This 1968 Corvette was purchased back in 1992 as a fun driver. The current owner and his son driving all over CT and New England with it.
After a period of dormancy, the owner decided it was time to freshen the car up.
The reason it sat dormant was due to his son adding water to the original engine after the engine had overheated, when it went into winter storage, this cracked the block.
About three years ago, he sent the car out to DH Consulting, a local Corvette specialist. A GM Crate motor (350/290 HP) was purchased, the M22 rock crusher 4 speed was rebuilt, the body was pulled from the frame, the frame cleaned up and given a shot of paint, every bushing, motor mount, brake and fuel line, brakes, u-joints, stub axles, bearings, springs, sway bar links, gas tank, DeWitts aluminum radiator with twin electric fans, exhaust .. and much more .. was replaced .. over $25,000 worth of parts and work were done to the drive train and chassis of this car. With the body off the car he was thinking about getting all the body work and paint done, but was advised that "barn finds, patina and originality are the rage, keep the body as it is."
The car came from the factory in Safari Yellow, was painted in a dark blue at some point, then painted Safari yellow again and then painted red. The paint shows some stress cracking, clear coat de-lamination, and chips and nicks throughout.
The interior was and still is in great condition and as he was looking for an even better driver than he had, not a show car, the interior was kept as is. An interesting point is that it has cloth seats with the optional (for 1968) head rests. As cloth seats were not an option in 68, only leather or vinyl was available, we figure that a previous owner reupholstered the seats in the exact pattern as the stock seats .. these look factory. The only work done to the interior was a new heater/blower motor and a smaller steering wheel.
This car has power steering and 4 wheel, power disc brakes.
The windows are not power, no power locks, no other power accessories.
Electronically, everything works. The wipers work and the cowl opens correctly ( a new vacuum canister was installed), the headlights flip up and down correctly due to new vacuum hoses and they work in high and low beams, all side lights work and blinkers. There is a new Pioneer stereo in place of the original and it works too.
The biggest shortcoming is the convertible top .. or lack there of. This owner never had use for it, it was always tucked into the area behind the seats. It wasn't until it started falling apart that he even opened up the top and realized that it was literally flaking to pieces. He removed most of the deteriorated top, vacuumed up the bits and folded the top back into place. When he did the mechanical restoration, he planned on getting it done, but timing and storage factors meant that it got put off.
In the last three years he's only driven the car about 300 miles. As he's aged as well, getting in and out of a Corvette has become even more of a challenge and so it was decided to move the car on to a new home.
The odometer shows about 26,300 miles, true mileage is unknown.
Get in, tun the key and the new crate engine fires to life through jet coated headers and settles into a very nice rumble. The clutch is new so it grabs very securely and the gears shift smoothly. Out on the road, it drives like a brand new 68 Corvette. Acceleration is strong and easily puts you back in the seat, steering is tight and nimble, the brakes also strong, halting the Stingray with ease.
The BFGoodrich TA radials are 255/60/R15's mounted on steel Chevy rally wheels with center caps and trim rings and date codes of 2021. In that size, they really grip the road and keep the car steady in corners.
Under the car there is unfortunately some surface corrosion from sitting in an unheated, wood floor barn, the new exhaust showing it the worst, but, everything IS just three years, and less than 300 miles, old.
In essence, what you have is a new Corvette in old clothes.
The car is an awesome, reliable driver, great performer, muscular sounding, and has the iconic Stingray looks of the 60's.
If you're looking for a killer driver and don't care about the paint issues, this is your car, hop in and rip down the road, wind in your hair .. or what is left of it.
If you're looking for something that needs some work to finish it off so you not only have a great driver but something more show worthy, this is your car.
Go back to the Safari Yellow, or do whatever you want, as this car is no longer anywhere near original.
The owner's asking price is $24,500
Any questions, to see several hundred additional photos and videos, to schedule a time to see her in person, or simply to make an offer, Please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thanks for the interest!
