When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi, I'm Jake. I landed a fairly good deal on a 1975 C3 Corvette about 2 weeks ago. It is in pretty rough condition but I was able to drive it 50 miles home. I proceeded to wrench on it for 5-6 days and then my girlfriend and I took it on a 1000 mile road trip to New Orleans. I shot a video of our adventure.
I mainly grabbed it because I've never had a Corvette and couldn't pass up the price. I actually really like the car and I'm considering some more repairs where I might be able to daily drive it. I've already been on here asking questions, but I figured I would post up an intro thread of my little project. Great forum btw.
Thanks everybody! The C3 was a better car than I was expecting it to be. Looking forward to more projects on the C3 and hopefully getting it where it can be a good daily driver.
Awesome video! As the owner of a `74 ratty Vette, I can relate. The only exception, was besides being a barely running shell of a car, with no dash, no door panels and a little patina, it did come with an entirely and completely brand new rear suspension. Funny you mentioned the Borg Warner Super T10 in your '75, my `74 was supposed to come with the Muncie, but because of a late summer strike at GM, mine got built in September, alongside the upcoming model year `75's and had the T10 installed instead! I have the exact same wheels on my '74 and plan to keep it that way.
Your C3 is definitely a 'personality' car. I hope you keep her. She'll cost you way more than she's worth, but she will pay you back, with continuing good times and wide grins. Don't worry about paint, buff it out and drive it. Thanks for sharing your excellent adventure with us!
Great video of the trip, thanks for sharing. 25mpg that's brilliant. That was a great buy and there were plenty of smiles/miles.
Have fun with the old girl and welcome to the forum from down under!
Hi, I'm Jake. I landed a fairly good deal on a 1975 C3 Corvette about 2 weeks ago. It is in pretty rough condition but I was able to drive it 50 miles home. I proceeded to wrench on it for 5-6 days and then my girlfriend and I took it on a 1000 mile road trip to New Orleans. I shot a video of our adventure.
I mainly grabbed it because I've never had a Corvette and couldn't pass up the price. I actually really like the car and I'm considering some more repairs where I might be able to daily drive it. I've already been on here asking questions, but I figured I would post up an intro thread of my little project. Great forum btw.
Hello Jake. Congratulations! Welcome to the brotherhood.
I'm watching your video a little at a time...so far very amusing. You have a nice warm personality.
I do take a little exception about your shock knowledge. Shocks work due to being oil filled and having a piston in it with a metering hole...controlling the rate.
In most cases there are check valves to vary the difference between JOUNCE and REBOUND attenuation differences.
You push the shock in, and you expect it to pop back out. REGULAR shocks WILL NOT POP BACK OUT....you must pull them. GAS shocks have that 'pre-load feature'.
The gas in the shock is to provide additional pressure so that any expanding gas bubbles won't go through the metering valves. This would make the shock act like it's completely dead...AIR being thousands of times thinnner than oil. Most gas shocks have a pre-load of about 60lbs.
You put Gabriels in which are er, ah, minimum OEM replacement.
The original / 1st owner bought my car new in 1975 from Lee Johnson Chevy in Kirkland, WA. Silver/silver, L48 4-speed. In 43 years of ownership he drove it 66k miles. From the early 90’s to 2018 it sat mostly unused in his woodshop. 100% original condition.
Last year he asked me to help him haul away 2 old Honda riding lawnmowers. Asked if I had interest in his vette which I did. He wanted a new mower from Sears. Voila! Instant C3.
Someone bought the pair of old mowers for $500 smax so I’m not sure if that should be deducted from what I paid for the C3 when determining the true cost. I suppose it depends on what method of accounting one uses. It’s all rather moot since I went hog wild restomodding the thing anyway. Now that I think of it all of the original parts I removed from the car and sold exceeded what I paid for the darn mower by a fair bit.
Sounds like a fairy tale doesn’t it? Lol. The part I left out is the 1st owner is my uncle.
”For sale. 1975 Corvette. 1st owner. 66,300 miles. 4-speed. Silver on silver. Original, unmodified condition. Price? Haul away my old mowers and buy me a new one.”
He never wrote that ad he just emailed his nephew. I showed him what his car transformed into at his July 4th party last year. There were smiles
New Ratty C3 Owner
25mpg that's brilliant. That was a great buy and there were plenty of smiles/miles.
