Is the Tank sticker really that important?
Was hoping to find a tank sticker but its a new tank that was replaced during restoration well before I purchased the car. All the numbers on this car are date correct and matching. There is no signs I can find that the car was anything else but what it is. (except I found this weekend that it once had a luggage rack) So would the tank sticker really make the car worth more? Would having my car judged help?
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
I think, yes! Since there are no records available on the earlier Corvettes, the Tank Sticker, Window Sticker or the delivery records from the trucker (Regular Commercial and Truck) are the Holey Grail of how the car was born and when. You can either prove your car was born a 427 or a fuel car or not.
As I recall there are more 427 67 Corvettes on the road today than were ever built, who is to say the car is real or not, just the paperwork.
The younger generation, like my son doesn't car. He just wants a nice looking good running car, but I care and so do many others about the cars originality and are willing to pay a bit more.
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
There are reasons for the tank sticker to be missing, but restoration is not one of them in my opinion. If that was the reason given, I would pay particular attention for any evidence indicating the car had been restored to a higher station in life than it began. An original tank sticker indicating otherwise would be troublesome...better to "lose" it.
Virtually everyone that goes that deep into a Corvette restoration KNOWS that the tank sticker is the primary item of provenance everyone wants to have. If a restorer insists on disturbing the sticker by removing it from the tank, for tank replacement or whatever reason, I would expect the sticker (or pieces thereof) to be delivered to the buyer with the car...Or, alternately, hear a pretty good story about how it was utterly destroyed in the process. I wouldn't have much confidence in the quality of restoration that resulted in the tank sticker being lost.
Having said that, many of us have found that our newly purchased Corvette didn't have a tank sticker. If we were lucky, we were able to dig up maintenance records that showed the tank was replaced for perfectly good reasons...sometimes those "good" reasons are "good news/bad news".
I personally don't think the tank sticker has much real impact on the value of the car, at least not to me. If the car is otherwise authentic, a tank sticker is a "wanna have", but it's not a deal breaker. Frankly, there aren't that many virgins left out there.
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
The car is really date correct and everything appears to be real.Comment
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
Any documents that were original to a car when delivered are valuable to that car.
Tank stickers started in '67, all Corvettes older than that had none. Which is why any docs are good.
Have your car judged, it's an excellant education for the owner. Just don't take it too seriously and it will be fun. It's also a good method to authenticate a restoration, the judges have seen lot's of cars, they know a real car.Comment
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
Just about every aspect of these cars can be faked/forged, so the only thing you can do to "prove" a cars pedigree is build a case with lots of evidence, a tank sticker can of course help, but is not the last word. Judging isn't going to prove the car is authentic either, but rather shows the car is a correctly restored example of what it currently appears to be. The more that is learned how to authenticate a car (and made public), the more that is learned how to fake that car. It's a scary world if you are buying a classic car!Comment
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
As I mentioned in the past, I found a copy between the left dash and the steering column (Chevrolet Order Copy) which matches my car configuration. If your tank sticker is missing perhaps a clone is in that same position or in other one. Perhaps behind the radio... who knows.
best regardsComment
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
Bruce,
I see from your profile that you have a '69 L-68 car. I just helped a friend buy a LeMans Blue '69 L-68 coupe, with original engine, original pad broach marks and stamping. This car however has no dealership or factory paperwork. We bought for $25K this year. The value of this car is hurt by the fact that we would not be able to back up our statement as to the authenticity of this car. We know it is a real optioned car from the factory, we just can't prove it. So the answer is yes to your question. How much more does factory paperwork contribute to the value. It's significant.Comment
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Re: Is the Tank sticker really that important?
Unfortunately not only can the cars be faked, so can the paperwork. If your car comes with paperwork now you have to wonder if that is real or not. A significant long term ownership history is a great means of authenticating a car.Comment
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