What should I look for? I am a straight axle guy so... What are the problem areas? I know it still has a bird cage so I will look for rust. I think the 77 is a black automatic not sure what the 74 is...

Also, there is an 84 in the group of corvettes too. 74 will be smog exempted. Just wondering what to look for with birdcage and what else to look for.

 

in front of the rear tires, the "kickup" area, ck around there, where the trailing arms mount to see if there is any rot.
Ck the winshield wipers, headlights to see if they work right.
Excessive slop if you can wiggle the wheels, etc. Outside that usual used car stuff!
So you found a pre smog car in Ca lucky dog!
Thnk there is a 73, 4 and 5 on CL....los angeles, so cal area.

Couple smog exempt and late C3s on CL right now, so cal that look good.
One is a 2 tone 81? 80? 4 spd L82 car. Very nice..12k

 

77 is smog inspected in California. 74 is exempt. Judging by your avatar you don’t know what emissions inspection means. 84 are nice cars but more of a 2 seat Camaro. Or fast Camry.

 

Lived in California all my life. I am fully aware of smog requirements. I was more looking what problem areas are with C3s is all. Yes, primarily I am interested in the 74. Heck I remember the day that they increased it from 73. I was hoping 78 would have been included since we have a 78 C10 Big 10.

 

Nice!! Theres a real sweet 74? and 78 or 9 single cab dually on there now.
Notice all the 70s barges coming out of the woodwork as the owners are passing on?
San Diego and especially Palm Springs CL are loaded with those types, 1 owner low mi garage queens.
Most are failry reasonable unless a flipper got ahold of them. Back on topic...

 

I would lean 74 just for the smog exemption alone as you can do anything you want performance wise.
go tp post 107 on this thread, it explains everything
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...orvette-6.html

along the nose about 4 inches in front of the hood is a line of rivets under the fiberglass, if they are rotten it will look like a row of pimples...it can be fixed but if its rotten there....
check the door gaps and how they shut and align, check for bondo or a repair on the inside of the fenders as they will bend and crack in a collision. just run your fingers up and around the inside of the fender lip. 68s had poor support in the nose and are known to crack at the top of the lip but a 74 shouldnt
grabbing the rear tires and rocking will tell you the condition of the stub axles as well as the rear bearings. Take a lot of pictures and ask to look at the body mounts. they can be replaced but again...its just the tip of the iceberg and if its rotten on a Cali car it was in a flood or left on the beach

Worry about paint as a good paint job starts above 10K if you arent a paint and body man yourself..Body work can double the price.

as mentioned by other posters check everything from the lights to the wipers and horn, take it for a drive and pay attention to the brakes and how it shifts Motor work is about the cheapest issue you will have with a old vette

 

4-5k for the 74. I think he said 5k for the 77 (repainted automatic).