Buying an 1976 c3
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: bak ca
Buying an 1976 c3
I sold my 1980 4spd to find a older vette. I know an 1976 isn't that much older but it is nice and a Stingray. The car is going for a fair price ($5.5k). It is apparent that the car will need an engine rebuild asap. How much is a rebuild for a 76? Is a stock 1976 going to put out more performance than an 1980? It is also an auto whereas my 80 was a 4spd. Is this a step up from an 80? Is owning a auto compared to a manual better?
Drifting
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 1,468
Likes: 1
From: Kirkland WA
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (R. Bruno)
Not to **** on ANYONE'S vettes (I'm in enough trouble on the forum already) -- but if I was trading in an 80 on something older -- I would go down to '74 or below for a simple reason -- flexibility.
Once you're below that age you don't have to worry about all the emissions crud. You can put true duals on the car, you can remove all the AIR stuff, you can pretty much mod to your hearts content. Also, you're really in another generation of cars -- I think the overall interior look/feel is more like the 60's muscle cars -- where the 80's feel like, well, 80's cars.
Anyway, that's IMHO. A decent engine rebuild you can get as much HP as is legal, but again, before 74 will be a lot more "legal"...
Once you're below that age you don't have to worry about all the emissions crud. You can put true duals on the car, you can remove all the AIR stuff, you can pretty much mod to your hearts content. Also, you're really in another generation of cars -- I think the overall interior look/feel is more like the 60's muscle cars -- where the 80's feel like, well, 80's cars.
Anyway, that's IMHO. A decent engine rebuild you can get as much HP as is legal, but again, before 74 will be a lot more "legal"...
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,758
Likes: 4
From: Medford, Or
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Corellian Corvette)
Vetter1980v-Good choice!
:cheers:
Corellian Corvette-Ahh '76 is perfect. What emissions? My '76 came with fuel injection. :lol: :lol: :lol:
BTW, I see you step up to a Z06, Cool!!!
Dan
:cheers:
Corellian Corvette-Ahh '76 is perfect. What emissions? My '76 came with fuel injection. :lol: :lol: :lol:
BTW, I see you step up to a Z06, Cool!!!
Dan
Drifting
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 1,468
Likes: 1
From: Kirkland WA
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (vettedan)
Vetter1980v-Good choice!
:cheers:
Corellian Corvette-Ahh '76 is perfect. What emissions? My '76 came with fuel injection. :lol: :lol: :lol:
BTW, I see you step up to a Z06, Cool!!!
Dan
:cheers:
Corellian Corvette-Ahh '76 is perfect. What emissions? My '76 came with fuel injection. :lol: :lol: :lol:
BTW, I see you step up to a Z06, Cool!!!
Dan
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,758
Likes: 4
From: Medford, Or
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Corellian Corvette)
Corellian Corvette- I won't be able to give you much competition, but what the heck I'll race ya. I'll have to organize a day at Pacific Raceways.
Dan :D
Dan :D
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 1,603
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco, CA
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (vettedan)
Corellian makes a good point - and I own a '76. Of course, you will pay for the chrome bumpers and the lack of emissions requirements. Keep in mind that the '76's go pretty cheap, so if the car needs an engine rebuild soon, you may want to keep looking or offer less.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,625
Likes: 0
From: Cut n Shoot TX
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (vettedan)
Please excuse me if this offends you, but $5,500.00 for a 77 that needs the engine rebuilt sounds a little steep to me. I can't help but wonder if the engine is bad, what else is gone or getting ready to go. I would check out some other Vettes first before rushing to get this one. :flag
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,411
Likes: 2
From: St. Louis, Missouri
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (VettePower)
Please excuse me if this offends you, but $5,500.00 for a 77 that needs the engine rebuilt sounds a little steep to me. I can't help but wonder if the engine is bad, what else is gone or getting ready to go. I would check out some other Vettes first before rushing to get this one. :flag
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Houston Tx
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
I haven't really checked the values of 76's but I recently got a quote from a corvette shop here in houston to rebuild my original 77 L-82 engine. The deal was to have the engine putting out 400 hp / 400 tq. at the flywheel. He quoted me between 4500-5500 and in no way more than $5500. That price included dyno tuning as well. So it seems to me that if you can get a 76 in good shape (interior, exterior, and brakes) for 5500, add in another 5500 for a 400hp/tq motor and 11,000 doesn't seem to terrible.
Just my $0.02 though.
Russ
Just my $0.02 though.
Russ
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,660
Likes: 3
From: South Central Louisiana
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (77-4speed)
I like the 76's, heck thats the year I was born. But if I had to choose between a 76 and an 80, the 80 would be my choice. As mentioned above, look for an older vette for emiss exemption.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 752
Likes: 1
From: Springfield Oregon
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
I would say, save yourself some headaches and downtime and check out some of the ready to go 'Vette's for sale in the forum. For instance, there is a very cool '74/5 speed for sale by "buds", and the asking price is only $13,500 Canadian. That's probably what you'd be into with the '76 you're looking at after engine and misc. Good luck!
Racer
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
From: Lake Hughes CA
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
The car is going for a fair price ($5.5k). It is apparent that the car will need an engine rebuild asap. How much is a rebuild for a 76?
Is a stock 1976 going to put out more performance than an 1980? It is also an auto whereas my 80 was a 4spd. Is this a step up from an 80? Is owning a auto compared to a manual better?
Is an auto better than a 4 speed?
That depends on you and what kind of driving you want to do and where you drive. For performance, I think the 4 speed is much better. For resale, I would advise the 4 speed also. If you do a lot of stop and go traffic driving an auto is nice.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
From: Palm City Fl
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
I'm not sure about the smog rules. But the motor can be rebuilt or swapped out (ZZ4) for little money. Also look at other crate motors and compare price vs performance. I would rather rebuild/freshen the original motor myself, but only for my own reasons and not to maintain the status of a "numbers matching car". But that is me. I would jump on a 75 or 76 in a minute :cool: and have a great performance driver. Good luck. :seeya
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,752
Likes: 1
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
Flat back window is :cool: though I like the 80-82 styling as well. If you want performance out of the box, then look for an earlier big block, but anything can be modified to make power. I don't think I'd waste the $ on a $5500 fixer upper vette. Plenty of good running 75-77 vettes in the $6000-$8000 range.
-terry
-terry
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
From: bak ca
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
Thanks for all the feedback..
I think I am going to wait for the right one. I found a 1968 vette in one of my clients back yard. It was in good condition but needed a lot of fiberglass work and paint ($Ks). He said it ran really good but the tranny slip'd at times.
You always make out on somebody else's project. I can spend $10-15K on a nice c3 that it is actually worth a lot more. I have learnt this the hard way. I once lost about $5,000 in a Vintage German POS Porsche I restored.
I think I am going to wait for the right one. I found a 1968 vette in one of my clients back yard. It was in good condition but needed a lot of fiberglass work and paint ($Ks). He said it ran really good but the tranny slip'd at times.
You always make out on somebody else's project. I can spend $10-15K on a nice c3 that it is actually worth a lot more. I have learnt this the hard way. I once lost about $5,000 in a Vintage German POS Porsche I restored.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,120
Likes: 145
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
The infamous '80 Kalifornia Vette was automatic only.
Whether auto or stick is better is a difference of opinion, and what you want to do with the car.
All other things being equal, on the strip, a stick is always faster and quicker than an automatic, however an automatic is more consistent and a stronger auto can be built for less money than a comparable manual.
Road racers are manual only. No self-respecting road-racer would touch an auto.
Autocrossers are split.
I personally refuse to own any car with an automatic, but I am trying to keep my opinions out of this.
In general, I would look for a good '74, preferably an L-82 4-speed, as the smog exhaust will restrict the motor to the point of negating any performance increases.
Whether auto or stick is better is a difference of opinion, and what you want to do with the car.
All other things being equal, on the strip, a stick is always faster and quicker than an automatic, however an automatic is more consistent and a stronger auto can be built for less money than a comparable manual.
Road racers are manual only. No self-respecting road-racer would touch an auto.
Autocrossers are split.
I personally refuse to own any car with an automatic, but I am trying to keep my opinions out of this.
In general, I would look for a good '74, preferably an L-82 4-speed, as the smog exhaust will restrict the motor to the point of negating any performance increases.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,716
Likes: 4
From: New Baden Illinois
Re: Buying an 1976 c3 (Vetter1980v)
I have had the benefit of owning both years that you mentioned. I am getting ready to rebuild the motor in my 1976, after 94,000 miles. A simple rebuild, if you do everything except for the machine work yourself, you can do a simple, but very good rebuild, for about $1,000. I am looking to spend about $2500 because I am going to switch heads, pistons, etc.
In terms of comparing the 76 to the 80, the 80 was rated at a higher horsepower. The 76 is 180hp as compared to the 80 at 190hp?. However, the gearing in the 80 is lower. Therefore, I have raced these two cars against each other and the 76 came out on top. But, the 80 does have a smoother ride with the fiberglass spring.
In all, I would say that the 76 for $5500 is a good deal if you can do the engine rebuild yourself.
In terms of comparing the 76 to the 80, the 80 was rated at a higher horsepower. The 76 is 180hp as compared to the 80 at 190hp?. However, the gearing in the 80 is lower. Therefore, I have raced these two cars against each other and the 76 came out on top. But, the 80 does have a smoother ride with the fiberglass spring.
In all, I would say that the 76 for $5500 is a good deal if you can do the engine rebuild yourself.
