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First let me say hi. I'm new to the forum and hope to be a longtime member as I journey down my road of owning a corvette.
My father is the original owner, who purchased it new back in 72. As he got older he took it out less and less, and finally got an antique license on it for the couple times he would drive it in the summer.
About 6 years ago he was diagnosed with cancer, which he fought bravely. Last year he had been meaning to take the car out for the summer, but was undergoing chemo most of the year and when he finally was off his course he passed unexpectedly. It was really hard for all of us and we still miss him greatly. He was a good man and a good father.
Now it's nearly been 2 years since the corvette has been driven, and my brother and I are working together to try and get it up, running, and restore it, in a way it's to honor our father.
In the time since it was last driven, the garage accumulated a lot of junk and we just spent the better part of today decluttering the area around the vette to be able to access it. Time has worn the body, with small dings here and there, and the front and rear bumpers most likely need replaced.
However, the first order of business I think is to get it running. I was hesitant to start it today as it had been sitting so long (nearly 2 years). Is there any precautions I should take before attempting to start her up? I read I should change the oil and cosider draining the gas, replacing it, and then topping off all fluids. Is this good advice? Is there anything else I should know? I'd really appreciate any and all help I can get to do a good job restoring his car. I would love to see it stay in the family and one day pass it to my son, like my father before me.
You probably define what "restoration" means to you in order to obtain the best advice. In other words, is your goal to make this car a nice driver ir do you want to bring it back to the new condition it was in the day your dad bought it. Do you want to modifiy to or keep it near stock.
I am not a mechanic, but I think your intuition about changing fluids out, cleaning gas tank, before attempting to start it is spot on.
BTW, Are you certain the car is a 72? I asked becasue it kind of looks like a 73 in the top picture.
Last edited by crawfish333; 03-24-2017 at 11:59 AM.
Welcome to the Forum. First order of business is to get the car started, then safely drivable. After that, you can determine what you may want to do with the car.
FWIW: looks like a 73 or 74 based on the nose emblem and front bumper configuration. The number before the S in the VIN will give you the model year.
It more closely resembles a '73... albeit a loaded one...
Welcome to the Corvette Forum and we're very sorry for your loss.
A car that hasn't been run in two years shouldn't require anything more than a good charged battery to get it running. Squirt a bit of gas down the carb and start it up. Once started, you can certainly look at changing out the major fluids. Pay close attention to the brakes, even two years can do a number on the brakes on these cars.
Good luck, and post some more pictures after it's first wash in a while.
First, my condolences on the loss of your father. I lost my dad 18 months ago. When I was growing up we worked on many cars together, and the memories are cherished-- I am glad you will have that opportunity to work with your son on this project.
Second, you have definitely come to the right place--all sorts of expertise here. Search, ask, and learn! And we all LOVE photos!
Third, don't overlook the brakes before you decide to take it out of the garage. Have some wheel chocks handy, just in case.
welcome, you should fill out your profile so we know where you are, some of us might be close and can help you. there will be a lot of people that will chime in, get it running and driving safely. drain the gas and make sure the tank is clean, change the oil and filter, pull the plugs and turn the motor by hand to make sure it free, once you get it running go thru the brakes before you drive you want to make sure it stops. good luck
welcome, you should fill out your profile so we know where you are, some of us might be close and can help you. there will be a lot of people that will chime in, get it running and driving safely. drain the gas and make sure the tank is clean, change the oil and filter, pull the plugs and turn the motor by hand to make sure it free, once you get it running go thru the brakes before you drive you want to make sure it stops. good luck
Exactly where I was going to go with this. Please tell us where you are located and we might be able to get some very qualified folks to help you start on this wonderful journey.
I too am sorry to hear of your fathers passing, I still miss my dad and its been 20+ years. He left you a great legacy in that Corvette and I admire and support your desire to bring it back from its slumber.
Corvettes are made to be driven and when they are not driven things harden, dry up, get brittle, thicken, you name it, things start to degrade with the passing months.
If your father bought this car new then I might suggest you see if you can find the documentation on the car. His operators manual should have had a Protect-O-Plate in the back of it. It is a metal plate with ownership information stamped into it. Your dads name and date of purchase are most likely stamped into it as well. Put that book aside, it is a very valuable proof of ownership. If you locate any other paperwork for the car you should save all of that, it gets more valuable with age.
The VIN number on your car will be a 13 letter/number combination (Unlike the 17 we have today) and it will tell you much about the car. Also, if you open the drivers door you will find a plate that is rivited to the front opening of the body. It will tell you the original color and interior of the car and the date it was assembled. On the engine pad, to the front, you will find the VIN number again as well as other information stamped into that pad. A photo of it will further support originality. When you have the VIN on the A-Pillar, on the engine, on the transmission, and on the frame, you have the makings of what is called a numbers matching car. Lots of information and misinformation can be share on this, just suffice for now to know that if unmolested your car has a rice history.
Share what you learn with the members of the forum and they can and will jump in to assist you with your quest.
Good luck with your car, and welcome to the Corvette Community and the Corvette Forum.
Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! I really appreciate all of your thoughts and condolences. I'm working on a rather limited budget at the moment, so I don't know how amazing a restoration I might be able to do, but I would love to get it at least up, running, and the bumpers replaced--maybe some of the dings out. I think that would go a long way to making it look really nice again.
For those of you who said it is a 73, I think you might be right. I had just remembered he said the model year was early 70's, and I had thought it was 72. I'll check the VIN and other information David mentioned and see if I can track down any paperwork (thanks for the recommendation!).
For prepping it to get it started, I was thinking of getting a siphon to empty the gas tank---unless is there a better way?
For the oil change, just by looking at it on the dipstick I think he had regular oil in it (as opposed to synthetic), but I'm not certain. Are there any good suggestions for oil and oil filters? Also will any special tools be needed to do an oil change, e.g. an oil filter key?
For the brakes, that's a little worrisome since our driveway is on a hill. Is there a way to check them without pulling the car out of the garage? Just visual inspection maybe?
I'll fill out the rest of my profile and check back before Sunday when I plan to hopefully be able to attempt to get it started up. Thanks again for all of your help! I can't wait to get it up and running.
Just try stepping on the brake pedal first, then check for leaks around the calipers, and check if the parking brake works. you can always leave the transmission in gear or park so it wont roll away on you, too.
Next week I have too take my wife to UPMC Shadyside/Hillman Cancer Center for some chemotherapy. Are you anywhere near there? If we have some time, might be able to stop by and chat for a bit. We will be doing this on a regular basis, about every other week.
Summit sells a product called speedbleeders they are cheap and work great. Can do a 1 man brake bleed real easy they can get spongy or even leak over time but 2 yrs isnt that long really.
What i recommend
When any engine sits for a long time there is no oil in the oil galleries, crank & rod bearings, in the lifters, push rods and rocker arms
Get a oil primer tool or you can make one out of a old Chevy V-8 distributor (that is a mission all by itself)
Drain oil, new filter, new oil
Remove all 8 spark plugs
Squirt W-D 40 into all 8 cylinders - use a good amount
Remove distributor - (*if not sure how, so that you put it back in correctly -google -how to remove and replace a Chevy V-8 distributor)
Place primer tool into engine, making sure that it engages into the oil pump,install the distributor hold down bolt
Install a heavy-duty drill, onto tool ** make sure you have the drill set to rotate CLOCKWISE Remove both valve covers
Turn drill on -have a assistant hold and continuousy run the drill, making sure it does not rotate- make sure Drill RotatesCLOCKWISE Run drill constantly til you see oil running down 16 rocker arms onto the valve springs
this can take a long-long time -if you can secure drill so that it you do not have to hold it -set drill button so that it runs without you holding trigger, and let it run - it will take a long-long time to get the oil completely circulated *
Install proper size socket on a 1/2" long breaker bar and use this to rotate the crankshaft Clockwise - *this the bolt that is on the lowest pulley in the front of the engine
*** Instead of using breaking bar, you can engage the starter in very short bursts to rotate engine while the drill is running - DO-NOT run the starter continuously - short bursts
Pull the breaker bar in a Clockwise Rotation, in short intervals while the drill is running constantly and continue this till oil is running onto all 16 valve springs - it takes time - a long time
Put the valves covers back on with new gaskets, install the distributor correctly - put gas into the Carb vents - use a squeegee - then move throttle a few times to get a little fuel out of the Carb and into the engine-
Welcome to the forum. It's an amazing place, with some of the best people ever.
My condolences of your father passing. I still miss my mom and dad every day.
My advice to you is to step back and make a list of things you plan on doing. The members of this forum can and will provide guidance that is invaluable.
So I'm working on the gas part of the equation right now, and I found some bottles of fuel stabilizer sitting around the garage. Honestly, I'm not sure if he put them in the tank or not, but my thoughts are he probably did since he would usually let it sit for close to a year at a time. Is there any way to know for sure if he did. Like check the fuel somehow? Or is it a moot point because there could be moisture or other things in it anyway?
How does the fuel smell? It should smell the same when you fill your car.
I'd break every thing down into stages.
Fuel, tank, Fuel filter. I'd plan on a carb rebuild as well but I like to play it save.
Pull the plugs, fresh battery, if you can turn the engine by hand. If it's turning and the above step is done fire it up. Let it get to temp, check for leaks.
Then I'd change the coolant and oil.
Check the MC for fluid and do a brake bleed. If anything leaks fix it.
I've had great luck with GM casting Autozone calipers.
I'm in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Although my knowledge is mainly about 1969's I'd be glad to help you figure things out if you need it. I had a 1973 but that was quite a while ago. Send me a PM and I can give you my contact information.
Hi Christopher,
Welcome to the forum, and very sorry to hear about your father's passing. But, happy to see that you are planning on getting the car back in operation. He would be proud of you for that. From what I can see in your engine bay, it looks to be a 73'. Because I don't see the Seatbelt starter interlock solenoid located on the passenger side firewall. If it was there that would be a tell tale sign it is a 74'. Also, I can see metal washer tubes on the wiper arms. These were still on the 73'until much later in production, when they were switched to rubber.
If I can be of any help along the way, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm only about an hour south of you.
Tooch
With all due respect, from some of your questions regarding simple automobile maintenance it sounds like you may have never worked on a car before. That's not a big deal, we were all there once.
A smart guy doesn't need to know everything, he only needs to know WHOM to call. Sounds like you should get someone who knows old Corvettes to stop by, have a look and help you out before it all goes kaboom.
There's an NCRS Chapter and various other Corvette Clubs in the "burgh". Maybe give one of them a call, I'm sure one of those guys wouldn't mind helping out.
03-24-2017, 12:34 AM
72 Stingray Restoration - Where do I begin?
It more closely resembles a '73... albeit a loaded one...
