MR-SRL

Hello everyone, I need some recommendations for a good reasonable repair place in South Chicago Suburbs. Bought a 68' convt. from Gateway Classic Cars out of Denver. When it got home, reverse won't work, not one gauge works, head lights don't come on or pop, nor do wipers pop or work. Looking for a shop to address these issues.

Alan 71

Hi MRSRL
Welcome!!!
A new old Corvette that doesn't work!
That must be pretty disappointing!

You might try Gary Bosselman in Roscoe Ill.
I realize it's not south of Chicago but the fact that he's experienced and trustworthy might be worth the drive.

Have you considered trying to do these repairs yourself?
Do you have any recourse with the company you bought the car from?
Were these things working when you inspected and drove the car?
Regards,
Alan

MR-SRL

Hey Alan, thanks for your reply. I bought over the internet from a dealer I've used in the past, didn't drive or inspect the car, just trusted them to have quality stuff for the price I paid.

MelWff

is this the car?

http://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/de...vette-S56.html

MR-SRL

Yes MelWff, thats it.

Alan 71

Hi MRSRL,
I looked through the photos at the link MW provided.
Looks nice from above but not quite so nice from below.
I hope you get those few problems resolved.
Regards,
Alan

joewill

looks like a pretty nice car.. and yes the underside needs a lot of detailing and renewing, but wow, great paint, 2 tops, looks like an excellent interior/carpet. if no rust then you have a solid basis of a car.

as a new owner expect to put a couple grand into every car you buy to get it to where you want it..

looks like it would be just connections and vacuum issues.. except for the reverse.. if the tranny is busted and reverse is broke, then I would have a beef with the dealer with non disclosure.. buy probably just a shifter adjustment thing.

jersey68l36

Great looking C3 cosmetically and in IMHO, when it comes to Corvettes, especially our C3's, a solid body support, aka "birdcage" damage free body and great crack-free paint take priority of mechanical stuff, good luck. Headlights, gauges, Wiper flapper door, that stuff can be sorted out.

sparky77

Take it to Uptown Garage in Melrose Park ,very honest and does quality work.It's at 10th and Main ,# 708-345-5558.

carriljc

Don't feel too bad. I overpaid for mine 33+ years ago.... but at least it wasn't missing parts and most functions worked.....but it had other issues and I've been modifying it since.....so, as long as you know that, then it is just the price of ownership.

If you're not going to do the work yourself, then it could start getting expensive quick -- you probably want to ascertain where you stand and have a talk with those folks you "trusted".

Not enough info, but that reverse issue could just be the lousy shifter. Mine would lock up in 2 gears and then the car would not move.....part of the things we learn.

cobrachuck

Great looking vert
Looks like all the work was done on the body & paint, nothing done to the chassis.
It takes a while to get one ironed out.
Great advise here on the forum.
Good luck

Red Devil

Congrats on the new ride!

Is the dealership not willing to help you out?

stock76

That is still a nice looking car.

The price in the ad was pretty reasonable for a convertible too.

Hopefully the fixes will only be minor. A fuse blew, a wire came loose, a vacuum line popped off, shift linkage needs adjustment, etc.

Once you get it sorted out it looks like you'll have a mighty fine ride.

I just added a 71 coupe, 4 speed, numbers matching but rebuilt to a 383 stroker. The PO spent over $50,000 on it - engine, interior, front and rear suspension upgrades and more. Still, it isn't a matter of "if" I'll have to do anything else to it, but "what" I'll have to do. I already found a few minor things. 45 to 50 year old cars are rarely perfect.

I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of yours.

Corey_68

Great looking '68 all things considered, sounds like minor stuff.

Jfostercorvette

Your best option is going to see Tim Mickey at Mickey's car Barn in Crown Point Indiana. Honest, Corvette specialist with a reasonable shop rate. Is not going to be cheap but it will be done right.

croaker

Most of what they sell is consignment. They drove it they had to know the gauges didn't work. In the Video they didn't have any brake lights come on. Usually these places work the lights. Tell them your gonna blast them all over Social Media they do a lot of advertising on FB.

joewill

it is minor stuff.. if you don't know how to work on these cars yourself, then your cost of ownership escalates.. triple or quadruple.... those mechanics will take as much money as you want to give them.

yes blame the seller to some degree, but we all know what happens when you buy a car sight unseen and not do your extensive homework.

yes, these guys find sellers, find out their bottom price, then take the car on consignment for a couple hundred bucks and add extra margin.. anything they get above the sellers price is theirs to keep. bottom line it is same as a dealer markup.

test drives are rare and sometimes the car stays at the owners house. its all internet selling.

get a wiring diagram, a vacuum diagram, a AIM, a good set of tools and start gaining a lifetime of skills.

Rescue Rogers

the vacuum lines are not correctly connected to the wiper vacuum door actuator at first glance. So hopefully the wiper issue is just everything connected wrong on the vacuum side which will affect the lights

Jack605

Took mine over to D&M Corvette in Downers Grove, Very knowledgeable but this is Chicago so they are not cheep.

https://dmcorvette.com

If you want to save a little go south or to Indiana.

Jack

P.S. And then tell the rest of us how they did.

pigfarmer

Well, it sure does look nice from the photos. FWIW once you find a decent shop I'd suggest a thorough frame/birdcage inspection first to make sure any further investment is worthwhile.

The problems you mentioned are very fixable but can be time consuming.

Good luck & I hope it works out. Pretty car.