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If I were a betting man, I would say that you will probably get about half way thru this introduction and think to yourself, “this moron is in way over his head” and the answer to you thought is yes, yes I am… but hey, stick around at the very least maybe you will get some entertainment from this string, or maybe offer a new bee some kind guidance, who knows you may end up making a new friend along the way it's all up in the air. As you might suspect, I am not your typical car guy. I am more of an artist/ craftsman. However, I firmly believe that with confidence and drive anyone can (learn) do anything. These are the crossroads where I find myself. I am very mechanically inclined and love a good challenge. Hello, my name is Sean, I am a new member, and this is how I got here. Since high school I have had a fascination with the C3. To this day I am convinced that the C3 is the greatest car that ever was or will be made. Over the years I would look in awe and dream of owning one. Fast forward to present day, where my fifteen year old son gets this idea in his head to secretly search for one for me. He shortly enlists my wife as they conspire in looking for cars. I eventually caught on to what they were concocking by random probing questions at dinner about my favorite car color, or what I thought of different years of the Corvette… it got to the point that they came clean, and presented their plans for a 50th birthday present. From then on my son and I worked together on sourcing a car. After talking to a number of owners and choosing one we thought would be nice , we went to see it. And as you could imagine, I made the carnal mistake of buying it in my mind before I even saw it. So, there you have it, I am a proud owner of a 1974 project car. The idea is that this will be a project that my son and I will work on together, and for anyone with kids, you know that feeling of doing something you enjoy with one of your kids, especially as they age. As for the car, it is a 1974 coupe with a 350 short block and manual transmission. As you can see from the photo it is just getting started on being rebuilt. The previous owner had started the project many years ago before he fell ill. So far, it has been stripped down to the frame and sand blasted & powder coated. He rebuilt the suspension and differential with new seals, bearings and yoke. The body has been sanded and one coat of gelcoat applied. I have most of the pieces to put back together, although there is no fuel system, it has rotors, but not calipers. It has the diff but not a drive shaft. It appears to have new stainless steel brake lines, but the master cylinder is in rough shape. The interior is another story that I will save for later. The Plan:
I would like to build a modernized vehicle that will last me a lifetime. Based on the current state and for what I have, I am planning to lift the body off as it is currently only held together by the 8 body mounting bolts and the two nose straps. Then I will start with rebuilding everything that goes in the chassis from the back forward. Currently, I'm thinking of an LS? (3) swap with a TR6060? I want to put in a power Borgeson steering box, and hydro assist brake booster so I can remove as much as possible, if not all, of the vacuum systems. I have so many questions as I read other accounts of similar situations. For each one that I read I come away more comfortable that this will be possible, but have even more questions about the parts and method. I am interested in hearing from others that have gone down this path and why you made the powertrain decisions that they did. I would like to learn as much as I can, so I can make the best decisions for my journey. I’ve read the swap guide book, and that tells me that a lot of people have done this before and what they used, but not why or their experience in doing so. I am curious about the hindsight lessons learned and the choices that you might have made now that you have been through it. I am 6k in already and hope to keep it under 20-25 (not counting the painting) . My hesitation around the engine/ transmission is mostly budget based. There is so much more I could say, but I think this will be a good starting point. Thanks for reading.
Howdy and welcome to the forum @Grateful Dad I applaud your enthusiasm and aim. You may have already watched it as you thought about yours, but this video shows what I believe is a great way to get where you want to go when you said “I would like to build a modernized vehicle that will last me a lifetime”. Hope the vid is of a help to you and I look forward to seeing you and your sons accomplishments!
Yours is an interesting story and I hope you are able to build the car of your dreams. The best part of the story is that your son helped pick it out and that it is going to be a father and son project.
Good luck on your project and keep us informed of your progress.
thank you all for the warm welcome. My son and I are really excited I will definitely post updates as we progress. @litevette I appreciate the video link. I have seen that one a few times now, in fact, I watched it again today. there are a number of really well documented swaps out there on youtube and I am pulling info from all of them.
ok, I ordered a fuel tank today: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/FIF-58025
so, it is time for my first question...
I know that I won't need a return line and I have read that there is a fuel filter (I think or similar) that I need to mount close to the tank to close that loop. does Anyone have a part number? I assume that I will need a short line for that too.
also anyone have a recommendation for a fuel line? the fitting size is -6 AN ; I see that stainless braided lines seem to be popular how do these compare to a hard line?
Welcome Grateful Dad,
We all get into the project thinking its going to be too much, but once its on the road it will be all worth it.
When I got my C4 running, it was awesome, I had to sell it due to a move, but it was a beast,
Your project looks like it has some great bones and should be lots of fun.
Welcome,, looks like it will be fun. I got my first C3 when I was 20yrs old. After doing several project builds as well as currently building cars for others, I believe you may need to triple your budget ( not counting paint and body work ) to get to the forever car you're seeking. A good approach might be to just go with a completely New chassis with some C7 suspension and drivetrain. Your completion times will be shorter and you'll be enjoying it sooner with your son. I wish you well and success.
Hello from a new C3 owner
