Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a 58

[Brandon T.]

Here are the facts. It is a co-workers dads car that I have never seen but his son knows I am into corvettes so told me about it first. Please tell me if a 58 is a year to aviod as compared to say a 59 or 60 bc I know it has the vented hood and extra chrome not sure if thats somewhat wanted or avoided.

1958 (owner says he bought it in 1975 or 1976 he is the 2nd owner)
original motor (owner says all he knows is it's dated late 58)
transmission was changed before he bought it with a muncie 4sp
has not been hit since he owned it and he believe it to never have been
he has the original radio but it isn't intalled a newer radio is installed
NO mods such as flared fenders etc...only a radio swap
front end has new bushing etc he said
it is painted red and was when we bought it but originally teal blue
said engine has been bored to a 301. (what amount OVER is that?)
he didn't act sure on what HP version it is.

again he said he bought it in 75 or 76 and has never been in a wreck or nothing with it and has been in a couple shops throughout the years and nobody has mentioned anything about it looking to have been hit before he says.

he bought it from a guy in maine and he lives in NC and it's been there like I said since 75 or 76 when he bought it and has been garaged so he said the frame is nice with minor surface rust.

he also said he drove this car A LOT as nearly a daily driver car until about 1990.


what do you think it's worth?

it drives out fine now just said things such as brakes, hoses etc need replaced before he would feel safe on a distance trip with it.

any thoughts appreciated bc I'm going to look at it today! ballpark prices wanted..I know it's hard without pictures but thats all the info I have.

I'm not familiar with c1's but from what little I know the engine pad doesn't contain the vin number so you can only match it to the car date wise correct? Could someone post a bogus or their engine pad stamping on their 58 and break it down for me so I know how to date it etc??

and I think if the pad number ends with a C it's a auto and if it send with a D it's a manual correct? btw is there a way to tell if it came with a 3sp or 4sp?

also is there any codes anywhere that tells the original exterior and interior color of the car?

he told me over the phone he is thinking $20,000 for the car.

thanks!

[Stuart F.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Sounds very interesting for the price. Can't help you too much relative to other C-1's value wise, the pro's will have to speak on that. A 301 Cu in is an .125" (1/8") overbored 283. Usually one would not go out that far except in search of more performance, as opposed to clean up for rebuild. .060" was the norm overbore allowed for stock classes at the drags. A full 1/8" puts you in a modified class, and is why I say it is serious performance.

Stu Fox

[Bruce B.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Brandon,
In 1958 there was no info concerning the color or what options the car had coded in the vin.
There could be some signs it was a fuel injected car or other race related things. These could include, FI air cleaner plate on left fender, signs of a roll bar, welding on frame for traction bars, cut wheel wells, etc.
IMHO $20,000 is not a bad price for a decent roller (no engine , trans).
Good luck, but buyer beware.
Bruce B

[Brandon T.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Brandon,
In 1958 there was no info concerning the color or what options the car had coded in the vin.
There could be some signs it was a fuel injected car or other race related things. These could include, FI air cleaner plate on left fender, signs of a roll bar, welding on frame for traction bars, cut wheel wells, etc.
IMHO $20,000 is not a bad price for a decent roller (no engine , trans).
Good luck, but buyer beware.
Bruce B

I think you didn't read my post correctly this car is complete it's not a roller car the engine and trans is in it it's in driving condition and believed to contain the original engine seller is not into number etc he bought it in 75 and says the engine is dated late 58 thats all he knows.

[Steven B.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Brandon, ballparking a price without seeing it, checking all numbers and condition is futile. You need to have resources such as correct numbers, dates, etc. as available in publication through the NCRS store (online is easy and fast), crawl all over it to check condition and take a knowledgeable '58 person with you. There is an unbelievable amount of expertise in htis organization.

If you are buying the car to keep and enjoy buy the one you like.

Steve

[Kenneth H.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Brandon,

If the '58 is in the condition you described, in my opinion, $20,000 would be a steal. Consequently, I wonder why the low price. A warning flag should be raised in your mind to be very careful.

That said, how anxious is he to sell. If you have some time, get some materials on C1's from the NCRS store and learn as much as you can about the '58 model year. That way you'll be able to address all of your concerns befor you actually need to commit to buying.

By the way, one of my favorite years is the '58. Originally people thought that all of the chrome was gaudy, but I like it. Lastly, as far as I know, Teal Blue was not a 1958 color. It was probably either Regal Turquoise or Silver Blue.

[Jim T.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Agree with Kenneth, car as described and having a asking price of only $20k is not going to last. Best take the cashiers check with you.
How many members of the NCRS if they owned this car would sell it for $20K?
Everytime someone puts so much value in a old Corvette having the original factory installed engine I always think of the number of Corvettes that have been sold with restamps for very high dollars and sold as having the engine the car left the factory with.
Bored out 283's to 301 was a very popular engine modification in the late 50's and early 60's until the mighty 327/375 HP Covette engines could be copied with carburated intakes.

[John D.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Brandon, I think what Bruce was trying to tell you is that even if the 58 was missing the engine/tranny it would still be worth 20G.
I'd buy in a heartbeat as '58's are really hot.
No one mentioned this for some reason but 58 was the only year that had the trunk spears.

Follow Steves advise. Take a knowledgeable Corvette guy with you or be sorry later.

[Bruce B.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Brandon, I think what Bruce was trying to tell you is that even if the 58 was missing the engine/tranny it would still be worth 20G.
I'd buy in a heartbeat as '58's are really hot.
No one mentioned this for some reason but 58 was the only year that had the trunk spears.

Follow Steves advise. Take a knowledgeable Corvette guy with you or be sorry later.

John,
Thanks, thats exactly what I was saying or trying to say.
Bruce B.
PS, I finally got my 4360 to run like it should. The only problem was the unit coming off the cold enrichment to quickly. So I put a switch in line with the heater coil and after the engine warms up I turn on the heater coil and the engine comes off of the high idle cam and sends vacuum to the enrichment diaphragm to pull it to the lean side. It also starts instantly when hot. Of course LL100 fuel helps.
Bruce B.

[Cecil L.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

I would not put much emphasis on the engine in the value unless it is for sure original to the car. It will not be able to be rebuilt again if it requires boring. The only way to salvage it would be to resleeve all 8 cylinders if it can't just be re-ringed. Too bad that the trans was replaced if it was originally a 4 speed since the 58 T-10 trans/cases are very expensive if you can find one. The hood is another pricey item and one year only. The trunk bars are reproduced, but I don't know how good they are....in any case they aren't cheap original or repro. The interior is also one of, if not the most expensive to replace of all Corvettes.
All that being said, I have a 58 with a non original engine/trans that I'm working on and I wouldn't sell it for that price. Do your research and if you just want a driver, you should be fine. Even if you want to restore to original, that's not too bad if it has most of the hard to find/expensive parts.
JMHO

[Edward S.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

I had a 58 for about 5 yrs. and had always loved them. I agree for 20 grand it would be hard to go wrong. I would be interested to hear how you liked sitting and driving it. I am a shade over 6'2" and most time never put the top up as my head would be glued to it. Since I retired I have put on enough weight now to tip the scales at around 250 - and I know that I can not get into a 58 ( don't ask me how I know ) I forgot that the steering wheel size would give a man hole cover a run for the money. It does take some getting used to the ride of a straight axle, but after everything is said and done it's a great looking car. As stated, Teal Blue is not a correct color. Good luck.

[Ted S.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

I paid $15,750 for mine 10 years ago and I guess you could call it a roller (but it didn't roll very well). It had alot of potential though.

[Brandon T.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

ok guys went to look at it..didn't buy it.

engine is non original it had a stamping of like B2384 ? something like that then a long vin number stamped above that something like c2123490823 u get the picture..

car was hot rodded by the 1st owner looked like..had a hurst shifter, eldebrock intake manifold, holley 650, edlebrock valve covers..as mentioned engine is a bored over 283 to a 301 and trans is a muncie. Owner said "she'll move".

paint and interior need redone badly but frame is in GREAT shape and body panels fit up nice.

couldn't get it to start battery was dead and tried to jump it with 4ga heavy duty cables still no luck think the points might be the problem.

wheels are also not original it has kregars on it

the non original hood is kinda like the l88 hoods on a c3 it is a buldged looking hood.

door panels were missing that big piece of aluminum looking deal on them.

just looked like a hot rodded car by the 1st owner that this 2nd owner bought and hasn't put any money into at all and thats how she sits now.

oya also the steering wheel is not original and the air chrome lid isn't and it's missing the ignition shielding

whats it worth? owner said he would take 19,000 for it.....

I mean 19k is cheap for it in a way but I got to thinking by time I buy a 58 hood, steering wheel, valve covers, manifold, carb, not to mention strip it body off, paint, interior, might as well go through engine again etc...I'd have 50k in it...and it still wouldn't be matching numbers trans and engine so why not pay like 40k for a non original decent driver now and be done with it?

not sure what way to go here...it would make a nice one but it needs everything...

[Brandon T.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

I paid $15,750 for mine 10 years ago and I guess you could call it a roller (but it didn't roll very well). It had alot of potential though.

PM me if u want to sell that spare 58 hood in the background picture lol...

[Chris E.]

Re: Think I finally found a my c1! going today to look at it, here is the info it's a

Depends on what kind of car you want and how long you intend to keep it.

Like you said, if you brought it back to stock, you'd have a NOM car at the end of the day. That hurts the value.

If you wanted something you could restore and then drive, I think this is a good candidate. Cars that need frame repair usually add thousands to the cost of the restoration.

If you love 58s, and want to restore one and KEEP it for years, this looks like a good one. However, if you want to sell it in a few years or don't like turning wrenches, I'd pass on this one.