‘Barn’ Find: ‘60 Corvette With Only 68,250 Miles!

 

Winner! Dave's friend buys the house, garage & car at an auction, then sits on it for three years before selling the Corvette to him.

Winner! Dave’s friend buys the house, garage & car at an auction, then sits on it for three years before selling the Corvette to him.

 

283 CI small block Chevy V-8, rated at 230 HP. The Holley carb and Edelbrock manifold will likely be traded.

283 CI small block Chevy V-8, rated at 230 HP. The Holley carb and Edelbrock manifold will likely be traded.

Sitting in a garage in Washington, D.C. since 1975, Dave from Arlington, Virginia is the lucky guy who now owns this 1960 Corvette with only 68,250 original miles. Dave’s friend bought a house, garage and the car inside it as part of an estate sale. After three years in her dad’s garage, she decided to sell the Corvette, and that’s when Dave was able to convince his wife that “no” was not the correct answer, and he bought it.

Shipping the car to central Ohio where he grew up, Dave and another friend are attempting to do a frame-on restoration. Posting on CorvetteForum.com, he admitted that he’s never previously owned or even ridden in a Corvette, let alone tried to restore one. But, as it is with most Corvette fans, he loves the car, plans to keep and drive it as much as he can.

While the top's been down 40 years, the body hasn't suffered like the interior.

While the top’s been down 40 years, the body hasn’t suffered like the interior.

Mysteries abound in unraveling the history of some barn find cars, and Dave’s is no exception. According to the estate and their appraisal, the engine isn’t the original, yet the numbers on the steering column and those on the engine block match.

A base model, this Corvette has a 283 cubic inch small block Chevy engine rated at 230 HP, backed by a 3-speed manual transmission.

Teak wooden steering wheel, a sign of the ('70s) times.

Teak wooden steering wheel, a sign of the (’70s) times

In place of the original intake and Carter AFB carburetor is a Holley on an Edelbrock C3B or CB3X manifold, and Dave is hoping to find someone who’ll swap their intake and carburetor for his. 

Dave believes it was once red with a red interior, before it was repainted green in the ‘70s and the interior re-stitched in white.

The top sat down for 40 years and the interior’s pretty rough, but the frame has only slight surface rust and the body appears to be in good shape. Mostly complete, he vows to rebuild only what needs to be rebuilt.

Moldings are pitted and dirty, something a lot of elbow grease and a trip to the platers would cure.

Moldings are pitted and dirty, something a lot of elbow grease and a trip to the platers would cure.

His plan is to make it a driver. Replacing the fuel system and lines, brakes and brake lines, and the radiator, rebuilding or replacing the generator and starter, and pulling the engine for a rebuild. The idea is to try to restore the car to its original condition, but change the color scheme.

It needs a new top, steering wheel, tires and, according to Dave, countless other things. He also thinks they may have to replace the wiring as the Corvette was home to more than a few mice.

The chrome needs to be redone, including the bumpers, windshield molding, side mirrors, door handles and the grille. Dave wants to keep the Cragar S/S wheels, which will need to be polished.

Two hoods came with the car, the original and another with a scoop on it that the owner likes but did not meet with the same level of acceptance among his newfound CorvetteForum.com friends.

All in all, a great project with a huge upside, Dave is glad he was the one to be in the right place at the right time and got the Corvette.

Non-original alternate hood with scoop. Not CorvetteForum.com approved.

Non-original alternate hood with scoop. Not CorvetteForum.com approved.

 

About the author

Jason Sakurai

Raised in a family car dealership, Jason knew the Ford parts numbering system before he could drive. After college, he was hired by General Motors and became the youngest district manager in Pontiac's history. Concurrently, he sold his first story to Custom Rodder magazine, and has been writing and photographing cars ever since.
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