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Long story short, my father-in-law wanted a late 70's early 80's Corvette. I was never a Corvette guy, but I found one at an auction house in Indiana near my parents. I saw it and it is the only thing other than my wife that a little voice in my head said "I gotta have that". I told my father-in-law about it, (hoping he didn't want it), and he said he was looking for a jeep or something 4wd since he lives in upstate NY on the shore of Lake Erie. BOOM I was free to bid. I talked it over with my wife and she liked it, having grown up around a mom and dad that like to street race in when she was a kid, she knew enough that I wasn't speaking German.
We got it a $8200.00. Now I had only seen this car through a fence the lot was closed and locked from what I saw I loved it. I knew it would need some work, but we have a 14yo son that is just getting into cars. Perfect. When it was delivered to NC where I live I pulled her off the trailer and waited for the wife to get home to go for the first ride. 1978 Red L82 with 25th Anniversary badging, high rise cam, aftermarket ignition (not electronic), side pipes, all kinds of fun stuff.
NOW for the questions. From the number that is stamped on the block it is a 350, but I cannot tell what the internals are, it idles like it has a high rise cam in it, nice deep throaty lope from the exhaust. IT has a Holley 850 double pumper on it. I am going to change that, it appears that based on the carb selection, cam, some other chrome parts, the soft rear suspension with a bit of camber in it on both sides, and the 275/60s that are on the back end it was used for street racing as well.
ISSUE 1. Carb, I feel it is too big. When I start it I have to spray the driveway under it so the mixture of carbon and raw unburned fuel do not stain the concrete black, I mean fuel just runs out of the exhaust, I also know that it isn't burning all of it, and some is washing down the cylinder wall into the crankcase evidenced by the oil smelling like gasoline too.
ISSUE 2 Transmission. It has a 4 speed in it, not sure if it is factory original but is seems to have a lockout in the trans to prevent you from down shifting. I cannot shift from 4th to 3rd unless its under 20mph, then cannot shift from 3rd to second unless its under 10mph. I have even had instances where I couldn't shift from 1st to 2nd and had to grab 3rd because I was over 20mp. and those time I was being a bit conservative. I have hit 50 halfheartedly screwing around in less than a city block just as I shift into 3rd. And yes the speedo is way off, 72mph on the gauge on the highway is actually 91mph according to phone GPS.
Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Before you dive in changing parts, learn more.
The carb float could be stuck from sitting.
Post some pictures so we can see what you have to work with.
Change ALL the fluids and filters.
Tranny , rear end, coolant, engine oil, and bleed the brakes clean.
Ask which items to use for this. The car NEEDS specific lubricants and additives.
Hoses and belts would also be on my list.
Welcome to land boats, and break out another $1000.
Bird, another $1000, have you lost it in retirement! lol. Car has been worked on so that would be about $5k today.
Seriously good luck with the car, as long as you didn't buy it for an investment and are not concerned about the cost to repair them you are good. If you figure you can fix it up and sell for a profit I would stop here.
These years had bad axles in the diff, look for your issues in the diff and there goes the first $1500 or so.
78 base might have the Saginaw 4 speed which was pretty bad, but if it's a BW superT10 they are much better. Could be shifter issue, clutch or internal. If you go into the clutch and trans another $1500 or so.
Check the whole suspension for bushing dry rot or replacement, bent rods, or hammer marks on the arms. Play in the rear bearings. If you go into the arms another $850-$900. Btw pricing is based on correctly rebuilding these parts if you get a shop that doesn't know them or one of the con men out there add about 50-100% more as you may have to do them again.
Now, since you want to learn, you can cut a lot of those costs down but you will need good tools, work room, and patience.
Thanks for the info. Oil and filter change are on the list for Sunday evening after my step-son gets back from his dads house. We are working slowly around the car, explaining what part does what, what fluid goes where. I grew up on a farm and remember a lot of the things my dad taught me by doing it that way.
Since we are so late in the year already, along with having 1500sg/ft of laminate flooring stacked in my garage for a honey-do, we are just going to keep her covered outside, keep an eye on the fluid levels and take the occasional cruise on Saturday or Sunday, not too far though, because she passes everything but the gas pump.
I will post some photos when I take the cover off. Would be nice to have a frame lift, but he's gonna learn the way I did, wheel chocks, jackstands, and a creeper. I've never rebuilt a trans, not even sure I want to keep the 4 speed, may go to a 5 speed. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. I have rebuilt a couple of engines though, one on a Mercury Cougar, another 350 in a 93 Chevy K1500 pick-up. Not to mention doing a couple of swaps. All of that work had to be done to maintain POS cars I bought as daily drivers, This one is for me and my son and is being done for fun.
Last edited by mindless; Aug 29, 2020 at 06:01 PM.
As per the shifting issue, sounds pretty bad. I have a 77 with the Borg Warner superT10 in it. If your car is a L82 (For certain). It should have had a Super T10 in It. But who knows. You'll find out when you get under her and look.
I made the mistake a number of years back of putting synthetic gear oil in my old 4 speed. The syncrols didn't like it a whole bunch! Drained that out and put old fashioned Dyno gear oil back in and it's been shifting fine ever since.
I think my 4 speed is the only part left on my car I haven't rebuilt! Those old BW Super T10 boxes are good.
as per the rear wheels tipped in a the top. I would definitely be checking those axle stubs at the diff.
Last edited by 4-vettes; Aug 29, 2020 at 06:34 PM.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Originally Posted by mindless
IT has a Holley 850 double pumper on it. I feel it is too big. When I start it I have to spray the driveway under it so the mixture of carbon and raw unburned fuel do not stain the concrete black, I mean fuel just runs out of the exhaust, I also know that it isn't burning all of it, and some is washing down the cylinder wall into the crankcase evidenced by the oil smelling like gasoline too.
The size of the carb has absolutely nothing to do with how rich it's running. In fact, a large carb on a small engine tends to run lean. If you're running rich, you simply need to correctly set up the carb. An 850 is more than a 350 needs, but it can be set up to start, idle, and run just fine. You have a tuning & setup problem - not a carb size problem.
To put your 850 carb into perspective, you are starting, idling, and doing almost all of your driving on the primary side only. The primary side has a flow rating of 425 cfm (using the 4-barrel flow rating pressure drop). This is equivalent to a 2-barrel carb with a 600 cfm flow rating (because 2-barrel carbs are rated at a different pressure drop). Nobody would argue that a 600 cfm carb is "too big" for a 350, and that a 600 cfm carb was causing a rich condition due to it size. You can set up your existing carb to run very well, and you can set it to any air/fuel mixture ratio you desire. A small carb can also be set up to run just as badly as your big carb...
The mystery deepened a bit last night. I reached out to the previous owner on FB and asked about the internals on the engine, and trans. His response;
BOUGHT IT THE WAY IT IS ABOUT 5 YEARS ..SHOULD BE ON TITLE...WAS TOLD STOCK EXCEPT CARB.....I PUT NEW SEAT BACKS AND THAT'S ALL I DID TO IT..WAS GOING TO RESTORE IT BUT WHEN I CHECKED ON PAINT THEY WANTED 10,000 SO I DIDN'T RESTORE IT...I AM 68 YEARS OLD AND DIDN'T WANT TO MESS WITH. IT IS A NEAT CAR AND RARE...WENT TO CORVETTE MUSEUM AND THEY TOLD ME ABOUT 2,000 MADE THAT YEAR IN RED SO AFTER YOU TAKE THE L48,S OFF AND L82 AUTOS NOT MANY WERE 4 SP SHE SMOKES WHEN FIRST START BUT NO SMOKE AFTER IT RUN WARMED UP.
I guess me next step is to pay for a title search in Indiana based on the VIN. Since it was made before title numbers were standardized to whatever number of characters they are today I haven't been able to find a vehicle history search online that will work. But it is my understanding the Indiana DMV will perform this search for a fee.
If I recall correctly you live in a town that has it’s own resident Corvette expert. A man that until recently was very active on this forum has a shop in Mooresville. Or in the Charlotte area. His name is Dub. Call around to any vette shops up there until you can find him. I don’t know how you could go wrong by hiring him to look the car over and get a TO DO list of what you need and the order of importance. If I were a noob and lived near such a resource that would be the first thing I would do. Good luck with the new toy and welcome to this addictive pastime.
We're going to need to see some pictures of your car.
As for smoking at startup, that could be valve stem seals/guides. My 80 does that. I just live with it until I can replace the heads/engine, but it can be fixed on the car.
Check the shift linkages when you get under the car. And before you do that, check the clutch linkage. These cars have a very long throw, so if the clutch isn't fully engaged (disengaged?), shifting may be more difficult. And before you do that, order a full set of manuals, including the GM/Corvette shop manual for your year (which will have the clutch adjustment instructions, if you can't find them online).
If I recall correctly you live in a town that has it’s own resident Corvette expert. A man that until recently was very active on this forum has a shop in Mooresville. Or in the Charlotte area. His name is Dub. Call around to any vette shops up there until you can find him. I don’t know how you could go wrong by hiring him to look the car over and get a TO DO list of what you need and the order of importance. If I were a noob and lived near such a resource that would be the first thing I would do. Good luck with the new toy and welcome to this addictive pastime.
agree
contact DUB at:
Corvettes Etc.
4927 Wilkinson Blvd
Charlotte NC 28208
(704) 394-5150
usually closed Sat & Sun; holidays hours vary
We got it a $8200.00. Now I had only seen this car through a fence the lot was closed and locked from what I saw I loved it.
Are you saying you bought it with no more familiarity than seeing it through a fence?
If so, before dumping any money into it, have you verified the condition of the "birdcage" - the steel structure surrounding the cockpit? A C3 can look great but have severe rot going on under the skin. Normally that should be a primary item on the checklist.
You can search the archives here to see extensive discussions on checking this. Hopefully yours doesn't have problems.
Last edited by brassplyer; Sep 3, 2020 at 04:08 AM.
I had a bit of time this morning, and pulled the plugs, got a couple of pictures too. I think I found part of the problem, the plugs on the passenger side front 2 cylinders I spun out with nothing more than my fingers and a socket. The rest look like hell with gaps from .034 to .042. And I'm replacing the fuel line this evening when I reinstall new plugs.
Carburetor photos
Since you are making some changes, move the vacuum line connected to the distributor advance from the ported source on the front metering block to the capped port on the base plate on the front.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
The black sooting inside the carb is evidence of some serious timing problems with the engine (running badly retarded). You need to fix the timing - not the carb.(Although I can guarantee that the carb needs work, too, based on the poor setup of the ignition system).
NOOB here with 1000 questions
Lars
