Make: | Chevrolet |
Model: | Corvette |
Year: | 1976 |
Mileage: | 1,724 |
VIN: | 1Z37L6S424092 |
Color: | Black |
Interior color: | Tan |
Vehicle Title: | Clear |
Item location: | Ladera Ranch, California, United States |
NO RESERVE- LETTING THE MARKET DICTATE THE VALUE
Let me begin by telling you that I am a private collector, not a dealer or flipper and I’m not selling this car for a “friend.” I own a number of classic muscle cars that range from Concours National Show winners to large local show winners. My standards are very high when it comes down to restoration quality.
With that being said, I am selling the nicest 1976 Corvette that I have personally ever seen. A dream to drive, looks incredible- a very fun car!
I attend shows frequently in Southern California & Arizona and after noticing the lack of really well restored 76 C3’s, I decided to build one. I believe in total transparency and honest (as my eBay feedback reflects), so I’m going to bore you with all the history and details I know about the car. I bought the car (L-48) from a man in Utah who was the second owner. He had purchased it from a friend who was in the same Corvette club- the friend needing to sell the car to pay for medical issues. The original owner had always pampered the car and when he won a $40,000 jackpot at a Utah Casino in March of 2005 (I have the newspaper article about the Jackpot in the Wendover Times), he decided to put every penny into his Corvette.
He had a very high quality paint job done in deep, non-metalic black ($18,000). The fiberglass work is really exceptional- as nice as any of my other #1 Corvette’s. The car was ordered in black from the dealership which was actually an optional color. Believe it or not, black was not a standard color choice in 1976. When an optional color was ordered, GM would repaint one of the cars that had already been painted at their factory. If you ordered a dark color, the factory would make sure to respray a Corvette that was originally a dark color- in this case Maroon. Since fiberglass quality from the factory varied significantly from car to car, the vehicles with the best body work were painted darker colors (darker colors show the imperfections more than lighter colors). This is the way it was done back in 1976 and they obviously changed their procedure somewhere down the road. All trim is OEM and in fantastic shape. The glass is all original and excellent. The underside of the car is as clean as the top. I wanted a cleaner look for this Corvette, so I replaced the two piece T-Tops with a one piece acrylic top- it looks much smoother on this year and it’s nice to have the upward visibility. I opted to leave the trim rings off the 15 inch wheels, but the trim rings will come with the car. The center caps are OEM metal, not the cheap plastic recreations. The original owner added the beautiful side pipes and they look/ sound amazing. They do get hot after a long drive, so you need to be careful as to not burn your leg when getting out- a small price to pay for the aggressive look and sound.
The light buckskin interior is first class. The leather seats look new, brand new door panels, inserts, door handles and nobs. My OCD is especially present when it comes to vehicle interiors. Therefore, I had all the center console & dash components replaced or restored. All the gauges work as they should, lenses are clear as glass, no chipping trim, not flaking chrome- the interior, including the dash, air vents, etc are like new. Paid $700 just to have the “one year only” tilt telescopic steering wheel restored and rewrapped. Power windows and brand new reproduction radio add nice creature comfort. When you sit behind the wheel of this Corvette, you’re going to feel as if you’re driving off the showroom floor. New windshield with zero pits, cracks or nicks.
A ton of money also went into this Corette’s drivetrain. This car is very, very fast... throw you back in your seat fast. Most post 1973 Corvette’s are undervalued because the engines were significantly detuned from the factory to meet emissions regulations. This Corvette doesn’t suffer from that sad fact. During it’s restoration the original owner put a 400 horsepower, balanced and blue printed 350 in the engine bay (I have paperwork that includes all the specs as well as the engine builders name and contact info). The motor has a 4 bolt main block, OE cast crankshaft, H/P connecting rods, High tensile rod bolts, hyper eutectic pistons, moly rings, bored aluminum allow rod bearings & main bearings, trim- metal cam bearings, double roller H/P timing set, Comp Cams camshaft (268/280 due, 477/480 lift), H/P hydraulic lifters, high volume oil pump, Dart Iron Eagle SS cylinder heads, 2.02 stainless swirl polished intake & exhaust valves, H/P valve springs, hardened pushrods, polished Edelbrock RPM intake manifold, Edelbrock 750 CFM carb, Accel 5200 series distributor, AC sparkplugs, high performance spark plug wires, stamped steel oil pan/ timing cover, chromed valve covers and H/P harmonic balancer. New gas tank and lines. The T400 transmission was completely rebuilt with the highest quality internals and shift kit. The car shifts crisply and handles the engine power to perfection. The rear end was completely rebuilt and the posi- reared hooks up great. Fantastic for cruising around town or on the highway at 85mph running 2,800 rpm. Runs very cool… never over 190 degrees even on a 100 degree+ day in August. All suspension components were replaced, including bushings, control arms, shocks, etc. New front and rear power disc breaks stop the Corvette on a dime. The car truly feels like a modern sports car- handles better than any corvette produced before it.
If you appreciate the slick styling of the C3 plastic bumper vettes and want to have the nicest 76 in your state, this is the car you want to own. I’m only selling this car to make room for a boat. I have used every inch of my storage warehouse and will not store any of my cars outside it’s climate controlled confines. It would cost $50,000+ to build another Corvette like this one. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions- I will do my best to give you a specific answer. The car comes with a box of receipts, owners manuals, newspaper clippings, dyno sheet, etc. Clean Utah title, never in any accidents. I encourage interested parties to inspect the car in person and will be happy to make it accessible to a third party inspector. Please do not make an offer unless you intend to buy. I have a business and family, so I don’t want to deal with any tire kickers. If you know cars, especially Corvette’s, you will truly appreciate this car- no disappointments. Will help you arrange shipping if needed. I will most likely advertise the car for sale locally, so I reserve the right to end this auction early if someone purchases it in person. I tried taking as many photos as I could, but they don’t do the car justice. I will try to add shots of the underside and a walk- through video this week if time permits.