Solid Project: 1968 Chevrolet Corvette
UPDATE – This Corvette sold for $8,411 after we first featured it. Well, it’s popped back up here on eBay but it is now in Florida with a new seller and bidding has already reached $13,900. Will you be bidding this time around?
1968 was a fun time for the Chevrolet Corvette, as it was the first year of the third-generation cars and the inaugural year of removable roof panels, or T-Tops as they commonly became known in the following decade. The third-gen ‘Vettes spanned 3 decades and stayed in production all the way up until 1982, and while some refinements were made during the course it’s always nostalgic to own a first-year C3, plus the small-block versions are still often affordable and make good projects that typically don’t cost you an arm and a leg. Although it does need to be completely gone through, this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette available here on eBay seems to have some pretty good bones, and so far bidding has only reached $6,950. The car is located in Oswego, Illinois, and there’s no reserve so the high bidder has bought the car.
The seller bought the Corvette about a year ago and tells us that prior to his ownership the car had sat in a dry storage area since the late ’80s. He says most of the fiberglass is in good condition, though there are a few areas that will need minor repairs to fix some chips. Originally the car was blue and at some point in time was painted black, and while the finish doesn’t look all that bad I’m not sure the respray was a 5-star quality job when it was applied, or maybe it’s just that the hood area looks a bit faded. In any event, if you’re just looking for a driver, perhaps the exterior may present acceptably as it is for the next owner.
The 350 is not the original engine, and we only get this one photo from under the hood. The motor is not currently running, with nothing further mentioned about why, but since it’s not numbers-matching anyway even if it’s locked up it shouldn’t be too difficult to source another small block and drop it in. There’s also an automatic transmission, which the seller says does shift through all the gears but he’s unsure of its overall condition.
The interior seems fairly complete, sans radio, and the passenger side lock is also missing which prevents that door from opening. There are some tears in the driver’s seat, but to be over 50 years old things actually look reasonably good inside there. The dashboard is not cracked, and the rear cargo area is stated to be in decent shape. The glass is all said to be good, although the rear window will need to be reinstalled as it’s currently just propped up in place.
Underneath some rust on the surface is said to be a good and solid underside, with no rot or cancer that the seller knows of other than the fuel tank, which will likely need to be replaced. The spare tire carrier is said to look good, with no cracks as far as the owner can tell. While this one is definitely in need of quite a bit of attention, it may be a viable C3 project especially if you happen to have access to a running Chevy small block. What are your thoughts on this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette?
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Comments
Motor is not running but the transmission shifts through all the gears?
If the passenger side door won’t open, it’s not because the lock is missing (I can tell from the pictures that only the ten dollar lock knob is missing, the mechanism’s there). If it won’t open it’s because the lock rod, or one of the door opening rods, is bent or has come loose. When this happens, it makes it a real pain to get the door open, but not impossible.
The rear window in 68-72 coupes is removable, so it won’t need to be “reinstalled”, it only needs to be put back up and latched.
A warning to any potential buyer, 68’s are full of hard to find, one year only parts, that are often more expensive than similar parts for 69 and up Corvettes. But if the car’s structurally sound, and the price stays in the $7000 to $9000 range, it might be a good car for someone.
What gbvette62 said is on the money. Very expensive to correctly restore a 68 and there is plenty missing here. C3 Corvettes are money pits. I know.
At least they’re not just flipping it. Seller’s description says the car runs and drives, and the brakes have been gone thru.