Question on '69 Convertible L46
Just purchased a 1969 Convertible L46 Lemans Blue w/white soft top, it has a 350/350 4-speed. The engine pad is missing the numbers - probably due to the engine being bored out to a 383. The date code on the block is J-2-9 (Oct. 2, 1969) and the number on the trim tag's top right corner is 018 (Oct. 18, 1969) and the casting # is 397010.
I have two Corvette Order Copies - one is in some type of plastic and the other is loose, in 3 pieces and very fragile. I even have the blue Chevy dealer envelope the original paperwork came in; it from a dealershipin Texas.
The car had been repainted in 1995 and is in need of paint (it looks good from a distance). It has correct side exhaust but they were not factory as the rear valance is not correct and it had the rear exhaust set-up underneath.
The car runs very strong and the former owner raced it - its has an MSD ignition, Summit Racing 8mm wires, Summit Distributor, Stahl headers, 909 dual-feed carb and a 402 cam. The trans is a M21 and it has 370 posi-traction rear. There is also a Hurst racing shifter in place of the original.
My question is by NCRS standards how restorable is this car? I don't want to go crazy with it but I am want to change the air cleaner cover and valve covers back to original and take some of the added chrome out of the engine bay and put the original shifter back. I want have it repainted as it has chips and is fading (mostly by the area where the hard top rests) Will repainting hurt the value? The interior is in great shape and needs only a few things - emergency brake console (cracked and faded), manual override knob is missing and the passenger side seat belt does not work. Should I try to spruce up the interior parts or leave them alone - they are structurally sound just showing signs of age?
The white convertible top is new - do they deduct because it's not black as original. Does the fact the vin# is missing from the pad and the engine is bored out deduct too many points?
I had it to two body shops and my mechanic who had it up their lifts and they all gave me the thumbs up saying that she is mechanically sound and has never been in an accident. A friend of mine who has restored over 30 Corvettes said that the bird cage was fine and that there was only minor surface rust underneath.
I hope you don't mind the long post - I'm new to C3's and don't want to make any changes before hearing from people who know about them.
I have two Corvette Order Copies - one is in some type of plastic and the other is loose, in 3 pieces and very fragile. I even have the blue Chevy dealer envelope the original paperwork came in; it from a dealershipin Texas.
The Order copy has a Date Received of 09/18/69 the Model # is 19467 Corvette Convertible (they used the first 5 of the vin#) - the Paint is listed as #02976AA Lemans Blue. The only difference from the Order Copy and the car is that the top is white and not black as listed on the Order Copy.
The car had been repainted in 1995 and is in need of paint (it looks good from a distance). It has correct side exhaust but they were not factory as the rear valance is not correct and it had the rear exhaust set-up underneath.
The car runs very strong and the former owner raced it - its has an MSD ignition, Summit Racing 8mm wires, Summit Distributor, Stahl headers, 909 dual-feed carb and a 402 cam. The trans is a M21 and it has 370 posi-traction rear. There is also a Hurst racing shifter in place of the original.
My question is by NCRS standards how restorable is this car? I don't want to go crazy with it but I am want to change the air cleaner cover and valve covers back to original and take some of the added chrome out of the engine bay and put the original shifter back. I want have it repainted as it has chips and is fading (mostly by the area where the hard top rests) Will repainting hurt the value? The interior is in great shape and needs only a few things - emergency brake console (cracked and faded), manual override knob is missing and the passenger side seat belt does not work. Should I try to spruce up the interior parts or leave them alone - they are structurally sound just showing signs of age?
The white convertible top is new - do they deduct because it's not black as original. Does the fact the vin# is missing from the pad and the engine is bored out deduct too many points?
I had it to two body shops and my mechanic who had it up their lifts and they all gave me the thumbs up saying that she is mechanically sound and has never been in an accident. A friend of mine who has restored over 30 Corvettes said that the bird cage was fine and that there was only minor surface rust underneath.
I hope you don't mind the long post - I'm new to C3's and don't want to make any changes before hearing from people who know about them.
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