Jenny

Hi guys, i'm in the process of purchasing a 1980 Vette w/ 56K original miles, and a 6000mile old GM Performance 350c.i. engine 300hp and 360ft lbs of torque... The car runs very well, the paint is in decent condition, every thing electrical works as it should. The guy is about 50 years old, and has been the owner of the car since 1991 and has all service records, receipt of the crate engine, etc... since then. Is there anyhting specifically i should watch out for? Any tips problems? Rust on the chassis is minimal, a little in front of the rear wheels where the fender starts. It is burgundy w/ white leather interior. Thanks for the help!

JKS

1976C3

I would look online for a corvette buyers guide, there are a few around, and will make your purchase alot safer/happier.

It comes down to how bad you want it honestly. Alot of ppl will overlook big problems simply because they want the car. Try not to let emotions drive your purchase, and you will be way happier in the long run.

The rusting in the wheel wells, is it on the frame? The frame is known to rust in these areas badly, and could be a down the road problem. Also do not forget to check the emissions system/exhaust system on it. I would take it to a inspection station and have them run a sniffer test, not a vehicle inspection, just a test. You are in NC and this might be a problem since it is a crate motor, it might not have all the emissions system included.


[Modified by 1976C3, 2:35 PM 9/12/2001]

SuperFast80

Hi Jenny,
]
Welcome aboard. Check out these links below. Also, do a search on 'Juliet'. She has a TRILLION useful Corvette links (from which I always glean these:D):

Corvette Fever's How to Buy a Corvette Checklist - Page 1 http://www.d-p-g.com/corvettefever/sep96/eM1.htm

Corvette Fever's How to Buy a Corvette Checklist - Page 2 http://www.d-p-g.com/corvettefever/sep96/eM2.htm

Corvette Fever's How to Buy a Corvette Checklist - Page 3 http://www.d-p-g.com/corvettefever/sep96/eM3.htm

Jenny

THanks for the help guys! I actually have already found the links that you posted and looked through it all. I saw the car twice.. the first time i looked at general things, working order, etc... yesterday i spent about an hour looking through all the details w/ a friend to give me unbiased help . I'm planning on taking it to a mechanic this afternoon to see if everything checks out. If it does, it's all mine :D. I am having problems w/ the VIN, since it is a 1980, it's 13 digits, not 17 as standard. Anyone know where i can get that info? The vin is: 1Z878AS417088. How is upkeep? Reliability? The prior owner has replaced many components. And the underside of the car is not oily, nor does it drip. Speaking of oil, another question: The engine runs great, during idle the oil pressure gauge (i'm guessing that that's what it is) is around 40. During accelleration it climbes to a higher magnitude. The engine runs great and idles fine. Is this normal? Thanks guys. I hope to share my experiences w/ the car with y'all throughout my project. Thanks

JKS

1976C3

yeah the oil pressue sounds about right. Have you verified it will pass emissions yet? I would hate to see you buy a vette and then drop a $$ of cash to gt it on the road due to local emissions testing.

Jenny

He has just gotten it inspected, and it did pass emmisions. It has the mirror tops. That new engine, brakes are good. I'll see if i can't get a camera there and take some pics. Thanks y'all!!!

JKS

1976C3

Cool! Yeah the reason I mentioned you getting emissions checked is that people buy inspection stickers still, and who knows if it passed or he paid a friend to sticker it. I am over cautious in this area due to getting burnt b4, so dont mind my paranoia.

MikeC

Jenny,

check out the rust in front of the rear wheels very carefully. Use a screwdriver to see if you can poke through the frame. In that spot it usually rusts from the inside out.

I know, I didn't look. My frame was gone there, had to band aid it until it gets a new frame.

Hope everythings good with it.

Mike

427V8

remember a crate engine is not origional so there should be a big discount for that, unless he has the origional lying around somewhere...

Jenny

That is the exact spot where it has some rust issues. How easy/hard is it to fix this? I have taken this into account already and i'll get a second opinion from the mechanic tomorrow. Thanks for the conscern jeff! He had the actual readings printout with the sticker. It looked good to me. What are options for fixing the rust? Hack it out and weld on another piece? Thanks!

Jenny

I realized that. The asking price is 7K. I will really try to take some pics and show y'all.

MikeC

It depends how bad the rust is. My whole bottom half of that corner of the frame was swiss cheese, I cut it out and fabbed up some replacement pices and welded them in.

Option:
1) you can fix it like I did. Consider this as a temporary fix.
2) You can get replacement sections and get someone to weld them in. Its hard to do with the body on.
3) Buy the car and replace the frame :lol:

The bottom section in that area is not critical co if it is in ok condition there is no problem. Its when it becomes swiss cheese and starts fatigueing the top half of the frame.

Doctor Rebuild sells replacement sections, His url is www. docrebuild.com.

I hope this helps

Mike


[Modified by MikeC, 2:21 PM 9/12/2001]

Easy Mike

Jenny -- welcome. 13 characters IS correct for a 1980 Corvette VIN. Your VIN decodes as follows:

1 Chevrolet Division of General Motors
Z Corvette
87 Body Style Code, sport coupe
8 Engine code indicating the base L48 engine
A Year of Manufacture, A for 1980
S Plant Code for St. Louis, Missiouri
4 Placeholder
17088 Consecutive Unit Number -- the 17,088th 1980 Corvette assembled at St. Louis.

She was built in early February, 1980.

Cruise and enjoy.

Gator81

Hi, Jenny,

Welcome to the Forum! :seeya

My '81 had 67K miles on it when I bought it 8 years ago. The issues I had to deal with immediately are probably things you should be looking at, as well.

These issues have to do with things that deteriorate more as a result of age than mileage. In particular, I was looking at brakes and the cooling system.

I don't know what your level of knowledge is regarding C3's, or cars in general, so please don't be insulted if I say something you already know. [We all had to learn sometime! :D ]

Brakes: The calipers and master cylinder (MC) on the C3 are machined from plain iron. The brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air through the pressure equalization vents that are in the MC cap, and of course any time the cap is off of the MC. Moisture in the fluid plus plain iron bores equals rust. The calipers, in particular, are notorious for rusting. Just because yours don't leak doesn't mean they aren't rusty. The rust is in the part of the bore behind the piston. As the pads wear down, the range of movement of the piston moves away from the rusty part, so the piston seals don't have a problem. Until you put new pads on. The new pads, being thicker, push the pistons way back in the bores. That means the piston seals are now scrubbing over the rusty surface, and they leak. So beware: there is a good chance you'll be buying stainless-steel sleeved calipers to replace your old ones when you decide you need new brake pads. Personally, I'd bet on it, especially if it's a local NC car (humid climate). The only way that's not true is if the owner was meticulous about flushing the brake fluid periodically.

Cooling system: People who own and drive low-mileage cars often neglect maintenance of items that deteriorate more from age than mileage. The coolant and radiator fall into that category. On mine, it appeared that the coolant mix was very, very old. The radiator tubes were coated with carbonate, and there was a leak. So I pulled the radiator and took it to a repair shop where they pressurized it with air in a tub of water. There must have been two dozen little streams of bubbles! :eek: No practical fix; bought a new rad. I've been expecting the heater core to go as well, but so far it's OK. The A/C hot water cutoff valve (vacuum controlled) was stuck open with the same carbonate mess that the radiator was clogged with; that meant that the heat was basically on all the time, even when the A/C was running. Had to buy a new valve. And of course I flushed and refilled the cooling system with fresh antifreeze and distilled (not tap!) water.

Good luck! I hope you find the '80 to be worthwhile. You can count on the forum folks to help you with whatever little problems you encounter.

:cool:

Lohkay

Hi Jenny....where do you live? Do you have a boyfriend? lol....ok...calm down boy. The way you describe the car, it seems fine. The crate engine should keep you free of problems on that side...look at the wiring in the engine bay and around the fuse panel...do you see any tape? Mine is full and have electrical problems now and then cause of that. As for the frame, jack the car up and you should see if the rust is minimal or its all over the car. Besides that, do you have mechanical skills or a friend that can help you in case? Cause trust me, even if its a show quality C3, you'll have problems with it....thats what makes C3s so fun actualy. lol. But you know what...from the way you write, I know you're in love with that car already and whatever cancer it has, you'll most probably buy it....it hapened to me and everyone I know that owns a corvette so go get it girl and have fun!! :D

03whitecoupe

i'm going to add my two cents too. As others have said PLEASE check the frame out thoroughly. Even if there is what appears to be minimal rust it could be hiding much more. Frames ain't cheap. Just ask me, I wasn't carefull and now I'm paying the Piper.

Rich80

Another place to look for rust is inside the doors where the hinges bolt to the body. There is a seem there that will rust easily.... :chevy

1976C3

Just a note for you to think on. I seen 2 early 80 vettes in the triad area over the last weekend for 6k. 7k is not bad if the car is in good condition I reckon, but it is a aftermarket motor and that does affect its value.

I suggest getting a autotrader b4 you commit to this. I have seen some good deals in there while recently hunting with a friend for him a shark. I know a few good deals can be found on the c3 for sale section here. It does pay to shop around and not all mechanics are created equal when it comes to vettes.

Good luck in your shopping

yosshimura

Why would they have to replace the original engine with such little miles? :confused:

Jenny

Good point. I will ask that question. When i take it to my mechanic, we'll see what shape it truly is in. It's kinda hard to tell if you donn't put it up on the lift. What i remember from him telling me is that he wanted the 300hp instead of the 220 or whatever is in the original. Thanks for the insight!

What do you mean by an autotrader?!?