Hey noobie here and need some help...
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Hey noobie here and need some help...
So I went with my father today to check out a 1980 vette, 67,000 original males, all matching numbers, 350 engine nothing special. But before we buy it, well my father and i are not to smart when it comes to mechanices so we had a few questions.
1.When we drove it around we could kinda smell the gas/exhaust from the inside of the car? Is that a sign of misfiring, or unburnt gas or something?
2.The engine kind of sputters alittle at full stops but at idle the engine purrs like a tiger. should i worry about the engine having to be rebuilt or something?
3. The actuators on the headlights are broken, where can i get them and for about how much? Are they easy to replace?
1.When we drove it around we could kinda smell the gas/exhaust from the inside of the car? Is that a sign of misfiring, or unburnt gas or something?
2.The engine kind of sputters alittle at full stops but at idle the engine purrs like a tiger. should i worry about the engine having to be rebuilt or something?
3. The actuators on the headlights are broken, where can i get them and for about how much? Are they easy to replace?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,606
Likes: 4
Originally Posted by ragnarok
3. The actuators on the headlights are broken, where can i get them and for about how much? Are they easy to replace?
http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...dept%5Fid=1477
P.S. - Just curious...how old are you?
Pro
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 559
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From: James Island South Carolina
I would definitley see what the other forum members have to say, but if you can also smell the gas outside of the car around the front end, the fuel pump could be going bad. Also is the carburetor mounted tightly on ithe manifold? I had those problems before that both smelled of gas and affected the driveability. Good Luck!
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2006
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Honestly im not sure if they are broken or just inoperable but the lights themselves work but when you turn them on sometimes they open sometimes they dont and when you turn the lights off sometimes they close sometimes they dont so you gotta walk to the front and either lift them or push them down.
I'm being told the exhaust/gas smell could just be gaskets, a simple fix. Anyone agree?
I'm 20 my dad is 45 and we drive a 2004 V6 mustang and a 1994 v6 ford taurus respectively. But we both love these corvette's so it's gonna be like a father son project car as silly as that sounds.
I'm being told the exhaust/gas smell could just be gaskets, a simple fix. Anyone agree?
I'm 20 my dad is 45 and we drive a 2004 V6 mustang and a 1994 v6 ford taurus respectively. But we both love these corvette's so it's gonna be like a father son project car as silly as that sounds.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 21,422
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From: Massillon,Ohio USA
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12
Originally Posted by ragnarok
I'm being told the exhaust/gas smell could just be gaskets, a simple fix. Anyone agree?
...as far as the "sputtering", could be a clogged fuel filter in the carb that needs replaced, to the carb needing rebuilt, to a full tune-up with plugs, wires, distributor cap, air filter, PCV valve, fuel filter, carbon canister filter, etc. Are any past maintenance records available to see what has been done in 67,000 miles. Yeah, some stuff can be simple while others can set you back a few paychex.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 6,689
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From: Michigan
St. Jude Donor '15
Originally Posted by ragnarok
But we both love these corvette's so it's gonna be like a father son project car as silly as that sounds.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by C3 RV
This is not silly, this is excellent. Welcome to the forum. There is plenty of information and help here to guide you in the wise (and fun) purchase and restoration of your vette. That said, I have no actual help to offer.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,412
Likes: 3
When I first bought my car I was leaking fuel at the pump and at the sender, there are two rubber hoses coming out of the gas tank fill up nozzle... rubber goes bad.
I would roll up the windows, shut the doors, and spray that sucker hard with a hose for a good five minutes. Especially in the door cracks and around the windows. If you get water in the car which you probably will, talk the guy down some more.
I would roll up the windows, shut the doors, and spray that sucker hard with a hose for a good five minutes. Especially in the door cracks and around the windows. If you get water in the car which you probably will, talk the guy down some more.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 405
Likes: 15
From: Minneapolis
Find someone who knows 'Vettes in your area (yellow pages) and pay 'em a few bucks to do a pre-purchase inspection. We are all too far removed from your situation to really be of much help. A gas smell could be coming from many, many places. Also a sputtering engine could be very simple to one on it's last legs.
We've all been there, when we bought our first one....
Cheers!
We've all been there, when we bought our first one....
Cheers!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Hey Rag congrats to you and your Dad!
Lots of help to be had in here, good guys. OK, pics are a good idea, post when you can, Where are you? could be a forum member can help to look it over. Leaks can give you all kinds of smells, could be a $3 or a $300 fix.
Stay posted and let us know how its going.
Lots of help to be had in here, good guys. OK, pics are a good idea, post when you can, Where are you? could be a forum member can help to look it over. Leaks can give you all kinds of smells, could be a $3 or a $300 fix.
Stay posted and let us know how its going.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 11
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Well he wants $6000 but I was able to talk him down to $4500 right now. I'm in Queens NY and I don't know anyone who would come look at it. I have a friend who is a pretty good mechanic who is gonna go look at it with me tomorrow again, hopefully he can better pinpoint the problems but he's no corvette expert or anything. If anyone around here knows about someone I could hire to come with me or something let me know ASAP because my dad is going to decide by tomorrow what he wants to do with it. And unfortunately he probably wont be putting in the cash assistance lol but maybe I can talk him into some since he will be driving it as well. Theres two pics of the car i took tonight up at www.angelfire.com/ny5/ofpureblood/mustang
How much more should i try to get him to down? and it does need new weatherstripping, i could defeintly just pour the water in through the window.
How much more should i try to get him to down? and it does need new weatherstripping, i could defeintly just pour the water in through the window.
Last edited by ragnarok; Mar 14, 2006 at 10:23 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,654
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From: Chandler Arizona
St. Jude Donor '08
Looks pretty nice for $4500. I didn't see any mention of whether it has rust underneath. Do take a good look at the frame, especially where the trailing arms mount into the frame in front of the rear wheels. Also the windshield area is prone to rust. If possible, check behind the front kick panels and see if the doors have any up and down play when they are open (could indicate birdcage rust). These cars can look great on the outside, but be total rust buckets "inside" and underneath. 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
$4500 for a running driveablr car ain't bad. That being said, look for rust on the frame, count on a suspension rebuild uless it was done semi recently, carb cleanup/rebuild, brake rebuild, etc... Hoses...
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2006
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I'll definetly look for all the rust when I go tomorrow...thanks for the info on that. By the way, anyone know anything about that hood? I've looked all over the place and can't find any info on that hood or where it could have come from...especially considering the guy said everything is original aside from the color and the t-tops. 
By the way, anyone know anything about that hood? I've looked all over the place and can't find any info on that hood or where it could have come from...especially considering the guy said everything is original aside from the color and the t-tops.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 559
Likes: 0
From: James Island South Carolina
Originally Posted by ragnarok
Well he wants $6000 but I was able to talk him down to $4500 right now. I'm in Queens NY and I don't know anyone who would come look at it. I have a friend who is a pretty good mechanic who is gonna go look at it with me tomorrow again, hopefully he can better pinpoint the problems but he's no corvette expert or anything. If anyone around here knows about someone I could hire to come with me or something let me know ASAP because my dad is going to decide by tomorrow what he wants to do with it. And unfortunately he probably wont be putting in the cash assistance lol but maybe I can talk him into some since he will be driving it as well. Theres two pics of the car i took tonight up at www.angelfire.com/ny5/ofpureblood/mustang
How much more should i try to get him to down? and it does need new weatherstripping, i could defeintly just pour the water in through the window.
How much more should i try to get him to down? and it does need new weatherstripping, i could defeintly just pour the water in through the window.
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by SIXFOOTER
$4500 for a running driveablr car ain't bad. That being said, look for rust on the frame, count on a suspension rebuild uless it was done semi recently, carb cleanup/rebuild, brake rebuild, etc... Hoses...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,606
Likes: 4
Originally Posted by ragnarok
By the way, anyone know anything about that hood? I've looked all over the place and can't find any info on that hood or where it could have come from...especially considering the guy said everything is original aside from the color and the t-tops.
That hood is not original. Someone's homemade hack-job.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Originally Posted by ragnarok
something tells me with my weak paycheck its gonna take a LONG time to make this car run well.
so your 45 when its right,,,,,,