Hey everybody, my name is Chris and I just got signed on here. I'm hoping you all can be as helpful as the guys and gals from the Jeep forums I usually frequent and can either help me make a good deal or keep me from making a costly mistake. I am looking at a 78 Silver anniversery and I know NOTHING when it comes to a corvette....I've always wanted one but never had one. Here is what I know about the car. I am getting it from the 2nd owner and he is friends with the original owner. Car sat under an awning for 10 years and the paint faded pretty bad so I know I will have to put a paint job on it....all factory original of course.

83000 original miles
T tops
4 speed manual
engine was pulled almost 2 years and sent to a corvette specialist in Oklahoma somewhere where it was rebuilt and all gaskets and seals were replaced.
radiator was replaced with factory original
seats were recovered last year back to factory specs because the stitches were getting soft.
New tires put on 2 years ago...still like new BFG's
T tops don't leak
fiberglass is not cracked or wavy just needs to be repainted.
Headlights work and go up and down like they should
AC is going out but he has another compressor to swap over


As for price, I have a very built offroad jeep I was asking 8500 for that he is wanting to swap even for...

Anyways, it doesn't look like it needs much other than a paint job to be back in A1 shape and I thought 8500 was a decent price but again, I know nothing about corvettes so I thought I would get ya'lls opinion on it.

Anything else I should ask about or anything I need to look for/be aware of?

Thanks for all the help!

 

Rust in the bird cage. If you aren't sure then there are hundreds of threads about it. That is the weak point of the cars. Other than that plan on probably $5000 and up for a paint job unless you know someone or want to paint it yourself.

Your best bet would be find someone in your area that knows about them and let them help you. You can get yourself into a nightmare easily on things you don't know to check on these cars. A car sitting that long could have some issues. Parked under an awning...well it's still exposed to some weather and rodents. Even if the engine was pulled and had work, if it sat for 2 years afterwards then it will probably have some issues to address.

We need some pictures but I have a feeling from what you are describing will probably be worth in the $5000 neighborhood not the $8500. '78 is not a valuable year so they won't bring a lot.

 

That's why I logged onto here...I don't know any corvette people yet! LOL If it was a Jeep I would have people coming out of the woodwork helping me look.

And it hasn't sat since the engine was redone, he has drove it weekly since then.

 

First off, welcome aboard.
Next, there are a lot of areas that would make or break that deal for me.
RUST, being the first. OK, it sat under an awning for 10 years, that leaves 24 years unacounted for. Where is the car from? Start looking behind the front kick panels on top of the #2 body mounts, get pics. Look at the frame kickups in front of the rear wheels, look at the #4 body mounts behind the rear wheels.
It sounds like the car is solid, new engine, leather, tires. The trade might be ok, I am a little out of date on prices. There is a lot of work needing to be done, are you going to do it or have it done? Figure in the $$ for that on this deal..Your $8500 jeep plus $3 or $4K to get it right

 

Thanks for the welcome!

The car is from Arkansas and has been here it's whole life...we don't usually have big rust issues around here. I will crawl under it...or the best I can...and look at what you are suggesting. I've done my own work on my Jeeps for years so I plan on doing everything myself except paint...and I know a few guys that do it for a living so I should be able to get a decent deal on that.

Huge thanks for all the comments on what to look for!

 

Chris
A lot done here but as milo points out sitting outside and sitting for ten years...just be cautious. For example, I don't see any work on brakes...which suggests the system will have to be rebuilt or replaced. If you're good at mechanical work, most can be done yourself.

When you get underneath, look for leaks. Look at differential, all four brake calipers from the rear, tranny and motor. Also check power steering relay valve.

I picked up a 78 with 56k miles that sat outside for some period and the rust underneath is heavy. No evidence on bird cage but previous owner admitted that it sat outside, had a leak and the evidence was moldy smelly carpet on the inside. The water must have sat because theire was rust on the pedal arms.


Pricewise, milo and sixster have suggested some pricing options given what you've described. If you find " brakes" need to be done, reduce it by a $1k and assume you've got to go from master cylinder thru each caliper. Otherwise, $6-8 sounds like the range. The 86k miles on a Corvette is a lot of miles for a Corvette so consider it a high-mileage vehicle. Nice the engine was rebuilt...that's a plus.

Consider how much you have in your "modded" out jeep. I would get enough cash that you can get it mechaniclly correct...like $1k for brakes and anything else that needs repair. But look for something that needs repair to base your request for cash plus vehicle.

How easy did it start? A few cranks and several squirts of Sunoco should have been sufficient with a reworked motor.

Drive it. Does it stop? How easy? What's the pedal like?

 

Thanks, definitely more food for thought. The work doesn't bother me....that's what I have a garage and tools for. The stuff I can't do myself is what worries me. I didn't ask about brakes, I will be sure to bring that up next time we talk.

I haven't seen the car in person yet. I work on the river and I won't get home for another 2 weeks or so and then he lives about 5 hours from me so right now everything is being done with pictures. When and if I feel like it might be worth my time to look at, I will do my test drive/crawl over. He has sent me pictures of the outside and some interior but he is supposed to be sending me more today. I requested close ups of the body lines to make sure they all line up right, interior shots, engine shots, and under car shots. Anything else I should request? Also, he says it fires right up every time.

 

He did say that the only fluid the car has ever leaked was from the steering assist. Is this the power steering relay valve you are talking about? The seal in it has been replaced.

 

Pictures I have so far...

 

Sounds like a fun project to me.

Are 4 speeds common in those cars?

I say buy, and enjoy the experience!

 

That usually means RUST.....check it out carefully....I would want to get up on a lift to inspect.

 

It looks pretty good to me. Is it an L82 or L48 engine? As everyone here has said rust is the main concern. Look at the frame. Look at the rad surround. Look at the frame that goes around the windshield. You can usually tell if there is rust. See if the doors sit lined up...do they sage? Is the gapping even around the doors? With the door open look where the windshield pillar meets the upper part of the door frame there should be no rust. If you look real carfully you should be able to see parts of the window frame. Look around the windshield for distorting. If the frame checks out fine I don't think its a bad deal.

Does it start? How does the engine and engine compartment look?

Its a pretty dry environment down there rust may not be too much of an issue.

 

 

Looks like I need to be smart about it and just walk away from this one. Thanks for all the advice fella!

 

watch craigslist in Oklahoma and Arkansas, (I live in Okla) and I had seen many posts of vette owners wanting to swap for jeeps and the other way around so check around to see if you can find another option that might need less work. remember our states throw down salt in the winter and will cause rust so like everyone said look under it at the frame (front and back) and bird cage, bottom of doors on inside.

 

Just for giggles, here is the jeep I was trading...





Tbi 350, 700r4, Dana 60 one ton axles, 42" iroks...MUCH more to list! Lol. Super fun...

 

Why? You haven't seen it yet. Go take a look. Then you can decide whether to walk or not.

 

Mainly the quotes I am getting to have it reprinted....4-7 thousand. If I gave $8500 for the car (what I'm asking for my jeep) and then put say 5000 into a paint job then I would have a 10-12 thousand dollar car that I had 13,500 in. Then add all the other little things it will need, I just don't see me being able to get ahead...especially with this year. I've found a lot of them for sale in that price range that have been for sale for a long time. It just doesn't seem to be that desirable of a year. I was thinking I might be able to get into the car and have it fixed and have a little equity in the car if I decided to sell it. Plus, its not my favorite body style...if it was one of the corvettes I've dreamed about since I was younger I wouldn't think twice about putting $50,000 into a car only worth 15,000....its what I've done with my jeeps. It is a nice car and someone will be getting a decent deal I think but I just don't feel its the "one" for me after looking into it further.

 

All of the above comments are right on the money.

I would add:

Unless you know the seller or the seller has receipts for the engine work you are far better off assuming the engine rebuild claim is a lie. I cant count how often I've heard "Rebuilt two years ago, rebuilt 10,000 miles ago" or something similar, the claims are always just old enough.

But your comments are also right on the money, if its not the one for you then walk away by all means

 

I'm still being drawn to this car for some reason....who knows, I might still pick it up.