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Ready To Rumble: 1970 Corvette 454 4-Speed

Doesn’t this Corvette look great? For many folks, of all the C3 variations this is the perfect one (except for perhaps the color and no AC). It an has the chrome bumpers, big block engine, 4 speed, and power steering. The pictures of the exterior in the ad here on craigslist make it look perfect and the $44,000 asking price not so scary. It could use some serious cleaning inside and under the hood, but otherwise, it looks pretty promising. Someone quit driving this Corvette with less than 50,000 on it for some unknown reason, perhaps because it needed an expensive repair. The seller found the Corvette a couple of years ago in a barn and replaced the tires and top, installed new brakes and did other restoration work to get it back on the road.

The interior might be really nice with a little cleaning. It’s a great display of Nebraska dust but doesn’t look at all inviting.

Here’s what’s under the hood, the 390 horsepower 454 big block. There’s no AC, but there is power steering. It looks like it’s all there.

This Corvette really does look nice on the outside does it not? The new top and paint look really great. It’s described as ” turn-key perfect for daily driving”. This C3 could be a great driver, but it’s scary to think what a close inspection might find. If the doors don’t close well or the door gap is uneven the birdcage might have rust damage. If the carpets are damp under the dash it’s likely time to walk away. Underneath, C3 frames are rust prone, so you need to take a good look at the frame, especially ahead of the rear wheels and on the front cross member. The good thing about Craigslist advertisers is that they expect a prospective buyer to inspect the car. They are not hoping someone will purchase their Corvette sight unseen. Nice C3 big block 4-speed Corvettes are not so easy to find so if it is as nice as it appears, it might be worth a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska to have a look. If the ad is gone it’s saved on adsaver.

Comments

  1. Avatar Vman73

    Nice looking ‘70 BB vert. Great color if original. Deluxe black interior with leather and PW. Probably tilt/tele, just can’t tell from the interior pic posted here. Looks like a Hurst or other aftermarket shifter, not my first choice but I am admittedly one of those “original” guys. Chrome wiper vent grille would have to go along with speed shop flex fan. The biggest issue I have with the car is what looks like a rubber fuel line going to the carb, a big no no on any Corvette I’ve ever owned or would drive. Personally I think $44k is a bit steep and I would not consider without a very detailed inspection looking for rust as you mention plus signs of previous body damage. The paint actually looks too nice compared to the interior and engine compartment.

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  2. Avatar Miguel

    If I were to look for any C3 it would be the ’69 or ’70 model.

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  3. Avatar jerry meiergerd

    Yellow plug wires screams performance! !!

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  4. Avatar Kevin Lee

    Love this car! Hate those luggage racks though!

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  5. Avatar Classic Steel

    Clearly the flipper is not a Corvette owner with wrong wires and flex fan and sans wire loom cover chrome.

    The shifter is also a no no as these has the original with the little half scissor pull up.

    So now the question is what else did you swap to devalue in numbers match or acceptance of bad parts .

    Loose wires , shifter, fan and update the carpets from a Corvette parts place.

    Sorry 44 k is for original and we’re at 30 in my book if frame and dog legs, bird cage , block ,intake, heads, manifold and others matched .

    Corvette is a by the numbers match on all and easy to detect fraud car.

    50 k on a Corvette is low but many are avail in 20 thousand miles still

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  6. Avatar jw454

    Change out the silly kid stuff go faster Shifter, Fan, and Ignition parts for the correct items, clean it up and enjoy it as is. I like to color so no issue there. The price may be a little strong but, it depends on the condition of what lies beneath the skin they we can’t see from here.

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  7. Avatar gbvette62

    The 454 badges on the hood, are similar too, but are not original 71 parts. 71 big blocks didn’t use the round aluminum expansion tank either. Seeing things like that, makes me wonder if this car could have started live with a 350?

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  8. Avatar Steve A.

    Beautiful car! Kinda high on the price though from what I can see here. In person might be way out of line.

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  9. Avatar EHide Behind

    Me thinks maybe two into one . Would want to check if original engine, 390hp most common of big blocks.q

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  10. Avatar Pat

    Where did the engine picture come from? It’s not in the Craigslist ad?

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  11. Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

    The car looks good first blush for it’s age. Thing is, I’m not a BBC fan but there are those that are. You’d want to give it a complete going over before laying your money down on it. Frame and birdcage especially need a complete going over.

    You’d want to go over it well to confirm whether it’s a numbers matching car or not. There’s probably more BBC’s out there today than Chevy ever made and this may or may not be one of them.

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  12. Avatar RandyS

    A nice driver for sure but $44k will need the tank sticker to prove a real deal and not an assembled car. As usual for any C3 being considered there needs to be frame and birdcage pics.

    Some people market these as “day 2” cars for the period correct upgrades an owner would have installed the next day after they bought it (shifter and flex fan for often overheating big blocks).

    As sits its a $32k car assuming frame checks out and runs/drives/brakes.

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  13. Avatar leiniedude Member

    I’m with ya Pat. I don’t see a motor either. What I do see is a bruised thigh from that T- handle.

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  14. Avatar John

    OK, i’m a dummy, but all of this time, I thought that the 454 came along AFTER 1970. I hadn’t realized you could get one in 70. late 71 was what I had thought.

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    • Avatar PRA4SNW

      68 – 69: 427
      70 – 74: 454

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  15. Avatar J M

    How does one decide to list a car for sale, take photos, and not spend 2-3 hours cleaning it up?

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    • Avatar Superdessucke

      Barn find craze. People pay more when it’s dirty these days! A car wash probably drops it to 40k.

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  16. Avatar ACZ

    Too much money for a car with an oval port motor and no A/C.

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  17. Avatar 1st Gear

    There’s 2 different cars here-a coupe and a convertible.What gives?

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    • Avatar leiniedude Member

      It is shown with the optional removable hardtop 1st Gear.

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  18. Avatar Jim Sabo

    Some “AMATEUR” car guy will buy it no doubt. I’m at an age now that I’ve become meticulous in choosing/maintaining my cars. This one would not interest me unless I lived in a cool climate location as it has NO A/C! These things become “OVENS” when that big block gets hot on a summer day. Besides no A/C there are enough flaws as mentioned by numerous readers to give the potential buyer leverage to knock price down to around $30k(a more reasonable figure) at least.

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  19. Avatar Alan (Michigan)

    Seriously,
    Over 40 grand asked, and a hundred or two can’t be spent at a detail shop to scrub and polish the interior and the engine compartment? D’oh!

    While I am at it… The photos aren’t great, but not bad. What stinks is the backdrop. For that kind of money, a nice background would help sell the car, instead of a local wrench’s personal space. There must be a nice park nearby, or a race-track entry gate?

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