1973 Corvette T-Top Coupe

1973 Chevrolet Corvette Description:

1973 Chevrolet Corvette T-Top Coupe

This is a clean Southern California car that was sold new at Johnson Chevrolet in Hemet, California according to the NCRS Shipping Data Report. Hemet is just 45 minutes from Palm Springs where I live.

Let me preface this listing by saying, I had not originally intended to sell this Corvette so I spent a lot of time and money making sure the car was correct, functional and reliable.Whatever it needed it received. However, a friend of mine has owned a 1965 Corvette since the early 1980's which I've always coveted.His car surprisingly became available to me a short time ago and I happily bought it.I simply do not need two Corvettes so I have decided to sell the '73. I am not a dealer. I am just one guy with one nice Corvette for sale.

If you are seriously looking for a C3 Corvette and you do not buy mine, please feel free to use it to measure other C3's you may consider as far as condition with the full complement of options and on board systems that function as General Motors originally designed them to.

I am a caring owner and I am proud of this car so I have much information to share here as well as many pictures.What you won't find in this listing are excuses.This car shows and drives remarkably well for a 46 year old example. It is not a trailer queen, it is not flawless. If you look close you can find a few tiny cosmetic imperfections as I actually drive this car daily. I get at least one "thumbs up" every time I take it out. I often see people snapping pictures of it when it is parked downtown on Palm Canyon Drive. And, as an odd coincidence, I just noticed, as I was gathering all the info together for this listing, that the car's build date of J29 correlates to May 29th, 1973.....exactly 46 years ago today. A fortuitous and welcome synchronicity I'd say.

I am only able to load 24 pictures in this listing but many more pictures of the car are available. Please contact me if you'd like to see them.

The Car:

The body has clocked 118,000 miles since new. Repainted one year ago in its correct color of Code 914 Corvette Silver with Code 425 Dark Red interior. I bought this particular car specifically for this color combination. I wanted a 1973 Corvette and I found that most Silver '73's either came with the Black or Blue interior but it seemed much harder to find a Silver car with the Dark Red interior. You will see in my pictures that the interior shows red in the sunlight photos. This is a trick of my camera and the lighting. The interior is a darker Maroon/Burgundy color in actuality.

Options include: Power Windows, Power Steering, Power Brakes, Air Conditioning,Tilt/Telescopic Steering Wheel,AM/FM Radio,Rear View Mirror Map Light. The car still retains its original numbers matching L-48 350 V-8 engine which was rebuilt by the previous owner, although the paperwork for that service is no longer with the car, the machine shop's tag was still affixed to the block. A current compression test showed 165-170 lbs of compression across the board so I was satisfied.The correct 7043202 Rochester carburetor, recently overhauled including re-bushed throttle shaft, is in place. The original Turbo 400 Hydra-Matic transmission has been recently serviced and a Trans-Go Stage 1 shift kit was installed so the car shifts very firm but not uncomfortably so. Original Code AA 3.55:1 posi-traction rear differential is also in place and also recently serviced. Complete new dual exhaust from front to back was installed less than a year ago. I added matching 50 Series Flowmaster mufflers so the car sounds very throaty but is not deafeningly loud and does not drone at any speed. Car is dry underneath. Cowl induction hood flapper works as designed with a new pedal switch and air cleaner to hood seal installed. When the gas pedal is floored for passing gear or fast acceleration the cowl induction howls quite loudly.

Mechanical work completed in the last 24 months includes complete new suspension components front and rear, Gabriel shock absorbers, all bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, sway bar bushings, control arm bushings, trailing arm, strut rod and spring bushings, power steering control valve, power steering pump, steering box, front wheel bearings, rear axle hub bearings, differential mounts, etc. All bushings/mounts are Prothane Motion Control Hi-Performance Suspension parts.A complete 4 wheel alignment was also done at this time. The car steers nicely and tracks good at all speeds.All 4 calipers have been replaced with Cardone Total Eclipse brand and semi metallic pads. Rear rotors are new, fronts were resurfaced, parking brake mechanism has been replaced and works as designed, all brake hoses are new and the power brake booster was replaced with a new unit as well. The car rides on 4 BF Goodrich Radial T/A's with less than 500 miles.235/60/15 up front and 255/60/15 rears. All belts hoses, tune up parts, fuel pump and fuel hoses have been replaced in this time period. Charcoal canister has been disassembled with new media and filters installed and the unit functions as designed. EGR is new, lube, oil and filter are serviced every 3 months/3,000 miles. Starter, alternator, water pump, windshield washer pump and blades have all been replaced. I installed a new aluminum radiator in place of the original brass radiator. I live in the California desert where summer temps usually climb into the triple digits and I have never had an overheat problem. All radiator seals are in place, fan clutch works properly.

Again, due to the high temperatures here, I have rebuilt/replaced the entire air conditioning system. This was an expensive and very involved procedure but I needed to depend on this system so it had to be done correctly to function properly.I installed a new compressor, evaporator, all hoses and blower relay. Condenser was removed, cleaned and pressure tested. I added the VIR Eliminator kit and converted to R-134. All A/C ducting was removed, and cleaned, new foam seals added, including actuator door, and reinstalled. The system blows cold and works nicely in this extreme environment.

As a side note, I looked at many C3 Corvettes before buying this one and only one of them had truly functioning A/C.If you look at another vintage car with non-working A/C and the seller tells you "It probably just needs a recharge" I can promise you, that is never the case and the seller already knows this. If an expensive vintage car only needs a simple recharge, then why wouldn't they do it? In reality you can expect to spend anywhere from $1,500 to $2,000 to get the entire system up and functioning as designed.

Headlight actuators were rebuilt so headlights go up and down quickly and smoothly. I upgraded the system with 2 headlight relays running directly off the alternator to take some of the load off the dashboard wiring system much like more modern cars have today. The result is much less load on the system and much brighter lights for night driving.

When I got the car the interior was original but a little tired so I decided to install new door panels, seat covers, dash pad and carpeting. Prior to the interior install I covered the entire floor area, firewall and inside T-tops with Boom-Mat. It is an expensive alternative to some of the other insulators available but I wanted the cabin to be comfortable, maintain temperature and isolate road noise. While the dash pad was out I had the original radio speakers re-coned. I bought and installed brand new 3 point seat belts color matched to original. All weatherstripping was replaced with new, doors, jambs, T-tops, window felts and underhood. Doors close solid and tight. Locks function properly. Spare tire, jack, lug wrench, T-top hold down straps and owner's manual are in place. Currently certified 3 lb. fire extinguisher is included.

All gauges function properly. I installed a quartz clock movement so the clock always keeps perfect time. When the dash was out I replaced all single wire dash bulb sockets (which are prone to failure) with an upgraded two wire system with a dedicated ground circuit and #194 bulbs. In fact every light bulb on the car has been replaced and all lights work as designed including all 4 marker lights, license plate light, back up lights, all interior lights work when doors are opened, rear storage compartment light works, rear view mirror map light works, door ajar warning light and headlamps opening/closing lamps and parking brake light and high beam lights all work properly. I do not smoke but the cigarette lighter works as does the bulb that illuminates the lighter socket for night use. Door jamb switches were replaced with new and the factory alarm works perfectly. If the hood or doors are opened when the system is armed the rear alarm horn will sound, 4 way flasher and horn work too. I even replaced the small sensor tab in the steering column so the buzzer works when the key is inserted into the ignition.

Singularly these items may not seem important but they mattered to me and they all add up. I found, when looking at many Corvettes, before buying this one, that most of these items did not work on almost all of the cars. Most were shiny cars with nice wheels but many of the factory options and systems simply did not work.

Included is an original dealer brochure for the 1973 Corvette, suitable for framing, so I had it framed, 16" X 22".A few thousand dollars worth of receipts go with the car too. I truly would not hesitate to hop in this car today and drive from California to Florida.

I think I have covered most of the pertinent items but if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. I will answer promptly. Car is available to inspect and test drive any time during the auction's run. Transaction will be handled in a gentlemanly fashion. If you need permission, acceptance or financing to purchase this car please obtain it prior to bidding. I will not end the auction early 'cause that's just not fair so please don't ask.

I would like a $500 deposit through PayPal within 24 hours of auction's end. Balance can be paid in cash at time of delivery. Of course I will not accept any type of check for payment. I am happy to work with your transporter. International bidders are also welcome (unless you're that Nigerian heir to the throne that keeps sending me e-mails).

Check my Feedback and bid with confidence.

Good Luck!