1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

[Jimmy B.]

I just purchased a 1 family owned 1969 sb coupe here in FL in a storage unit, put there by the original owners grandson who inherited the car a few years ago.

While rummaging around in the back package tray I found a torn off small card, it turns out this is the original protecto plate for the car buried back there with other stuff. Original owner lived in California. I also found some old CA registrations showing car 1st sold 08-02-1969. Think I'm gonna go buy a lotto ticket today!

Car is a T-Top coupe: yellow, black interior, ps, pb, pw, a/c, am/fm, alarm system, front side louvre's and automatic for those interested. 1 repaint, interior 100% original. The smog system is still in place.

From the vin it looks like it was either built last day before strike started or 1st day after strike.

[Robert E.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Jim, Congratulations!!!!! I know exactly how you feel. I've recently written an article for an upcoming issue of the Restorer about my lucky day. Pretty exciting isn't it?

Robert

[Jim T.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Enjoy your 1969 when its on the road again as well.

[Jim M.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

There is such great satisfaction in taking a car, actually any classic car, and giving it new life for all to enjoy. Even though I have owned a number of Corvettes over the years, mostly new, my passion was restoring old British sports cars, such as my Jag XK140 and Austin Healey, however, I too came across a friend who had purchased a 69 many years ago from another friend and had parked it in his garage. When he said he was thinking about moving, following a divorce, he wasn't sure what to do with the old vette. He opened up the garage and there it sat, covered in dust and boxes of junk piled on top of it. I gave him, a somewhat hard time, about piling boxes on such a classic car and he told that when he bought it, the previous owner had firewood piled on it. Needless to say I didn't know much about restoring Corvettes and I had to give it a try. The car was orignally black however it had two repaints of orange, so you can imagine what it looked like and I'm sure the last repaint was done by someone who had never considered using masking tape. So after a couple year project of taking the car apart and stripping off all the paint and putting a fesh coat of tuxedo black on her, she was ready to dance. I hope you enjoy putting your barn find back on the road as much as I did.

[William L.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Congratulations Jimmy. GREAT find. Pictures when you get a chance.

[Dennis S.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Congratulations on your find Jimmy.
My yellow '69 sat in a garage in Oregon from '85 to '04 when I bought it. Original paint and most everything else, window sticker, dealer prep list, delivery checklist, tank sticker still on tank, POP, all the delivery instructions, plus maintenance receipts from prior owner #3. My S/N 721077 was supposedly built just before the strike and used for 3400 miles as a demonstrator at the dealer in Grants Pass, OR. The first owner was in Yreka, CA and I have spoken to his son. Our cars sound like they could be twins, except mine is a BB 4 spd side exhaust car. Enjoy!
Dennis

[Ray G.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Hello;

Very cool !!

Thanks for posting.
Ray

[Jimmy B.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Will get some photos and get them posted hopefully this weekend.
The engine compartment is nice and dirty, I still see some original stickers..
Unfortunately the idle solenoid and bracket for the ac equipped cars is missing, darn, I'll never get my hands on one of those!

Appreciate all the nice comments. Hope to get the car up on a lift Sat. or Sun.

[Tom H.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Can't wait to see the pictures of this one !!! Good find, Jimmy.

[Alan S.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Hi Jimmy,
I can imagine how excited you were to see it for the first time.
Piling stuff on old cars in the garage must be a wide spread disease. In the early 80s, my 71 was covered and stored in my 1 car garage; and was piled high with building materials while I put an addition on our house. I even put a little gouge in one of the fenders with an aluminium ladder.
It was just a old car I wasn't bothering to sell back then.
I hope you have lots of good times with your 69.
Regards,
Alan

[Matt L.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

wow! what a great story. i bet that car is saying thank you. good luck with your new vette. please post some pics. how about ones just the way you found it. those are the coolest kind.
take care,
matt

[James G.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

Will get some photos and get them posted hopefully this weekend.
The engine compartment is nice and dirty, I still see some original stickers..
Unfortunately the idle solenoid and bracket for the ac equipped cars is missing, darn, I'll never get my hands on one of those!

Appreciate all the nice comments. Hope to get the car up on a lift Sat. or Sun.

Call Jeff Reade Jimmy......he has a way with those Solenoid valves. Sounds like a nice car. So. Cal dealer? Or don't you know yet.

[Peter M.]

Re: 1969 CORVETTE My Lucky Day

WOW ! Congratulations; Well Done