1963 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie

Description

The team at LaFontaine Classic Cars is proud to offer this beautifully restored, 1963 Corvette Fuelie Roadster for sale.

While the split window models are nice, there is nothing like cruising down the highway on a warm sunny day with the convertible top down, listening to the fine-tuned, fuel injected 327 engine under the hood. This is the car almost everyone recognizes when they see it, triggering the natural reaction “thumbs up” or yelling “nice car!”. The iconic body lines of the ’63 Corvette make it look like it’s going fast while sitting still, proof that Chevrolet’s design team was ahead of its time.

This Corvette “Fuelie” has undergone a complete nut and bolt, frame off, rotisserie restoration resulting in a like-new car with show winning capabilities. The plan from the beginning was to bring the car back to its former glory as it rolled off the assembly line back in 1963, including keeping the original factory colors both inside and out.

The exterior was treated to countless hours of body prep before the color code “941”, Sebring Silver was applied. To complete the exterior, all the chrome and stainless trim was replaced or refurbished, new emblems, door handles, front and rear bumpers, and chrome exhaust tips were installed, then finished with a new, black soft top. The included hard top was also refurbished and painted to match the body color. The frame was media blasted and painted with semi-gloss black before the body was bolted back down in preparation for a completely new suspension, brakes, exhaust, fuel system and much more.

The interior was treated to a complete restoration in its original trim code “490M”, red vinyl. New seat covers, door panels, carpet and trim panels were installed as well as all metal dash and trim components painted to match. The gauge cluster and center vertical dash area were treated to new gauges, clock and radio including all new wiring and accessory knobs. The center console houses a chrome factory 4-speed shifter with new boot, along with refurbished topside console trim with ash tray, shift pattern diagram, and power window switches. The glove box door was finished with a brushed metal texture and new black trim as it came new from Chevrolet back in 1963.

Under the hood sits the heartbeat of this very special Corvette roadster – the matching numbers 327 cubic inch engine with correct VIN information stamped on the front pad along with the engine plant, assembly date, and suffix code stamp (F0704RF). The “RF” suffix designates the engine as a Fuel Injected 327cid engine with a factory rated 360 horsepower – the most power ever offered by Chevrolet in any Corvette. This engine was rebuilt to factory specifications including solid lifter camshaft/lifters, one of the key components allowing this engine to turn higher rpm resulting in the higher horsepower numbers. The fuel injection unit has the correct 1963-part number tag (7017375) and has been rebuilt for maximum power with great drivability.

Sending the power rearward is a very smooth shifting Muncie 4-speed transmission that was also inspected and rebuilt. While there is not a VIN stamped on the case, the casting number is “3851325” with bellhousing number “3840383” and tail shaft number “3846429”. New drive shaft and axle shafts were installed with all new u-joints throughout. The rear axle was disassembled, inspected, and rebuilt, then installed with new rear suspension components including new transverse leaf spring and hardware. Overall, the underside of this gorgeous Corvette looks as good as the top side with equal attention to detail showing how much time and dedication was put into this build.
This 1963 Fuelie Roadster was the ultimate Corvette offered for both style and performance, and today, one of the most rare, desirable, and collectable.