FOR SALE: A Beautifully Maintained 1966 Corvette Convertible with 5-Speed Transmission
Despite the economic uncertainties of 2020 – or perhaps because of it – we continue to find many beautiful vintage Corvettes for sale on the internet. We found this most recent example – a 1966 Corvette Convertible – for sale at bringatrailer.com. It’s definitely one to look at, especially given its current asking price (just $10,000 at the time of this posting.)
This 1966 Corvette convertible was built by Chevrolet at their Corvette plant in St. Louis, Missouri in January 1966. Since that time, the car exchanged hands a few times before undergoing a transformation by its previous owner. The car’s previous owner (not the current seller) modified the car’s body by installing wider fenders, additional taillights, a new 427 cubic inch V8 engine and a yellow-with-black-stripes paint job that gave the car a very aggressive look.
Additionally, the current seller states that the car was serviced in 2019 and received an overhaul which included replacing the taillight wiring, the brakes, replacing the shock absorbers, leaf spring bushings, lower sway bar bushings and left cross-member cushion and fuel systems as well as the installation of a Tremec five-speed manual transmission and side exhaust. This second-generation Corvette includes all historical service records and a clean California title.
Looking under the hood, we find the aforementioned 427 cubic-inch V8 engine that was installed by the previous owner. The engine features an MSD distributor and braided stainless steel fuel lines. The engine, which was also serviced in 2019, received a rebuilt carburetor, new battery terminals, new drive belts, new exhaust manifolds, a new fuel pump, alternator, voltage regulator, power steering hoses, valve cover gaskets and a new starter. Unfortunately, the horsepower rating of this engine is unknown, though it is believed to be estimated at 390 horsepower, like that of the factory 427 from the same model year.
Paired to the 427 cubic-inch V8 is a new Tremec five-speed manual transmission with a rear axle gear ratio of 3.73:1. The car includes a new ring and pinion set as well as a replacement clutch assembly, driveshaft, universal joints, half shafts, spindles, bearings and seals. Additionally, the fuel level sending units, fuel filters, fuel hose, fuel tank straps and isolation strips were also reportedly replaced.
The car’s exterior appears to be in very good condition overall. There are some paint chips on the convertible top boot and on the left door as well as some cracks in the fiberglass on the front lip under the right door sill plate. Details of the defects can be viewed by visiting the original posting at bringatrailer.com (by clicking here.) Despite these minor blemishes, the car’s exterior shows well and remains an outstanding example of a 1966 Corvette convertible.
The car rides on 15-inch Cragar wheels which feature spinner center caps. The wheels are wrapped in BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires. The tires are 225/60’s in the front and 295/50’s in the rear. All four tires show 2001 date codes.
As mentioned earlier, the car’s braking system received an overhaul as well. New for 2019, this Corvette received repacked front wheel bearings, replacement of the front wheel seals, a new master cylinder, power brake booster and new brake pads and rotors all-around.
Moving inward, the interior of this 1966 Corvette is upholstered in black vinyl with matching carpet and door panels. The car features an aftermarket cassette player, an analog clock and an ignition kill switch. The current seller also states that the shifter was replaced in 2019 and the headlight switch was replaced in May, 2020.
Moving to the dashboard, the car’s instrumentation consist of a 160-mph speedometre, a 7k-rpm tachometer as well as gauges for fuel, battery, oil pressure and water temperature. The seller states that the car’s odometer was reset in 2004 and stopped working in May, 2020 with just 5,600 miles on the clock. Unfortunately, it also means the car’s true mileage is unknown.
The Chevrolet VIN tag was replaced by the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, and the car’s new VIN NCS84218 appears on the California registration. There is also currently a lien on the car. The seller (and current owner’s) lender will need to be paid-in-full before a clean title can be transferred to the new owner.
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.
