If you start to do the repairs yourself maybe you can afford to keep your Corvette.
Do the headlights not turn on or not go up and down?

What's weird about the tail lights?

There is plenty of help here that will guide you step by step, just describe the problem the best you can.

Regards,
Pete.

 

My advise is to keep it and enjoy it. I actually liked your video you posted as the guy was smart enough to use an on vehicle brake lathe. Also he made your car safe to drive. Which is a good thing! Maybe you mislead him on repairs, maybe not. Idk. But mechanics shop rates are about $90 per hr. Parts extra.
Ok, enough on that. Bad grounds on the corvette are notorious. I reused a good portion of the original wiring harnesses when I did my body off. So a complete harness change is unlikely. But, that doesnt mean not to inspect and repair the rear harness. Its not a very long run, it comes thru the interior in front of the left rear wheel. Laying on your back with a flashlight looking up at the left frame rail and following it back to the lights can be done. U may have to remove the spare tire tub, and depending on your girth, jack the car and place a jack stand under it. That can be done in a driveway.
There are a few Corvette clubs in the Phx area. So experienced people are close by. But how many are willing to come by and help, Idk.
I actually think your guy you posted a vid on is competent enough.

 

THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN!!! I would run from this guy, no matter how good of a mechanic he is.

 

to be able to actually enjoy a classic corvette,
#1 you must have a garage, for working on it and for protection.
(insurance is cheaper too.)
#2 if you are short on funds and can't afford to pay someone,
you must be willing to do the work yourself.
you can learn as you go, lots of assistance on this forum.
I personally enjoy working on them and the restoration process.
if you cannot do 1 and 2. I suggest sell it, and find another hobby.
its kind of like owning a Dog, if you cannot provide proper care, and ownership.
you should not get one.

 

Ok guys, thank you all once again for all the feedback and advice. After reading everything you've all posted, I believe that I will keep it and work on it when I can. I had purchased it hoping for a car that was road ready, and it turned out it wasn't really that ready for the road! But, I love the car, (and as sstocker31 stated "you like cars more than golf"),I definitely love cars and never golfed! And as M.Young said, "I'm so deep into that car I asked my wife to bury me in it", I'll probably end up the same way, but what the heck, at the end of life we all need something to keep us young! (You know you're getting old when you turn your head to look at something while riding with a friend and when he asks what she looks like, you reply that you weren't looking at a pretty woman but a really nice classic car!).
The one thing that still bothers me is what 69Vett stated in his post; that the number one issue for an owner of these cars should be a garage! I'm not sure what to do there, but I will just have to work something out, because the lure of the vette outweighs common sense I guess!
So once again, thanks so much for all your comments, including those that rather chastised me for being soft when it comes to mechanics! I am about to undertake the wiring and interior on my own, maybe even attempt to install an updated A/C system while the dash is out! Thanks for everything and I will use this forum for lots of advice in the future.

 

A garage is nice - a few club members don't have one. Not having a garage will make getting classic insurance harder not impossible.

Classic insurance will protect the car better and cost less.

A clean dry area to work on the car and store it will also work. It may however limit the days you can work on the car.

 

There's been some good advice here. I can see both sides... selling the car will stop the bleeding, but the loss will be huge. If you are close to not spending more piles of money, the money is still lost, but you have the car to play with. So, I'd vote for keeping it.

However, if I could make a suggestion thats not been made, I would take the "club" idea a little further. No offense, but I think you need a "Corvette buddy," someone who is familiar with these cars that you can run ideas by before you make decisions. Corvettes are very specific oddball beasts, and I speak from experience when I say the more you know about them specifically, the more protected you are from ripping up stacks of cash and flushing it.

For example, someone who might have given you another opinion about buying a '76 with a supposed $13k hot 383 engine in it being a safe purchse for $10k in the first place... or someone who would tell you that if you agreed to $1200 in repairs and the guy dropped a $4500 bill on you, to tell him what he can do with that bill. Im sure you are learning such things as you go, but there is a massive value in having someone you trust that you can bounce these ideas off of.

Find a "Corvette Buddy."

PS: I do not believe its necessary to be able to work on these cars yourself. I understand the vast opinion is otherwise. Just find people who you can trust who wont take advantage of you.

 

You dont need to do all the work or any work on it to own a corvette, i wish i could hire more done,
You also do not need a multi car, shop with lifts and more gear than some actual people earning a living as a mechanic to own a corvette,
Your build doesnt have to be no expense spared,
I enjoy doing my own work and my budget except when i had my nightclub will not allow me to hire the work done,
Which in many cases is harder to find a good shop than do it yourself,
You are never going to hear some corvette repair shop owner say anything other than he is the best, allow feedback supporting forum vendors and reviews to guide you,
And the best advice ever is get a corvette buddy someone unbiased to help inform you.

 

And that's the most important thing.
In addition to all of the other suggestions, keep an eye out for other C3s, and be friendly. You can learn a lot about repair shops from being chatty.

Regarding your HOA, their first step would be to issue a warning letter if you are violation of the rules and someone complains. Most of the time, they are concerned with oil, and cars left on blocks in the front yard with grass growing through it. Finish your projects and be tidy.

 

I am glad you have decided to keep the car.You are now starting the next chapter of your life, restoring and eventually driving your very own Corvette, congratulations and enjoy your time working and driving your own special car
All the way from down under Aus

 

To start with, I'm not sure about the whole "Quote" thing, so I have to do this my way....

AllVettes4Me....But owning a C-3 Corvette isn't really about demonstrating common sense, it is the love of an classic sports car. I have had a few of them, miss a few of them now that they are gone, never look back with regret, just look forward down the road. And drive.Oh, and 63 here and retired now so enjoy the hobby.
David

Thanks for those words...I owned a 68 Camaro in high school and loved it, but haven't been able to have any kind of muscle/classic car since, (though I did have a 75 Datsun 280z a number of years ago, but it was stolen right after I finished the engine and got the new interior in). I've dreamed about a C3 since I was a sophomore in high school, so I guess it's time to throw common sense to the wind and enjoy what I've got! It helps having other car nuts to talk to.....I don't know anyone in my circle that are car guys/girls, so I'm sort of considered the guy with no common sense! Oh well, maybe I am, but I'll enjoy it!! : -)

 

Vettebuyer6369.........
"However, if I could make a suggestion thats not been made, I would take the "club" idea a little further. No offense, but I think you need a "Corvette buddy," someone who is familiar with these cars that you can run ideas by before you make decisions. Corvettes are very specific oddball beasts, and I speak from experience when I say the more you know about them specifically, the more protected you are from ripping up stacks of cash and flushing it."

Thanks for the honesty and comments. I agree. I have been looking around and am going to try to attend the monthly meeting of a Vette Group here sometime in the next week or two. I hope it works out. I need advice not only on the cars themselves, but maybe car "restoration" in general!

Once again, thanks to everyone on the forum who has chimed in here and given me their 2-cents worth! I hope to become a contributor and part of this forum in the future.

 

What's the progress on the car?

Here's a great write up with pin outs to do the swap here:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...m-upgrade.html

Before you head out to do that a lot of GM's have an ENG-1 or ECM fuse that confusingly throw P0102 MAF codes when they blow because of other in-line sensors. I'd check the fuse box and double check the fuses.

If in fact GM ran the MAF straight to the PCM then clearly the PCM is suspect. Giving the current prices of inferior 97-89 PCM's on the market a 0441 swap would be the likely scenario.

 

Youtube is your friend. the tools cost less than labor and you still have the tools. even if you dont do a job, researching it puts you in a better position with any shop.

 

You are responding to a 2 year old post, and the OP hasn’t signed on to the forum in over a year.