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Hello,
I am motivated to buy a C3 from 1979 because it seems very affordable at around $10000.
The car has a new crate GM engine rated at 195HP as the original, this is what the seller states.
it looks in good condition.
He is the second owner and he got it during Covid times in 2020 and now he is selling it.
He basically did not use it much so this is kinda suspicious to me.
What are the weak points of these C3 ? I know they are not powerful but they can be a nice cruise car on the weekends with still a lot of torque.
So I have a bunch of questions, sorry:
What are the most common problems ? What should I pay attention to ?
Is there any performance upgrade to the engine that can be done after smogging the car ?
Are the replacement parts expensive ?
Are the rear brakes drum brakes ? The owner told me they are the stock ones.
assume you checked the frame and birdcage areas for rust (see many threads on this) obvious collision damage..etc..
if ok, runs and drives... bonus if ac works.. drive long enough to heat up and drive..
- looks like even though engine changed , it looks like a very original car and put back together that way..
you did not state your location as all the smog seems to be there too..
interior looks rougher.. be prepared as most any purchase DIY repairs etc..
post more pics under car etc..
As said above rust is your worst nightmare. If the frame is rotted its gets very expensive very fast to repair. If you are not aware of where the rust could be take someone or find someone who is and have them look at it.
You are buying a car that is 43 years old. There is going to be a lot of things that need replacing. If you think it will be your daily driver think again. I just did a 77 over for a forum member. The car looked nice but with a 100K on the car the suspension, steering and brakes needed a complete overhaul. I did put in a much more powerful engine for him and swapped in a 5 speed but it was expensive. Are parts expensive? Some are some are not. Its a Corvette tax so yes it can be pricey.
The Corvettes have had 4 wheel disc brakes since 1965 so yours are discs. The parking brake is a drum assembly inside the rear rotor hat.
A couple of things that caught my eye:
The front sits high, the rear sits low.
Earlier model yrs would sometimes come with a BBC, then later a crate SBC. The front springs were stiffer, H.D. for big blocks. The lighter weight small block would leave a gap at the wheel wells such as this one. But that is not the case here. Maybe somebody swapped out the original springs, or they were not installed correctly.
The rear sits a little bit low, not horrible, but likely from a spring that is tired. You may want to make sure there are not broken leafs.
Your biggest enemy here on this model is all the smog crap in the way of basic repairs, up-grades and general maintenance. If that can be removed in your area, then by all means, pitch it.
Finding and buying T-Top inner panels is also something to check on.
thanks all for the hints.
Well unfortunately I live in California...
I Also noticed the car runs lower on the back.
I have only 1 mile and half to for my commute, so I would like this to be my daily driver.
I think the most important thing is the bird cage and frame to be healthy. I watched some video online on how to check it. Anyway not sure the guy will allow me to disassemble the left side foot rest area to check underneath. it is a Corvette so I do not expect it to be really cheap to maintain but I expect it to be cheaper than a Maserati
Anyone here has a Corvette C3 and lives in California ?
Hello,
thanks a lot for your hints.
I also noticed the car sits lower on the back. But so far does not seem too low in the back but too high on the front. The small block engine weight difference might explain this.
I am also worried about rust. I will try my best to figure it out but I do not think I will be allowed to take anything apart to look underneath the left side panel foot rest or anything like that. The windshield looks original and never replaced because the colored green band is yellowish. Also taking the t-tops out and reinstalling them can give a hint if the bird cage or frame are bending right ? If they are difficult to get installed back in their position.
I realize that it is a Corvette so may not be cheap to fix but for sure I Expect it to be cheaper than a Maserati
I live in California, so this is a big "no no" to make any modification because it won't pass smog. But if something can be done until the next smog check in 2 years I would consider it.
Anybody here from California with a C3 ?
Thanks!
You seem to be new at this or at least these models,, that is the biggest red flag to me. I suggest you take this to a corvette shop for evaluation, or at least a shop that works on older cars and hotrods. The owner is selling after only two years gives me pause and "I just didn't drive it much" only means something if he has a good reason. Otherwise I might suspect he found something he does not want to deal with and is hoping to make it some one elses problem. You state they are affordable, they are, and that is why it's important to get a good one because if you buy one with major issues you will quickly have way more money invested than you will ever realize on resale....
They made a ton of these cars and good ones are out there, take your time......
A couple of things that caught my eye:
The front sits high, the rear sits low.
Earlier model yrs would sometimes come with a BBC, then later a crate SBC. The front springs were stiffer, H.D. for big blocks. The lighter weight small block would leave a gap at the wheel wells such as this one. But that is not the case here. Maybe somebody swapped out the original springs, or they were not installed correctly.
The rear sits a little bit low, not horrible, but likely from a spring that is tired. You may want to make sure there are not broken leafs.
Find out why the front sits high and the rear sits low. It could be broken leafs, or a saggy old spring, or it has longer spring bolts installed. The front springs couldve been installed incorrectly.
Also learn where the crucial rust areas are and look in them. (Ask the owner to remove the driver and passenger side kick panels, or take it to a corvette shop for an inspection
You must find out what is going on in these areas before you go any further with buying the car.
I wonder why someone would go through the trouble of installing a crate engine and chose one with only 195HP? Why not pony up a few extra bucks and get a 300 to 400HP engine instead?
Surface rust on parts under the hood and on the talipipes means it needs a solid inspection for rust underneath. And no pictures of underneath is suspicious.
Stock suspension with 235/60/15 tires on my ‘78 had the front fender edge at 28 3/4”. Removing a kick panel to look at the area around the body mount will tell you immediately whether to spend any more time evaluating this car. If it looks good there check the rear body mount area via the access opening in the rear wheel well. If both of those areas look good take it to a mechanic for a used car check. Be ready for a major backlog on basic maintainance. One of my 78’s had 17,000 original miles, zero rust and everything except the clock worked; still took $6,000 in parts alone to get shipshape. Plenty of great C3 Vettes in SoCal to pick from and plenty that have always been kept in a garage as someone’s secondary ‘fun’ car. The sweet spot on previous owners; they’ve been driving and fixing it for ten years. 75 and older cars don’t are exempt from emission testing in California; you can still get up to about 400hp and still pass the test on newer ones.
Hello,
so I gave up on this, I went to take a look and it is not in good conditions.
However I went to see another one from 1978 25th anniversary. It was repainted 15 years ago. Interior is immaculate. Paint could use some TLC,
it has scratches not a show car but not even bad. It has some rust seems like surface rust and not deep. Motor is original 77000 with EFI ignition system.
I took some pictures of the underneath and engine bay.
I think for $9k it would be a good car to bring home. There is some leaking spot on the ground but these cars are old difficult to find one with no leaks at all.
Looks like it originally came with the L82 engine, FE7 Gymkhana sport suspension, tilt wheel, and D35 sport mirrors. What you show of the frame looks nice, thick, and clean. Did you check the rear frame corners where it kicks up to the trailing arm area? That's the area to be careful about and of course the bird cage. Bubba has been messing up things under the hood but what can be seen isn't expensive or hard to correct. Those soft lines on the A/C with hose clamps on the fittings should be changed to correct lines with fittings. The new rubber fuel line running front to back should be a hard line. They probably did that as a quick fix to run the EFI with an electric fuel pump. When they removed the original air cleaner and ducting they didn't re-seal the top of the radiator so it will struggle to keep the engine cool.
Since you are in California, remember anything 76 and newer needs to be smog certified.
Under the law it is the seller’s legal responsibility to get the vehicle certified before a sale or title transfer to another person.
Don't let the seller tell you not to worry it will pas smog.
Make him get it certified before the sale.
Since you are in California, remember anything 76 and newer needs to be smog certified.
Under the law it is the seller’s legal responsibility to get the vehicle certified before a sale or title transfer to another person.
Don't let the seller tell you not to worry it will pas smog.
Make him get it certified before the sale.
Looks like it originally came with the L82 engine, FE7 Gymkhana sport suspension, tilt wheel, and D35 sport mirrors. What you show of the frame looks nice, thick, and clean. Did you check the rear frame corners where it kicks up to the trailing arm area? That's the area to be careful about and of course the bird cage. Bubba has been messing up things under the hood but what can be seen isn't expensive or hard to correct. Those soft lines on the A/C with hose clamps on the fittings should be changed to correct lines with fittings. The new rubber fuel line running front to back should be a hard line. They probably did that as a quick fix to run the EFI with an electric fuel pump. When they removed the original air cleaner and ducting they didn't re-seal the top of the radiator so it will struggle to keep the engine cool.
thanks for your comments. You mean the engine will run hot or overheat ?
The fix is to seal the top of the radiator ? is it a complicated thing to do ? the radiator seems new and be replaced. Master cylinder is new too. One of the side (passanger) of the hood does not hook. So that will have to be addressed.
Overall I think 9k can be a good deal and my daily driver to work 2 miles everyday.
Here more pictures.
All your comments very welcomed.
I am Italian I have a Abarth which is a quick little car but my dream has always been to own a old Corvette. As a European guy Corvette are our dream cars.
1979 C3 how is it ?
