New Owner
Thread Starter
1st Gear
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Mililani HI
New Owner
Howdy,
I recently purchased an early birthday present for myself, a 1972 Stingray. I've always admired the body style but have no technical knowledge of the car. The prior owners have not acurately tracked new vs. original equipment with the exception of a recently rebuilt engine.
The body is in great shape but the original paint job is starting to oxidize and the upholstery needs some work. I would really like to repaint it (not the original color) and replace the upholstery.
My questions is, is there anything I should check or verify before I make any changes that might damage the value of the car? My feeling is that the lack of documentation has already degraded the value and I have free reign to enjoy and modify my new purchase. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Meagan
I recently purchased an early birthday present for myself, a 1972 Stingray. I've always admired the body style but have no technical knowledge of the car. The prior owners have not acurately tracked new vs. original equipment with the exception of a recently rebuilt engine.
The body is in great shape but the original paint job is starting to oxidize and the upholstery needs some work. I would really like to repaint it (not the original color) and replace the upholstery.
My questions is, is there anything I should check or verify before I make any changes that might damage the value of the car? My feeling is that the lack of documentation has already degraded the value and I have free reign to enjoy and modify my new purchase. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Meagan
Racer
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 430
Likes: 0
From: SIGONELLA Sicily
It is this vette lovers opionion that it is your car if you want to mod it out you shouldent worry about what is original and what is not. We dont buy these cars for what other peaple think or want it is our love of hot nasty speed and raw power that dive us to dive our lady vettes!!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 810
Likes: 48
From: West Chester Pennsylvania
Meagan,
Aloha! What might be a good starting point is if you can post some pictures of the engine, exterior and interior. You would be surprised the feedback you can get just from a couple of pictures. The members on this site have probably looked at ten's of thousands of pictures and can assess "likely" condition and make recommendations.
Besides that, the first thing you should do is find another C3 owner in HI who may have a connection with a good QUALIFIED and knowledgeable Corvette mechanic. If their Qualified, they will know enough to tell you what you should and shouldn't do. Safety and mechanical soundness is first. Get the engine and tranny fluids changed. Check brakes and steering etc.
Get the mechanical stuff sorted and verified and then move to cosmetics. Heck.. you could buy a whole new interior in 10 minutes on-line.. that's the easy part.
Welcome.
Scott.
Aloha! What might be a good starting point is if you can post some pictures of the engine, exterior and interior. You would be surprised the feedback you can get just from a couple of pictures. The members on this site have probably looked at ten's of thousands of pictures and can assess "likely" condition and make recommendations.
Besides that, the first thing you should do is find another C3 owner in HI who may have a connection with a good QUALIFIED and knowledgeable Corvette mechanic. If their Qualified, they will know enough to tell you what you should and shouldn't do. Safety and mechanical soundness is first. Get the engine and tranny fluids changed. Check brakes and steering etc.
Get the mechanical stuff sorted and verified and then move to cosmetics. Heck.. you could buy a whole new interior in 10 minutes on-line.. that's the easy part.
Welcome.
Scott.
1969/1971/2021 Coupes
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,212
Likes: 80
From: Port Huron MI
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Meagan,
Good advice from Scott. You said you have no tech knowledge on the car but how are you with working on mechanical things yourself? That's a majority of the fun with owning a C3 (doing the work yourself).
Look at components such as ball joints, tie rod ends, u-joints, shocks, tires etc. Make sure it is in safe mechanical condition before anything else is done. You can do alot of the stuff yourself if you feel comfortable with your knowledge level on things like this. Also, you are at the right place when it comes to learning. There's nothing you can't learn from the folks on this site. Visit the site regularly and you'll be surprised what you will stumble accross while others are doing their projects.
Good Luck and congrats on your new toy
Terry
Good advice from Scott. You said you have no tech knowledge on the car but how are you with working on mechanical things yourself? That's a majority of the fun with owning a C3 (doing the work yourself).
Look at components such as ball joints, tie rod ends, u-joints, shocks, tires etc. Make sure it is in safe mechanical condition before anything else is done. You can do alot of the stuff yourself if you feel comfortable with your knowledge level on things like this. Also, you are at the right place when it comes to learning. There's nothing you can't learn from the folks on this site. Visit the site regularly and you'll be surprised what you will stumble accross while others are doing their projects.
Good Luck and congrats on your new toy
Terry
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
Howdy,
I recently purchased an early birthday present for myself, a 1972 Stingray. I've always admired the body style but have no technical knowledge of the car. The prior owners have not acurately tracked new vs. original equipment with the exception of a recently rebuilt engine.
The body is in great shape but the original paint job is starting to oxidize and the upholstery needs some work. I would really like to repaint it (not the original color) and replace the upholstery.
My questions is, is there anything I should check or verify before I make any changes that might damage the value of the car? My feeling is that the lack of documentation has already degraded the value and I have free reign to enjoy and modify my new purchase. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Meagan
I recently purchased an early birthday present for myself, a 1972 Stingray. I've always admired the body style but have no technical knowledge of the car. The prior owners have not acurately tracked new vs. original equipment with the exception of a recently rebuilt engine.
The body is in great shape but the original paint job is starting to oxidize and the upholstery needs some work. I would really like to repaint it (not the original color) and replace the upholstery.
My questions is, is there anything I should check or verify before I make any changes that might damage the value of the car? My feeling is that the lack of documentation has already degraded the value and I have free reign to enjoy and modify my new purchase. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Meagan
Even if you have the original engine you can remove it and store it and put whatever powertrain you like into the car. That's what I did. The car could be returned to stock by a future owner.
You need to get the car checked by someone who is very knowledgeable about Vettes to see what the condition of the frame and birdcage (passenger compartment surrounding metal) is in before spending $ on a paint job. If there is structural rust that must be fixed since it can be a safety issue. There could be other issues with suspension, bushings, and steering components that a keen eye will spot.
Rick B.
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