FOR SALE: A Beautifully Restored 1966 Corvette Convertible!
As the world continues to navigate its way thru the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing certainty that many parts of the U.S. will begin transitioning back to life in the “new normal.” When that happens, we’re hoping that we’ll see the return of Friday night and Saturday morning car shows, cruise-ins and Corvette homecoming events all over this great country of ours. It is in that spirit that we present to you this beautiful 1966 Corvette Convertible that we found for sale online!
Listed as an auction at bringatrailer.com, this 1966 Chevrolet Corvette convertible is an amazing example of the C2 generation Corvette. This car, which spent the past 25 years with its former owner before being listed for sale here, is said to have gone a massive rebuild, making it a “ready-to-drive” classic that promises to turn heads no matter where you take it!
This 1966 Corvette has been refinished in its factory Silver Pearl paint (986). The bumpers were re-chromed and the front turn signal housings, headlamp motors, power antenna and fuel filler door have all been replaced. The black soft top has also been replaced with a factory-spec replacement (which you can see in the image below.) The current seller states that the car’s rear wiring harness has also been replaced and features wiring for reverse lights, though this Corvette is currently equipped with four all-red taillight lenses.
The car rides on replacement 15″x7″ rally wheels and features 1967-style hubcaps along with 205/75 Hankook Optimo whitewall tires which were reportedly installed within the past year.
Moving inward, this 1966 Corvette’s interior is trimmed in black vinyl upholstery with matching dashboard, door panels and carpeting. The car also features restored factory seatbelts and buckles with new retractors and a wood-grain style steering wheel. The car’s center stack includes a custom Autosound AM/FM stereo and still features the factory-mounted clock (though it is reported that the clock no longer works.) Beneath the center stack is a Hurst shifter. Rounding out the car’s interior is a heater and defroster, power windows and wiper/washer assembly. While the wipers work as expected, it has been reported that the washer pump works intermittently (and may require a new pump – which is an inexpensive fix, even on a 1966 Corvette!)
Moving to the dashboard, the car’s instrumentation includes a 160-mph speedometer, a tachometer with a 6,500-rpm redline and a five-digit odometer that shows 44,000 mile. Actual mileage on the car is unknown as the car underwent a significant mechanical rebuild (more on this below.). It is reported that both the speedometer and the odometer cables were replaced along iwth the steering wheel rag joint, dash light bulbs and courtesy lamps. Additionally, the previous owner also installed a new wiring harness for the dashboard and the engine compartment when the car was repainted.
Mechanically, this car has been essentially rebuilt from the ground up. While a lot of effort was made to keep the car as factory stock as possible, most of the major systems have been overhauled, including all of the following:
- Brakes– This Corvette has a new brake booster, master cylinder, calipers, pads, rotors, hoses and hardlines (metal brake lines) to both the front and rear wheels.
- Power Steering – The car features a new steering pump, ram and hoses.
- Suspension – New KYB shock absorbers were installed at all four wheels along with fresh sway-bar bushings in both front and rear.
Moving to under the car’s hood, we find that a replacement 327 cubic-inch V8 engine was installed and setup to match the factory 350 horsepower specification. The engine is paired to a rebuilt four-speed manual transmission and a rebuilt 3.56:1 Positraction rear differential. The flywheel has been resurfaced and the clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearing, and driveshaft U-joints are said to have been replaced with new components under current ownership. Induction is through a Holley four barrel carburetor. The seller also states that the valves were adjusted and that a one-piece replacement oil pan gasket was installed, along with the following list of parts:
- New alternator
- New water pump and fan clutch
- A new Be-Cool aluminum radiator with electric cooling fan
- A new fuel tank sending unit and gasket
- Spin-on oil filter assembly to replace canister version
- Optima Redtop battery
- All hoses and belts.
Additionally this car has a new exhaust system that includes replacement manifolds with 2.5-inch outlets, 2.5-inch aluminized pipes, N1 mufflers and 2.5-inch stainless steel tips.
This 1966 Corvette Convertible also received a major maintenance in 2020, which included changing all of the car’s fluids, a four-wheel alignment and a tune-up. As we stated earlier, this car is ready to go and only needs a driver to jump in the cockpit, turn the wheel and go.
This C2 is offered with a clean California title in the seller’s name. The car is currently located in Fountain Valley, California. At the time of this posting, the current sell price on this 1966 Corvette is $38,000.00. Given the extensive work put into restoring this car,we feel that this is a great price for such a well maintained second-generation Corvette convertible. It should also be noted that the factory trim tags on this car do confirm that it’s factory configuration was a convertible setup in Silver Pearl from the factory.
Should you wish to learn more about this car, or if you are interested in placing a bid on it at this time, you can find the original listing by clicking here.
Should you choose to bid on this car, we wish you the best of luck. Corvsport.com has no professional affiliations with either Bringatrailer.com or the seller of this automobile and has not been compensated in any way for sharing this listing.
