new owner

[mattyg92]

hey all

i sold my c4 and decided that i want to get a c2

i have been looking mainly at a 63 convert

anything i should look for? like the bird cage or any other area's?

i am looking at one know that has factory power windows, i will try to see if i can find how many were produced

i appreiciate any info as this is new terriortory for me, as i have only owned c4 for the last 5 years

thanks!!

[BarryK]

Matt

as you and I discussed on the phone a week or so ago, do NOT rush into any car and be sure to take someone with you to help you thoroughly inspect it before purchasing anything.

Unless you really know specific areas problem areas to look at on these cars it is too easy to get a car that will cause you headaches and grief after the purchase.

The birdcage and frame are the two main areas you need to really check out but obviously you need to really evaluate the entire rest of the car also.
I know the budget you are trying to work within is leading you to cars that are going to be more of a "driveable project car" and that's fine since I know you can do a lot of the work yourself but purchasing parts is typically a lot more expensive on the C2's than your previous C4 so one aspect yu want to look at when checking out a car is how many parts you can save and refinish rather than be required to purchase as new reproduction parts because the car's existing parts are either gone or in too poor of a condition to refinish.

also, remember that the '63's in particular have about 100 one-year-only parts and they tend to get even more expensive and hard to find and some are not reproduced at all.

[Kid_Again]

...an early welcome ot the c2 club!

if schedules work out and you need someone to go over the car, send me mail...a lot depends on where you locate the car

...i've done it before and am happy to help


....if you're looking for a # match guy, though, i'm not your guy


good luck

[IH2LOSE]

Well good luck with your search and purchase

Vettes are a funny car to purchase, as allot of value of the car goes with its pedigree, So some folks want to purchase a vette as an investment . This type of a buyer I would suggest they get a recent frame off restored car that has a recent top flight or two under it belt.

Then there is the other buyer who just wants a quality vette he can cruise around in and go to shows.

I have been watching the ebay sales for a while and the unfortunate thing is most of the cars are priced as a frame off restoration with top flight ribbons. But they are actually just old ladies in new dress There just not the same quality

And yes me personally feel a car with NCRS top flight ribbons will always be worth more then a car with out them.

So what type of a buyer to you think you are?

Other things

RUST -bird cage -frame -

Body damage- after market hand laid parts

Condition of the car over all It will always be cheaper in the long run to purchase a car done ,then to spend the next couple of years trying to make it done.


Years

It seams everything 67 goes for high dollars regardless of the motor or the restoration


The lowest priced cars seam to be the 64's

Good luck

It may sound silly but what are your ultimate goals for the car?

When I purchased my 66 I just wanted a Big Block corvette convertible to rip up the roads with , that goal changed quickly once I got the car and started going to shows with it and I learned more about the NCRS and how much fun that style restoration would be and I eventually started a NCRS factory correct restoration on it, One of these days I plan on getting it judged

When I purchased my 62 I just wanted a car with a bad frame and no motor or trans but all of the other parts to build the car.

So all that being said

So dont purchase a NCRS " survivor" if all you want is a driver

And then dont purchase a NOM car,with an after market front end, and no trim tag ,and fender flares and 3 taillights ,if you want a NCRS style car


Good Luck with your purchase

[mattyg92]

thanks for all the great advice

what im looking for is a driver and to take to shows

i was looking for a driver/ project, but what i found was a real nice 63 convert with power windows, its 90% done, as in paint, top interior, just has some guages inop. the tach does not work.

i am not worried about if its number matching

[IH2LOSE]

Sorry if I offended anybody with my post.( A member dropped me a note)

I should have said there are also cars in between that I did not describe.

This is a frame off or restored car that no concern was put to factory correct or NCRS standards. There built will all new parts or restored parts,or even a VBP style suspention in them, A true high quaility car but just not built to NCRS specs Doesnt mean you should stay away from them, Doesnt mean they are worth less, just a differant style car.

As a matter of fact we have several members cars on this forum that I just described.

But I do reafirm what I said if I was looking for a High Dollar investment Corvettte, I would be searching for recent NCRS ribbons allong with an inspection showing the car is the same as when it was Judged


Best of Luck with your purchase,

I am not a good guy to ask if you should purchase it as I am having way too much fun with mine and thinks every one should own one.

[mattyg92]

i appreciate all the info!!!!

yeah everytime i look at this car i fall in love with it!!


we will see how it goes and i will report back

[IH2LOSE]

Originally Posted by mattyg92

i appreciate all the info!!!!

yeah everytime i look at this car i fall in love with it!!


we will see how it goes and i will report back

I know the feeling all to well.I remember when I was searching for my C2. I would pull up to a house and see the car in the driveway and my heart would start racing.Hard to negoceate a deal when you cant keep your poker face on.

I looked at several car but knew nothing of about corvettes.I got real lucky with the purchase of my 66.

I made a deal at asking price with in 10 minutes of being at the guys house with my 66 I didnt even drive it .

I still remember how much fun it was the day I took the 66 off the flatbed and took it around my neighbor hood for a spin.

keep us posted

[Vette66AirCoupe]

Hey Matt,

If you need help with that poker face problem you can borrow my '66 and drive it over to the guy's house. Tell him you're considering buying mine and you want to see them side by side. Maybe that will help with the price. By the way, I'll send you some pictures of what you are up against getting that gauge cluster out via e-mail. Not too bad, just tedious work while you're standing on your head. It should go easier in a vert than it did in my coupe. I'd recommend taking the entire cluster to Corvette Specialties of Maryland and having everything checked, cleaned and calibrated while the tach is getting fixed. That's a good time to replace any broken parts in the turn signal assembly too as you'll need to pull the steering column to get the cluster out.

[XLR8]

Matt,

I don't know if you're aware of it but here is a link to the 1963 Corvette Options and Production page here on the CAC.

Click

Looks like there were 3742 models produced with the RPO A31 Power Windows option.

Good luck! If you buy it please post pix - I'd love to see them.

Jane Ann

[67HEAVEN]

Originally Posted by Vette66AirCoupe

Hey Matt,

If you need help with that poker face problem you can borrow my '66 and drive it over to the guy's house. Tell him you're considering buying mine and you want to see them side by side.

Vette66AirCoupe, you Devil. That's a great idea!

Matt. Good luck with finding the right one.

[mattyg92]

thanks all for the help

i checked out the car and made the deal!!!

thanks to everyone for the help and tips

i will try to get pics up, they r to big and need to see how to resize them

[XLR8]

Originally Posted by mattyg92

thanks all for the help

i checked out the car and made the deal!!!

thanks to everyone for the help and tips

i will try to get pics up, they r to big and need to see how to resize them

Matt,

Congrats on the purchase - even though I'm jealous. Can't wait to see photos!

As for resizing... we can help with that too. When you come down off of Cloud 9, check out this info for a neat photo editing utility.

B.A.

Here ya go!

It would seem that your photo hosting website does allow hotlinks! That's good news. Now we just need to help you resize your photos to a more practical viewing size for posting in your threads.

I copied your photo and resized it using this freeware I downloaded from the web. http://www.irfanview.com/

It can be downloaded at this address http://www.tucows.com/preview/194967.html

Once downloaded, you can open the photo file with the software, go to Image>Resize/Resample and a window will appear showing you the current size of the file. I usually resize my photos to a width of 800-900 pixels for thread posting. The software will automatically select a height in scale with the width which you select. Once I'm satisfied with the size of the new photo, I go to File>Save as and save the file in a folder for uploading to my photo storage website. Then it's just a matter of uploading and copying the URL into your posts.

If I can be of further help please let me know.

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...04&postcount=2

Jane Ann

[Tom Bryant]

Congrats on the new purchase. Now the fun starts.

Tom

[mattyg92]

ok i got that downloaded

should be a lot easier to use but here is one i made last night

i will post a better pic!!!