Hi

I am from the C4 forum but need advice on a C3
My brother in law finally came to his senses yesterday when we saw a nice C3 that he is interested in, so we need to know what to look for

The car is a fairly standard 1980 L48 C3 ivory with ivory interior.
It has 85 k on the clock and it generally feels and drives very well.
According to the owner (past 8 yrs) it has been very reliable and the only problem has been a leaking front driver side calliper about a year ago. He has not fitted ss callipers but thinks that the previous owner had as well as braided lines

The engine is cleanish with a small amount of oil smear towards the back of the manifold; it is completely standard with the exception of a set of long tubs (1 ¾ I think) and a true dual system with thrust boxes.

The owner told me that the car had its ‘electronic’ carb? Replaced with a standard Rochester, can any throw some light on that pls?

I need to give the car a good look over, wheel bearings, joints, leaks etc but are there any C3 specific point I need to look at?
Oil pressure looked fine and it’s obviously just been changes as has the auto fluid
What type of vacuum should on of these run at tickover, and where is a good spot to find a good source to measure it.

Thanks for all of the help

Barry

 

the frame... if the frame has any rot on it . pay close attention to the area near the trailing arms.. if it does you may be looking at a total body off rebuild ........good luck..

 

Many thanks, not used to worrying abour rot on C4s .
Where do you jack these things up?

Ta

 

Here you go...........

 

Thanks

 

I have a friend who has a 1976 L82 four speed in awesone condition for $10,000.00. It is rust free and a great running car. I would buy this car in a heartbeat if I didn't already own one. Let me know if you are interested. Air and all other devises work great too.
Bernie

 

Any one know that the cost of transport and import duty to the UK would be for a car costing $10?

Barry

 

OOPS!! Should have looked at your avatar. Didn't realize it would have to be exported!
Bernie

 

i agree. frame and window rot are big pains.

 

Along with frame and trailing arm rot, you should also check the rocker channels of the bird cage. I missed this on my 77 and now have much work to do.
The electronic carb may be a carb with a mixture solenoid. For many years I worked on Delco engine computers and some around that year would drive mixture solenoids. Not sure if they were ever used on Vettes. I'm still a recent Vette owner.

 

Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what is the birdcage?

Ta

Barry

 

Thats a great deal!

 

The bird cage is the steel structure inside the fiberglass body. It holds the windshield, runs down along where the doors bolt in. down to the bottom of the car and I believe along the rockers and back up. They have been known to rust from the inside out. Check real good at the pillar post you can see through the windshield where the vin tag mounts. Any rust bubbles there warrants further inspection.

 

the bird cage is steel framework around the passenger compartment. The section under the doors is the rocker channel. The #2 and #3 Body mount bushings sit on top of the frame (side rails) and under the rocker channel. If the channel rots, the body looses support. Like checking the frame for rot with the right hammer, you could do a quick check of the rocker channel. Here is how I did a quick check of mine: With a 1" x 18" piece of 1/8" band iron tap the underside of the rocker channel and listen for the sound of good metal. Slide the band iron up between the outside of the frame rail and inside of the body. Tap upward along the side of the vehicle. This may sound hokie but it will help find a rotted channel. If you can get more time with the car, take the interior kick-panel out and you can see the top of the #2 body mount. IfF you remove the access cover in the rear wheel well, you can see the top of the #3 body mount. Hope this helps.

 

Hi Barry,

Rough guesstimate for you.

$10k Asking price,
$1500 depending on location ( working from what I paid... mine was trucked 720 miles cross state, US customs clearance, Shipping to Southampton, Marine Insurance and Courier fees for documentation was $1570)
Import duty at 10% ( this is 10% of purchase price plus shipping etc )
VAT @ 17.5 % ( this is 17.5% of the total you just worked out...tax on tax! )
Light conversion to UK specs, £30 if you do it yourself.
MOT £35.00
Registration and 12 months Car tax £208.00
Number plates £22.00
Then insuring the beast....
12 months Inusrance, 5k miles £187.00

So that gives you a total of around £9972 Assuming 1.78 $ to the £.
Phew......

Check out my site...makes it easier to understand! Good Luck.
www.mycorvette.tk

 

Great info

Thanks for all of the help

Barry