I have always thought that the C3 was the coolest damn car on the road. Period.

Who wouldn't want one?

I’m a computer application developer by trade and mechanically inclined enough to keep things working around the house, but I never really got into the whole “car” thing. Sure, I can change oil, replace a flat, swap fuses and maybe even fix a radio or two, but "big" things go to the shop.

Besides, cars that old usually have things break down in succession. Who needs to have this thing go bad when that thing just got fixed and oh yea, don’t forget the other thing that’s on its last legs. See you next month. Bring your checkbook. Who has the kind of money to keep fixing a car that spends more time in the shop than on the road?

All the same, in the back of my mind was this little voice…
You like this kind of car, you would like to have this kind of car. Why not make it a hobby, get and fix one of these kinds of cars? The answer, I would tell the voice, was simple; no previous experience, no known talent and no working knowledge. Yes, the voice would reason, but you can learn. The little voice had a point, but nothing convincing enough to push me into action.

Then, a year and a half ago, I found this forum. I started reading it to scratch an itch. After six months, I came to some conclusions;

People really do have C3s in their garages. You don’t have to spend a small fortune on it, unless you want to. Most of these people actually drive their cars. It’s not beyond human comprehension to work on them. Your projects can take as long as you like. These people actually seem to be having fun. I might be able to be one of these people.

Six months later, with many fears alleviated and a lot of research under my belt, the little voice finally won. I bought a 1981 Corvette, cleaned out the garage, built a workbench and asked my wife if she wanted to help out from time to time.

The guy that owned the car was selling it so he could buy parts for the Camaro he was racing. I gave the guy the keys to my Honda and told him I wanted to have it looked over by a local Corvette shop. The shop told me it wasn’t a “numbers matching” car. When I told them that I didn’t care about that, they gave the car a rating of 7 out of 10. No rust via the hammer test, no visible fiberglass repairs, no fiberglass cracks. dead paint, minor leaks, above average and complete interior, worn shocks, bad rear wheel bearings.

That little voice in my head kept telling me that all things considered, there was probably something wrong with the engine. I told the little voice that if the guy accepted my counter offer, I would take the car without an engine.

It’s a good thing that I was in that state of mind. Shortly after the purchase, while on Interstate 95, in route to Zip Corvettes in Mechanicsville for the rear bearing work, the engine blew. At least one rod fragmented and shot down through the oil pan, off the blacktop and out from under the back of the car. The little voice in my head congratulated me on getting exactly what I wanted, a corvette with no engine. Once my vette’s carcass was transported to its destination the guys at Zip were more than helpful. I agreed to have them pull out the dead engine, purchase a new GM replacement block, reuse everything else off the old block, install it and replace the rear wheel bearings.

Life was good.

In the following year and with tons of guidance from this forum I have learned and have been able to accomplish, in my eyes, some very amazing things.

I learned that it's a good idea to register the car with vintage tags.
I replaced the shocks
I replaced the rear fiberglass leaf spring
My brother-in-law and I replaced the front suspension bushings (ball joints included)
I fixed the power steering leak
I learned that it’s a good idea to install valves in the hot water lines to the heater box
I removed the entire exhaust
I wrapped and installed a set of Flowtech full length headers
I removed all the smog stuff
I removed the computer
I replaced the intake manifold with an Edlebrock 2101
I replaced the carburetor with a Holley Street Avenger 670
I replaced the distributor with a stock 1980 vacuum advance unit.

The only time it’s been in the shop since the I95 incident was to have a 4 wheel alignment (after the front suspension work) and to have the custom dual exhaust put on. I was even able to use the information on this forum to help identify a quality shop, explain exactly how I wanted to handle the cross member, where I wanted the H pipe and it even helped me determine that his price was fair.

I also took the long approach and wore out countless wire brushes (and one drill) on the underbody. It’s a good thing my wife likes to paint. It was time consuming but the end result was a nice protective coating of flat black everywhere under the car, even high-temp paint on the exhaust. Yes, I did have to put up with the smell of burning paint for a while, but it went away and the exhaust is still black.

My Vette may not win any races at the local track, but as a daily driver / cruiser, she’s fast enough for me (at the moment), she’s functional, she’s dependable and I’ve been driving her for the past couple of weeks.

Life is good.

This forum also reaffirmed that; a garage needs an air conditioner in the summer, a heater in the winter, a refrigerator all year round and most importantly, beer is good.

My wife is anxious to pull out the interior so we can get to work on the heat / sound shielding and new carpet. I’m for that as well, but that little voice in my head is sounding off again. It sounds something like this…

“You like convertibles, you want a convertible, you can have a convertible. You already have the car and you’ve already done some of the research on the forum. Let’s cut the top off.”


Sometimes the little voice scares me...

This forum is the BEST.

Thank you,
Kevin

 

Great to hear from you, Kevin.

I agree...this forum is the best.

In contrast to the "old" you, I've been a car guy since around puberty...just not a Corvette guy, until 2 years ago.

That was when the little voice (the devil from Animal House?) told me to spend more money on a disassembled '69 convertible than I had probably had spent on all of my other cars combined!

Yes, it has serious rust issues, and I've been hunting parts for the past two years. But, it is very rare, and it is starting to look like a Corvette again. Even though the front end pieces (calling it a clip would be an overstatement) are attached by drywall screws, I find myself staring at the car. C3's are mechanical art.

This forum (and the NCRS Tech Board) have taught me much, and saved me and my car from certain doom.

All that said, if you want a convertible, get a convertible -- I don't know if you were serious, but a coupe to convertible conversion (I know, I know...it's been done) is likely to end in tears.

I certainly have the skills and tools to do a conversion...but I wouldn't even try. Determine the year and options you want, and find the best example of that cobination for the amount of money you have available.

One more bit of advice...keep your coupe, no matter what. She deflowered you, and you will regret it if you sell her.

Steve

 

I am not patient enough to read all that so congrats and welcome.

 

YOU GET 10 STARS JUST FOR THAT POST..........thats like the Declaration of Independence.............whew........!!!
ZIXXX PACKER

 

Too long. Didn't read.

Show us some pictures already !!

 

kevin, your not really new to this forum but welcome anyway!

 

So when does the sawzall come out???

Keep up the great work

 

Sorry for the long post. Turns out I like to see myself type as much as I like to hear myself talk.
The sawzall may come out this winter If (when) I convince my wife to let me chop apart a perfectly good car and I secure the parts. Progress pics will most definitely be part of the equation.

Kevin

 

How about 10 stars for reading all of it? Just kidding. Congrats and welcome Kguyan. Any pics of the car now?