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.
Hello everyone , I bought a 1980 C3 for what I’m hoping is a good price at 3,900 . My questions are expensive to restore? It needs some bodywork around the door jams on the body and on the doors . It also needs some mechanical work like normal wear an tear things along with ball joints an , bushings etc . This is my first corvette and I love the year . And feedback and advice would be very appreciated. Are these things expensive repairs? Bodywork in the door jams on the body expensive? Mechanical work expensive? It has 116145 miles original miles . Just looking for any feedback as well as advise as too never owning a beautiful car such as this . I bought it knowing it would need work so this isn’t a surprise to me . Also t tops leak looking like needing new rubber all around is this expensive again ? Is it something I could do myself to help save money ? I’m mechanically inclined to certain extents . Thank you all in advance .
Dave
Last edited by DaveG71870; Oct 12, 2019 at 10:40 AM.
Reason: Add photos
Hello everyone , I bought a 1980 C3 for what I’m hoping is a good price at 3,900 . My questions are expensive to restore? It needs some bodywork around the door jams on the body and on the doors . It also needs some mechanical work like normal wear an tear things along with ball joints an , bushings etc . This is my first corvette and I love the year . And feedback and advice would be very appreciated. Are these things expensive repairs? Bodywork in the door jams on the body expensive? Mechanical work expensive? It has 116145 miles original miles . Just looking for any feedback as well as advise as too never owning a beautiful car such as this . I bought it knowing it would need work so this isn’t a surprise to me . Also t tops leak looking like needing new rubber all around is this expensive again ? Is it something I could do myself to help save money ? I’m mechanically inclined to certain extents . Thank you all in advance .
Dave
If you add pictures help would be much easier! Depends on the extent of almost everything you said! Good luck and 80 is a great year!
Hate to tell you this but it looks like you may have a serious case of "birdcage" rust. The birdcage is the steel structure that encloses the passenger compartment. Remove the rocker panel trim (outboard sides of the kickspaces) and the interior windshield trim (sides and top) and post pictures. You may not like what you find...
hmmm , doesn't look too good at the front of the door opening area on the body (base /side of windshield area ), wish you had posted those pics here before you bought it.
maybe just fix the door handle and drive it for a few years ,then get rid of it. trade it in on a new C8 !!!
I really got it just to drive it , I knew it needed some work but I figured what the heck not to to bad like you said to drive it around for a few years . I know it’s not going to be a show car just a driver .
Take off the rocker panels and the sill plate to see what you're working with! It's a driver like you said and nothing wrong with that just make sure the birdcage is good and you can do fixes as you go along!
Thanks I appreciate you all giving me feedback. I have the car at a local trustworthy garage I use . I had them do an inspection roll through last week and just waiting on them to give me an estimate on what it would need for inspection an if an what they found on the car .
The birdcage thing is specific to corvettes and you can't be certain of how bad without removing the rocker panel and windshield trim. If it's anywhere near as bad as it looks like it will be you've essentially bought yourself a parts car.
What do you mean by "t top m#". Fiberglass tops painted the same color as the car body were standard; glass tops were optional. They use the same seals.
Look at these pictures of my frame where the doors are . There is little rust there but not much . It appears there should be weatherstripping there but is none ? The birdcage is ok just these doors and This is the RH door area right where the hood is . That’s what I’m looking at as too not looking good like it’s missing weatherstripping. This is the driver’s side same area right where the hood is . Shouldn’t there be weathered there ? I have no problem with fixing the rust here but I feel there should be weatherstripping we here the fender and hood and door are . There’s a gap
frame where the jambs are don’t look the best . I did have a auto body guy quote me to repair these at 430 bucks . But is it missing weatherstripping?
1980 c3
