derekderek

looking at a 77 in an impound lot i can probably get cheap. a neighbor-corvette guy says they have tilt columns that fall apart. what kind of problem is it to put right? thanks.

AdamMeh

I don't know about "falling apart", but I can tell you that the '77 column is in some ways a one-year only piece. The blinker stalk high - low beams / wipers / washer / cruise control (if equipped) is '77 only. Previous years, the wiper switch was in the center of the dash, 78 and later had it on the left dash near the head light switch.

This makes the '77 column harder to find, and possibly more expensive to repair.

Adam

derekderek

so the tilt-tele setup is essentially the same? just has more switches in the column? the column is 77 only. can the switches be found in any other model column? or how doable is relocating wiper switch to either the 76 or 78 location, putting the dimmer switch back on floor and using different column?

Easy Mike

Cheap does not always indicate a good deal.. If you want this 77, why not just accept it as a 77 and not fret with trying to re-engineer it?

AdamMeh

There are times Mike, when a part is beyond repair. We're facing that with the column in our '77. Just not worth it to repair all of the shoddy repairs that were made over the years to keep it on the road.

Since it's the wipers that don't work, and we live in Phoenix, it's not been a problem (yet), but we will need to figure out a method of wiring up the wipers at some point.

Derek - it's not like every function is controlled by one switch, so if something does need repair, you can just repair that portion it, and they do sell the blinker stalks at the reproduction places.

derekderek

ok, but is the tilt-tele function the same as the other columns? nobody is complaining about them, so i guess they are decent and/or repairable. i have no idea if there is an issue with this cars column. and my neighbor may well be a little alarmist. but he says my 75 is a better year. this impound yard bomb is dark blue-white leather and quite pretty. also 4-speed. and i think it is gonna be 2k storage fees...

AdamMeh

I "believe" the TT portion is the same. Jim Shea would be the one for that information. Here is his site - TONS of fantastic info on it. Maybe he'll chime in on this post. He is a wealth of knowledge on this subject.

http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/

While '77's had some of the largest production numbers, 4 speeds are fairly low production numbers that year, so that's a definite plus. (our '77 is as well - LOVE it). Out of 49,000+ made, only about 7,000+ were manual trans cars.

http://www.vettefacts.com/C3/1977.aspx

Just make sure you inspect it thoroughly for the rust issues that any of the C3's are prone to.

John 65

When I get into my 77 I am extra careful my big knee dont come near that stalk and accidentally rip it off.

derekderek

are you sure it is a 77? looks like a 58 in your avatar.

John 65

True !

AdamMeh