it seems the 68-72 cars get alot of attention,as they should. 73s are also a nice looking car, but these guys that say a L82 is the same as a Lt-1 are way off base, the only thing in common is that there both a 350. and the 427s have alot more appeal than the 454 it seems.

 

From Vettefacts:

The 1973 Chevrolet Corvette was the first "Rubber Bumper" Vette. The front chrome bumper was replaced with a federally mandated 5 MPH bumper. It added 35 pounds to the car and changed it's looks significantly. This is the only year that a rubber front bumper and chrome rear bumper were used at the same time. A new side brace was added as well to increase safety. This was also the last year for the small spoiler at the back of the car. During production of the 1973 model year 4,000 serial numbers were skipped. VIN numbers 24,001 through 28,000 were never manufactured. A new hood was introduced that featured cold air induction and removed the automatic panel that hid the windshield wipers. A vent in the hood by the windshield wipers provided cold outside air for the engine to injest. The new ducts on the sides behind the front wheels were non-trimmed and consist of just one large hole and some body styling. It was the first year for radial tires on a Vette. Increased sound insulation was added to make the ride more comfortable. A new coolant recycling system recovered overheated coolant into a overflow container for cooling. This coolant was then recycled back into the radiator. The rear window of the '73 coupe was now fixed. It had been decided that taking out the window with the t-tops off caused too much turbulance in the cabin. Even though there was no specific black exterior option it is thought that around 30 cars were painted black at the St. Louis assembly plant.

(not from Vettefacts) 190, 250 & 275 (454 ci) hp engines were also offered. The car still had the THM 400 transmission which is built stronger than the THM 350.

 

Punisher: It's beginning to sound like you don't actually know what you want. Keep the C4 through the spring. Purchase a copy:

Read through it two or three times.

 

I LIKE THAT ONE.

 

This type of behavior is not welcome on CF.

 

Look for the car you like best on looks. The rest of the items as to 68 poor builds and one off parts applies to all the cars. These cars are 40 years old and they are only as good as the owners have kept them up. This applies to the HP of the cars also, they are so old now they need a rebuild or they have already been rebuilt many times, very rare to find one someone did not change something. And a car that is 100 percent (there arn't any really) correct you will pay big time for and probaly not a driver car anyway. So just buy the best car you can that you like the looks of and runs like you like. And do be sure of the hidden rust problems C3,s have that applies to all C3,s

 

Many years ago I got my first Vette. I was like you trying to decide on what year. The 74+ rear end turned me off. I wasn't a big fan of the chrome front bumper after I looked at the bumper itself and how it fit to the fiberglass. I did like the soft nose on the 73+ and the rear end on the 73-. Horsepower between the 71 and 73 are not any real difference do to the low compression required for unleaded gas. Getting leaded gas for the high compression ratio engine can/could be a problem. A friend had a 71 SBC and he had several small issues, nothing big but aggrevating. The wiper door did not also open and when it did they was a time delay to open - not good when it is a light rain and the wipers do not need to run all the time. Also, I did not like the fiberoptics - tacky IMO. After I drove a 73 I decided the 73 was for me. I liked the soft front end - longer and lower than the chrome bumpers and it still had the small turn-up on the rear. I added a removable rear window on the first and current 73s' I own/ed. This is super nice on good weather days. It will only take a Saturday afternoon to install it once you get the parts.

 

Safe to say....you've got a '73.
Quite clearly though, when talking about "Muscle Era" cars, by 1973 it was over. The C3 continued on quite successfully with the '73 and even today's ZR1 are a mean machine. One must find what year they're fond of and pursue it. For me, that was 1969.
1) Smack dab in the muscle car era
2) One year only features
3) 1969 was a well documented year of historical significance
Just my thoughts. To the OP, search, read, and understand the differences. Once your find what you like, go for it. I've yet to talk to a C3 owner yet that doesn't say "people look at me when I drive by".

 

I would like to take this time to offer my sincere apologies to any and all CF members (including the OP) that I may have offended by my blatant and foolish comments made within this thread. It was not my intent to neither insult nor belittle anyone. Though my comments were said in jest, they have been interpreted by some, as being offense. For this, I again sincerely apologize. I shall delete all my improper comments out of respect to this forum.

My true intent was to simply reinforce the strong feelings I have for the 1973 Corvette. As most of the CF membership is aware of my feelings, this does not give me the poetic license to post useless comments, whether they may be made in jest or otherwise. When I am wrong, I say I am wrong. In the future, I will try my best to be positive, sensitive and contributing to any and all future threads regarding these types of queries and, I shall leave my litany of bad comical statements at home. Please forgive my insensitive actions regarding this issue.

Stay in tune....

 

ttt

 

Since you are going to make it a driver why not buy '74 up and buy aftermarket rear bumper to make it look better? Just a thought. Whatever you buy just be happy your driving a Covette and not a pinto.

 

Love my '73. Something about being a one-year body style that does it. Not quite #'s matching, p.o. stuffed a 383 stroker in it, put some a.m. wheels & tires and a bit of engine dress-up. (I did get the #'s match engine) I took the ball and dressed it up more under the hood, rebuilt this, new that, blablabla, put a new interior in and new sounds and I'm enjoyin' the hell out of it. If you're likin' the '73 then go for it. I'm sure you've looked but if not, the want ads here in the C-3 sect. have many '73's for, to me, what seems to be pretty good deals.
Good luck in your endeavor.


Randy

 

The one thing about my C4 i enjoy the most is how it handles. Now saying that i'd like to buy an older corvette but still have it not handle like a brick.

Although i've never driven a C3 i'm just guessing that it's not going to handle anything close to my 96.

I'll just have to do a lot of research before i do anything. Buying a cheaper 74+ and adding a new bumper might be an option. But the look of the chrome just gets me so much more. Maybe it's a good thing if i get rid of the handling aspect of the corvette as it seems to get me in trouble the most.

 

Humility makes us a better person imho. I also have strong feelings about owning a '73, hard to figure out where to fit in so i can relate.

 

I do believe I prefaced my reply stating I had no personal experience. If my buddy Doug who owned a 68 that he bought new back then would post up why he did not like his 68 maybe that would shed some light on it. He said the car was nothing but problems the entire time he owned it. He rattled off the list one time when I told him I would like to get a C3 to cruise in since I drive my Z06 in a more spirited manner.

Sorry it bothered you so much, I forgot I can't give my OPINION.....

 

You are correct. No stock C3 will handle like a C4.

 

Very few C3's that have modified suspensions handle as well as a C4. A C3 body on a C4 chassis would be a nice combination [a little high on cg, but still a nice combination].

 

I too, think that the '73 is a great looking car. Before I bought my '68 I got almost all the way down the aisle on a black '73. The seller couldn't keep his lies straight, and I walked away.

I get your comments about the '74 rear end--you gotta do what makes you happy, but "personal preference" can come back to bite you in the **** -- I passed on a fantastic '68 BB because (at the time) I just didn't like the BB hood. I know, I know...I KNOW! I love my car but if I had it to do over...

 

I've been doing a LOT of thinking about it these last few days and will continue to do so until my vette sells and i come to the point of actually needing make a decision.

I guess i can have 2 objectives and "maybe" I'll be able to fulfill them both.

1. I'd like to learn how to restore an old car.
2. I'd like a drivable modern C3 that I'll enjoy the hell out of.

Buying an early C3 is going to set me back a LOT in the $$ department but i'll most likely have a drivable C3. But with not a lot of money left over to try and restore it. Or even the guts to do so.

But i could buy a MUCH cheaper later year C3 and wouldn't feel so scared when it comes time to ripping it apart and learning how to fix things.

Say i can't get a early C3 for less then 12-13k. But i can get a decent later C3 for say 6-7K. I guess right now i'd rather have the car i love the looks of the most(early C3) and wait to be able to fix it up to my liking. But knowing me some super awesome deal might present itself and things can change in an instant.

 

To have a "modern, driveable C3" that you can enjoy, all you need is the car, a crate efi engine, an overdrive tranny (auto with lockup or 5-speed manual), and a modern sound system. Oh, and just refurbish the suspension with original equipment parts, a monoleaf back spring and Bilstein HD gas shocks all-around. It doesn't get a lot better than that.