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Howdy,
I'm new to the Corvette scene and I just bought me a 1980! I'm in the military and dont have a very large budget but I'd like to do a restomod build on this car. The outside looks nice and most of the engine bay looks good but the interior is pretty rough and the car definitely needs some work. My plan is to have the car looking "pretty good" by June so I can bring it to my wedding and have a classic car to drive away in with my wife. So I have 7 months and a lot to learn. I would love any help y'all are willing to offer as far as how to work on some of this stuff. So far I can say I love the community!
Here are some pictures of the car and some of the problems I'd like to tackle.
the previous owner dropped a new 700r4 trans in it, and put a new starter and alternator along with a few top end engine parts. It also came with a Holley Sniper EFI that he says has a blown fuse in it from a wire touching the headers.
I understand the interior work pretty well, it's just going to be a bit tedious. One thing I find weird is that all of the vacuum lines for the pop ups are just disconnect from the vacuum ports. Does anyone have a chart or diagram of how the vacuum lines should be??
I need to pull my power window regulators and see if they are repairable or need to be replaced.
My A/C and heating control box has all broken levers, so hopefully a new box should be enough to fix that?
The tachometer doesn't work but I'm not too worried about that. Neither does the parking brake which seems like it needs a complete rebuild. There is also a loud clanking coming from directly under the parking brake while driving. Hopefully it's not from the trans itself but it can't be ignored.
The steering wheel has a lot of play in it. The previous owner said he changed the whole power steering system so maybe it the gear box?
It has some leaks that need to be investigated more and needs a bunch of hoses changed. The coolant hoses and fuel lines are a combination of a bunch of hoses put together instead of one hose spanning the whole way. So I will dig into that.
That's the most of my problems for now. The interior needs a ton of work but I think it's mostly straightforward.
If anyone has recommendations or advice I am more that happy to hear it. Thank you!
For the clanking. check the front universal joint on the drive shaft.
For your A/C, it appears your compressor is missing.
You're missing some seals around your radiator. These are critical in hot weather.
Steering wheel play can be from a bad rag joint. Can be checked visually.
For the clanking. check the front universal joint on the drive shaft.
For your A/C, it appears your compressor is missing.
You're missing some seals around your radiator. These are critical in hot weather.
Steering wheel play can be from a bad rag joint. Can be checked visually.
Good to know! I will look into that for sure. Thank you!
Cool car!
welcome..
my advice…
-get a gm shop service manual..ebay etc..try to get an original.
-focus on critical areas..
brakes , including emergency, steering issues, cooling.
- post a new thread for each matter needed if stuck.
- post lots of pics! Even more of your engne etc..under the vehicle..many n here have a great eye and advice..
- inspect for loose nuts bolts etc..areas of concern for best response.
- the only nterior for me is last but maybe a cover and good cleaning with some dye frame m some of the sponsors will do wonders…but ultimately the interior and reliability will be your direction from spouse
Sharp Car...you have the standard To-Do List for a 42 y.o. Vette.
As the members said....do the brakes first/outdated tires next/fluid levels-change old fluids/etc.
Cool car!
welcome..
my advice…
-get a gm shop service manual..ebay etc..try to get an original.
-focus on critical areas..
brakes , including emergency, steering issues, cooling.
- post a new thread for each matter needed if stuck.
- post lots of pics! Even more of your engne etc..under the vehicle..many n here have a great eye and advice..
- inspect for loose nuts bolts etc..areas of concern for best response.
- the only nterior for me is last but maybe a cover and good cleaning with some dye frame m some of the sponsors will do wonders…but ultimately the interior and reliability will be your direction from spouse
Will do, reliability definitely comes first. I just ordered a manual and put the car in a lift on Monday to get some good pictures of the under side. Thanks for the advice!
Sharp Car...you have the standard To-Do List for a 42 y.o. Vette.
As the members said....do the brakes first/outdated tires next/fluid levels-change old fluids/etc.
For sure, the tires are actually brand new. I'm doing an oil change this week as well. Thanks for the advice!
interior. decide the color you want. virtually everything in there can be dyed to a diff color. except seats and carpets. especially since it is a very light color. personally i would stay that color. it will match her dress. tires. you sure they are new? did you check the dates on the sidewalls?
interior. decide the color you want. virtually everything in there can be dyed to a diff color. except seats and carpets. especially since it is a very light color. personally i would stay that color. it will match her dress. tires. you sure they are new? did you check the dates on the sidewalls?
Yes I checked the date, they were manufactured in late 2021. And I didn't know carpet can't be dyed. Thank you
New project 1980 C3
