Thanks !!!

Yep. I’m looking fw to see if there’s a build sheet under there. And yes, replacing gas tank is to be expected.

 

Hm, I see that POR has a gas tank restoration kit... I’m going to give that a shot before replacing the unit. Shipping a replacement tank to Belgium will probably be very expensive due to its bulk. The reviews of the tank repair seem good.

 

Hopefully the POR-15 kit you plan on using works...because the cost of getting a new gas tank to you is much less than losing your Corvette due to a fire.

REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE"

Keep in mind what I am writing was not a result of the POR-15 product.

One day...years and years ago..I walked into my shop first thing in the morning and I about got knocked out due to the gasoline fumes. I ran to my breaker box and killed the power to the entire shop[ due to having a refrigerator and other things that stay on all the time. I walked around with my flash light and noticed the 1969 Corvette I took in a few days earlier sprung a leak in the gas tank and it was leaking on my shop floor...about the area of two Corvettes parked next to each other. All turned out well for me...but ti was scary there for a while.

DUB

 

Welcome to the forum.

My only comment is....make sure it is a safe car before making it a fast car.

Pretty looking topside but pics of the frame, brakes, suspension, steering, etc would be nice to see here.

Have fun....

 

 

Will get some pics of underside.

In in the meantime time to practice some archaeologist skills.

 

Yes. I’ll b extremely careful. I’ll epoxy the outside. And use the POR-15 product for the inside.

 

Hi D,
It looks like the sheet is in good enough condition to offer some information.
Now is the time to be very gentle with it.
Using the sort of brush women use to apply make-up is often a good way to brush the loose dirt off the paper without damaging the surface or print.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

 

 

Also there is what sounds like a high-pitched triple beep sometimes when the starter refuses to spin up. Almost like an anti theft device. I don’t know that this car had any such thing.

I think it’s a short in the starter... it sounds like the high-pitched sound that sometimes makes when not happy. The regularity of the triple beep was weird tho’. A coincidence no doubt.

 

There’s something extremely satisfying and reassuring knowing that your wiring is well laced up under the hood...

 

Hello There in Belgium!
Welcome to the wonderful world of Corvettes! Welcome to the Corvette Forum as well!

I have a 1968 427 Convertible that I found in a barn and bought 27 years ago. It has been a constant learning experience from day 1, I am so glad that this forum exists as it has helped me as well as countless others.
Does your car have power steering? I did the rack and pinion swap on mine and it was not an easy job to get it to work like the factory steering. If I was back before I spent the money for the conversion to Rack and Pinion I would have invested in replacement parts for the original power steering system.
My cousin's husband built her a beautiful 1969 convertible Corvette. The car was built without power steering and it proved to be to much for her to handle in parking lots and other tight areas.

The brakes on these cars are not bad, if they are maintained they work okay unless you are auto-crossing or racing. Flush your brake fluid and install the fluid that has the highest boiling point that is readily available. This way if you do get a bit heavy on the brakes the fluid won't boil and allow your brakes to fail. Be sure to replace the rubber sections where the brake lines stop and switch to rubber where they attach to the calipers. I have used the Stainless braided hoses and it really improves the pedal's feel.

I found that Dr. Rebuild's Vacuum Hose kits are priceless when you buy one of these cars. There are a lot of vacuum hoses running around under the hood.

While rebuilding my 427, I stuck a 1970 LT-1 engine in my car for fun. I was able to break 22 miles per gallon on the highway, if your mileage is not the best I would suggest that you get a good Air fuel ratio gauge and set the carburetor up to get maximum performance and efficiency.

Changing the fuel tank on a C3 is a fairly easy job even by yourself. Be sure to replace the rubber pieces and the straps that support the tank. Mine had stretched or something but the new straps solved this and it is nice and secure. IF you do buy a tank be sure to find one with a return line on it in case you ever get tired of your carburetor and want to switch to fuel injection.

If you are not happy with the manual brakes there are plenty of people who have switched theirs over to power brakes. It still looks original with the power booster.

The number of smiles per mile is what Corvettes are about in my opinion. I have enjoyed my 1968 for all these years and it still increases in value every year. What a great car!

I hope that you have a great experience with your beautiful Corvette! I wish you an awesome New Year and may you and your family make many treasured memories with your Corvette!

 

Welcome to the forum - I understand that Belgium is a 'challenging' country to own a Vette (big brother legislation and taxation) - you'll get some really good help on here. I have a '68 L36 coupe. Did the '69 have a clutch 'safety' device?

 

I would seriously reconsider attempting to try to install a new positive battery cable. They can be QUITE CHALLENGING. I have replaced my fair share and it is NOT something I look forward to doing.

Like you have mentioned...I also agree that it can be the brushes and armature bushings are worn out causing you to have stsrter issues.

I can also mention that it can be the solenoid...or the wires/cables attached to your starter solenoid. I have many times got under a car with intermittent starter issues and when I loosened the nut for the positive battery cable the stud that is attached to the solenoid was loose. I would tighten up the stud via the jamb nut and put the cable back on and it worked fine.

Hopefully you find this problem...if not..we are here to help you.

Seems like you got that one already figured out.

I have had to modify the accelerator pedal mounted in the car to correct this same problem...or modify it so the owner can use carpeted floor mats and still have full throttle capabilities. If you have trouble fixing this...let me know.

DUB

 

'Early' gas pedal can bend.............

 

 

 

Dub,

Mmm

out of curiosity, what is so tough to do where replacing batt cables?

 

Looks like the loose connection arked/built up heat and melted away at the cable end. The way the battery cable is loomed through the driveshaft tunnel makes it not too much fun to do. I replaced mine quite a few years back and it is something you just need to be patient with (not my strong suit). You may try trimming the end and just using a new battery cable end before replacing the entire cable. Just make sure the cable is secure in the terminal end when you put the new one on or you will have the same end result that is in your hand down the road.

 

Hello again DorianC3,

The picture of the battery cable clamp shows some serious heat damage there with that bad connection. I am glad it did not cause any major damage.

On my 1968 C3 I changed the battery cables, the ground is easy, the positive cable will take some work. As I recall it was several feet long and travels through some dark areas on the Corvette. Getting the electrical system checked out will prevent things like that from happening again. I have a schematic and a layout of the electrical system on my wall in the garage as I refer to it frequently when problems arise.

On your Steering, check the "Rag Joint" before you touch anything else on the steering. Mine was falling apart when I bought the car. The rag joint is located on the steering shaft and is easy to find and easy to fix.
The other loose points can be found with someone turning the wheel while you watch below. I bought a kit that had every part that wears out in the steering system, it required a substantial amount of work but I had it done in a day or so. The steering boxes get play in them after many years of use, you can actually tighten it up if you have the Factory Service manual and follow the procedure carefully. After rebuilding the entire system I still had maybe a 1/4" play but it was okay. The Rack and pinion I have required newer style power steering pump to make it work well. That opened a new can of worms as I then switched over to a serpentine belt system. The serpentine system looks nice but it was not the easiest to make work reliably.

The other point to check is the rear wheel bearings. When I bought the car the bearings had sat for a while in a barn. When I started driving the car regularly the wheel got looser and looser. During a bad rainstorm on the highway I had to slow down as the rear steering effect caused by the bad wheel bearing made the car very unsafe to drive in. The wheel bearings are difficult to change at home as it requires special tools. If you have over 75,000 miles on the car you might want to change both sides during the winter. Older Corvettes are not good all-year cars.

The C3 Corvette is one of the best Corvettes you could own. Mine has been so reliable and consistent that I feel that I can go anywhere in it. I drive it to Corvettes @ Carlisle up in Carlisle Pennsylvania. If you ever have the chance you should come see it for yourself. It is the third weekend in August every year. The C3 cars are well represented since there are so many of them. The savings you get from there are pretty impressive and to be in a fairgrounds with 50,000 other Corvette lovers is an experience to say the least.

My baby sister was at Fairfax High School in the mid 80's, what a small world we live in. I have lived in Turkey, Viet Nam, Bolivia, Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia but have never been to Belgium. So far I have been in 44 countries. Washington DC is the closest thing to being my home for me. I did not grow up in the United States, I am what they call a "Third Culture Kid" here in my home country.

It has been nice chatting with you, if there is ever anything I can help you with please feel free to ask.

Happy New Year!