Hi everyone,
So, i have been reading on this forum for a month now, learning a lot, and im close to finally having my first vette!
It was actually given to me by my cousin, she was given it by here ex boyfriend years ago and she decided to give it to me...
Just had to promise her i would give it to someone else the day i dont want it anymore, great deal if you ask me!
Its a 1976 L48, i think its been repainted recently, the engine runs fine but has had things done to it i think and has lots of bits and pieces that are missing! (like the ac pump and stuff like that i think).
It was crashed once i think or touched something on the bottom cause it has some welding on the frame on the front left weel, will try to inspect that asap...
All the inside is in pretty bad shape, belts are stuck, doors wont lock, its not really waterproof anymore, shocks and bushings are tired but it doesnt look to rusted (original registration was in CA maybe it helped!)
It hasnt been running for 5 years but fired up without any issues and sounds great! (it has a brand new exaust, looks like a true dual...)
I will bring it back to where i live this week end so i can start to working on it. I will be posting some pics of the engine bay and frame soon so i can get a better idea of whats missing and what needs to be done...
This car will be living in belgium, so its going to be hard to find spare parts and people that know about a C3 but i want to do most of it myself...

Sorry for the long post.

Cheers

PS: i did take off the horrible seat covers!


http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/y...0082009009.jpg
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/y...1092009012.jpg
http://i792.photobucket.com/albums/y...1082009011.jpg

 

It possibly never was completely waterproof.


Nice car. Congratulations. Cruise and enjoy.

 

You can't beat free. Good luck with your project.

 

Welcome.

With that color you may not even need your lights on at night.

... just kidding you.

Looks like a blast. Enjoy!!

 

Wow!

 

Likely to be the most expensive "free" item you will ever get. Good luck, they will definitly see you coming!

 

I know! from what i have read on here for the past month i think i started something that could end up killing my wallet!
I would really love to be able to do a full frame off and have it run like a "brand new" C3...
We shall see how things go...
Still not sure about the color though!

 

Hi C840,
A CORVETTE!!!! Good for you.
Since it was from your cousin's EX- boyfriend make sure there's not a bomb hidden in it still!!!!
Now the fun (and a bit of pain) starts.
Regards,
Alan

 

Carlos
Car looks real good and the price was right. Those aftermarket lower tail lights have got to go.

 

Nice...
I wish I would land a sweet deal like that.
Sans the metrosexual appearance, it looks like a nice rust free car.
Good luck

 

Its the low visibility light, ( if you mean the square one at the back)
you legally need one to be allowed to drive in belgium...
We have more regulations regarding what is allowed on the roads than you guys have unfortunately!

 

I will be working on the metrosexual appearance issue! I already took off the leopard covers and it helped!
Planning on painting it blue in the future but first want to drive it for a while see what its like!

Regarding the rust, it indeed looks not to bad, will be posting loads of pics next week so you guys can give me an idea where to start and whats urgent!

Thanks

 

If the interior panels are all there, you can remove, clean, repair/refurbish, and re-dye them to new condition for little money. If they are in really bad condition, replacement may be required. Buy a complete weatherstripping kit...try to find a 'soft' rubber type; many aftermarket sets are so stiff you can't close windows/doors easily. I kind of like the color...but it needs some wide, matte black stripes on it to tone down the 'look' somewhat. Could be a cool color with some tastefully done accents added. If you do your own mechanical work, you don't need to put a "ton of money" into that car. Finally, I would recommend that you NOT do a body-off restoration on it, unless the frame needs major rust repair or straightening due to major frame damage. That is a lot of work and will end up costing you a bunch of time and money just to make the frame 'purty'. You can clean-up and repaint 90% of the undercarriage without pulling the body off.

Great find! Congrats. Enjoy the 'journey' and the ride...

 

And I thought that my Corvette was green... lol

 

This post is full of great ideas!
Like the black stripes, saw that on a few old dodges and it looked cool!
I have all the panels, main problem is that everything made of metal (console etc )has been dented and paint is scratched etc, mainly paint work...
And all the carpets and seats used to be bucksking color, now they look more like beige gone wrong... Maybe steam cleaning or something like that...
Like the "no frame off" idea, but i need to change every bushing on the car, and redo all the suspension i think, so i thought that a frame off wouldnt be that much more work would it!

Cheers

 

While redoing the suspension bushings (particularly A-arms) would be easier with the body off, that alone wouldn't justify the effort. Put the car on a lift or on jack stands, remove the tires, and have at it! If you are really serious about doing all the suspension stuff at one time, at least check to see if you need rear trailing arm (T/A) bushings before you go to that expense and trouble. Also, I would highly recommend that you have your T/A's rebuilt...or get rebuilt ones in exchange for your old ones...rather than you trying to do this work on your own. The T/A's, the rear wheel bearings, and the differential are all things that were meant for experts, or at least, full-time businesses to work on. You can remove your front A-arms and repair them if you have a hydraulic press and other tools, but you can also take the A-arms to a repair shop to have the bushings exchanged a lot more easily. Most other suspension work can be done with hand tools (manual or air) in your garage.

If you don't have a copy of the Chevrolet Assembly Instruction Manual (AIM) or the Chassis Service Manual for your year car, you must order them. The info is invaluable to you if you work on your own car.

The metal gauge plate and shift console plate are "pot" metal. They can easily be removed...but do not try to use any bending forces on them, as they will easily fracture. They are very brittle. Once you remove them, your can strip off the old paint with a liquid paint stripper. Then wash it thoroughly and dry it. Mask off any unpainted areas...thin raised straight-line chrome can be painted, then paint peeled from them with a razor or X-Acto blade before the paint is hardened...then paint the black areas with semi-flat black spray paint. Krylon sells this paint, but so do other brands. It may also be labeled as "black Trim paint". All blacked parts in the interior of your car use this type of black paint: flat black is too dull; semi-gloss black is too shiny. I assure you that YOU can do the interior work and have it come out as good as the car looked new, if you: 1) ask for advice on how to do this work properly; 2) you are careful and meticulous in your work effort; 3) you use the correct materials and paints/dyes to do the job. Aftermarket interior panels are expensive and don't always fit well...but they are necessary if the existing panel is "toast". Before you throw away any panel, post a photo of it on this site and ask opinions of whether it can be saved or not. You will save a lot of money refurbishing your existing hardware & panels.

 

Thank you for all your good advice, will post some pics of everything during next week and i hope you or someone can enlighten me and give me a better idea of what needs to be done.
Will try to get the two manuals you recommend but they are hard to find in Europe...

Many thanks

 

Nice car. Love the garage, is it adobe - in Europe? I'm building an adobe garage in Arizona for my Vette.

 

You've gotten lots of great advice.
Order the books from on of the vendors here in the states. They all sell them. Once you post pics, we can give you a better assessment of what you can repair & what needs to be replaced.
Good luck with your new Vette, and yeah, I thought mine was green!
Glenn

 

Not sure what you mean by Adobe!