Image via Dennis Collins/YouTube
For many aspiring barn find hunters, tracking down a 1971 Corvette 454 with the big block LS5 would be enough to make them think they’ve died and gone to heaven. But the funny thing with true barn finds, which this sports car is, comes from the fact they’ve been neglected for years on end.
This C1 Corvette is something far more sinister than it appears.
In other words, when you wash off all that magical barn find dust and start digging into them, you can find all kinds of problems. Rodents will chew wires, critters will build nests, frames will become rotting graham cracker, and you would have a huge mess on your hands.
Of course, Dennis Collins is familiar with all these risks. The man has been around the block more than a few times. Usually he films rescues, but the people who sold him this rare C3 Corvette didn’t want to be on camera or have him film their barn for unmentioned reasons.
The first glimpse we get of the American sports car is it strapped to the trailer as they’re hauling it back to the shop. The thing is winking with one headlight popped up, something we personally know all too well. It’s also filthy, so you can’t get a feel for the body’s condition entirely.
Covered in a thick layer of grime that doesn’t wash away in the rainstorm they drive through, the ‘Vette needs to be power washed with some cleaner applied and allowed to soak in first.
While the ’71 Corvette has been painted white but was originally gold, the interior looks to be the original black vinyl. The only apparent modification is an aftermarket steering wheel has been added. More importantly, it’s a numbers-matching car, the LS5 bearing the same VIN as the tags on the door and dash.
Even though the thing is rough, the fiberglass appears to be in good shape and the engine does fire up, but it’s in need of a good tune-up. Still, the C3 Corvette is in better condition than we initially feared, so we’ll call this one a win.
Image via Dennis Collins/YouTube
