so i put some fuel in and no luck maybe my start when bad?

 

unfortunately not turning over and dumping fuel in it wont help.
if it was running and then died on the side of the road it indicates one problem.
Now from the time it stopped running what was the next scenario? did you have Battery power or was the battery dead?
* If dead indicates it was running off the battery and you have charging system problem - whole bunch of things here to check
* If you still had power it indicates an electrical short someplace - Other things to check
* if motor made funny noises and stopped running- well that's not good.

Do you or a friend have a multimeter?

 

so the car did in the past have a fire but all the wires have been replaced, i tried to start it one day and it started to crank than i heard a noise and it killed the car and it hasn’t started ever since

 

Also, when i went to start it i heard a loud noise and the car killed and it hasent started ever since

 

Ok I don't know how mechanically inclined you are so don't take offense.
Before spending any money lets check a few things here
sounds like it may have a mechanical issue. will the engine turn over by hand? no - Your done -Yes - id pull the cap and spin the engine and check the rotor is spinning if so bring it to #1 TDC and static time the engine- If all looks good keep going if not trouble shoot why the rotor is out of sync.
Check for power at the solenoid. if its there install a push button (found at auto parts stores) and install it to the starter. this will bypass the safety features Make sure you are in park or put on Jackstands to keep rear tires off ground. if starter spins but will not engage its the solenoid. This happens alot in auto store starters from A-Z

 

so the motor won’t crank or anything. i have the push starter on there already. i heard a very bad noise when i went to start it last week, it cranked and then made a loud noise then killed and ever since then not crank or start or anything. even by hand.

 

so there is not crank or nothing when trying to start it, last week when i went to start it, it cranked and then i heard a terrible noise and then died, and hasent started ever since

 

ok sounds like your done if it wont crank by hand... to many variables to say what happened but it needs to come out. I cant comment on it as to what it could be but nonetheless it needs to come out so a proper autopsy can be performed.

 

so i took the cables off and cleaned everything, still haven’t even had a crank, last week when i tried to start it, it cranked and then i heard a loud terrible noise and it died and hasent started ever since then.

 

I understand that the starter doesn't crank, make clicking noises, or do anything when the key is turned but all of the rest of the electricals (lights, radio, blower fan) seem to work fine.

 

Just as an aside Did you check all the fuses ?

 

it ran fine before, for the most part but sometimes would randomly die after a few start. and then i would have to jump it to get a few more starts even after a brand new battery. i was going to the car wash, turned it off, and when was done i tried to start it, it cranked and then i heard a noise and it killed completely

 

i’ve tried to start it in every gear and tried starting it while it was rolling and still nothing

 

did you guys miss this IT WONT TURN OVER BY HAND

 

Yes, missed that. However, the starter should still make a sound of some sort even if the engine is locked solid. (I suspect mpicki is not a long-time wrencher, so am seeking clarification on some of their replies.)

mpicki: have you tried to turn the engine by hand with a breaker bar and socket attached to the crankshaft bolt at the lower front of the engine? (You'll likely need to remove spark plugs due to pressure in the cylinders laughing at your weak human strength )

 

Can you describe the noise? sharp and sudden - like a bang, clank, or bzzzzt; or like clicking or scraping that went for a short while before dying?

I'm leaning toward something in the ignition failing, but am by no means an electric-head. My first step would be to check whether the starter is seeing any voltage at its terminals and check to see if the starter is still functional. This shouldn't be an issue with it dying while running, but it's odd that there is no response when the key is turned.

Someone else correct me here: the starter and all of its electrical connections are completely out of the ignition system once the engine starts, right? Meaning you could disconnect all of the terminals and the engine would stay running?

 

Communication here, between posters and the owner are just awful. We didn't hear the sound the poster mentioned and he has trouble describing the event.

mpicki,
You have to have the tools, the knowledge and a wiring schematic to correctly diagnose and repair your issue. Electrical gremlins are one of the hardest repairs of all the systems and can become quite complicated.
In my opinion, you would be farther ahead having your C3 flat-bedded to a respectable repair shop.

Good Luck

 

haha! i have not tried that yet but i will defiantly do so! do you think i should replace the starter at all?

 

This is exactly what I was talking about, earlier in this post. We got no where here, because the poor guy doesn't have that mech/elect background we had. He grew up with the generation that probably didn't have Automotive Shop classes in school. The junkyards were all fenced off or eliminated, so no playing and learning there. And unlike us, there weren't at least three or four garages open in the neighborhood, like what I grew up with, with guys working on their Chevelles, Roadrunners and C10 trucks.

Mpicki does have an alternative though, besides the repair shop route. He can learn every stinking thing about this generation of automobile and there is indeed a source for that, believe it or not. It's a book. It goes for really cheap on Ebay and it will describe in great detail and with color pictures, every single aspect of a 70's through early 80's automobile. How the ignition works, the transmission, the starting system, cooling system. Everything, even electrical. It even goes into what tools you should have and how to use them! It is the Readers Digest Complete Car Care Manual. I'm a military trained Motor Transport Mechanic (USMC, MOS 3521) and I've always been impressed and recommended this fine book. It is accurate and well done. Bring the book out to the garage, don't worry about getting it dirty, go ahead and explore your car, with your hands while you're going through, for example, the cooling system. Feel the hoses, look at where they go, note the belts, play with them, explore!

There's one on Ebay for the princely price of $8.99 to $15. Just use the title as a search in Ebay. Secondly, order the GM Service Manual for your year Corvette. Certain years used the 1974 as a basis and then printed appendices. I forget which year, after that, that GM printed a new complete manual (feel free to jump in here, forum members, mine is a '74). Finally start making friends with the car crowd, the old guys who work on these things. You may get advice of varying qualities, just like you did here. If you can find someone knowledgeable to come look at it, your miles ahead.

To other forum members, we've got to find a way to deal with the newbies. A permanent sticky to refer to, would be great. "So you've just purchased a C3 Corvette and now it has problems, what to do?".

 

Mpicki, if you want to work on this car yourself, I highly recommend reading the post I just did. Order the book, explore your car, learn about it. These cars don't ever go very long, without something else going wrong. There's always something to fix on these cars, count on it. If you don't have the knowledge of working on it yourself, you're going to spend a lot of money, getting it done and it is increasingly getting tougher and tougher to find a good, reliable and honest mechanic, that knows what they're doing with these cars. Give this a lot of thought, for your sake. If your just throwing parts at it, we call that 'shotgunning' in the car repair world. Eventually, after you've thrown hundreds of dollars at it, it might work after all. You have two choices here, learn everything you can about your car or take it to the shop.