Richard Daugird

Painting yourself will save SOME money, but still fairly expensive. I spent a thousand just at the paint store, not to mention fiberglass repair materials, maybe another five hundred. I wish I could have started with a car that didn't need paint/bodywork. Even if you do it all yourself, paint/body is the most laborious job on a car.

cdavis03

Agree completely, I spent $7-800 dollars on my paint/primes and fiberglass repair stuff for the few cracks my car had and the messed up door/front fender but it wasnt only $7-800 it was 150-200 hours of work aswell, hand sanding the whole car 5 times and then after the paint job the wet sand and buffing to look just right.

MajD

Jay,

For your entry price you are likely looking at a late model C3. I purchased my 79 for $5,000 in 2008. After a tune up and some TLC, it ran like it was supposed to. However, cars that old need work at some level, which leads to my next point.

If your project objective is a stock-like restoration with some minor modifications such as a mild engine build and suspension upgrades, then I think you timeline and budget goals are reasonable if you're doing most of the work. In this case, the important thing is making sure the car has good "bones" (i.e., a solid birdcage and frame) and no serious body damage. So take someone with you that knows what to look for when buying these cars so you don't end up with a nightmare on your hands.

I'm in the middle of a frame-off restomod of my 79. I'm doing almost all the work myself. My goals are a little beyond stock but still streetable. I've included a link to my restomod page in my signature block so you can check it out and get an idea of what's involved. Good luck, have fun, and use the technical section of the forum. The pool of knowledge there is very deep.

MajD

694speed350

think '68-73 would be a parts car also

brick1234

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/5822495516.html

Here's a perfect example 73 for 2500 I was inquiring about it a month ago rusted out frame and most interior gone. For 2500 you could get later years in alot better condition but if the frame was in good shape it would of been a OK start

KNOT-HEAD

[QUOTE=ddhebert;1593238176]




I am in south Louisiana. I just bought a 77 L82 two weeks ago for $8,250.00. Good paint, tires and rims. Average interior. Motor runs great but has a lot of leaks. Hydrolic steering has a lot of leaks. Auto three speed tran. has a lot of leaks. Replaced shocks. Ball joints are shot. Suspention is shot. First trip the alternator went out.
I looked at a lot of 77's on the net. They range from $3k to $16k. The price was mostly based on the posted mileage. Most of the ones I looked at that looked good on the net were junk in person. Make sure you take the time to look before you leap. I like my car but I should have taken a better look under the car before I bought it. This is my first Corvette. I lost my 96 Harley Road King in the "Great Flood of 2016" so this is it's replacement. Sure miss my bike, but looking forward to making this 77 something to be proud of.


[

This is a follow up to the original 2016 thread. The key is "LOOK WELL BEFORE YOU LEAP"! I passed up the car "I"wanted to buy this car. The one my wife "approved of". My perfected car was an 1977, original light blue (needed re-painting), four speed standard, A/C did not work, radio did not work needed new carpet, door panels..... but the engine was what I had been looking for to be called a true "MUSCLE CAR". I crumpled under the pressure and went the "PRETTY" car.... Big mistake! All I would have had to do was new paint, radio and interior.....AND LIVE WITH A VERY UNHAPPY WIFE! Please take into consideration, I am currently 67 years old, married to the same woman for now over 40 years and simply don't heal as quickly trying to recover from the beatings... Plus, be-leave it or not... I still enjoy sex!!!!! So bottom line... I made the correct chose....LOL!

Now for the rest of the story. Two things the wife insist on is a good sound system and A/C. The sound system was easy. The existing A/C unit needed work. I brought it to a recommended "shade tree mechanic". Big mistake #2. I found the suspension was in poor shape. Understandable for a car of that age but I didn't consider that when I original looked at the car. Got suckered in by the pretty paint job. I bought the complete suspension upgrade rebuild kit. New A/C compressor, new alternator, new starter, new power steering pump, new shocks, spare tire and rim, new Borla mufflers and paid the so called mechanic $2,000 install everything. That sounded like a good price. He installed the new compressor and did not flush the system before he charged it. He installed the new power steering pump and cross threaded the main line at the pump housing. He installed the two new mufflers and exhaust tips and did not tighten the clamps properly. He did do a petty good job replacing all the rubber components and bolts included in the suspension kit. After 4 months of excuses for not having the car complete, I lost my temper and drove it home. This is when I began discovering the poor workmanship in what he said he had installed.
I took it to a second highly recommended 30 year experienced automotive repair shop. The had two older Corvettes already in bays and supposedly working on them. Third big mistake. They found because the first guy did not flush the system properly on the A/C system, metal fragments had been pushed through the complete system. They did not recommend attempting salvaging that system. They recommended installing a complete new upgraded 100% electronic kit. I ordered the kit ($1,400) and paid them to remove the original system and replace with the new top of the line system ($3,000 labor). After 6 months of excuses I GOT ANGRY AGAIN and told them to stop where they were on the installation and I would pick up the car then bring it to someone else to complete. The controls were just hanging on the side of the console and the A/C was not Blowing properly through all the vents.
I brought it to a another highly recommended shade tree mechanic. My fourth mistake... not a big one but he was accomplished on the newer cars where you plug in a computer and it tells you what parts to replace. He corrected the A/C mounting problems the other shop was stumped on. They would not admit they had given me the incorrect part numbers for the upgraded replacement kit for a 77 Corvette. Instead it was for a 78. The blower box that mounts under the drivers side dash was too large for the installation. That stopped the center console to be properly installed and bolted to the frame. We heated the housing with a heat gun to soften the plastic, then put in the console and let the blower box cool. Don't know why the other guys could not figure that out. I purchased new carpet and dash which this guy did a pretty good job of installing. I purchased a new radio and speakers and he also did a good job installing them. He could not figure out why the head lights would blink and go out when the high beams were turned on. He replaced the rear leaf springs... and broke on of the mounting ears off the mounting plate. That's all for now... but there is MUCH MORE TO COME... Stay tuned in!








All work and no play makes "ddhebert" a dull man!







Now the plot thickens. Found a rebuilt beefed up 350 engine. I didn't to buy a "pig in a poke", so I told the person I bought it from to install it in my car at my house and I would pay for it AFTER I heard it run. BIGGEST MISTAKE OF ALL! He only thought he was a mechanic. It took him almost three weeks to pull the original L82 engine and swap some of the parts from my L82 over to the replacement engine (water pump, harmonic balance, Edelbrock high rise manifold, Edelbrock carb., starter, distributor) then install his beefed up engine. I spent over $1,000 at Oriel's Auto parts to replace spark plugs, plug wires, volume fuel pump, fuel regulator, transmission cooler and other miscellaneous parts that he did not include with the engine but needed to get it running properly. I also added ceramic headers, electric cut-outs, true duel exhaust pipes, 2500 stall converter, rebuilt the Quadrojet and Edelbrock carburetors. The guy made it run but not good. After tinkering around with the carbs,and distributor trying to adjust the timing, fuel mixture for the proper idle and not kill the engine when the transmission was put in gear, he finally admitted he did not know how to adjust the carburetor or the timing. .

That was when I got upset AGAIN. I at least knew the engine would run, so I paid him and "RUDELY" instructed him to pick up his tools and leave. I tinkered around with the carb and distributor to smooth the engine out and just could not get it right. My wife...(The boss and real mechanic") pointed out there was gasoline streaming from the lower side of the engine. I jacked up the car and found he had tried to move the fuel line to be able to connect the new fuel pump and broke the metal fuel line. I fixed that. I looked at the how starter was mounted and found he had installed the starter with one correct starter mounting bolt and one standard bolt that was also too short to allow it to be tightened correctly. This caused the starter to shift orientation and miss align with the fly wheel when attempting to start the engine. The misalignment caused the starter to damage the fly wheel. I remounted the starter properly. Then I found the engine was loosing vacuum by spraying carburetor cleaner around the running engine. I found he had stripped two of the four carburetor mounting holes in the intake manifold. I fixed that. It ran better but still had problems with a smooth high and low idle and not killing when it was put into gear. When I would get it up to 3500 rpm, the engine would occasionally backfire. I just could not figure out why and finally cried "UNCLE"! The last straw was when the engine over heated after I got it up to highway speed on Interstate 10 in Gonzales, La..

Next (believe it or not) I finally made a GOOD decision and brought the car to a local shop that was highly recommended by oldest son (the perfectionist). They found the vacuum advance on the distributor was not working (that was why could not get the timing and idling where they would work properly together) and recommended replacing it. I agreed and asked them to install a new high voltage distributor. They found the reworked heads did not have the proper valve springs to match the new Comp Mother Thump-er cam (that's why it would backfire at 3500 rpm). Two of the mounting holes in the block for the water pump were stripped causing the water bump to leak once the engine warmed up also the bolts on the cooling fan clutch was loose, not allowing the fan to properly cool the engine (that's why the engine overheated at highway speeds). He mounted the engine on a broken motor mounted located on the cars drivers side front. This cause the engine twist when changing speed and allowed the power steering pump belt rub against the chases. Luckily that problem was resolved before the belt wore in two.

It's been almost three months sense swapping engines. The car has been at the REPUTABLE mechanic shop for the last two, going on three weeks, trouble shooting the problems the previous four mechanics caused. I told you in the beginning, the new electronic control A/C never did blow properly out of the ducts after I picked it up from the second recommended mechanic shop. They found one of the male/female multi conductor cable connectors had for the controls, mounted on the console, had come disconnected. The installation manual that came with the new A/C kit, specifically stated to install a tywrap around the two connectors to hold them in place, not allowing them to vibrate loose. The correct valve springs are on order and the mechanic assigned to follow through with the proper operation of the car, went on vacation last week. Guess what!..... I may be making my nest big mistake!!!! I found a used 700r4, four speed w/overdrive automatic transmission for sale. If the guy will refund my money if the transmission shop says it is not worth what the guy is asking for it, I plan to pick it up this Friday (8/17/18), get it checked out and install it in the car in place of the original three speed. Hopefully by the end of next week and after almost two years of kicking myself every day (the boss had her punches in too...) The car will be a pleasure to drive for both me and the boss.

P.S.
I wish I had a video so you could have seen her face last night when I brought up the 700r4 transmission and it's "POSSIBLE" benefits). She has already threatened to set fire to the car....WITH ME IN IT!

Have a blessed day.... AND KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS.
ddhebert

KNOT-HEAD

High guys...again,
The plot thickens even more. The replacement engine I have purchased from a private individual has turned out to be the "BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER". While trouble shooting an issue with the starter grinding against the flywheel while attempting to start the engine (after the engine had heated up), it was found that the crank shaft is drifting about 1/4" once the engine has been running for awhile. The block has been completely rebuilt by a reputable private individual. He contacted JEGS for their input on the issue. They said they were not sure why this would happen but they would replace the shaft at no cost. The problem is, now I will have to pay the mechanic shop the labor to swap cranks and have the block checked for damages. It seems the thrust bearing is the possible culprit but will not know for sure until the crank has been evaluated. On top of all that, I mentioned the valve springs needed to be replaced with the proper ones to match the new Mother Thumper cam. The mechanic found the rocker arm studs have stripped threads and must be replaced before installing the new springs. This is a big deal because stud puller may not because of the stripped threads. Also a cold crack was found in one of the rod guides. These heads were advertised as having been completely reworked. I am at a loos. The person I purchased the engine from was already broke, that is why he had to sell the engine. I'm not going to make things worse for him and his family by attempting to force him into some sort of restitution for the misrepresented engine. I will just scavenge the high performance parts from it and install them in my old L82 engine. Its a matching engine to the car and would have been better if I had just beefed it up in the beginning. Hopefully I will make less mistakes with this car in the future. I know it is a learning experience but WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A SO EXPENSIVE ONE?

Thanks,
ddhebert

P.S.
If you hear on the news, a 67 year old, fat man has "suspiciously" been found burned alive in a 1977 blue corvette.... As Paul Harvey always said "now the rest of the story".

SGMP

Nice driver today very reliable. Fun to drive[/QUOTE]

Nice work! Was your interior in good shape? I have a '79 Coupe L48, purchased July 2017, and removed the faded stained carpet. Added sound proofing/insulation...correctly routed wiring and vacuum lines....corrected very many issues resulting from shoddy attempts at maintenance and cutting corners. Now, I am very familiar with the car from bumper to bumper...it runs strong and looks great.

SGMP

DDHebert, I feel your pain. And I thought I had a rat's nest of problems with my '79 L48 Coupe, manual 4-spd. After a few months in my son's garage, and working as time permitted, and as ordered parts arrived, it is now running strong and looking good inside and out. I will attempt to post a few pics soon.

SGMP

Replaced the leaky valve covers, vacuum lines, fan clutch...and misc electrical components back to stock configuration.


Wiring was a mess! Now everything works, even the factory alarm system, gauges, instrument lights.


Running strong! '79 4-spd L-48. 94k miles.

KNOT-HEAD

Nice work! Was your interior in good shape? I have a '79 Coupe L48, purchased July 2017, and removed the faded stained carpet. Added sound proofing/insulation...correctly routed wiring and vacuum lines....corrected very many issues resulting from shoddy attempts at maintenance and cutting corners. Now, I am very familiar with the car from bumper to bumper...it runs strong and looks great.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. The carpet was a wreck. The dash was cracked from the sun. The radio was junk. Wiring was and partly still is just a random attempt to adapt new electrical components to existing. I cry baby a lot about the issues and especially the cost but it is my own fault. If I would have supplied the labor instead of using other people to work on the car.... my story would would be different. I would love to have a shop with a controlled environment to work on the car. Instead I have a double carport that had a limestone floor. I have recently concreted the floor. This will make it easier for me to move around under the car and "FIND THE STUFF I DROP". Sounds like you have a good handle on your project. Just remember it's a labor of love and something to be proud of.
I am bringing my original matching number L82 engine to the mechanic shop today. Hopefully they can take all the high performance parts I added to the "poorly rebuilt engine I bought" and come up with something that has more power, sounds better and is well built.... without costing me an arm and a leg.

KNOT-HEAD

Yeah, I know I cry baby a lot but I have brought all this misery and expense all on my self. I got tired of being put off for over four months by the recommended Corvette restorer in my area and used people that were just not qualified to work on vintage cars. This is what has caused the issues over the last two years. In my defense, I don't have a suitable place to work on the car. I have a double carport that "had" a limestone floor. I have recently concreted the floor. With the concrete, I can move around more easily under the car and "FIND THE STUFF I DROP". I'm hoping once I have the major problems corrected... I will be in a position to continue working on it myself. After all... that's what its all about. The satisfaction one gets from a job well done.

pigfarmer

We're on about the same page in terms of what we can or would want to do mechanically and your post didn't seem unrealistic. In your price range it would probably be a later C3 unless you can find someone else's incomplete project. Chrome bumpers will cost more and what was that 'budget' thing you mentioned? Every time I misplace my wallet I go downstairs and find it stuck to my 'vette.
The potential birdcage issues and fiberglass body adds some complication compared to other cars. Did my homework first and no surprises - there are some very helpful stickies here. I bought someone else's neglected not-quite running project - a real stanky mouse house - about 18 months ago and have concentrated on making a safe clean driver out of it first. Turned out to be a diamond in the rough. Been fun but I needed to make sure I liked it enough continue with it.

Good luck & how about some pics when you find one.

KNOT-HEAD

. GUESS WHAT! My mistake just got worse. I brought my original L82 to the mechanic shop for them to take my high performance heads off my engine and use them to replace the messed up heads on the supposedly rebuilt block. When I got to the shop, the mechanic told me not to spend any more money or time on that engine. He showed me groove in one of the cylinder walls too deep to bore out. The grooves looked like they were caused by metal fragments left in the cylinder when it was reassembled. This really tore my drawers when I saw this. So now I'm looking at doing a thorough inspection of my original matching number L82 engine and hopefully be able to swap the $1,800.00 (+) high performance parts from the engine I was stupid enough to buy from a private individual off of Craigslist. LET THE BUYER BEWARE! See the attached pictures... Read um and weep!

lowbuck72

All is far from lost, just pick yourself up another block or core motor. Still small blocks floating around at pick a parts.
Anyway, Jay's original post was almost two years ago. Did he ever find a project, is he still around?

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks. I'm hoping my original L82 engine will check out good. If it does I'll swap the high performance parts from the engine I just bought and beef up that engine. I'm just kicking myself for continuing to pick the wrong people to work on this car. This last mechanic shop does good work but I am already into them to sum off $3,000 (+) just for finding and repairing the issues the the four previous so called mechanics caused. Now its going to cost more just to swap parts around to get the engine right. I'm also going to be stuck with a useless block and a bunch of spare parts. Sooner or later I'm going to have a car to truly be proud of.
Thanks again,
ddhebert

KNOT-HEAD

I really don't know if Jay had any luck or not.
ddhebert

lowbuck72

Sounds like you have the ability to be your own mechanic. That way you can charge yourself whatever you think you're worth. Small blocks are not that hard to rebuild.

KNOT-HEAD

Thanks. I have the desire and a little ability. I am accumulating the correct tools for the work. (digital timing light, spark tester, remote start switch, compression test kit, vacuum test kit, roll around engine stand, etc.). I really haven had my head under a automobile since the early 70's. Too many specialized tools and the computer age made me loose my interest. Right now I am upgrading my work environment. Used to have limestone under my double carport, now I have concrete. It gets in the high 90's here in south Louisiana. It would be great to have A/C but floor fans will have to do. I'm looking forward to being my own "self employed mechanic". 67 years old and 100#'s overweight doesn't help. Hope the desire to do my own work on this car will encourage me to be more active and help me to lose weight.

ddhebert