YouTuber Mid-Year Mitch recovered and washed this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L71 427/435. However, he still doesn’t know if it will ever run again.

A simple wash and detailing can be one of the most effective ways to turn back the years on a car. This not only makes them look better but also extends their life, making them more appealing to drive and ride. However, if a 55-year-old car suddenly receives a thorough wash after 30 years of slumber, the transformation would be even more remarkable. This is what happened to this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette.

A YouTuber named Mid-Year Mitch managed to get hold of this classic car, which he found inside a barn sitting idle for several decades. After storing the barn find Corvette in a safer place for a year, Mid-Year Mitch suddenly found the urge to wash and clean the car. The now-clean exterior of this Chevrolet, combined with its classic and elegant appearance, entices the YouTuber to take it for a drive. However, he needs to pause that want, as the car’s engine somehow doesn’t want to cooperate.

Corvette Goes From A 30-Slumber To A Power Wash

• 1968 Corvette has been in storage since 1991
• The owner passed away, so by mid-year, Mitch had taken over
• Recovered and stored in another place in August 2022
• The classic car received a good wash after more than 30 years

This classic Chevrolet Corvette had been stored in a barn or shack since 1991, and it never had a chance to get cleaned up. Mid-Year Mitch had a chance to see the car in storage a few times, but never saw the Corvette out in the open. Mid-Year Mitch’s saga began in 2022 when the classic car’s owner passed away. He helped with the recovery of the car from the shack in August 2022, and it was already apparent that it had accumulated a good deal of dirt all over. Thus, a good wash was necessary.

For some reason, the Corvette spent another year in storage in a safer place. Then, Mid-Year Mitch decided it was time to restore the car to health in his so-called MYM garage. This should be an easy job for him, as Mid-Year Mitch specializes in car restoration, with a particular focus on classic cars. In fact, he had already completed several projects and is adding this Corvette to his list.

However, before doing any restoration work, Mid-Year Mitch needed to wash the Corvette. After cleaning up the interior, he then grabbed his pressure washer and started showering the Corvette with water and love. The highly pressurized water easily removed the accumulated dirt and grime, thereby giving the Corvette a fresher appearance. The Corvette does have some blisters and blemishes in several areas, it does look pretty nice with its clean exterior.

Starting A New Beginning For An Old C3 Corvette

Quick Specs of Chevrolet Corvette 427/435

(data provided by Hemmings)

Evidently, with its body style reminiscent of the Mako Shark II show car from 1965, this Chevrolet Corvette belongs to the third generation of the vehicle. Commonly known as the C3, it made its debut in the 1968 model year. In terms of style, it markedly diverges from the second-generation Corvette, also referred to as the C2. The Corvette C3 boasts a more dramatic and fluid appearance, being longer, wider, and lower than its predecessor, which production ended for the 1967 model year.

Mid-Year Mitch was confident that this 1968 Corvette originally featured the L71 performance engine package, equipped with a 427-ci big block V8 delivering an impressive output of 435 hp. According to Hemmings, this package was pretty popular, as Chevrolet managed to sell 2,898 units of the 1968 Corvette L71. Mitch’s confidence in this knowledge stems from the fact that the owner, Greg, was his father’s best friend. Mitch’s dad acquired a Corvette in the early 1980s, inspiring Greg to obtain one as well.

Consequently, the pair went shopping and Greg purchased the 1968 Corvette. After nine years of driving, Greg ceased operating the Corvette and stored it in a shack. Since then, the car had not seen the road. When Mid-Year Mitch retrieved the car from the shack, he was concurrently involved in another project — a 1963 Corvette split-window race car build — prompting him to store it elsewhere.

Newly Washed Corvette Looks Good, But…

Mid-Year Mitch was eager to start his newest project following a thorough wash. However, while the exterior looked good, things under the hood were in chaos. The 427 engine as well as related parts and components were rusting, and the wiring didn’t seem to be in place. Mid-Year Mitch would need more effort to completely restore the Corvette.

As Mid-Year Mitch revealed, this 1968 Corvette originally featured a 427/435 engine, but its current powerplant is a replacement mill. Moreover, the current engine is detuned. The numbers reveal that it was an over-the-counter Chevrolet engine. The last three digits on the block (512) meant that it was a late 1969 427/435 block. This suggests the Corvette may have experienced engine trouble and the then-owner had to replace it with a functional unit.

However, the current condition of the engine is bad news for Mid-Year Mitch. At a glance, the engine is rusty. While its internals are in “fantastic” condition, there are several sections that need some work. He doesn’t want to fire up the engine in its severely compromised condition.

It’s A True Corvette L71 But With A Replaced Engine

YouTuber Is Confident This Is A 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L71

• Mid-Year Mitch wants proof this is a 1968 Corvette L71
• The original 427 engine was replaced with a newer big block V8
• Mid-Year Mitch found other clues pointing to this 1968 Corvette as an L71
• Unlikely Corvette was transformed to look like an L71

As Mid-Year Mitch spent more time with this 1968 Chevrolet Corvette with a big block engine, he was learning more about its history and peculiarities. He knew that just having a replacement 427/435 engine under the hood didn’t necessarily mean that the Corvette was an L71 car. However, he was out to prove that this Corvette was indeed a rare L71.

An earlier search into the engine’s numbers revealed that it was a 427/435 Chevrolet replacement engine assembled in 1969. When it encountered some bottom-end issues, Chevrolet or an individual used some parts of the original engine to make the newer one functional. This could easily be done if the original and the replacement engines were 427/435 big blocks.

Other clues were telling that this Corvette was an L71 car. For instance, it features the original big block hood, transistor ignition, and a 6,500-RPM redline on the tachometer. It also has big sway bars in the front and the back, a seven-leaf rear leaf spring, and a few clues. According to Mid-Year Mitch, it’s highly unlikely that it was just an ordinary 1968 Corvette made to look like an L71.