vetteonr

I'm just glad they kept on building the vette as a vette and not do what that other car comany (you know, the one that starts with a F and ends with a D) did with their so called sports car. Remember the mid to late '70's mustang? Yech! At least we don't have a four banger vette we have to defend!

SharkAttack

First, it's all relative based on year model. Despite a low point in performance across all auto manufacturers, the mid-70's Corvettes remained true to the car's spirit yet became more plush in order to address a changing & evolving market.

Today, rubber bumper sharks remain a great looking Corvette and a great value with almost no limit on modifications and customizations (just look on E-Bay).

75rag4sp

Amen Brother!!!! the mid 70's were a sad time in Automotive history. But I love the clean lines of the rubber bumper cars...especially the verts and tunnel backs. If you know your gonna wanna play with it these are great cars to start with.....and I agree....Leave the body stock...I have to admit I was looking at c4 seats so my *** doesn't slide around.

LemansBlue68

Just saw a '78 for sale here locally. The price was certainly right. Shark looks for an affordable price and lots of performance potential. They are truly undervalued at the moment. I'm still thinking about buying this car for a father/son project. I think we could spiff it up pretty nice over the next year before he starts driving. He could put all his classmate's ricers in their place. Plus, it would keep him from begging to drive my '68.

smoothsailing

My 79 is no "63 Split window". However when I balance the fact that I drive my 79 everyday nearly year round I find the car great.
Just came back from running the car on Pocono Race track banked turns and road course. Drove there and back. I was supprised how well the car did and a race car driver friend of mine was not supprised he said that Vettes are factory race cars. Great seats hold you during hard cornering, fair stright away speed(will get faster). Just plain fun. Nice black paint job with lines that up close and personal look great. Never appricated these rubber bumper cars until I owned one. Bought the car for a great price, little by little upgrades which I hope include a 383 next year make it perform better. All part of the for me hands on hobby.

Clint's C3

I am with you guys.

I paid a reasonable price for my '82 and will drive it, enjoying the dependability and 16 mpg in town 22 mpg highway, until it's 25th birthday. Then I'll drop in a 383 stroker and enjoy it even more!

I could go on and on about the looks but I'd be preaching to the choir. For smiles/ $ you can't beat it.

Clint's C3

My son and I worked modifying his 95 Z-28 and had a great time. I turned it over to him when he turned 16. He treats it like his baby and we have more in common than most teenagers and parents. I have a 95 T/A for my 15 year old. He is way excited.

I think you should do it! Just my .02.

79VetteMike

Sounds like a sweet car. I hope you got approval from the rest of the forum for all of those mods. With the 540 and Richmond 6-speed, are you sure you can keep up with the factory big block egos....er...uh, I mean guys...

The Dude

The Smog Year 'Vettes are made to be modded. They're plentiful and cheap. They're RWD, V8 cars so the platform's already there and they're never going to be worth piddly squat to the collector crowd.

Mod 'em. Drive 'em. Break 'em.

That's what they're there for.

lostpatrolman

haha, i cant believe you compared a 69 boss429 and other relatively rare muscle cars to a m3 or viper. Comon man, compare apples to apples. The viper is a 80k dollar car, the m3 is built to handle. The old muscle cars of the day could still beat a m3 on the strait line.

This doesnt seem true either. Why dont you ask chuck harmon what kinda problems his bb is running him. Seems he last reported his 477hp and 445tq 427bb was getting 18 miles per gallon. Vettemaniac is getting 18.9mpg with his bigblock and Zwede hit 20mpg with his 454. Im not sure what Norval is getting, but im sure he is getting some pretty good gas mileage also. The early c3s were also lighter then the later ones, so the extra 150 pounds for the bigblock in the early c3 evens itself out with the later ones. I dont think any of the bb cars are having any real heating problems. Seems heating problems occur to both the sb and bb folks becuase of a plugged up radiator, missing radiator seals, or poor airflow.

Glensgages

The Corvette wasn't REALLY a 'super-car', in the 'World-class' term, until the C4s came out, which were the first time that GM REALLY tried matching the Europeans:
all the earlier chrome-bumper cars can offer, over the mid/late C3s, were big-blocks and no smog-crap.

Most of the chrome-bumpered/big-block cars are so valuable these days, nobody drives them, and NOBODY modifies/hot-rods them!

You can buy a rubber-bumper Shark for much less than it's chrome-bumpered brethren, modify it to suit your personal tastes, out-run the early C3 (and a few C4s/C5s, too!), drive and enjoy it, and still have $$$ left in your pocket, compared to the prices of chrome-bumpered cars.

If you pull-in at a car-cruise, or even a Corvette-only gathering, with a tastefully-modified/hot-rodded mid-to-late C3, you'll stand-out in the vast waste-land of '84-up Vettes:
exactly how-many Torch Red c5s can you look-at?????

The mid-to-late C3s need no 'defending of the faith':
they got Chevrolet into the '80s, where the then-new technology made it what is today, a World-class car in every way.

The mid-to-late C3s are also great entry-level cars for persons wanting to get-into the Corvette-tradition;
they'll always be-around, and most poeple will think of C3s when the word "Corvette" is mentioned.

Paul Borowski

I like 'em both ways-50% with chrome bumers, 50% with rubber bumpers

Summerfun

oregonsharkman

[QUOTE=lostpatrolman]haha, i cant believe you compared a 69 boss429 and other relatively rare muscle cars to a m3 or viper. Comon man, compare apples to apples. The viper is a 80k dollar car, the m3 is built to handle. The old muscle cars of the day could still beat a m3 on the strait line.

actually i've seen 60k mile vipers for $22000, which I believe is way less than a 69 boss 429 of comparable mileage (am I wrong????...I've owned 3 mustangs and an pretty familiar with their prices) also a stock M3 ( which I have seen used with 80k miles for about $12000) can run a 13 sec 1/4 mile .....only a handful of stock 60 muscle cars could match that.plus get their butts whipped on a track. SO I think I AM comparing apples to apples........My only points being, I love 70 Vettes but don't compare them to world class sports cars(without heavy mods)...And while muscle cars snobs continue to ignore the rubber bumpered as a collectable car, I will keep and mod my 76 Vette as I wish and enjoy driving it and whipping their unsuspecting butts

StingrayDK

I bought my 74 vert because i love the way it looks!

I recently bought a 69 vert because i love the way it looks!

Point is i like all the c3 bodystyles

Blue Ace

I love my 75 and all other VETTE's are in the same boat.

VETDRMS

Bring it...chrome bumper BB's taste good.

:

LemansBlue68

Want to adopt me ??

My son helped me mask off the '68 to get it ready for gelcoat tonight--and he volunteered! If he keeps up, that '78 'll be in the driveway soon. Then I just have to explain it to the wife...geee dear, look what followed me home.....

Boofers

Speed costs money how fast do you want to go?

I looked at a dozen vettes. I bought the one I did because the frame was unbelievably solid and basically it was the best vette I could afford. If I had an extra few grand I would have got a 72 LS5.

rustbucket80

Not to mention what they did to the Thunderbird. At least they are still making the Mustangs , Shame the Firebird and Z28 are gone , Anybody think they will be back?