C3 n00b here. Apologies for my virgin post being so long.

I've been in the hunt for a C3 for a good while, never all that serious, that is until a co-worker decided to take me up on my "standing offer" to buy his L-48 '77 (dark blue w/white interior) for around $7500 (yet to be actually negotiated). At which point I decided that if I was going to spend $8k, I needed to see what $8k could get me nearby.....and I found a '73 that I would like some feedback on. I love that chrome bumper, but not enough to make it a deal breaker.

First things first, it was originally dark blue, but was repainted at some point to yellow. Second, it's an L-82 car, but the motor is not the original. It's a nicely rebuilt 350. I know the chrome won't get me home, but it does appear that the guy who did the work took the time to do a good job. I've driven it twice, and it is strong and fast. Definitely more power than my buddy's L-48. I know what NADA says a 73 can be worth, but I'm unclear just how much to deduct for a non-original color & non-numbers matching engine.

Tomorrow I'll have receipts of all the work he's had done. Things mentioned include a new rear leaf spring, "suspension stuff," new bushings all over (unclear as to what extent, I see two rear body mounts were not replaced), and an alignment.

Known minor(?) issues:
emblems are all wrong/missing
headlights hiss when I pull the ****, but no action.
wipers kinda sorta move, but MAY be bound by the edge of the hood
fan does not work, I think the heater core is MIA.
no horn.
Tach does not move...probably related to the MSD ignition the PO put in.
door panels don't fit well on the doors
cowl vent on the hood is quite ghetto
front bumper is only half attached....it appears like it's a simple matter of bolting it back together; the fitment looks OK, but why display the car with that easy fix left undone???
hole where the antenna used to be
some interior trim doesn't fit quite right (pictured the panel aft of the drivers seat, passenger side looks similar.
fuel gauge doesn't appear to be working (or I've test driven it on E)
**no clue how to open the gas cap**

And the biggie....Needs new weather stripping. The car is currently sitting "on display" in a parking lot at the guy's shop. We've had a bunch of rain lately, and the carpet in the floorboard & behind the seats are quite wet. The seats don't appear to have any water damage. My understanding is that 73's had fiberglass floorboards, so rust won't be an issue there. I would be replacing the carpet anyway, but what other problems could be lurking as a result of this? Like under the rocker trim?

From underneath, the thing looks SOLID. I see zero evidence of rust, although I have not looked behind the kick panels yet. I've knocked on various stuff underneath, and it feels & sounds solid too. Drive wise it started up pretty easily, seemed to hold steady around 210-220F even today as it was 100deg outside. The steering is a little iffy; the wheel has some play before it makes the tires turn, and the car likes to wander a little bit. I took some gentle curves on a smooth road at about 65mph....I wouldn't say this thing was on rails by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not sure how well I should expect a car this old to handle, though.

Guy is asking $9k. There's not a 73 on the internet less than ~13k, this seems too good to be true...and it probably is, I'm no dummy. Maybe the paint & engine devalue it more than I realize. My biggest concerns are (a) what am I missing and (b) what will it take to deal with the things that would make it fail inspection [horn, wipers, lights, etc].



















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Interested to hear thoughts. Thank you in advance.

 

At the price range I'd expect to be fixing lots of stuff (like you've found). A solid frame/bird cage is a BIG plus to me. It looks like the hood fits well. That is a good sign but still look carefully for sloppy glass repairs where you can see the "backside" of the body. Between a '77 and a '73, I'd pay more for those chrome bumpers but if you don't care and the '77 has a known history...

 

So how much do you want in it once you've completed repairs? You'll have $9k and then when it will take with what is known...as you have detailed. Then there is the unknown. A good example is brakes! What is their condition? Have the calipers been sleeved? And if so, was the master cylinder serviced as well? you could easily put $1k into the brake system. If you are a DIY'er, you'll save much labor costs, otherwise, you'll be into this 73 with some significant dollars.

And then there is the factor of modifications that require attention and shop manuals do not exist to help mechanics with those fixes so you'll be spending time on forums such as this one. For example, just yesterday I was reading a post about a power antenna replacement where the wire colors differ from the original so the poster was asking questions about his orange and black wires and how they mesh with the factory green, white and gray wires.

Once you've determined how much you want to put into the 73...then ask what else can I get for that same amount...without the need for a basket of repairs!

 

You're looking at an unfinished project car. There are two questions only you can answer: Do you want this car? and Do you have the time, skills, and knowledge to finish it?

 

Annnnnnnnnnnd........do you have $4,000 laying around to make the car visually "up to snuff"? (If your goal is a dependable/sharp-looking car there are no short cuts, as I have found out)

 

The '73 needs some work that is going to take some time and money. If you are up for that then I think at $8500-9000 is a fair price for a solid car. To get it the way you want however is going to take some cash and effort and you still have a non matching wrong color car. I have seen some very nice '73s in the $15,000 range with everything working and correct. Let us know what you decide. As for me I would much rather have a nice '77 than a ragged out '73. Welcome to the forum!

 

Welcome!
If I were you I'd pass on this one. As others have mentioned it's going to take a lot of money to get the car just in decent shape. I see many things missing just at first glance.
No heater hoses.
The hissing you hear when headlight switch is pulled means vacuum leak or disconnected vacuum line somewhere! UGH!
No wiper/washer hoses connected to the wiper motor pump.
No lower rear valance.
Definitely wrong exhaust. Probably why valance was removed!
No security keyway on rear deck. (Covered up with front logo).
Corvette letters missing on rear end and holes filled in.
Lower front valance is also missing? So right side grille area not attached to anything. Not sure what the other side would connected too?
Steering wheel doesn't fit well, thus no horn. Probably wiring is disconnected.
The vent pulls on lower dash are missing/ as is the left side vent ball. The pass. Side vent ball doesn't have anything inside of it???
Many interior pieces are missing, and existing pieces don't fit well.
To me I'd be really Leary of water damage else where, the foot well carpets look black like they've been under water !!
For all the money you'll need to get this one together you'll be in it for way more than a 73 coupe is worth. Especially with a NOM engine, wrong color repaint and an automatic.
Don't let that $9,000 tempt you!
There are some really nice 73 coupes to be had out there for everything you'll have in this one when it's all said and done?
JMO!
Good luck with what ever choice you make.
Tooch

 

I don't want a project per se, and I'm not all that interested in restoring it to factory condition. I want a car I can drive, I don't have the time for items that require massive overhaul. For instance, I have a 79 CJ7 where I replaced the entire brake system from pedal to pad (requires rebuilding the hubs on the front wheels). It was down for a couple weeks while I learned how all that went back together. If you've never replaced a set of hard brake lines w/o taking the body off the frame, then you have not lived....I don't need to repeat that sort of effort.

Taking out the seats & replacing the carpet is the depth of project I'm looking for. As an example, I'm assuming that getting the lights working is a worst case scenario replace all the vacuum hose....how hard could it be? #famouslastwords I'm pretty well versed on the Jeep horn (CJ's used a GM steering column), so that's another item that should be pretty easy. That is, unless I learn that the horn relay is in some inaccessible location. Of course with my luck I'll open it up and find that the wiring down the column has been completely bubba'd.

I guess I need to go drive one of those 73's for sale nearby and see how they compare, to figure out just how much better those are than this one. What I was *hoping* for was one of you guys telling me that it appeared underpriced and that I needed to ****** it up ASAP, or that I shouldn't pay more than $5k

 

I'm no expert, but just looking at these pics and the way the car has been modded and cared for, I don't think it's worth anywhere near that price. It doesn't look like an "unfinished project car" to me, it looks like one that's been owned and modified by someone who didn't know what they were doing or didn't care to even try to do it correctly. It looks like a Bubba special to me.

To address just a couple of your concerns, I would suggest searching for threads on frame rust. I remember reading about problems in the dog leg area that look and seem fine, but are lurking under the surface.

More concerning to me would be the water in the interior. Floorboards are the least of your concern. You mention looking behind the kick panels - this is a must-do! If you find significant rust in the bird cage, walk - no, RUN from this car. On top of everything else wrong with this car, a rusted bird cage would make it a non-starter.

The water in the interior can also cause a whole host of other problems from moisture-related deterioration of all things electric.

Overall, take look at:
- the way the exhaust was done,
- the ignition module on the front floorboard,
- all the poorly fitting items that have been ignored (or not fitted because the PO didn't know how to fit them right or didn't care)
- The fact that the weather stripping was allowed to get to that condition without being tended to.
Just to name a few things. How many other things do you think you'll find as you go, if you bought it?
Ask yourself this question: what kind of guy do you think owned and worked on this car, based on what you see? Do you want to own his crap? Do you want to go through and fix everything he messed up or just let go to hell?

As I said, I'm no expert, and I haven't looked up current values, but if you're asking for advice based on what you've told us and the pics so you go in with your eyes open, my advice would be to walk away. You seem to have a healthy concern for what you're getting or can get for your money. As another poster said, consider how much it will take to make it the car you want. I think he was way low. I think you'll end up spending at least as much fixing it up as what you're thinking about paying up front. This car is trouble waiting to be yours.

 

I see what appears to be a crack in the fiberglass coming from the upper left corner of the rear license plate bezel and perhaps a crack along the upper part of the ducktail or at least bodywork that doesn't look right. Also crack/separation at the driver's side B pillar. I'd wonder what other cracks/bodywork problems will appear in time (and perhaps not a lot of time).

 

At one time it could have been a neat car but like the others see bubba project all over it. Pass for 9k dont let the bumpers suck you in. To much wasnt finished, or skipped over all together when it busted..guarantee more digging you do more youll find.

9k can get you a decent C3 driver that doesnt need much.

 

In the picture of the rear it looks like there is a seam right below the top edge of the ducktail. Maybe a replacement panel after a rear end accident. May want to check the frame for any accident damage.

As much as I love 73's, I think I would stay away unless you can get it for about $4000. The general rule of thumb on these cars is to buy the best that you can afford.

Tom...

 

That's what I said.

 

Run unless you get it cheap.

 

If you buy this thing I think buyers remorse will quickly set in.

 

Nope

 

I'm with the rest. A slew of things that I don't like, not the least of which is the non tilt/tile steering column. There must have been three of these made that year OR it is a replacement which may account for the sloppy steering feel.

Well set up and with everything in good shape and aligned, it should feel very close to "on rails." You could end up spending years and $thousands trying to figure out why it isn't. I'd walk.

 

The left corner of the license plate is a strand of something...I tried to pull it out but it was caught tighter than I felt like pulling. It's not a crack. The center of the ducktail is just some discoloration, I think it would buff out. Directly above the right reverse light is some not-quite-matching touchup paint. You guys have good eyes.

This is the final straw for me on the car. It ain't on rails by a longshot, but sounds like it should be. That plus everything else you guys have pointed out are enough to convince me to walk away. Even if I could pick it up for $4k as somebody suggested, it's still a project that I don't really want.

My buddy with the 77 says I can keep it at my house for a weekend and poke on it all I want. I suppose I'll take him up on that, will probably post another thread with pics.

THANKS EVERYBODY.

 

Picture #6 ----> that floorboard has seen a lot of water.

 

That car has been under water!