Originally Posted by Dr. Frank (Post 69103)

I have decided it's time for my mid-life crisis and I am thinking of buying a 1968-73 Corvette. These appeal to me because this was the period when I was in high school so these are the cars I remember. I was a MoPar guy when I was younger so I am fairly knowledgeable about Dodge and Plymouth products, but I am not so up to speed on Corvettes. Perhaps someone would be kind enough to answer a couple of questions?

I am looking for a small block powered car. In 1968 that would be the 327 and after that year the 350. The engines have different horse power ratings and I suspect it's due to cam and carburetion levels. But I am unsure about some details.

1. Do all 68-73 Corvette engines feature 4-bolt main caps? No, only the high performance versions do.

2. As I understand it, the top 350 engine had a solid lifter cam, are all the rest hydraulic? IIRC only the '70, '71, & '72 LT-1s had solid lifters.

3. What is the performance level with the lowest rated 350? I don't want a race car, but the base engine power rating seems a little low for a 3300 pound sports car to perform like it should. Or does the lower rated engine still provide enough power to make the car fun to drive? The 350/350 was probably the best all around small block IMHO.

4. I have been to Car-on-Line, AutoTrader and Corvette Hound. Are there any other sources where I can shop for a classic Corvette? ebay, Mecum's and Barrett-Jackson auctions. Do a Google search for used Corvettes. Stay away from Pro Team.

5. Anything I should specifically avoid with the cars from this time period? The '68s had a lot of quality issues as the first year of a new design.

Remember that these cars are over 40 years old and some were not well taken care of. There are lots of areas to check on them. My best advice is to pick up some Corvette books and learn as much as you can. Go to some Corvette shows and ask a lot of questions. Most folks are more than willing to help. It would be worth the expense to have a Corvette expert check out any prospective buys. If you're interested in originality, beware that there are counterfeit cars out there.

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

Thank you for your help.