Keep it. Get your registration straightened out. Buy some books on the 68 to 82 cars. Get the 1973 Corvette factory shop manual too.

In the meantime send for every Corvette catalog (parts houses) you can get. Take an inventory or what the car needs. Write down the ball park figure of what each part costs.

While making your needs list, clean every area up on the car, use that elbow grease. Then from what you've learned from the books and the shop manual do those little repairs. Get the carb rebuild kit, get the electrics working and so on.

You're 17, you have all the time in the world to make this a very nice car. If you find things will cost too much, sell the car. It'll be cleaner, some things will be working and you just got more knowledge of Corvettes too.

1973's are pretty cool with their rubber front bumper and chrome rears. You have a Corvette now, it's yours, give it chance at life again.

 

65747785, Thanks, that's great advice.

I've already had subscription to 7 parts catalogs for some time now.

It's a really tough decision. What I plan on doing is putting it on craigslist locally, for about a month at a rather high price around 3k and see what happens. If it doesn't go anywhere, I'll keep it, and start on the restoration to make this drivable. Get this 350 going and just keep the auto trans and save on the swap. I'll learn to do fiberglass work, and have already become educated on lots of cost and am an effective bargainer.

To all that may care I have a computer design class where we either had to make a sketch or take a picture and make a black and white sticker. I took one of my vette, and cleaned it up. Let me know what you guys think.

 

The picture looks nice, I see you have talent. Meaning you have a good head on your shoulders.

Ya know, a lot of us started at a young age loving Corvettes. It's nice to see you starting out. Hey, if someone goes for the $3,000 or say $2,500 well that's of course up to you and sell it. I think you have a good starting point right here with the 73.

Someone said in here a 68 to 72 chrome bumper car would maybe be the same costs in the end. The difference is, a 68 to 72 project car would cost way more? I'm sure you know this already. Saving up the thousands of dollars it would cost delays your dream. I can't tell you what to do, nobody can. But you have it sitting at your grandparents house. Man, if you seen some of the restored Corvettes and where they started out, well your 73 looks like a gem.

Okay, that's enough BS from me. Keep us all turned in to what happens.

 

When you go to look for your '68-'72 make sure it has a removable rear window. Although some owners have converted their '73's most haven't.

If it is a converted '73, chances are there won't be a storage tray for the window under the rear deck.

Also make sure it has either vertical "gills" or egg crates grilles rather than a large slanted hole on the sides.

None of these are fool proof but most haven't gone to the trouble of modifying to that extent.

The biggest thing is the VIN. Scope it out first as I'm sure you've already learned.

You can use many of the parts of this '73 for '69-'72's but '68's are too unique and not near as many parts are interchangeable.

cc

 

If the kid gets the title straightened out, and the 73 is clean, that's a hell of a steal...

 

I agree with this. A real steal.

 

I got the title straightened out, I'm having a CHP friend come check it out double check, but than I'm clear.

I'm having a real hard time deciding on what to do with it. I've dreamt of a 68-72 for so long now, its very difficult for me to settle with this. I do love the rear chrome and the way it flips up in a way on the rear. And the curves are always beautiful especially since 70, just, I wanted it to be pre-72. Still it is a steal, and like I said very complete. I am not looking for originality, and in the end, besides the body I don't mind for things to not be original. Like I mentioned before, later this week, I will make a very nice craigslist ad(d) (not sure if its one or two (d)s) locally OC inland empire and LA, and keep the postings up for about a month. I'm thinking a fair price for this would be about 3 or so thousand, since the frame is in such good shape and its very complete. If it doesn't sell than I'll keep it. If it does than I would have made a few thousand dollars, out of my well earned 500. I can save that and put it towards, a chrome bumper vette, that I spend every cent on or.... a Chevelle or Malibu. I'd rather a Vette but beggars cant be choosers and I'd accept a 68-70 Malibu/Chevelle. Perhaps one that runs with a nice 350 that I can eventually go over, but one that I can enjoy for a bit. Or a rather gutted 68-72 Vette with just a damaged frame and Body with no glass or engine or trans or chrome. Hah, that's all I think I would get. Lots of dreams.

My good friend has a jetta hatchback turbo and puts out about 400HP, good friends, but I'd like to head to the track with him, and my truck just doesn't cut it. I know you will probably be for restoring this deal, but let me know what you guys think about my plan.

Again as always thanks so much for all the input!

 

Here's the deal kid, your 73 is just as good as a 68-72, only difference is no chrome front bumper. And not to rain on your parade, it will cost you tons more to get into a 68-72 than what you will get for your 73, even if the 68-72 is a basket case...

The 73 is unique and I would think twice before getting rid of it.

 

Dude keep your 73. you will not get another chance to get an vette for 500 in your life. i have been wanting one for years now.
yah its going to take an long time but its worth it. you seem to have an solid car that needs some parts and TLC.

ask anyone who has ever restoed an car its hard work and cost money but its worth the headach

 

What I have done in the past is buy a Carfax report.
They have a guarantee that if the report is not accurate, including stolen identification, they will refund you the purchase price.

Of course at that point, the cops get the car, you get a copy of the police report and send it into Carfax to get your $500 back.

I think you got a good buy and have all the time in the world to spend your money on the car. Look on the bright side, you can always make out with your favorite girl in your Corvette....running or not!

 

After much thought, talk with all my friends and family, and a few hours on youtube, I think I will keep it.

Who wants to help me get that 350 spinning again. It needs a distributor, starter and carb rebuild for sure. If I can get it just to go for a second or two, I will be happy. Any info on where to buy what at what price? Any steps to take to get the engine in runnable condition, besides changing oil to a really thin oil sae 10w
I read somewhere i should soak it with ATF, any guide lines would be great!

 

go see your local junk yard for pieces you need to get it started...All Chevy 350 small blocks are the same

 

Not to be a downer, but that car is unrestorable, given your budget, and unless you want to spend a good part of your youth learning new curse words and practicing yoga, while working on a very challenged '73, i would recommend parting it out, or selling it whole to someone who needs a parts car. say $1500, if the frame is good. Find a nice, steel bodied, rust free car, that at least runs, and restore that, while going to parties etc.

Trust me on this one. i've been through it. i have over 10k in parts alone into my '73, and it looked like this when i got it:

 

Keep it and work on it. If you get to a point where you decide it's not worth the trouble, sell it and start again. I wish I'd had a $500 parts car to start on, might have done a few things differently.
Good on you, young man. You have a dream and you're taking steps to make it happen. Bust your butt in high school and do well in college, you've got ***** and guts which should serve you well in life, IMHO.
BEST OF LUCK, I HOPE IT WORKS OUT WELL FOR YOU!!!

 

I'm glad you said you're keeping it. When I was staring out 34 years ago I heard so many people say, "I should have never sold my Corvette". I've heard this so many times. If you did sell the 73 you might be kicking yourself in the butt the rest of your life.

Hey, keep the 73, do well in school, get a good paying job and buy your dream 68 to 72 car later down the road. Then you have 2. Nothing wrong with that. A lot of us have more than 1 Corvette.

 

OK, so your keeping it. Does the engine move? I mean, can you turn it over if you put a breaker bar on the front crank bolt? Does it have oil in it? How about the trans, any oil in that?

Pull the spark plugs. Do they have rust on them? Any of them damaged as in smashed shut? If not, squirt some penetrating oil or such in each hole for starters.

Does it have the radiator and fan? Is the car originally air conditioned?

For $500.-, your out nothing, even at your income level. Spend a little time (NOT money!) on it at this point to see what you really have. Clean it up really well, inventory the parts you have and the parts you'll need, and learn how to work with fiberglass. The last one is actually easy, it's just like building those little plastic models!

When your ready, get to the dismantler for the carb and dizzy, plus all those little parts you'll need. Get that stuff off of any GM car form the '70's.

Good luck with this. My first car was a '66 GTO and the seller saw me coming a mile away! That thing was broke down way more than it ran, but it had a tr-power and hauled you-know-what when it did run. I never got it to stop smoking. That thing burned oil from the day I bought it 'till the day I sold it. Sure wish I had it back...

Hans

 

I have to see, I need tools, my grandpa has a lot but mostly they revolve around construction.

Maybe today I'll go pull the plugs and grease it up. Put a breaker bar on the crank? Would it be safe to remove the fan? I'll post some pictures so you can see what I'm working with.

I think it has oil in both tranny and engine. I just don't want to make a mess and I lack jack stands so I haven't ventured there yet. It has the radiator and the condenser. It was originally an AC car, but I don't plan on keeping the AC. So all the old vents and what not are still there including the little shiny parts that go in the interior. What kind of "penetrating oil" should I get? Also it doesn't have a distributor on it, but i found a guy who sells HEI for 80 bucks or so on craigslist so I might go pick one up. I'm selling an old Wurlitizer juke box so I'll have a couple hundred dollars to play with for a bit.

I'll check back before heading to grandmas today, it would be a dream if I could get the thing to turn on its own.

Thanks Hans and everyone else really useful information.

Let's get this thing running!!!!

 

Sure would like to see some pic's of the frame

 

Keep the A/C, even if you don't plan on using it. The ducting and controls are different, and it makes more sense to leave that stuff in there, even if you pull out the compressor and condenser.

By all means pull off the fan to get art the damper bolt in front. You wont need it just to crank it up. HEI is a good way to go.

Hans

 

Well honestly, I think the car will be a good learning car for you. But I doubt you will ever get it restored or even in driveable condition.
The body work on that is going to be astronomically high.