I have my 1971 Coupe and it is currently a project that was totaled by the one and only owner way back aproximatly in 1973-1975?   With 24,000 miles on it and then stored inside for almost 40 years.  This car is pretty much needing everything from in front of the seats forward. The original engine and trans has long since gone missing. I will be using a good frame from a 1979 doner Corvette and I have a 1971 Corvette 4-speed 350 coded CJL complete  engine minus the carb. Considering the condition and the restoration of the car missing so many of the original parts, I am looking for some info or opinions of the future value of it when completed. I would think being an interesting tale of woe this car has suffered it might be of more value in the marketplace than your typical non matching 1971 Coupe.  I will put a mild build on the engine to about 360-380 H.P. keeping of course the small block but the issue of a 4-speed compared to auto is perplexing to me.    I do have the tank sticker in tact and it was a low optioned Vette when built. P/S P/B auto 270 h.p. 350 am/fm push button radio  War Bonnet yellow with dark saddle interior 3:36 axle tilt/tele column  I do believe it to have been equipped with wheel covers and luggage rack but the tank sticker makes no mention of those options. Would it have been possible to have been equipped with a few options and it not be indicated on the tank sticker??  I have the original title signed by the owner dated back to 1971 I have confirmed it to be a 1 owner 1971 Corvette and the circumstances under which this car was wrecked and therefore totaled.

Wheel covers could have been installed by the selling dealer. Luggage racks were NEVER a factory option. 1980 cars did have a t-top carrier option from the factory, tho.

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Very true.   Thanks

Regarding auto or 4 speed, you made mention of the '79 donor frame. Is the cross member welded to the frame (manual trans) or bolted to the frame (auto trans) ?? May not be a huge significance, you could go 4 speed either way, but if it's welded in, it would make R&R of the transmission a bit more difficult with the motor in place.

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John Sigmund

I can't recall. The 79 is an L-48 Auto car, so is the 71    I have been restoring "old cars" for the better of 30 years and I can weld and/or fabricate most parts if needed..  Yeah, back in the day when they were "old cars" and people thought we were nuts, LOL... I can always transplant any good sections or parts from the original frame to the 79 if necessary..     Thanks

I'd go auto, since both frames were autos to begin with. It keeps you from having to source/hang the pedal assembly for one, plus, the auto frames will not have the bracket for the clutch Z-bar to pivot on. Of course, you could go hydraulic, depending on what standard trans you opted for. The removable trans crossmember is a plus, tho.

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Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56    
My Link


(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

I'd do a newer auto with overdrive.  I have to wear ear plugs on the highway with my 4 spd. 

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Sounds like a great candidate for a kick azz restomod.

Will a '79 frame set up for rubber bumpers fit under a '71 chrome bumper car?


|UPDATED|12/4/2015 11:09:37 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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Front bumper is all bolt on brackets from the frame horns. The rear bumper is a matter of cutting off the rear section and transplanting the approximately 18 or so inches from the rear of the original frame off the 71.  Exact measurements are a mystery until I actually do the cutting and welding..  Yes, it would be much easier and probably pleasurable to drive as an auto.  I restored a friends 70 Chevelle SS and we took it to the Woodward Dream Cruise 2015. It was awesome to feel that 4-speed wind out but on the freeway it was not too much fun between the engine revving and being passed by newer cars doing 75-80.  To do 80 in the 454 4-speed Chevelle would have been ear plug time!  My 71 Vette has a 3:36 axle which would make for decent freeway cruising. Sure it would cost me some stop light hole shots but overall it would be pretty nice I think.    Maybe a newer trans with overdrive would really be the best of both worlds.  Any suggestions from anyone out there of the least headache approach to fitting a 71 350 mild build to an updated O/D auto trans? 

Hey F4Gary   love that 72 LT-1   is that brands hatch green?  I am really considering restoring my 71 in that very same color. I have dark saddle interior so it appears your 72 does also.  How do people like that color?  Not that it matters, but I'm looking for some help in pushing me  over that line of decision.  My 71 is originally war bonnet yellow and I really don't care that much for the color. 

War bonnet Yellow was/is my favorite color! I sat at work in high school staring out the the window at a '72 roadster in that color. I ended up with a '70 roadster in a darker Elkhart Green respray but I lusted over the Warbonnet.

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Brands Hatch Green.  Does this help put you over the edge?




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Very cool!    I always think of the sales brochure picture of this color back in 1971..  I was 11 years old and my Dad took me to work with him on a Saturday. He worked at a Chevy dealer and I spent the morning checking out the cars in the showroom and of the cars in there I can't remember exactly their colors.   Grabbed a few brochures of everything and that 71 Vette sticks in my mind every time I see a chrome bumper Vette.  Front cover is Brands hatch green and inside a Sunflower yellow. One cool color also is Steel cities gray, or at least the name is way too cool sounding. Loved Corvettes ever since. What 9-11 year old doesn't??  But my wanting one never changed, this is the closest I'll probably ever get to a 70-72 with a tank sticker and super low miles.   Thanks for the pics and encouragement.. LOL  It may be all I needed..

The memory of being with your dad at work is very sentimental!! That's the color I would go with. Look at the last post of the car in front of cafe and imagine it in the yellow. It would really pop!! Steel city gray is an awesome color and gets plenty of attention at shows.

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Nice Pic!  Too bad the calendar is firmed up already.  Yes, I see the scrapes on the car, but still a good pic! IMHO

A.  That pic was the cover of the 2014 calender.

B.  No scrapes.  Light reflections.



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