Dear all Corvette enthusiasts,
In case some of you were wondering what happened to this story, here is an update.

The car was delivered to me recently. Due to a late arrival of spring here this year, and because the car was located well over 300 miles on the other side of a big chain of high mountains, I opted for transport from the seller to me hiring a company that uses a Williams closed trailer. It worked great!

Here is a picture of the car parked outside my garage (the car will soon be moved to a better insolated, heated garage).:


I am ashamed to say I have yet to take the car for a longer drive. So far I have only driven it a two minute trip from the unloading site to my garage. I was so adrenaline-filled at the time, so I don't recall how the car felt.
I plan for a longer trip tomorrow, so today I have checked some stuff on the car:
* A multimeter shows the battery has 11,92 Volt (with the doors open and the cabin light on)
* I filled washer fluid
* The transmission is full of clear, purple oil
* The engine oil is at max, clear and smells nice
* Engine coolant is bright yellow, clear without special smells, not milky or murky. It's good for -40 C (which happens to be -40 F as well) according to my refractometer . The cold record in this village is -38 C from 102 years back, so I think I'm good.
* The tape recorder plays my old music casettes, but the rear speakers are cracked, so the sound is not perfect. Or there could be dust in the pots on the radio itself.
* The antennae for the radio works, as well as the electric seats, side mirrors, side windows, pop-up headlights etc.
* Tilt-n-telescope steering wheel is OK.
* Handbrake / E-brake works.
* All tires have 20,0 PSI, and show the numbers "1813" in circles, making me suspect they are manufactured in week 18 in 2013, that is seven years old. The thread is good.


I could not open the reservoir for the brake fluid. Those clamps are on tight. Perhaps with a screwdriver I could pry them open? I would like to flush the system and put new brake fluid in this summer. And although the coolant looks new, I'd like to replace it. And fresh oil and filter before winter storage as well.

I have yet to find a good DIY-site for C3 Vettes online. For other cars I enjoy Bentley Publishers Service Manuals, but it seems they don't have one for C3s, unfortunately.

The plan for tomorrow is to check the torque on the wheel bolts / lug nuts. According to the owner's manual (7-2), the torque for standard wheel nuts is 110 Nm (80 lb.ft), and for aluminum 122 Nm (90 lb.ft). I don't know what kind of bolts I have, so I'll settle for 110 Nm.
According to the manual (5-14), tire pressure should be maximum 35 PSI. This corresponds with the placard on the driver side door and what is written on the tire itself. However, I read on several sites online today that lower pressure is OK, and in some cases recommended. 20 PSI might be low, so I will inflate all four to 25 PSI before hading out tomorrow.

Expect (euphoric) updates.

 

Fantastic Tor! Take it for short drives first, then longer and longer.
35 PSI tires FOR SURE that is the setting....50/50% weight distribution.
Use a screwdriver to gently prise the bails sideways one front one back...DO NOT GET BRAKE FLUID ON THE BODY WORK.

very, very best of luck!

Unkahal

 

The lines and color scheme of your 82CE are amazing. Congratulations. I have driven heavy duty 4X4 trucks for 18 years in my day job. When I drive my 82CE, I feel the tension just melt away. You need to make it safe then spend some time on some curvy roads.

 

So here is the promised update.


Yesterday I opened the garage door, sat down in my '82 CCE and turned the ignition key. It had been sitting idle for one month to the day since I received it. It cranked over a little longer than I expected and hoped for, but I estimate it started within 3-4 seconds. The idle was how I remembered it. Slightly rough, and the RPMs go up and down a little in conjunction with some clicking sounds under the hood. I believe this is a mechanical choke? I let the car warm up, the RPMs dropped, and the idle was steady. I climbed back in, put it in "D" and took off. That is, I rolled off slowly. I remember how I felt the brakes were soft and not working very well when I collected the car. Going out on the public road, I start on a pretty steep downhill, so I was a little worried. But it was OK. On the level road, I accelerated. The car is not powerful or quick by any standards, but it is very fun to drive, sounds great and it combines that fun 80s-feel with the sensation of driving a Vette.

Having reached the speedlimit of 60 km/h (37 mph), I stepped pretty hard on that mushy, soft brake pedal. The car veered off to the right, and I compensated by turinng the steering wheel left. When letting off the brake pedal, the car then swerved to the left, so I had to compensate by turning the steering wheel back to 12 o'clock. I never had this experience in a car in my life, and I had mixed emotions of disappointment and fear. The closest I have come to this experience was when driving my friends boat in rough sea. I accelerated back to the speed limit, repeated, and had the same result. The speed limit then changed to 80 km/h (50 mph). I tried a hard braking again, and the result was even more scary. I then wanted to take off on another smaller road, and wanted to decelerate in an intersection. The brakes had become weaker, and now I had trouble scrubbing off sufficient speed in order to make the turn. At some point I decided I had had it, and I wanted to turn back home. I knew of a parking lot not far ahead, When approaching said lot, I put the blinker on, and stepped on the brakes. Nothing. The pedal sank to the floor, and I felt almost no resitsance in the pedal. Panic! I had always wondered what I would do in a car with no brakes. I wish I had made better plans. Or some plans, at least. I pushed that important brake pedal that I all my life have taken for granted, but to no avail. I looked in the rear view mirror, and I saw no brake fluid on the road. And luckily no other cars. Also, the road ahead was clear, with an empty intersection and entry to the parking lot. I turned the steering wheel and braced for a hard landing. To all luck, the lot was empty, and I was able to go in a circle while the car slowed down. I remembered the parking brake or e-brake. The "e" stands for emergency, does it not? And this surely was one, it there ever was one. I pulled it as many clicks as it would go, but no effect. Finally the car stopped, and I put it in "P". I had sucessfully parked. I got out of the car, knees shaking. I had just completed my first trip in my new (old) Corvette. And I had lived to tell the tale Yay!


After the adrenaline had worn off, and my IQ points started to climb back up to normal levels, I decided to stomp the brake pedal many times, to see if I could pump out some brake fluid, as to pinpoint any leaks. I stomped away, but no visible leaks. I felt on the back sides of the tires, remembering reading about leaky calipers being common on C3s. Then the red light above the steering wheel came on: "BRAKES". It's the same light that informs the driver the parking brake is engaged. Which it was not at this point, so I guess it doubles as a warning of faulty brakes. I then tried putting the shifter in "R", backing a little, then braking. No brakes. I slammed the transmission in "P" to stop. At this point I turned off the ignition, and considered calling a tow truck or some roadside assistance. I decided to take things one step at the time, so I called a friend and asked for some simple tools. I opened the hood, and noticed the brake fluid reservoir looking wet on the outside. Remember how I tried opening this one at home in the garage, but decided to wait? I remember it was dry then, and a bit dusty. Now it appeared to be covered in brake fluid. The plot thickens...

Upon my friends arrival, there was the mandatory mocking of my latest automotive purchase, then I proceeded to use my trusty screwdriver to move the clamps holding that gold-colored lid to the side. The engine was off, but everything was quite hot still. We're having 30 degrees Celsius here (87 degrees Fahrenheit), which is a lot for Norway, even in summer. With those clamps finally off, I carefully lifted the lid off the reservoir, with the front first. I expected to find no brake fluid. But the front chamber was almost brim-full, and as I lifted the lid completely off, there was this big "gulp" in the rear chamber, as if a big bubble of air came out, and some brake fluid spilled out and into the engine bay. Luckily I had asked for my friend to bring gloves and big roll of tissue paper. I cleaned everything as best as I could. Fortunately nothing hit the paint of the car. I placed the lid back on, put the clamps back on, and wiped off the reservoir, as it had become soiled with braking fluid. I decided to try pushing the brake pedal again, to see if I could pump out enough fluid to find the leak. I pumped several times, and it felt like the pedal got firmer. I decided to start the engine. When I inserted the key in the ignition, there was a faint sound, like a buzzer going off. Not like the normal one like you hear before you start the engine. The engine started, but the idle was rougher, and only around 500 RPM. And it was going up and down between 500 and 1000. I think you call this "surging idle"? I have later read it can be caused by fuel varnish, which makes sense since the gas in the car is really old! At this point I was a little tired of the car, so I decided to give it one last chance. The parking lot was empty still, so I decided to go around in circles and test the brakes. I put the transmission in "R", and backed slowly out. Then "D", and I stepped on the gas. A little more than before perhaps, but the car felt different. Much more responsive. Instinctly I wanted to brake, and I stepped hard on the brakes. And the car stopped hard. I'm talking tirescreeching hard. I had brakes! I then stepped hard on the gas, and the tires started screetching again, and I took off. Another hard brake. Documents, mobile telephone, sunglasses were flying around inside the car at this point. Again a hard take off. Hard brake. The poor tires were crying. I turned the steering wheel as I stepped on the gas, and the back end swung out - fishtailing bigtime. At this point I didn't know what to believe, but I was flogging that old car around like some reckless teenager, and the car seems to like it. The harder I push it, the more eager it seems.

I make a deal with my friend that I drive first, and with my friend following at a distance. I don't drive fast, and I test the brakes several times on the journey back home. The brakes are now really, REALLY good. The car is back in the garage, but now I don't know if I can ever trust it. Not long ago there was an accident here where four people died because and old Cadillac lost the brakes going down a steep hill. I don't want to ever experience the feeling of no brakes again. I must get the hand brake wire adjusted, so that I have some brakes as a back up - a plan B. But I also need to understand what was wrong, and why it is now OK. Well, it is far better than OK. It's a lot better than what is was. I hope that by telling this story, in detail, some of you Corvette experts will solve this mystery. Could it be that during transport, some air got pushed into the braking system, and by opening the lid of the brake fluid reservoir, I let the air out? Of was the rubber gasket in the lid dry and leaky? Perhaps this is why the reservoir was wet on the outside? And when I opened the lid and some fluid splashed out, it got wet, lubed and again could form a tight seal. And as I pushed the brake pedal, I built up pressure again? But why did the car veer off to the side? Does the car have one circuit or two circuit braking system? Could there be some vaccuum leak that causes this? Is the car now safe, or is it a ticking time bomb?

 

Tor,

What an experience. Glad you, and everyone in your path, are okay.

My CE brakes are wonderful. Smooth. Grippy. Balanced. My e brake works. Sounds like you were having problems when you got the car. Maybe they were not properly bled the last time they were serviced and air was trapped in a line.

If I were you, unless you absolutely with certainty found the problem, I would not even try to guess-diagnose. The components are almost 40 years old. I would have the car towed to a reputable mechanic and have every component changed to new: Master Cylinder, Brake Booster, Brake Balancer, all four
calipers, and soft lines. I would have the steel lines pressure tested.

There will probably be many on here that will criticize me for saying that since it may seem like a waste of money. However, I work in the rescue industry where bad things happen to good people. I even keep a fire extinguisher in my car.

Don’t give up on the car. It’s mechanical. It can be fixed.

 

Thanks for your advise, DWAVette. I appreciate you posting very much.

I should have added (to the already lengthy story) that I decided to do my first test-run late in the evening, and I live in the countryside. On my 20 minutes long trip, I spotted a total of 5-6-7 cars, two cyclists and two pedestrians out for a walk. The roads pass mainly fields or bushes, so in the worst case I could have ditched the car to the side of the road.

Changing the entire brake-system is the ultimate fix, and would result in optimal braking capacity, no doubt.

 

Nice find and purchase. After reading your entire thread it would appear that the piston/shuttle in the portioning valve was stuck in either the front or rear position, hence the BRAKE light coming on and VERY limited braking, but I could be wrong. By you slamming the brakes hard a few times, you unstuck the valve and then had equal portioning to both the front and rear brakes. This can also happen when bleeding the brakes and there is a tool for that as well to keep that from happening while bleeding. I have one and strongly suggest getting one if you do it yourself. I would also STRONGLY recommend that you go through the entire braking system on a car that old and a complete unknown to you and make sure that everything is OK before another wild cruise.

 

Once you get the brakes sorted out, it sounds like you need a "tune up". When I bought me CE last year I had similar symptoms. Took a few seconds to crank and idle seemed really fast at first. My base timing was off and I replaced the plugs, wires, rotor, and distributor cap. I also discovered the O2 sensor needed replaced. What a difference! Not a speed demon by today's standards but not bad off the line either.

I had a similar scary experience when I got mine since it still had the original tires! By the time I got home from purchasing it the tires were no longer round! I got lucky.

On a side note, there is no mechanical choke. The clicking you heard is probably the injectors.

 

Buccaneer - thank you most cincerely for your post. I'm not a mechanic, so my knowledge is limited to say the least. But after searching on line with the information you have provided, I have learned a lot, and I think you are on to something!
In this video, at 01:23, that valve is shown: It would make sense that is was stuck, either due to an incorrect bleeding procedure, or simply as a result of the car being left mostly unused for years. (It still has only 37K on the odometer). If that valve was stuck, I can easily imagine how brake fluid would not be distributed correctly. I still want to look over the brakes myself, and change the fluid and bleed the brakes. A couple of years back I changed the steel lines, the rubber lines, calipers, pads and rotors on my daily driver, so I learned a little from that job.

Brushmor - a big thank you to you as well. Initially I was afraid the car still sat on the original tires, but I have since discovered they are "only" seven years old. They'll do for now, as I only plan to take out the car on dry summer days in the evening when there is little traffic. It might only be placebo, but it felt as if the car was more "alive" after I ran it a bit hard. Sort of an Italian tune-up, if you will. But changing spark plugs is definately on my to-do-list.

The first project is however to make the parking brake work. It seems the cable from the handbrake lever itself is not attached to the rear calipers, like I know it from other cars. They go to some braking shoes inside the brake rotor. That seems like a bit of a wonky design, and from what I have read online, it doesn't work well either. A good friend gave me a tip on how to adjust this:
It seems you shoud adjust the brake shoes themselves through a hole in the rotor, and then adjust the cable screws. But perhaps only the latter will suffice. It's easier to access anyway.

As a side note: I have started putting together a list of great 80s music that I want to copy over on music cassettes, so I can listen to them in the car for an even greater 80s feel. There is so much good music to choose from.

Thanks again for good advise. I appreciate it very much!

 

Had a very similar experience when my '79 was new to me. It turned out that the brake fluid was very old and very dirty with the passenger front brake barely (if at all) functioning.

I first just opened bleeders using a hand vacuum pump on those that didn't flow well. I sucked out as much of the old fluid as possible from the master cylinder with a turkey baster and added clean fluid. Then LOTS of gravity bleeding being certain to keep fluid in the master cylinder at all times.

Given there were no service records I suggest that you clean/flush ALL the fluids and replace with new.

I also suggest you begin the process of replacing ALL of the rubber items. Vacuum hoses are a good place to start as the "it's the age" thing causes nearly all of them to develop small leaks at the ends. Obviously check the belts--if they show any cracking they need to be replaced. Know that many of the hoses are not "standard" even in the USA as both the inner and outer diameters matter. I know international shipping isn't cheap but look up Doc. Rebuild on the internet. He sells superb vacuum hose kits for all of the systems.

 

I also enjoying listening to 80's music in CE. I decided to fix the stock radio to keep the authentic vintage feel. I even found a place that still sells cassettes, sometimes even in their original plastic wrapping: https://tapeheadcity.com/

 

Nice find on the brakes. Yep, if the valve is stuck, it will lock out either the front or rear brakes depending on which end the valve is stuck. Either way, the BRAKE light comes on in this condition until valve is centered again. I would think, if this is what happened that you lost the front brakes which is 70% of the braking and depending on the condition of the pads, you didn't have a lot of braking power. I could be wrong, but this sounds about right from what you wrote. Good luck and enjoy!

 

SwampeastMike - that is inteesting information. Thanks for sharing. Yes, I have a list of what to do with the car, and changing brake fluid and checking pads and rotors is #1 (after I discovered the motor oil is clear and loks new). Before winter I want to have new brake fluid, motor oil, filter, and coolant.

I also want to buy a nice service manual. I have used Bentley Publishers before, but I can find any C3 books from them. Tips are appreciated.

Buccaneer - thanks again!

Bruhmor - that was a nice shop, and a very useful link. Thank you for the tip. Keep thos memories alive by playing that music.

 

re: Manuals

You'll want both the service and assembly manuals. They are available from all of the Covette specialty vendors you find on this site. Sorry but I have no idea if there are any sources in the EU.

Don't forget the power steering and transmission fluids! The transmission pan gasket and fluid filter (must be replaced when you change the fluid) are certain to be hard finds in Europe as they are no longer "stock" items in the USA.

One more tip I can offer is to do EVERYTHING possible to repair any electrical and vacuum parts that may not work or not work reliably! Sadly the replacement parts are made in China and of such poor quality that they often arrive with severe leaks (vacuum parts) or improperly built/fast to burn out contacts (electrical parts). Also buy only the highest quality replacement parts with AC Delco Professional parts typically the best.

Happy driving! I'm very fond of international travel and have yet to visit any of the Scandinavian countries. Just may be there during the next solar maximum (most sunspots, etc.) in hope of seeing some fabulous auras. Perhaps I'll see an '82 CE and know it must be yours...

 

Hello all.

Thanks again for all replies.
I understand I will get more replies to my questions if I post new threads with topics related to my individual questions. However, I have decided to keep them all in this thread, since it is solely about my 1982 CE.

A little update: I have decided to name the car Chimey. Chimey Corvette. I considered Chevy Chase for a while, as a tribute to the actor. And the car is a Chevrolet ("Chevy"), and it can partake in a chase... But my first car is named after a monster in Greek mythology, so this Corvette will be named after another monster in said mythology (in all fairness, it did try to kill me on our first trip); the Chimera. And the name Chimey Corvette is an alliteration, same as the name on my first car. And my own name. So there is that.

Using a multimeter, I discovered the battery voltage is low. 12,3 V with the doors closed and the courtesy lights off. I have decided to charge the battery. Simple task, I thought. I have a modern trickle charger, and I have read the instruction manual. But keeping the doors open will leave the courtesy lights burning, which uses electricity. I guess I could remedy that problem by just lowering a side window. Opening the rear glass hatch is to be avoided. I'm afraid of braking it. Alternatively, I could just remove the battery from the car. Now, I have read online that removing the battery could mess up the ECM / computer. That I don't want. On the other hand, others write online that charging the battery whilst it is connected to the car can ... wait for it: mess up the computer. Gentlemen, what do you prefer on your cars, and why?

I still worry about that old gasoline in the gas tank. The tank is half full (or half empty, depending on your point of view), and I don't know how old the gas is. The previous owner didn't drive the car much. That petroleum distillate could very well be vintage – between a year old or several years old, in fact. I know he told me the car runs fine on 95 octane. I intend to use 98 octane. In Norway, 95 octane is considered "regular", and it contains 10 percent ethanol. The 98 octane is named "super" or "premium". And has no alcohol added. There are three reasons I worry about the gas in the tank:
1) Gasoline is perishable, and old gas can cause issues. Becomes a varnish, causing clogging.
2) Gasoline with alcohol is hydroscopic, meaning it takes up water from the humidity in the air. Can cause the tank to rust internally, and cause problems in the engine, as water doesn't burn well.
3) Alcohol in older rubber gas hoses can make the rubber brittle and cause leaks. And unlike the beforementioned water, gasoline burns quite well, so I don't want leaks.
I have tried putting hoses of different sizes down the gas tank to get the gas out, but all I get is air / vapor. The design is perhaps made to prevent anyone from siphoning gas to prevent theft?

From what I have read, the car has an electric fuel pump in the gas tank. Would it be possible to disconnect a hose somewhere, put the key in the ignition to "run", and have the pump empty the tank for me? Also, I have read that fuel pumps don't like to be run dry, since they use the gasoline they pump as lubricant and/or coolant. Does this mean that running the car until it stops from fuel shortage is a bad idea in any case?
Perhaps the old rule of dilution is the solution to pollution applies, so I should just start adding 98 octane premium gas and forget about it?