Just Bought a 76 Vette!
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Just Bought a 76 Vette!
Hello Everyone!
I would just like to thank you in advance for any tips and help that you are able to share. I was finally able to Purchase a 76 Vette Stingray with a 350 L48, I know a Little bit about the cars but the knowledge is too extensive, this is where I could use your help.
The car is almost Completely Dead Stock. and the engine has A LOT of Weary and worn parts. i have provided an album of it here : http://imgur.com/a/P6szY
as you can see it needs some love and a lot of WORK. what can i do to clean up this engine and restore the bay?
first thing is first.. It needs to be Tuned up. where do you think I should start? what do I need to do/look for as a brand new owner?
What is the Best "Go to" website to purchase parts and performance upgrades for these machines that you guys trust/visit?
I really need to start restoring this beauty
Also, I want to replace the Air cleaning system with something like this:
http://www.corvettegoodies.com/catalog/30680.jpg
what do you think is the best kit around?
I do apologize if this post was too much i just want to get everything out there and do it all at once!
I would just like to thank you in advance for any tips and help that you are able to share. I was finally able to Purchase a 76 Vette Stingray with a 350 L48, I know a Little bit about the cars but the knowledge is too extensive, this is where I could use your help.
The car is almost Completely Dead Stock. and the engine has A LOT of Weary and worn parts. i have provided an album of it here : http://imgur.com/a/P6szY
as you can see it needs some love and a lot of WORK. what can i do to clean up this engine and restore the bay?
first thing is first.. It needs to be Tuned up. where do you think I should start? what do I need to do/look for as a brand new owner?
What is the Best "Go to" website to purchase parts and performance upgrades for these machines that you guys trust/visit?
I really need to start restoring this beauty
Also, I want to replace the Air cleaning system with something like this:
http://www.corvettegoodies.com/catalog/30680.jpg
what do you think is the best kit around?
I do apologize if this post was too much i just want to get everything out there and do it all at once!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,272
Likes: 17
steam clean it , steam clean it some more, remove everything, steam clean it some more, let it dry, mask and paint, mask and paint some more, start reinstalling....everything, mask and paint some more....purty. If I missed anything I'm sure the great members on this site will chime in. hope this helps
btw . welcome to the addiction
btw . welcome to the addiction
Last edited by oldalaskaman; Sep 5, 2013 at 01:44 AM.
Pro
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 582
Likes: 9
Congratulations on the Corvette!
You say it needs a tune up, is that because it has not been tuned up/or history unknown, or is it not running properly? The basic tune up items would include items such as spark plugs, spark plug wires and cap and rotor. Also when the spark plugs are out I would suggest doing a compression check so help determine the condition of the engine. Also on these cars there are a lot of vacuum lines so I would check them carefully for leaks and cracks. There are other items that may or may not need to be replaced like hoses and belts but if you look at a service manual and look at parts that have scheduled service intervals I would look at all of those parts.
What is the over all plan for the car? That will really determine what route you may want to take in working on your car will be.
There are many good places to get parts. I like ZIP and Corvette central for corvette parts. For performance parts I like Summit racing, Van Steel and also Vette Brakes and Products.
You say it needs a tune up, is that because it has not been tuned up/or history unknown, or is it not running properly? The basic tune up items would include items such as spark plugs, spark plug wires and cap and rotor. Also when the spark plugs are out I would suggest doing a compression check so help determine the condition of the engine. Also on these cars there are a lot of vacuum lines so I would check them carefully for leaks and cracks. There are other items that may or may not need to be replaced like hoses and belts but if you look at a service manual and look at parts that have scheduled service intervals I would look at all of those parts.
What is the over all plan for the car? That will really determine what route you may want to take in working on your car will be.
There are many good places to get parts. I like ZIP and Corvette central for corvette parts. For performance parts I like Summit racing, Van Steel and also Vette Brakes and Products.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,018
Likes: 9
From: Winston Ga.
get some engine degreaser and some plastic cling wrap, go to the car wash and cover the distro and elect parts. pull the air filter and cover the carb.
spray the crap out of it with the degreaser and go have a can of your fav soda. a few minutes letting it soak and spraying it with the pressure washer (dont go crazy) will get you to a point you can start to see what you really have .
right now you have 40 years of muck to get through.
wash, rinse and repeat until you are happy. then start wiping things down with the wifes fav dish towels (not).
there really isnt much to worry about in these old motors as far as getting wet. just dont soak the distro and keep the carb covered.
for me the first thing I do is replace ALL fluids, spark plugs, plug wires, distro rotor, air filter, fuel filter.
Then get the timing set properly and see where you end up.
Likely the carb will need adjusting/rebuilding
from there I attack issues in this order:
safety (brakes, steering, lights etc...)
issues that prevent it from being driven (suspension, electrical etc...)
issues preventing it from being reliable (carb adjustments, back up lights, leaks etc...)
performance mods
currently I am in step 3. trying to make it reliable and hitting all those annoying little issues.
Go ahead and get an AIM and a service manual. you will need them, no two ways about it unless you can afford to have it towed to a mech everytime something happens. Half the fun of these cars is learning them, bonding with them on an emotional level, and these books are in valuable. I just like to flip through them for no reason quite often. I ALWAYS learn something when I do.
There are CD versions and book versions. They both have their place. Luddites swear the CD's are useless but they are good to search in and quicker than flipping pages however they are not a replacement for books. I use the books out working on the car.
finally, lock up your wallet in a safe, then come back to the computer and visit the vendors websites. ecklers, corvette central, wilcox, zip etc... just look to the left
start making your wish list of things you want to replace and attack and upgrade.
Remember when you were a kid and the sears Christmas wish book would come and you would oogle everything you wanted? its kinda like that for adults.
BTW there is more to the car than her gutty works. show us your girls butt and hips. I like curves! I cant even tell for sure what color she is.
spray the crap out of it with the degreaser and go have a can of your fav soda. a few minutes letting it soak and spraying it with the pressure washer (dont go crazy) will get you to a point you can start to see what you really have .
right now you have 40 years of muck to get through.
wash, rinse and repeat until you are happy. then start wiping things down with the wifes fav dish towels (not).
there really isnt much to worry about in these old motors as far as getting wet. just dont soak the distro and keep the carb covered.
for me the first thing I do is replace ALL fluids, spark plugs, plug wires, distro rotor, air filter, fuel filter.
Then get the timing set properly and see where you end up.
Likely the carb will need adjusting/rebuilding
from there I attack issues in this order:
safety (brakes, steering, lights etc...)
issues that prevent it from being driven (suspension, electrical etc...)
issues preventing it from being reliable (carb adjustments, back up lights, leaks etc...)
performance mods
currently I am in step 3. trying to make it reliable and hitting all those annoying little issues.
Go ahead and get an AIM and a service manual. you will need them, no two ways about it unless you can afford to have it towed to a mech everytime something happens. Half the fun of these cars is learning them, bonding with them on an emotional level, and these books are in valuable. I just like to flip through them for no reason quite often. I ALWAYS learn something when I do.
There are CD versions and book versions. They both have their place. Luddites swear the CD's are useless but they are good to search in and quicker than flipping pages however they are not a replacement for books. I use the books out working on the car.
finally, lock up your wallet in a safe, then come back to the computer and visit the vendors websites. ecklers, corvette central, wilcox, zip etc... just look to the left
start making your wish list of things you want to replace and attack and upgrade.
Remember when you were a kid and the sears Christmas wish book would come and you would oogle everything you wanted? its kinda like that for adults.
BTW there is more to the car than her gutty works. show us your girls butt and hips. I like curves! I cant even tell for sure what color she is.
Last edited by jnealg; Sep 5, 2013 at 02:19 AM.
Pro
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 582
Likes: 9
I don't like open air cleaners. I use a stock duel snorkel air cleaner with all the duct work to get cold air from in front of the radiator. With this set up my last engine (body is off right now and new engine) made 335 HP at the tires. I had experimented with the stock air cleaner and a open one both at the dyno and drag strip. The open air cleaner made less power and had slower 1/4 mile times. It is also loud and gets dirty really quickly.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,736
Likes: 56
From: anchorage ak
I don't like open air cleaners. I use a stock duel snorkel air cleaner with all the duct work to get cold air from in front of the radiator. With this set up my last engine (body is off right now and new engine) made 335 HP at the tires. I had experimented with the stock air cleaner and a open one both at the dyno and drag strip. The open air cleaner made less power and had slower 1/4 mile times. It is also loud and gets dirty really quickly.
Pro
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 582
Likes: 9
355 10:1 compression World products Sportman II heads ported and polished, wieand stealth intake, Quick fuel 650 DP, Comp Cams 276 Hydraulic roller Cam, and roller rockers. 1 5/8 hooker headers 2 1/4 exhaust with flowmasters. T-10 with 3.55 gears.
Car was tipping the scales at 3725 lbs and ran 13.2 at 105 mph with a 2.6 60ft time.
Also fuel mileage using GPS to determine speed and distance.
at 55 mph 21 mpg
at 65 mph 18 mpg
at 75 mph 15 mpg
New set up is basically the same but rebuilt the engine, its now balanced and have changed the heads to AFR and 2 1/2 exhaust. But it will be next spring before I can see how it will now run. But most of the time in money has been in the suspension and steering.
Car was tipping the scales at 3725 lbs and ran 13.2 at 105 mph with a 2.6 60ft time.
Also fuel mileage using GPS to determine speed and distance.
at 55 mph 21 mpg
at 65 mph 18 mpg
at 75 mph 15 mpg
New set up is basically the same but rebuilt the engine, its now balanced and have changed the heads to AFR and 2 1/2 exhaust. But it will be next spring before I can see how it will now run. But most of the time in money has been in the suspension and steering.
Advanced
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
just get it running 1st and do a comprssion test on all cyclinders 1st make sure no rats nests in it check all fluids before u start it more pics take off fuel line at fuel pump and see if cleanfuel comes out spin the motor over to get op then hook it up at start it then degrease it then do a tune up on it let us know whats going on
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Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
get some engine degreaser and some plastic cling wrap, go to the car wash and cover the distro and elect parts. pull the air filter and cover the carb.
spray the crap out of it with the degreaser and go have a can of your fav soda. a few minutes letting it soak and spraying it with the pressure washer (dont go crazy) will get you to a point you can start to see what you really have .
right now you have 40 years of muck to get through.
wash, rinse and repeat until you are happy. then start wiping things down with the wifes fav dish towels (not).
there really isnt much to worry about in these old motors as far as getting wet. just dont soak the distro and keep the carb covered.
for me the first thing I do is replace ALL fluids, spark plugs, plug wires, distro rotor, air filter, fuel filter.
Then get the timing set properly and see where you end up.
Likely the carb will need adjusting/rebuilding
from there I attack issues in this order:
safety (brakes, steering, lights etc...)
issues that prevent it from being driven (suspension, electrical etc...)
issues preventing it from being reliable (carb adjustments, back up lights, leaks etc...)
performance mods
currently I am in step 3. trying to make it reliable and hitting all those annoying little issues.
Go ahead and get an AIM and a service manual. you will need them, no two ways about it unless you can afford to have it towed to a mech everytime something happens. Half the fun of these cars is learning them, bonding with them on an emotional level, and these books are in valuable. I just like to flip through them for no reason quite often. I ALWAYS learn something when I do.
There are CD versions and book versions. They both have their place. Luddites swear the CD's are useless but they are good to search in and quicker than flipping pages however they are not a replacement for books. I use the books out working on the car.
finally, lock up your wallet in a safe, then come back to the computer and visit the vendors websites. ecklers, corvette central, wilcox, zip etc... just look to the left
start making your wish list of things you want to replace and attack and upgrade.
Remember when you were a kid and the sears Christmas wish book would come and you would oogle everything you wanted? its kinda like that for adults.
BTW there is more to the car than her gutty works. show us your girls butt and hips. I like curves! I cant even tell for sure what color she is.
spray the crap out of it with the degreaser and go have a can of your fav soda. a few minutes letting it soak and spraying it with the pressure washer (dont go crazy) will get you to a point you can start to see what you really have .
right now you have 40 years of muck to get through.
wash, rinse and repeat until you are happy. then start wiping things down with the wifes fav dish towels (not).
there really isnt much to worry about in these old motors as far as getting wet. just dont soak the distro and keep the carb covered.
for me the first thing I do is replace ALL fluids, spark plugs, plug wires, distro rotor, air filter, fuel filter.
Then get the timing set properly and see where you end up.
Likely the carb will need adjusting/rebuilding
from there I attack issues in this order:
safety (brakes, steering, lights etc...)
issues that prevent it from being driven (suspension, electrical etc...)
issues preventing it from being reliable (carb adjustments, back up lights, leaks etc...)
performance mods
currently I am in step 3. trying to make it reliable and hitting all those annoying little issues.
Go ahead and get an AIM and a service manual. you will need them, no two ways about it unless you can afford to have it towed to a mech everytime something happens. Half the fun of these cars is learning them, bonding with them on an emotional level, and these books are in valuable. I just like to flip through them for no reason quite often. I ALWAYS learn something when I do.
There are CD versions and book versions. They both have their place. Luddites swear the CD's are useless but they are good to search in and quicker than flipping pages however they are not a replacement for books. I use the books out working on the car.
finally, lock up your wallet in a safe, then come back to the computer and visit the vendors websites. ecklers, corvette central, wilcox, zip etc... just look to the left
start making your wish list of things you want to replace and attack and upgrade.
Remember when you were a kid and the sears Christmas wish book would come and you would oogle everything you wanted? its kinda like that for adults.
BTW there is more to the car than her gutty works. show us your girls butt and hips. I like curves! I cant even tell for sure what color she is.
I will take your advice on taking the proper steps. I will Wash it First, thee I will have to start with Fluid Changes and tuning parts. I will be purchasing the Distributor cap and Rotor, Spark Plug Wires/ Plugs and New Timing belts. does it matter if I get say Autozone replacement parts for tuning?
I am searching Amazon right now for service Manuals! i will be doing a LOT of research on this car from now on.
I am eye Balling the Vendor sites now... oh boy lol
I can see this will be like a new child to care for. I will be Posting more Pics and Videos of my progress, again THANK YOU for the Feedback!
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
Congratulations on the Corvette!
You say it needs a tune up, is that because it has not been tuned up/or history unknown, or is it not running properly? The basic tune up items would include items such as spark plugs, spark plug wires and cap and rotor. Also when the spark plugs are out I would suggest doing a compression check so help determine the condition of the engine. Also on these cars there are a lot of vacuum lines so I would check them carefully for leaks and cracks. There are other items that may or may not need to be replaced like hoses and belts but if you look at a service manual and look at parts that have scheduled service intervals I would look at all of those parts.
What is the over all plan for the car? That will really determine what route you may want to take in working on your car will be.
There are many good places to get parts. I like ZIP and Corvette central for corvette parts. For performance parts I like Summit racing, Van Steel and also Vette Brakes and Products.
You say it needs a tune up, is that because it has not been tuned up/or history unknown, or is it not running properly? The basic tune up items would include items such as spark plugs, spark plug wires and cap and rotor. Also when the spark plugs are out I would suggest doing a compression check so help determine the condition of the engine. Also on these cars there are a lot of vacuum lines so I would check them carefully for leaks and cracks. There are other items that may or may not need to be replaced like hoses and belts but if you look at a service manual and look at parts that have scheduled service intervals I would look at all of those parts.
What is the over all plan for the car? That will really determine what route you may want to take in working on your car will be.
There are many good places to get parts. I like ZIP and Corvette central for corvette parts. For performance parts I like Summit racing, Van Steel and also Vette Brakes and Products.
and the plan is really simpe, just a simple restore so i can have a weekend cruising car, nothing crazy just a nice toy to play with and learn!
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
I don't like open air cleaners. I use a stock duel snorkel air cleaner with all the duct work to get cold air from in front of the radiator. With this set up my last engine (body is off right now and new engine) made 335 HP at the tires. I had experimented with the stock air cleaner and a open one both at the dyno and drag strip. The open air cleaner made less power and had slower 1/4 mile times. It is also loud and gets dirty really quickly.
but do you where I can one?
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,736
Likes: 56
From: anchorage ak
355 10:1 compression World products Sportman II heads ported and polished, wieand stealth intake, Quick fuel 650 DP, Comp Cams 276 Hydraulic roller Cam, and roller rockers. 1 5/8 hooker headers 2 1/4 exhaust with flowmasters. T-10 with 3.55 gears.
Car was tipping the scales at 3725 lbs and ran 13.2 at 105 mph with a 2.6 60ft time.
Also fuel mileage using GPS to determine speed and distance.
at 55 mph 21 mpg
at 65 mph 18 mpg
at 75 mph 15 mpg
New set up is basically the same but rebuilt the engine, its now balanced and have changed the heads to AFR and 2 1/2 exhaust. But it will be next spring before I can see how it will now run. But most of the time in money has been in the suspension and steering.
Car was tipping the scales at 3725 lbs and ran 13.2 at 105 mph with a 2.6 60ft time.
Also fuel mileage using GPS to determine speed and distance.
at 55 mph 21 mpg
at 65 mph 18 mpg
at 75 mph 15 mpg
New set up is basically the same but rebuilt the engine, its now balanced and have changed the heads to AFR and 2 1/2 exhaust. But it will be next spring before I can see how it will now run. But most of the time in money has been in the suspension and steering.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,753
Likes: 721
From: Lafayette Louisiana
Congratulations!
get some engine degreaser and some plastic cling wrap, go to the car wash and cover the distro and elect parts. pull the air filter and cover the carb.
spray the crap out of it with the degreaser and go have a can of your fav soda. a few minutes letting it soak and spraying it with the pressure washer (dont go crazy) will get you to a point you can start to see what you really have .
right now you have 40 years of muck to get through.
wash, rinse and repeat until you are happy. then start wiping things down with the wifes fav dish towels (not).
there really isnt much to worry about in these old motors as far as getting wet. just dont soak the distro and keep the carb covered.
for me the first thing I do is replace ALL fluids, spark plugs, plug wires, distro rotor, air filter, fuel filter.
Then get the timing set properly and see where you end up.
Likely the carb will need adjusting/rebuilding
from there I attack issues in this order:
safety (brakes, steering, lights etc...)
issues that prevent it from being driven (suspension, electrical etc...)
issues preventing it from being reliable (carb adjustments, back up lights, leaks etc...)
performance mods
currently I am in step 3. trying to make it reliable and hitting all those annoying little issues.
Go ahead and get an AIM and a service manual. you will need them, no two ways about it unless you can afford to have it towed to a mech everytime something happens. Half the fun of these cars is learning them, bonding with them on an emotional level, and these books are in valuable. I just like to flip through them for no reason quite often. I ALWAYS learn something when I do.
There are CD versions and book versions. They both have their place. Luddites swear the CD's are useless but they are good to search in and quicker than flipping pages however they are not a replacement for books. I use the books out working on the car.
finally, lock up your wallet in a safe, then come back to the computer and visit the vendors websites. ecklers, corvette central, wilcox, zip etc... just look to the left
start making your wish list of things you want to replace and attack and upgrade.
Remember when you were a kid and the sears Christmas wish book would come and you would oogle everything you wanted? its kinda like that for adults.
BTW there is more to the car than her gutty works. show us your girls butt and hips. I like curves! I cant even tell for sure what color she is.
spray the crap out of it with the degreaser and go have a can of your fav soda. a few minutes letting it soak and spraying it with the pressure washer (dont go crazy) will get you to a point you can start to see what you really have .
right now you have 40 years of muck to get through.
wash, rinse and repeat until you are happy. then start wiping things down with the wifes fav dish towels (not).
there really isnt much to worry about in these old motors as far as getting wet. just dont soak the distro and keep the carb covered.
for me the first thing I do is replace ALL fluids, spark plugs, plug wires, distro rotor, air filter, fuel filter.
Then get the timing set properly and see where you end up.
Likely the carb will need adjusting/rebuilding
from there I attack issues in this order:
safety (brakes, steering, lights etc...)
issues that prevent it from being driven (suspension, electrical etc...)
issues preventing it from being reliable (carb adjustments, back up lights, leaks etc...)
performance mods
currently I am in step 3. trying to make it reliable and hitting all those annoying little issues.
Go ahead and get an AIM and a service manual. you will need them, no two ways about it unless you can afford to have it towed to a mech everytime something happens. Half the fun of these cars is learning them, bonding with them on an emotional level, and these books are in valuable. I just like to flip through them for no reason quite often. I ALWAYS learn something when I do.
There are CD versions and book versions. They both have their place. Luddites swear the CD's are useless but they are good to search in and quicker than flipping pages however they are not a replacement for books. I use the books out working on the car.
finally, lock up your wallet in a safe, then come back to the computer and visit the vendors websites. ecklers, corvette central, wilcox, zip etc... just look to the left
start making your wish list of things you want to replace and attack and upgrade.
Remember when you were a kid and the sears Christmas wish book would come and you would oogle everything you wanted? its kinda like that for adults.
BTW there is more to the car than her gutty works. show us your girls butt and hips. I like curves! I cant even tell for sure what color she is.
Congratulations!!!
Great advice here.
Welcome to the C3 insanity, it is super fun! And this forum is great too, you came to the right place for help.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,482
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
From: Yukon OK
I will be watching this thread as I am in basically the same place. I changed oil/filter, air and fuel filter, added some stop leak to the PS and transmission. Changed the diff fluid. I'll be changing the transmission filter and fluid soon as well as the usual tune up items. I'm sure the carb needs adjusting and I definitely need help with that. Then I'll start working on the front suspension. 
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,652
Likes: 49
From: Bridgewater nj
I will be Purchasing the Tuning parts tomorrow to get the thing you mentioned. The History of the car is unknown to me so far, for example the Lights in my dash board and all the gauges are out and i have no idea why, the light **** all the way counter-clockwise and still nothing
and the plan is really simpe, just a simple restore so i can have a weekend cruising car, nothing crazy just a nice toy to play with and learn!
and the plan is really simpe, just a simple restore so i can have a weekend cruising car, nothing crazy just a nice toy to play with and learn!
You have a pretty clean unmolested vette and that's good! If its been sitting a long time over a year
the poor running is most likely the carburetor being gummed up from gas drying up inside. It may clear up on its own with a few tanks of gas and carb cleaner added
I say this because it looks like someone took very good care of the engine. The EGR valve looks replaced, good wires and a fairly clean engine compartment for a 37 year old car...The air cleaner is part of a fresh air system. You can chrome it out but it will leave areas in your engine compartment with an incomplete look.
The best advice is buy all the manuals first!!! It will save a lot of headaches down the road but the motor is basic small block chevy
