Just sold my second 1990 Mark III Toyota Supra. Loved the general layout and feel but a part broke that was irreplaceable and I decided I had enough of hard to find parts giving me problems and decided the next car would be one with availability of parts. I didn't think I would ever be interested in a Corvette as I didn't generally like two seater cars and dislike the window immediately behind the driver. Recently, however, a friend bought a C3 with the fastback rear window and I realized this could be my next classic car. I am an old school driver; I want as little in the way of computers and electronic features as possible.

I have a relative in San Antonio with a six bay garage and extensive experience with Chevy drivetrain swaps (multiple trucks and Suburbans as well as rebuilt my entire Supra drivetrain) so I am not afraid of a project car as I have help I can trust. I don't care about collector value so the idea of swapping out an engine or transmission to get a better driver is fine by me. While my budget isn't unlimited I could afford a much newer car if I wanted; that just isn't what I want to drive. I'm not a person who likes to go fast; my 250 hp Supra was plenty fast for me. What I want is a car that when I have to drive will start up and as I drive I can say "Yes, I enjoy this." I do also miss people coming up to talk to me about my car. I understand that is part of owning a C3.

I don't need a show car, what I want (if possible) is a car I can daily drive the 30 mile round trip to work and tour Texas when desired. I understand cars some (worked in a garage in the late '80's) so for now I am in information gathering mode.

My goal here is to learn what features the C3 has (i.e. fastback vs notchback) what engines were available (and which are good or bad) and which modifications will give me a car I can drive as long as I am able. I want to put together a plan and a budget so when I find the right car I can start ordering parts shipped to his shop and drop the car off once I find it.

I don't need any suggestions yet, just a welcome and "Good luck" will be appreciated, unless there exists a link to a guide that says "avoid X" or "models A,B and C" might be a good start. Until then I plan to do a lot of reading and asking the occasional question.

 

Moved to C3 General for comment.

 

Well I'm happy to welcome you to our wonderful forum. I think you'll find this a VERY different world than the Japanese car world you are coming from.
Parts although are available, often are of substandard quality. Yet numerous people in this hobby rebuild original parts and many non standard upgrades are available.
Can't comment on the rear window that close to the driver thing. I'm thinking that's a misconception.
Do your Homework. These Chevrolet's are absolutely nothing like those Japanese cars you're used to.
NOTHING.
(OK they both have 4 wheels).

 

Welcome aboard

 

Save this link and you can research each year and get the specifications in a PDF file.:
https://www.gm.com/heritage/archive/...formation-kits

 

Welcome to the forum

A few bits in no particular order:

1. Get familiar with the term “birdcage”. That and the frame both are highly susceptible to rust and can result in huge disappointment.

2. 68-72 are often referred to as “chrome bumper C3s”. These are more valuable than the “rubber bumper C3s” (73 was an oddity with a rubber front and chrome rear).

3. The “fastback” was introduced in 1978. 68-72s have a removable rear window.

4. 69 was the pinnacle for engine offerings (and horsepower) - small block 350/300 and 350/350, big block 427/390, 427/400, 427/435, the last year for the “L-88” and the only year for the “ZL-1”. Production of the L-88 was 116 and only (reportedly) 2 of the ZL-1. The 454 ran from 70-74 but emissions laws progressively choked out the power down until your Toyota (and maybe even a Corolla) could outrun it.

5. As 4-Vettes points out, obtaining acceptable parts for these cars is getting harder every day. It takes diligence to get what you want and be satisfied.

6. The 68s are 56 years old. Father Time is against all of us, including C3s. Go in eyes wide open that you will need to expect a lot of care and feeding to keep it rolling.

7. The community of aging boomers (like me) who treasure these cars (I’ve had mine for 51 years), is dwindling. Finding expert restoration folks grows more challenging every year. Finding someone local who knows the inner workings and can repair it correctly and without breaking the bank is harder still.

8. The cost to repaint one is becoming borderline unaffordable. $15-20k for a top quality job is commonplace.

All that said, they are iconic vehicles. With an open mind of what you are getting into when you decide to buy, they are a joy to own but you need to understand and accept the risks and roll with the inevitable punches.

This forum is a wealth of information and the members want to help so ask a lot of questions. You will always get lots of answers (and lots of opinions).

Good luck in your search.

 

Welcome to the C.F.

 

Keep in mind, with the '73-'77 you can swap in a removable rear window. I have had mine out ever since I painted the car. It won't go back in until the AC is installed.

 

I agree with everything stated above. The best thing you can do for yourself is to drive a few different C-3s to see if you like them. My daily driver is a 2000 NSX. I also have a 66 and 68 coupes. The driving experience between the NSX and the early Corvettes is day and night. Just make sure you will be happy with the car before you put time and money into it. Jerry

 

es330td
Welcome. Since you hate that rear window right behind you the I would either recommend a convertible or a 78 to 82. Look at that and make sure your read the rules for buying a c3 corvette and the rust issues.
Here is the forum post on buying a corvette:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html

Here is a somewhat useful video for you to watch since you ax'd about guidance on what to look for/avoid:

 

Ah yes, like what one of the girl of the All Girl Garage TV show has. Never driven a Japanese car, but these must be nice to drive.

Welcome and good luck?

 

Welcome aboard. Make sure you put a lot of seat time in C3s before buying one if you plan on using it as a daily driver. They're great cars for weekend cruising and occasional trips and such. I used my 70 as a daily driver for years back in the seventies when I was in my twenties. Back then the driving experience was much different. We didn't know any better then. Looking back knowing how the driving experience has changed I don't think I'd want to daily drive my C3. If I needed it for a few days while my dd was in the shop, maybe, but not as a steady diet. There may be some on this forum who do dd their C3s but I'd bet most use them as I use mine, for cruise ins, weekend cruises and occasional fun runs. They are a blast for those type occasions. I never plan on selling my Stingray but I'll never go back to using it daily. Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

Welcome, all good points above. Regarding the driving experience comparison, there is a big difference but the C3 can be setup to handle like a more modern car with the correct parts.

 

It can be very expensive...

 

welcome

 

Your key words that stand out to me are "daily driver." My opinion would be to find the best condition driveable 1969-1972 you can afford. If that doesn't work out, you could move a bit newer towards a C4 in good condition with under 90,000 miles. I once had a 1996 coupe and luved it. Could have been a daily driver after a few issues were repaired. Best of luck!

 

Forgive the ignorance, but why 69-72 vs a newer car like 79-82? It feels like newer would imply fewer issues.

 

I kinda wondered about the 68-72 thing myself, but for different reasons. All of these cars are getting fairly old now. All over 42 years of age.
Not exactly daily driver kinda cars. Not without a backup car to be certain.
These are becoming very old cars now. Even when they were new they were high maintenance cars.
Daily driver?
Best of luck to you. Keep that Bus pass updated.

 

40 vs 50 years old doesn’t amount to much difference in terms of reliability. They’re both built to the same marginal quality standards and design.

The chrome bumper cars will always have higher value, in part because of the fact that they have twice as much horsepower and torque on tap, particularly with the 68 and 69s.

 

Welcome!

You can daily drive a vinyl bumper car. My wife does. Buy what looks good to you. I really like the look of the 73s, and even the 74-77 sugar scoop cars (with an improved rear bumper), from the outside. But I much prefer the later years. The less chrome the better.

And, where it matters when driving, I very much prefer the bubble-window 78-82 look and feel when driving.

Rust and paint are very difficult to fix. Everything else is pretty easy, or can be fixed by throwing money at the problem. Hopefully you will be doing the work yourself.

Good luck, and try to drive a few before you decide. There are HUGE differences in driving feel between a fully stock C3, a clapped C3 on Facebook Marketplace, and a restomodded C3 with better than new suspension components.