1967 YELLOW CHEVROLET CORVETTE COUPE
VEHICLE EVALUATION
VIN#
MILEAGE: 31,853
NOTE: TRIM TAG AND VIN NUMBER DECODING, NUMBER CONFIRMATION AND OWNER INFORMATION HAVE NOT BEEN SHOWN TO PROTECT THE OWNERS PRIVACY
BODY: The body of this Corvette appears to retain all of its original body panels as all of the bonding strips that could be reached or observed where present. There were no modifications from factory stock. Body panel fit was good with mostly smooth transitions being observed. Some minor variations were found but these are consistent with a factory build. Headlight buckets fit well and were inline with the nose of the vehicle. Panel gapping showed some slight differences but was within factory tolerances. Panels were smooth with no dents or irregularities found. There were a couple of noted areas where some body filler had been added at some point, specifically the front marker light/turn signal area on the passenger’s side as well as the top trailing corner of the passenger’s side door opening. Both doors opened and closed smoothly with a firm latch. The driver’s side door was somewhat loose on its hinges while the passenger’s side was properly firm. The hood’s manual release operated properly, the hood staid firmly latched upon full extension and released back to close with no issues. Lower front and rear valances were free of any cracks or damage. All the lenses were original to the car with date codes of 1966 being observed (which would still be correct for a 1967 built car). The taillight lenses were in good condition, slight fading with only some micro cracking being observed. Rear back up lenses in place, no cracking. Front marker lights were in good shape, some debris peppering was noted, no cracks.
PAINT: The car has been resprayed in its factory color of Sunfire Yellow (code# 984). The respray was older and single stage in nature. The finish shows some dullness with a lack of luster. Coverage was good with no thin areas being noted. There were numerous minor flaws observed: The lower front end of the car shows some minor paint runs, as well as some debris chipping. A few minor cracks were observed as well. The hood showed moderate spider web cracking toward the center. There was no indication of fiberglass damage or deformation though. There was some minor cracking in the paint at the base of the passenger’s side “A” post. Also of note was a 5” long hairline crack center rear of the car just on top. Numerous areas of overspray and masking overspray were noted around the car. Too numerous to note individually. The overspray included; masking areas on the rear bumpers, wiper post, all weather stripping as well as undersides of the car and some compartment openings. The overall finish showed polishing swirl marks and micro scratches. There were varying degrees of orange peel noted throughout the car. Standing 10’ back the car looks pretty good, get close and the flaws become very apparent.
CHROME/TRIM: All the brightwork is retained with the car. All appears to be original and in overall good condition. Front bumpers are dent free, straight. The chrome still shows bright with good color and shine. The undersides are also in good condition with only the passenger’s side showing some minor pitting on the inside corner. Stainless trim around the grill is straight, in good condition with good shine. Side rocker trim was in very good condition showing no dents, dings or any other damage, only a few very minor spots of debris peppering were noted. Still showing good shine and good black paint in recessed areas. Side view mirror was in good condition, slightly dulled with no pitting, good glass. Window surrounds were somewhat dulled, were complete and free of any defects. Door handles were in good condition, some minor aging to the finish, still showing a good shine. Rear bumpers were in the same condition as the front with the only difference being a little more pitting on the inside corners. Rear taillight bezels showing minor pitting on the inside top surfaces. Rear license plate housing was in good condition with little to no pitting. Exhaust tips were in good condition, minor rust staining on the opening edge. Exhaust bezels were in very good condition, good shine with only some minor pitting on the inside surfaces.
GLASS: The windshield was replaced somewhere around 1972 as the code on the glass is AY which indicates September 1972, the rest of the glass is original to the car as the date codes vary but are within 5 months of the build which is acceptable to be considered original. The windshield is free of any major chips or cracks. There is some debris peppering noted as well as some minor scratches. There is one area of minor delamination starting at the upper passenger corner. The seal around the windshield is rather poorly done with sloppy adhesive application. Minor wiper burn was noted. Side glass was in good condition with only minor scratches noted. Drivers side window operated up and down, but the window crank was rather loose. Driver’s wing window was partially operated with some issues. The rear glass was in good condition, no delamination, only a few minor scratches. Headlights showed three original bulbs with the correct T3 embossing. Passengers low beam was replaced.
WHEELS/TIRES: The wheels are the original units on all four corners. The steel wheels show the original Argent Silver paint. Passenger’s side wheels were in better condition than the driver’s side as there was little to no rust noted. The driver’s side shows more surface rust ad some light pitting. Center caps are original, correct 1967 design. They are in good condition, slightly dulled with no dents or imperfections noted. Outside beauty rings are also in good condition, similarly, dulled with no curb abrasions or other imperfections noted. Tires are black wall modern radial tires with at least 75% tread left. The rubber is in good condition, no cracking or curb scuffing noted.
UNDERCARRAGE: Note: There was no lift available on site, so a complete evaluation of the undercarriage was not possible. Therefore, a peripheral evaluation with mirrors and a camera was the only evaluation conducted. The underside appears to be of factory stature. It is not detailed and in driver condition. The car was reported to be a California owned vehicle for most of its life with the underside giving evidence to this. The frame appears to be solid, with some light rust scale noted. One of the problem areas, the kick up section in front of the rear tires was observed as best as possible with no rust issues being seen. Suspension appeared to be all factory or factory similar in make-up. Were unable to determine if the factory disc brake calipers were still retained. A factory correct exhaust system was in place. The system was covered with surface scale with the passenger’s side pipe having a 12” depression on the bottom. The factory grounding straps appeared to still be present that attach from the center crossmember to the exhaust clamps on each side. Owner stated that the rear differential was a fairly rare non Posi-traction unit even though there was a Posi-traction identifying tag on the drain nut (This is not uncommon as reports/examples of this being done by the factory are documented). There was some seepage from the front differential seal. The powerglide transmission shows extensive leakage with a heavy amount of built up grime being present. The underside of the engine has been painted blue (factory Chevrolet Orange would be correct). The underside does show evidence of some leaks and seepages as well. The original gas tank still appears to be in place. The spare tire tub was in good condition with no cracks or major scuffing being noted. The original spare rim was retained, had been resprayed in incorrect silver with a modern radial tire replace the original bias ply. The underside was covered with moderate road film making any detailed assessment very difficult.
ENGINE COMPARTMENT: A correct 327/300 HP engine is in place. There is no way of determining if it is the original block as the engine had been rebuilt some time ago and when they did the rebuild, they decked the block causing a partial planning of the stamp pad. Unfortunately, the end that got planed had the engine identifying number which would have had a partial vin number in the stamping. Enough of the stamping was left to identify it as a HR code block which indicates a 327/300 HP powerplant. Due to this unfortunate incident, there is no way of confirming this is an original numbers matching engine and thus is considered non numbers matching. The engine block was painted blue for some reason which is obviously incorrect as Chevrolet Orange is the correct color. The correct date coded intake manifold is present. An incorrect Holley Carburetor from the 80’s was present (electric choke model), the original carburetor is not with the car. The original exhaust manifolds are missing with old steel headers in place showing some surface rust. The original stamped steel valve covers are not present with aftermarket polished ribbed units replacing them. They show a good shine with some minor grime in places. The factory ignition shielding was missing with aftermarket yellow ignition wires in place. A correct date coded 1966 expansion tank was in place but was paint brown, should be natural aluminum. The battery tray was in good condition, solid with little to no rust. A re-cored radiator was in place. New hoses were in place with modern screw band clamps present. Heater core has been bypassed and a confusing copper sweated pipe setup has been added for routing of the heater hoses. A replacement AC Delco alternator was present in new condition. Fan shroud was present, in good condition with no cracks or missing sections. The block paint was showing some flaking and discoloring. The car is a non- power brake, non-power steering example. Master cylinder has been rebuilt. Aftermarket coil. Overall engine compartment is somewhat dingy and dirty. Underside of the hood showed correct satin black general spray. Some dinginess to the finish.
INTERIOR: The interior was factory in nature with some minor aftermarket alterations. The center console was partially disassembled as the owner was working on the factory clock. All the original pieces were there except for the radio which was missing. The standard heavy vinyl upholstery was in place and was in good condition. There were no tears, loose seams or heavy wear areas noted. There was some slight looseness on the driver’s seat noted. The original seatbelts were present and in good condition with no fraying or stiffness to the webbing. Buckles were somewhat dull with the painted surfaces showing some wear. Center console brightwork showed some scratches around the shifter and some wear to the painted areas, good driver condition. Emergency brake console shows one small crack and some fading. Dash pad was in good condition, no cracks or sagging. Dash showed some light fading and wear to the black painted face, Chrome finishes were dulled, lenses dull as well. Factory steering wheel with simulated rosewood ring in good condition. Did not measure it but appeared to be of slightly smaller diameter than stock. Glovebox face was in good condition with only a few minor scratches, no dents, smooth surface. Original door panels in place. A few minor cracks around the arm rest, the driver’s side showing more wear with a small section missing. Brightwork a little dingy. Driver’s operating handles a little loose. Break pedal showing some decent wear. Aftermarket non factory heavy carpeting in place, not well fitted with wear noted. Headliner was in good condition. Rear compartment carpeting was in decent shape with sun fading noted. An aftermarket sound panel was resting, not mounted, in the rear of the compartment.
OPERATION: The car had a cool start performed. The vehicle started well after a few cranks and had a smooth idle. There was an obvious exhaust leak that came from the passenger’s side header. The exhaust was normal with no unusual smoke or emissions seen. Headlight buckets operated but the driver’s side need to be manually assisted to pop up. All of the vehicles lights properly operated with the exception of the passenger’s side brake lights which did not come on. Wipers were non-operational as well as the horn. 30 PSI oil pressure was shown at idle. Clock, which was out, was reported not to be working. Upon shutdown it was noticed that the fan clutch spun very freely indicating that it was in need of replacement.
SUMMARY: This Corvette was in need of restoration with an older non- professional respray showing age and flaws. The fuel tank build sheet was retained which was good, but the owner had no idea where the protect-o-plate was. The car was a rather unusual example in that it was a base model but did have the upgrade of a powerglide transmission as the base unit was a 3 speed manual. The car was non-positraction, non-power steering, non-power brakes, non-tilt, non-A/C and unknown if the original radio was AM only but given the stripped down nature of the car would not be surprised. The engine was the base model with the base interior. The pluses on the car are that it is a 1967 model. This is important as it is well documented that the 1963 Split Window Coupe is the number one C2 year by far but second is the 1967 model run, both coupes and convertibles. The car is an overall solid example with what appears to be a solid, structurally strong frame. NOTE: the bird cage was not evaluated as neither the kick panels nor the inner “A” post moldings were removed. Rear frame kick up section in front of the rear wheels appeared to be good which is another critical area. The body appeared to be all original components with visible bonding strips in place. Body had little in the way of cracking. Doors operated easily as did the hood. Brightwork was all present and in good condition. A tank sticker was obtained. The negatives to the car are that it is in need of a complete restoration. The paint could be salvaged to driver quality if the finish was cut, color sanded and polished with overspray areas being cleaned up. The interior needed carpeting, a good cleaning and some detail work. The underside was in dire need of a serious cleaning, leaks corrected. The engine compartment was the worst negative with first and foremost no way of confirming the engine is matching. In the muscle car market, especially corvettes, if it is not the original stamping, then it is not numbers matching no mater what other documentation you have. In this case the engine was rebuilt, decked with the part of the stamp pad that retains the engine identification number planed down to the point of eliminating the stamping. The last part of the stamping, showing HR still remained indicating a 300HP 327. The engine retained little in the way of original components with the carburetor, coil, alternator, plug wires, ignition shielding, valve covers and exhaust manifolds being replaced with non-factory units. The expansion tank was improperly painted and the heater core was bypassed with a confusing copper pipe setup being installed. The owner had good documentation on some of the numbers but was unable to verify as there was no lift.
The market on C2’s as a whole has plateaued off and is beginning to come down with their collectability being downgraded to a “C” rating for all but the rarer high performance and 1963 coupe examples. Sports Car Market has marked them as a definite SELL NOW group. Solid examples as well as high end resto-mods still bring good money with the best resto-mods bringing up into the 6 figures. This car is definitely not in either category and would be classified as a #3- car, that meaning it is a driver in need of restoration work and mechanical repairs.
Good comparables were found. Some of the comparables were a little better showing what the next step up values would be, some were a little lower and those being cars needing more substantial work. A couple were ones that were just slightly better but close to the appraised example. Though 1967 is a more desirable year, other mid-year comparables were used as in this condition there is not much difference in year/value (with the exception of 1963 coupes which were not used).
With the above report, the condition of the car, the current market situation and the comparables found taken into account, the following is the appraised value.
The appraised value of this 1967 Yellow Corvette Coupe is: $ 32,000
Greg Prince 11/3/2020
Prestige Collector Car Appraisal
COMPARABLES
- 1964 Corvette Coupe: Mecum Auction July 2020; Lot# L153; SOLD: $40,700: Decent car, original 327, 4 speed, mostly original, #3 car
- 1964 Corvette Coupe: BAT Auction May 2020; Lot# 31838; SOLD: $37,000
327, 4 speed, replacement 350, color change, decent paint, decent interior
- 1965 Corvette Coupe: Mecum Auction 3/2020; Lot# F229; SOLD: $35,200
327, auto, needs restoration
- 1967 Corvette Coupe: Leake Auction 1/2020; Lot# 189; SOLD: $39,050
Needs restoration, original engine, 327, 4 speed
- 1966 Corvette Coupe: Leake Auction 1/2020; Lot# 759; SOLD: $37,000
Original 327 needs restoration
- 1964 Corvette Coupe: Russo and Steele 1/2020; Lot# 5581; SOLD: $38,000
NOM engine, #3 condition, needs some work
- 1964 Corvette Coupe: Bransons Auction 10/2019; Lot# 565; SOLD: $40,000
327 base coupe, numbers matching, base model, solid car
PICKING THE RIGHT APPRAISER
Probably the best, and most important, question one could ask when checking on a possible appraiser., " Is the appraised value what i can expect when selling the vehicle?" The average person will see a number on a report and assume that is the value the vehicle would sell for. That COULD be true, but there is A LOT MORE that goes into making a correct and legal report that will determine if that number has any factual basis. Let's take a look.
Nobody, no matter how good the appraiser is, can guarantee a vehicle will achieve the appraised valve. There are so many extenuating factors; venue, people present, how well was it advertised, current economic conditions, current market position to name just a few. So, why then the need for a report. Well, the report and value, if done correctly, will give the best likely value if the vehicle was at a CORRECT venue auction on any given current day This is not an exact science, more of a best (hate to use the word) guesstimate given all of the factual data and condition of the vehicle. There are a lot of factors that affect this guesstimate, lets break it down.
When determining valuation, the first step is doing a proper, in depth, evaluation of the car IN PERSON. The evaluator has to be very knowledgeable of the vehicle they are evaluating. Has to be very thorough in going through every aspect of the vehicle, documenting every blemish, modification and concern. Noting all of the good aspects as well as the bad. Paint meter readings, mirrors, magnifying glasses, creepers if no lift is available, Boar scopes for those hard-to-reach places are just some of the tools that are needed to do an accurate once over. (If they do not use these, or show the knowledge of the vehicle, or willing to spend the time evaluating the vehicle, FIND ANOTHER APPRAISER). The appraiser needs to take numerous photos and notes to document each finding. They have to be able to crawl under the vehicle, use lights if needed, in other words, get down and dirty. Documenting all these factors is vital to compiling an accurate, correct report. One MUST be able to tell the difference between correct and restamped vin tags and numbers. Be able to tell if an engine's stamp pad has been planed off and restamped. Know what a broach mark is. Know what is correct fount on stampings and what is not. Has to be able to tell what is original factory paint and what is not. Tell if a body panel has been replaced or if it is the original factory piece. All of this and so much more is needed if the evaluator/appraiser is ligament. Contracting an appraiser just because they are "certified" does not mean anything in the collector car world. Certification means you took a short online coarse that deals in the very basics of the automotive world. It is more geared to determining post accident valuation cost for repairs than determining valuation on a collector car. That knowledge is only obtained in years and years of exposure, studies and hands on work. IN WASHINGTON STATE, COLLECTOR/CLASSIC CAR APPRAISERS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO BE CERTIFIED. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT APPRAISER IS KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THE COLLECTOR CAR MARKET,
Next is the "not fun" part of hours and hours of research, computer work and typing. Though time consuming and at times monotonous, this part will make or break the report. You will see various versions of reports out there. The cheap, lazy report will be done by sent in photos to a national company with a form filled out with boxes checked and a value written down and little else. These quickie, sent in reports, are basically worthless and rarely will they stand up legally. The vehicle was never evaluated in person by a qualified person. The reports say nothing about true condition of the car, show no comparables and nothing to justify the value given. In other words, A WAIST OF MONEY AND TIME. The next report you may see will have an actual person evaluate the car, unknown to their qualifications, will complete a typed report with short statements on different aspects, may or may not have some comparables and a value (again, no justification on how the value was achieved). Though more in-depth than the mailed in report but still falling a good amount short of a good professional report that truely tells you exactly what you have and justifies how the value was achieved. I can not state how important this is as there are many reasons for having a professional report done: To determine fair market value for selling the vehicle (Very important as to ensure the seller knows what to set a reserve at so they do not undercut themselves OR overprice it where no activity is achieved). Having a pre-sale report done is very beneficial if it is very detailed, as it will benefit out of state buyers when they need reassurance by a qualified person on what exactly the vehicle is with no transparency. Another reason for a report is in legal situations, i.e. divorces, and estates. Here, most likely at least one of the parties is not as knowledgeable about the vehicles or the market and needs help in determining true market value. Especially in these cases, exact, legally written reports are essential with attention to detail, facts and figures that is carefully written to withstand legal scrutiny. This is where you stick your neck out as an appraiser and thus you better be damn good. Another request would be for a prepurchase evaluation and report on value. Here again, extreme care and due diligence need to be done by a reputable, knowledgeable appraiser. This is because the client is basing whether or not to buy the car based on your evaluations and report. If you are not correct in any way, you can be set up for legal and financial problems.
Lastly is the determination of comparables and justifying your valuation. Finding camparables is not just going online and finding some cars sold and saying there is your proof. There is a lot of work that takes place to do it CORRECTLY. You need to know WHICH AUCTIONS to use and which to not use. Today, auction houses and sites tend to specialize in a vehicle or vehicle types. It is essential to understand this and properly choose the right sites for the vehicle you are appraising. Going with an auction house that rarely deals with say a Porsche will give false values that do not represent what the true market is, often much lower. You must go to the sites that the people looking for that vehicle will visit to get a true vision of what the real market is saying. Comparable vehicles need to be like in nature or show a significance in determining valuation and must be stated as such. At times the appraiser must use their discretion and objective reasoning to adjust what the comparables are telling to best fit the type or condition of the vehicle in question. Here again, years of experience is the key. Justifying the value in a SUMMARY section is critical as this is where the entire report is summed up, the current market is explained and how the appraised value was achieved. Again critical in all aspects.
NOTE: BE VERY WARRY OF ANY APPRAISER WHO STATES THAT USING AUCTION RESULTS DOES NOT GIVE TRUE MARKET VALUES. THIS STATEMENT IS REDICULIOUS AS THE ONLY OTHER SALES OUT THERE ARE PRIVATE TRANSACTIONS AND THOSE ARE NOT STATED ON THE INTERNET AND THUS HAVE NO WAY OF BEING DOCUMENTED AND USED IN A REPORT. COMPARABLE VEHICLES MUST BE SOLD VEHICLES! USE OF, "FOR SALE", VALUES IS TOITALLY WORTHLESS AS ANYONE CAN ASK ANY PRICE FOR A VEHICLE. IT MUST BE A LIKE, SOLD VEHICLE, TO BE A COMPARABLE.
I have been a professional collector car appraiser for over 25 years now. I have done 100 plus car collections, multi-million-dollar rare classics as well as high end customs and resto-mods, countless full classics and pre wars to foreign and everything in between to a Ford Pinto. Each report, regardless of the condition and value of the vehicle gets the same evaluation, the same amount of time spent on the report, the same amount of detail and the same amount of pride in producing a professional accurate report. I have been stated by the law firms and insurance companies i have worked with to provide the most accurate and detailed reports. They are 8-9 pages of writings alone and are done to the best of my abilities. I have gone to court numerous times in disputes over collector car values and have had the judges go with my values EVERY TIME over the other parties appraiser values.