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1973 L82 Issues

Old Oct 13, 2019 | 09:58 AM
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Default 1973 L82 Issues

Hi. My first post with questions about a 1973 L82 Stingray.

my wife inherited this car and wants to sell it pronto to pay off some bills. My father in law was second owner and drove it infrequently. He parked it under a shed in 2005, put a car cover on it and never did anything with it after that. He purchased it in late 80s.

I am tasked with getting this car running. I have my own 68 Plymouth to work so I want to get done ASAP. Wife can’t seem to sell it “as is”.

i have turned engine by hand then with starter. Oil and coolant look good. He ran the fuel out and so far only the fuel pump is shot, which I am changing today. I have blown out the lines. I am leaving the carb alone until I see how it does.

i have looked at ignition. Points look new. Distributor cap had corrosion, so I have replaced it. Never got 12 volts in Start. I found the wire on the starter to the coil is missing. I should be able to trace it. In ON I have zero volts. Shouldn’t I have 9 volts or so?

I can see the flywheel teeth. Shouldn’t there be a cover?



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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 12:02 PM
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Doesn’t look too bad for sitting that long.

Yes there should be a cover for the flex plate or flywheel, but it is often removed and put away somewhere. If you’re selling it, I wouldn’t worry about it.

You should have a full 12+ Volts at the coil when the ignition is in the start position. A little less in run (don’t recall the number, maybe 10V?).
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 03:57 PM
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Originally Posted by CA-Legal-Vette
Doesn’t look too bad for sitting that long.

Yes there should be a cover for the flex plate or flywheel, but it is often removed and put away somewhere. If you’re selling it, I wouldn’t worry about it.

You should have a full 12+ Volts at the coil when the ignition is in the start position. A little less in run (don’t recall the number, maybe 10V?).
Thank you for the information. I am hoping to have it running by next weekend. We are going to put new tires on and have it cleaned up. I may put a few miles on it to make sure it is roadworthy.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Joe_J
Thank you for the information. I am hoping to have it running by next weekend. We are going to put new tires on and have it cleaned up. I may put a few miles on it to make sure it is roadworthy.
If you get it running, makes sure the brakes are working before taking it for a spin. The brakes on these cars REALLY don’t like to sit.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 06:26 PM
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So ... what'll y'all take for it as is ?
...and which State's it located ?

Last edited by jackson; Oct 13, 2019 at 06:26 PM.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 08:27 PM
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Originally Posted by CA-Legal-Vette
If you get it running, makes sure the brakes are working before taking it for a spin. The brakes on these cars REALLY don’t like to sit.
The rears are stuck. Going to tap lightly on the drums. The front discs are not stuck but the rubber hoses could stand to be replaced.

Last edited by Joe_J; Oct 13, 2019 at 08:28 PM.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted by jackson
So ... what'll y'all take for it as is ?
...and which State's it located ?
North Carolina. $12k is her price on it.

Few more pics. We can’t verify original miles but he didn’t drive it much. Usually weekend trips to a nearby lake.

i have aired up the tires but they sat flat for a while. I worked on it yesterday and they were still inflated after a week. I installed a new battery, which I had bought for my mother in law’s C4 but she doesn’t drive it, so it went into the C3. Inside has been cleaned and vacuumed. The wife has washed it since the photos were taken.









Last edited by Joe_J; Oct 13, 2019 at 08:36 PM.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 08:43 PM
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From what I see in the photos the car may be worth 5k to 6k if the cage is good. Of course there is a sucker born every minute. Good luck
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 08:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Joe_J
The rears are stuck. Going to tap lightly on the drums. The front discs are not stuck but the rubber hoses could stand to be replaced.

Four wheel disc brakes, but there sort of are drums in the rear. The parking brake is inside drums built into the rear rotors. Not uncommon for them to seize.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 09:50 PM
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Originally Posted by CA-Legal-Vette
Four wheel disc brakes, but there sort of are drums in the rear. The parking brake is inside drums built into the rear rotors. Not uncommon for them to seize.
yeah, the parking brake was left up.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 10:42 PM
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I don't see $12k .have you thought of giving up on the Plymouth? The Corvette may be a better car to have.
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Old Oct 13, 2019 | 11:24 PM
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$12K will buy you a pretty decent, drivable '73 here in SoCal.
I'm seeing, realistically a $4,500-$5,000 car in it's current condition.
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Old Oct 14, 2019 | 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by 7t9l82
I don't see $12k .have you thought of giving up on the Plymouth? The Corvette may be a better car to have.
Value wise, I would agree. The Fury is a C body, which is the step child of the Mopar world. It isn’t worth a lot. Most C bodies had their engines looted and went to the crusher. But, it is my daily driver. Has a new engine, brakes, etc. I drive it to work. I couldn’t imagine a Corvette has a daily car. If my Fury gets another ding, I’m not going to be heartbroken.

The Corvette is the wife’s inherited car. She is setting a price based on her research. So, it’s her decision what she ultimately sells it for. I did look it up on NADA and low retail is $12k but that is based by zip code, so I expect variation by locale. Now, I wouldn’t mind having her mom’s 87 C4. I got that running after it sat for years. I told her to drive it some but she hasn’t and is thinking about selling it.

I will be working on the Corvette after work to get it running. Fuel line had pin holes and the pump was shot. The old pump is off and I had to pull the AC compressor to get to it (don’t have that problem with the Fury ). I’ll chase down the ignition issue and put new tires, hoses belts , etc on. I’m sure it might fare better if in drivable condition.

Likely, I will have more questions. I have never owned a Corvette.

Last edited by Joe_J; Oct 14, 2019 at 12:28 AM.
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