stardating

Hello everyone!

My name is Nicole and I inherited my dad’s 1975 Corvette Stingray (C3) when he died a little over a year ago. He and I restored her, so I have a lot of fond memories.

However, I am not the most savvy person when it comes to all of the technical details of owning a classic car—such as what kind of oil or transmission fluid is needed or what brands are of better quality than others, but would not cost me an arm and a leg. I tried searching online, but I found more online stores and advertisements than actual information.

She is all original parts, does not have an AC system (we had to take that out to fit in a new radiator and we never took her out when it got too hot anyways), and really was not modified. My dad wanted to make her as original as possible.

So, if any of you could recommend the following and anything else you might think she would need to stay in tip-top shape, I would greatly appreciate it.

Oil
Oil Filters
Transmission Fluid
Break fluid
Etc.

I also need to know what kind of bulb is needed for the break/turn signal light and what online stores you would recommend for replacement parts. We pulled her back into the garage today after her weekly drive, checked the lights since it had been a few months, and discovered one had burned out!

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I look forward to whatever advice and recommendations you can give.

Nicole

Peterbuilt

The motor oil that I use is Valvoline VR1 racing oil sae 10W30, sold in six packs at O'Reilly's.
AC Delco oil filter PF 1218, sold at AutoZone.
Transmission fluid is Dexron III.
Stock brake fluid is called Dot 3
Park and signal bulbs are 1157.

Sorry about your Dad.
Enjoy your new ride.

Regards, Pete.

Big2Bird

Pretty much what I use.

Alan 71

Hi Nicole,
Welcome!
For Corvette parts many folks like:
Corvette Central
ZIP Products
Paragon Corvette Reproductions.
Which one you use may depend on just what you're looking for.
They all have both print catalogues and on line catalogues. The print catalogues can be a help especially if you don't know just what you're looking for or what the part may be called.
"Fond Memories" are SO nice to have as time goes by!
Regards,
Alan

kanvasman

Nicole, welcome aboard. You will find lots of answers to your questions on this board, sometimes too many answers! I didn't see where you are located, but try and find a local Corvette club in your area. I am sure you could find lots of help getting the car where you want it to be. I have lots of memories from buiiding a Mustang with my daughter ( she wanted the Stang, not me) and I am sure your father is very proud right now that you want to carry on this project. Good luck.

VCuomo

You forgot Willcox Corvette!

fede

and what about Eckler's Corvette?

cobrachuck

Welcome to the Forum
So sorry to hear about your father
75 Coupe as well
Ask any questions here great car knowledge
I like the idea of finding a Corvette Club as well they can help too.
Good Luck enjoy your ride

vettz73

You will want to order a copy of the owner's manual from one of the suggested vendors if you don't already have one. It will give you some basic information about your car.

If you decide to learn more about your car, you'll also want to pick up copies of the AIM and the Service Manual.

Enjoy the memories of your father while driving your car.

Bergerboy

Glad to hear that you're continuing to "carry the torch" on your '75 that you and your Dad started out together!
I agree with all of the above, especially the Clubs and Manuals recommendations.


While it's encouraging to see that you currently are mainly concerned about day-to-day maintenance items such as fluids, filters, and bulbs.
Invariably, you'll start to encounter less mundane and more challenging issues occurring on your car, which is upwards of 43 years old already!
So, you'll want to gain confidence in tackling those more involved issues.
Sounds like your Dad did a good job getting your hands dirty already, so you'll you have his guidance looking over your shoulder as you go!!
Good Luck and Welcome!

ENCSDOUG

Congrats on your 75. My 2 daughters have dibs on my vette the day I go. Something you may want to consider, mount a small dry erase board in your garage with things to do on your vette. I have one and the list is getting smaller Keep in mind every time you decide to take the vette out for a drive, at a minimum check your oil and radiator for water/antifreeze and tire pressure. Good Luck!

Rescue Rogers

You can get everything you need for a tuneup/ oil change at any autoparts store. Autozone around here is better than the local O'Reilly s but thats just due to the employees. When these cars where built 10w40 was the summer oil and 10w30 was the winter. Some people say 20w50 due to the upgraded engineering.
Premix antifreeze universal is all you need. New cars need specific brands. I assume you have an automatic transmission which would be dexron, check with the employee for specic year requirements. An older gm shop manual will tell you everything you need to know. Look on ebay for them. An older haynes manual might help but I would avoid a new haynes or Chilton s manual.

Good luck. Maybe join a club and find someone that actually knows what they're talking about versus a know it all that talks a big game.

terrys6t8roadster

Hi Nicole, I have a step daughter named Nicole. We have spent a lot of time in my 69, she wont even let me drive it. Guess who gets the car when I'm gone. T

stardating

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome! I really appreciate it!

My dad and I actually got it fully restored, or as restored as an older car can get, so the major problems with it are the smaller ones, for now. I do know that I am going to have to replace the tires at some point.

But I will certainly look into these places you have mentioned and check out the products as well, especially those service manuals! My dad does have some books, but they are about the Corvettes of this time frame in general, as opposed to 75s specifically.

I hope the rest of you guys enjoy your cars, especially with those calling dibbs!

Peterbuilt

While you are waiting for the books here's lots of information from GM.
Scroll down to Corvette and click on 1975.

https://gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heri...tion-kits.html

7T1vette

The least expensive source of oil (regardless of what brand you choose) is Wal-Mart. Same oil...much lower price than the auto parts stores. Why? I have no idea.

I use WIX oil filters but I buy them from NAPA under their NAPA Gold label. They are made by WIX. What's different? The guts and overpressure components are made much better and are much more reliable than some well-known brands. You want as little risk to your engine/transmission oil systems as you can get. Better parts cost a bit more, but the 'peace of mind' (and service history) is worth it.

Every person on this site has their individual preference of what oil is best. Bottom line: As long as you buy a good quality oil and change it and filter every 3000 miles or so (5000 miles for full synthetic), you will probably NEVER have 'wear' problems with your drivetrain.

Keep 'tuned in' to the Corvette Forum to learn about different aspects of your Corvette. Use the SEARCH function to gather info on prior threads for topics of interest to you. Many of the questions you may have are likely already answered and you can SEARCH them by 'topic'.

Have fun with your car.

tpfarm

Hi Nicole and welcome, all good advice from previous reply's . What we like most is pictures, so as soon as you can post some pics of your '75 .

kkEdlund

I dont post much on here, but this is basically what I do. For some reason Walmart is the place to get oil, and I have had good luck with even the regular Wix filters. I use synthetic oil on a 5k mile interval, but I am an oil snob and dont mind paying a little extra for it. In all the old cars/trucks I've driven (even with "cheaper" oils), I've never had a problem caused by low quality/defective fluids.

Lots of good advice here already, and as long as you follow the change intervals and use fluids from a reputable manufacturer/brand IMO you should be fine. I like my local Oriellys because the staff are more friendly than NAPA/autozone/whatever, but again IMO they are all the same thing. Just a preference thing, and whichever people are the most helpful.

Pictures are also much appreciated

gcusmano74

Agree with most of what everyone has been saying, except one. A racing oil is designed for VERY frequent changes, like once a week, right after the Sunday race. The additive package doesn't last. Use a street oil. Can't go wrong with Mobil 1. It's a Service SN oil, the newest top spec. I use a 5W30, many would prefer a 10W30. IMHO, a 5W30 gets all around the engine a bit sooner on a cold start.
Whatever you do, don't use a Fram filter. Use AC or WIX. I like to use a pickup truck engine oil filter. It's a bit taller and will flow slightly better and take that much longer to clog up.
Have fun.

Iceaxe

Using a "racing oil" in a street engine is generally a bad idea as racing oils are meant to be changed often and do not carry the required additives and detergents for a street engine.

This is from Valvoline's website:

YMMV