Pix of what I found in a barn - The Future of YOUR Car?

[RarlyL8]

This is something I just wanted to share with you all. It might be a bit too personal, but I read far too many "found in a barn" stories not to share this one.
This is how "found in a barn" stories get their start.

As some of you might know, my dad-in-law passed away a couple of weeks ago. He had been fighting a critical situation for the past year and a half. In the mean time his garage queen sat in neglect. My mom-in-law is too distraught to deal with the car, so I will. If I did nothing it would most certainly end up on a forum like this in another 20 years or so.

Car is a low mile pristine 944T. I am posting the details on the "Cars for Sale" forum.



It is too late for this next example. My dad-in-law performed Greenwood Corvette conversions back in the mid-70's. This car was the last one he did. One identical to it in period correct red/white/blue stars & stripes was done for his son as a high school graduation gift. His son died before he was given the car. Both were parked and never looked at again. The son's car was sold some years ago. This one remains.

Greenwood Corvette, 1971. I will post this information on the appropriate forum as soon as I find one.



These cars don't deserve this. Any help finding loving homes for them is appreciated.

[atlporsche]

yeah...lemme talk with a friend of mine...he's into vettes...

sjd

[Jeff Alton]

Wow is that he car from "corvette summer"?!?!?!
Seriously though, sorry for your loss and good luck with the sales of these two.

Jeff

[RickM]

Sorry to here about you father-in-law....my condolences.

Good luck selling the cars.

[masraum]

My father passed away in March and left a corvette behind that we are trying to sell.

The best Vette forum that I have found on the net, the closest to this forum is the corvette action center, http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/

[SpeedracerIndy]

I have a friend looking for a 68-71 vette. Could you email me some info on it (specs, price, condition...).

[RarlyL8]

Thanks all.
I don't know much about the 'vette. It has been in that exact spot for 30 years. The pictures don't show the level of dust. Otto (my father-in-law) painted the car himself. Period pictures show it to be very stunning. I can only assume that the entire car is shot after that amount of time. To my total shock the tires are still up!!! This car lives in my wife's grandmother's garage (Otto's mother-in-law). She told me last weekend that the garage door had not been raised in the same 30 years. Unbelievable.

If anyone can tell me where the VIN# and option codes are on that car I'll look them up in 2 weeks when I go back to IL.

[atlporsche]

pm'd you rarly...

sjd

[RarlyL8]

A little more history on the Greenwood (as requested)

Yes, the car is an actual Greenwood converted car.
Yes, my father-in-law did these conversions for the Chevy dealer.
Yes, he started doing them in 1974. This one was done later on a '71 car belonging to his wife (my mother-in-law).

This part really didn't strike me as a big deal until now, but I found all the original Greenwood forms used to convert costomer cars. The front two fenders were in my basement in IL, the rear in a barn on Otto's mother-in-law's property near where this 'vette now sits.

Is this of historic value? These were converted cars, they did not come from the factory that way. It would be no different than me adding the 930 flairs to my SC.

[tiorio]

Just a tip here...

Friend of mine found a pristine lo-mi 68 911 in a barn/garage in Colorado some 10 or 15 years ago. The door was an overhead and hadn't been opened in 20+ years. We go to get that car out and have a hell of a time lubing and lifting to get the door up.

You probably know what happens next. Left side door supports pull right out of the old wood and the door comes crashing down putting some real nice dents and scratches in the roof and rear quarter. Thank goodness we weren't under the door at the time. We had to go back with half a dozen come-alongs to get that damn door off the car and roll it outta there.

[targa911S]

No actually it would be more like finding a Ruf Porsche. Greenwood and Baldwin Motion were two big factory authorized rebuilders in those days.

[atlporsche]

the forms might be a bigger deal than the car.

sjd

[RarlyL8]

I'm going back to IL in a couple of weeks. The digi-cam will go with me for more pix of both cars and the forms. Tell me what to specifically photograph and I'll do it. Looks like ol' Otto has me on a treasure hunt of sorts.

Here's a little more history on that interesting fellow. Otto was a spead freak from way back. I have a picture of him drag-racing his Jag 140 at Indianapolis Raceway back in the early 50's. There is a '53 or '54 'vette in the picture as well. He also raced '32 Ford coupes. Fast forward a few years and Otto gets in the Record Books for breaking a speed record on water in his class - over 1mph per cubic inch. I guess 90mph in a tiny boat on a river was pretty fast back then. Shortly after he started racing for Ford, in small block Shelby Cobra no less. Sold the Cobra and went to 'vettes. Said he didn't like racing such a short wheelbase car with no roof. HA! I have many pictures of factory racecar Corvettes that he owned from that point on. Most all were big block monsters. One picture that my mother-in-law has shows a car carier delivering a '66 427 monster to his house with open headers and slicks on it! From the factory no less! Man they did some neet stuff back then. Otto told me he drove this car through town one time - the clutch was so stiff it cramped his leg! Sure wish he'd kept some of those old cars. He had two of those cars, told me the factory only made 10 of them with those specific racing specs. Lots of stories, lots of pictures. We're sure gonna miss that guy.

[targa911S]

Yanko or Yenko I think was another builder.

[RarlyL8]

Yenko did big block conversions on Cameros and Novas. Maybe a few others. The ones I remember were wild colors, like screaming yellow and lime green. Haven't seen one in 25 years.

[GWN7]

You could check the Barrett Jackson site to see what simular cars are bringing at auction. The vet should go fairly high...

[kycarguy 935]

RarlyL8 what ever happened with this car?

[Rob Channell]

Yenko did some Corvairs as well. Not too bad. 164 cubic inch horizontally opposed 6 cylinders with stages of tuning up to 240hp. I always talked to my dad about trying to put a 911 motor in one one day........I thought it would be fun.

http://www.corvaircorsa.com/yenko01.html

Oh, and I found this Greenwood Vette site

http://www.greenwoodcorvettes.com/CarsForSale.html

[Hayabusa]

It looks like a '71 LT1. But the LT1 badge would be on the forward part of the cowl. There seems to be a '427' badge closer to the window.

Get a picture of the tag and post it up. I can help decipher it.

That gold stripe could mean something, but then it could just be a dealer option.

A lot of giant sleepers came in plain wrappers.

If it's a low mile, documented big block car the price could go into the upper sixties, maybe higher. Add history sheet to that and it could go into the six figures.

If it has any of that, hold on to it until the next Barrett-Jackson auction and sell to the highest bidder.

Remember this, at auction the more you promote and have documented on the car, the more interest you will build for your buyers.

I'm truly sorry for you loss, RarlyL8

[Hayabusa]

Hmm, the gold stripe continues on top of the roof, too.

There are side pipes. The rear fenders??? Are they custom flares? They look real square(?).

The pic isn't that clear.