When it comes to automotive content, it’s always great to have a rich story behind it classic cars of old. With that in mind, YouTube channel Junkyards and Barn Finds with Sean continues its search for unusual and unsung classics in central Florida. It meets a 1973 Chevrolet C3 Corvette owner preserving his family legacy and finds out why this Vette is so special.
Check out the video to see how one man gave his own unique tour of a classic Corvette.
The story of the origin of this very special ray
The episode opens with Sean meeting the C3’s owner, Clint Randalls, in the driveway, who explains that he bought the car in the summer of 2021 from his uncle Dan. According to family legend, in the late 1970s, Dan originally went out to buy one Porsche but came home with C3 instead.
For perspective, Sean points out some recognizable features of a 1970s Corvette. For example, it has metal rear bumpers and soft front bumpers, reflecting Chevrolet’s gradual transition to front and rear soft bumpers. The car also features the C3’s trademark split fiberglass front wing.
How Dan Randalls Made His Chevrolet Corvette C3 Unique
Clint’s uncle wasted no time in making his Stingray stand out from everyone else’s Corvette. He painted a single gold racing stripe that runs from front to back on the car’s body, surrounded by some striped detailing. However, Dan’s odd approach to customization also included a strip on the driver’s side door, but not the passenger side.
Heading to the back of the car, Dan commissioned a sign painter to paint the words “Red Necker” and a caricature of Clyde the orangutan, Clint Eastwood’s companion in the film. In any sense, but free. Here, Clyde flips the bird and Sean remarks that the image is an edgy statement for its time.
Under the hood, Dan upgraded the stock 350 engine to a torquey 400. But to the untrained eye, the heart of this C3 looks like the original small-box engine. Clint’s uncle also installed a race cam, as he and his wife eventually used the C3 to compete in local drag races in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Inside, the Vette’s interior remains much the same with the original AC Delco radio, air conditioning and a working clock. With a nod to 1980s technology, Dan added a cassette player. When Clint took ownership, he repaired a tear in the black leather upholstery.
Why this car is part of the Randalls family heritage
Clint tells Sean that he feels lucky to own such an amazing part of his family’s automotive history. He has repaired the power steering unit and plans to repaint the car in his trademark shade of red. Otherwise, he’d like to keep the car with all its distinctive details, including the graphic on the back, as well as the Corvette Club and workplace decals his uncle put on the rear window.
Nowadays, the custom of passing down family heirlooms from one generation to the next may have lost some of its appeal. For Clint Randalls, however, keeping his uncle’s C3 Corvette with all its idiosyncrasies helps keep an intriguing part of his family history alive.