Man saves 1965 Chevy Corvette from garage after 45 years to see if he can get it back on the road

John Reynolds didn’t need another project car – but when he came across a 1965 Corvette C2 Stingray that had been sitting in a garage for over four decades, he couldn’t resist.

“I need another project like I need a hole in the head,” he joked.

“But I thought maybe, just maybe, if I keep it simple, this project won’t get out of control.”

Spoiler: he didn’t keep it simple.

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Step one was a good old-fashioned tune-up – new plugs, wires, distributor parts, and a full carb rebuild. The old Carter AFB wasn’t working, so he cleaned it out and added an electric choke.

After that, the engine started up… but ticked like crazy.

Instead of tearing into the it, he replaced a quart of oil with ATF, explaining it ‘works as good as anything,’ thanks to its detergent properties. 

Upon starting it again, John was ‘shocked’ by how quiet it now was.

Things were looking up, until the car stalled mid-drive. The fuel pump checked out fine. But the gas tank? Not so much.

He swapped it out and installed a new fuel sender – a job that took more wrestling than expected.

And as is the fun of car restoration, one fix led to another: he proceeded to flush the sludge-brown radiator, fix a leak, swap intake and oil pan gaskets, and even cleaned a clogged oil pickup screen.

After weeks of wrenching, John took it out again.

“I think it’s roadworthy now. I’m not going to do anything to it except drive it,” he said.

But he also admitted he was already dreaming of some more ‘fun, but not practical’ modifications.

It’s not rare. It’s not fast. And it’s still leaking oil.

But after 45 years, this old Corvette is back where it belongs: on the road.

You can watch the full restoration below:

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