Hi,
Some advice please: I'm Australian and have entered in the Trans Am rally for pre 1975 cars next year. One of my options is to ship a car across from Australia, but the freight isn't cheap.

I've always loved the 70-72 Corvettes so another option is to buy one when I'm back in Colorado in January, check it out and store it there until the rally.

My question is about reliability of 40yo Corvettes. If I buy one that checks out as mechanically sound, am I likely to have trouble over the next 10000 miles? There is some track work, but most of it is road speeds on tarmac or well graded gravel from Nova Scotia to San Francisco.

Any advice?

Regards

John H
Sydney, Australia

 

Any old car can have issues, let alone a performance car.

Things I have done or were done to my 73 that really helped are upgrading to O-rings in all the calipers (brake system) and replacing the factory steering system (2 options here). The rest should be the usual stuff older cars have problems with like rust, bad wiring, general drivetrain failure, etc...

 

Lotsa salt on many Colorado roads, double check everything metal!

 

You will soon see if the car was maintained well by the owner or a shop. I would trust in such a car that also was driven often.
I would not trust in cars where you can see that the owner tried to save some bucks and did bubba-work to it.
You surely will make a test drive before purchase, this will tell you the rest you need to know. Liftetime of all the old components can noone tell you.
If you are not skilled in C3 things give it to a shop for a complete check before the rallye. It will cost some bucks but you will feel much saver.

 

Yes, without a doubt. All cars needed servicing at intervals of less than 10K miles when new, that won't have changed 40 years later. In those days there was a dealership in every little town plus corner garages everywhere that were fully equipped to service the cars of the era.

Not much of that support network still exists. You'll need to be much more resourceful in finding spares and repair facilities along the route.

 

Contact Lars in Colorado, he won't steer you wrong if he has a lead on a good car. I would completely trust his judgement on an out of state/country purchase. Good luck, it sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

 

id go with that.

 

Not long after I bought my c3 a muffler fell off (rust), developed a stuck brake caliper (sludge), developed a squeak (ujoint), and some other stuff. If I knew better at the time how to look for these things I probably could have avoided most of it.

I have no regrets. Still glad I got it and drive it all the time.

 

Hi,

Thanks for the advice? Who is Lars and how do I get in touch with him?

Regards

John H
Sydney, Australia

 

Lars is a forum member that goes by that 'handle' here on the C3 forum. He is a very valued friend to many a brother (and sister) here online; and is very useful when troubleshooting problems relating to fuel and ignition issues.....among other things.


If his PM mailbox is full on the forum, try reaching him through v8fastcars@msn.com


I'm sure when he gets in touch with you, you'll see what Myself and others are talking about.

 

Lars is THEE go-to man on carburetor and ignition issues.

 

c3's are very reliable if well taken care of

 

Generally, there is nothing special about a C3 Vette: It's a plain ol' Chevy passenger car with a 'glass body and independent rear suspension (some people don't like to hear that...). The engine and tranny are as reliable as a Caprice Station wagon, so it will run for several hundred thousand miles with no issues, as long as the timing chain is good. Front end and steering is plain GM stuff with nothing special - no reliability issues, and it's bullet-proof.

The only reliability issue that can bite you is the rear suspension/driveline. Any car you take on a long trip should be checked for driveshaft u-joints and for half-shaft u-joints. The rear wheels should also be checked to make sure the wheel bearings are in good shape and in-spec on play. You don't want to be trying to fix rear wheel bearings on the side of the road. If the rear end issues are checked and corrected prior to a trip, the car will run without issues, providing the normal hoses/belts are good and the waterpump is in good shape. Check the brakes, and you're set to roll.

Lars

 

Thanks for that - good, sensible advice. After reading it, I watched a youtube on replacing the rear wheel bearings. Definitely something to do in the workshop!

Regards

John H
Sydney, Australia

 

Oh... one more reliability issue on the C2/C3 Vettes, also related to the rear end: The stub axles sticking out of the rear differential have a nasty tendency to chew themselves up on the thrust surface inside the rear differential. This results in excessive play (in-and-out) of these axle shafts, and rear wheel alignment becomes erratic. This excessive endplay is more common on the passenger side than the driver's side, and it's a real problem with the rear design on these cars. Always check it before buying a C2/C3 Vette - the rear diff needs to be dropped out of the car to fix this, so it's not a cheap fix if you have to pay someone to do it.

Lars

 

What's done to adjust this end play Lars?

oops!

 

My 30 year old vette door decided it wasn't going to latch today
Stupid things can happen but they are durable cars! As mentioned above, if the brakes have any sign of age.... Replace it all! The good news is most parts are reasonable.
Next would be the condition of the bushings ...all the bushings. If you have a bad one, it will make the car handle funny.
I assuming you will go through the usual checks for rust, belts , tires, battery, fuel tank, oil leaks, clutch , or auto trans function.
Good luck, you'll have a blast! If it was me, the 4 speed converted to a 5 speed overdrive makes for the best all around racer!

 

I can't imagine buying a 40 year old car and expecting it to be ready for a 10K mile trip without going through every last nut and bolt.

 

I'd certainly crawl all over it and check everything that I possibly can. I was more concerned about the reliability of things that I won't have the time or ability to check - basically the power train. When I did the Sydney London rally in a 1974 Volvo earlier this year, we rebuilt or renewed absolutely everything in the car from the headlights to the brake lights and everything in between. I won't be able to do that if I buy a Corvette - hence seeking the wisdom of this forum on reliability of the major parts.

Regards

John H
Sydney, Australia

 

I'd worry just as much about the minor parts. A 5 cent bolt or electrical connector can stop you dead as easily as a $1000 big part.

These cars (any car) are way past their design life at 40+ years.