1969 Corvette Stingray Coupe

1969 Chevrolet Corvette Description:

Up for sale is a beautifully restored 1969 Corvette Stingray Coupe. There is much to discuss about this car, so I will do my best to cover every detail possible so there are no surprises should you choose to purchase her. Here goes...
History:
I am the 3rd owner. I purchased the car here in Tampa, FL in April of 2010 from a private seller. I was told the car had lived in the southwest it's entire life, which would explain the lack of rust and it's pristine birdcage. The car was in disarray however, and was in desperate need of restoration which I immediately began in my garage a few weeks later. The restoration began in May, 2010 with the chassis being completed in September, 2012. The body was reunited with the chassis soon after, and it was sent for professional paint in November 2012. When I got the car back from paint, life got busy and I had limited time to dedicate to finishing the car. Over the next 3 years very minimal progress was made, but I did my best to work on it whenever possible. In early 2016 I realized that I just didn't have the time needed to finish the car, and faced 2 options. 1) Sell the car unfinished, or 2) Give the car to someone else to finish for me. I decided to have a local shop "finish" the car for me. This turned out to be a mistake. The shop came highly recommended by some local car guys, but the work they did for me didn't even come close to meeting my standards. They installed the exterior chrome pieces, installed the wiring and installed the interior. The workmanship was not good. Over the past year I have been trying to correct the things they did that I'm not happy with, but I am once again faced with the same issue as before: I have no time to work on my car. Now I am a new Dad (again) and more than ever I have no time to dedicate to working on her. This is why, despite my reservations, I know I need to give her a new home. I do not want her to deteriorate in my garage due to lack of use and attention. I have over $60,000 invested in the car to date, and have every single receipt to back it up. I have driven the car 129 miles since I got it back from the shop last summer. One of my recent outings with the car was to a large, local car show here in Tampa. I did not realize it was a judged event until I got there. To my delight she won a trophy for "Most Outstanding" Corvette! The trophy comes with the car. Here is another interesting tidbit... I got a call from an author who had heard that I was completing a full restoration of a '69 Corvette in my garage. Long story short, he used some of the pictures I had taken of the restoration process for his book. Therefore, pictures of this car's restoration are featured in the book displayed in the above photos. That is the complete history of the car since she's been with me. It's time for someone else to continue writing for now...
Chassis:
The body was taken off the frame, and the frame was stripped bare and sent to a local body shop for evaluation. It was solid and rust free, but I wanted to make sure it was pin straight. It was put on a jig and laser tested for trueness, and turned out to be perfect. The frame was then reinforced with gussets and extra welds in a few areas for extra stiffening. After this it was sent to a local powder coating shop, and coated in matte black. The suspension was reassembled using the original, restored components, which were either powder coated or freshly painted. Polyurethane bushings were used throughout instead of rubber. The rear spring was upgraded to a premium composite spring, and a rear sway bar was added. The rear end was professionally rebuilt using 3:55 gears, and the half shafts and driveshaft were given new universal joints. The trailing arms were professionally restored, and brand new upgraded brake components were installed. Everything that needed replacement on the chassis was replaced with brand new components.
Engine:
The base, 300hp engine was original and numbers matching. It was sent to a highly respected engine shop in my area which has a reputation for building outstanding racing engines. High end components were used for the rebuild, and the engine put out 355hp on the dyno. It was designed to run on premium pump gas, which it does beautifully. I loved the look of the L46 option, so I did my best to replicate it by using all of the correct engine parts and trim pieces. The engine is strong and has an aggressive cam to give it that "lumpety lump" sound. Couple that with the Magnaflow full exhaust system and the car turns heads everywhere it goes. It was originally an air car, but I removed the components because I knew I'd never use it. I added power steering which was much needed. I added a premium aluminum radiator, and painted it black to look original. The transmission is original, and was sent to a company in Wisconsin which specializes in restoration of this particular transmission.
Body:
The body was straight and had minimal damage. The rear had been hit and an attempt at a repair was made by the previous owner, but it was not done correctly. The car was trailered to Cookeville, TN for paint and body work. It was a long way to take her, but my Father-In-Law is a professional body man who works for a reputable shop up there. He offered to paint it for me as a wedding gift, so it was worth it. The paint and body work is excellent, but the previous repair seam in the rear is still slightly visible. I have tried to capture this in the above photo. The color was originally Riverside Gold, but I decided to go with the correct Lemans Blue for that year.
Interior:
This is the weak spot for this car. Here is what's great about the interior: Most of the interior is brand new including the carpet, floor mats, pillar & t-top trim, door panels, and dozens of other pieces. The seats were sent out for professional restoration as well as the gauges. They all work except for the tachometer (not hooked up). Everything looks brand new and spiffy, but the fit and finish from this restoration shop is not up to my standards. Part of the issue is that the pieces never really fit well from the factory, but I wanted to do better than factory. This can be corrected with time, patience and skill. There are also a few miscellaneous parts not installed such as the battery and storage compartment liners and hardware, t-top bracketry and headrests. I have most of the parts needed to fully complete the interior, except for the headrests. The windows and doors are manual, non-power.
Mechanical:
The car is a joy to drive. It is powerful, has tight steering and suspension and an amazing sound that you'd expect from a 60's muscle car. Here is a list of mechanical items which are still in need of completion. I have most of the parts to complete these outstanding items, which will be included in the sale:

• The headlight assemblies are installed, but vacuum lines have not been run and connected
• The horns have not been installed under the hood
• The back up lights are not connected
• The tachometer is not yet hooked up to the distributer
• A brand new radio is installed but it needs speakers. Wiring is in place.
• The wiper door assembly is in place, but the wipers and motor have not been hooked up
• The seats need to be shimmed so that they do not slope inward towards center of car
• The carpet needs some sort of insulation installed under it such as dynamat. The engine and road heat tends to get the interior very warm, especially by your feet

Conclusion:
I have over $60,000 invested in this car. I thought I'd keep it forever but life had different plans. The mechanical work which I personally completed is excellent. The finish work which this restoration shop completed was subpar, but can easily be corrected. I fully understand that I will lose money by selling my car, but I have no choice at this point. I do not want her to sit in my garage, neglected any longer. Values are certainly difficult to pin down, especially on the C3's, but I will price her what I feel is fairly and aggressively compared to other '69's I have seen for sale on various websites. I sincerely apologize if I have missed anything, but I am always available to answer any questions and provide additional photos. Thanks for reading and good luck...