No Reserve: 1970 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
After thirty years in their care, the owners of this 1970 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray have decided that the time has come for it to find a new home. They are the car’s seconds owners, and the indications are that they have treated the Stingray with care and respect for the past three decades. I’m not sure if it’s perfect, but it rates as one of the tidiest survivors that you will find in today’s market. The Corvette is located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has reached $20,202 in this No Reserve auction.
The Corvette is a fantastic survivor that looks eye-catching in Donnybrooke Green. The seller doesn’t indicate whether it has received any paint or panel restoration during its life. If it hasn’t, that makes its condition all the more impressive. The paint shines superbly, without a sign of chips or marks. The fiberglass is equally faultless, making the overall initial impression very positive. There is no evidence of cracks or crazing and no signs of prior accident repairs. The underside is nearly as spotless as the exterior. There is some light surface corrosion, but nothing that should cause potential buyers any concerns. The seller says that the Stingray has been garage-kept since new and that it has never seen rain. When you look at the vehicle’s general condition, these claims seem plausible. The chrome, trim, badges, and wheels are in as-new condition, while the glass appears flawless.
The Corvette’s mechanical configuration is a bit of a mystery. We know that the original owner ordered it with a 350ci V8 and a four-speed manual transmission, but we are in the dark beyond that. I believe that it would either be the standard or the L46 version of the small-block because the car doesn’t feature that domed hood or decals that indicate that it sports the then newly introduced LT1. That means the buyer will have at least 300hp at their command, and the resulting performance would feel pretty impressive. The ¼ mile should disappear in 14.7 seconds, while the speedometer should be nudging 123mph before the 350 runs out of breath. I can spot aftermarket headers on this motor, and if the carburetor has received an upgrade, that may have set loose a few extra horses. The seller indicates that the Corvette is essentially in good mechanical health, with no issues with either the engine or transmission. The exhaust looks reasonably new, but there are a couple of issues for the buyer to tackle. There is oil weeping from one valve cover that will require attention. The brakes also pull to one side, so that will require further investigation. I would make that a priority before I attempted any extended journeys. Otherwise, it appears that this is a turn-key classic that should provide its next owner with plenty of motoring joy.
The theme of spotless presentation continues when we turn our attention to this Corvette’s interior. The owner has added an aftermarket wheel, a Hurst shifter, and radio/cassette player, but there have been no further modifications. They recently fitted new leather seatcovers, but the only other issue that the buyer may choose to address is the tired center console armrest. It looks out of place when compared to the remaining interior trim, but since leather replacements cost around $81, it isn’t something that will break the bank. Otherwise, it appears that the interior needs nothing. It isn’t loaded with optional extras, but the tilt/telescopic wheel should help most drivers to find a comfortable seating position.
When you consider the overall condition of this 1970 Corvette Stingray, it probably sits a rung above the average driver-quality examples that you see in today’s market. Its needs are few, and addressing them would not be an expensive proposition. It has generated plenty of interest to this point, attracting an impressive forty-eight bids at the time of writing. Are you tempted to submit the forty-ninth in the hope that this stunning survivor finds its way into your garage? If you do, I could hardly blame you.
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Comments
So few ‘vettes of any vintage in dark green – rich looking indeed!
Sure is a beauty. Leaking valve cover would be no problem. Brakes not much of a problem either. I would love to park this one in my garage.
Very good looking overall, Big question is where are all these C3’s and Bug Eyed Sprites coming from? I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen this many in such a short time.
Beautiful car and, with due diligence, could be well worth the money. Being picky the seller, perhaps, doesn’t know the car well…it’s obvious the valve covers and headers are not original I would strongly suspect the paint is not original considering the condition of the front license plate bracket. It some saw some inclement weather.
Again, it’s a nice car and anything up to $25-ish would be a decent buy.
Oh how I hate to see a car like this with generic, universal, one size fits all spark plug wires. They ruin the looks of the car in the engine compartment.
Wonder where the compressor went? What else is missing? Non stock shifter. No photos of a rust belt frame. Tread carefully.
Having owned a numbers matching green ’70 convertible with all matching numbers, I think that the current bid of $21,600 is an okay buy, but I would suspect that the engine numbers will not match – the seller claims that original engine / tranny is “not confirmed”, yet it would take about an hour to easily check this.
To many, these numbers will not matter, but they do affect value when it comes time for you to sell it.
They din’t leave the factory with paint that good, so it’s not original paint. How after 30 years they can’t confirm original engine? Not that difficult. Leaves me thinking there’s a lot more they don’t want to share.
Is that gas filter stock? Is an upgrade to power brakes a good idea on these cars?
That paint is awesome but the seat covers are awful. Nice car.
Yes, there is something strange about the color of Light Saddle interior pieces on the aftermarket. They are always too light. And even after many years, they don’t darken to the color of the existing stuff.
I did my door panels and they stuck out like a sore thumb.
No, that filter was added.
Mine did not have power brakes. It is just something that you get used to;
Aftermarket steering wheel ?
Very nice C3. Probably NOM and there’s little bits like missing ignition shielding; but I’d love to have it in my garage. I miss my 72 which had its warts as well.
I notice so many of the Vettes are missing the factory ignition distributor shielding and factory braided shielded plug wires . . No mention of the factory tach drive distributors . . I had a 69 big block Vette missing the shielding when I got it . . Didn’t seem to matter much on FM . . AM reception was almost non existent without the shielding . . I replaced the shielding but not the factory plug wires . . Mine had the factory transitorized tach drive distributor . .
only thing I would change is the later model steering wheel….
Dump the steering wheel and add correct year side pipes. Very Nice!
There were no side pipes in 1970. The ONLY year the factory put them on C3s was 1969.
For what Titantic condition Mopar and Ford Bronco junk sell for today, this car is a steal. The original 70 small block line up was 300, 350 and 370 hp. So with air cond this cannot be am LT-1. All great engines. One year color only. Dump that cheap steering wheel. Repo is $199. Find the AC compressor and dump the Chinese plug wires. I recently put seat covers in my 73 coupe with code 415, Medium Saddle. Perfect. Got them from Corvette America. Made in PA near PSU.
George, my interior items from Corvette America. Yes, I love their stuff, but the interior Medium Saddle DO NOT match the 1970 original color. It’s not just them, it’s an issue with all the vendors.
There is a lot of discussion about this on the forums.
I must be a Junk lover.
2013 Charger original owner, 156K miles, not a single issue. I would say I’ve gotten my money’s worth.
Future Bronco owner. I attended one of their Off-Rodeos and these vehicles are built Ford tough!
You seem to hate everything that was built in the last 2 decades when vehicles have become way more reliable world-wide and last 3 times longer – better value than ever.
I thought they had resistor spark plugs even in the ’60s – so why have all that shielding?
If you install an HEI distributor in a ’68-74, will the factory tach work properly with it, changing just the wire connector(s)?
& again, would shielding/static suppression be irrelevant/unnecessary?
A smaller flat steering wheel(like this one) that does not block the gages might be a good idea – to move the wheel further from one’s chest, especially if you are “husky”, tho i would imagine chevy fans would be even more upset if this vette had a pontiac formula steering wheel installed. lol
Ended:Oct 28, 2021 , 6:39PM
Winning bid:
US $26,300.00
[ 73 bids ]
I think the seller made out like a bandit on this deal.
If you want your factory Tachometer to work on your C -3’s you must have the tach drive distributor . . I don’t know what year Vettes went to electronic tachs. . I had to replace a broken tach drive cable on my 69 . .
I did a search and it seems they do make a HEI distributor that has the mechanical tach drive . . Fits several model year Vettes . . Aftermarket , of course . .