Hi all! I'm new to the forum, and to owning a car... my dreams came true and I will be getting a used C3 Stingray as my first.

I have no knowledge on how to maintain/repair vehicles, no idea how I should do anything with this beauty besides, maybe, driving it! Are there any good books/classes/website articles or anything that you guys recommend to start me out? I'd rather not take it into a mechanic due to their stereotypical (and true) reputation for making cars run worse than when they were brought in.

I know it'll be much more cheaper/fun to do this stuff myself.

The C3 I'm getting doesn't seem to be in very bad shape, but it certainly has a lot that can be done to make it better, I'm sure. It's missing the rear end.

C3 FTW!!

 

whoa, big learning curve comming your way you can find out anything you need on this forum

 

You have a lot to learn. A car that is 30+ years old will need work and money. Money being the key word here. Ask away on the questions.
Not in bad shape but missing the rear end? How does it drive like this.

 

Do you mean that its missing the fiberglass in the rear? Do yourself a favor and go to the bank, open a new savings/spending account called the Vette fund. The guys around here are always eager to help you figure things out.

 

If his car is the pic in his avatar it seems to be missing the tailpiece...

 

I spent my pre-teens wisely studing cars & auto. engineering. Read everything in several libraries, etc. Then it's do it.
Best to know the procedure well before starting. A good way to start is to do a cam change. Then build an engine.
I couldn't wait to change the cam & a neighbor kid came over & seeing the engine all disassembled asked it I thought it would ever run again.

It runs tonight.


It ran great. It was my only car & had no one to call & no exp., just books. It was absolutely imperative!

You guys really have it wired w/ the Internet. Have seen some guys jump into things & use the Internet forums to bail them out.

 

I spent my formative years studying and memorizing procedures from my dads old chilton as well as the front end ID pics of ever car in there.

I reccomednd the following books for a starter...

How to Restore and Modify Your Corvette, 1968-1982 (Motorbooks Workshop) (Paperback)
by Richard Newton (Author) or

Corvette Restoration Guide, 1968-1982 (Motorbooks Workshop) (Paperback)
by Richard Prince (Author)

Chevrolet by the Numbers: The Essential Chevrolet Parts Reference 1970-1975 (Chevrolet by the Numbers) by Alan L. Colvin (Paperback - Jun 1994)

How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy by David Vizard (Paperback - Jun 18, 1991) or...

How to Build Max Performance Chevy Small Blocks on a Budget (S-a Design) by David Vizard (Paperback - Aug 13, 1999)


Factory Assmbly Instruction Manual (AIM) available at any of the aftermarket vette retailers

Chassis Service Manual available at any of the aftermarket vette retailers

Good luck, and dont be afriad to dive right in, the key things to do first are to figure out what to do to get it to start, stop, and turn safley, while being on the look out for big ticket repair items and how you want to use the car


good luck


the team is on hand


Tim

 

I cant believe you said that Tim
I remember doing the exact same thing
I always drooled over the 68-72 nose...at that time I believe the book only went up to 75 or so

My uncle lived with us and he had a blue '63 Split
Thats what got me hooked on Corvettes..I could have not been any older than 10 at the time

I bought my first Corvette at age 21....It was a white 1973, this car was an animal. Somewhere along the line it wound up with an LT-1 engine with a Super T-10

I sold it in 1984 to buy a brand new Z/28
Now here I am back full circle with a white '73


Sorry to get off track MaleAlphaThree
I cant suggest any books other than the Assembly Instruction Manual (AIM) and the GM service Manual... and of course, when you have spare time just read, read and read some more on the C3 forum
Theres a ton of knowledge here
Congrats on the Corvette and welcome.

 

You are very lucky with having the internet at your disposal. You can find out just about anything on here. Us older guys never had this in our younger days it was all manuals and asking people face to face. I was 18 when I put in my first motor, but I tell you what it was the most fun thing I ever did (Well almost). I agree with the following books that (sweethence) recommended you always need something in hand when doing this stuff. Or maybe just install a computer terminal in your garage.

GOOD LUCK!! and be careful!!!!!!

 

Yup thats the one, and at the time up to 75 was all we needed

My Dad, taught me how to work on cars while keeping whatever family jaopy we had at the time

ford chevy chrsler ( had a 73 slant six sattelite witha 3 on the tree) whatever was cheep. then he would trade out whatever was too broke to fix with eddie the local junk yard dealer ( good friend of teh family) and when i got to the point where i was gettin in his way, he would turn me loose in the JY. i dissaembled and reassemble my first engine right there inthe dirt age 10 or 11 or so . it was several years later before i actually was allowed to work on the family jalopies

 

WOAH... very nice reponse time! The Vette I'm getting is indeed the one on my avatar. The back fiberglass bumper, or whatever it's called, started to crack eventually (that's what I've been told) and actually fell apart finally-it got thrown away. The front bumper, or whatev lol, is now cracked and might need to be replaced/fixed, again no idea what I should do for that.

I will update my avatar to pics that show the damage, or upload pics onto these posts.

I realize now that joining this website is probably the next best thing to living next to a town full of Vette enthusiasts. Are there any threads/posts that you guys know are full of essential information I might not get out of those books sweetthence listed? Reading through every single thread/forum would take me months... so I'm probably not going to be doing it. heh.

I'm going to be using the car to drive to/from whatever work I'll have, and looking like pure, unfiltered ownage when I go to the movies or anything!

Come to think of it, I'm really worried what I'm going to do with my g0d-machine when it starts to snow. I have no garage to store it in when I'm not using it... and I WILL be using it during the winter (insert blood-curddling scream here). I know a lot of people don't even let their speed princesses outside during the winter, but I have no other car yet (for a long long while). What do I need to do to prevent further damage to my fiberglass air-knife??

Also, THANK YOU GUYS.
My soon-to-be-mine, four-wheeled, incarnation of happiness thanks you all too.

 

Dude .... must - scrounge - up - a - few - hundred - for - winter - beater.
Fact: C3 vette is best looking car - ever.
Fact: Your C3 was underpowered from the factory and people will never forget this.
Fact: Your C3 will break something at the most inconvenient times.
Fact: You NEED a backup vehicle. Driving in rain/snow/salt will accelerate breakage.

Good luck - yes rear bumper cover needed - front, too, it seems soon.
The rear is fairly easy to replace, and the front is a PITA.
Coices are Urethane plastic (like factory), stiff fiberglass, or flexible fiberglass (Truflex).
The last two choices usually require some modifications to the
taillight supports and bumper reinforcements.

Welcome and good luck !!

 

I would not advise driving a C3 in the snoe
1st reason is a safety issue.......... they are dangerous
#2, If the frame isnt in bad shape now, it will be next spring
Finf a POS to drive in the winter... you can still bring the chiks to your place and show them your Corvette

By the way, Shelters are very inexpensive and very durable
I bought a 12'X 20' to store my boat in for $400 and I do park my '73 in it often
They are gauranteed for 10 years

 

Well NH, seems like you beat me to it

 

Here are some pics to help you guys help me.









More to come once I get my hands on it.

I will see what I can do about driving a different car in the worse case weather conditions during this coming winter, but, if I have to, what should I do? Put bricks in my trunk? Get really good tires? And what about some kind of protective car cover besides a shed?

 

first of all there is no trunk::lol
second there are several companies that make good all season outdoor covers
third , ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and having driven my 68 in the snow ( dd was dealined for a few days) i will tell you this...

• keep the tank full
• remeber to tap the brakes - this is what we all did before antilock came around).
• get a good set of tires ( the firehawk 500 are good in the snow, rain, and otherwise)
• if you get stuck remeber to keep salt in the back, an e-tool. and rock back and forward slowly

and hit the car with underbody wash regulary to keep salt from accumulating....

you could also hit the frame front to back with Zeibart or some other underbody coating, but all that crap would have to come off later as you restore, so you would be making extra work for yourself

but on the fun side, there is nothing like seeing those rooster tails from all four tires, or doinf doughnuts in the snow

 

I've been thinking... there is a laundry list of things that I could work on my baby, but what takes precedence?

The front and back bumper covers first is a given.
What after that, and after that, and that, and that?

There's so much I want to do to it!! Frivolous things but... Tints (new ones if there aren't any or they're old), casette/cd player/radio, reupholstered, upgraded lights, car security system, upgraded anything I can think of! I'll only do as much as will make the car safer, better, and cooler.

 

Buy a good all weather cover. All the aftermarket providers carry them. I have two Wolf covers and like them. Get a Corvette-specific cover, not one of the generics.

As far as driving a Corvette in the snow, all you have to watch is the Posi. If she wiggles a little, get your foot out of it and she'll straighten up. My '74 coupe was my daily driver for years, in all weather. I never had any problems after the Posi got loose the first time and I learned my lesson.

In the really heavy crap, don't expect miracles from the defroster.

 

Here is a little help.

 

level of importance


starting ( engine, tranny, rear end)
stopping ( brakes, MC, tires, lines, calipers)
steering ( springs, bushings, shocks, tie rods, TA's etc....)
riding (shocks, seats, lights, signals, tunes )

throw in weather stripping for good measure if your gonne take it out in the rain and snow


the other thing to do if you need a start point is you local requirements to pass inspection