A friend of a friend has a '77 vette that has been sitting for 10 years and is looking to get rid of it. From what I've been told a lot of it was pulled apart to be fixed up when it was parked but it is all there.

My biggest concern is the frame and the birdcage. I can crawl under it and bang on the frame and check that out, but what about the birdcage.

I know I need to pull the rockers and A-pillar covers, but how do you go about doing that? Are the bolts/screws obvious. This friend is an hour+ away so if I need to bring some special tools to do all the inspection than I would like to know ahead of time.

Also if there is anything else I should be looking for please feel free to chime in. Thanks.

 

A camara. Takes lots of pics

 

You probably don't need to pull the rocker moldings.

 

check the kick panels where the body mounts are , also check all the body mount areas..

 

If I am not mistaken the 77 has metal floors, lift up the carpeting at the kick panels and/or console to check them

 

if its been sitting outside for 10 years its probably toast. if its in a garage there's a better chance its ok.

 

DON'T BUY IT! (or remember I told you so)

There are three reasons to buy a vintage Corvette:

1) You want to drive one. If that is the case, buy one that gets driven every day now. This one that has been sitting will be a frustrating money pit before it will be a reliable driver.

2) You want a beautiful show car. In this case, buy a beautiful show car. You will spend a lot less that way than fixing one up.

3) You want to work on/ restore a Vette yourself. This is not for the faint of heart, and since you are asking the questions you are asking, you probably are not aware of what you would be getting yourself into. Don't do it!

God bless, Sensei

 

Actually I'd be looking for a father-son project for my son and I. I have always loved the way the C3's have looked. I've had project cars before and I'm not afraid of them.

I'm going to inspect it atleast give the lady some advice on what she has. If it turns out that it is rusted through then I would rather tell her that up front than have her try to sell it to some unsuspecting buyer.

If it turns out its ok then I may take on the challenge.


But that still brings me back to my question. Since I've never gone through the process of pulling off A-Pillar covers and rocker pannels on a C3, how do I do it? Hammer and crowbar would work, but its probably not the recommended method.

 

One other reason not to buy it. You will have more into it than its worth, even if he gives it to you.

 

DARN GOOD advice! Buy a 'driver'. You are looking at a '77 corvette. There are PLENTY of good examples of 73-77 vettes that suit your needs and that have been titled/driven recently. Even my '80 L48, at $8,300 still required another $10,000 to make it reliable and to suite my needs (accomplished from '97-2004).

Decide what your total budget (in time and $$$) is, subtract your purchase price and decide if you can accomplish your target for the TOTAL cost. Remember, it may be a toy but it still costs greenbacks.

 

Don't be scared of the car. All you need to pull the kick panels and windshield moldings (and the rocker moldings) is a #2 phillips screwdriver and an 18 year old's back as getting TO the kick panel screws is like playing Twister. And a strong flashlight. Also look closely around the entire periphery of the windshield... rust happens there as well and might be seen as lumpy dark blisters.

You have not asked for a range of values as yet but I will offer an opinion based on my experience... you see I paid only $450 for my 1977 which had been disassembled by a well intentioned PO and then satfor at least 10 years before his wife forced him to get it off their property. During that time much was lost, stolen, sold or discarded... which may or may not be the case with your car... but I bet yes. A clear title is a MUST have unless you want to simply part it out.

That said, a complete, running and driving fresh paint and interior 1977 can be had in my area for somewhere between $5k and 12K... people ask more for low mile original pieces or for extensively over restored cars but have a very hard time getting the price. Some of these folk have $15k or more in the cars they need to sell at a great loss so bear that in mind as you consider your offer to the current owner. These are great driving cars which I feel are way undervalued in these tough times... so proceed with caution but do go look.

 

If it was me, (and soon will be, my 15 year old son wants a 70 camaro) I would look and buy a running car. You didn't say what your budget was or how much the lady wants for hers. But you can deff. buy a running rubber bumper for anywhere from 2500 to 5000. That is half way decent but still needs TLC. At least you will know what you already have as a plateform and you can work from there. Good Luck!

 

Thank you. Someone finally answered my initial question. I'm going to check it out in a week or two and see what it looks like. That's the first step, then I'll start thinking about budgets and other things.

I realize how expensive things are to fix and replace on these cars. One that is running would be ideal, but if I can save several thousand by putting the pieces back together myself then I may take that gamble. First I need to check it out and see what's there.

 

Good luck on your search. Type "bird cage rust" in the search box and you'll see what to look for.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/esp_...ef=esp-all-img

 

You're welcome. Starting with a complete, running vehicle is almost certainly the least expensive way to get into these cars. However, then you will miss the bonding you will have with your son as you reassemble a non-runner, and miss the exhileration and high fives shared when it starts up for the first time. As a relationship builder, and in practical terms the knowledge acquired building a project is priceless... and can be financed in smaller easy to digest bites as well.