Hello all, this is a thread to keep track of maintenance and work done to my newly acquired corvette.

I bought it three days ago and have already done a bit of a tune up and got it to run much better. When I picked it up it sputtered a little on acceleration which I thought was a fuel issue, it turned out I was half right. I replaced the spark plugs which helped a little, the old ones were tired and very old, but it didnt quite do the trick. I upgraded to a K&N air filter which made a big difference, the old fram that was in there was very worn out. I also cleaned the contacts on the distributor cap and rotor because the looked a little worn out. After cleaning them I was able to see it had worn into the metal and it was not just superficial buildup so I'm picking up a new accel cap and rotor toady. Finally I replaced the fuel filter up in the carb which I believe to be, along with the air filter, the real problem. It looked like a raison . Now were running much smoother, faster, and more efficient.

A few things about the car itself... Its showing 40k on the dash, I have no idea if it's 140 or not, but it's in pretty good shape. The frame is in great shape! I took it to a friends shop and put it up on the lift before buying it and there was no rot whatsoever except for a small portion in the passenger floorpan, which has plenty of good metal around it to make replacing it much easier. The kicker was it's a 4 speed, which I cant resist. It's a blast to drive and I look forward to fixing it up and bringing it back to it's 1970's glory

 

A nice little cam for the stock heads. I got it from a friend for a price I couldnt pass up!

 

Restoring the EXACT same car myself, Just gutted the interior and putting it back together now cleaning and restoring piece by piece. Just ordered a set of Maximizer HP headers and side pipes for it. Bought mine about 2 weeks ago

 

Congratulations on your "new" 76!!!

I love that instead of throwing money at it, you start with the basics

 

Sweet I got a 76 in October

What do you think of the steering wheel I was thinking that mine might be better with an earlier model with the metal but it seems they were different that year and aren't easily interchangeable I got the same as yours in red

 

Ah yes, another '76 among us. I have had mine for a very long time on a part time restoration basis. The floor pan can be replaced. The steering wheel is a one year only, maybe a good thing Lots of 68-76 parts there to capture the last of the Stingray's, lots on that topic...

Make a list and work at it. If it is a driver keep it that way and work on what you can without taking it off the road. Mine is in 10 thousand parts and the memories of it being on the road are fading. I will get it done for sure but as a recommendation once your enter that 'deep hole' of restoration be well prepared in advance for a long term commitment.

Enjoy the experience and good on you for keeping another Corvette on the road

 

My 1970 Mustang is the same way, it has been off of the road (drag strip) for about 20 years now. 6-7+ years have been spent restoring it to a street car. I too am starting have the memories of the 428 with an 871 blower fade away. It is most likely going to take me 10 years to build. I wish I hadn't just jumped into it head first and tore the entire car part at once. I did, but sometimes wonder what I might have accomplished if I just repaired 1 thing at a time.



Best of luck on the '76! Looks really nice! I had a blue '75 like yours, but unfortunately it was not a 4 speed. So it was kicked to the curb.

 

my favorite color of 76!!!

 

76 Project here too!

 

she is a looker all right and best of luck on the restoration.down the road you might want to adjust the headlight assemblies slightly lower in the front,this will help the coefficient of drag when you go over 140mph.

 

Thanks for the kind works guys. I really like it. I learned from a friend not to start by tearing the whole car apart first thing, haha it will never get back together! I always take care of the basics, or maybe the easiest stuff first haha. Consider it foreplay before I start doing anything major One of he reasons I bought it is because it's such a solid driver, I can fix the small stuff for now and still enjoy it.

I dont mind the steering wheel, I dont do much aggressive driving with it, as long as it makes the car go where I want it works for me I do like the Grant wheel I have in my camaro. It's just a black leather wrapped three spoke wheel, and its a little smaller so you can turn a bit faster. I kinda like the nostalgic old school look of the interior, I probably wont do much there except for new carpet and replace worn/broken parts with stock ones.

I am having some trouble ordering parts for the engine. The guy I bought it from said it had a "crate motor" from the 70's or 80's. The block is stamped with 14016379 which google says is a 78-80something 350 that came in cars and trucks. I'm not sure how to order parts for this vehicle? I thought most, of not all, of the sbc's were similar enough that the basics are interchangeable. I ordered a distributor cap and rotor for a 78 vette and it seemed like it was the wrong part? The rotor didnt fit snugly and the little button under the coil was about 1/8th of an inch short causing a lot of headaches until I replaced the stock parts. I'm not sure if this is a poorly made part that I bought, the reviews werent stellar but it was all they had, or if it was in fact for the wrong engine. It was an accel cap and rotor kit, they seem to be a known brand...

I'm also curious about fiberglass and paint. This is my first fiberglassed body and I'm considering getting it painted, just curious what I'm getting myself into as far as the bodywork. I would like to keep it the same color or maybe a shade or two darker but it has micro cracks all over it. Im debating weather I should get it cheaply painted or just keep the original look to it. I dont want to do a complete restoration and would like to keep costs down so I wont be getting a 10k paintjob but it does kind of bother me. What are some experiences you guys have had with paint? Do I dare start a plasti-dip discussion?

I'm also debating on weather I should modify it or try to keep it mostly stock? I enjoy making my cars my own, different wheels, suspension, exhaust, stereo etc but I'm curious just how much value it will lose if I decide to do this? Considering I wont be doing a high dollar frame off resto I doubt that any modifications will make it worth more, but I dont want to hurt the value of the car being a mostly original older vehicle. What types of modifications make them worth more, and vice versa? I dont plan on selling it soon, but if I do I dont want to replace any potentially valuable parts. Maybe the best thing would be to keep the original parts and be able to put it back to stock if/when I decide to sell it.

Thanks for the positive feedback and motivation! I'll be posting more pictures once I get her a litte more cleaned up.

 

My rookie suggestion would be to SAVE any original parts that you remove.

Don't cut on original dash openings.

New carpet is a great idea/maybe new seat covers if needed.

Since the engine isn't original...don't worry aboutsmall leaks right now unless they can be easily fixed----because, if you upgrade the engine, you can repair the leaks at the same time.

Have fun!

 

Yeah carpet is definitely high on my list, right after I fix the passenger floorpan. Where would you recommend buying it from? I've also noticed they offer two different kinds of carpet within each color. How do I pick the right one that matches whats in my car?

 

It's been a busy car week! Sunday I adjusted my t tops, no more wind noise and even tho it only leaked a drop or two of water now it's completely sealed!

Monday I replaced the front left caliper and flushed/bled the front brakes with fresh fluid, the pedal is MUCH better now.

Yesterday I flushed the trans and rear end fluid. I did the trans twice, on accident haha, and I'm going to do the rear end again because it didnt get rid of all of the whine yet. I used Redline 75w90ns for the rear end, I read online that someone called redline and they informed him the friction additive was included so no additive needed. For the trans I used Amsoil synthetic 75w90 gl-4, I had to order it straight from amsoil but it seems like it was worth the wait. The fresh fluids really help smooth out the acceleration from a stop, especially with a manual, feels great now.

I also bought a (slightly) used MSD distributor that I plan on installing today. Should be a good week, maybe I'll get the cam in there too.

I'm curious what you guys opinion of intakes are? The guy I bought the distributor from had an edelbrock torker intake but I didnt think it would fit under the stock l-82 hood I have. Are there any aftermarket intakes worth buying that will fit, or should I just start looking for an l-88 hood?