1972 corvette questin

I was offered the following.

1972 white corvette. Rebuilt about 20 years ago runs perfect. Driven about 2000 miles per year. We know the seller.

I have not seen it. I was told something special about the wipers....no idea Chrome bumper front and rear

4 spd. t-top.

88,000 miles.

This sounds like a nice car to add. I am not sure what the value should be.

Please list some things to look for. The seller does very well. He wants to sell the Corvette for a Dodge... no accounting for some peoples tastes. He is looking for $12,000 and tells me it is worth much more.

Please help with your info.

Reply to
rebco10
Loading thread data ...
  1. Look at the frame rails for rusting , especially just ahead of the rear wheels.
  2. CHeck around the windshield header and side pillars for rust.
  3. Id pay to have a good mechanic look over the car checking all mechanicals.
  4. Id have an experienced body man look over the car for accidents/exterior panel replacements/ bondo repairs.
  5. Id ask for all repair reciepts and maintenance reciepts.
  6. Check for matching numbers on the drivetrain.

Email me for an e-list of 75 things to check on a C3 Vette prepared by a corvette expert.

Reply to
dave

Please post the list of 75 things to check here...

Reply to
My Names Nobody

Run your hand just on the inside of the wheel wells. You are looking for a seam where they have grafted on a new bodypanel. It means its been in an accident.

Check for rust on the inside of the top of the windshield frame.

Check the headlight frames, they are made of potmetal and the screws freeze and you can't adjust them without breaking them.

What type of calipers does he have? If they are stock, then what type of brake fluid? If he uses normal break fluid, then the caliper cylnders can rust and leak on long runs. Usually replaced with stainless steel calipers. Its a general problem with cars that are stored and not run much.

The door panels are notorious for having the arm rests wear.

That's all I can remember - its been 20 years s> 1. Look at the frame rails for rusting , especially just ahead of the > rear wheels.

Reply to
Eugene Blanchard

Value is way too difficult to guess at without a full description plus pictures - and even then, it'd only be the roughest of estimates since we can't see it in person.

How much work and/or additional funds do you want to put into the car? Everything can be fixed - for a price. Fully test out every function you can and then decide if you are capable of fixing it or paying to have it done.

A couple things to look for in addition to regular engine, trans, windows, a/c, etc.:

- make sure the headlights and wipers operate correctly. The headlight doors and wiper door should fully open and close when activated - they're both run off of a vacuum system that can be troublesome with aging hoses and diaphrams.

- check to make sure the spare tire carrier is under the rear end, might want to see that the spare is there too. Check for the scissors jack in the storage compartment behind the seats.

- there should be a hinged tray/shelf behind the seats that stores the rear window when removed from the mounts. You should find a pair of vinyl bags to hold the t-tops when stored.

- ask the owner to set and then trigger the standard theft alarm system.

- look throught the wheel slots at the brake calipers at each corner (or crawl under to see the caliper) and examine for any "wet" looking spots that may indicate corrosion inside the caliper bores. As long as you're examining the brakes, make sure the parking brake is functional and holds the car from rolling.

Well, that's about all I can come up with that addresses this era - and specifically the '72 Corvettes. The things I mentioned would be on a car in stock condition. If these items aren't there or functional, you'll have to make a self determination as to how important a stock setup is.

Here's waving to ya - \||||

Owen ___

'67BB & '72BB

-- not affiliated with JLA forum in any way -- alt.autos.corvette is original posting -- ___

"To know the world intimately is the beginning of caring." -- Ann Hayman Zwinger

Reply to
Barking Rats
75 things to look for on a C3 :

formatting link

Reply to
dave

========================================= Value is extremely hard to "Guess" but 12K is definately in the lower end of the scale for a GOOD 72...high on the scale for a JUNKER 72

I have seen that 75 things to look for posted a number of times and to be honest IF you wanlked into my garage with it in you hands I would walk back up to the house and not even talk to you... (Just my opinion of what I think of the list) unrealistic for a 30-40 year old car IMHO...

However look for RUST... frame rust in front of the rear wheels...and rust on the lower windshield pillares, and look at the area between the headlights for small dimples in the fiberglass...all expensive to repair.. the Frame/Windshield rust would be a deal killer...

I own a 72.... not numbers matching as I run a 68 327 in it. had the car 20 years now at least...Someone mentioned the alarm...hell mine has never worked since I owned the car...and I have never even heard one work on any others either..(not that they do not do not).. I loved the comment to look for the jack... what can I say... LOL I

Just my personal thoughts this morning ...and I am not fully awake yet

Lots of luck Bob G.

Reply to
Bob G.

All good advise, but remember the cleaner and nicer the 68-73's are they go up expotentially in value. You will not find one in decent condition for under 15K, so if the one you are looking at is as nice as you say at that price, jump on it. I got my '73 white/black convertable 4sp. L-82 last year for 12K and it doesn't sound nearly as nice as yours, and mine is all original and in pretty good condition. The paint is fair, but the nice thing about white is that it wears very well. Anyway, I have had offers for

16K for it and it will only go up. Don't care, I'm keeping this one for life. Dodge? Fugly ass cars, all of them...

Reply to
tony kujawa

I agree with Bob. Heck, some people act like this is 1974 and you are looking at a two-year-old car by the way they are checking it out.

If this car is really nice and has all the stuff working everyone has mentioned, it could be in the mid $20s to high $20. An NCRS restored car / Bloomington restored car could put it in the $30s. If it has the wrong motor, hot rod dress up stuff, etc. it could be $6000 to $15,000 depending on quality and other things.

Options. No one mentioned those, but a base 350 auto with nothing on it could be the low end of price while a 454 4 speed with the right options could put you into the sky. If a ZR1 (not very likely - if so, by ONE lottery ticket because it WILL be the winner) , the price will shoot into orbit.

Things like jacks, alarms, radios, etc. quit or disappear after years and owners. This one has a long-term owner, so it may be very intact and very complete. Then again, if they bought it 20-25 yeas ago, they may have bought something that was modified instead of stock and with items not working or missing (this was all less important back then.).

The special about the wipers will be one of the following:

  1. has original wiper door and actuators (correct and stock)
  2. wiper door replaced with longer hood (typical '73 upgrade - not stock)
  3. wiper door not working - vacuum problems (typical on old car - can be cheap or expensive)

Go take some pictures, check the body over for frame rust and fiberglass repairs (all underneath), find what options are on it (even the radio is an option).

Check

formatting link
for options
formatting link
for 1972). It is very important to check frame RUST as this is a BIG problem and a big $$$ item. Body repairs are a lot more common that most want to admit, and often are done to cars that current owners swear are "no-hit" bodies. If you replace an entire panel, and do it right, there won't be any signs of a hit.

Here is a guide >

Reply to
Tom in Missouri

I'll second Bob and Tom's opinion, (I like that, Bob and Tom), that 75 point list would be good only if you were caught in the woods with only poison ivy as an alternative to that piece of paper. I just backed away from a '72 with less miles with an LT1 and for less money because of its owner neglect. The only upside was that it was all there, he never did much more than nominal repairs, much less sweep it out every now and then. As some know I have run down more "Hey, I know where there is a rare Corvette for sale", wild goose chases than I care to admit. Most are a far from a buy and stay where they are. The other end of that is they know what they have and it is priced accordingly.

The '72 sounds good but take a good look at it before you do a money dump, it only cost $5,500 base new.

Good luck, Dad

Reply to
Dad

On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 12:00:58 -0500, "Dad" puked:

Maybe a good investment would be a time machine...

-- lab~rat >:-) Do you want polite or do you want sincere?

Reply to
lab~rat >:-)

Thank You

Reply to
My Names Nobody

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.