I was once admiring a 58 Vette at the Car Craft Summer Nationals. The owner walked up and started telling me that the 58 was the only Vette with blah, blah blah... I asked how long it took him to restore it. He said , "Oh, I bought it at Pro Team Corvettes!" I new he took it up the wazoo then! I told him I had an 80 L82 car with a nasty little 406" in it. He said: "Why even bother! That's not worth spending a cent on!" Guy just bought in to the Corvette world and was already a huge @ss h$le and snob!"

 

You could say the same for him! Why did he pay $$ for his car? He'll just break even if he sells it back. For us it's the love on getting our hands dirty, knowing that we (in our minds) are improving our cars. To our individual taste's. I believe the vette is the perfect platform for this....

 

78-79 were the only two years with that look, makes them almost as unique as the 73 one year only...79 was also the highest production year of c3
Inbetween years? weird, any vette year besides the very first and the very last with be inbetween years, my 69 is inbetween 68 and 70...that inbetween years thing seems really extra stupid to me.....

 

I'm all over that.

 

Beautiful looking car. As owner of two chrome bumper C3's, don't be fussed that you don't have chrome bumpers. They are very expensive to maintain. Once they start to show signs of corrosion, and you decide to rechrome them...whoa nellie..$$$$$$. Thanks to the EPA chroming is very, very expensive (at least in California)...also some will disagree, but I don't think the re-chromers do as good as factory. All said and done, I'd be happy with plastic/fiberglass bumper cars.

The year of Corvette you bought was actually a good seller, notwithstanding that horsepower was down for that year. Here, in California, I wouldn't buy one because they just don't have the power I expect from a Corvette. If you live in a state that does not have strict smog laws, you can install a GM Performance Parts catalog crate engine and get blasted back into the seat when you hit the gas peddle. On my smog exempted Ca 68 car (because of it's age), I have a 395 HP GMPP ZZ4 engine. This is net HP, so good performance.

The plastic bumper cars also have a lot of weight in their bumper system to meet collision requirements of that year. Some people remove all this stuff. It can't be seen and it gets rid of a lot of weight. Of course, with a front/rear end collision, damage will be greater.....But IF YOU HAVE A CHROME BUMPER CAR, you'll have the same damage!!!The chrome bumper cars have almost no collision resistance. The rear chrome bumpers are BOLTED TO THE FIBERGLASS on their end points. If someone hits a chrome bumper car in the rear at, say, 0.5 miles per hour, they'll crack the rear quarter panel fiberglass and damage the paint.

Enjoy those plastic bumpers. Start thinking about that engine if you don't have smog regulation problems.

 

We are working on getting it running good, the previous owner had it rebuilt from a friend of a friend. And we'll something wasn't done correctly. It pops back through the carb, sometimes at idle. It's going into a local shop next week to be diagnosed. I do believe it is the cam but, it could be a bunch of things. Chrome bumpers or not, the C3 design is the one that I love the most. I'm glad there are a few years that are "entry" level still. That will change as time goes on. As more get parted out. Going to put up a nice shelter for it this weekend. It sat outside for the past 4 years and who knows before that. Taking that into consideration the underside is extremely clean.

 

Well the diagnosis was a bit worse than I thought, was told the cam IS bad, it was because of the rocker arms being tightened too much, so it will need rocker arms as well. the kicker is I was told it will cost around $1900.00 to replace the cam, lifters and rocker arms. Does that sound about right? Because I'm thinking maybe it's time to either buy a crate motor, or try a different mechanic. Any help would be appreciated, it's better to get advice from those who've gone before me

 

I like all Corvettes and the C-3's are my favorites. The 80-82 being on the top of that list for me. Congrats on your purchase and don't pay any mind to the Vette-stop-o.
I am sure that I am not alone when I tell you that with all the car shows that I have gone to. It is always funny to me how you get some guys that show up in a new or newer vette thinking they are driving a show stopper. Last show I went to there was a c-1 a couple of c-2 a couple of c-3's and a guy with a c-6 with what looked like every bling style accessory inside and out side the car. I stood there with my brother for a few minutes to watch the crowd, And people would just walk by while just glancing the car. meanwhile all the other Vettes had hordes of folks all over them. Newer vettes are cool dont get me wrong . But I never understood why guys bring ANY new or newer car to a Classic car show.
1900.00 Bucks isn't outa line. You have to consider that if your problem is a wiped cam then the right way to deal with it to pull the engine and inspect all the bearing surfaces and pull all the oil galley plugs to clean every passageway within the block of any metallic residue that will occur during a cam lobe failure. I know some guys just stab a new cam and lifters in the car, But that is like gambling, The odds are usually against you. I am speaking from experience and the fact that the 77 I just bought (my first vette btw)Has a brand knew engine that the PO had build with all top quality stuff and by not following initial break-in procedures he wiped the cam and came close to destroying the engine. When I bought the car he had already replaced the cam and lifters and the rocker arms and set the motor back in but never started it. Thats when he sold it to me. Good thing because if he would of tried running it, Kaaboom! for sure. Anyways I have had to replace ALL the bearings, the rings, and the oil pump. The cam and lifters like I said are new.
Thats my experience and my .02 worth of advice. Which is what I got from some of the guy here. Thanks you all know who you are. Sorry for the long post.

 

Way too much money. You'd be better off, doing it yourself. You'll have to pull the radiator to get the cam out and also, the intake to access the lifters and pushrods. The valve covers, come off easily enough, for access to the rocker arms.

What mods have been done to the engine? Is it stock, or does it have aftermarket heads, intake manifold and carb? A cam and lifters can be had for cheap. Summit Racing has a cam and lifters for $99! Check your pushrods for straightness and rocker arms are cheap too.

 

F22, I have no other info on what was done, but the owner did say he had the lower end done as well. It does not have the stock manifold, the heads are stock, and the carb is not as well. the mechanic said the compression was good in all cylinders except number 6 which I already had info that the exhaust valve was not opening, reason for the pop back through the carb, I was told. An old riend of mine said to get the car back, he would look at it, he used to build late model 350's in his sleep, also said it was not a big deal, easy for him to say lol.

 

I don't know why, it s not a collector car but I would like to keep the original block with the car. I may be dumb on that one, but I do. also is there any way to verify the numbers of this engine match the VIN #?

 

Hey Tooonz, welcome from a fellow MOPAR lover. Enjoy your Vette, it's a great looking ride

 

Theres a flat pad in front of your passenger side head that has an assembly code and a VIN derivative. You should be able to see the last 5 digits of the VIN derivative and compare it to your VIN plate on the windshield. This is what "numbers matching" is.

Below is a picture of an earlier Corvette engine pad, but you will get the idea. Note that it is a horrible restamp, but was being used as "proof" that a car had "numbers matching" so understand that it's not always the final consideration.

 

rubber bumpers are where it's at. Chrome bumpers are for old people

 

WERD!

 

Hey... I resemble that.

 

You can change the cam and lifters on a C3 with the engine in the car, without any special tools except a torque wrench. Even if your guy was quoting a full roller setup, $1900 is too much. Some shops, when they see a Corvette, will add a "1" to the front of the price. I was quoted $1,100 for a tuneup and carb adjustment one time...

Do it yourself. Even if you have to go buy the tools, you'll still come out miles ahead & the experience is priceless

 

I found out the engine is not the original. It is a 350 most likely same year but from a C30 truck. I think my best option right now is to bring it home, put it back in storage and go from there . This site is awesome, I was able to decode the numbers with info I found. Seeing as the engine is not original I'm not committed to it. But We have decided to keep the car and not part it out.

 

At least it will be covered for the winter and we'll plan our attack for the spring.

 

Nice ride Toonz!! Great price too..
I have the same issue - my engine came out of a '78 C10. But, from what I've come to understand is since it's not an original, numbers matching (meaning somebody else messed it up) - you can basically make it your own... Mine is a true frankenvette: different front clip, wrong hood, '78-'79 interior & doors & the aforementioned '78 engine...
Anyways- It's your 'vette now - have FUN, enjoy the WEALTH of info on the forum, get your hands dirty & in the process, learn a whole lot about these awesome, sexy machines!!...
Enjoy your ride!!
Looking forward to seeing pics of your future endeavors!!
(& thanks for stopping by my thread)
Regards, Mike