Here is my conundrum......

1979 L82 4 speed with just under 70,000 documented miles that I have owned for almost 8 years. Window sticker, tank sticker, owners manual, original bill of sale, everything. It is still pretty much all original as far as looks. I redid the suspension a few years ago, but made no changes to it. DeWitt aluminum radiator but painted black. Other things have been replaced over the years but always with an eye to keep it at least looking original. You get the idea. Had been repainted when I bought it with correct year red. Interior is still factory original and in very good shape.

The engine is my main concern now. Everything is still there as it came from the factory, AIR pump, all the smog crap, etc. It's all been disabled but still looks like it is functional. I have been toying with idea of jacking it up a little with heads and true dual exhaust. But now I'm thinking just go ahead and get rid of the air tubes and all that crap and put headers on it, also. Lars did my carb several years and all my ignition components have been replaced and set up per Lars excellent tech papers. From what I understand, the L82 engine is a good platform already, just needs to be woke up and opened up.

What am I going to do to the value of the car? Of course, I would keep all the parts to go back to stock if somebody ever wanted to do that. Am I over concerned about value? Not too many L82 4 speeds in '79 and probably even less that are still in original condition. Realistically, the car has probably not appreciated much, if any, in value since I've owned, but I don't want to destroy it's value, either, by modifying it from stock.

I am not anticipating selling it in the foreseeable future, but you never know what will happen down the road.

If it was a 78 L82 4 speed Pace Car with 10,000 miles, there would be no question about not screwing with it, but it's not. So what do you guys think? Keep it stock or have some fun with it?

 

Have fun and do what you want with the car. That's why we have them. I've had hot rods my whole life and the one I enjoyed the least was my dream car. I bought a Plymouth Superbird when I could finally afford one and because of it's rarity all I could do in good conscious was restore it. It got boring real fast.

Do what makes it fun for you. If you ever sell it you will have the original parts for the next owner.

 

Have fun with it and if you remove any parts keep them for the next owner or if you ever go back to stock.

 

If I'm going to Destroy my 74, I'm going to do it right and have fun with it while doing it.Shouldn't Depreciate my 1974 That much. Thats just my own opinion!! !!
Vintage air

Body Off


Powder coat All Frame and suspension

 

Kid across the street, age ~43 or so, his father has a garaged '69 untouched 427 vette, I dunno all the details, but it's top of the line and never been out.....Kid thinks it's a 80 grand car....

MY advice is to sell it NOW on grin and bare it Jackson......why???

because all the guys lusting after that car by NOW either HAVE one or are outta the market...

over the next few years those prices will fall due to demand.....


IMO, any later shark is better off as an updated hotrod, FI, OD trans, handling, and whatever else you like....assuming it's an actual PERFORMANCE UPGRADE......not some back room torch gig.....

 

I'm having fun with my 72 LT1 convertible. Found the car to be very boring in its stock form. Much better now and the car is a blast to drive. Go have fun with it

 

I can't tell you what to do. But... What I did to my original engine 72 was turn it into a 383. I find 200 hp in a sports car to be wimpy. Really, some guys store the originals and install crate engines. I just don't see the return on that. Maybe you would get a couple hundred bucks more when you go to sell it. In the meantime your tripping over a perfectly good start for a 400 hp sb Chevy that IS original to the car.

 

I have a '78 L82, 4 spd. I'm going to keep it "looking" pretty original, but have so far stripped off all the smog stuff, and this week will be installing a true dual 2 1/2" mandrel bent Pypes exhaust system. We'll see if there's enough seat of the pants difference. If not, then Phase II is setting aside the carb/intake and heads and installing a new aluminum intake, Holley 650 and AFB heads. If that's not enough then Phase III will be to set aside the motor for someone who may want to do a restore and use the new intake, carb and heads and build a 350 or 383. This however would be for the 2015 budget! The rest of the next two weeks will be replacing the suspension bushings, re-building the rear, replacing the shocks and trying to figure out what the problem is with the steering (lots of play in the center, and then sudden grabs). So basically I've got the same car/dilemma but I'm going to upgrade it so it's got a maximum of fun/drivability.

 

I have a 77 that looks completely stock outside but has a modified drivetrain so it runs low 12s at the track while being completely streetable. I cannot believe that this car is not worth more now than it would be with its original drivetrain, although it really doesn't matter. Rubber bumper C3s will never be collectable and people saving their boring, underpowered originals for that are deluding themselves.

 

Save the original motor and drop in a ZZ4. I did. Lou.

 

Production for 1979 Vettes was the highest ever up to that point, so as collector value goes, it will probably never be considered a rare collector item. Make it YOUR car, but don't go nuts with things like superchargers, cut up/modified body panels, weird custom paint jobs etc.
Stick to subtle stuff like true dual exhaust system, rear monospring, gas shocks, K&N, beefy suspension. Hanging on to the oem parts enhances the value at sale time also. ENJOY!

 

Of course only you can determine the "value" of you car...we consider our 82 priceless because of how long it has been in the family...most recent in our daughters wedding. Bottom line, enjoy your car your way.

I also found my 82 slow in stock form compared to most any car on the road today...adding a Z06 a few years ago fixed that!

 

Kid across the street, age ~43 or so, his father has a garaged '69 untouched 427 vette, I dunno all the details, but it's top of the line and never been out.....Kid thinks it's a 80 grand car....

MY advice is to sell it NOW on grin and bare it Jackson......why???

because all the guys lusting after that car by NOW either HAVE one or are outta the market...

over the next few years those prices will fall due to demand.....


IMO, any later shark is better off as an updated hotrod, FI, OD trans, handling, and whatever else you like....assuming it's an actual PERFORMANCE UPGRADE......not some back room torch gig.....

 

If you leave it the way it is chances are you will still not ever get what you have into it just to maintain it. And unless it is a super rare model which I suspect most of the later c-3s are not. And finally, You find that you are bored with the way it is now. It seems to me like a no brainer . Do what you like to the car.
Correct color, numbers matching this, correct crayon mark that. It is all so boring to me. Believe me that when I am finally done with my own car, I am certain that the Corvette ****'s are going to have plenty to say about my car.
Its your thing do what you wanna do!

 

You can keep it stock AND have fun with it.

 

I was planning on leaving my 76 L82 original until the wifey challenged me to a 1/8 mile drag race in her 2011 full size 4WD 4dr Silverado - she whipped my ****. She can't come close now and we BOTH like the car a lot more.

 

I bought a '41 Plymouth truck about a lifetime ago as a daily driver. I hated the OEM parts---had to grease the waterpump once a week to keep it from leaking (per owners manual)...had to put oil in the generator bushings thru the little tubes with the spring-loaded dust caps....had to use the hand crank-handle once a week--slow drain on the battery when the voltage regulator acted up on cold mornings---(forgot to put it in neutral one morning while hand-cranking it/had to outrun it--then jump in and stop it!)....had to recoat the underside of the wooden floorboard inserts with linseed oil every year to avoid woodrot.....every 6 months had to replace the wire in the dist. that flexed/broke with the mechanical advance......etc.

But everyone got the biggest kick out of seeing me do those things !

Keep it original.....or save all the "junk" that you remove....a couple generations from now someone will appreciate it.

 

I guess I am lucky.

With my 68 L79 engine and 4 speed close ratio and 3.55 rear end, I can certainly keep it original (its a matching number car) and have all the scary fast fun one can stand.

If I had a low compression later model C3, then yes, I might be temped to put in an engine that is more like the 327-350HP 11.15 compression balanced engine that is in mine.

On rare occasions, there is a guy here in Asheville that has a red 70-80 something C3 and you can hear him coming to the car show long before you see him...and it sounds like it would really go...and it does not have any radical cam or anything...it just has that " You better have a helliva engine if you want to run me" sound. I am sure one could have all the fun with it that they could stand....its very impressive for a late C3.

 

I was going to quote Gordon when I read the first post, but he beat me to it. I have a 69 I got from the orig owner and all orig w/ paperwork accept it was a CE block. It was an all manual car, so not to easy for wife to drive(???). I now have a 406, TKO 600 5 speed, hydroboost brakes, Borgeson p/s, electric pop up head lights and LOVE to drive it as much a possible. I changed the paint color from Monoco orange to black and have not been sorry one second.

If it is for investment, then orig is the way to go. If you want to have fun, do what you want to it.

 

I think I will do the exhaust first. After I get it smogged ( idiots), I can go to duals with my existing Magnaflows and worry about smog next year. See if that wakes it up anymore. Still on the fence about heads and headers, though.

I didn't buy it as an investment, of course, but it's not a garden variety C3 either. Huge production in 79 but not that many L82 4speeds.

Thanks for the input. Stay tuned.