topianno

Ive been researching various C3 models from 68' to 82' for a restoration project. I really like the early 68' to 73' models but they are rather price prohibitive for my budget (10k). I also like the 80' to 82' C3 body style. Id prefer a 4spd manual which apparently wasnt available in 82'.

I looked at a 81 today and the owner was really discouraging saying the car was really hard to work on. Is this true? Ive been restoring a Jeep for the past year and a half so id say my skill level is probably around a 6 out of 10. Im learning and have been enjoying myself in the process.

A few questions...

1. Which models from 68' to 82' have the least issues or major things to avoid?
2. Which model would be the best choice for restoration?
3. What should I look for or avoid in looking for a project car?

Thanks for your reply!

KevinG

1. '68 has many one-off parts since it was the first year and GM was still undergoing quality control.
2. Personal preference - if you want the steel bumper cars - you'll pay a higher cost premium. Obvioulsy convertibles will fetch more money too.
3. Look for birdcage condition (first known area prone to rust on a C3) It's the body structure & also the windshiled support. Easiest way to check is to pull kickpanels and examine. Lots of threads about this.

Mark Riles

1. All Corvettes have issues and each year set has their own unique issues. Don't use this as a determining factor.

2. If the restoration is for your own enjoyment, then the cheapest is the beast choice. If resale is the main factor then the bumper cars will fetch the most in resale for a properly restored example. Being that the bumper cars start out more expensive and have harder to find components I would say they are the most expensive to restore. The later C3s have things like computer controlled carbs or Crossfire injection. Remember, things started getting more electronic towards the '80's. The cheapest of the crowd to restore are the '74 through '79. Cheapest is a loose term however because that depends heavily on what kind of car you start out with.

3. If you're doing your own drive train it might be cheaper to find a roller chassis and save a few bucks by buying a car that does not have the engine or trans. If you are doing a factory restoration then look for a car that still has the original engine and trans and if you can find a car that a little old lady inherited from her late husband and avoid cars that have been owned by someone who changed a lot of things. Those things being restored back to original tend to cost a lot more in the end. Obviously avoid rust and rot unless you like a good long project and finding a car with drivable brakes and suspension means you might be able to drive it through parts of the restoration process.

Alan 71

Hi t,
I believe the most important things are to buy a car that is as complete as possible, and in as good a condition as possible. Buying MISSING parts is much more expensive than restoring EXISTING parts. Working on a car that you realize is just a piece of junk, after you paid good money for it, is very discouraging. Cars at the lower end of the price range are there for good reason.
Next, you need to be very careful about the rust situation on the car. You can NOT pay too LITTLE for a car with a seriously rusted birdcage or frame.They are both difficult and expensive to repair.
I also believe that you need to decide what car (year) you want. They are VERY different cars from early to late. I can't imagine putting time, effort, and money in a car I didn't really want. Most people's 'favorite' is the car they have; you still have a choice. Decide what you REALLY want. Save your money until you can buy what you really want.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

Kevin, Mark, and I were typing at the same time!!!! Some of the same thoughts!

Mgrad92

I say make an emotional choice when you're trying to decide which style C3 you want. When you're done, you want to have a car you're really happy to own.
But once you've decided which style you want, you have to use your head when choosing the actual car you want to buy.
If you're looking for an 1980-82, I would stay away from the 82 (cross fire injection can be difficult to work with) and try to find an 80. They don't have as much computer crap to worry about.

keithinspace

I have to agree that starting work on a car that is COMPLETE is infinitely easier than starting work on a car that is INCOMPLETE.

Unless you have worked on a C3 Corvette before, it is difficult to know what you like, don't like, would change, wouldn't change, and simply where all the pieces are supposed to go!!!

Are we correct to assume that your $10k budget is for the INITIAL PURCHASE? Because if that is all-in for the restoration, that would be a real game changer. Not absolutely impossible if you find the right car to start with at a REALLY good price. And you do absolutely everything yourself. And you're fine with getting whatever parts you can get your hands on rather than perfect original Zip's parts.

As far as these cars being difficult to work on, all I can say is that they are 'quirky'. Not bad, just a little odd sometimes. Examples: To change the speedometer you need to drop the steering column and remove the ENTIRE dash assembly. The fuses are as far up in the underparts of the firewall that you need to be a circus performer to contort your way in there. The car went together a certain way and, by golly, there just isn't any other way to take it apart than the way it went together.

Not a big deal, though. I bought my 1978 Civic when I was 14, rebuilt it, and drove it through college. I work on all my own cars, but that is pretty much limited to maintenance. EVERYTHING was built, so EVERYTHING can be taken back apart and put together again. No biggie.

To your ORIGINAL question, I would be partial to the '69 to '72 models if I was looking for a restoration candidate. Really special years. The '68 is different in several ways, but cool too. The '73 was unique in the bumper situation, but otherwise quite similar to the '72.

I don't want to get TOTALLY FLAMED for saying this, but I was at my Speed Shop yesterday and we were talking distributors. He mentioned that he'd rather replace the upper end of my distributor than get a new one. Not that the new ones are bad, but he said the 'early' distributors were "really special" in my car (a 1970), as were many other parts. His statement was that Chevrolet (and many other car makers) transitioned ordinary passenger car parts into the Corvette to save costs. Not a bad thing, necessarily...probably work better. But in the early 1970's, the Corvette was a true-blue "one-off" car with many special parts.

Every single person is different and every single person loves every single car for their own reason. Personally, I'd set one threshold and pre-1974, and another at pre-1978 (when they got rid of the tunnel window), then 1978 to 1982.. Decide which of those three "era's" you like best, and go from there.

For $10k, you should be able to get a very nice, running, no rust, driveable, restorable example from any one of the three mentioned era's. Very generally, the earlier it is, the more work (and money) it will take to get it to the finish line.

Peterbuilt

Here's one book of many that discusses many of the problem you'll find in any Vette...

Here's a link to tell you what to check...
http://corvettec3.ca/rustpics/index.html
Post back with pictures before you purchase.
Happy hunting.
Regards, Pete.

Easy Mike

Apparently the owner thinks so. Wouldn't scare me any.

None of them. All have their fair share.

Entirely up to you. Pick your favorite model year.

You may want to consider avoiding a disassembled car. Bringing it home in boxes can be discouraging at the least.


Look for a copy of this. It is out of print, but covers all C3s.


This is also pretty good reading.


Good luck with the hunt.