Hi everyone! I just won a 1976 c3 corvette with an L48 and a 3 speed auto about a month ago from a raffle. I seriously can't believe I got my dream car so early on. It runs and drives perfectly with only 60,XXX miles on it. Anyways, as it has made an amazing daily driver, there are a few things that I would like to sort out with it and this is where I need your help. I've compiled a list of all the small things that I would certainly like to sort out below.

Passenger side climate control feels very stiff and wants to stay in the middle setting
Headlights won't pop up (most likely to do with vacuum)
Mild engine bay Black Widow infestation
Lots of white smoke but then none 5 seconds after startup
No handle on passenger side and handle mechanism won't move (I have an extra handle just can't get it on
Driver side inside lock will lock and unlock but key twists freely in key hole and won't unlock from the outside
Tachometer does not work even though all wiring seems to be hooked up correctly regarding the distributor
One headlight on driver side doesn't work (easy fix) and both work on passenger side but both work only when bright lights are on (both are off if bright lights are off)

I think that's all for now if you have any personal advice or forum discussions you'd like to point me to I would be grateful. Thanks!

 

Good deal. Raffle cars are often not perfect unless stated as fully restored. The black widow deal is concerning more than the mechanical issues. You might want to spray down the frame rails inside as well.
The repairs needed are all pretty common and you can find the answers here with a search or by others answering.
Check the floorboards, first year for metal and they rot out.
Enjoy the car and drive it

 

Definitely been driving it. I sprayed it down as much as I could but I keep finding little webs here and there. I had two egg sacks hatch which were a pain but I took care of all of them. Just don't know if there are any adults still living in it haha. I've already put about 1200 miles on the car as well, its a great car to cruise around in.

 

Congrats on the new car and welcome to the forum!
How 'bout sharing a few pics of your new Corvette here?
We love pics.
Cheers, Greg

 

Congratulations on your prize Car!
And welcome to the Forum!
Yes all those things sound like common issues with these cars.
I would suggest that you rewrite your list in the order of importance to you.
What you need fixed first on the top and what you can live with on the bottom. Then take them one at a time.
Doing some research you should find answers to fix each problem. (google is your friend).
The question is your mechanical ability. But even if you don't think you can fix it yourself. At least learn about the issue before you take it somewhere. At the very least it will protect you from getting the runaround from repair shops.

 

Very cool story...but…

 

I'm feel that I'm pretty mechanically inclined haha, fixed a lot of issues like the timing chain on my rsx type s so I'd be doing this all myself. Plus it's cheaper

 

Welcome to the C3's ..When mine have been siting awhile i get an ant infestation..think they climb up the electric cord for the battery tender.
What I do is go to the grocery store and pick up a 3 pack of bug bombs..set it off on the inside and one underneath and put the cover on. takes care of the critters.

All the best with your new to you ride.