M@_

Please help me with my immenent purchase.

Objective:
Buy a car that's visceral to hear and feel and smell and see... in that order...

Strategy:
4 speed driver 74-82 C3

Concerns:
I'm wondering if my budget is correct. Please share what you think a car that fits this description is worth.

I'm operating on a sliding scale with respect to quality, largely because I have a high tolerance for visual blight, but low tolerance for rust and an absolute fear of birdcage damage.

Priorities:
I genuinely would appreciate your opinion on my priorities too. There are competing interests at play and I've been going back and forth.

Details:
I'm fairly capable as a mechanic. I look at this car as a hobby, something to work on, but I don't have the stomach for a year long rebuild or anything like that. I'm interested in learning new things like auto carbs (lots of motorcycle and pwc carb experience) rebuilding a transmission, rear diff, crossfire, but I'm nervous about body work.

A survivor with 20 ft paint and no bubba, and bad interior sounds perfect except cars in that condition don't get taken care of and I figure anything like that has been stored outside.

A car that's been changed a lot and had a lot of bubba, but no rust and 5-10 ft paint would be alright.

I could even handle a car with terrible paint if it was priced fairly. I could either get a wrap or try my hand a body work(I know it's not that easy, but how else can I learn).

I like the scoop back and interior of the 74-77 and I like the 80-82 front the most. Late seats are sweet. Bad thing is few manuals in the later cars. None of the crossfire have a manual, but since not many C3 are for sale in my area I feel like I should be flexible enough to consider an auto. That would make my wife happy too( not a big concern, more of a bonus and a way to look at the bright side Fwiw I'm an optimist).

I know the least expensive route is to buy the most expensive car I can, but that doesn't consider factors like the value of enjoyment I'll get driving a beater for two years rather than saving my money, or the personal fulfillment from completing a job that took me two or three times as long as a professional.

I'll stop. Thanks for reading and please post your genuine opinions. I lived on some Motorcycle forums that have hardened me to pointed criticism.
Cheers,
Matt

20mercury

My 2 cents:

My first C3 was something like this:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...h-runs-9k.html

Other deals like this out there too. Try to look at a half dozen or so, before you plunk down your hard earned money. For me frame rust is the biggest concern, so get educated as to where to look and how to judge. Most all have rust, now is it surface rust, how bad, easily repairable or is the frame junk, ugh??

IMHO, you want a decent driver that you can drive half the time and work on the other half (believe me the C3 projects will show up as these are 40+yr old cars and so will need "stuff".) Starting out with a major project, body off, ect may well be a receipe for never finishing due to time and money and losing enthusiasm.

Had super fun times with my 76 and learned a very great deal, a lot from the super folks on this forum! And you can do body work, again use this forum and other resources that you can find. An important ingredient is the "courage to try", so like what is the worse thing that can happen, sand and grind it off and start over again, LOL's???

Hope this helps and good luck with the hunt, half the fun is hunting I say!

Easy Mike

FWIW: you can pass on looking at 82s. They were all automatics from the factory. 80 and 81 4 speed cars were base engine cars. They probably won't meet your idea of visceral.

Have you been down the Cars For Sale list here on the Forum?

Tim Ware

Go to as many Corvette events as possible to talk with owners & look at cars. Events are listed on this site.

Tim Ware

I enjoy clubs or forums that are specific to the vehicle I'm either looking for or driving because of the technical help, etc.
I belonged to a marque-specific motorcycle club and when people asked about buying one, we would always reply with the same suggestion: " There are club bikes & there are those you buy from the classifieds " . Club vehicles are usually better kept and have a history known to others in that club. Rather than searching the classifieds, try to find a Corvette from this forum that has a history & might be recommended by another member. " Buyer Beware " can really hurt after the purchase.
Good luck, Tim

M@_

I agree Tim,
The listing in San Jose would be perfect.

As for the 80-82 if I went auto I have a much better chance of finding on. Tthat said, less than visceral is what I had figured. I was thinking I could work some magic over the years to get the feeling.

No way am I getting something that hints at rust problems. I've been there on another car and I vow to never return.

My comment about being ok with Bubba has more to do with a NOM or other changes fromOEM. I'm not cool with halfassed repairs or the like that I think better describes who Bubba is.

So far no one has hinted at value so I'm going to say what I think is appropriate, but really I'm wondering if I'm in the ball park, understanding I have no intention of doing a full restore or trying to get my money back.

Bad paint bad interior runs drives stops surface rust no Bubba $4000

10-20 ft paint, decent interior, runs drives stops, surface rust no bubba $6000

Good paint, nice interior add $1000 each. Crate motor or other documented mechanical improvements add about half of the cost of the parts.

So that puts the San Jose car at about $8000. Since it's nice all around there will be more interested buyers so that could push it to $9000 asking price.

Does that seem reasonable?

Other thoughts?

Thanks,
Matt

20mercury

IMHO,

I think 9K is about the best you can do to get a decent looking running C3. A project needing body work, paint and mechanicals worth restoring can be maybe 4-5-6-7+ but you will spend a lot money and it will likely on jackstands for awhile.

So the 76 in San Jose is about as good as it gets, I think.

Base engine mid seventies Corvettes are likely the best bang for the Corvette buck. Also, I would consider widening your search as much as possible.

Good luck!! and my 2 cents again, ha!

M@_

Thanks,
Please keep throwing in your 2 cents so I can add it up to a 68-72 Big Block vert.

ddawson

I'm close to the San Jose car if it's something you would be serous about.

M@_

Thank a lot! ...but I can't justify buying something that far away. There have been a few on the forum and on clist that seemed similar to that one over the past month and a half that I've been looking. I'm still working up the courage to go look at one locally, but it's going to happen soon, and I want to be sure that I have my wits about me so that I don't do something rash, hence the post. The San Jose car is safely out of my range by distance so I've felt comfortable talking about it w/o getting that emotional feeling.

SwampeastMike

'79s are abundant, relatively inexpensive and with the L82 engine and true dual exhaust (if allowed in your state) are about or perhaps the most powerful in your year range. Automatics were definitely the most popular but 4 speeds aren't rare and tend to show up most with the L82 engine and Gymkhana suspension.

The wife bought me a '79 L82 with 48k at an auction a couple years ago for $4,300. Good original paint, original interior mainly excellent except for the carpet and almost 100% stock. It was running upon purchase but she spend about $1,400 for tires, to get it to pass inspection and repair the worst annoyances (like non-working passenger door latch) and getting the headlights before giving it to me. Had I done the work that $1,400 would have been more like $300 not including the tires.

Just because it started, ran, had passed inspection and looked incredibly good it was FAR from being a decent driver. For the first six months or so something would fail on nearly every short (few mile) "shake down" drive after repairs.

There were some hard-to-find electrical problems to include leakage (read minor shorts) in the original wiring harness, factory splices that had overheated and required soldering copper wire across them. A couple poorly done repairs in the center console, bad switches and failed components were other electrical problems.

Front shocks existed in name only, the brake system was filthy (but not leaking) requiring lots of vacuum bleeding to get it working well and the parking brakes did almost nothing.

Beyond the basic tuneup items like plugs, wires, rotor, etc. I wound up replacing every vacuum hose in the car (except for HVAC) as while only those for the EVAP system had gross leaks I believe that every one of them was leaking slightly at the end. Replacing all the hoses was the single best "improvement" I made to the car! I also replaced the other rubber hoses (e.g. radiator, heater, brake) in the car.

Both window regulator springs were broken and the window and lock mechanisms so gummed up that everything had to be removed, cleaned and lubricated with things like rollers replaced.

The A/C compressor was frozen up and the hot water shut-off system (that keeps you from utterly roasting in the cabin) required some repair.

The headlamp door actuators were shot and finding replacements that are actually leak free for any length of time was a total pain.

The cruise servo was missing (another difficult part to find) as was the special cover for the intermittent windshield wipers.

I replaced every screw in the interior.

The lower front valance was broken in half and required fiberglass surgery.
I had to make a bit of repair to the vinyl bolster in the driver seat cushion (now switched to the passenger side).

All of the weatherstripping had to be repaired. While there was nothing but extremely light surface rust underneath the car, a poorly refitted windshield had allowed some water into the bird cage area and into the cabin. Fortunately the rusting was minor and treatable. Obviously a garage queen I suspect that the water intrusion came almost completely from car washing. It had been outside during a rainstorm when the wife had the initial repairs made and then sat inside for a couple months. That caused the carpet to rot (fortunately the floor pan was fine) and the wires used to hold the upholstery on the seat cushions to rust.

Hours and hours with clay bar, light buffing compound, etc., etc., etc., got the original paint extremely lustrous.

If you're wondering about the point of all this, it's to say that you can find a low mileage, unmolested, good looking and marginally working C3 for a low price but still have LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of sometimes fun and sometimes very aggravating repairs to keep you occupied for quite some time. Provided you can do all or nearly all of the work yourself you'll even wind up with less in the car than its reasonable value.

You also have this forum to help you. Believe me--it is an INVALUABLE RESOURCE!!!!

7t9l82

I agree the 79 makes an excellent foundation. Years ago I had some very desirable chrome bumper cars and looked down on the big window plastic bumper cover cars. After many decades I really like the 78 and up cars and feel strongly that the 80 to 82 vettes are the best looking c3 vettes made. The 78 and 79 with the pace car spoilers are right there too.
Government mandates forced the plastic bumper covers on us but chevrolet did an amazing job making them look that good, just look at other cars of the era,th 74 torino for an example look like they bolted a guardrail on the front and back.
That era of corvettes have been cheap to buy up to now but I'm seeing prices rise a little as others are realizing these cars have been totally overlooked for decades. Modern suspension upgrades and a brake upgrade put these cars on en equal footing with some of the most exotic cars today.
I'd find the best car you can find that fits your budget and jump at it ,I think the market is heating up.

Gale Banks 80'

Back when these Cars came out everybody laughed at GM for putting Plastic Bumpers on a car let alone a Corvette. After all they could of put giant warts on them like Triumph and Porsche. After a wile the Laughing slowed down. Try to find a Car produced today that doesn't use the same basic bumper design that the C3's started.

corvetero

Your case is almost copy-cut than mine late 2015. My advice is....be patient, because you will cross many in the middle of your way and we tend to get excited very soon when we are on hunting mode.

It took me several months until I found what I was looking for, 4 speed are not easy to find along with L82 engine, especially when you are limited to one year and rust free mandatory...74 in my case.

It was a little bit risky, since I bought the car 1500 miles far away without seeing it before face to face, just a bunch of pictures and some videos, but the owner gave me that much peace of mind when talking to him that I had the feeling that everything was as he told me, and it was that way.

Car it was almost in perfect running condition except some minor issues with spark plugs and carb adjustmet.

You cannot even imagine how much fun I have with the car, during the week fixing/improving things and during the weekend driving it wherever.

I definetely recommend you a driveable car that allows you fully enjoy it while you spend time working on him.

Others waste money smoking, or getting drunk...I love to waste it on my car with the satisfaction of selfperforming the more the better.

Good luck !!

7T1vette

Stay away from '81 and '82's. Focus on '75-79's. Buy one from a private owner who actually used the car on an 'occasional' to 'regular' basis.

Check for frame/birdcage 'rot' (rust) first; PITA to fix and if some of the frame is badly rusted, there's usually hidden rust that's a lot worse.

Decent paint can be touched-up (solid color is much easier to do than metallic) or wrapped to make it look lots better.

Make sure operating systems work like they should. Owner's stating that A/C will be OK with a can of Freon is a dead-giveaway that the A/C hasn't worked in years and will likely be expensive to fix. Same with non-functioning of other system. Also, make sure that the components on the car are all there. Finding/buying individual parts for a specific year can be troublesome and costly.

Test the engine/brakes/transmission/steering/suspension as best as you can before considering the car a possible 'buy'. Assess whether you can likely fix/improve malfunctioning systems or take a pass. Brakes are usually easy to repair...if they actually work!

Interior items can generally be repaired rather than replaced; this is a MUCH better option. If panels and seats are in bad condition, replacements can be pricey.

Repairing engine, trans, differential is possible...but you are never sure how bad a drivetrain component might be. Tuning up an engine is simple and inexpensive; rebuilding one is not. Manual transmissions & clutch repairs are not so bad; repairing auto trans can be costly and a PITA.

Expect that you will need to replace tires, if they are over 7 years old. You don't want to start your Corvette 'career' with "iffy" tires.

terry82

I would be careful. Narrow it down to what year car you really want.You will be spending a lot of time and money on it.If you find a auto but you want a stick ,That is a regular swap back and forth here.My vote is the 80 -82 more room in side better ride [glass spring]These cars are easy to change to sticks [82 also] you can put on carbs or fuel injection.The best is a 82 changed into a convertible with a 5 speed and a ls motor.Have fun

M@_

On snag with and 81 or 82 is that it will have to run a cat to pass inspection, at least until I get it tagged as an antique.

Fwiw: the nice San Jose car above is really nicer than what I'm looking for. Not saying things won't come up for a car like that, but it hurts me to change things on an origional car that's in good shape(care taker). Something that was in worse shape I wouldn't feel too bad about digging into, possibly screwing something up, and learning, having fun along the way.

Tim Ware

I just looked at the San Jose car & think it is a screaming deal for such a nice car. Ask DDawson if he will take some photos & drive it. A few extra dollars up-front might save you thousands later. Offer a little less to cover the one-way plane fare & drive that car home in two days. That would be a great way to begin your new Corvette relationship.
A friend told me that when buying a car or bike, it has to be passion that draws you to the car, then look at the mechanical's. Take your time & don't settle for less than passion.

BEVO76

You can buy mine. $17900. With 28k original miles, origional paint and one bad A$$ 383 stroker. Shes pretty beefy though. Id part with it but that might be a significant emotional event.Remeber you get what you pay for.

M@_

That sounds dope, but I'm really looking for something to work on and that sounds pretty damn sorted out.

Ya get what ya pay for is good advice though.