What should I look for? I am a straight axle guy so... What are the problem areas? I know it still has a bird cage so I will look for rust. I think the 77 is a black automatic not sure what the 74 is...

Also, there is an 84 in the group of corvettes too.

 

the 74 is cali smog exempt. the 77 has to pass. 84? C4MARO. they are nice cars. handle good. fast. better on gas than our dinosaurs. but judging by your avatar it may be too similar to a camry or a prius for your tastes.

 

84 corvette. Yeah, I remember they updated the smog exempt rules from 73 to 75. I was looking for more about problem areas on the car itself. I can work on any C3 pretty much plus probably C4...Not that difficult.

 

Double thread, you should ask the moderators to combine the 2 different threads you have going. Alot of good answers waiting for you on the other thread

 

Yeah, yours discussion threads are weird compared to the C1/C2 discussion boards.

 

Probably. Most folks use both threads, general gets a lot of views. Tech has More trolls

 

the biggest single problem area in the 77 is the turn signal switch has the headlights added to it and it is a problematic, one year only switch. not quite unobtanium or unicorn horn but not easy to find. other than that and emissions stuff added they are pretty much the same car. the exhaust sucks on the 77 and in cali you can't say "eff it i am getting rid of that stuff" like in most of the rest of the country. the thing that bugs me about cats is it is illegal to use a used one. OE cats are so far superior to any aftermarket cat it is unbelievable. if you bought a couple of junk 03 caravans or similar and pulled the cats and scrapped them you might be able to install them in an earlier car as long as they were there before the first trip to an inspection station.

 

I can get it for around 4-5k. 1974 is the most original one. The 77 is for the same price. It was resprayed black red interior automatic. That one the owner had a vapor lock problem and just parked it. There are a few parts I would need to replace (side markers). The rear bumper cap needs to be repainted. This one has a t-tops so not sure how that is in the rain. I know my 62 leaks when I drive it but that was normal. I did not try to turn over the engine. It ran at some point so I am sure I could get it to run once more. How does the engine stamp look?

Apparently, the dad was in the process of getting it back onto the road. He put new headers and exhaust on it so that leads me to believe the rest of the engine/trans is fine. Heck, its a muncie so that part is probably solid. It has the original paint and interior (leather). The front shroud and fan was removed to replace the front brake lines. The rear brake lines and fuel line still needs to be replaced. How hard is it to replace the fuel lines. I remember it was a PITA to do the ones on the midyears. It looks like the engine is a 250 hp and is correct for that year from the first part of the stamp. I really think for 5k we could not go wrong with it.

This is a father and sons quick project. My youngest son is about to get his license.

 

fuel line done right is body-off. the efi conversions use efi flex hose run the length of the car tie-wrapped to whatever they can find. brake lines pretty common. with the smog stuff in kali i would do the 74 even if it needed an engine. white is durable paint. hides the flaws. touch-ups blend good. black is a mirror. "look at these ripples and this bodywork!!!" beautiful but the body has to be Good. that orig 74 rear split bumper. if near 50 years old it is gonna come apart any day now. i greatly prefer the 80-82 rear bumper. bolts right on. originality be damned. tell ya what. i will find the best 74 there is and trade you for that 62. hell, i had to try! CLR says 73 350 L82 4 speed. internet is frequently not all the way correct. do the small numbers match the last 8 on the vin plate? oct 18 engine assy date. what does trim tag say?

 

Pre smog so no need to even deal with the smog stuff. I am not sure what is wrong with the fuel line. Yes, matching numbers.

My corvette was pretty rough when I found it. I basically body parts. I spent 10 years building it in my garage.


now:

 

The leather code is right. The paint looks like it is correct too.

 

74 pre smog. That’s what I meant compared to the 77. Even if the 74 needed a motor it would’ve been less work in the long run and trying to get the 77 through admissions. That being original and being a four-speed kinda ices it. You know how to look for the rot. Just cause you’re in California does it mean the car always was.

 

trust me I used to live in the midwest for a short period of time. Guys would say california and I would say where from? Because if it was on the coast then rust. If it was up in the mountains then rust. This car came close to where I live so I realize the rust is minimal. Now california hot sun in exposed fiberglass is bad.