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After what seemed like ages, my C3 was finally delivered last night, just in time for the 4th of July!
Short story time:
In May, after a year and a half of searching daily for the chrome bumper car of my dreams, I flew from Austin, Texas to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada to look at what would become my new Corvette. The car was exactly what I had been looking for and the price was right, so I agreed to purchase it. After going home and wiring over the payment, I arranged shipment. I had previously done my research and already knew which shipping company I was going to use. I decided on "US Canada Auto Transport" (for domestic shipments they operate as "AA Auto Transport"), because they were one of the few companies that would handle shipment across the Canadian border and their prices were reasonable. In hindsight I wish I had paid a premium and gone with a better shipping company. The shipping company promised me a 2 week delivery in an enclosed carrier. As soon as they received my payment, they informed me that it would be at least 4 weeks before they could pick up the car and that they would not be able to get an enclosed carrier for the first leg of the trip. It was a huge hassle, but eventually I was able to get them to use an enclosed carrier for the full trip. It took over 8 weeks to ship the car, but eventually it got here. Suffice it to say, I do not recommend "US Canada Auto Transport" or "AA Auto Transport".
Now for details on the car:
1971 LS5 4 speed coupe
Bridgehampton Blue exterior with blue vinyl interior
90,000 original miles
The good:
Numbers matching engine and transmission. I haven't verified yet, but it is my understanding that if the part is not listed below, then it is original to the car too.
Power steering and power brakes (EDIT: determined that the car has no power brakes)
Despite having lived its entire life in Canada, this Corvette is virtually rust-free. It was only driven between the months of June and August after the snow had melted and the salt had been washed off of the roads.
The bad:
The brakes don't function very well. I'm not sure if they need to be bled or what, but this is my top priority to fix.
Most of the weather stripping needs to be replaced.
I will need to install A/C
The ugly:
You'll notice a bit of rust on the doors around the door jams (this is the only area I've been able to find that has any rust (including the birdcage and chassis))
There are a few chips in the paint here and there, but it looks exceptional for a 25 year old paint job
There is a small ripple in the paint above the drivers side headlight
The carpet needs replacing
The seats could stand to be recovered
There is a crack in the emergency brake housing
Non original parts:
Clutch
Flywheel
Gas tank
Alternator
Rear suspension
High torque Eckler’s starter
Eckler’s braking system
GM pipes and mufflers
Drivers side door panel
Radio (I have the original radio)
Paint job about 25 years ago (with the correct Bridgehampton Blue)
The engine taken apart and new rings and valve seals were added at 70k something miles
Car looks good! So, the rules of owning an old car are, safety first, reliability next, then make it pretty.
Safety: brakes are top priority. Check the steering for looseness. Check the date on the tires. Old tires blow apart and kill you. Replace if over ten years old. Change every rubber hose on the fuel system, front and rear. Leaking fuel hoses can burn your car to the ground.
Reliability: check fan belts for cracks, check radiator and heater hoses, change oil, diff fluid, antifreeze. Change plugs, points, wires, dist. Cap, and rotor. Raise each side of rear of car. Attempt to wiggle tire up/down and side to side. Let us know if you have any movement. Repack front wheel bearings. Start driving the car. It will tell if there are other problems. And there will be other problems.
Make it pretty: if someone is looking at your car, and, you find yourself apologizing for the condition of a specific area of your car, that is your priority. Iif it bothers you so much, you should fix it. Go to work, spend some money, have some fun.
Hi ckv,
Well!!!
A 71 big block coupe! VERY nice!!
You must really be excited to finally have it home!
I hope it proves to be what you were looking for and gives you lots of pleasure.
I'll be interested to hear your thoughts as you get to know it.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan
Look at the shipping delay this way….. if you had ordered this car in 1970 it would have probably taken 8+ weeks to appear at your dealer, so you did just about normal!
Congratulations and welcome to the '71 LS5 club! I hope you enjoy the venture.
After viewing the photos on the google site, I have a few comments to make but didn't want to spoil the party. Let me know if you want my opinions and remember, we're all here to help.
I was also going to mention that there are no power brakes and the belt configuration doesn't look correct. I didn't see a belt from the crank to water pump pulley. Also, the alternator belt should go the the front pulley slot on the power steering pump. Sometimes finding the correct belts and replacing belts on a 454 can be challenging.
You mentioned in another thread that you wanted to change the fuel filter. When I looked closely at your google photos, I could see a glimpse of a hose clamp on the metal fuel line. The previous owner may have installed an inline fuel filter using rubber hoses and clamps. Be sure to post a close up picture of the carburetor fuel inlet fitting before removing it to check for the presence of the original type fuel filter assembly.
As you move along, some orange Chevy engine paint would add some contrast to the engine compartment. PO sure went to town with the blue paint.
EDIT- I see you added another engine photo in your google photos that clearly shows the possible presence of an inline filter.
Last edited by 71 Green 454; 07-04-2016 at 02:48 PM.
Thanks for the feedback. That's a bummer about the power brakes. Sadly, the previous owner of this vette died last year and his wife wasn't super knowledgeable about the current state of the vette. I suppose I can get the belts back into the correct configuration on my own, however if the water pump isn't hooked up them it will be very prone to over heating, correct?
I'll post pictures of the carb fuel inlet and more pictures of the engine compartment later today when I get home.
Thanks for the feedback. That's a bummer about the power brakes. Sadly, the previous owner of this vette died last year and his wife wasn't super knowledgeable about the current state of the vette. I suppose I can get the belts back into the correct configuration on my own, however if the water pump isn't hooked up them it will be very prone to over heating, correct?
I'll post pictures of the carb fuel inlet and more pictures of the engine compartment later today when I get home.
The water pump is currently working off of the power steering/crank/wp belt, so you're OK, but I like having the short crank to wp belt for extra insurance.
Here are more pictures of the belts and the carb. Also, I found some belts in the compartment behind the seat (also in the pics), it looks like the previous owner was going to add that missing belt between the crank and water pump.
07-04-2016, 11:51 AM
The 71 Arrived!
