Hi
I have an opportunity to purchase a 78 Vette. What are some areas that I should thouroughly check over that might be problematic for these years? I am not worried as much about the visible cosmetics as I am about the structural integrity of the body, chasis , etc.

Thanks

 

No question, before you put your hard earned money down, pull the kick panels, just one screw in back, up near the inside fire wall, and the sill covers, first 3 screws ought to do it, and check the lower birdcage to body mounts. Second there are little covers in the front of the rear wheel wells, 6 -1/4" bolts, pull these and check the rear cage mounts. The other two, called #1 and #4 you can see from underneath the car, they're open to the air. Don't let a little surface rust scare you off of these, the main thing is that their not pitted or seriously rusted, No holes! Check for the level of the rust, if it's present, with a sharp tool. If that checks out, and you like the car and price, It Needs to go on a lift to check the frame for tears and/or rust, same thing applies, a little surface is ok , but no pitting. Pay attention to around the front suspension areas and to the take off areas for the rear kick-ups, the front for tears and the rear for rust. The windshield surround can be fixed for about $3k, so it's not that bad if it's rusty. Look at the w/s surround from the top of the shield through the glass, and look inside, behind the mirror, at the line across the top of the windshield, inside. Serious Birdcage rust- kick panel inspection reveals this- is a death knell for everything but a high value (+35k) Vette, looking up-wards of $10k for that, and I do mean up-wards. Put a camera in the front kick panel holes and take a picture up into the cage rails, you can see the condition of the rails. Birdcage, Frame and w/s surround inspection is a must for any C3 buy, and if he won't let you do it, I'd walk away from it.

 

I wouldn't blow off cosmetics if they are important in the least to you. Be aware that a Vette paint job can cost as much as $7,000 which could be as much as the car is worth depending on the year.

There is a checklist on the forum here somewhere that can help you out. Go here and look at post 2:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...klist+purchase

 

Big thing? Frame rust. Check the frame where it jumps up over the rear wheels. If this has rust, the rest is probably in pretty poor shape. Jab it with a screwdriver. If you can poke through, you'll need a new frame - not the end of the world, but 5-8K in expense...

 

hehe...cosmetics is everything...if it's clean then it's most likely been taken care of. My vette, for example, was virtually spotless...no need to remove any parts...the previous owner kept the car in the garage when he wasn't driving it and only drove it like 1,000 miles a year. It only had 40,000 miles on it when I bought it and now has 50,000. There's some surface rust...nothing that couldn't be brushed off and painted...frame and underbody treatment back in the 70's was not as good as it is now. I paid $11,500 for it in 2001. Expect to pay at least 16K for a clean ride today though.

But, for any C3 you need to look at the suspension. I could see through my control arm bushings they rotted away so much...they used solid rubber back then and so all the rubber parts have deteriorated...either hardened and swollen from oil and fuel contact, or just rotted away from ultra-violet radiation and oxidation. Look for a car that has already had the suspension rebuilt including the rear spindles...mine went dry and were locking up the rear wheels...originally thought it was brakes.