BryanB75

Turned my attention back to the engine compartment. Removed the radiator. Found the lower drivers side of the core support has some rust damage. Not terriblwe but enought the I should break out the welder and patch it. This is some of the stuiff that was growing in the radiator:


I took out the alarm system that was on it. I know some of them came with an alarm but this looked like a really bad install. I think I cut out 50ft of wiring.
I got the exhaust removed from the engine. Only took about 2 minutes (SAWZALL)
Thought about unbolting the trans and converter but I've decided to pull everything at the same time. Tomorrow I will get the driveshaft out, trans mount and lines, shifter cable, speedo and motor mounts. I think that should be all unless there are some secret items hooked up.

BryanB75

As you can see in the above picture, the A-arm bushings are pretty well shot. I guess after the motor comes out that will be another project, all suspension bushings.
Can anyone else see things snowballing here?

Maymyvetteliveforevr

I can give you my personal experience from trying to put a 75' back on the road from being stored for 20 years. I know the whole history since I'm the original owner.

At first I thought it was just a matter of replacing several gaskets but it was much worse. I had to replace virtually every gasket including the rear end housing gasket. Then it went on to bushings, every bushing had dried up and I'm including body mount bushings. Then when I thought I was seeing a light at the end of the tunnel it went on to seals like master cylinder etc. Then onto oils which is the easiest part but it includes brake fluid and you can only hope that your caliper seals don’t leak or are seized.

Keep in mind this car has only 50,000 original miles, but climate being Toronto Ontario Canada maybe a factor, even though it was always garage kept.

It's not to say you'll have the same problems but having a car sit for many years, rubber starts to weld onto metal and bolts start to seize.

BryanB75

Yep, same thing here. Body mounts bushings are dried and cracked, belts were almost glued to the pulleys, MC was bone dry. That would explain the no brakes coming off the trailer. Glad nobody had a video camera going on that one. lol
Good news is I don't plan on driving it until April/May so I have to to buy and replace all the important things. Others I will do as I can.
The motor and trans are being replaced along with all suspension bushings, shocks, and most of the brakes parts and most of the interior..ugh

BryanB75

Decided to finally get the motor out today. Came out pretty easy ...after I realized the ground cable was still there and needed disconnecting

Now it's time to get busy cleaning up the mess, putting on the rack attack, VB&P Performance Plus System, and getting the interior going. I'm still waiting for the motor to get finished and shipped.

Still need to buy exhaust system and all new brakes. Engine guy said to definitely stay away from sidepipe and those 1 7/8" headers unless I want to lose about 40 ft/lbs of torque. I wanted to use some Spintech mufflers anyway

chstitans42

the number one WORST thing that you can do to these vettes is let them sit. I would prefer a vette that had been driven off and on for the last 20 years than one that had just sat. As you know now, almost everything rubber has to be changed out

laytonkopplin

you know I have a 75 vette and I haven't had nearly as many problems as you guys are saying but mine to was a daily driver and sidepipes are ok just go hooker with a 4 in collecter and I don't see you losing hp or toque

GD70

I'm saying major# parts, not bearings, seals etc...
Some people will want the correct markings on the bolt heads.

fishfirst

Do not take anythig for granted.Iwas in the same place you are in FEBRUARY.The car has come a long way since then.Do not get frustated.GOOD LUCK.Check for rodents believe me.They can scare the life out of you.Throw math ***** around and inside the car.

MarkBullis

Hey guys.. couple months back i bought a 77 that had sit for 18 yrs , my bother bought it new in Feb of 77, it's an L48 4spd black with buckskin interior. he built a shed and put a car cover over it 18 yrs ago... I gave him 3k for the car, had 83k miles on it... I went out there and put a battery in her, put 2gals of gas in her she started... I drove her 3 miles to a garage and we started working on her... So far i've got the motor tuned up, carb rebuilt, all new breaks and all the interior out of her. Now once my wife gives me some more money i'm going to get her painted. Not really sure how to post pics or i would...

H P Bushrod

I prefer driving Vettes more than rebuilding them. The car doesn't look that bad for sitting for 20 years. Good luck with your project.

vette54728702

another '75 owner here.... my car had not sat that long, but mine was sitting outside. Looks like you have a really fun project. You may get frustrated at times, but trust me, when it's done and you get to drive it - it will be all worth it. I kept mine stock - very stock and I had fun tracking down correct parts (probably the hardest and most expensive route). It sounds like you are going a different route with yours but will still be worth it when your finished.

C3 4ME

Now that you got the engine and trans out, take some time to clean up and detail the engine compartment. You'll kick yourself if you don't!

BryanB75

I started doing that Sunday. Soaked everything down with Simple Green and let sit a while. Wen back later with a scraper and wire wheel. Got the frame section of engine bay done. Still need to attack the firewall amd fenderwells.
Next task is to get the motor and trans out of the garage and do some cleanup. I didn't bother to drain the trans but it had other plans. I have most of a bag of oil dry on the floor under the car ..doh!

BryanB75

Today's project was getting the front brakes off and looking inside the calipers. Mind you, these brakes were completely redone just prior to parking 20 years ago. The PO said they had "Stainless" brakes installed. Not sure what exactly that means. I'll let the pic tell the tale.

There looked to be grease cake & crystallized all around the piston in the area just below the seal. Not sure what the black crud is that was under the piston. The only part of the brakes that resembles stainless is the casing that the piston moves in. On this caliper, the grease that was caked on the piston has eaten into the piston. Now I need to know if I can get replacement pistons or should I just be looking for new brakes?

BryanB75

BryanB75

HT1663WB

looks pretty good for sitting so long

Vette Rookie

The sleeves or bores that the pistons travel in are the only part that is going to be stainless. If these bores are not pitted, the rest of the parts can be replaced, and the calipers rebuilt. I think VB&P has the ones with the o-ring seals which are suppose to be better than the original style seals. If you do decide to rebuild them, you can powdercoat them yourself if you have access to powdercoating equipment.

BryanB75

I've been working on the body mounts. Not a terrible pain overall. 4 of the 8 bolts snapped in half. Fortunately it was the #1 and 4bolts that broke on both sides. The nuts are easy to get to.
I will have to replace the metal cover that is riveted on the drivers rear (#4). It was rusted through and ready to come off