Hi everyone I have got my first old school American muscle car. It's a 1980 305 V8 3 speed auto red C3 Corvette.

It has 7x,000 miles on it and from what I see in great condition. Looking around under the body there is no rust. All panels and fibre glass looks really healthy.

Mods done to it I think
1. Stainless straight through exhausts, no mufflers or cats.
Size I'm not sure.
2. Eldelbrock Manifolds
3. Eldelbrock 600cfm carny
4. Unknown air filter

Not sure what else... The owner just said the carby and didn't mention the other mods I saw.

I'll upload a video so you can listen to it. Does it sound like this with just an exhaust and no cam?


There are some plans for it and some little issues I need help with so hopefully others here have had or seen same issues and can offer some advice. Can I get a PDF aim and service manual ?

1. Instrument cluster is dim so what and how many SMD led white bulbs I should get
2. Check engine light flashes on and off like a loose ground - where do I start looking
3. Air con is cold but only blows down lower vents not dash ones??
4. Fuel gauge needle constantly flickers , new gauge or ground ?
5. One of the brakes squeal a bit so getting slotted and drilled rotors and ceramic pads from eBay, the zinc ones. Will get the callipers sandblasted and high temp painted and new seals done while they are out.
Question: can I use motul rbf 600 dot 4 brake fluid ? Should I upgrade to braided lines ?
6. The headlights open slowly and one open slower than other like it's catching on something .. Any thing I can do ( I read about vacuum issue so I'll take a look at http://www.corvette-101.com/vacuum.htm )


Other cosmetic stuff
1. No floor mats so I'll get some black ones with corvette embroidery off eBay
2. Courtesy light is missing it's bulb and cover, any good oem part online shops ?
3. Drivers side t top is sagging and come loose In the far right corner inside - suggestions ?
4. Passenger window sits outside it's seal when wound all the way up
5. Small Red leather tear on the driver door card at the top
6. Paint near the mirror is worn off, I'm not sure if this is factory paint but where can I get touch up paint ?
7. There is no centre armrest so I'll buy one again eBay as I have no idea where else for parts
8. There are no sun visors , when I look to buy some and the support arms I can see some selling telescopic arms, some not , what do I need and where can I buy ?

Where does everyone recommended a good place to buy parts from ?

Also with the 3 sped trans , is there a shift upgrade than can be done to make it shift better? The the transgo kit on the vq35de Infiniti g35

Unless there are some other upgrades you think are worthwhile I will just leave it at that and enjoy it

Any good links for repair/maintain like engine oil and trans oil to use ect

Can I use distilled water and water wetter for the radiator as gets hot where I live


Sorry for the lonnnggg post but I like to make the as nice as possible.

 

Congratulations on your c3, I have not seen a lot of 305 vette. Seems like you have your rebuild planning pretty good. With replacement parts everyone has vendors that they work with, but Wilcox is a great start, I would work on 1 issue at time so you don't rush one thing to move on to the next. You have a lot of time to finish it so why rush, trust me you will never run out of jobs to do on it lol. Post some pics would love to see her, good luck and congrats

 

Pics

http://s40.photobucket.com/user/Davi...bile%20Uploads

 

Looks pretty cool!

 

I know it is nit-picky and a matter of opinion to a certain extent... but... Technically speaking the Corvette is a sports car and not a "muscle car" -- 2 seats vs. 4 seats. And I may be showing my age... but I don't consider 1980 "old school"... That would be 1972 or older in my opinion. And sadly, in stock form the 305 in particular isn't all that "muscular". Stock there wasn't a huge difference but a 350 will usually respond better to upgrades than a 305.

Must be terribly loud. Without some kind of mufflers it won't be street legal in most places. And as someone who drove cars with open headers for years when I was younger... I wouldn't recommend it. My hearing is shot today and I'm looking at probably needing hearing aids when I get older.

Most Edelbrock carbs are based on the Carter AFB design. A 600cfm is adequate for a stock 305. The original carb on the one-year-only and California-only 305 was a "computer controlled" Quadrajet. It is not uncommon in places that don't do emissions testing to see this replaced as it was kind of problematic.

If the air filter is open under the hood you may actually be losing power compared to stock because it will be sucking hot air instead of cold air forced through the nose like the stock dual snorkel system. Many people replaced the stock air cleaner with an aftermarket one because the factory one won't always fit non-stock carbs and the ductwork often falls apart on the stock system... which makes it so it will have the same issue of sucking hot air from under the hood.

Chances are the computer if it is still attached may be very confused since you no longer have the original carb.

Mixer flap may be stuck. Do you get heat from the other vents?

Could be the sender or a wiring issue too.

It depends on what is in there now... Mixing different types of brake fluid is often a bad idea. If you want to switch types you probably need to completely drain and refill. Chances are what is in there now is either DOT 3 or DOT 4 which are compatible so you are PROBABLY alright... But if its 2 or 5, you could have trouble as they are, from my understanding, incompatible with 4.

Not necessary, stock style lines will work fine. Unless your lines need replaced you could probably spend the money better on something else.

Is your weatherstripping in good shape? If your t-top frames are broken you'll have to replace them and that is expensive. The Astro Top 1-peice unit (which I have in my 1980 C3) is a nice replacement.

You may need to adjust the power motors and replace the window seals if necessary.

I think thats probably actually naugahyde (vynyl). There are leather/vynyl repair materials you can find, but they often produce less than satisfactory results. You may need to replace the whole door panel.

You can check to see if Duplicolor makes it.

Eckler's, Wilcox, etc... look at the advertisers on the side of the forum... many of them sell just about any replacement part you could ever need. You can also find a lot of new stuff through Amazon.

B&M makes a shift kit for the TH350 which I've used in the past. However if you've got the budget you might want to consider upgrading to a 4 speed automatic like the ones that Bowtie Overdrives sell.

Dextron type for the ATF and 10W30 grade for the motor oil... A lot of people have preferences as to brand... but just about any SAE approved products these days are WAY better than the best stuff you could buy in 1980. If money isn't that much of an object then synthetic or partial synthetic products are great.

You should use distilled water mixed 50/50 with a propylene glycol based anti-freeze (like Prestone, Peak, etc). Antifreeze also has anti-corrosion additives in it that are important to keeping your cooling system running smoothly and also lubricants to make your water pump last longer.

 

Congrats on the new car!

Fix the problems that cause the car to be unsafe first!

Then order parts to fix the other problems......as the new parts arrive---make the repairs.

Have fun and POST PICS!

 

Nice looking ride. Enjoy and welcome to the club.

 

 

boy that looks familiar, lol

 

Not sure there is one true definition of "muscle car" any more so than there is "old school"
To me "old school" is a state of mind and build,
Compaired to that thing that is the new vette the 80 is very "old school" to me...
And when I did hang at the local cruise decades ago and saw C3's that you say are "sports car" race cars people would call "muscle cars" and spank the muscle cars I do not think vettes are not without their merits and hopped ones even better, but sadly that was 30 years ago, now c3's get spanked by import tuner squirrels in Hondas so....

 

Here are the pics;
Thanks for everyone's replies i will ask some more Q if thats ok

 

Yeah, SofwareJanitor, I doubt if you would find muscle car in the dictionary, and so otherwise, I would say that nobody really can call a Corvette a muscle car or not a muscle car. It a term used without specific definition and simply a matter of opinion. Not that it really matters one way or the other.

 

Link to Video.

Does it sound like stock ? Would it have a cam ?
http://vid40.photobucket.com/albums/...psytt78sxr.mp4

 

that's hard to tell, with no mufflers or cats. I think you will be hard pressed to really know unless you pull the cam, or have it dyno'd, imho. does the 305 look like its been pulled before? when you said "Eldelbrock Manifolds" did you mean the intake? or has the heads been swapped? any pics of under the hood?

 

The generally accepted definition of a "muscle car" in the car industry at least used to be a mid size 2 door car with a big V8 slapped in it. Opinions on whether that definition still holds true may vary... but I think if you get enough "car guys" together that'd still be the consensus definition.

The car that is usually considered to be the progenitor of the class was the original conception of John DeLorean, the 1964 Pontiac GTO. He took the Pontiac Tempest, one of GM's mid size A body platform (shared with the Chevelle, Olds Cutlass, etc.) and dropped the Bonneville's high output 389 V8 into it... Chevy followed suit by putting their then-new 396 V8 into the Chevelle SS in 1965, Olds made the 4-4-2 out of the Cutlass, etc... Those are the cars that the term "muscle car" was coined for. The Corvette had already been around before that and was considered, as it is now... a sports car. FWIW... the 1964-1/2 Mustang and the Camaro that followed it in 1967 were called "pony cars", and not considered to be "muscle cars" either.

As for "old school"... In my opinion that ended with the end of the "muscle car era" which was 1972-1973. And in C3s, it is considered to be the end of the early period because that's when the plastic bumpers started... After that horsepower numbers started to plummet... Kids today might consider a late C3 to be "old school"... and in some ways it might be, at least compared to today's Corvette...

Vettes are muscular sports cars... And I know a guy who told me his Honda Accord was a "sports car"... but that doesn't mean it is... Its got a back seat... it isn't a "sports car".

True in some cases... but generally I would guess if you put equal $$$ into "tuning" a C3 and an import squirrel... the C3 would have a pretty good chance. You can easily bolt sick amounts of horsepower into a C3, and unlike most front drive cars you can make one hook up.

 

Hate to say I told you so... No, actually I don't hate it...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_car

"Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." A large V8 engine is fitted in a 2-door, rear wheel drive, family-style mid-size or full-size car designed for four or more passengers. Sold at an affordable price, muscle cars are intended for street use and occasional drag racing. They are distinct from two-seat sports cars and expensive 2+2 GTs intended for high-speed touring and road racing."

 

does that mean I have to give back the muscle car trophy's I have won with mine??????

 

Intake.

here are some pics sorry for bad quality







Is this missing a filter of some sort where the hole is??






Which red is this?


as i want to buy sun visors
http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_i...ducts_id=12601

 

I dont mind what the car is called its old compared to my infiniti g35 coupe !!


softwarejanitor thanks for all your help.

so should i disconnect the computer? how do i do this? is it just the quadjet it was controlling ?

Quote:
3. Air con is cold but only blows down lower vents not dash ones??
Mixer flap may be stuck. Do you get heat from the other vents?

- i will check the heat but where is the mixer flap ?

Quote:
4. Fuel gauge needle constantly flickers , new gauge or ground ?
Could be the sender or a wiring issue too.

were is the ground and sender? can i check the ohm of the sender ?


yeah i will drain the brake fluid as rotors are coming off.


B&M makes a shift kit - what model, who sells ect?

Thanks

 

heres what I could answer lol, and you are going to love tracing electrical bugs in a c3 lol, there is only like 3 main grounds everything can be traced back too, there was someone on here giving out electrical diagrams that really helps, and they are color coded, or just google it and you can find one for a 80, not like trying to find a AIM