Ginger

In 1968, Chevrolet introduced the third generation of Corvettes. The C3 was designed after the Mako Shark II concept car, and was introduced as the Sting Ray. The C3 Corvette was sold from 1968-1982. The coupe was made with removable T-top roof panels, and the back window was designed with the ability to also be removed for an open cabin feel. In 1969, the script on the front fender was changed from "Sting Ray"to just "Stingray", a moniker which lasted through the 1976 model year. The '69 interior was redesigned, and one-year only factory side exhaust was offered as an option. An extended production cycle due to a labor strike increased volume that year. One thing that makes the 1968-72 car more valuable than the later C3, is the presence of front and rear steel chromed bumpers. An injection-molded urethane bumper cover was fitted to the front and rear after 1973, which influenced the generations to follow. The chromed bumpers give the corvette that classic look of a dying era when design was influenced more by beauty and less by regulation.

I immediately sent the seller a message, asking when the soonest time was available for me to inspect the car. He got back to me right away with an address and that he would be there from 8-5. It was about 45 minutes from me, so I told him I would be there at 9:00 the next morning. 

I pulled up to a boat repair shop at exactly 9am, and walked inside the small front office. I was met by the friendly owner, an older gentleman, who ran the place along with his partner. He was on the phone, but he nodded at me and pointed toward the back. Through an open door, I could see the taillights of the car, so I waved my thanks and walked into the shop. 

My first impression was that his pictures, which weren't that great, were pretty honest. The hood and roof panels were off, and a light layer of dust covered the car. Not enough to say the car had sat for a long time, but at least a several months worth. It was apparent right away why the asking price was low. The interior was partly disassembled, and the engine bay included a long block but was missing everything else. the seller had a portable boat gas tank plumbed in to the carburetor, and and an oil pressure gauge hooked up to the engine. Soon, he joined me in the shop and I asked him to tell me the story.

He had been looking for a lift to install in his shop when he ran across one on craigslist. Upon coming to the house where the lift was for sale, he met a widow who was selling off her deceased husband's things. Her husband had died in July, and she was finally clearing things out in September. When they came to the garage to look at the lift, there was an immediate problem. The lift was fine, but on the lift was a 1969 Stingray. 

The widow's husband had purchased the car several years earlier and enjoyed driving it on the occasional summer evening in Minnesota, but last year he decided it needed a few upgrades. Not all the gauges worked, and the old 350 V-8 leaked oil, so he thought it the perfect time to add more power! He bought many parts and instead of rebuilding the old mill, sourced a late model small-block crate engine. He was in the middle of installing the new engine and exhaust, when he became sick and eventually passed away. This car that had been a dream of his, would now become someone else's dream. 

The owner of the boat shop made her an offer for the lift and the car together, since it was going to take some doing to get the car off. The widow agreed, and he hauled it all away to his shop - planning to have the Stingray as a winter project. After about a week, he decided that the Corvette was taking up too much room in his small shop and had to go. That's where I came in. I was the second person to look at the car that morning, and way down in line on the amount of calls he had taken. I asked him if the engine ran, and he said they had set the timing and hooked the fuel and pressure gauge up to it for just that purpose. He hit the switch, and the engine roared to life! Having no coolant, he quickly shut it off, but I was sold. I made him an offer to haul it away immediately, and the deal was done.

It was during the loading process, including more than a few boxes full of parts, that I decided what her name was. Ginger. 

Ginger was born on March 08, 1969. She was painted Monza Red, and her interior was trimmed in Red Vinyl. Oddly, the non-numbers matching 350ci engine which now sits covered in oil on an engine stand, was born on February 18, 1969. Whether she got a replacement engine from the factory, or someone sourced a Corvette engine later in her life that just happened to be manufactured within the same 2 weeks is not known. The engine ID does signify it was built for a manual transmission Corvette. From my research, the L46 was a 350HP high performance 350 cubic inch engine that was only offered in 1969 and 1970, available only with a manual transmission. Ginger's current, partly-installed engine (of yet unknown origins) sends it's power through the original Muncie 4-speed. The transmission was born March 3rd, 1969, and a "B" designates it as a M21 close-ratio Muncie. She has been repainted at some point in her life, as evidenced by overspray, but it was not recently. The tires are not date-coded, but seem free of dry-rot. Her interior smells dusty and of degrading materials, but presents fairly well. She has sat for too long, and it will be a pleasure to get her back on the road again.

I can't wait to get started, but right now I can't stop looking at her...and dreaming.