When Mike DiCola was looking to sell the Corvette in 2000 he corresponded with several interested buyers. The following text is part 3 of a series of emails sent to Gary Batson, the person who ultimately purchased the car from Mike.
Hi again…
Oil change…. its really about due…I didn't get to change it this spring, and I usually do it 2 times a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. The filter is a spin on one and the type/number is on the filter itself. trans fluid…check once a year. nothing special about it.
Tires…30 psi is what I used you may do something different….if you remove the wheels, you need to remove the small center cap with a small screwdriver and then remove the aligning/locking pin and then use the lead hammer to remove the knockoff…make 100% sure when you reinstall the wheels that you install the PIN!! If you don't, the wheel will fall off and damage the body…something that hasn't happened to that car yet.
Carb and tune up. Done this year but you may/may not need to re-jet the carb… Up here in new England we have what they call oxygenated gas… It has more oxygen content in it that pretty much every state in the union except California…It makes the car run lean…if you feel that you are not getting enough fuel, you will need to richen the jets up probably 2 sizes…we have run into this problem quite a bit here.
I don't remember the sizes that are in the carb now, but run a few tanks of your high test through to eliminate what is in the tank now and see how it feels.
This particular car was built starting on Thursday January 14, 1965 and was completed on February 20, 1965 in St Louis Missouri. This car was then detailed for delivery on March 9 and delivered to its 1st owner on March 10, 1965. It has spent most of its life in California until it was brought to Massachusetts in 1997.
This car is referred to as a matching numbers car. All of the original components are still in the car including the engine, transmission, rear end, cylinder heads, exhaust manifolds, and valve covers. Quite a few cars of this age have had their original engines replaced, but this car still retains the original engine, and in fact, the engine has never been out of the car. This car has only 65,000 miles from new.
Factory options include the 327/350 horsepower motor, a 4 speed transmission, a 3.70 positraction rear end, and an am/fm radio. the reproduction wheels were installed in the mid 1980's. The window sticker on this car new was $4874.45
If I think of anything else, I will let you know.
Regards,
Mike
