version of the 327ci V8, producing 300hp. Backing that is the original M20 4-speed transmission. This combination provided owners with a reasonable compromise between performance and price, as the engine upgrade cost $53.80, while the transmission would have set the original owner back the princely sum of $188.30. It allowed the Corvette to sprint from 0-60 in 6 seconds, and romp through the ¼ mile in 14.6 seconds. More good news comes in the form of the fact that once the battery and starter motor had been replaced, the Corvette kicked happily into life after 18-years of inactivity. The owner states that the car drives and that the transmission shifts smoothly. Of course, after such a long hibernation, there is bound to be further work required before the Corvette could be considered to be roadworthy.
The Red vinyl interior is also a sad looking sight, and the owner states that it will all require replacement. This might be a little dramatic because there are certainly plenty of pieces that look as though they could be restored and then reinstalled. The seats will require new covers, and the carpet set is also in need of replacements, but I think that the dirt and what looks like mildew on the door trims should be able to be removed without any great dramas. The dash pad will need to be replaced because I think that it is beyond repair. It will take a personal inspection to determine whether the wheel can be restored, but the gauges and the factory radio all look to be in good condition. As I said, a full interior replacement would seem to be quite unnecessary.
The Corvette certainly shows some promise, and I’m fairly sure that we will have a fair collection of readers who would be tempted to return it to a mechanically roadworthy state and then keep the car completely original. It is also a certainty that we will have a sizeable group that will advocate for a full restoration, and that would be fair. What I will say is that we will also have a pretty significant number who would want to undertake a personal inspection to determine how well the frame repair has been completed. That’s definitely a question that I would be asking. How about you?
Everything looks doable here, with the possible exception of price. Just seems like people are milking these cars for all they can get (which I suppose all of us would do given the chance) at the expense of the buyers. It just limits the number of buyers, but then again you only need one with the $$ to buy it.
I LOVE the spark plug wires with what appears to be the plug boot end in the distributor cap. Can’t say I’ve ever seen that before!
Looks like a decent car at a decent price considering the crap other people are trying to get more money for. Still….by the time you get done with this, you will have way more than if you just bought an original 3- car.
Great writeup, Adam, you said it all and the most importatnt message is for a good inspection by a corvette expert. I’m sure since its only 2k away from the BIN someone will hit the button. With all the coin these are bringing and having matching numbers. it might be a good deal for someone. Out of reach of Joe sixpack, sorry to say. caveat emptor, and good luck.
Cheers
GPC
I’m curious why the frame required repair.
I’m curious why the wires are on backwards and too close to the exhaust..gonna be crispy
It’s still a 56 year old car with marginal build quality back in the day. They throw plenty of salt on the roads up there. I want to see the car on a lift with very bright light at my disposal.
It may have been in dry storage for 18 years but it sure got mold/mildew somewhere. paint looks like a Maico budget job. I’m guessing a 250 HP with aluminum valve covers.
So…put $10k inside, $10k outside, another $5k just because and you’re upside down.
I had a 1964 Corvette convertible back in the sixties. I loved it then and would love to have one again, however 64 was the last year for drum brakes so if I were to get another one I would go for a later model (65-67). I guess any 63-67 Sting Ray would be nice to have but I don’t see paying $30K for this one as it needs too much work.