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hi all, new to the forums here, never been a vette owner but soon to be I hope, nothing like a old guy in a vette huh lol.
I found a 74 C3 coupe, guy wants $8700 seems in good shape, runs strong, interior/exterior is excellent, had it up on the lift and I found some minor problems which I expect on a almost 40 yr old car, ie body mount bushings , front wheel bearings, no oil or tranny leaks to speak of, a/c is still hooked up and blows somewhat as does the heater(not force full, do all c3 vettes have this in common?)
my main question... the vin is 1Z37T4S411595 and the engine serial number is VO422CKX,after research on vin reading,my understanding is the T in the vin indicates engine should be a 350 L82,does the engine serial number indicate the correct year and size motor for this year vette?
I am not a car guy but do know my way around them, im more of a vintage british bike guy,and you have to be mech inclined to own,ride and rebuild those things lol.
hope to be around here more if I get this car,thanks guys
Last edited by leeenfield57; Feb 5, 2013 at 09:02 PM.
Reason: spelling
go to gmheritagecenter.com and click on archive,then click informational kits and click corvette and then the year 1974. on page four you will see all then vin information.
good luck with your purchase.
once you buy,if you do,come back often,this is a great place to come for help and just to chat
The CKX would mean that the engine came from one of these three car types
CKX 1972 350 tur hydro trans. K 200 4 Vette
CKX 1973 350 t/h, NB2 L65 145 2 Camaro
CKX 1976 350 a/t L L48 180 4 Vette
The original L82 engine would have had the code CLC, CLD, CLH,CLR, or CLS
The car itself was completed around December 12-14, 1973, but the engine presently installed was built on April 22 which is far too early or late to have been a typical date.
A 1957 Lee Enfield would be a rather rare item... Irish Constabulary perhaps? Or have I read too much into your handle and you are a 1957 model year? Welcome.
This one would not be the first to have a different engine installed, nor the last.
As such, feel free to put anything in you would like, or simply enjoy the ride with the one in there now.
Chevrolet used a resistance coil on the heater box in the engine compartment for the highest speed of the blower. With air conditioned cars, there was frequently a fuse also. It is common for either to be blown and as a result, not have the highest speed on the blower. It could be that simple.
If the air isn't cold, don't buy the "just needs some freon" bit. If it were that simple, why didn't he fix it?
I know why. Odds are the compressor seals are gone and it involves a new compressor, new dryer, and several other small items. This will end up being roughly $750 to repair.
hi all thanks for the replies,i did a second look on this car and ill think ill pass on it,the non matching motor does not bother me,but after learning some things on this forum I did a better check of the car,even though car has almost new paint and interior and looks awesome,after digging deeper,i found the body mounts need replacing,its missing the cover off the torque converter/ flywheel, i removed the the kick panels inside the car and found not just surface rust,but eaten through CANCER, and LARGE flakes of of deteriated metal that must of dropped down from higher up in the bird cage,also the metal around the body mount u see there is exfoliateing around the mount running down to the floor pan,i figure if its that bad down there, it could be worse higher up where u cant see.
also found the gauge cluster not working at all,and the heater core has been by passed.and the way I understand it,when chevy built these cars they hung the heater core over the assembly line and built the car around it!!! lol,
the seller dropped his price to $8000,but I still think this would turn into a money pit.so ill just keep looking.thanks guys
You are wise to have taken the time to check this area. Many people are advised to do that....but few take the time to do so, and they are sorry later. "Due diligence" pays off!!
Keep looking. You'll find the right one.
P.S. When they're "reel purty", you need to look deeper.
hi all thanks for the replies,i did a second look on this car and ill think ill pass on it,the non matching motor does not bother me,but after learning some things on this forum I did a better check of the car,even though car has almost new paint and interior and looks awesome,after digging deeper,i found the body mounts need replacing,its missing the cover off the torque converter/ flywheel, i removed the the kick panels inside the car and found not just surface rust,but eaten through CANCER, and LARGE flakes of of deteriated metal that must of dropped down from higher up in the bird cage,also the metal around the body mount u see there is exfoliateing around the mount running down to the floor pan,i figure if its that bad down there, it could be worse higher up where u cant see.
also found the gauge cluster not working at all,and the heater core has been by passed.and the way I understand it,when chevy built these cars they hung the heater core over the assembly line and built the car around it!!! lol,
the seller dropped his price to $8000,but I still think this would turn into a money pit.so ill just keep looking.thanks guys
Even if the heater core is not that hard to replace I think you did good passing it up.
hi all, new to the forums here, never been a vette owner but soon to be I hope, nothing like a old guy in a vette huh lol.
I found a 74 C3 coupe, guy wants $8700 seems in good shape, runs strong, interior/exterior is excellent, had it up on the lift and I found some minor problems which I expect on a almost 40 yr old car, ie body mount bushings , front wheel bearings, no oil or tranny leaks to speak of, a/c is still hooked up and blows somewhat as does the heater(not force full, do all c3 vettes have this in common?)
my main question... the vin is 1Z37T4S411595 and the engine serial number is VO422CKX,after research on vin reading,my understanding is the T in the vin indicates engine should be a 350 L82,does the engine serial number indicate the correct year and size motor for this year vette?
I am not a car guy but do know my way around them, im more of a vintage british bike guy,and you have to be mech inclined to own,ride and rebuild those things lol.
hope to be around here more if I get this car,thanks guys
here ya go Leenfield57, This is a video of a bike that i just finished restoring about a year ago, I took a break from working on my 68' vette (actually got side-tracked, LOL) but i'm back on my vette now hot and heavy!