mailman said today he was looking at 79 Vette-350 auto. Asked if anything mechanical and structural he should check when looking at car. Also asked about different VIN locations and should they all match? I'm familiar with my 68 but don't know much about 79. Told him I'd check on forum for any info. Thanks

 

The 79 was no different structurally than previous years. This topic has been worn out so a quick search on "what to look out for" should find your answers. Quickly though, rust in front of trailing arms, windscreen frame and floors. VIN is on DS window pillar (A pillar) and should match the engine block and trans stamping. Color and trim tab in DS door hinge area, check black book for correct colors. I find the most common complaint of a late 70's car (other than rust) is worn suspension, unless the seller has receipts showing complete recent re-build always assume a car with more than 80K on the dial will need a rebuild, actually miles dont mean much to rubber, age is the killer too. I will bet most late 70's cars leak from just about every seal too. I just spent three years slowly fixing every leak and rebuilding all suspension and my car finally has no leaks and rides like new, took some effort and some money though, factor this in. Personally, and I am biased, I love the 79, I reckon in 78 they introduced the rear window change but in 79 they finally perfected all the design flaws of the previous C3 models, of course 190 HP is ordinary but if the motor is well kept and tuned you can still get some good giggles from 190 HP in a 3200 pound car, especially in the wet, I know I do.

Edit: Oh I just thought of another thing to check, end play in the rear half shafts, very common for the ends of the half shafts to be worn until the "C" clip comes off them, not expensive to fix (DIY) but a good solid days work and the car is dangerous to drive until fixed. Just tell him that on a postman's wage he better be a good home mechanic.

Cheers, Dennis.

 

The usual.

There are only two complete VINs on the car: the windshield post and the vehicle certification sticker. Others will only be VIN derivitives.

Rhetorical question? If they don't match, he should be asking why.

 

He seriously asked you if the VINs should match?

Scott