Gary Clairmont needed to sell his car. The South Burlington, Vermont, resident decided the time was right to pass on his 1960 Corvette – a car that had languished in his garage silently for the better part of four decades. He received the stylish ride as a gift from his parents in the late ’60s; a present that any young man would surely cherish. And now his longtime daily driver was ready for a new home.

© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Corvette Hood Front

Not knowing how to go about selling his ’glass Chevy, he called a good friend with more knowledge than he. He in turn called another friend who was getting work done on his own Corvette over at The Early Vette Shop in Shohola, Pennsylvania. Mike Walsh, the proprietor of the shop, was interested from the get-go in Gary’s Gen I, as he’s been restoring and collecting these early models since his road-ragin’ teenage years.

© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Hood

Mike got in touch with Gary’s friend who in turn supplied him with some photos and basic information on the car while it sat in its barn fresh state. Being locked away for 40 years on four flats didn’t deter Mike at all, as he negotiated a deal with Gary, and then immediately (the next day) headed up to New England to claim the car.

© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Side View

When Mike arrived, he quickly spied his prize; a well-preserved ’60, built-up with touches of someone’s personal vision of what the Corvette should look like. Since it was covered most of those years, the car had minimal dirt and dust on its flanks, and looking all the part of a car that had a relatively safe slumber for the last four decades. There was one glaring issue that presented itself right away; the tires were shot! No problem here as Mike thought ahead, grabbing four good wheels and tires from his shop before making the trip north.



© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Birds Eye View

However, that wasn’t the only issue that lay ahead, and luckily Mike was more than ready. He figured the wheels and brakes would be seized, so appropriate tools were brought along for the ride. First off, the wheels needed some coaxing to get off of the hubs. No problem there. After that, the brakes were found to be seized-up and immobile.

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A big hammer helped free the drums and get the Corvette moving again. Once the wheels and tires were replaced the ’60 was loaded onto Mike’s box trailer for the ride back to Pennsy.

© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Engine View

Once home, more issues arose. The shifter seized up … stuck in Park. Not a problem for Mike, who’s had years of experience pulling dead Corvettes out of long-term parking! He removed the shifter from the equation and once again got the car rolling.

© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Rear View

Could he get this dormant car started? The engine appeared stuck a bit. A dose of Marvels Mystery oil was poured into the intake. Mike and his brother Joe lightly rocked the car back and forth. A fresh battery was put in, and then some gas and oil mix was put down the carburetor’s throat. The oil helps to seal around the pistons. With a little prayer first, the car soon jumped to life.



© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Corvette Front View

Not only did it run, but it ran well. And amazingly, there were no issues whatsoever. All gauges sprung to life, lights popped on, and even the horns sounded crisp. The added foglights up front worked perfectly. It’s an amazingly original car; even the wheel cylinders had the correct ’59 date-coded parts still intact.

Cosmetically, the paint was in great shape. The last owner stated that he touched up the outside silver sometime during his tenure, and decided to keep and clean up the cool custom black paint as well. The accents were done before Gary received the car in the mid-’60s. The bumpers needed very little to get them to shine, and are basically pit free. Overall, there was only one real issue with the car; a repaired framerail on the passenger side, that Mike decided he would do something about at a later date.

© Provided by Hotrod 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Front Side View

Mike inspected the drivetrain thoroughly. In the engine bay sat a good running 283 four-barrel engine. He had reason to believe that this was not the original engine, due to many of the accessories that looked original to the car. First off, the generator had the correct numbers for a factory dual-quad car. Next, this Vette’s distributor was only used on the dual-quad cars. The five-blade fan and clutch, along with the 6,500 redline, generator-driven tach once again backed up the concept that a dual-quad setup came with this particular ’60 Vette.

Mike was stoked about his finds. The 270hp dual-quad 283 was the highest horsepower engine you could get in ’60 without fuel injection. He decided then and there that he would source out a correct date-coded block for future installment. And amazingly, in his stash of parts he’s collected over the last 30 years, he had the correct intake for the 270hp car. He sourced the OEM carbs and had them rebuilt. In the future this engine will be built up to spec, to return the original “born with” powertrain back to this Vette’s engine bay.