WIW 1969 Corvette
 

I had mistakenly posted this last week in the wrong section but going to give this another shot. This car was bought new in 69 and parked in early 80's. The owner passed and my buddy picked it up. We all grew up in the same town and we all new the car well and the new owner is someone that knew the family and purchased it after his recent passing. His intent was to bring the car back. He has restored a fair number of chevelles and impalas but this one may be outside what he is ready to dive in to.
Car is a 350 4spd car and the original owner put a GM big block hood on it shortly after purchasing. The body is in surprisingly good shape as is the interior however it has some rust issues; cross member, suspension components, radiator support, etc. He does not think the motor is locked, it rolls but no power (maybe wiring issues).
Dash and interior are really nice, nothing has been taken off the car, bumpers are straight.
Very original car but he may bail on it given the level of expertise needed.
Neither of us know much about these and curious what is may be worth if he decides to roll out which I think he will be doing shortly. If he does, I will share it here first if anyone is interested.
Thanks for any insights you can share.

Was that car in Natick ? The seats and door panels are 1972 and up. The steering wheel looks like 1968 simulated wood.

No it was not in Natick, Medfield though not unlikely it could have spent some time in Natick years ago.

Odd that the steering wheel, seats and panels would have been changed out but I am sure you know more than I do about these, appreciate the info and will pass along. Owner is under the impression it is all original which does not seem accurate.

25-30 years ago i saw it in a front yard in Natick Also it has the wrong Carburetor & Missing the smog pump

I was just looking at some nice C3's today after the LT1 posted in the for sale section here. BUNCH of normal SB cars that look nice in the 18-23K range. The 15K mileage survivor mostly original paint LT1 was asking $46K?

ASKING $16,900
https://www.cars-on-line.com/gen3-ca...posting/100925

Convert asking $25K
https://www.cars-on-line.com/gen3-ca.../posting/99190

SB convert asking $5,500
https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=162461

BB cars start in the 30's and some nice restored BB 427's for high 30 and 40's. So problem is PAINT on this will be $15K, plus mechanical, brakes, exh etc.

Really $3,500.00 is where I would put this non-runner. The 69 convert for $5,500 looked in nicer shape then this car, sorry.

From your description of rust and what can be clearly seen in the engine bay this rascal was not stored well or had an easy life. C3’s with std engines in this condition do not sell well due to rust/frame issues, I.e. what one normally doesn’t see. Friend needs to evaluate what parts are original and what’s not. Original block, heads, alternator, trans etc..

I may be mistaken, but I thought that all small block 69 Corvettes, 300 and 350 horse had metal fan shrouds.
That also appears to be a Big Block curved neck radiator. It also still has the bumps between the headlight doors and the hood. So it probably hasn't had any front end damage. The radio knobs are a later style. If he doesn't still have the factory side pipe covers, those can be pricey.

Not all small block 69 Corvettes came with metal fan shrouds. I sold my totally original L46 1969 Corvette and it had a plastic shroud.
The car being discussed might not have the "base" 350 as it has the finned aluminum valve covers; they were stock on the 350 hp L46 although they could have easily been added.
The major issue to be concerned about with this car would be frame / birdcage rust. It is very common and pricy to repair. Paint is also a very high ticket item on these cars so anyone who tackles this car could get upside down very quickly.

You are correct about the storage. In a driveway since roughly 1986 under a tarp so no doubt it has some significant issues and probably not worth the time or effort given what is needed. I had suggested that parting it out may be the way to go given what he has found so far. There is some rot in the lower windshield frame and that is a good indicator of what lies beneath. My buddy suffers from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and basically jumped on the car when it became available but may be a wash at the end of the day.
Thanks for chiming in, I will let him know and have been trying to steer him away from jumping in too deep with it. I think he thought it was more "original" than it is also and that seems to not be the case based on observations

See if you can find the build sheet on top of the gas tank, take the 4 screws out and remove the gas lid and pull the rubber boot back look in with a strong flashlight

God that reminds me of my first Corvette when I was 18 years old... Burgundy 69 L46 Coupe, mine had a L88 Hood & 9" wide westerns wheels with dark tint... wish I had a photo from then...
I returned it to it's original Daytona Yellow with a Flat hood... post haste.

By the time you are done with the birdcage, the rivets, and paint you are going to be 30k deep... and you still haven't addressed the frame or anything mechanical.

the owner of the LT1 I painted was next to me at the National show, after he sold the car he said that if he can break even (no labor) and put a car back on the road as a hobby he enjoys it. He told me that sending everything out and then him assembling everything .. .I mean everything which moved or ran - down to the steering column, gauge cluster, rear end, power window motors etc. etc he had 53k in cash outlay not including the initial purchase of the car. And he didn't have 30k in the paint even after paying someone else to paint the car the wrong color prior to bringing it to me.

Well after some further inspection and looking at what it will cost, he is going to move it on. He has someone looking at it this week end that will likely part it out and try to leverage a profit that way, someone from CT who does primarily just that. Thank you for all the feedback, sometimes the end does not justify the means.......