Well folks,
The car in question is a small block 72 that has been sitting in my dad's garage for 9 years. It was my dad's car for about 12 years, my uncle always loved it, so dad gave it to him. Then my uncle passed away and the vehicle was returned. Dad just never was able to enjoy the vette after that...so it sat for 9 years. The car has been in the family since the early 80s, and I have fond memories of riding around in it with Dad and my uncle.

A few years ago I began enjoying working on motorcycles, and then I worked on a Fiero for a while. I know just enough to be dangerous

So far I have replaced all the calipers, fuel lines, fuel filter, drained the old fuel, put in a new battery, and fixed the leaky transmission by tapping a new hole for one of the bolts and fitting a new gasket. There are a few other misc. things I have done, but you get the idea. I plan to fit a new MC tomorrow morning since the brakes are still not as strong as they should be.

The car is runs pretty well considering.

Issues that persist:

1. It apparently has a short-- since the new battery has come up dead two days in a row. Any places to look first? The Fiero had a few notorious pieces of electrical equipment, do these vettes? WARNING: I do not have many tools here (read my voltmeter) since I rode my motorcycle down and dad's tools are somewhat limited. I may just go buy another one...I only brought hand tools to get it running, but I thought it would take longer. I am thinking about just getting a quick disconnect for the battery as a band-aid since I am only in town for the next week. But I hate to leave it with a short.

2. Rear suspension. I still need to replace the rear bushings and maybe the struts. The front looks pretty good. The front wheel bearing look like they were just greased, I have no clue how to get at the rear ones.

3. Rear differential oil. I am having a heck of a time getting at that square bolt to check the level. Any hints on how to get a handle on it?

4. Tires will be the last thing to get done... certainly the least of my worries.

5. I need to get door keys made, but plan to run the car up to a locksmith for that.

What else should I be checking on or replacing? I would really like to tune this into a relatively reliable driver to take out on weekend.


I am really enjoying the work. Getting to know this vehicle is a real pleasure and fun project. I came down here to Dallas planning to fix the car up for dad as sort of a birthday present, but he has another plan. Dad says if I can get it running the way I want it to I should just drive it home and keep it...

 

Welcome to the forum. A C-3 is a pleasure to own and a fun project. A lot of forum members have had our cars for many years, some have several. For me, it's fun to take a long drive on a nice day with no particular destination in mind. There are get togethers where 20 or 30 owners go some place for lunch or meet for a weekend at a resort. You will meet a lot of people with a common interest.
Now for some answers to your questions.
#1: To find a battery drain disconnect a battery lead and put a test light between the cable and the battery post. Then pull one fuse at a time until the light goes out. That will tell you which circuit has the problem, then you have to check the wires in that circuit.
#2: Rear bearings need few special tools to remove and replace. There are a lot of "While I'm At It" parts to change once you get in there. You may want to purchase the "72 Service Manual" and the "Assembly Instruction Manual" (AIM).
#3: Differential plug: A small pipe wrench will work to break it loose.
#4: Tires: Move replacing them to the top of the list.
Regards, Pete.

 

Sounds like the car has a history of staying close to home.

A good battery disconnect is a good idea, especially if not driven every day. I use them all the time and have no shorts or slow drains. Cheap insurance and saves a lot of aggravation while testing.

For the differental, just take it to a oil change place, they surely can't screw that up and saves you the cost of oddball tools you won't use much. Just put teflon tape on the plug at some point.

Sound like you've got it under comtrol, after tires, starts driving locally, and the less obvious problems will surface.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for the replies. I am planning to get a multimeter in a few minutes and try to track down that drain/short.
I actually have a 1972 chevy passenger car manual, but it is a little vague on some things. I will definitely pick up the AIM and a chiltons if I keep the car.

One more thing I thought of... how do you get those taillights out? I pulled the three screws but the plastic covers wouldn't budge. I was afraid to put any english on them because they looked like they would crack up. Thanks.

 

The oil change place may not be able to get the plug out either [as it is now]. Remove the spare tire carrier and tire from the car (probably a good idea to get the tire checked and aired-up anyway, if you're going to be driving it); just back off the rear retaining nut several turns, then lift and disengage the tub/tire from the hook-clamp. Take out the tire then remove the two long front bolts that hold the carrier to the frame. Now you have room to get a long (4' pipe, maybe) breaker bar and drive socket into that rusted plug. In this configuration, the oil change place or a mechanic can get it out if you can't.

Tires that old are not "the least of your worries". They can suffer sidewall blowouts at any time...even sitting still. Get them replaced ASAP (you can order BF Goodrich T/A Radials over the internet for shipment to your local Sam's Club for about $100 each) since you plan on driving it anyway. Same with the spare.

If you have a key for the doors/ignition, just get extras made at a hardware store. If you don't have a key, you'll have to ask the locksmith to come to the car.

The rear bearings are not servicible without removing them. Leave the rear suspension alone until you get the car to an alignment shop. Then have one of the 'better' mechanics there {ask the manager who should know} check everything out in the steering and front and back suspension. Write down what he tell you so that you get the part names correctly and have a record to work from. Unless the rear bearings are really bad, you can probably drive it without very much risk.

Good idea on the battery disconnect. And, if you put it on the positive battery terminal, you know that there will be no 12 dc anywhere in the car when you are working on it. When you get more time, there are procedures you can use to detect any power drains in the car and to find them. Ask again on this Forum when you are ready to tackle that job. The disconnect will suffice until then.

 

Hi N72,
Rather than buying the Chilton's book I think your money would be better spent on the GM CHASSIS SERVICE MANUAL for your 72. Many of the larger vendors sell them and it's FILLED with good information.
The tailight housings un-bolt from the rear side of the rear fiberglass panel. Not too easy to get to, but doable.
Regards,
Alan

 

Thanks Alan,
The one I have is the 72 chevy passenger car service manual. It leaves something to be desired

 

on a 72, the ignition key, is the door key, as well

 

Are you trying to remove the tail light lenses or the housings? Lenses come off with 3 screws and you can access the bulbs there. The gasket may make the lens hard to remove. If that is your problem try gently prying on the edge of the lens with a wrapped screwdriver so you dont scratch or chip anything. Key is gently...