30 Hard Years of Storage: 1973 Chevrolet Corvette
We have all suffered through that phase where we wanted a particular project car and ended up grabbing the first grubby example we could at a price that should have been seen as a sign of impending doom. Or, we have seen a car down on its luck about to be junked, butchered, or parted out, and purchased just to save it. Well, this 1973 Chevrolet Corvette is the automotive equivalent of the Bat Signal shining into the clouds for situations like this. At the low end of its value and in a condition that could charitably be called “rough,” this Corvette desperately needs a good home and someone to bring it back to its glory. Is this mild custom fresh out of thirty years of storage a bargain at the $3,750 asking price or a down payment on years of misery and bankruptcy?
As usual for a Craigslist ad, the seller is a little short on details. We are told that this 1973 Chevrolet Corvette is all original from front to back and has just 78,000 miles on the odometer. It is currently a non-running project car that has a “Burt Reynolds color scheme.” Yes, that is in the ad. The additional statement that it has been sitting around for thirty years goes a long way toward explaining its rather moldy and rough condition.
Despite what we see at first glance, there may be some cautious cause for optimism for this Corvette. First off, 1973 is one of those odd transitional years for Corvettes. The front end was changed to a more crash-resistant design to satisfy Federal regulations. Gone was the brutish but handsome chrome front end that the car had worn since its 1968 redesign. Chrome bumpers were still out back in 1973, but would be gone a year later. Values for 1973 Corvettes are down in comparison to earlier years for this reason. However, they do sell for more than the 1975-1976 Corvettes that follow them. 1973s are also unusual enough to attract attention at car shows for those Corvette fans who know what they are looking at.
Speaking of shows, this car has the look of an early 1970s mild show car. The very dark brown (maybe black?) paint with contrasting gold is not a factory color combination. The gold may have been painted over the original color and the mag wheels are certainly not stock either. Yet the combination is oddly pleasing and eye-catching in its way. Too bad you can’t polish this car’s finish back to acceptability. When you look closer at the rest of the car, you see such positives as good chrome, and vinyl seats that may spiff up enough to be presentable after a lot of mold and mildew cleaner, and a general absence of the butchery that many of these Corvettes endured back then at the hands of neighborhood-level George Barris wannabe customizers.
Above is a picture of the engine compartment. While there are problems such as a busted fan shroud and some non-standard equipment, chances are that this is the original engine. Looking as close as possible to the plate on the center console, this is likely the mid-range 350 cubic inch V-8 with 250 horsepower. The car is equipped with an automatic transmission and power brakes, and it likely has power steering as well. I do not believe it was originally equipped with air conditioning. If any readers can tell despite the obvious lack of a compressor, please let us know in the comments.
Make no mistake. A lot of folding money will need to be parted with to make this car as nice as it was back in the day. A new nose will be needed along with a back glass. Add to that the incredible number of parts and pieces that you inevitably need to replace on a car like this. Still, this forlorn Corvette has a certain charm to it that makes it hard to walk away from. Hopefully, one of our readers will take pity on it and cart it home for some much-needed TLC.
If you are short on seed money to start a Corvette project, but long on ambition and optimism, then this 1973 Chevrolet Corvette may be your starting point. This former 1970s mild custom is fresh out of a rather challenging long-term storage situation and can be yours for just $3,750. It is currently for sale on Craigslist in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Comments
At that price it would be hard not to buy it. As for the AC, the multiple groove pulley would indicate AC as well as the two disconnected fittings on the evaporator/heater box. Ditch the wheels, get rid of the air shocks, clean and repaint and you’ve got a fun car to drive.
Also, no vent above the gauges.
This is the last year for the handsome rear-end, before they stuck the marshmallow back there in ’74. It comes with a paint scheme I find rather nice too. And unless there is serious cancer underneath that’s not being shown, this car at that price would make a fine starting point. So, roll up your sleeves and get to work, as there’s lots of available and inexpensive parts to get ‘er done.
Sorry, but I always preferred the….as you put it…marshmallow.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so is ugly.
Clean it up put on side pipes some racing fuel and enjoy the smell at stop lights..
I think I see L-82 valve covers. Maybe $3750 is a good price.
This thing is a wreck. Parts car maybe?
I don’t know, at this price it may not be all that bad of a buy. I mean. sure it has a ton of negatives: it’s ugly as hell, it’s an automatic, it’s in horrible shape, and the list goes on. I have to believe that given the asking price that it doesn’t run, but small block Chevy’s are a dream to work on, and every part known to man is readily available. This thing might be just the ticket for some looking to get a fun driver for under 10 grand.
Charlie, I might have agreed with you 10 months ago,not now. I took on a project that had been in at least 40 years of storage and it looked better than this Corvette. I at least doubled what I thought it would cost. Storage is no better than use and abuse. I had to rebuild and replace parts that I never thought could be bad. It worked out but I was way too optimistic. Be realistic, I wasn’t.
Optimistic? Perhaps, but I still feel like 10 grand (not including the purchase price) could make this thing a decent driver. (Although I will readily admit that I haven’t taken one on recently) My 74 year old brain sometimes defaults to a time when absolutely everything was much more reasonable than it is now.
You can find something much better for 13 to 14 K, and not have to lift a finger.
Charles, You just addressed something I didn’t address I am 81 years old and probably dyslexic as in my mind I think I am 18. There is a chance you may have the same problem ,if you do ,it will cost money. I am not a Corvette expert, even though I have had a lot of experience with them over the years. My recent problem was with a 73 Ford P/U, I am just winging it here, but I think the Corvette will be worse. Do your homework just because it looks OK doesn’t mean it is. I don’t know how you can know. Certainly take every part that you are at least 60% sure, it might be a problem and multiply it by at least two. In my case it would have been 3 or more. The good thing is I am not totally upside down, but not close to where I thought I would be. I wish you luck, I will be curious if you do it and are successful! joe
Joe, personally I would never buy this car for 3 reasons: 1, I already have a 2000 FRÇ that is the last Vette I intend to own. 2, I absolutely would never buy an automatic Vette. 3, I built hot rods and street sweepers for 57 years, but I am way too old to do it now. Still, it would be interesting to see what 10 grand in the right hands could do with this thing. (Hell, you can buy a 430+ horse 383 stroker carb to oil pan brand new for 6 grand)
That’s probably true, but we were talking about this çar in particular. I suspect that you could buy any number of neat cars for 13 grand.
I’d have to replace the nose that’s if l could find one and maybe l could work with the rest of the car but given the work needed l’d probably just buy a decent 73. Besides my 73 would have to be a convertible and that’s non negotiable.
Gone.
Even at that price, just pray that the frame (I can’t see any pictures now that it is gone) isn’t swiss cheese.