1980 Tune Up
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Joined: Sep 2024
Posts: 82
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From: Richmond, Virginia
1980 Tune Up
I am looking to tune up the ne to me C3. L48 auto car. All original. I plan to change plugs, wires, rotor. I know I need to clean the quadajet and new air filter. I will adjust timing as well. Anything else common to these cars? It runs a bit rough and I am sure I could smooth it out with some love just looking for common tips to ensure it is running as good as it can.
Thanks in advance,
Ken
Thanks in advance,
Ken
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,761
Likes: 1,648
From: Fairfax Virginia
Welcome to the Corvette Forum Uniquemicro! You have co me to the right place if you have questions about a Corvette! We are glad you have joined us!
It is always good to start with new wires, plugs, distributor cap, rotor. I like to use a good quality wire like the MSD Super conductors or a good Taylor spark plug wire set can suffice. MSD makes some hotter ignition coils for the HEI distributors. They sell just the coil or a coil mounted in the cap complete. Even if the distributor cap looks okay you should replace it. I noticed carbon tracking inside my cap causing a misfire, this was on my 1988 Coupe. I replaced the system with a DUI cap, coil and rotor combination.
The Quadrajet is something that you need to seek some professional help with. There is a man here Lars who is the Quadrajet expert and he can make the Quadrajet work like new. They are so old now that unless someone has updated it you might need to do a good solid rebuild and test run. I can rebuild most carburetors from my experience but the Quadrajet was a bit tougher than I was able to do without the Air/Fuel meters. My advice is to have someone who has lots of Corvette experience to help that device work it's best.
Whenever I get a new to me car, I change the oil, power steering fluid, Differential Oil, and brake fluids. I also change the oil in my 4 speed to be sure everything is "in order". Basically I like to start with fresh fluids so I KNOW when they were changed. I enter this into a small log book and keep records from that point. In that little book I would start with a List of things to do. Start with the critical items and work your way down the list to the "would Like to do's". If the car is equipped with an automatic transmission I would be very careful. I have flushed transmissions at 75k miles and had no problem, other times we flushed a 60k car and had to rebuild the transmission. I would have somebody who is knowledgeable test the transmission and evaluate it for you. Not knowing your mechanical skills it is hard to tell what you can do versus being over your head
This might not sound like good advice, but I normally suggest new Corvette owners "take some time and get to know the Corvette" and then list the things that need to be done. Making updates from day one changes the character of the car too fast. I have seen people buy a Corvette and want to change the seats, engine, dashboard before they get it licensed. I have 2 Corvettes and I live in Northern Virginia so you are not far away. ZIP products is located right outside Richmond. They are a fairly good source of Corvette parts right away, there are lots of places where you can order parts from but the wait will be longer, naturally.
The brakes including the parking brake are a common problem for older Corvettes. The black rubber lines that connect the calipers to the chassis wear out and can affect your braking. The bearings in the trailing arms are getting older and might need attention. How many miles are on your Corvette? Has it been modified or is it still mostly stock? Take a moment and fill out the "Profile" page on this Forum. This way people will know what year and more details which make helping you easier without repetitive questions.
Is your Corvette making any problems other than the rough idle? I am a big believer in something called BG 44K Fuel system cleaner. Many people here do not trust snake oils and think BG is one of them, it is not (in my humble opinion) BG44K is used at almost every car dealership here in NOVA. It does a nice job on carburetors and even better inside Fuel Injections Systems.
It is always good to start with new wires, plugs, distributor cap, rotor. I like to use a good quality wire like the MSD Super conductors or a good Taylor spark plug wire set can suffice. MSD makes some hotter ignition coils for the HEI distributors. They sell just the coil or a coil mounted in the cap complete. Even if the distributor cap looks okay you should replace it. I noticed carbon tracking inside my cap causing a misfire, this was on my 1988 Coupe. I replaced the system with a DUI cap, coil and rotor combination.
The Quadrajet is something that you need to seek some professional help with. There is a man here Lars who is the Quadrajet expert and he can make the Quadrajet work like new. They are so old now that unless someone has updated it you might need to do a good solid rebuild and test run. I can rebuild most carburetors from my experience but the Quadrajet was a bit tougher than I was able to do without the Air/Fuel meters. My advice is to have someone who has lots of Corvette experience to help that device work it's best.
Whenever I get a new to me car, I change the oil, power steering fluid, Differential Oil, and brake fluids. I also change the oil in my 4 speed to be sure everything is "in order". Basically I like to start with fresh fluids so I KNOW when they were changed. I enter this into a small log book and keep records from that point. In that little book I would start with a List of things to do. Start with the critical items and work your way down the list to the "would Like to do's". If the car is equipped with an automatic transmission I would be very careful. I have flushed transmissions at 75k miles and had no problem, other times we flushed a 60k car and had to rebuild the transmission. I would have somebody who is knowledgeable test the transmission and evaluate it for you. Not knowing your mechanical skills it is hard to tell what you can do versus being over your head
This might not sound like good advice, but I normally suggest new Corvette owners "take some time and get to know the Corvette" and then list the things that need to be done. Making updates from day one changes the character of the car too fast. I have seen people buy a Corvette and want to change the seats, engine, dashboard before they get it licensed. I have 2 Corvettes and I live in Northern Virginia so you are not far away. ZIP products is located right outside Richmond. They are a fairly good source of Corvette parts right away, there are lots of places where you can order parts from but the wait will be longer, naturally.
The brakes including the parking brake are a common problem for older Corvettes. The black rubber lines that connect the calipers to the chassis wear out and can affect your braking. The bearings in the trailing arms are getting older and might need attention. How many miles are on your Corvette? Has it been modified or is it still mostly stock? Take a moment and fill out the "Profile" page on this Forum. This way people will know what year and more details which make helping you easier without repetitive questions.
Is your Corvette making any problems other than the rough idle? I am a big believer in something called BG 44K Fuel system cleaner. Many people here do not trust snake oils and think BG is one of them, it is not (in my humble opinion) BG44K is used at almost every car dealership here in NOVA. It does a nice job on carburetors and even better inside Fuel Injections Systems.
