If you don’t mind connecting Part A to Part B, then Part B to Part C — and figuring out where a whole lot of other parts go — this 1972 Corvette T-top coupe might be the project you’ve been looking for.
From the outside, the Stingray doesn’t look half bad eBay Motorsfor its $6,500 asking price. Then you get to the interior.
Or what’s left of it.
This Corvette is very much a project, with much of the cabin stripped and parts scattered throughout the car. The engine has been removed as well, and the hood is missing.
Still, there are some positives that could make the car tempting to a hands-on Corvette enthusiast looking for a long-term restoration.
The seller says the Corvette retains its numbers-matching 350 V8 and four-speed manual transmission and is equipped with power steering, power brakes and air conditioning. More importantly for a C3 restoration, the seller says the frame, doors and birdcage are solid, with no serious rust or holes.
“JUST HAVEN’T HAD THE TIME. THIS IS A RETIREMENT PROJECT CAR THAT I’M GOING TO HAVE TO LET GO,” the seller explains in his Craigslist ad.
Some work has already been completed. According to the listing, the car has new tires, shocks, brake hoses, rotors and calipers. The steel intake, carburetor, valve covers and engine remain on a stand waiting to be reinstalled.
The seller is asking $6,500 or best offer for the Corvette, which is located in Reisterstown, Maryland.
There’s another reason the car could attract attention from Corvette enthusiasts. The 1972 model occupies a special place in C3 history as the final Corvette with chrome bumpers at both ends.
This particular car has undergone at least one significant cosmetic change during its lifetime. Its current exterior color apparently isn’t what it wore when it left the factory.
According to Barn Finds, the somewhat difficult-to-read trim tag appears to show paint code 988 or 989. Those codes would indicate either Steel Cities Gray or War Bonnet Yellow.
The VIN provides another clue about what this Corvette was originally.
Its fifth character is “K,” identifying the engine as the standard 350-cubic-inch V8 rather than the more desirable LT-1 small-block or LS5 454 big-block. The base 350 was rated at 200 horsepower for 1972.
The seller says the original numbers-matching drivetrain remains with the car, something any prospective buyer would certainly want to verify before handing over the money.
Then there’s that interior.
The black vinyl cabin has been almost completely dismantled, leaving the next owner with what amounts to a giant Corvette jigsaw puzzle. The good news is that many of the removed pieces appear to still be with the car. The bad news is somebody has to figure out where all of them go — and which ones can be saved.
That led to plenty of debate among Barn Finds readers about whether $6,500 is a bargain or simply the admission price for years of work.
Mr. Mustang summed up the reaction of many readers: “I was about to say it sounded like a decent asking price, based on the exterior, but then I saw the interior…”
Jim Helmer was more optimistic.
“You don’t get much for $6500 these days. Yes I think $5000 may sound better but if the body is decent and the engine and transmission are usable with all the brakes and tires replaced it’s probably a good deal”
And dogwater kept it even simpler: “price is right great project for a hands on guy”
That may ultimately be the best way to look at this 1972 Corvette.
It isn’t a project for someone looking for a few weekends of tinkering before hitting the road. There’s an engine to reinstall, an interior to reconstruct, a missing hood to replace and undoubtedly plenty of surprises waiting to be discovered along the way.
But underneath all those loose parts is still a numbers-matching, four-speed 1972 Corvette from the final year of the front-and-rear chrome-bumper era.
The question is whether that’s enough Corvette for someone to spend $6,500 — and a whole lot of evenings and weekends — putting the puzzle back together.
Source:
eBay Motors
Related:
Corvettes for Sale: Non-Original 1963 Corvette Split Window with Questionable Body Mods Offered for $79,500 on eBay
Corvettes for Sale: 1966 Corvette Convertible Project Car on Bring a Trailer
These Corvettes are Headed to the Fall Carlisle Auction on October 1-2
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I would check the date code on the tires, they may have zero miles but many years old.