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I have a 1979 L82, until last week it has not been driven since 03. It has sat in a climate-controlled garage though since 03. I have rebuilt the carburetor and replaced the rear brakes. I have also changed out all the fluid in the vehicle except the rear diff fluid which I plan to do soon. Anyways the issues I'm having are that the rear wheel bearings are scratching with every rotation and it is quite loud at this point so I have not driven it for fear that it will build heat and break. When I did move it from the previous owners to my house it had a very bouncy ride quality at under 2500 RPMs but I think it is due to the bearings. The headlights are also slow to come up and come up unevenly so I think there is a vacuum leak in the system. It also shoots out a very thin white smoke from the exhaust and the same colored smoke is coming from the right side of the engine bay down by the exhaust manifold. The engine bay is rather dirty and I think over time oil has dripped down so I think it might just be burning off old oil that was dripped on it. I'm also not sure which of the gadgets are working properly or not and I have no idea how I would fix them. The transmission fluid leaks slowly but I'm pretty sure the pan gasket just needs to be replaced. If possible I would like some suggestions for things that I should take a look at. I am also looking to do as much of the repairs as possible myself but if a repair requires an expensive specific tool ill have to take it to a shop. I'll also post a bunch of pictures of something if it could help with the diagnoses of the problems.
Thank you,
Welcome to the world of 79 L-82 owners. I've read down most of the posts here and your getting some good advice. I purchased my 79 last October and am amazed at the beauty of these classic cars. Your learning curve is going to be going straight up. lol. Doing lots of research is recommended. Willcox and Corvette Central both have tech help pages. A 79 Corvette shop manual and an assembly manual make good reading. You can find these used on E-Bay. My advice would be is pick your battles. Safety should be your # 1 concern. Brakes are a problem on these old girls. Calipers always leak. Even new ones. Cut a couple pieces of wood 2"s wide and about 5"s long and push them in place between the caliper pistons as you remove the calipers from the rotor as you the calipers off. Leave them there til you put the caliper back on pulling them out slowly as you put the calipers back on. Gravity bleeding works well by opening the upper most bleed screw until you get a steady flow of fluid. Pump the pedal a few times every couple of weeks when it's just sitting. This does help. Emergency brake shoes are a bitch to get off/on without pulling the axle as already described on this thread. You purchased your car a few month ago so I don't know how your progressing. Oil leaks are minor but require some doing to stop them, even if only temporarily. Engine leak may be the 2 piece rear seal. Mine was and new pan gasket was put in at the same time. A couple of You Tube videos on this as well. Transmission leak may just be the speedometer bullet that your speedo cable fastens to. You will find lots of help on how to do stuff on You Tube. I completely rebuilt my rear suspension renewing everything with rubber as it came from the factory. Trailing arm bushings may be worn and make your car hard to align up on the rear. Axle play will come from the stub axles that fit into he differential. Passengers side tends to be worn the most. They hit up against the hardened center pin in the differential and wear down. Although called independent rear suspension, there is binding on the spring rubbers and trailing arm bushings. If I can be of any help just holler at me. John
