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Repainted Barn Find: 1973 Chevrolet Corvette

What do you do after you find a barn find that’s really nice inside and mechanically, but doesn’t have the paint and body you’d like it to have? If you are this seller, you spend $7,000 having the car stripped and repainted! Apart from new emblems and bumpers, pretty much everything else was left as-is, and it’s pretty nice! This 1973 Corvette is listed here on eBay and is located in St. Augustine, Florida.

Apart from new emblems and bumpers, pretty much everything else was left as-is. The old emblems and bumpers are included with the auction as well. All numbers are said to match, which means the 454 V8 that’s currently in the car is the one that was in it when the car left St. Louis in 1973.

Just in case you were wondering after that first picture, yes, the lights will go down. Not only that, but they fit really well, too. Based on the shine and finish, the paint job was worth it!

I can understand why the seller left the interior alone! They are having to sell the car due to a divorce.

Here is that 454, and while the appearance under here doesn’t match the outside, it does look stock and left alone. The seller says there is a leaky hose in the air conditioning system but they are including a new hose in the auction, so a quick (and no doubt expensive) trip to your local shop and it will be functioning again in time for summer. The only other problem the seller mentions is that the brakes need to be pumped up, so I’d start with bleeding them and go from there. Not only all of the above, but no luggage rack (inside joke for long time readers)! What do you think, Barn Finds commenters?

Comments

  1. Avatar Vegaman_Dan

    Awful lot of work to repaint the exterior only to ignore the engine compartment. It isn’t a barn find, and doesn’t have any reason to look that neglected under the hood. If I bought that car, the engine would be out in a weekend to be cleaned and painted along with the engine bay. It really lets the car down with so much work done on the outside. Easy fix.

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    • Avatar Jamie Palmer Staff

      Couldn’t agree more, Dan :-)

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      • Avatar RayT

        Barbarian that I am, I’d yank the engine, bolt on a manual-transmission bellhousing, and THEN paint it.

        I dig the color, the engine, and just about everything except what that shift lever is connected to!

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      • Avatar Tom Member

        I have to chime in a AGREE with all of you so far and ADD….nothing worse than seeing the engine compartment like this, I would expect to be the same and a FRESH repaint……UGH….NOTE TO SELLERS, guys who want to restore these want to know what the car is all about. ALL a fresh repaint does for me is scare me off. that $7K Paint job should have probably been a 12K – 15K body and paint bill DONE RIGHT as the $7K paint job MAY well be popping, bubbling and blistering a year from now only to make the NEXT repaint A BIGGER JOB than this one was and MORE expensive.

        Do it right, or DON’T DO IT !!

        Like Vegaman Dan said, get the drivetrain done, detail the engine bay, jam everything, then paint it. it sucks trying to work around a fresh paint job and not screw it up.

        This car will get sold to someone who knows nothing about cars, has more money than brains, loves the color and never pops the hood. shame on the seller !!!!!!!!

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  2. Avatar Ronald G Bajorek jr

    great car, all it needs is Ansen slotted mags and it’s perfect

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    • Avatar Tom Member

      Nope, 8″ Corvette rallys my favorite wheel next to old school 5 spoke Cragers.

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  3. Avatar Tom Member

    I had one 73, never again. Those endure noses are terrible to keep from paint splitting. I did it twice and the 3rd time sent it to one of the best shops in Chicago stripped it, reworked it and it cracked after their work too.

    NO HORSEPOWER from the factory, probably under 200 HP on that Big Block. The only upside is to build a 454 to 1970-71 specs put a rock crusher in there and now you have something.

    My 72 454 M21 Vette was lower on the HP ( I think 270) but 455 ft lbs of torque which made a big difference. I will own a 71 or 70 one day.

    I started with a 76 then a 73 then a 72 small block auto then the recession bought my 72 454 M21 car. I keep getting closer !! Lord willing, one day.

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    • Avatar Poppapork

      You can get a fiberglass bumper cover and there shouldnt be any problems, you can also glass it in with the rest of the body if you dont like seams….

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  4. Avatar RandyS

    Rattle can the valve covers would bring another $2k in bidding.

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  5. Avatar Metoo

    What a great paint job! Jade?

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  6. Avatar gbvette62

    Looking at the interior and under hood pictures, not to mention the condition of the trim parts that were removed, I’m guessing that this car was and is pretty tired. In spite of the seller’s claim of a $7000 paint job (which unfortunately, is low for stripping and painting a Corvette these days), I’d be concerned that this car actually had a quick paint job, to help sell it.

    The car has the wrong mufflers on it, which is why it has those ugly tips, instead of the great looking stock 73 square tips. I’m pretty sure the car should have an A.I.R. pump and associated plumbing too (an expensive proposition, if you want to replace them). Looking at the beat up gauge bezels and console, faded carpet, and worn seat covers, I’d bet the car needs door panels too, that’s another $1500+ in parts there.

    At $27,000, even with a big block, that car shouldn’t need anything. I’m thinking this car is at least $5000 to high.

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    • Avatar William Sanders

      I was thinking $12k too high.

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  7. Avatar William Dillon

    The paint job reminds me of sweeping dust under the rug.

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  8. Avatar Henry Drake

    @gbvette62 – oh wow. Those mufflers and tips ruin the whole car.

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  9. Avatar 69goat

    Why does the engine and engine compartment have to be perfect? Not everybody wants a show car or a trailer Queen some people just want to have vehicles like this to drive and enjoy and you don’t have to open the hood and show anybody to drive and enjoy it. And I don’t know where you people live but where I live $7,000 buys a real nice trip and paint job from a very reputable paint and body shop and I know I’ve worked at several in this area having retired after 40 years in the business. And the 65 big block somebody has to be insane to pay $110,000 for that it’s a great car and I would love to have it but I wouldn’t pay more than 20 grand for it. But that’s just my personal realistic view on things. Barrett-Jackson and Mecum have ruined the ability to purchase a classic car reasonable everybody thinks that they’re sitting on a pot of gold. But you can’t blame the seller because some fool out there that will part with his money because he can and it really doesn’t mean a thing to him. Thanks for all the images I really enjoy seeing some of these cars brings back a lot of memories makes me miss some of the cars I’ve sold over the years.

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    • Avatar Pa Tina

      Agree 100%. The owner has had the hard part done for you and the paint looks great. The rest of the stuff can be done as time and budget permit.

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  10. Avatar rschoenke

    I’m with every one else here, I’d rather have bought it unpainted to know what I’m getting, my 79 corvette cost $8500 in 1999 to paint correctly, so $7000 grand isn’t much these days.

    Like 0

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