There can’t be many sadder sights than to see an iconic vehicle like this 1963 Corvette Split-Window Coupe left in a state like this. The car has been sitting on stands in this garage since 1972, but the current owner has dragged it out and coaxed it back to life. It now runs and drives, and the buyer could choose to retain it as a fantastic survivor. However, performing the restoration work to take it to the next level could be worth the effort. If you feel that you’re up to the challenge, you will find the Corvette located in Bedford, Pennsylvania, and listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the BIN at $89,500, but the option is available to make an offer. With 152 people watching the listing, it appears that a few people like what they see with this classic.
Now that’s quite a transformation! When the owner extracted the Corvette from its hiding place, it wore a significant layer of dust. His first port of call was to clean the vehicle to determine what he was dealing with. This process revealed Saddle Tan paint that wears its share of marks and nicks but still retained a respectable shine once it had been attacked with some polish. The original hood was long gone, so he sourced a replacement and painted it to match the rest of the vehicle. An inspection revealed a minor repair on the passenger side rear quarter panel, but the owner believes that the rest of the paint to be original. The owner did discover one small area of rust in the frame, but this has now been repaired, and the car is said to be structurally sound. He removed the non-original side exhaust and polished the rest of the trim to an impressive shine. It appears that the glass is in good order, and this classic is ready to go if someone is searching for a driver-grade Split-Window.
The originality of this Corvette extends to its drivetrain. What we find hiding in the engine bay is the L75 version of the venerable 327ci V8. This small-block produces 300hp, which finds its way to the rear wheels via a 2-speed Powerglide transmission. It seems that the original owner had a craving for an effortless driving experience because he was willing to hand over an additional $75.35 to equip the car with power steering. The owner has poured a lot of time and effort into returning the Corvette to a roadworthy state, and after nearly five decades of inactivity, the list was long. He revived the V8, replaced the radiator, water pump, fan, fan clutch, and flushed and replaced all of the fluids. The brakes received a rebuild with all new components that included lines and hoses, while every other rubber component was also changed. The fruit of this labor can be seen in this YouTube video. That 327 kicks into life easily, and it purrs like a kitten. The owner says that it runs and rivers well, but that he has only driven it short distances at this stage. It might be worth continuing this trend for a while to ensure that there are no hidden bugs before longer journeys are tackled.
Once the owner had poured hours into cleaning the Corvette’s interior, he found that it needed a few things. The seats received new covers, while the owner also installed a new front carpet and a fresh wheel to replace the badly cracked original. The rest came down to using some good old elbow grease, and the interior now presents well. The dash and pad are in good order, as are the headliner and door trims. The rear carpet is slightly faded, and it will be a matter of choice whether the buyer replaces it. Everything works as it should, and the Split-Window comes equipped with power windows and a factory radio.
There’s always a level of fear amongst diehard enthusiasts that the supply of fantastic barn finds could dry up in the near future. This 1963 Corvette Split-Window Coupe shows that there are still some pearls out there begging to be revived. The owner has done an excellent job of breathing new life into this one without losing any of its accumulated character. If you were to buy this beauty, would you retain it as an original survivor, or would you yield to temptation and return it to its former glory?
Adam,
You realize that you put “1964” in the header.
It’s a ’63.
Reminds me of a 63 that a high school cheerleader would get dropped off in by her mom everyday! This was 1975. I was really into cars and knew what it was. I asked her about it and she told me I should come by and ask her dad about it because he wanted to sell it! It was equipped the same as this, but a dark red metallic. It was a real looker….so was the daughter!! His ask was $4500. I begged my parents to buy it, but they didn’t know what I did. I knew that car would be worth way more. Boy was I right!!
And now for the indoor headlight pic. “Oh no one will care one is out. We’re only asking 89K for it.”
T3 headlights are expensive now, LOL
“runs and rivers well”..someone’s proofreader has taken the day off.
Hood grate things are missing…
“Cookie sheets” are available on EBAY, varied prices ? This split window certainly cleaned up well from the as found pictures. only bad part is the Powerglide, even tho i’d like to call it mine but that “FUNDZALOW” is still dogging me
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=hood+grilles+1963+corvette&_sacat=6000
Seller is a dealer in Martinsburg. Most of his inventory is driver quality stuff you can actually drive. Great find. How can anyone leave something like this sit for 50 years. At least It was inside off the wet concrete floor.
You’re correct about the seller being a dealer. He’s been around for years. He use to sell a lot of junk, mostly project cars of questionable quality, at inflated prices, and often misrepresented. Lately he seems to be making an effort to sell cars that are at least driveable. This split actually looks pretty decent, though I think the price is strong, even for a dealer.
The beauty of this car is its condition, I would suggest if you want to take it to the next level, whatever that might be, pick another car. Nothing wrong with enjoying it and even adding elbow grease and taking care of it, but don’t try and change it’s personality, it is great as it is.J
The ’63 split window Corvette was one of my first model cars – I never considered having one when I started driving in 1972. In those days $4,500 was a lot of money and I was discouraged about the costs of insurance. Nine years later as the price kept falling on “old” cars, I had to pass on $2,450 for a ’67 E-Type – THE one that got away.
The model years I find affordable and most attractive are in the ’56 – ’60 year group.
After seeing the first picture and reading the first paragraph, it seemed crazy that this was going for 89K.
Watched the clean up video on this one and it’s a long way from done. Better to pay the extra $20K and get a finished car. Pass
The elephant in the room here is the transmission… it is undesirable and you can’t change it because it’s a numbers matching 63 swc… now there is a huge gap in value between a manila and auto transmission. The asking price is near the high end of a very good condition manual. That alone makes the car a non starter for any vette c2 enthusiast.
The first picture shows side pipes and the next picture just rocker trim
did we see this one before?? I would go over that frame with a fine tooth comb as it states it has had a repair already. Better know what you are buying for 90 large. Good luck and happy motoring!
Cheers
GPC
Is that a 64 hood on it? I don’t see any mounting holes for the grills
Seems it’s been around for sale for a while now since being discovered.