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Bought my first Corvette! What do you think of my to-do list?
Hello All!
After being a long time lurker, I finally pulled the trigger and bought my first Corvette (yay me!). 1978 L82 with some pace car aesthetics put on. She is far from perfect, but she had the perfect price tag! Heres my to do list!
Front End:
1. Tie Rods
2. Ball Joints
3. Sway Bar
4. Control Arms
5. Bushings (First five are due to there being a huge amount of play in steering over 35 MPH)
6. Springs? Easiest to do when Tie Rods/Ball Joints are done (Springs removed during this)
7. Headlight Vacuum (Lights dont go up, but they go down)
Interior
1. Lighting (currently no interior lights)
2. Speedo (no worky)
3. Tachometer (secondary tac works, not original)
4. Seat Exchange (I have Pace Car seats, but im 6'5" so the power seats sit a bit high for me!)
5. Window Motor (driver window doesnt work [power])
6. Radio (doesnt work)
7. Door Locks (key doesnt turn, maybe needs greased up?)
8. Telescopic Steering (Needs star bolt and 2 screws)
9. Horn (no horn springs in the steering wheel)
10. Horn Cover (I broke my plates apart when pulling this off)
Rear
1. Ball Joints (currently OK, but will need to be done in next year or so)
Overall
1. Side Pipes Exhaust (no exhaust currently, just some pipes dropping straight down from heads)
2. AC (no blower?)
3. Heat (no blower?)
Let me know if theres some standard items that I should throw into the mix along with this list!! Im excited to get rolling on my first Vette, and making her my own.
(Yes, i know its not the original color, and Yes I know that the previous owner didnt do great at trying to turn it into a pace car.)
Do you like the height of the front fender arches above the tires?
Adjust the steering gear box, can you elaborate a little for me? What does that do (Def. feel like a rookie here!)
Tires are old, will add that to my list!!
Height of the front fenders is OK for me for the time being. Would you suggest lower?
Adjust the steering gear box, can you elaborate a little for me? What does that do (Def. feel like a rookie here!)
Tires are old, will add that to my list!!
Height of the front fenders is OK for me for the time being. Would you suggest lower?
I'm a rookie, also. You need to buy a Corvette repair manual for your year Corvette......adjusting the gearbox removes slack in the" steering wheel"........
Good-looking old tires will kill you.....they blow out instantly.
When installing new control arm bushings....DO NOT tighten the bolts that hold the bushings in place until the car is sitting on the ground, to keep from tearing the rubber to pieces inside the bushings***
Most members keep the "gap' between the tires and fender arches at less than 2 inches (except members who restore Vettes to original dimensions). I suggest that you be sure that you like the ride height......or use 1"-2" SHORTER coil springs if you want a lower stance.
Last edited by doorgunner; 11-07-2017 at 04:35 PM.
I'm a rookie, also. You need to buy a Corvette repair manual for your year Corvette......adjusting the gearbox removes slack in the" steering wheel"........
Good-looking old tires will kill you.....they blow out instantly.
When installing new control arm bushings....DO NOT tighten the bolts that hold the bushings in place until the car is sitting on the ground, to keep from tearing the rubber to pieces inside the bushings***
Most members keep the "gap' between the tires and fender arches at less than 2 inches (except members who restore Vettes to original dimensions). I suggest that you be sure that you like the ride height......or use 1"-2" SHORTER coil springs if you want a lower stance.
Great tip! Thanks! I will be getting a repair manual ASAP!
Tires are on the To-Do as well, just not at the top until i fix those steering issues!
Enjoy your new toy. Given your list of known issues do though expect to spend a lot of time and significant $$$$s.
For a 1978 you want both the dedicated Corvette service manual and the assembly manual. Both are widely available in both print and electronic formats.
This one struck me as odd, "4. Seat Exchange (I have Pace Car seats, but im 6'5" so the power seats sit a bit high for me!)" There was no power seat available until 1981. If you have one in a '78 it was adapted to fit. '78+ (particularly with the glass T-tops) had the most headroom of the C3 generation but the '81+ power seats (they had a special "deeper" floor pan) cut such down a bit.
Your suspension looks high in the front and low in the back.
Electrical problems in the '78+ Courtesy circuit (horn, interior lights, power door locks, power antenna, alarm system) are nearly endemic and can be a royal pain to troubleshoot.
Don't forget drain/flush/clean as appropriate for ALL fluids!
Might I suggest brakes as being on the very top of the list for driving the car, if they're not working perfectly. I would honestly make tires the 2nd most important if they're around 10 years old. Loose steering is definitely something that should be addressed, but 10 year old or older tires can blow out any time and they often take out a whole side of the car when they do. Check the date codes on your tires to be sure.
Good to see another white bubble-window C3 with glass T-tops in Virginia! I hope you are able to fix the safety items quickly and enjoy some fall driving before the weather turns.
Please check the date codes on your tires.
Try replacing the idler arm while you are at it. The Moog part is K6100.
I didn't see Parking Brake listed. Does your's actually work? Huzzah to you if it does. Otherwise, it will need to hold the car while in drive, and the light on the dash will need to function, to pass Virginia state inspection (unless you go the Antique Plate route, in which case it's still a good idea!).
Those are not the original seats, but are a good upgrade. If you don't need the power seat function, you may be able to remount them for more headroom.
Welcome to the forum, and please post more pictures!
When ever I buy a 40 something year old car I usually change the complete front suspension and steering parts. I will change the brakes out, calipers, rotors, pads, master and lines.
If the vacuum isn't working correctly I have changed it all out.
I don't trust others peoples work or parts. I put all new stuff into it, it is what i want in it and it is all new.
Minor detail but if you don't know you can reach under the front end and push the cam mechanism to allow the headlights to go down without power until you get the vacuum fixed.
I got my '69 last year about this time and really didn't use it much before winter set in.
Hindsight being clear think I should have only concentrated on the bare minimum to get it running and pass a NY State inspection. After a season of running around and 1500-1600 miles the list has changed and so have my priorities. So, I'd say make it safe and drive it a bit first.
Enjoy your new toy. Given your list of known issues do though expect to spend a lot of time and significant $$$$s.
For a 1978 you want both the dedicated Corvette service manual and the assembly manual. Both are widely available in both print and electronic formats.
This one struck me as odd, "4. Seat Exchange (I have Pace Car seats, but im 6'5" so the power seats sit a bit high for me!)" There was no power seat available until 1981. If you have one in a '78 it was adapted to fit. '78+ (particularly with the glass T-tops) had the most headroom of the C3 generation but the '81+ power seats (they had a special "deeper" floor pan) cut such down a bit.
Your suspension looks high in the front and low in the back.
Electrical problems in the '78+ Courtesy circuit (horn, interior lights, power door locks, power antenna, alarm system) are nearly endemic and can be a royal pain to troubleshoot.
Don't forget drain/flush/clean as appropriate for ALL fluids!
OK, so they are not Pace Car seats i suppose Currently, the power seats do not work (shocker, right?). So am I best off selling these seats and replacing with some 78?
I will take a look at the suspension and see if anything funny is going on there.
All fluids are already taken care of.
And I have yet to even begin to look at the electrical lol - long road ahead!
11-07-2017, 03:49 PM
Bought my first Corvette! What do you think of my to-do list?
Currently, the power seats do not work (shocker, right?). So am I best off selling these seats and replacing with some 78?