I just purchased a'78 with only 10,000 miles all original from the original owner. The clock works part of the time I think it needs a good cleaning. Since I am new at all this (as in first time Vette owner) how do you get the instrument bezel off to get to the clock? I also need to remove the ashtray door as the prev. owner spilled something on it and the paint is coming off on a couple of spots. I have removed the visible screws in the instrument bezel but that did not seem to do anything to loosen it up for removal. I also spent a lot of time looking at the center console cover to try and figure out how to get to the ashtray cover. Any help for a rookie will be greatly appreciated.

 

sorry i dont know about 78s but a 78 with 10k miles is hard to beleive. would love to see it. put some pics up and good luck with it.

 

Hi John,
It sounds like you've found quite a nice car.
If you think you may be doing some work on it yourself, there are 2 books that will be a help to you.
AIM.... ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTION MANUAL, there's 1 for each year.
GM CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL, again 1 for each year.
The first was used at the factory when the cars were built and the second was used at the dealerships. They're available from many vendors on this site.
They'll really help you work on your 31 year old car.
You're in for BIG fun!!!!
Regards,
Alan

 

The clock in my 78 has been dead since I bought the car nearly 20 years ago. I have the quartz conversion kit sitting in the garage for years - it on my list! It's my estimation that our clocks typical break so you can either send the original off to be rebuilt or convert it to quartz yourself.

This article should get you going for removing the center bezel and center console -
http://www.corvettemagazine.com/tech...r-rebuild.html


How to convert clock to quartz, if you want to go that route -
http://www.corvettemagazine.com/2000.../tictocpg1.asp

 

As soon as it stops raining and snowing here in northern Indiana I will try to get some pics posted.

 

Thanks for the info, looks like a nice Saturday project!

 

Welcome to the forum. I see you have all the info you need for your first project. I recently did the conversion to quartz and it works great. I took one additional step. Since the C3 in general has issues with electrical, I installed a disconnect at the battery so as not to be surprised by a dead one. While the bezel is out, I installed a hot lead directly from the battery to the clock only. Now I can disconnect the battery and still have the clock running. This was an idea I got from another member on this forum.
Good luck!

 

Hello John, welcome to the Forum. Wow, 10K miles on a 30 year old car, great! As Alan has suggested, buy the AIM if you are going to tinker with this car. Below is the page from the 78' AIM that shows the location of the screws that attach the gauge panel to the console trim plate. Note the 2 screws (item # 6) that hold the trim plate to the bottom of the gauge panel. You will need to remove these. Take the whole console trim plate out to get to the ashtray parts.
Good luck,

Gary

 

Hey welcome to the forum . the hardest thing on getting the bezel out are the two nuts on the bottom that hold it down. Pack your lunch get plenty of 1/4 extensions and take your time. once out I took my clock to A Jewler my girl uses . he cleaned it sprayed the right powder on it works like a champ. dont do it yourself They are to expensive to Re-place$149.00

 

I thought the center bezel on my 79 was super easy to get out, and it's the same as your 78. Remove the 4 visible screws on the bezel, then drop the side panels on the console, which I think are 3 screws each side, then remove the the screws under the bezel that connect it to the console top cover. I also took the screws out the console top cover so it could move back a little to give clearance to pull the center cluster out. Once all the screws are out, pull the center cluster enough that you can get behind it and unplug the wiring. BTW, I recently did this to rebuild the clock on mine. I did the quartz conversion and it works like a charm now.

 

Hi JohnAlley. Glad to have you aboard in the CF. I hope you find (most, if not all) the answers to your project questions in here. It's a good group of guys and a few Vette girls, too.

Remember too: no question is too dumb. Most of us have stories to tell...you'll see.

You're going to be asked to post pictures of your project(s) so if you don't have the "how to" information already, here ya go:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/help...-pictures.html

That old adage of pictures speaking a thousand words couldn't be truer so get your camera ready and let's see what you got.

Welcome and enjoy your time here.

 

Here is how to get the clock working without converting the Quartz
http://www.pcfred.com/Vettetip/FixC3Clock.htm

 

WOW , thanks for the info. Looks like a weekend project for someone like me with little experience.

 

When I opened up my clock today a very small white colored plastic piece fell out, it was sort of L shaped. I could hear something rattling around inside the case before opening up the metal case. I have no idea where this piece is suppose to go, it was very tiny, but it apparently broke off many many many moons ago. I figured since I was doing a quartz conversion anyway then I didn't need that piece . I save the original clock along with the pieces in case someday I want to revert back to the original clock again - of course I'd have to send the original in for service.

Doing the quartz conversion was very simple, I thought. It uses the original clock face and needles. For those people who never did a conversion before, basically what you get in the box are new sprockets/wheels, and the movement encased in plastic. The only real trouble I had was bending the metal tabs open enough as to not snap them off. It's weird but who ever originally built the clock also crimpted the side of the outer case as to hold the whole thing together, in addition to where the tabs were, so I had to unbend those two areas too.

 

Hey John Welcome! Thats at least 3 of us Hoosier's in here now. The other one is Willcox Corvette.. they are in the vendor list on the left of the page, check with them for a assembly manual on CD, I really like it, I carry it around on my little 2gig drive on my keychain so I can pull it out at work to ask my mechanics stuff.. If that car really has 10k on it and is all original you might want to try and keep it that way. People go to some extreme trouble and expense to un-do things previous owners have done. You have a real nice start on things it sound like. So give us the story, how did ya come across it, what kinda deal did ya make.. bla bla.. and get those pics up in here!

ps there IS a answer to ANY question or problem you may have in here some where but the search function SUCKS!

 

Brief history of the car. A local car dealer is a real Corvette nut and I told him I was looking for a nice C3(love the body style). He said he saw one at last years VetteFest that Corvette Mike's in Chicago had. He is pretty good friends with them so he called and got me a really sweet deal on the car. I got in contact with the original owner to get some history and it was amazing what she had done to save up to pay cash for the car in 1978. She told me that she did not know if the wipers or lights woked as she had never driven the car at night or in the rain. All the original paperwork for the car has been preserved and is in a binder in protective sheets. The only item not on the car as it came from the factory is the radio and of course the battery. She ordered the car as a radio delete and the dealer installed a radio for her before she picked it up.. I am trying to find a 1978 radio delete plate to get it back to factory original. I have been told that this might be an impossible task. The engine still has the yellow and white chaulk marks from the factory, and on the underside most all of the paper tags are still on the various lines under the car. I have ordered replacement rims and tires as I dont want to ruin the original ones still on the car. As soon as we get some nice weather here I will get pics posted.

 

Please consider bringing this car to the new show in Rosemont, IL November 21-22. I am sure that there are a lot of Corvette Forum members around here that would love to see it! www.mcacn.com

Bashton
bashton426@gmail.com

 

You can try oiling the clock. El. contact spray cleaner & clock oil. Mine was working when I sold it & had never been apart. Replaced w/ oil temp. gauge.


PS No el. problems w/ 77!