Is this an original color for a corvette in '62?

http://www.ebizautos.com/shared/viewer_open.cfm?iid=641750&aid=4455&wid=800

As much as you can match colors by pictures, I would say, "No it is not the correct color."

Dan

There were seven colors offered for the Corvette in 1962 - and green was not one of them :p :rolleyes: :p

I wondered why I had never seen one this color, thanks guys...I want a '62 Vette, but needs to be more original than this...

Yeah Gator, 'sorta' close but definitely no cigar!! This one is "just a car."

Heck, being HONEST, it isn't even "close!!" Too bad. 62 Vettes are so cool, even with the solid axle and no discs etc. Great transition styling with the 'old' front end and the 'new' rear end. I love 'em. And did they 'scream.' The 300 horse was great and the 340 horse was out of this world!!

Bill.

Gator: best place to buy a vette is corvettes at carlisle, the week before labor day. i'll be there, if you find something you're interested in, i'd be happy to look it over for ya. regards, mike

Thanks Mike, if at all possible I will be there.

One more question that I think I once knew the answer to but....brain cramp...lose in space...

Why do some '62 vettes have 6 tail lights (like the green one) and some 4 tail lights (like this one)?

http://www.autotoystorenj.com/detai...r=/1962/Chevrolet/Corvette/Convertible/#

Was the one with 6 the bigger ci motor? or what?

Thanks...

Ya know, I don't get it. Ya think this guy would have done something about the overspray in the trunk area.
...oh, and when ya take real close up pictures try cleaning off the gunk first!
And that my comments without even knowing the price!!!

No, no, no, ALL VETTES HAVE FOUR TAILIGHTS.

EXCEPT 53 TO 60. They have two.

So the green Vette in the first post with 6 tail lights.... the owner just added additional tail lights?

I thought I had seen Vettes with 6 before at shows......another brain cramp I guess.

Gotta admit the 6 look cool...

The white Vette is priced way toooooo high for me.

Gator;
Yes I have seen those 6 tailight Vettes too. It was a popular back in the 70's, along with flared fenders.
The white car is nice, but take notice of the wrong color carpet. Tan carpet with black seats? I don't think so...
Gator, if you are serious about buying a restored Vette...BE CAREFUL my friend. I would suggest buying a book about Corvettes first.I had a '69 Roadster for years, and still associate with close friends that have a'66 and a 70, & 71.

Gator:

Get (buy) a "Corvette Black Book." Last one I bought was $7-$8 bux. Probably $10 now. Filled with facts, figures, 'narrative' about each year, etc. etc. Read it over and over and over - especially the portion about the year(s) you're considering buying.

At the same time go look at as many as you can. Regardless if priced high, or whatever. The old car hobby is one thing. The 'specialty' cars market is something else. And Corvettes - man oh man, they're in a category all by themselves! Crooks, thiefs, scoundrels and everythig else in that market. Once in a while you'll bump into a good car being sold by a 'decent' guy. That is NO market for the uninitiated or the impulsive.

Another thing: find out where your nearest "Corvette Club" is and go to their meetings. Make like a prospective member and they'll likely open up to you.

Honest Wayne, learn all you can.... and be careful!!!

Bill.

Thanks, Bill...good advise.

Amazingly enough, when you consider how hard it is to BUY one, it can be even harder to sell the 'wrong' one. The wrong one can be 'wrong' for a jillion reasons: color; mechanicals - engine, trans; year; price; 'no' numbers; coupe vs roadster; one top, not two; 4 spd vs PG or TH; glass; paint and on and on and on.

Of course, the seller can always make it a "not wrong" car by modifying the price. With most of 'em that I've seen the car is 'wrong' but it's priced like it was 'right' - if you get my drift.

What you need to be sure you don't do (at least try as hard as you can) is buy a 'wrong' one at the 'right' one price.

You see, 45 years ago in 1960 you could buy a '57 two top 270 horse 4 speed for $2000 and sell it for $2500 the same day. If you screwed up in those days, it was a $100-$200 deal. If you screw up now it can be a really expensive mistake.

Whatever...... take care!!

Bill, Let me know if you find the right car for the right price...that means you tell me about it and not buy it yourself...LOL

Gator;

Bill is right on. You may start by hanging around with a bunch of Corvette owners or even a club. Go to the cruise nights and make friends. DON'T let on that you are shopping around. You will see or hear of cars for sale. Mosey over to them and check it out. BUT FIRST assuming you have done your homework, you will see stuff that's not right or hear the horror stories.

Before I found my '69 a good friend who had a 73 told me of a 66 "being put together". I went to look at it and found out thru the grapevine that it had the wrong 327 and and "new" front clip. Yeah...the clip was stolen and so was the engine!

After a while you may find the right car. Don't expect too much the first time. It took me years to get my '69 just right. (it started off with a 74 interior, I knew it but it was leather and the price was right) This kinda stuff happens all the time. Unfortunately it took me gobs of flee market cash to bring it back to a 69 interior.

Still wish I had it...!

Thanks RG and Gator too.

It definitely puts the fear of something-or-in-other in me when I hear / see somebody going out looking for a Corvette - sorta for the 'first time.' I've been around them for years even though I've only owned a few of them. I guess part of what 'fears' me the most is the prices these days!! That situation just magnifies what might be called a 'screw - up' on the part of the buyer.

I can 'say' lots about lots of things (as evidenced by some of my posts).

Certainly the bottom line in the Corvette market is BE CAREFUL.

In fact I don't think you can be too careful......

"Certainly the bottom line in the Corvette market is BE CAREFUL.

In fact I don't think you can be too careful......"

This is one of the reasons why we have Chatter and you guys...Right?

Thanks

RIGHT on Gator. Or is it WRITE on. Either way. Have fun in your search. They are

absolutely the coolest of cars. I've never felt 'cooler' than when running one of those puppies thru the gears!!!! :cool2:

You oughta be sent to jail for the "RUSH" you get from that!!!

Yes Bill, and that RUSH never gets out of your system.
About two years ago I drove that very same '66 that another buddy of mine bought. He knew the guys that put it together and somehow the car is now legal. (don't ask) He bought a new 327 block from Chevrolet, M22 tranny, and tricked out everything with Chevrolet high performance parts. It turned out good in this case because the car was all wrong anyway. What a monster! I put it thru it's paces on the back roads and my wife screamed thru the whole ride...LOL

Yes Gator, it looks like you might have to get a lawyer to make that purchase, but even if you settle for a car with non-matching numbers, I'm sure you'll grow to love it.

There is something wrong with what I just wrote.

Am I encouraging the decline of the pure stock thereory, by saying that it's OK to purchase a non-matching number car?

Am I saying to the rip off guys, go ahead and slap it together someone will buy it.

Should we as a Club boycott bogus Muscle cars?

mmmmm...?

I think we already boycott bogus cars, but the price of the bogus cars keeps going up anyway...

RGwiz: (and Gator too)

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying a 'bogus' car if you know it's a bogus car. I'm not talking about a totalled out-pieced together-POJ. I'm talking about a nice car but with a different engine or something of that nature.

For example, if you're looking for an older 'driver' Corvette and you 'find' a nice 59, for instance, but it's got a ZZ4 in it and the price is right and so on and so for, what the heck is the matter with buying it??

99 out of a 100 (more like 9999 out of 10k) folks wouldn't know the difference. And if you (the buyer) know and don't care.... cuz all you want is a nice driver.... not some NCRS, VCCA, AACA type judged car....

What's the difference??

Some years ago when 'matching number restored' nice 58-61's were going for $15-ish I turned down a 59 with a 350 that was $12-ish. Truly a nice white car with black interior and both tops. Wide whites, corrrect wheel covers, correct linkage and shifter etc. etc. etc. ect. etc.

Turning it down was truly one of the dumbest things I ever did!! I've regretted that 'purest' decision ever since about a year or so went by!!

You want "Corvette Stories" ??? I've got a bucket of 'em!! A BIG bucket!!

Bill.

If you like it buy it, this judging thang is overrated anyway!, more than likely you will never see over four or five Vettes in a lifetime that acheive a top judging rateing.at least anywhere I drive!
And just for your info, those well built non-matching number cars are just as pretty and drive just as well as the number matching jobs. I have seen a number matching car or two that I wouldn't want to drive across the state, just good lookers.

Yes, if it's a driver car and you're not trying to pass it off as an perfect example then who cares. But just the same, maybe some kind of State required dissclosure should be in place even if it's only to protect the investors that are not motorheads.
I hate to suggest more government involvement, but some states already have a check off box on the title asking if the car is modified. Without going into a lot of detail the owner would have to declare that the car has had a major part changed during his ownership.
Yikes! I can see this getting out of hand real quick.

Maybe I should just leave it as...If your not a motorhead don't invest in a classic car.

...and I think it's allready in place. It's "buyer beware"!

Buyer Beware is two very BIG words in fact. one of the motorheads in your area probably would be pleased to look a car over prior to your purchase, just ask one you trust, I really like to have one of my VCCA friends to check out cars I am not that hands on experianced with, none of them have let me down so far. when one of them says "You might need to pass on this one" I take it to heart.

Actually RG, I think part of the 'problem' with the prices of the cars these days is the NON-motorheads are buying cars. And for some reason many of those folks are paying way too much. Obviously many possible reasons: they simply don't know.... they don't care.... as JYD would say, more money than brains.... they want 'it' so bad they just step up and pay, etc. etc. etc.

A good friend (dlr) of mine sold a very nice 67 396 SS at one of the AZ auctions this past Winter for $37k. (Holy Sheet!) As he candidly said, "He*l Bill, I'd have to sell three of 'em at home (in PDX) to generate $37k!!" THREE of 'em - just like that one!!

I mean it was definitely a nice car.... butternut, black insides and vinyl top, PS, PS, etc. etc. and detailed to the NINE's. Super eye ball. I mean really pretty!! BUT, $37k - are YOU NUTS!!

Yeah, the buyer was. Oh, and plus 8-9% fee.... that makes it a $40k purchase.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Bill.

42Bill; I couldn't agree more. A work mate of mine has a 71 Vette (which has been re-painted a shade off) and he is totally into what these cars are selling for. He actually is planing a vacation to attend a Barrett Jackson next year. He is NOT a motorhead and couldn't tell ya if his Vette has rear wheel drive! Yet he loves how the pricing has skyrocketted on muscle cars and promotes ALL the cruise nights so they become even more popular.
You are right when ya say "they don't know and don't care". I also happen to think that these are the people that artificialy drive up bids on eBay.
These prices didn't get out of hand by themselves. Yes, the cars are not worth it, and if you buy it for that price you are eventually going to screw yourself when you buy the next one.

And I have seen them play with the new toy and get tired of what they really have, and it is time to move on to another toy, like a racehorse or a big boat, Like the Dawg often says "too many frogskins, a itsy bitsy tenny amount of gray matter!".... (or words to that effect)

Naw! The old mutt always says: "They have more money than brains!" :eek:

Dawg, I am glad you cleared that up for us!

Well JYD, if nothing else, YOU ARE PREDICTABLE.....

From my post yesterday at 1139pm and echoed by several others....

:) :)

Bill.

In this case I think JYD might have it in the wrong time frame. I think he means HAD more money than brains paying that much for a car that has been worn out at least once in its life. But they are certainly rebuildable.
Tony

Hey 42bill........at least you get things right. Macky Wacky (being wacky) usually gets things a little off base!

Yes, the old mutt is predicable. Two glasses of beer every night...always watches the western channel on TV.....breakfast with the dudes every other Wednesday and steak for dinner.

Macky Wacky is an old Codger and he don't all ways bark up the right tree, but when I am around you don't need to worry about getting your whitewalls "washed" either You have to watch the old Mutt every minute around your whitewalls!

RGwiz:

So it seems.

And I agree completely with you about your eBay observation also!!

The unfortunate part about all this to me is it's changed the 'hobby' so it just isn't as much 'fun' as it used to be.

I understand 'prices go up' over time. But some of these 'prices' are just absolutely ridiculous!!

Bill.

Yes and it's a darn shame that most of the pre-war cars can't bring the change that some of the mordern iron does.
Why is that?

RG:

It seems to me that many guys buy their "first car memory" when they buy an "old car," especially their first old car. Many of those buyers are younger than 'we' are. Consequently the mid-50's and up - particularly the 60's muscles cars - are where the demand is. And, of course, the demand has a big impact on the price.

For instance, a guy who's 55 and maybe has a bit of discretionary money for a "toy" was born in 1950. He likely first became "aware" of cars around 1960. Went to his first prom in 1966, or so. Graduated from HS in 1968. Etc. Etc. And there you have it!!!

And this doesn't even 'address' how much more 'driveable' the 60's cars are compared to the 30's and 40's cars.

The relative value of "T's" and "A's" dropped off years ago. Now it's the 30's and 40's turn to drop off.

Bill.

Bill;

I am that guy, exactly! 55 and graduated in 67.
My brother had a 54 4dr, 3 spd. Dad had a 62 Impala 4dr, 6 cyl, 3 spd. and I had a 61 Corvair 3spd.
Pritty nurdy right?
That was all in 1967. The cool cars came a little later.

The most popular car from that time that I would love to have now, and don't shoot me, but it has got to be the 55 Chevy Hot Rod. That car was so cool and every guy wanted one. I'd love to have one in the garage.

RG,

I wouldn't shoot anybody for their 'wishes' about a car. I've always felt the guy whose name is on the title is entitled to do anything he wants to his car. (I understand that's tantamount to heresy in this forum.)

I'm not saying what 'they' do to their car is always 'pleasing' to my eye. But when I see something I don't like at a cruise-in or car show or wherever, I just go the other way. In essence it's the same thing I used to tell the idiots who called the radio station or TV station and 'bitched' about the song we were playing or the program we were airing. I'd simply tell them if they didn't like it (didn't "approve" of it) or whatever, they should simply switch the station / channel - or - just turn it off!

How the he!l hard is that to figure out!!

Incidentally, what would you consider a would be??

Different engine?? "Wild" paint?? Four speed?? Etc. Etc. In other words, what would make it a "Hot Rod??"


Just curious.....

Bill.

RGwiz,

Speaking of the (per your description) "nurdy" cars in your family .....

You know, a lot of us grew up in 'working class' families. Many of those 'working class' families had cars like you mention. There were a TON of guys who had no idea why Chevrolet even bothered to come out with a V-8 in 1955. They'd owned sixes for years.... why a V-8 now??

Obvious testimony to that is the 235's availability until the 1963 model year.

I certainly was from a working class family. My dad had a 47 Special Deluxe five passenger coupe, a '54 Bel Air 4 dr sedan, a 58 Bel Air (that I often seem to mistakenly indicate was an Impala), and then a 63 Impala 4 dr hardtop. The 58 did have a 250 horse 348. But the 63 was a 283 2 barrell. Maybe that 348 was too much for him. Especially seeing as how I went thru THREE Turboglides in the first year or so. Or, maybe it was the dealership that wouldn't sell him anything more than a 283 2 barrell with a PG!!?!!

The 58 was my first date car; prom car; etc. I have no idea how but I 'talked' my dad into glass packs and re-routing the exhaust a bit so I could put chrome pencil tips straight out the back!! (Maybe that demonstrated I should go into 'sales' for a career!!)

Just before I graduated HS in '60, I bought a 55 2 dr post. Power Pack 3 speed. Man, what a car!!

Bill.

Back in those days it didn't take a lot of money. The car would have a floor shifter (hurst of course) usually some extra gauges mounted to the bottom of the dash, Sun Tachometer on the steering post or on top of the dash. The hot motor of the day was a Covette 327 w/ fuelie heads and a big four barrel. Headers and if you can get one, a close ratio M-22 trans and 411 posi rear.
The interiors where mostly stock, but if you had a friend that had a friend that worked for an interior shop, he would cut you a break and install a black diamond tuft or rolled and pleated vinyl interior on the side. (ofcourse on Friday night after the owner went home)
Hard top Belairs without front bumpers where a dime a dozen. If you had a post car you where very serious about cars and usually had a roll bar inside and you drag raced every weekend.
ahhh... this is bringing tears to my eyes!

RG,
To go with that fuelie short block you had to have a 300 HP intake along with the Carter AFB. The headers of choice were Sanderson because they were "Tuned". Just in front of the mufflers you had to have a pair or "dumps" with only one bolt holding the caps on so they could be uncapped quickly. In the rear you had to have a pair of traction bars made from old Buick sway bars because they already had eyes on each end. On the rear wheels you had to have a worn out set of ATLAS Bucrons for that extra traction. Up front you had to have the strongest set of coil springs that could be bought. It would take ten people standing on the front end in order to connect the ball joints because no one had a coil spring compressor.To top off the bumperless front end you had to have a pair of tow bar brackets hanging down even if you didn't own a tow bar.

I better hang up this phone, I am already in trouble.

dandyd

Great stuff, dandyd!
We used Hooker headers, 'cause you could use the word "hooker" in front of all the girls...
"Hey guys, we gotta get us a set of those Hookers".

RG,

Just as I described you in my June 29 post, you described my 55 in your July 1 post.

It was my first car. Bought it in April (1960) of my Senior year of HS.

A 55 "150" 2 dr post. Power Pack 265, 3 spd with 4.11's. I put in floor shift linkage. Sun tach on the steering column; but no aftermarket guages. No headers; but I did have short little stubby 'lakes pipes' put on that exited just behind the front tires. I 'lost' the 265 drag racing. Punched a hole right thru the block!! I replaced the 265 with a 283 long block.

I took the vertical bars out of the grill. Nosed and decked, but kept the door handles. Also put 56 Buick tail light lenses in. That really looked cool; but it did 'take away' the back-up lights. I had it repainted a 56 Cadillac color, 'gray dawn.' A very light purple (lavender ??) color. I covered the original seating material with nice black and white 'seat covers.' Mom and I made the black and white door panels and side panels.

Also cut (torched) a coil out of the front. Gave it about a 2 inch 'rake.' The exhaust exited straight out the back with chrome tips.

Man-oh-man, that sure sounds like the car you described to me!!!

And it was fun. A real barrell of fun!! To tell ya the truth, I wish to he!l I (still) had it today. I always wanted to put the Bel Air 'spears' on the sides; but couldn't afford even the parts. That's the first thing I'd do today.

It was one of the fastest cars from stop light to stop light around here until the 327's burried me in the DIRT!!

Bill.

Hey Bill;

That's the car all right.

Man, from New Jersy, to Dandyd in Texas, to 42bill in Oregon, things where pritty much the same clear across this country!

Happy Birthday USA!

my first car, a 49 chev club coupe in 61, blew its 216 in first month. second month found a warmed up 235 installed. a 50 olds club coupe with a 57 371 ci olds would blow my doors off so a 53 caddy 331 found its way into the 49 chev. still couldn't outrun the 50 olds coupe my friend had. went to junk yard in 62 and bought a 60 olds 394 and installed it along with a 37 LaSalle 3 speed and a 50 pontiac rear with 4.56's out of a 39 pontiac. then it'd outrun my buddies 50 olds with ease. still have the 49 coupe. after being put in storage in 1965, re-did it in the early 80's for one of our daughters who ran it daily thru her high school years with a chev 454/turbo 400. it sat unused from about 1990 till a couple weeks ago when i drug it out of the barn and got it goin again. daughters son 10 years old now and it'll go to him when he turns 16.the old girl still turns heads. the 2 cents worth of the car of my youth. mike

I failed to mention the spray on window tint that had more runs in it than a cheap Bebrick paint job.

Yeah, things were pretty much the same all over (the land). Probably due to Peterson Publications and "Hot Rod" and "Car Craft" and the likes.

I'd stand there at the magazine 'rack' thumbing through the mags til the guy asked me to leave, IF I wasn't going to BUY one.

Buy one?!? He!l, I needed the buck (or whatever they cost) to buy 3-4 gallons of gas!!!

Man, 3-4 gallons of gas for a BUCK. Those really WERE the days!!!

Bill.

Man-oh-man, Mike. That first car of yours definitely sounds like a "hot rod!!"

Maybe more fun than the law allows......

How many tickets did you pick up in that baby?!?!?!?

Bill.

Speaking of 49's.....as Mike was.....

A pal of mine here in Portland has the 49 2 dr sedan that his aunt bought new down at the coast, Astoria.

Some 15-20 years ago he put a 454 Chev in it with a TH400 behind it. He even put A/C in it!!

The exterior is totally bone stock. That light ('sea foam') green with black walls and little dog dish hubcaps.

He just putts around in it now. I don't know if he ever did 'race around' it.....

So cool.....

:cool2:

I guess we used to call those 'sleepers.'

Bill.

Happy Fourth Of July!

The previous few ongoings here have been an exercise in free speech. God Bless America!

I apologize for suggesting on these pages that modifieds are the way to have fun with old cars.

The receint ramblings above accured a long time ago when we were young and stupid and would try anything to impress the girls.

We all know better now and would never destroy an old Chevy that is in restorable condition. The practise of changing or modifing parts should never be tried at home and only attempted at a professional facility with a qualified mechanic.

Just thought we need a disclaimer. Now continue with your conversations.

Hey RG:

Maybe "we" do know "better" now....

At the risk of pouring gasoline on the fire....

I'm wondering, just what is "restorable condition??"

Anyway, nice disclaimer....

Carry on....

Bill.

Hey Bill;
According to eBay, I can restore something that has been at the bottom of a lake for 50 years, or the coupe that Gramps turned over to the chickens years ago, or the roadster that has been cut up and sold over twenty times as ten differant roadsters, or that 4 dr sedan that broke down so many times that my brother and I thought the back seat was our bedroom so the car only has 15,000 miles on it, or, or, or...

Looks like just about anything is restorable if it's affordable!

Oh RG, I can hardly reach the keyboard from down here on the floor where I'm still rolling over and laffing like crazy!!!

That is really rich!!!

Point well taken about "according to eBay".....

That definitely is a good one!!!



Bill.

Hey Bill, I would like to have a web cam video of that, you rolling around without your
*ss trying to push the panic button on your Lifeline and saying "I lost my*ss and can't find it Ha! Ha! Ha!" That would make a nice web cam video for all of us!

yes, that is one reason JYD calls me Wacky/Macky!

I understand.....

Bill.

Glad you liked it! eBay is NEVER wrong!

Ahh, ha-ha-ha.

Very good, RGwiz!!!

Frankly, I think it's a problem that eBay doesn't have 'experts' or 'moderators' or some such thing to 'check out' the auction descriptions. I guess it just works out to be another caveat emptor (or however you spell it) type of situation....

Bill.

Hey Bill;

I guess that's what I was getting at when I suggested that potential buyers might check out our comments here. I don't doubt that it happens.

I'm also sorry that we (I) might have insulted a few sellers by picking on the cars, but I stand by my thoughts, that is, that the VCCA is charged with the maintenance of the pedigree. If you are going to pass something off as the real McCoy and charge big bucks for it, then brother you better be ready to back it up.

The term: "BUYER BEWARE" has a complete new meaning when it comes to eBay.

It sure does Warren.

I don't think I want to go so far as to 'suggest' that some of the eBay sellers are actually lying in their descriptions.

B U T, it seems that some have no problem in 'hiding behind' phrases like "not sure of exact year" or "sombody said it fits a XXX" and so on.

I've usually been pleasantly surprised about the 'condition' however. Most items/parts/etc. seem to be as good as described. The BIG exception to that is the 'condition' of whole (complete) cars. The only two eBay purchases I've been involved with (on friends behalf) when 'we' got the car it was like "well I guess this one isn't too bad; but WHERE'S THE ONE THE SELLER WAS DESCRIBING????"

Bill.

Have you ever noticed that most of them say that they are listing it for a friend?

Yeahhhh. That's a GREAT point!!!

I guess I've never thought of it before. BUT, now I'm even 'wondering' about that.

Man-oh-man.....

What a place that eBay is!!!! You've really got to 'watch it' don't ya?!?!?!?

Bill.

Who would ever know; but this thread started with Gator asking about a '62 Corvette color. :cool2:

It appeared you were thinking about maybe even acquiring a Corvette.....

What's happened in the intervening 2 and a half weeks?? Have you checked out any that are for sale?? :confused: :confused: :confused:

Bill.

Keeping looking but no luck...if at all possible I will do what Mike said.

I have had a '76 L48 Vette for 20 years, but it is too new...my dream is a '62 roadster with 4 speed and a 327 and both tops and with factory air. Not asking for much...right???? LOL

Hey Gator; I didn't know you had a Vette!
Here I was writing all this stuff thinking that you needed to know all about them.

What do you mean by too new? Is it the solid rear axle you want or not as much comfort as the newer bodies?

Or are you just hopelessly stuck on very old Chevys?

You got it...just hopelessly stuck on very old Chevys...

Sounds very similar to that "Lost in the Fifties" syndrome.....

Bill.