MY first Vette
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MY first Vette
I am about to join the ranks of the C3 owners! MY Grandparents have recently agreed to give me their old Corvette, an 82. Pictures are below
my question is what should i do first? what stuff do i need? I am a newbie as far as restoring cars goes but i know a bit about cars in general. I can take more pictures if need be.
my question is what should i do first? what stuff do i need? I am a newbie as far as restoring cars goes but i know a bit about cars in general. I can take more pictures if need be.
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Drifting
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: NJ
Good luck with the car!
TheCorvetteBen
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,987
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From: Van Alstyne, TX
Lol i wish that soneone would just give me a vette... Well make your grandparents proud and restore the car like they had it when it was new!
Last edited by chstitans42; Jul 22, 2009 at 07:23 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,006
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From: Lutz Florida
Congratulations. The stuff you'll need is; money, patience and perseverence, a decent set of tools, a good shop manual, and an assembly manual. Get some mechanics gloves too and save your knuckles. Oh, did I mention money?? You may need a lot of that. 
Last edited by stock76; Jul 22, 2009 at 07:30 PM.
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I have a few tools, an GM service manual, and a haynes repair manual. I'm just really not sure how to go about getting started. I'm new to this process.
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 30
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From: Coastside California
Congrats on the Vette! 
The first priority should be safety. You may want to start with the brakes and go from there. As it's been advised a thousand times before to this question, get your hands on the AIM. It will help answer all those puzzling questions about how to put your car back together with a minimal of cursing and frustration.
Also, the "pretty" stuff can wait. No sense in sitting in a fully restored interior if you can't start or stop the car!
The first priority should be safety. You may want to start with the brakes and go from there. As it's been advised a thousand times before to this question, get your hands on the AIM. It will help answer all those puzzling questions about how to put your car back together with a minimal of cursing and frustration.
Also, the "pretty" stuff can wait. No sense in sitting in a fully restored interior if you can't start or stop the car!
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congrats on the vette!
The first priority should be safety. You may want to start with the brakes and go from there. As it's been advised a thousand times before to this question, get your hands on the aim. It will help answer all those puzzling questions about how to put your car back together with a minimal of cursing and frustration.
Also, the "pretty" stuff can wait. No sense in sitting in a fully restored interior if you can't start or stop the car!
The first priority should be safety. You may want to start with the brakes and go from there. As it's been advised a thousand times before to this question, get your hands on the aim. It will help answer all those puzzling questions about how to put your car back together with a minimal of cursing and frustration.
Also, the "pretty" stuff can wait. No sense in sitting in a fully restored interior if you can't start or stop the car!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,709
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From: Savannah GA
Assembly Instruction Manual. A factory reprint... a list of all the steps done to assemble your car at the factory. Includes detailed drawings of what parts go where, and in what order and great things like how tight to make the bolts. You do need one for sure. They're available from most of the vendors who support this site.
As to where to start, tell us when it was lasr registered, and how long it sat since last regular use. What's required to "wake it up" depends a lot on how long it's been asleep. Welcome, and help's only a keystroke away here!
As to where to start, tell us when it was lasr registered, and how long it sat since last regular use. What's required to "wake it up" depends a lot on how long it's been asleep. Welcome, and help's only a keystroke away here!
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Assembly Instruction Manual. A factory reprint... a list of all the steps done to assemble your car at the factory. Includes detailed drawings of what parts go where, and in what order and great things like how tight to make the bolts. You do need one for sure. They're available from most of the vendors who support this site.
As to where to start, tell us when it was lasr registered, and how long it sat since last regular use. What's required to "wake it up" depends a lot on how long it's been asleep. Welcome, and help's only a keystroke away here!
As to where to start, tell us when it was lasr registered, and how long it sat since last regular use. What's required to "wake it up" depends a lot on how long it's been asleep. Welcome, and help's only a keystroke away here!
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2009
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From: Kentucky
well you could pull the tranny or take the car to a transmission shop and have it rebuilt if thats what it needs. I might be cheaper though to find a wrecked camaro and get a 700r4 tranny which has over drive. Or you could find something with a turbo 350 and put in it that will make it a 3 speed automatic.
-David
-David
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well you could pull the tranny or take the car to a transmission shop and have it rebuilt if thats what it needs. I might be cheaper though to find a wrecked camaro and get a 700r4 tranny which has over drive. Or you could find something with a turbo 350 and put in it that will make it a 3 speed automatic.
-David
-David
TheCorvetteBen
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,987
Likes: 144
From: Van Alstyne, TX
http://books.google.com/books?id=Ex2...rbooks_s&cad=1
I would read it all from cover to cover if I was you
Last edited by chstitans42; Jul 23, 2009 at 03:58 PM. Reason: Fixed the link. Now almost the whole book should be there :)
Terrorizing Orange Cones
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,572
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From: Northern CO
Short answer: as long as it was bolt patterned for the Chevy blocks, it will fit. Long answer: do your homework to get one designed for your year C3. Some of the gotchas can be tailshaft length, trans mount location, speedo gear location, various wire connections, etc. Not always a plug-n-play situation.
Good source of information, chsTitans42. Thanks for the tip.
BTW: the web page from your link is displayed in spanish but the book content is displayed in english. Challenged to navigate the book with the pointers in a different language. I cut & pasted the book title to an english language google and of course, easier to move around. FYI. Thanks again...
read Chapter 3 of this book.
http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=...dq=C3+Corvette
I would read it all from cover to cover if I was you
http://books.google.com.mx/books?id=...dq=C3+Corvette
I would read it all from cover to cover if I was you
BTW: the web page from your link is displayed in spanish but the book content is displayed in english. Challenged to navigate the book with the pointers in a different language. I cut & pasted the book title to an english language google and of course, easier to move around. FYI. Thanks again...
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Short answer: as long as it was bolt patterned for the Chevy blocks, it will fit. Long answer: do your homework to get one designed for your year C3. Some of the gotchas can be tailshaft length, trans mount location, speedo gear location, various wire connections, etc. Not always a plug-n-play situation.
Good source of information, chsTitans42. Thanks for the tip.
BTW: the web page from your link is displayed in spanish but the book content is displayed in english. Challenged to navigate the book with the pointers in a different language. I cut & pasted the book title to an english language google and of course, easier to move around. FYI. Thanks again...
Good source of information, chsTitans42. Thanks for the tip.
BTW: the web page from your link is displayed in spanish but the book content is displayed in english. Challenged to navigate the book with the pointers in a different language. I cut & pasted the book title to an english language google and of course, easier to move around. FYI. Thanks again...
and thanks for the link