For Sale: 1966 Chevrolet Corvette in Oracle, Arizona for sale in Oracle, AZ
Vehicle Description First of all, I'm not a dealer who is simply describing a car for sale.
I'm the fourth owner of this car.
I know every square inch of it because almost all of the work on it has been done by me.
And, if I didn't do it, I used only the most reputable parts restoration companies with the best reviews.
I bought this car in 1998 just because I always wanted a 1966, big block Corvette with knock-offs and side pipes.
It was in great shape and a blast to drive.
At the time I bought it, it was a numbers matching car with the exception of the intake manifold and carburetor which were both after market.
I never had plans to restore the car, just drive it.
But, things do go wrong with a 32 year old car.
The first was the engine wiring.
Just old, brittle and unreliable.
So I not only replaced it with a correct new wiring harness, but also did the dash and chassis harnesses too.
I figured that if something has to be repaired, then get the best correct parts available.
That's why every part I've purchased has been either from Long Island Corvette or Paragon Corvette Reproductions.
When this car came off the assembly line it was painted Nassau Blue.
Somewhere along the line it had been repainted Malibu Blue.
I've always liked black cars so I had it repainted Tuxedo Black.
But, not before I had removed every piece of chrome, trim, door handles and every emblem.
After it was painted I spent another year and a half putting everything back together.
I used the opportunity to replace any part that was incorrect or damaged.
In addition, I made sure that every bolt, screw and nut was correct in size and head markings.
After the paint I had fun just driving it.
But the interior was worn and sun faded.
So, I decided to replace the interior so that it looked new again.
Some parts like the glove box door and clock had to be sent out to be restored, but mostly it was a matter of taking things apart cleaning and replacing old and worn with correct new.
Now I have an interior that is correct and looks new.
Things were going great, but I wasn't happy with the Holley double-pumper that had been installed.
Besides being hard to start it was a real gas hog.
I found a correct cast iron intake manifold for a 427/390 but the casting date did not fit with the production date.
Next I found a new correct Holley carburetor.
The only problem here was that it had been sitting on the shelf since 1966.
I didn't trust the shape it might be in so I sent it to a specialist who rebuilds Holley carburetors.
He did a fantastic job.
He told me that when I installed the carburetor do not make any adjustments; it was set up perfectly.
He was right.
I put the carburetor on, started the car and it was perfect.
I've never made any adjustments to it.
In 2013 things were going good.
The Corvette had just over 40k miles on it.
I noticed that some parts of the engine had been replaced with aftermarket parts.
For example the oil filter had been switched from the original canister to a screw on filter.
The spark plug wires were bare without the braiding.
The hoses weren't GM and brackets were missing.
The motor was running fine but I started to wonder about how strong it was after 40 plus years.
So I decided to pull the motor and rebuild it.
When I tore it down I was surprised at how clean it was; no sludge.
Everything inside was original.
While the block was being cleaned and honed I ordered new everything new.
Crankshaft, cam, pistons, rings, oil pump and a rebuild kit.
The water pump was rebuilt along with the alternator, fuel pump, distributor and starter motor.
The heads went to a machine shop for new rockers, springs, push rods, valves and guides.
I had it set up with guides that would take unleaded gas.
You'll see in the photos that everything went back together beautifully.
I put it back in and reattached all the components, hoses and etc.
I did replace the radiator with a new DeWitt aluminum exact duplicate of the original.
When it came time to start the engine, I couldn't believe how quickly and easily it started.
With just a few adjustments it was running perfect.
After that I had pretty much a new car except for the suspension.
So I decided to give it a complete overhaul.
Again, new everything.
Recently I had it judged at our local NCRS chapter.
It scored a Second Flight and only missed the Top Flight because it's not the original color.
This is a completely restored car.
It's not a body off restoration because for one thing I did it over many years and second because I didn't want someone else building my car.
I wanted to do it all myself.
Everything on this car works and works well.
If you want a Top Flight Corvette just repaint it.
Everything else is done.
Oh, you'll notice in the photos that the steering wheel is not original.
I used a smaller steering wheel because it's easier for me to operate the clutch.
I have the original along with other parts like the jack, owners manual, tags and a current NCRS judging guide book.
.
I'm the fourth owner of this car.
I know every square inch of it because almost all of the work on it has been done by me.
And, if I didn't do it, I used only the most reputable parts restoration companies with the best reviews.
I bought this car in 1998 just because I always wanted a 1966, big block Corvette with knock-offs and side pipes.
It was in great shape and a blast to drive.
At the time I bought it, it was a numbers matching car with the exception of the intake manifold and carburetor which were both after market.
I never had plans to restore the car, just drive it.
But, things do go wrong with a 32 year old car.
The first was the engine wiring.
Just old, brittle and unreliable.
So I not only replaced it with a correct new wiring harness, but also did the dash and chassis harnesses too.
I figured that if something has to be repaired, then get the best correct parts available.
That's why every part I've purchased has been either from Long Island Corvette or Paragon Corvette Reproductions.
When this car came off the assembly line it was painted Nassau Blue.
Somewhere along the line it had been repainted Malibu Blue.
I've always liked black cars so I had it repainted Tuxedo Black.
But, not before I had removed every piece of chrome, trim, door handles and every emblem.
After it was painted I spent another year and a half putting everything back together.
I used the opportunity to replace any part that was incorrect or damaged.
In addition, I made sure that every bolt, screw and nut was correct in size and head markings.
After the paint I had fun just driving it.
But the interior was worn and sun faded.
So, I decided to replace the interior so that it looked new again.
Some parts like the glove box door and clock had to be sent out to be restored, but mostly it was a matter of taking things apart cleaning and replacing old and worn with correct new.
Now I have an interior that is correct and looks new.
Things were going great, but I wasn't happy with the Holley double-pumper that had been installed.
Besides being hard to start it was a real gas hog.
I found a correct cast iron intake manifold for a 427/390 but the casting date did not fit with the production date.
Next I found a new correct Holley carburetor.
The only problem here was that it had been sitting on the shelf since 1966.
I didn't trust the shape it might be in so I sent it to a specialist who rebuilds Holley carburetors.
He did a fantastic job.
He told me that when I installed the carburetor do not make any adjustments; it was set up perfectly.
He was right.
I put the carburetor on, started the car and it was perfect.
I've never made any adjustments to it.
In 2013 things were going good.
The Corvette had just over 40k miles on it.
I noticed that some parts of the engine had been replaced with aftermarket parts.
For example the oil filter had been switched from the original canister to a screw on filter.
The spark plug wires were bare without the braiding.
The hoses weren't GM and brackets were missing.
The motor was running fine but I started to wonder about how strong it was after 40 plus years.
So I decided to pull the motor and rebuild it.
When I tore it down I was surprised at how clean it was; no sludge.
Everything inside was original.
While the block was being cleaned and honed I ordered new everything new.
Crankshaft, cam, pistons, rings, oil pump and a rebuild kit.
The water pump was rebuilt along with the alternator, fuel pump, distributor and starter motor.
The heads went to a machine shop for new rockers, springs, push rods, valves and guides.
I had it set up with guides that would take unleaded gas.
You'll see in the photos that everything went back together beautifully.
I put it back in and reattached all the components, hoses and etc.
I did replace the radiator with a new DeWitt aluminum exact duplicate of the original.
When it came time to start the engine, I couldn't believe how quickly and easily it started.
With just a few adjustments it was running perfect.
After that I had pretty much a new car except for the suspension.
So I decided to give it a complete overhaul.
Again, new everything.
Recently I had it judged at our local NCRS chapter.
It scored a Second Flight and only missed the Top Flight because it's not the original color.
This is a completely restored car.
It's not a body off restoration because for one thing I did it over many years and second because I didn't want someone else building my car.
I wanted to do it all myself.
Everything on this car works and works well.
If you want a Top Flight Corvette just repaint it.
Everything else is done.
Oh, you'll notice in the photos that the steering wheel is not original.
I used a smaller steering wheel because it's easier for me to operate the clutch.
I have the original along with other parts like the jack, owners manual, tags and a current NCRS judging guide book.
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