Hey y'all,

I'm new here, and I figured I'd check out the community and get some thoughts on my plans. I'e been seriously considering a C3 Corvette as my first Corvette— I love the way they look and I love the power potential of the good old 350 small block. Don't hate me for saying this but I'm primarily looking at the 1978-1981 C3's. I really like the rear bubble glass and the interior, even though I know I'm a minority when it comes to that opinion. Plus the later years seem to be cheaper to buy and are less appreciated by collectors so I won't be ruining some valuable car.

Now as a background, I'm 24, working as a web developer here in Phoenix, AZ. I've had numerous BMWs, mostly from the early 2000's. My daily driver is a 2000 540i wagon with a 4.4L V8, and I also have a 2003 X5 with a 4.6L V8. I also have a 1987 Porsche 944S and a 1996 Mustang GT (selling that POS soon). I've rebuilt at least 9 BMW V8's, so I'm no stranger to complex engineering and overpriced parts— working on a 350 should be downright cheap in comparison! I've rebuilt engines, pulled engines, done body work, done suspension work, and more, so I'm certainly no stranger to the DIY side of things. I'm fortunate enough to live in a non-HOA neighborhood in a house with a garage, so I can paint and work on cars freely. This will be my first foray into the world of Chevy, so I apologize if I don't know all the correct terms just yet. I'm still a total newbie when it comes to imperial units as well, given that everything I've owned has had metric units (believe it or not, a 96 Mustang is largely metric).

Given that I already have a fairly practical daily driver (the 540i wagon with its measly 300hp and 320tq), I'd want to do something a little more extreme with a C3. Something along the lines of a better intake, straight pipe exhaust, stroker kit, and maybe a giant blower that sticks out of the hood. It won't be a daily driver so I'm only limited by what I can afford. Arizona has pretty lax emissions laws and no inspections, so I can easily do whatever I want, like my 540i wagon hasn't had mufflers in a pretty long time, and the Mustang has no mufflers either.

Can't wait to get my C3 and join this wonderful community! From what I've seen so far, y'all are great.

 

In the past few months, I went from zero to 2 Corvettes, a '79 auto and an '80 manual. My wife picked the first one, and now that it's squared away, it is her fair-weather daily driver. Her '79 looks better, but my '80 looks (and sounds) meaner.

Bubble window all the way. C3s of all years look the best of all 'Vettes (IMHO), and being able to see out is a plus. I don't consider vinyl bumpers a detriment to appearance, but I'd feel terrible modifying a chrome bumper car, or even driving it in the rain. Not so with the later cars!

Some things to consider for the bubble window era cars:
1978 still had glass fuses, 1979 had modern ATC fuses.
The 1978 Pace-car seats are in all 1979 and up cars, may fit you better, fold flatter, and are cheaper to rebuild.
If you are going to pull the engine and electronics anyway, there's nothing stopping you from getting an '82.

There is some metric hardware on the later C3s (see this thread), https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...c-on-c3-s.html
but this is still a great time to buy a new rolling tool chest to hold your new set of SAE tools.

Best of luck to you, and post photos when you get it!

 

Welcome Dan

 

Good luck with the car

 

Have at it young man! Just please consider not going with straight pipes. There are plenty of mufflers available that are equally as loud.

 

Sounds like a winning approach to me!

 

Welcome to the forum....but I`m surprised no one has yet mentioned... WE NEED PICTURES! Show us these new toys of yours!

 

Welcome to the forum!

Having owned and worked on multiple BMW's and Audi's over the years, working on the C3's is definitely easier and much more enjoyable!

Get yourself a good set of SAE tools though - only so many bolts those 13 and 14mm wrenches will fit.

 

Thanks for the info! I think I'll be sticking with a 1979+ car so I get all those improvements, plus it seems like the newer the car the cheaper it is, haha. I saw a really clean white on red with a 4-speed for only $7k recently!

I'll definitely be picking up some SAE wrenches and sockets to put in my rolling tool chest

I'll try to find a manual if possible. They're not as common as the automatics but there's not a huge price premium like with the earlier year C3's. All my other cars (aside from the Mustang and Porsche) are automatics so I'd really enjoy a manual.

Thanks!

Thanks! It'll be a fun search for sure, but they say the hunt is half the fun!

For sure, I'll consider anything that sounds good. I'm not super committed to straight pipes, they just happen to work pretty well with my daily driver BMW— it still sounds pretty civil and quiet even without the mufflers. Weird how a 4.4L block is so quiet— it's all that fancy German engineering, I barely feel the engine when it's running, haha.

I'd love a side exhaust conversion, I think that looks pretty sweet on the earlier cars.



I haven't bought a Corvette yet Just doing my research so I can go into C3 ownership with knowledge.

I do have pictures of my current fleet though, hopefully posting other brands doesn't anger anybody on here!

My daily driver— 2000 BMW 540i touring with a 4.4L V8 and 190k miles:



My backyard ornament— 2003 BMW X5 with a 4.6L V8 and 214k miles:



My piece of junk— 1996 Ford Mustang GT 5-Speed with the 4.6L mod V8 and 184k+ miles (odo broke years ago):



And last but not least, my 1987 Porsche 944S with the 2.5L inline 4 and 114k miles. This hasn't run in forever and needs a lot of work, but that's a project for a different day. It'll never be all that fast but it's more of a handling car anyways.



As you can see, I'm quite familiar with quirky, troublesome cars. My BMWs might have not have carburetors or points ignition, but they do have V8's that actively try to destroy themselves, oil leaks from everywhere, driveshafts that shred themselves, and suspension bushings that like to fall apart very quickly.

I already enjoy working on my BMW's, so that means working on a C3 should be a blast in comparison! I'll definitely invest in a set of SAE tools, I hate stripping bolt heads with improper tools.

 

As my wife owns an E36 (that we've replaced the engine on, evaporator core, clutch, suspension etc) I can confidently tell you that the C3 is much easier (if much different) to work on. Love your 540! I happen to agree with you on the rear glass, though I also prefer the earlier front bumper, so that limits me to '78 and '79 (mine's a '79). And I can confirm that the driving experience in these cars improves dramatically with a few modifications...

 

Chrome, vert. From one old man to another have you tried getting in and out of one? 68 harder than 69 up due to larger steering wheel.

 

If you can work on a BMW then a 350 will feel like youre playing with a Lego set. Doesnt get any easier or cheaper. Some nice parts out there to make big power.

 

You guys realize that this thread is a year and a half old?