VIN 194670S401490

Car Year:	1970
Car's approximate birthday:	January 22, 1970
Owner:	Tony Zwigart Ebay: houtexcars
City:	Houston
State:	Texas
Country:	United States
Purchase date:	01/01/2011
Status:	Current Owner
State:	Nice Driver
Exterior:	979 Bridgehampton Blue
Interior:	411 Blue (Vinyl)
Softtop:	White
Wheels:	Other Color
Delivery Dealer Zone:	Unknown
Delivery Dealer Code:	Unknown
Options:	RPO	Option	Percentage Sold [%]	Sales Price [$]
	19467	Base Corvette Convertible (BB 390hp)	38.39%	4,849.00
	A31	Power Windows	27.80%	63.20
	G81	Optional Rear Axle Ratio	16.53%	12.65
	J50	Power Brakes	51.88%	47.40
	LS5	454ci, 390hp Engine	25.83%	289.65
	M21	4-Speed Manual Transmission, close ratio	25.31%	0.00
	N40	Power Steering	68.76%	105.35
	PT7	White Stripe Tires, F70x15, nylon	38.05%	31.30
	U69	AM-FM Radio	83.91%	172.75
	Total		0.003241922186276% (1 Cars)	5,571.30
Factory job nr.:	Unknown
Export Car:	Non Export Car
Car history:
I am a real car guy and my Stingray is a major love of my life. I currently have three cars and I am one of those that name them: My SSR is Kate. My AMG is Beautiful and my stunning little Vette is simply called Gorgeous. Trust me, if I had a way to keep Gorgeous I would, but I need the cash. I am terribly proud of her, but again, I need to sell her. I bought this car in 2003 where the body had been removed from the frame, blasted down to the metal, replaced with all new mounts, the drive train was rebuilt, stainless brake lines were installed and that was it! I had her hauled to my brothers shop along with a dozen or so crates of parts and spent the better part of 3 years rebuilding it. I had previously owned a couple C2 Vettes but it was my dream to own a 1970 454 4-speed convertible, so if I say something that offends owners of other years, I apologize up front, but Ive always been partial to the 1970, the last of the best, IMO. I took my time rebuilding it, wanting each piece to be as close to perfect as possible. Like many, I built her for me with never a thought I would sell her, but times as they are, Im forced to do just that. Although not an original color, I painted her a color that I loved which reminded me of the waters of the Caribbean, and IMO, accentuated her lines beautifully. Her paint code is RD Teal Metallic. You can see the report I received from GM showing the original options and colors. It shows this 1 of only 131 Corvette was originally Bridgehampton Blue with a black top and blue vinyl interior. While Im a freak about originality, the new color was my vice of choice as well as going with a leather interior (Black) color matching the convertible top. Almost all replacement parts were purchased through Corvette Central. The Exterior: The paint is absolutely flawless. No scratches, no dings, no dents. Its a 9.5 out of 10 only because there is no such thing as a 10. The chrome has been re-chromed by Magnum Chrome or replaced with stainless steel where I thought stainless might be the better choice, such as the luggage rack, license surround, exhaust tips and bezels. I do have the original chrome rack which would require being re-chromed if desired. The top is new, and I completely rebuilt the framework which all works perfectly. About the hubcaps? I can politely say they are a somewhat elaborate 3 piece hubcap. There is a small centre hub which I replaced all four so they are new. The second component is the fins, and the third, the hubcap. They are quite heavy, not your regular hubcap. In terms of difficulty to rebuild? A ton of labor was involved. A lot of it was taping off, as there are 56 fins per cap. Times 2 because there are the fins and the reverse on the cap, so it entailed taping off 112 pieces per wheel. I then had to paint between every fin and the reverse on the cap. It was very labor intensive, probably why I love them so much, the time I spent doting over them. Recapping the exterior, there is absolutely nothing you need to do. You cant paint it any better, it is laser straight and the chrome and replacement stainless are beautiful. The rocker panels are buffed out but the true aficionado may wish to replace those. However, they are the originals and show well. The top is better than new both mechanically and cosmetically, inside and out. The top was professionally installed by Advantage Auto -Corvette Specialists. Even the tires, Michelin Symmetry P215/70R 15 are like new. Interior: Same as the exterior, I redid it all! The interior was completely gutted and I had the task of redoing everything. Reassembling a car is a little more difficult when you purchase it already disassembled. It was rather like doing a jigsaw puzzle, figuring out what piece went where, and there were many boxes of parts and pieces to wade through. It was original blue vinyl interior so the first project was to thoroughly clean all dash and console components with TSP, spray with paint adhesive and paint black. I removed the convertible frame, disassembled and blasted the individual pieces then primed and painted each piece before reassembly. Like the roof frame, I disassembled the seats, blasted, primed and painted them black. I did not think to take a picture but the identification tags are attached to the seat frames. The foams were replaced and new black leather seat covers installed. After the wiring, I installed heat shield/sound dampener throughout the cockpit. A new carpet kit was installed and the seats and console were set in place. The door skins were new plus the lower carpet portion, but wanting to use original components the inserts and knobs are original. The clock does not work but the movements are okay. I understand there is a service available that repairs them for about $50. For the record, it is a bit of a pain to remove so while it is a small repair, if you chose to do so, make sure the tech has done it several times before you give him the car. The only other component that does not work is the radio. Wiring for a new electric aerial is ready to be extended from the driver shoulder harness area. Personally, I did not care because listening to that big block roar is music to my ear! There are plenty of radio options available that replicate the old look yet give modern sound if you want. The dash speakers have been replaced. Mechanically: Lets start at the front, with the headlights. All vacuum lines have been replaced and the headlights open and close perfectly. The Drivetrain: This is not a numbers matching car, although I have the original block (Casting# 3968512). The original block does have a hairline fracture, but Ive been told it is repairable. When I bought the car, I hoped to one day rebuild the original block as well, but never seemed to get to it. AS long as the block accompanies the car some consider this to be numbers matching, even though the original block is not in the car. In any event, the block should be kept with the car. I will ship the original block to the new buyer provided the buyer pay the shipping fees. The current engine (Casting# 361959) was built by Coquitlam Automotive in Canada using as much of the original parts as possible, including the heads, intake, carb, etc. A new Speed Set 220-1110 Cam was installed. Coquitlam (phone # 604.936.0471) built it to the same specs as the original 454 - 390hp. The carburetor was rebuilt by Ultimate Performance Ltd - 604.536.6444. Gorgeous runs perfectly, no rattle or shake, no miss, no smoke, it really is that nice. You can see from the pictures Ive re-chromed the original chromed parts. Rather than install reproduction valve covers I opted to re-chrome the original "oilers" and they turned out beautifully, really setting it off nicely under the hood. The Transmission is the original M-21 4 speed (Casting#3857584) coupled with the posi rear end with original 3.36 gears (Casting#3871375). The entire drive train runs like new. I began working on Gorgeous in 9/2003 with 58.3k miles on her and finally completed her in mid-2006. Since then I have put 2150 miles on her, mostly to car shows. The odometer reads 60447 miles today. I cant think of anything else, but trust me, there were lots of little things that went into this car. Again, it kills me to see her go. I (Dale Courville) can be reached at 250.578.6977 if you have any questions. I have a clear Canadian title and can meet in Seattle if necessary, but not until all the $ is in my Canadian bank! All instruments are in miles per hour and miles, not kilometers. Again, to be clear, the clock and radio do not work, although I installed new speakers in the dash. It is not a numbers matching car although the original block will accompany the vehicle if you pay for shipping. That being said, this is the deal you always look for. I spent the money, I did the work, and you get a car that needs almost nothing for a fraction of what it took to build. You will not be disappointed. I have over 3 years of labor and another 60k+ tied up in my car. I have no real expectation of getting my money back and have a really low reserve in hopes I sell her fast, but Im not just giving her away. Inspections are welcome. I dont offer financing and I really dont want a trade. Dale Courville: "Yes, I do own the Corvette, although I have considered selling her." July 11, 2010. Axle ratio is 3.36:1. Motor suffix code is T0114CZU. 800 mi on a build, 59k mi. Stunning in Teal w/ black leather interior. Orig block stored. From 1970corvetteregistry.org, on July 11, 2010.
For Sale:	No
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