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 1979 Corvette For Sale
VIN 1Z8789S445069 |
$19,995 |
For sale is a 1979 Corvette with only 10,683 original miles (mileage as of Jan 3, 2009). This car has a documented provenance back to it's original sale in Iowa.
NCRS Top Flight Award - 97.7 score.
This car is an exceptional time capsule survivor. It has not yet been judged at Bloomington but would certainly receive Survivor Gold status. Factory optioned as follows:
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A31 Power Windows |
NA5 Standard Emissions System |
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AU3 Power Door Locks |
N37 Tilt-Telescopic Steering Wheel |
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C49 Electric Rear Window Defogger |
N90 Aluminum Wheels (4) |
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C60 Air Conditioning |
QGR P255/70R-15 S/B Radial Tires W/LTR |
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D35 Sport Mirrors LH Remote
RH Manual |
UN3 AM-FM Stereo Radio W/Cassette |
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D80 Spoilers, Front and Rear |
U75 Power Antenna |
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K30 Auto Speed Control |
U81 Rear Speakers |
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L48 5.7 Liter 4BBL V8 |
UA1 Heavy Duty Battery |
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MX1 Automatic Transmission |
ZX2 Convience Group |
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The car was assembled at the St. Louis Missouri plant on July 29, 1979 and was delivered to Dick Whitman Chevrolet, Cedar Falls Iowa on August 8, 1979. The dealer used the car until it's first owner purchased it, having a delivery of October 15, 1979. It had 1,739 miles on it at the time of delivery. The first owner had he car for 21 years until he sold it to the general manager of the Chevrolet dealership where he purchased it. The second owner kept it 6 years and sold it in 2006 to Riverside Motors of Janesville Wisconsin, a collector Corvette dealer. I purchased it from Riverside July 18, 2006, shipping it to my home in St. Louis Missouri via enclosed Passport Transport carrier. It had 9,626 miles at that time.
After NCRS judging, I did a paint touch up of the engine block, installed L-82 valve covers, chrome air cleaner lid and master cylinder covers. L-48 Corvettes have a rather "plain Jane" engine compartment so I dressed it up some for local car shows. All these parts are bolt on and the car can be returned to original in about 2 hours. I have all the original parts to go with the car for future NCRS and Bloomington judging.
The car developed a rough ride in the summer of 2007 so I took it in to the local Chevrolet dealer and told them to balance the 28 year old tires. They called me back with the source of the rough ride, two of the tires had developed 12 inch splits in the tread. I hated to replace the original Polysteel Radials (as shown in the photo above) but I had to if I wanted to drive the car. The car now has new Goodyear Eagle GT II 255/60/15 White Letter tires. I also had the 28 year old original shocks replaced (I kept the originals) and had the A/C converted to R-134. The brake calipers were replaced with stainless steel and I replaced all the radiator hoses (correct markings) and removed the radiator, having it recored. The factory AM/FM cassette stereo works and sounds like new, all electronics and gages work like new including the clock which I replaced with a quartz movement. NCRS judging found everything original on the car except the battery, alternator and power antenna, both of which were correct replacements, just not date coded correctly. Everything else is date coded to the vehicle assembly date to include ignition wires and mufflers. This car has excellent paint and interior. THIS CAR NEEDS NOTHING, DRIVES, SMELLS AND LOOKS LIKE NEW. The car comes with most original paperwork, owners manual, even the instruction card placed on the sun visor. Also with the car is an additional set of custom floor mats, an assembly manual and a GM 79 Corvette Shop Manual. I will also include the NCRS judging sheets. I can send high resolution photos of any area or part of the car a potential buyer requests.
There are a lot of C-3s of this vintage out there. I know there are many 79's in the price range of $6,000 to $20,000. There are also a few museum quality cars which command $20,000 to $30,000. This is one of those cars, it is museum quality and would command a higher price if sold by a major Corvette dealer like Pro-Team or CnV. I am not a dealer, just a collector. I have owned 10 corvettes in the past 30 years, C-2s, C-3s, C-4s and a C-5. I am selling this car to get into another C-2 project. The C-3 market has seen an increase in value over the last several years and this car will certainly go up in value if kept in its current condition.
Rex Gooch
St. Louis, Missouri
NCRS Member # 37598
That is the factory calking around the T-top lock plate. Quality control in 1979 was poor. I have since cleaned that up and it looks much better now.
New replacement P255-60/15 radials.
Original spare tire and carrier assembly
Original L-48 dated mufflers
The under carriage is original and has not been detailed. The frame is solid and only surface corrosion is found. Factory frame and inner fender markings are clearly visible. THE CAR HAS NO LEAKS! That's correct.
Mileage February 9, 2008
Console like new without the usual fading and scratches, original factory floor mats.
If you will look closely at the leading edge of the chrome carpet strip, that grey area is actually the remnants of the cardboard packing which held plastic covers over the carpet when delivered. Dealer prep never removed it before delivery. I left it there. If you have ever owned a 1978 - 1982 Corvette then you know that the interior door armrests are composed of a plastic filler material that becomes very brittle over time. This causes the inside material of the door pull to break. I replaced both left and right door armrests with correct moulded and died replacements. These are not black cores painted red but moulded in color as original. They are snug and tight to the door as new.
More original paperwork Second set of custom floor mats
The engine at NCRS judging, before detailing.
Oritginal parts removed go with the car for future NCRS and Bloomington Judging.
After detailing.
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New hood blanket
I found that a mouse had made a nest under the original sometime in the past 29 years! |
Notice the markings on the steering box and the label on the power brake booster |
There is a separation developing, not a tear, in the drivers seat bolster. This is the only flaw in the interior and can be fixed without replacing the seat cover. There is no wear to the seats what so ever.
This is a factory flaw. 1979 saw over 53,000 corvettes manufactured, an all time record. On a good day, quality was questionable. This car was the 45,069th Corvette of 53,807 produced that year. All 1979 Corvettes which had a factory installed front spoiler and/or 60 series tires required the leading edge of the front fenders to be trimmed. This was done after the car was painted as it came down the production line. A worker would take a grinder and grind the lip off the fender openings and then take a brush with the appropriate color paint and swipe it over the trimmed fender lip. As you can see, this was the result. After speaking with many NCRS judges, their opinion was to leave the flaw as is and not repair it. I don't know, if I were to keep the car I believe I would fix it. (I have since had this repaired)
The car is located in west St. Louis County, Missouri and near the regional office of Passport Transport if shipping is required. If interested or you have a question, call me at 636-458-1528 or e-mail:
rgooch6760@aol.com
