1979 Chevrolet Corvette

Description

This fun, powerful, and unusual 1979 Corvette is a great way to get into the Corvette hobby on a budget. Actually, this is a highly unusual car as it was originally dark blue, but someone down the line chose bright yellow as an upgrade and it looks fantastic. Combined with a great-running small block and awesome side pipes, this is a fast, fun, flashy 'Vette that's ready to rock.

Painted by Chris Recker at Advantage Auto Works in 2008, this is one beautifully done C3. Rarely do you see cars of this vintage get the full treatment, but it was stripped to bare fiberglass and rebuilt from there, ostensibly at a cost of over $11,000. The respray was thorough, and there's no trace of the original paint, even in the door jambs and under the hood, which suggests the car was substantially disassembled for the work. The past few years have been kind and thanks to careful maintenance, it still looks brilliant. There's just nothing like a bright Velocity Yellow Corvette to draw attention, and this one gets a lot of thumbs-up on the road. Correct emblems and badges were reinstalled where necessary and this Corvette fits together better than most that we've seen, which is easy to achieve if you've got lots of time and money. It's also pretty clear that this 'Vette has led an easy life, because the glass is excellent, the lenses and clear, and the weather seals are in great shape.

Inside, that dark blue interior is elegant and upscale, and it works quite well with the bright yellow exterior finish. The seats are every bit as comfortable as they look, the door panels are undamaged, and even the carpets are excellent, protected by matching floor mats that keep them looking fresh. Corvettes also came only one way: loaded, and this one sports power windows and locks, A/C, an automatic transmission, a tilt wheel, and smoked T-top glass. A modern AM/FM/cassette/iPod stereo has been professionally fitted in the center stack, and the warm wood appliques you're admiring really make a difference in the Corvette's all-business interior. If you're tired of all the Buck Rogers-looking silver interiors from Corvettes of this vintage, you're going to be very pleased with this one.

The engine is a rebuilt 350 cubic inch V8, topped with an Edelbrock intake manifold, Holley 4-barrel carburetor, and chrome open-element air cleaner making all the right Corvette sounds. The block was bored .030 oversize and fitted with an upgraded cam and new C/I heads, so it's a substantial improvement over the original L48, whose 185 horsepower was less than stellar. It has been painted Chevy Orange and nestled into a highly original engine bay that shows signs of regular maintenance over the years, including a rebuilt A/C system with R134a refrigerant and long-tube headers. The rebuilt TH350 3-speed automatic transmission clicks through the gears as it should, and the car cruises effortlessly at high speeds yet is happy trundling around town thanks to a high-velocity water pump that keeps things nice and cool. And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention how spectacular that warmed-over V8 sounds barking through those chrome side pipes. The machined aluminum wheels on all 1979 Corvettes were handsomely designed, and this one wears a recent set of 255/60/15 BFGoodrich T/A radials.

There are few better ways to break into the collector car hobby than with a Corvette. This one delivers all the thrills plus admission to all the best events, all without a huge sticker price. Call today!