Questionable Trade for 67- How crazy am I?

Wife just got a 2019 GT so she says my Corvette needs to go. Ok, its not really like that. I've had the Corvette for 17 years (well before kids) and now with 2 kids that barely fit in her 2019 Mustang and only one of them is old enough to ride in the Corvette it was time to go. Keep in mind the Vette as 130k miles and is a wee worn out. And has a bad leak on the front main seal that I'm not looking forward to fixing (I'd do it myself).



So I put it up on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace at a "I don't really want to sell it that badly price". But it's a yellow 6-speed convertible, a pretty rare combination.

I get very few bites, lots of offers to trade for guns and Mustangs (Fox body stuff). Finally I get an interesting but not great trade offer for a 2006 Mustang GT with 5 speed. 150k miles but in perfect condition. Don't want it but it's a nice car. So I tell the guy that the only car I'd think about trading for is a 64-66 Mustang convertible... Because I want a classic car and enough room for the whole fam.

He says, what about a 67.

I say, I'm listening!



Turns out it's a 1967 convertible, 6 cylinder, auto. Under that dirt is fresh paint, all the bodywork was done and the guy has too many other projects and lost interest. And he has a hankering for a yellow Corvette, with a manual and convertible...

We've negotiated at this point a straight swap. Asking price on the Vette was $5250.

The bodywork was done and it's really nice, including floors. I know it looks horrid with it so dirty in the pictures but I saw it in person. It's going to looking shockingly good after a bath. There are apparently many new parts for the interior but I'm not worried. I'd get a full interior kit in a heartbeat if needed.

The only oddity I've found so far is the quarter panels are weird. The owner thinks they are original but they are missing the vent ornaments. And there are no holes for them. The best I can tell is that at some point they were replaced with something like this:

https://www.drakeautomotivegroup.com/67-68-lh-quarter-panel-skin-c7zz-6527841-s

I assume that a long time ago the it's was too expensive to reproduce the 1967 quarter panel so these ones were made? Thoughts?

My plans would be to replace the interior, get it running and then start modding. Yes, a V-8 would be in the works. Sorry, but it has to be. Maybe some GT trim including hood. I want to keep the mods period so 289 or 302 and only factory upgrades.

I've been working on cars and bikes since I was 15 so about the only thing I've never tackled is rebuilding an auto tranny. Interior or even an engine rebuild is no big deal.

So... how crazy am I?

All bodywork including new floors is already done.



I believe it just needs undercoated.

Car was apparently driven into the garage and taken apart.



It wouldn’t shock me for this thing to fire up. New gas tank, so if the fuel line hasn’t been replaced I’d do that first.





I’d get the six running before making major changes. My optimistic estimate is a driver in less than a year with my limited time (couple hours a night).

Inspiration:

The biggest question is to put an approximate value on the project Mustang. Not that it really matters but for conversation’s sake.

I like this person.

ravenofpoe said:

You sound like your tired of the vette. You've had it for years and years, and despite your willingness to rebuild a whole car you are blanching at a rear main seal. You expressed a desire for a car that can hold a kid or two. Is it really about price or are you wondering if you want to commit?

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It's not that I'm not able to fix the Vette, it's that there's no reward for fixing it. I can't drive it much with the youngest kid (any kid-free time is on one of my bikes) so even if I put the effort into making it perfect, or just fixing the leak, it will still just sit there.

It's like when you work on someone else's car for free, the only satisfaction is helping someone else. So to me the Vette is someone else's car now. Even if that's just in my head.

But I know I would get something out of fixing up the Mustang, and I could take any or all of the family. And I'd still have a convertible. And I'd have a classic car (I've had classics before so I enjoy the scene) again. That's the reward for working on that car.

Does that make sense?

rbohm said:

my advice would be to check the stang over VERY CAREFULLY. fresh paint and body work will hide a lot of sins. i doubt the quarter panels are original though, since they are missing the mounting holes for the side pieces.

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I’m just hoping side scoops fit right where those side pieces were suppose to go. Heck, I could even run cooling vents to the rear brakes...

Ok, deal is going down on Thursday. So far you guys haven't talked me out of it.

I'm having second thoughts about modifying the 6 cylinder car. One option would be to just build it back up and sell it and get a proper V-8 convertible. I'm not sure if there is a significant value difference between a six, a six with a V-8 and an original V-8 car. I know a ton of six cars have been converted to V-8s.

With the alternate quarter panels I'm ok with other modifications. It's not like it will be a concours car anyways. I mean, what better excuse to slap some real scoops on the side?



As per usual I'm overthinking the whole thing. But I've running across several 289s that have been pulled from running cars and the engine and tranny are in the sub-$500 range. Seems ridiculous to spend any time on the six when a drop-in V-8 is so readily available.

2Blue2 said:

Yuppers


Don't get hung up on stock value of this or modified value of that, Do what makes YOU happy and if you do a nice job it will have value.

Man that Shelby is to die for.

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How that lottery ticket of yours?


$220k and that was a couple years ago. It's now a low, low $240k.

Hate to tell you but even if you hit the jackpot on every one of those tickets you might come up short. Not that you’d complain.