I'm am going to be in the market for a 68-72 daily driver soon. What do I need to look for when buying? What are know trouble spots? I don't want to buy someone elses problems.

Thanks Joe

 

Hi Joe,
The 68-72 cars are pretty nice cars.
There are lots of horsepower and convenience options available so the cars can be quite different from each other even within the same year.
The first and most important thing is to understand that the 68+ cars suffered from rust problems.
These problems are seen in both the frame and birdcage.
The frame rust is often occurs in the area of the frame kick-up just forward of the frame rail and around the pocket in the frame for the trailing arm mount.
The birdcage rust is seen in the windshield frame, the hinge pillars, the lock pillars, the rocker channels and the body mounts.
The rust CAN BE difficult and costly to deal with.
There is NO reason to knowingly get involved with a rusty 68-72 car.
So do your homework about how to determine for sure if a car has rust problems or not.
I'll stop there but other folks will be along to give you a list of things to look for when assessing a 68-72 car.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

 

Daily driver.......good for you, bold move.
What you need to look for.........pretty much everything. They are 49-45 year old cars and a lot of them have not been maintained properly.
Trouble spots..........rusty frame & birdcage. Everything else too, see above.
Don't want to buy a problem.........buy the best, correctly restored car that you can.

Other wise you start getting into Corvette math,
A $5k Corvette will cost an additional $15k to make it worth $15k.
A $10k Corvette will cost an additional $10k to make it worth $15k.
A $15k Corvette will cost an additional $5k to make it worth $15k.

 

When you say "daily driver", do you mean a car that is driven when it is nice out or a car that you will use every single day come rain or shine or temps 0*F - 100*F?

While a 68-72 can be used every single day come rain or shine, they aren't the most practical or comfortable cars to do that in.

Just a for instance - my 70 350/350 4spd 3.70:1 non-A/C averages about 12mpg +/-, when it's hot out the black leather seats allow my backside to sweat so much that the money in my wallet gets damp.
Oh it's a blast, but as an actual daily driver it would get old very fast.

 

I have pretty much the exact same car 70 350/350 4spd, except I have a working AC. And there is no way I'd want to hustle this car through rush hour traffic every day. It would get old fast.

I always tell people you don't realize how awesome the cars are today until you drive a 50 year old car around for a couple of days.

 

Ill be a bit more positive on using any c3 as a daily driver,

Get past being spoiled to creature comforts of new cars like heated seats and vanity mirrors, we all fall into that.

Take my 69 for example, in 69 the chevy salesman didnt tell wouldbe buyers this is not a good daily driver, on the contrary when these cars were new they were made to be driven,

Fast forward a few decades, the c3s that have been keep up, well mantained or restored are just as good daily drivers today as they were when new,
The ones that are not that have problems, not up to par, neglected, thats the ownrs fault.

I live in florida, hot here, lots of traffic and for 30 plus years i have always daily driven some vette or another, some hot some loud some a real handful i did it because i wanted to, i like it.

Others will pick a more common car for daily driving, no problem, but dont say a nice c3 isnt a great dd to some cats just because your c3 isnt up to par or not comfy enough for you, :-)

Saying things like spend 15 k to have a 5 k vette be worth 10 k spins my head,
sure repairs can and do add up, and its best to buy all the c3 you can afford.
But lots of cats here have super nice cars on a build budget,
i would think a nice up to par 68 to 72 turn key daily driver, could be found under 20 k but you will have to hunt it down,
BB and or convertible, yikes price jumps up

Bottom line get a sound c3 and dd it....afterall cars were made to be driven.

 

Read this for more buying guide lines

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html

Ignore all the "this will cost you and you wont enjoy it crap". Its a sports car. Yes they can be uncomfortable. SC is very hot and humid and if you buy a car without AC it will be uncomfortable unless youre use to driving in those conditions. I lived there for 6 years without AC and didnt die from it.

These older cars can be alot more reliable than modern cars simply because they can be fixed easily or llimped home with minimal tools if you have mechnical skills. NO Modern car can do that unless you carrry a scanner and trunk full of replacement senders. Most people rely on AAA now adays anyway

Buying ANY used car is a toss up just because of the nature of people. I would look for a car that is already being driven a significant amount and you will be way ahead. Look here in the for sale section and avoid projects. Be willing to drive a good distance to get your car. Theres a members car in VT thats might still be for sale. Its a green 69 convertible that looks great.

Remember this sight has 3 types of enthusiats. the restorers that want an all original car. They push the price tag way up because it cost them alot to get their car to all original status or restored to look llike it rolled off the showroom floor. Some of those cars are to die for too. Very beautiful cars.

the guy like me that want a vette to drive and have fun in. I paid $19 k for mine, another $2k to straighten out what the previous owner "fixed" then another grand for tires and stuff. All the money I have put into it since then is fun money for more performance or looks. My Subaru and Ford truck are costing me more in frustration with sensor problems.

The next guy is the hotrodder that constantly upgrades the performance and Horsepower for a bit more thrill and they either have money to burn or spend all of it on their motors anyway.

Each one of us will have our own opinion of what you should do. You need to figure out what you want to do or who to listen too. If you properly maintain your car you can drive it alot down there except for the icy months. I personally would buy the best you can afford and put in a Vintage air AC system. IF you want a more reliable car, stay away from putting in a big horsepower motor. They can be alittle finicky about gas and tuning compared to a 200 to 300 hp motor.

the forth is the Know IT All that will talk your ear off about how great they are and why your car is crap because theirs is better. IGnore them all together.

Most of my roadtrips are atleast an hour one way. It is just a great drive. I have the aftermarket slalom package with the fiberglass rear
monoleaf spring and its a smooth ride. I've heardthe 7 leaf spring can be a little stiff, I have no experience with those so I have no opinion on stock suspension

 

I drove my 71 nearly every day during my vacation. Yesterday, I went back to work and was happy to drive my C7 on the 50 mile round trip. I would only want my C3 as a daily driver if my daily drive was only a few miles each way.

 

When I said "daily driver" I wasn't clear enough. I want a car that can be driven everyday but will really only be driven when it is nice. My budget will be whatever I can get out of my 57 when sold. I do not what a show car but I do want one nice enough to show it. More than anything I want a car that I can drive across the country if I choose to. My commute to work is 20 miles of country roads with no traffic. I was just looking for information on trouble spots and things to look out for.

 

Rust in the windshield (dont buy)

Rust in the body mounts (dont buy)

the rest is mostly repairable but can get very expensive fast

Chattering in the rear diff if its a POSI (adding Posi fluid to the proper level can help if the chattering is minimal) Drive the car in a small slow figure 8 to test

Headlights and/or wiper door that doesnt work (Vacuum issue) Solvable but can be a hassle to trouble shoot. Not typically a "no go" and not very expensive if its just a leak

Cracks in the body along the bonding strips ( fixable but very expensive) add in paint below

Bad paint job ( see above)close to $10K +/- $2k

Any body filler in the wheel wells (usually indicative of front end damage and a bad repair (fixable if it was minor) Look for frame damage and uneven tire wear

Transmission that pops out of gear on decelleration, any grinding ( bad gears and worn synchros) Not typically a no go but trannys/ tranny work arent cheap

Cracks or poor body repairs in the floor (repairable, but what caused it and alot of work)

Leaks in the T Tops. Pretty common but if left out side for a long time the water can run through the body and rust out the t top frame and the windshield frame

Poor braking,( Could be old or original calipers without stainless steel sleeves which can lead to air in the brakes) Not typically a "no go" but pricey for 4 calipers

Engine problems are all solvable, check the engine stamp for vin match if advertised and priced to reflect that

The rest of the electrical is similar to any vehicle of that time, and if you worked on your 57 then its all similar.





Post pics of what you find and keep us posted

 

Rear wheel bearings - these are a bit of a pain to fix yourself. Best to get one that has had the bearings done already.
Vacuum system - as mentioned, wiper door and headlights.
Fiber Optics - really cool feature and it's nice to have system working
Heater core - pain in the butt to get to if it's leaking
Second the motion on birdcage and frame rust

 

I don't want to tell you what I have spend on my $2,650 '69... but its been more than 15k.

I agree with the sentiment above - typically you get what you pay for, and its worth paying for a car that was kept up by, or restored by an expert. Pay for quality up front, especially if you are going to rely on the car for transportation.

 

Oh, I hear you!!! lol
I bought my 70 for under $20k, $6 million dollars later I might have a $35k car if I'm lucky.