1963 Corvette SW Fuelie's - School Me

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I would say $110K for both is a good deal for a fuelie split window. I'd say in crummy condition, $120-130K for both is about right, but I'm a little out of the loop these days vis-a-vis Corvettes.

Good luck!

 

Your best bet is to connect with someone from the National Corvette Restorers Society, (NCRS). They will have a qualified individual that can truly assess whether or not the cars in question are complete with OE parts (save the one w/o the FI unit, but know too there are other unique features specific to the one year only parts for these cars).

Unless the person you are communicating with is in fact very knowledgeable on the '63 Coupe and specifically the FI car, then, they have little to no idea as to what came on the car when delivered new.

Lots of re-pop parts can be added to these cars and passed off as OE. Big deal and read as a very big deal, is the stamp pad on the engine block. These are faked all the time and are re-stamped engines. You need the build date of the car, then, get on the ground or get the car on a lift and look by the starter, on the block, there will be a Julian Date Code for the build of the motor. It is OK to have a date that precedes the build date of the car by a month or so, but not post build date for the car. As for the stamp pad, it must have the original "broach marks" which are remnants from when the block was decked after casting. No broach marks, not the engine born with the car.

If the cars meet or exceed the above criteria, at least 120-140K.

Get the experienced person that know this specific year and knows the FI car intimately.

Save you tons of heart burn down the road.

 

one thing you didn't mention was the color combination on the two cars. Some colors are more popular than others. Tuxedo Black is very popular and of course Riverside Red to. Something like the Silver Blue color is less popular and can have an effect on the value down the road. Interior color also plays a role with Riverside Red on red cars or Tuxedo Black on red cars being more desirable. Sebring Silver with tan leather is a rare color combination to. The leather could only be ordered for the tan interior. No production 1963 Corvette was delivered from the St. Louis factory with knock-off wheels. The 'no-radio' Corvette is also worth a premium. Note a 'no-radio' Corvette would not have the ignition shielding seen in the third picture.
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Also, any car with the Saddle Tan interior is desirable and the build numbers with this combination drop pretty quickly, especially if leather.

Then, the Saddle Tan/Saddle Tan cars:
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I have owned many corvettes over the years and would be glad to refer you to the person that has verified every car I have bought over the last 20 years.. It will be money well spent
he will for a fee fly to the location and verify the car is what it is supposed to be he has access to more information then you can imagine.. In any case money very well spent ...
just Pm me and I will give you his contact info.. he is also a great guy and NCRS master judge etc...best of luck

 

Great advice. Also, make sure you document all of the spare parts before and after purchase. Some of that stuff is very valuable and has been known to sprout legs after the sale.

 

For values look up the Hagerty price guide, probably the most accurate guide around. Second look up Pro Team Corvettes, they are a large specialty dealer, their prices are reasonable to the high side. Get an idea of what they are worth as good drivers and then add in how much you would need to spend to get them to that level. Rarely is it worth to buy projects and spend the money turning them into good drivers.

 

I only like Corvettes from 1963 to 67, after those years well I'm not a fan. Haven't looked for awhile, prices have crept up. Looks like you can get a fairly nice driver for $120k to $140k, maybe above driver, but not a show car. Id rather have one nice driver with excellent paint and interior for $140k, then two needing restoration for $110k.

 

As previously mentioned reach out to the NCRS to find someone knowledgeable in the era of car. In the past I have used an NCRS member to review a car and it saved my butt big time. (The car ended up not being numbers matching and the block was restamped)

They will go over each car and tell you the strong & weak points of each. With this style of Corvette there are several factors that make or break values. Just like with getting a PPI with a Ferrari having a knowledgeable NCRS member review the car is the best money you will ever spend.

 

As the owner of two 1966 cars, I am not aware of any reason to "deck" the area of the engine ID pad for any reason other than to remove the existing numbers so others could be stamped in. Spare engine blocks with correct date and casting coeds ar enot that hard to source. warranty replacement blocks would have a "CE" at the beginning of the series of numbers/characters.
Even as starting points for resto mods/street rods assuming everything is all there, (parts wise) you arent going to get hurt at $30-$45k each. Pics would certainly help. Assume they are both non fulie cars and price them accordingly, if they turn out to be, good for you.
It's also worth noting, that FI cars aren't particularly reliable as drivers, hence people converting them back to carb.

 

"FI cars aren't particularly reliable as drivers, hence people converting them back to carb."

So true! If all the engines had Fuel Injection, the fellow that invented the carburetor would be a hero!

 

having a decked pad is pretty big hit in value even if you could be certain it was a real fuel car.I would be very skeptical unless you are knowledgeable ..

 

ive kicked the tires on vintage corvettes before......

you really really need to know your **** or hire someone that does. takes the fun out of shopping

 

I have owned several Corvettes over the years and currently have a 63 SW and 66 conv. I am also a NCRS member since 1979. Depending where you are I could refer someone that knows the cars.

 

The older mechanical fuel injection are not reliable. a lot of the parts cannot be found anymore. The canister is the most difficult. Most owners convert to carbs.

They do not break down they just do not start and for no good reason. I would avoid them.

The mid 60's Vettes I am not sure about. I think they were better

Good luck

Lee

 

Fuel injection wasn't really good until the mid 70's, goes for most cars. Once it became reliable in the mid 70's, almost everyone switched, it was easier for emissions and manufacturers had to make it reliable, etc.

 

My suggestion if you love the mid-year Vettes like I do, buy something already restored and documented. These cars are a labor of love & rarely can you purchase a car these days, do a full restoration & come out on the right side of the value vs. what it cost you. Bloomington Gold certified/NCRS cars will cost you more but at least you know what you have.

They are truly artwork and the lines of the 63-67 will always stand the test of time. I could be wrangled out of my '67 Bloomington Gold certified 40k original mile convertible if the right trade came along for an Italia : )
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Have any of you that are trashing the fuel injected cars actually lived with one. I have for almost 20 years. Any problems I have had have been electrical related and not the fuel unit. The throttle response is instantaneous, there is no starvation in corners, one of the coolest looking American engines, etc. Love them.

George

 

i believe the vette FI problems are pretty widely known and not something just made up here.....

the early rochester units had percolation problems