Big 3-0 . Thanks everyone.
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From: Saskatoon SK
Big 3-0 . Thanks everyone.
Hi everyone,
Today it is my 80 Corvette's Bday. I guess back in October 25th 1979 it was given the Inspection OK according to its inspection tag.
I want to say thanks for all for the help and tips in order to repair it. I bought little over 5 years ago, believing it did not have a lot of issues other than crappy paint and couple of cosmetic things(Ha! typical) , but as any C3 owner would know, the issues are usually hidden. The 4 calipers leaked, the electric system was not working properly, shocks, springs, rear end, differential, leaks everywhere, and a 305 intake with its carburator on a 350 motor (so I did not know if it was a Califiornia car or not) , power steering gone, vacuum issues, speedo did not work, clock, cruise control, electric locks, AC, floppy windows, antenna, and 1000 things more....
..only the tranny and interior were OK.
Five years later, money, scars and new tools to prove it, I am 4 window cushions and 1 door-spring away from finishing it!!! At many stages of this project I thought about dropping the towel....first of all, at some point most people I consulted said these Vetters were so easy to work on and they knew the ins and outs of ithem...but when I asked for help, it seemed everybody was busy, or did not know, or never had the time, so in one of those occassions I bumped into this forum...but it seemed the more I learned, the more I questioned the integrity of the car and dug deeper into it...and most times than not, I found something else was wrong, burnt or faulty...... this way I got to know the previous owners of my Vette and their fixing habits...you know what I mean.
Many times I was puzzled as how someone could butcher a Corvette in such way,
and actually because of the neglection I witnessed, I got obsessed on finishing it instead of buying a good Vette for less money than completing this one. ... of course I kept the bills on my Vette files away from my wife.
Recently, with my Vette 'almost' complete, I met with the previous owner, he had since bought a 1999 Vette, but when he saw my 80 he just went quiet and mentioned how much he liked the C3s, no time to fix, etc etc etc......and that showed me how different are Corvette owners from Corvette enthusiasts.
Anyhow.... for you who are wondering what work I did the Vette, it was mostly by factory standards, but I left most original components, however; I could not pass the opportunity to spice it up a little:
I added a performance 350 intake manifold with a 650 Holley Carb, headers, true dual exhaust, a mild cam, carbon fiber mono spring and rear sway bar among some other stuff.
Once so close to the junkyard, this car is very spoiled and deeply enjoyed by my wife and me. It will be painful to store it 6 months until the snow's gone. Thanks for the good tips everyone!!!
IMG]http://i33.tinypic.com/20a84sm.jpg[/IMG]
Today it is my 80 Corvette's Bday. I guess back in October 25th 1979 it was given the Inspection OK according to its inspection tag.
I want to say thanks for all for the help and tips in order to repair it. I bought little over 5 years ago, believing it did not have a lot of issues other than crappy paint and couple of cosmetic things(Ha! typical) , but as any C3 owner would know, the issues are usually hidden. The 4 calipers leaked, the electric system was not working properly, shocks, springs, rear end, differential, leaks everywhere, and a 305 intake with its carburator on a 350 motor (so I did not know if it was a Califiornia car or not) , power steering gone, vacuum issues, speedo did not work, clock, cruise control, electric locks, AC, floppy windows, antenna, and 1000 things more....
..only the tranny and interior were OK. Five years later, money, scars and new tools to prove it, I am 4 window cushions and 1 door-spring away from finishing it!!! At many stages of this project I thought about dropping the towel....first of all, at some point most people I consulted said these Vetters were so easy to work on and they knew the ins and outs of ithem...but when I asked for help, it seemed everybody was busy, or did not know, or never had the time, so in one of those occassions I bumped into this forum...but it seemed the more I learned, the more I questioned the integrity of the car and dug deeper into it...and most times than not, I found something else was wrong, burnt or faulty...... this way I got to know the previous owners of my Vette and their fixing habits...you know what I mean.
Many times I was puzzled as how someone could butcher a Corvette in such way,
and actually because of the neglection I witnessed, I got obsessed on finishing it instead of buying a good Vette for less money than completing this one. ... of course I kept the bills on my Vette files away from my wife.
Recently, with my Vette 'almost' complete, I met with the previous owner, he had since bought a 1999 Vette, but when he saw my 80 he just went quiet and mentioned how much he liked the C3s, no time to fix, etc etc etc......and that showed me how different are Corvette owners from Corvette enthusiasts.
Anyhow.... for you who are wondering what work I did the Vette, it was mostly by factory standards, but I left most original components, however; I could not pass the opportunity to spice it up a little:
I added a performance 350 intake manifold with a 650 Holley Carb, headers, true dual exhaust, a mild cam, carbon fiber mono spring and rear sway bar among some other stuff.
Once so close to the junkyard, this car is very spoiled and deeply enjoyed by my wife and me. It will be painful to store it 6 months until the snow's gone. Thanks for the good tips everyone!!!
IMG]http://i33.tinypic.com/20a84sm.jpg[/IMG]
Last edited by Rowarrior; Oct 25, 2009 at 09:06 PM.
