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Stingray Garage Find: 1965 Corvette Convertible

Parked in 1984, this ’65 Corvette convertible for many of us is a dream find. Equipped with a 327 V8 and a 4 speed manual transmission, does it get any better when it comes to a drop top find such as this Corvette? Solid and dusty, this ‘Vette will surely be a great project that will be on the roads again sooner than later. With several days remaining in the auction this Stingray has been bid up to $25,000. Check out this awesome find here on eBay out of Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

With little detailed information given on this Corvette, I would assume this to be a factory 327/ 4 speed car. There is no mention on whether or not the drive-train is original, but the seller has been gracious enough to include a photo of the block stamping. The engine turns over, but this is not a running project as of yet. Hopefully with some delicate cleaning and fresh fluids this Chevy could come to life. With plenty of dust and shaky photos, it is difficult to see all of the fine details of the engine compartment.

The interior is just as dusty and dirty as the exterior and the engine compartment, but looks to be in fair condition overall. The dash and door panels look acceptable, but the seats look like they may have some mold and moisture issues. I would imagine that this car would wind up being restored, but in my eyes, it would be a neat survivor, depending on what this car really looks like in the flesh.

Could you imagine being the person to find and claim this sweet Corvette as your own? The excitement of pulling this fine machine from its resting place of the last 34 years would have me hyperventilating. I am sure the lucky person who found it was more than thrilled with their acquisition.

Cleaned up, and out in the open, you can really appreciate this Corvette’s condition. Overall the body and paint seem very reasonable with no apparent cracks in the fiberglass, and with only a few blemishes in the paint. The chrome bumpers are pitted, but could likely be cleaned up a little better than what they are now.  The convertible top is present, but only for “looks.” There are a set of Chevy S10 wheels fitted to the front, and I would assume the factory steelies are missing. With a car of this caliber I think it’s a difficult debate to decide whether or not to restore or preserve such a machine. What do you think? Would you restore or preserve this ’65 Stingray?

Comments

  1. Avatar Alex

    Wow this thing is amazing never seen one like that before.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar george

    another lazy ebay description.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Mountainwoodie

      Really curious. Why do sellers of interesting cars that they obviously bought from the owner not give more detailed descriptions? Maybe they figure those in “the know” would be able to discern the genuineness of the car but that seems like a long away around to sell this. More detail, more bidders. Common sense.

      Like 0
      • Avatar 1st Gear

        They’re dickheads,not gearheads.

        Like 1
  3. Avatar Mark S.

    I think the best thing for this is a refurbishment, clean and detail it and fix what needs fixing. Have a good painter touch up and polish this paint, and replace the top.

    Like 0
    • Avatar oilngas

      Add Cragers. :)

      Like 1
  4. Avatar Matt

    I would put a new top on, get it running, and drive it as is. They’re only original once.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Andre

    That’s exactly how I’d configure a mid year. Ragtop/4-speed/SBC

    Like 0
    • Avatar Craig M. Bryda

      Yup

      Like 0
  6. Avatar Nova Scotian

    Mmmmm….delicious!

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Joe

    Oh to be a peasant in a land of plenty. I would make it a daily driver.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar 86 Vette Convertible

    I know more than one person that would likely give their first born for that car. I wouldn’t put it out, rather put it my 86 & T-bird but then again that’s just me.
    I wouldn’t restore it, rather fix what’s needed and drive the wheels off it.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar jerry

    It’s an original engine. The VIN is stamped on the block.

    Like 0
  10. Avatar Rx7turboII

    Thank you to all the flippers for keeping the economy going and the barn finds coming. The only reason people hate flippers is because the haters didn’t find the deal themselves. STOP THE HATE…LOVE THY FLIPPER! 💕 LMFAO!!

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Rain Daily

    If
    I.Got Tons O’Money
    is Ur name…
    this is the car for U !

    Like 0
  12. Avatar MikeSuperSport

    This car has a similar story to mine which was off the road sine 1988 for 25 yrs. Looking like a base model you can make it an investment if you do the work needed yourself or just the mechanics to make it reliable and safe.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Craig M. Bryda

    A bargain if it doesn’t go too much higher.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Joe Haska

    Never had a Corvette, but I would like to have this one, but why didn’t the finder/buyer get the “Trumpet” next to it. That would be the daily double for sure, I have owned one of those.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Pa Tina

    Full restoration. Drive it daily if you can. Have a ton of fun. Leave it to your kids. That’s what these cars were made for. Let some OCD bean-counter worry about the “Investment aspect” while you and your significant other are enjoying life.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar DRV

    My L79 had that carburetor. Check those engine numbers!

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Jason G.

    nothing but scrap that burnt that guy is not telling the story about. So wrong!! Prescreen would have been ideal in this case. For us treu barn guys this a fake.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Jason G.

      Funny pics on google with whole story. Sad to the barn find people. And the car is worth 12K not a penny more. View hemmings motor news or classic and theres 3 that are not BURNT to a crisp.

      Like 0
  18. Avatar Jason G.

    Love the BARN FIND flour bag poured in camera angle. GREAT JOB!!!! Oh thats 38 years of white dust. UNREAL

    Like 0
    • Avatar dgrass

      You do realize that a car looks like this after 30+ years of dust and grime accumulation? You can’t fake it with a bag of flour. It might be a good idea to think about what you are trying to convey before you post, because you are not doing this community, the site, or yourself any favors by posting crap like this.

      Only worth 12K? Low retail on these is around 50K, high retail going for around 100K. Seems the bidders have a better idea of the true value on this than you do sir.

      *tips hat*

      Like 0
      • Avatar Jason G.

        I would agree if the sold at Barrett didnt fetch 23K. Focus in on pictures and examine the true junk find. Only stated the VETTE is a complete piece of scrap parts. As for the FLOUR comment goes GOOGLE IT!!! Hats off to ya friend. Have a great day!! Jason

        Like 0
    • Avatar Rich

      Wow. That nonexistent ignore button would be getting a work out with Jasons today!

      Like 0
    • Avatar Pete

      I went back and looked at the pics again. I saw the one of the hood with a white powder residue. I guess that could be flour or fire extinguisher powder, hell might even be mortar mix or sheetrock dust. That one pic doesn’t match the grime on the rest of the car before it got cleaned I will give you that. I guess it could have been cooked in a fire or near one if that is what your saying. I would say that it wasn’t scrap though. There is a lot to work with there. Far better than some of the other vettes listed here in the past that were burnt to a crisp or rotted all to hell. Then again you may have had dealings with this seller and carry a resentment. I got a few myself with a few other sellers.

      Like 0
  19. Avatar Cmarv Member

    Looks like it has a magneto , more than likely why the shielding is missing . I like it . It is 2 hours away from me . I got a rollback too . I need to stop looking at this thing right now !

    Like 0
    • Avatar Cmarv Member

      Original color ,Glen Green . Black vinyl interior . Looks like weathered leather now . Magneto is more than likely the non start problem . I got to stop looking at this car .

      Like 0
      • Avatar doug

        That is NOT a magneto, it’s a Mallory distributor.

        Like 0
  20. Avatar Grid Michal

    First, a while ago I kept seeing these vehicles parked 30 years ago; now we’re up a couple of years. I ask again: what happened 30-35 years ago that caused these barn finds to be parked? That would have been +/- 1985. I could understand K-cars, Lincoln Versailles, baby Caddys, but Vettes? Avantis? It’s like a whole world of neat transportation found its way to the Brea Tar Pits.
    Second, I’m a marine engine tech by trade. Excellent tech, yes. Sales savvy,no. I bought a Whaler ($1250) I serviced for a yacht club because I felt sorry for it and the way it was treated, kissed it and made it well for another $3600, sold it for $4700, only lost $150 in 6 months. The people who bought it didn’t understand boats, destroyed the engine. I felt sorry again, gave them $3700 for the boat and took the love child away, where I again made it pretty and did a major rebuild on the engine. At this point, if I sell it for $6000 I’ll only lose a grand, which seems to be the way my perspective of the boating industry works. This particular purchase/sale/re-purchase/re-sale may be a “flipper” in the auto or housing industry, but we try to avoid that word when bounding along the river at warp speed and finding a tsunami-sized wave appearing out of nowhere. With what I’ve lost on boats and 55-57 TBirds, I could have bought the Playboy Mansion and died broke. But happy. Very, very happy.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Rx7turboII

    Jason, I find it funny that my comment had nothing to do with personally insulting you but halfway through your statement you insult the kind of car I drive just because it’s not a muscle car. What does one have to do with the other just out of curiosity? I never made any personal or verbal attacks to you and yet you feel the need to attack what I drive as a way of being a total jerk. I personally don’t care what you think in the least bit, doesn’t really make my day bad, change my mind or anything like that we are both entitled to our opinion but I just want to point out for the record that attacking me is pretty childish and what I drive has nothing to do with my comment.I WORK HARD For my money and buying and selling broken/ fixer upper cars is the only way I survive month to month. NOBODY forces those people to accept any offers on their cars. If you offer someone money for something and they accept it and you get a good deal, that makes you a bad person now? Lol. You need to STOP name calling. Oh and by the way, my RX-7 is completely stock with no fart can like you expelled in your verbal diarrhea rant to me.. I come here because ALL CAR LOVERS ARE WELCOME HERE, not just “true muscle cars” people like you think only make the world go round. Cars are cars Jason…there were cars before ” muscle cars”….lol

    Like 0
    • Avatar justbob

      jason
      so you think $3,000 would be a FAIR number. thats a joke right?

      Like 0
    • Avatar Rich

      Jason is just jealous. An ignore button would come in handy, wouldn’t it? And I’m with you on flippers! I’m happy that someone got to the car and saved it or any other car. And furthermore… I’ve only driven RX7’s never owned one but they were great fun. I liked the ones I drove and would buy one if the price was right.

      Cheers.

      Like 0
  22. Avatar Jim C

    Nice if you could get it for the $20 something the bids at now . I would just clean & detail it after getting it running. Then use it as is.

    Like 0
  23. Avatar 1965 Impala

    My father-in-law has one in pretty much the same shape if not slightly more complete and it’s been garaged for about the same amount of time. 1965, Red w/white top, 327/4 speed, 2nd owner yadda yadda. Knowing he’ll likely never get around to making it drivable again I keep urging him to sell it and buy the other car he always talks about – his first, a 56 Belair 2 door hardtop red & white. Even as big of a dream as that Corvette is I’d much rather them spend their final decade+/- enjoying a more dependable comfortable classic than even fooling with this beauty. It seems a shame to have the bug and not drive one. For many people that trade wouldn’t even be considered a downgrade. I think the 56 would have to stir up enough nostalgia and fall in his lap for any of that to happen.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bish

      And where is his car?
      Sounds nice. I’d like the red with white much better. And what interior does it have?

      Like 0
      • Avatar 1965 Impala

        Pensacola, Florida. Black interior

        Like 0
    • Avatar Bish

      Would be nice!

      Like 0
  24. Avatar J Holt

    Rebuild the motor and trans, new radiator and heater core, go thru the rear end, redo the brakes, Fix what needs to be fixed, set of cragars and street ET tires, just drive :)

    Like 0
  25. Avatar Lew

    I’d get it running reliablely and drive it! What a fun car to drive!

    Like 0
  26. Avatar Pete

    I am not a fan of fiberglass cars at all. I doubt I will ever own a Vette unless I find one for the price of a VW and can flip it so I can buy what I really want. Had I found this one, I would have got it safe to drive and thrown a new top on it and then sold it to the next Vette lover cause this is sure the right combination even if the black exterior isn’t the right color. Sometimes I get jealous of a few flippers because they beat me to a car I would like to have for what they paid for it. But this is murica and that is what we do to make a living. It is at 26K now, your gonna need again that much to turn it into a barrett jackson quality car. I dunno it might be worth the effort.

    Like 0
  27. Avatar Wayne

    This was the centerfold I had on my wall!

    Like 0
  28. Avatar George

    running a magneto and a 600 Hollry…interesting car!

    Like 0
  29. Avatar BRAKTRCR

    People often ask, how does this happen? How can a car just be left like that? I think, it comes from a minor repair needed, and the owner procrastinating on getting that done
    In the garage, or barn, it gets a box set on it, just for today, and then another. The tires get soft, and cracked, and the registration expires. Ultimately, a friend or relative, takes an interest and the car gets sold.
    I haven’t been inside my 89 for a year… I think I better get some air in the tires, fix the tranny cable, and get the boxes off the rear deck
    Otherwise, it’s going to be featured here, with a bunch of people tearing down C4’s

    Like 0
  30. Avatar Puckster

    Nope! The clock doesn’t work so stay away from this one. You definitely shouldn’t bid on this one. 🤫😎

    Like 0
  31. Avatar Rustytech Member

    The body looks good, but this is a rust belt car, so check the metal stuff closely.

    Like 0
  32. Avatar DRV

    The motor numbers say it’s a ’65 number 121,357 from the flint plant on June 28 with hydraulic lifter high horsepower 350 hp.

    Like 0
    • Avatar DRV

      The 121357 is the VIN to match the car that is.

      Like 0
  33. Avatar PRA4SNW

    If this year’s Barrett Jackson Scottsdale auction taught us anything about mid-year Vettes, it’s that this will sell for good money and appear in next year’s auction as a 200K resto-mod.

    Seeing all those C1s and C2s turned into monstrosities brought a tear to my eye.

    Like 0
  34. Avatar Rx7turboII

    @Jason…
    You go ahead and keep believing the story about the Vietnam vet 63 chevy and also keep believing in unicorns too… they’re both b.s., but if that’s what keeps you going…lol

    Love , butt hurt rx7 fart can guy…

    Like 0
  35. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Ended: Jan 27, 2018 , 8:42PM
    Winning bid:US $31,868.00
    [ 68 bids ]

    Like 0

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