New to Hobby: Looking for advice to purchase a Corvette 5 Speed

[razinhellcustomz]

That is actually a 1962 with the L1 Nov. 27th serial number. The 62's had the U cable guides and the 61's had the barrel type. There's other changes but the cable guides is the quick way to date these at a glance.

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Love the green color on this Corvette. I've only seen a hand full of this Campus green colored Corvettes. Must be a fairly rare hue for these bikes.

 

[GTs58]

Love the green color on this Corvette. I've only seen a hand full of this Campus green colored Corvettes. Must be a fairly rare hue for these bikes.

It's not Campus Green. And yes, that color was not the favorite color of that period.

Here are the color numbers as of 10/05/2024
57-Black
42-Red
27-Blue
19-Green
1-White
1-Violet
1-Coppertone

 

[kevin323]

That Corvette has been for sale for well over 10 years with the same price. Seller is Joe Ramero. I may have misspelled the last name. It is on the Registry under name Blue Freak.
As far as sell prices go, I have only seen two that were sold for more than $1500. The seller of this one won an eBay auction for $1962 and the bike was a total none Corvette 5 speed, it was fake cloned piece with fake paperwork. He has been trying to sell that one over the years also. The other one was sold for $1800 on eBay and it was a decent "restored" but not perfect piece and the serial number was unknown since the paint or powder coat filled in the numbers. The person that owned purchased that one was selling it some years ago and had it for sale for a few years. It finally sold at just under $900. The only legit all original one owner in like new condition piece with the highest sell price that I know of was $1500. It's also on the Registry.

If you can find a nice all correct Corvette 5 speed for $800 you're getting a smoking deal! So grab it like you stole it!

Thank you for the insight! Sounds like patience is key here for a good one to pop-up

 

[kevin323]

I got a lead on a bike that is local to me. Here’s some pics of it, the owner said that the brake lines were replaced and that he couldn’t get the 5 speed to function properly. I asked him if the light worked but he never tried it.

Owners asking $650 for it.

My questions are:
What is not original on the bike?
Is the replaced cables a big hit to the value or could I replace them to look right?
Is this in the price point for what it is?

My objective for a bike like this would be to clean it up, have everything functional, and have it be as original as possible. Also, are there any other questions I should be asking the seller? Unfortunately no top photos of it unless I’m there in person to get it down. This bike is about 4 hours drive from me.

 

[razinhellcustomz]

I got a lead on a bike that is local to me. Here’s some pics of it, the owner said that the brake lines were replaced and that he couldn’t get the 5 speed to function properly. I asked him if the light worked but he never tried it.

Owners asking $650 for it.

My questions are:
What is not original on the bike?
Is this in the price point for what it is?

My objective for a bike like this would be to clean it up, have everything functional, and have it be as original as possible. Also, are there any other questions I should be asking the seller? Unfortunately no top photos of it unless I’m there in person to get it down. This bike is about 4 hours drive from me.

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Get it before it's gone. The first I would ask is if he's open to.offers.Good luck..

 

[GTs58]

Yup, you better grab that one! But do try to see if he is flexible on the price just for fun.

That appears to be all original except for the tires and all the cables that someone totally screwed up when replacing them! Do not roll the bike backwards and don't try to ride it or pedal it until it's fixed. Rear carrier is an added extra and worth a Benjiman.

Cross flag decal on the guard looks worn off, easily replaced. Same with the seat tube decal. Fork looks slightly bent but no big deal. Paint looks darn nice. There should be a top tube gear decal, but I can't see it. Rear reflector is missing, Bones has them for $50 shipped. The brake pads look fresh.

The serial number looks to be the L15 so it's a Nov. 27, 1961 serial that was used on the early built 1962 models.

 

[kevin323]

Yup, you better grab that one! But do try to see if he is flexible on the price just for fun.

That appears to be all original except for the tires and all the cables that someone totally screwed up when replacing them! Do not roll the bike backwards and don't try to ride it or pedal it until it's fixed. Rear carrier is an added extra and worth a Benjiman.

Cross flag decal on the guard looks worn off, easily replaced. Same with the seat tube decal. Fork looks slightly bent but no big deal. Paint looks darn nice. There should be a top tube gear decal, but I can't see it. Rear reflector is missing, Bones has them for $50 shipped. The brake pads look fresh.

The serial number looks to be the L15 so it's a Nov. 27, 1961 serial that was used on the early built 1962 models.

Thanks this detailed info really helps! I’ll contact the seller tomorrow to arrange a time to pick it up.

So to get it functional, I would need to replace with original style or even original cables (is that a thing that’s normally sold?) and obviously get the right length and route them correctly. I assume the derailer wasn’t working right because of the botched cable job on it. Would those be things I could fairly easily do myself? (I restore classic cars as my main hobby, so I’d like to thing I’m savvy with fixing things usually)

 

[GTs58]

Thanks this detailed info really helps! I’ll contact the seller tomorrow to arrange a time to pick it up.

So to get it functional, I would need to replace with original style or even original cables (is that a thing that’s normally sold?) and obviously get the right length and route them correctly. I assume the derailer wasn’t working right because of the botched cable job on it. Would those be things I could fairly easily do myself? (I restore classic cars as my main hobby, so I’d like to thing I’m savvy with fixing things usually)

I hope you are successful in picking that up. Looking at all the cables on that Corvette I can say that the person that replaced them knows nothing about that task. And I sure hope a bike shop didn't do that! I did a better job replacing cables when I was 13 yo.

If you want to be correct you'll need the original style shifter cable casing for these. Here is what you'll need!

NOS Huret derailleur cable 4 9/16" bicycle bike part H 115 for Schwinn and other | eBay

NOS Huret derailleur steel spring cable casing. Part # H 115. Always call us right away if you experience an issue with your item and we will do whatever we can to resolve the issue.

www.ebay.com

 

[koolbikes]

Thanks this detailed info really helps! I’ll contact the seller tomorrow to arrange a time to pick it up.

So to get it functional, I would need to replace with original style or even original cables (is that a thing that’s normally sold?) and obviously get the right length and route them correctly. I assume the derailer wasn’t working right because of the botched cable job on it. Would those be things I could fairly easily do myself? (I restore classic cars as my main hobby, so I’d like to thing I’m savvy with fixing things usually)

kevin232, Good Catch! ... Looks to be an original 5 Speed Schwinn "Corvette" ... Nice!
Things to ask seller? ... What is the serial Number? ... Do you have better photos? ... Some with the bicycle on the ground, outside in the light, photos.
Ask for at a better photo of the chain guard and the seat? ... Better photos will give you a clearer perspective of the overall condition but from what I see this is a good price point even if you find a nicer one and resale this one.
Brake Cables are an easy find and fix, looks like GTs58 has you straight on the right type of cabling for the shifter.
Things that you can haggle the price on with the seller? ... Looks like fork is slightly bent, not the original head light, rear fender reflector missing, tires most everything else looks to be in order. These items add up in the final cost and how original you want to make it.
Keep us informed, you will get a lot of help with questions from here!

 

[kevin323]

kevin232, Good Catch! ... Looks to be an original 5 Speed Schwinn "Corvette" ... Nice!
Things to ask seller? ... What is the serial Number? ... Do you have better photos? ... Some with the bicycle on the ground, outside in the light, photos.
Ask for at a better photo of the chain guard and the seat? ... Better photos will give you a clearer perspective of the overall condition but from what I see this is a good price point even if you find a nicer one and resale this one.
Brake Cables are an easy find and fix, looks like GTs58 has you straight on the right type of cabling for the shifter.
Things that you can haggle the price on with the seller? ... Looks like fork is slightly bent, not the original head light, rear fender reflector missing, tires most everything else looks to be in order. These items add up in the final cost and how original you want to make it.
Keep us informed, you will get a lot of help with questions from here!

Excellent breakdown, thank you! Really appreciate the haggling points.

Which image appears to show that the fork is bent? I'll want to check that out closely in person. If it is slightly bent, are they able to be straightened? (I guess I'm asking these types of questions to understand what is beyond the point of no return)

Should this bike have the pumpkin style headlight on it?