flyfisher38

I just calculated the cost to repair my 76. This does not include the cost of repainting front and rear bumpers or the engine work.

ElCid79

Teak door panels? Where did you find those?

flyfisher38

Corvette America

billcarson

c'mon do you really need a new dome light lens.

flyfisher38

Mines missing so yeah. Plus its only 2 bucks

alswagg

Order the parts from out of state and save the sales tax Al

Fonz69

Some of the catalog places will give you nice discounts if you spend that much so remember to ask about it.

I remember ZIP having a discount when I did my 69 frame off

ElCid79

Man, I want those in my 79..

20mercury

On the insulation under the carpet, I suggest using that foil insulation from Lowe's hardware store, forgot the name of the stuff, it looks like windshield sun screens (aluminun color). Worked great for me, cut it to fit and put under the carpet and console everywhere.

kdf1986

It does get expensive and quick when you start to add things up.

I think your just scratching the surface with that list.
Once you get all the new parts on, the ones you did not replace will stand out.

What about the other pieces in your interior. Your replacing the pillar posts, the header and the sunvisors. how is the condition of the T-Bar Panel. The one the dome light goes into. Thats approx. $200. And you might as well go for the interior screw kit for $29.95 to make sure you have the right screws for all the parts you will be replacing.

I made the same list when I bought my 73. Now I wish I would have bought the great looking $20k car that needed nothing. It could have been cheaper.

kdf

Manuel Azevedo

It does get costly as most of us have encountered. If some of your parts like sun visors and such are in good shape just the color looks bad you might think about using dye to get them looking like new and save some bucks!

sweeet76

Owning an older vette is like owning a boat or motorhome. You better have shallow pockets and long arms.

mikejpss

What gets me is now that most people are out of work AND the economy SUCKS, you DO NOT see the vendor sites lowering prices a bit. An occasional "sale" on selected items... Have you had a cost of living increase in the last 2 years? I see their prices steady going UP,UP,UP !

parkerracing

The C3 parts for sale forum is your friend. I spent 3 years gathering parts (some new in the box) and saved a couple thousand. On some items I bought them two and three times over (door panels, wheels, etc) until I made up my mind or found the best set and sold off the rest. eBay is your "other" best friend

0Virginia Vettes

We can shave $300-$500 off your list if all ordered at one time

dgood

Check around, WILLCOX, ZIP, Virginia Vettes are very nice also. Use ac duct insulation from home depot, it is the same as hush mat, same thickness, r value, look, everything for 1/4 the price. buy about 10 cans of dye and you will save a bunch also.

billcarson

i have an idea for you.try to spend as little as possible and see how much you can improve your car within a strict budget.like the guy's are saying you can substitute parts from cheaper sources and enjoy the rewards of restoring an original part.my gal has no budget at all and a long way to go but i am really enjoying it when i can restore and improve it without spending a fortune.good luck on your project and savor every minute your on it.

chstitans42

Yeah you might want to look into that. I mean more than $800 for door panels?? I bought a NEW pair that I dyed for about $250 shipped off of ebay...

Mark G

How's your dash and seat covers? You can save $$ if you order a whole interior kit.

Also, check your car's front/tail piece retainers. If they are mostly rust-free, you can re-use and not buy the stainless retainers. Mine were fine and personally the aftermarket retainers are not nearly as good of a system as the original brackets. If you have access to a plasma cutter you can make new tail retainers. The nice thing about the stock brackets is they give the top deck of your car some rigidity, where if someone leans or presses hard on the rear deck by the back bumper and you have the aftermarket retainers in, you could get cracked fiberglass.

Last bit of advice is order as much as you can per order. The shipping and HANDLING on smaller onsie-twosie items will astonish you! Most places have a club that you pay $25 and then you always save a certain percentage.

It's not the money, it's the journey!

Mark G

bobs77vet

my door panels are in rough shape .....and they are going to stay that way because they are too expensive to replace....i need to find a nice used set cheap