djllort

Hi.. I recently took my c3 to the mechanic and he told me it would cost me about $30,000 to fix my car because of a clunking noise in the back? which I think its absurd.. if there is anyone in WA that has mechanical experience with Corvettes and can tell me what's going on? I dont mind paying for the time.. we can arrange something.

I live in Federal Way, WA

gerry72

The clunking noise in the back seems to be identified as a bad universal joint. I believe the reference to $30k was to fix everything on the inspection report. I hope you got this car for a song. It looks like it was rode hard and put up wet.

Alan 71

Hi d,
It appears he did a quick overall inspection of your car without specifically addressing the reason you brought it to him, or pointing out the cause of the clunk.
What were your instructions to him when you left the car there?
Is this a general mechanic or Corvette shop?
It MIGHT take that much money to do everything on those sheets, but I think he may have pulled that figure out of the air to make you go elsewhere.
IS your car in the condition described in those notes?
Regards,
Alan

djllort

I thought these cars didn't get rusty, its fiberglass

djllort

General mechanic.. well the car runs and doesn't look as bad.. but I guess underneath is a different story.. I don't know much about mechanic but 30k? what is so expensive?

Easy Mike

A. Learn about your own car. The body is fiberglass, but lots of things under the body are steel. Steel can rust.

B. Find another mechanic.

Can you make any of the suggested repairs yourself? No disrespect, but the inspection notes describe a car which needs attention.

djllort

I wish, I dunno anything about mechanic tho.. I mean Ive tried doing little things but I dont know what else I could do on my own.. I wish there was someone that could teach me around.

porchdog

he indicated a bad ujoint which is likely your noise. i would service the rearend meaning all new ujoints. then move on to other things one at a time. fuel line i would inspect. if there is a plastic filter inline get rid of it and replace with metal .
imho he was not an experienced restorer no a very good wrench. go elsewhere .

ENCSDOUG

Maybe there is another C-3 owner in your area that could help. Start a thread looking for a C-3 owner in your area for some help and see who responds.

bradleyb66

I second that.

If it were me, I'd find another shop, and address the following:
- replace U-joints
- replace master cylinder and flush brake system (he labeled fluid as bad/black and leaking master cyl)

Then:
- rebuild front suspension and wheel bearings.

But FIRST, you should have someone knowledgeable of corvettes inspect the frame (and maybe around the windshield) for rust. If the frame and/or windshield are rusted out, then I would address that first, as fixing the other stuff won't matter... It could be just surface rust that he noted onthe report, but it could be much worse. Hopefully a forum member in your area would be willing to check it out...

MelWff

google "seattle area corvette clubs" a number of them show up and contact them to see where there members go for service

Alan 71

Hi dj,
How long have you had this 77? What sort of maintenance has it had over the years?
Without seeing your car it's difficult to know what condition the chassis and running-gear is.The list makes it sound pretty needy.
I think he was just 'winging' it with a price hoping you wouldn't ask him to work on it.
In reality the $$$ number to repair all the MANY things on this could be considerate just because of it length.
He listed the vast majority of things on an old Corvette that generally need attention as a car is being driven and maintained.
I'm sure various knowledgeable people who look at the car will have quite different lists of what needs to be done, and when.
Regards,
Alan

jim2527

Most of its minor stuff.....

Repair safety concerns first on go from there.

Old Corvettes are best owned by those who can do a variety of minor repair themselves. Things like brakes, door hinges, U-joints, sway bar links/bushings, blown bulbs etc. None of its overly expensive if you do it yourself.

Metalhead140

No problems there that surprise me, typical old car stuff. Check out the "very rusty underside" though, as that could be a problem depending how rusty it really is. Everything else is normal suspension and brake work, probably cost you a few thousand if you pay someone to do it all, half that if you do it yourself, which you will be able to do if you want to and are willing to put in the effort.

Also, find another mechanic. This one doesn't want to do the work.

The13Bats

You already have some of the best minds in c3's telling you how it is but no one can assume or guess the so called mech saw the car we didn't.

If you took it for a clunk noise and that list was given as some extra bonus you didn't ask for I would be very weary about this guy, not saying your car doesn't need all that not even saying he cant fix it but I have a huge disdain for shops who go at the customer like our car is the biggest pos on the planet and we are the biggest clueless dolt,
bedside manor is everything in the service trade....

I am sure that fellow would love 30K to fix what's on that list and when that was going on he would find 30 K more and all said and done that the types cat who would never ever say your car is okay and done, he would always find someway to bleed you.

Since I am not looking at your car is it the big mess this inspection plays it out to be?

gkz

We pretty much have two choices: 1.) Do it ourselves correctly which takes time; 2.) Pay someone else and trust they do a thorough job.

These cars are different animals. The guy high-balled you so you'll go elsewhere; not worth his time--unless you pay the estimated cost.

d555

I'm about 4 miles from you. Hopefully this is not your daily driver. Most of the items listed are maintenance items. The rust...well hopefully its just surface rust. Washington cars are generally in pretty good shape. Corvettes, especially C-3's are not very good candidates to learn mechanics on.
Not sure who to recommend for repairs but I do have a lift so could look at it...at least set priorities as well as give a overview of the car.

Dave

rcread

I would recommend you take it to Corvettes of Auburn. They did my rear wheel bearings and have a good reputation. Auburn is kind of the hot rod capital of King County, too.

gbvette62

As others have said, find another mechanic.

It appears that your car hasn't seen much maintenance over the years, because a lot of the things listed are typical maintenance/wear type items. Just doing a quick count in my head, I can see about $3000-$3500 in parts, including tires and an exhaust system with a converter. Unless the car needs a frame, and a lot more than what's listed on that report, I find it hard to see how someone could justify $27,000 in labor!

My guess is the shop really didn't want to get into the project, or weren't comfortable doing the job, so they hit you with a big number, to send you down the road.

The only thing on the report, that really could be major, and a real deal breaker on whether you should go forward, is the shop's statement "very rusty underside". This is a bit ambiguous, and could mean there's a lot of surface rust (not a big deal), or the car could need a frame (very big deal!).

A very common problem with 63-82 Corvettes is rusted frames. To be honest, if the frame is bad, it's probably not worth the expense to replace it on a 77 Corvette. 68-82 Corvettes have problems with leaks around the windshield, causing the windshield frame to rust out. This is fixable, but your looking at about $2000 to have it done correctly, not counting paint work. Finally, 76-82 Corvettes have metal floors, that are known to rust out, especially if you have a leaking windshield frame. The cost to repair a rusted floor, would depend on the amount of rust.

The only Corvette shop I'm aware of in Washington state is Vetteworks Motorsports in Auburn. I think this is who rcread was referring to. I've never dealt with them, and don't know much about them, other than I've talked to them about some parts they make. It might be worth it for you to reach out to them, and see what they say about your car. From a quick look at Google Maps, it looks like Auburn's about a half hour south of Seattle? http://vetteworksonline.net/

Your best bet might be to start by talking to d555, and taking him up on his very kind offer to let you put the car on a lift. At least you could see for yourself, what is going on under your car, and might get a better understanding of what's needed.

RBrid

If you don't mind driving to Kirkland, I would also recommend a corvette specialist, Marty Phillips, owner of Phillips Automotive. You can easily find it on the web.