When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I'm a new member with a '79 L82 Corvette Green with Green Cloth and 50k original miles.
The help I've received here has been welcomed and I've also done my best to contribute when possible.
My spouse gave this car to me about six months ago. It was purchased at an estate auction of a man who died very young and very accidentally after making excellent money and acquiring LOTS of toys. He purchased it from the original owner and had it reasonably stored away for four years awaiting attention that never came.
When presented to me it was fully inspected and licensed after decent chunks of change to get it to pass inspection and take care of a "nasty" scratch on the driver door. The most ridiculous thing my spouse told me was, "They said you're lucky that it doesn't leak from the T-top." HAH! HAH! HAH! It had sat for a while outside in the body guys yard during rainy weather and the compartment pan still had liquid water under original carpet that had just (my belief) rotted. The floor mats you see in the photos are original.
While it looked amazing considering the age I've spent 100s of hours and 1,000s of $$ to get everything working. The only thing I hired was resetting of the windshield by a local shop that works almost exclusively with C3 Vettes and tells me, "Your engine looks mainly good and it sounds great" [as it comes up his drive off the county highway with his shop doors closed.] They also told me that the now huge gaps between the (not original) windshield and reveal moldings are "certain". I wasn't too happy about that but guess I'll deal with it...
Here are some pics:
The lack of A/C compressor, some belts and intake pieces are only because they are removed in anticipation of getting the A/C working this week--my FINAL "basic" repair. The power antenna is removed because I'm tired of messing with it and replacing parts just to have it fail again within a few cycles. I might truly care if I kept its matching CB radio which like it works only when it wants to...
The cruise servo is a NOS unit from a slightly different application. The only difference is the front mounting tab. The interior "tunnel" trim pieces are off because I'm in a LONG shake-down cruise and am afraid to install them for the umpteenth time thinking, "No need to remove them again 'cause everything is working."
Since it was quite original and nearly 100% stock when I purchased I don't intend to do any mods as I'm from the school that says, "highly modified = highly troublesome" and this thing is troublesome enough as it is! I did add a remote unlocking system when I had the main wiring harness out for repair.
While I've been driving the car frequently for errands and test runs, I haven't left the immediate area and am STILL trying for a 100-mile trip (each way) to visit an uncle who bought new C-3s every couple years for most of their lifespan. I want to take the very rural way--hilly twisty roads of the sort you see in performance car commercials...
My questions are mainly of the "wait 'till it breaks" or "do it before it gets more expensive" variety:
1) There was a brake problem (it lit the warning light) that I solved merely by vacuum bleeding and flushing the system with nearly a gallon of new fluid in March of this year. I'm guessing that the master cylinder and booster are original. I've never seen any evidence of a leak. The fluid in the front reservoir of the master cylinder looks quite dirty again but the rear looks almost new. I get good even braking--can remove my hand from the wheel on an even road and brake quite hard and long without needing to correct direction. Should I just do some more flushing? Or replace master cylinder and booster before I have a disaster?
2) I've added power steering fluid once after the initial fill (9 months) with about 400 miles of driving. I've cleaned everything and while there are certainly no major leaks nearly everything that can leak is leaking a bit. Should I wait until it gets significantly worse? The fluid is of course filthy. Despite the difficulty, should I attempt to clean the system by flushing or will cleaning only increase the leaks? If the advice is to replace am I correct that the best route is to replace the valve, cylinder, pump and lines all at once using newly manufactured OEM parts (presuming their availability)? I can't claim in any way to be a master mechanic but have been successfully repairing all sorts of things all of my life. Am I stupid to consider DIY valve and cylinder rebuild?
3) Should I do anything with the differential? Oil level is correct and it's not leaking.
4) Starting and idling could be better. It takes a lot of pumping after an overnight sit which I presume means that the main bowls are leaking. It almost always dies once or twice from a cold start unless I let it idle on the high cam for a minute or more. Once warm the idle could definitely be smoother. Minor correction time or complete rebuild?
The usual cause of a power steering fluid leak is the 3/8" return hose and that's easily fixed for a couple of bucks and 30 minutes of your labor. Your engine looks great because fools haven't had the chance to make things "better". Its refreshing to see a car that old that is mostly factory original.
The usual cause of a power steering fluid leak is the 3/8" return hose and that's easily fixed for a couple of bucks and 30 minutes of your labor. Your engine looks great because fools haven't had the chance to make things "better". Its refreshing to see a car that old that is mostly factory original.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look around the PS return hose very carefully.
I grew up in that era (HS grad of '82) and was surprised to see an engine compartment that looked so original. Nice to see the HEI but glad to find absence of CCC. Besides some cleaning the only thing I've had to do to the engine is spark plug replacement (not original but OLD!), a replacement vacuum switch in the intake filter housing (NOT easy to find!) and a corrugated riser from the "heat stove".
No, gaps between windshield and trim is not normal, but it happens often when a non GM replacement windshield (which are thinner) is installed with the original spacers.
Accumulator replacement was such a PITA (and required odd, expensive tools) that I actually paid an experienced Corvette mechanic to do the job. He had to repeatedly soak the connections for days before they came loose...
Went to pump down the system and it won't hold vacuum. I keep waiting on my neighbor friend who does A/C work to return and help me find the leak(s). With my luck it will be the evaporator
Despite hours of work on numerous occasions I still can't get the driver window adjusted properly. Received some advice here and will go at it yet again fairly soon.
Discovered that the front part of my antenna cable (it was originally a CB system so it's a bizarre antenna cable arrangement) had a broken conductor so I had to replace the cable with a single run.
The starter died--now replaced.
About half the "CORVETTE" badge on the rear bumper fell off. Got a new one and after discovering that I'd have to completely remove the rear bumper for a proper replacement I used some carefully placed 3M trim adhesive tape.
Developed a new transmission fluid leak after the road trip. I'm still not sure where it's coming from but I most suspect the pan gasket. Everything nicely cleaned along with the starter replacement so I'll look again in a few days. Checked the modulator and it's OK.
Got tired of a rapidly vacillating oil pressure needle so after verifying good electrical connections, replaced the sender unit. Problem solved.
Just discovered that the climate control system no longer changes mode and will only blow air from the floor (heat) location. Discovered this shortly after replacing the carpeted side console trim pieces. Know it was working a few days before during the road trip. I don't think I'll EVER again replace those trim pieces! Every time I do something else breaks that requires their nearly immediate removal!!!!
Am about ready to go outside and attempt to solve my parking break problem (they are functional but hold VERY poorly) by simple adjustment. Considered the track record the star adjuster will either be utterly frozen or something will break during the adjustment. Then I get to face what I read is only of the most frustrating repairs on a C3.
What Next?
