Buying a C3
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,949
Likes: 4,507
From: Virginia
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...orvette-6.html
TheCorvetteBen also posted it in video format, here:
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 1,779
Likes: 250
From: Ocean County NJ
Yea but I did most of this and it wasn't the first one I looked at. Here is another thought - don't think if you buy a C3 from a "Corvette specialist" who has some nice cars in his shop that it was done right and it wont have a lot of things wrong with it.
I went to look at one Vette that had a good price and was really what I wanted. When I got there I looked it over and found a few things wrong with it right away. Headers looked like they were bashed to fit and the header gaskets and flanges had some kind of sealer in a tube all over them, nasty oil leak on the back of the engine, got underneath to take a look and see what the rattle was (heat shield wasn't fastened right) and saw that the cross member was twisted with a bolt missing. Told the guy about all this and he said take it for a ride and that the guy who was selling it was around the corner and had a Corvette restoration shop and I could put it on the lift. I did and when I shut the hood the engine raced because the big block hood wasn't clearing the air cleaner forcing it on the throttle. The thing was dead as a doornail (might have had the famous throttle rod issue). Didn't get it on the lift and god knows what else was wrong with it.
I went to look at one Vette that had a good price and was really what I wanted. When I got there I looked it over and found a few things wrong with it right away. Headers looked like they were bashed to fit and the header gaskets and flanges had some kind of sealer in a tube all over them, nasty oil leak on the back of the engine, got underneath to take a look and see what the rattle was (heat shield wasn't fastened right) and saw that the cross member was twisted with a bolt missing. Told the guy about all this and he said take it for a ride and that the guy who was selling it was around the corner and had a Corvette restoration shop and I could put it on the lift. I did and when I shut the hood the engine raced because the big block hood wasn't clearing the air cleaner forcing it on the throttle. The thing was dead as a doornail (might have had the famous throttle rod issue). Didn't get it on the lift and god knows what else was wrong with it.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,949
Likes: 4,507
From: Virginia
