Hi

I am currently begining the process of making a dream come true. That is, finally getting a vette! My love has always been with the C3. Granted there are several versions, but just that front end has always drawn me in. So now I have finished college, paid off my truck, and beginning to work. I started looking in the paper and there are always at least a small handfull of C3's around. I looked a 1977 for 3500 yesterday. It needed some bodywork, but the guy claimed everything else was fine. So that made me think of how much needs to be put into these cars.

So my question.

What would you have done differently in your road to driving a C3? I have decided to go against the "jump in" techinque, and I want to do a lot of research first. Are some C3 infinately more difficult to find parts for? I have read the 1979 model sold the most ever. So I imagine that it would be easy to find stuff for. I like the vertical back window, and T-Tops. I believe that the vertical window ended in 77 correct?

I'll cut this post off here before I ramble way to long :)

So basically what tips would you give a first timer. My father is an expert in anything that requires work, so he'll be there to guide me. (He's currently restoring a 1964 Tbird).

thx

:flag

 

First and by far most important - check the frame and birdcage for rust. Most anything else is standard stuff ... but C3's can rust right out from under you. The first place to check is in front of the rear wheels - bot the frame "box" and the kick-ups that go up and over the differential. Next check the birdcage - which is the metal structure that runs from the windshield frame and door hinges back to the rear door post. Look all around the windshield.

 

You have made a good start by coming here with your questions. I recently purchased my 74 after a number of posted questions and quick responses.
Suggestions:
1. If he says just bodywork, I would be very leery. Bodywork is not easy on Vettes.
2. As mentioned check carefully for rust around the door pillars, in front of the rear tires and generally all around the frame.
3. After you narrow down you search a little be sure to drive 1 or 2 so you know what you are looking for in terms of engine/tranny combos. A big block with 4 speed will be harder to find than a 350/automatic.
4. Finally, look at as many as you can so you know what to look for and how much is reasonable for what they are selling. Some guys automatically overprice a Vette, thinkning they are sure of getting that price. If you have a friend with some mechanical experience, a second set of eyes can make all the difference when looking at your dream car.

 

i've had very recent experience with what happens when someone jumps in and just buys one because it seems like a good deal so applaud you for trying to learn as much as you can first. the car in particular i'm talking about has had a great deal of abuse that was not that obvious to the casual observer.
being from gulfport, you need to be mindful or rust. the area around the frame just in front of the rear wheels is a major place for these cars to rust. also the cowl area around the base of the windshield. almost all of these cars have surface rust by now but be wary of deep, pitting type rust.
look for collision damage. paint that doesn't match or panels that don't line up correctly. cosmetic damage isn't a deal-buster. often times, it's a way to get a really good car for alot less than it would normally cost, if you don't mind doing some work yourself. just stay away from cars that have deep wounds; bent frames, etc.
check that it is mechanically sound. we have no idea how good a mechanic you are so if your still kind of a novice, it would be a good idea to make friends with someone who is a really good general mechanic or specifically someone who's very knowledgable about vettes. start looking and talking to people at local corvette clubs.
when you find a car that you think has high potential, spend ALOT of time with it. if the seller has something to hide, he may give it away by trying to rush you. look at everything. even if your not sure exactly what your looking at, make sure you see everything. you don't want to get a car home and then notice the hole in the floorboard. even if you've never looked over a corvette before, often times, if it looks wrong, it probably is. ask questions and be skeptical. don't accept the sellers words that, "all corvettes are like that". ask other vette owners like us if you see something suspicious.
check the stance of the car. look from knee level from front and rear. make mental measurements of the sides and notice if it appears the car may be sitting unevenly, sloping to one side or unusually higher in the front or back.
drive the car as much as the owner will let you. offer to put gas in it even. listen to everything. these cars do groan and rattle a bit but that is the kind of stuff you should only really experience on rough surfaces.
it should drive straight and stop straight. a little pull may just be a sign of a sloppy alignment. alot of pull could indicate worn bushings, brake issues or bad wheel bearings.
there's a whole bunch more stuff but you should really start by getting to know some local owners so you have a basis to compare your potential purchase with. the knowledge will come in time, the question is how much do you want to pay for it?

 

Thanks everyone for such quick replies! I'm glad to find such an active forum.

I am planning on starting a notebook on the car. (Even though I havent gotten it yet :)). So I'll start by saving these posts....Al advice, tips, etc are extremely appreciated.

How much to spend is a big question. Its THE question. I'm planning to weight the initial cost of a car vs how much it will cost to restore vs the knowledge that everything was done correctly (assuming I do it myself).

I fear dropping 15k on a car then find out it was put together with elmers glue. Of course proper prebuying inspection should help me to avoid this.

I am blessed that my father is an expert at mechanics. He also loves classics, so he will be with me every step of the way. He had a vette sometime in the 60's, the year slips my mind at the moment. So I plan to put a lot of faith in his approval of the future car. His main concern is not the work, the money, but the insurance. I turn 24 in October, and he warns me that one reason that he got out of his vette many years ago is the insurance. Here's a quote from him yesterday about the 1977 that I looked at "Someone could give you that car, and you might be drowned in insurance costs." A simple call to the insurance company will decide this. Once I turn 25 next year, I should get a drop as well. I did an online quote through geico (sp?) and I picked a hefty insurance package that will run about 100 bucks a month. I could live with that, and my insurance, USAA, tends to have good prices.

Back to the cost of the car. After reading and searching through a lot of online C3 sales I think I will expect to put down 10k give or take a few, on a functional vette. From what I have seen so far, that seems realistic to me. After that I could stand to put whatever it takes in it to keep it up to speed. I would like to cap myself at 25 to 30k. If it looked like it would take that much to do, then I would ahve to consider just getting a fully restored C3 from the start, and save some trouble.

We have "Cruising the Coast" sometime around October I believe. Its basically a decent size gathering of classic cars. Ideally I plan to research and save till Oct, then really start cracking on finding my car.

 

1968 is the most godawful miserable year for parts. Beyond it being mostly a 1 year car (partswise) theres actually QUITE A DAMN LOT of stuff that was less than half year, I believe about 14,000 cars made the one way and 13,000 made the other..... and a lot of the parts were not remanufactured ever (boy was I happy when I found an NOS crossed flags for the shifter plate). Having said that, 68s also sell for more than any of the other c3s, and some of their quirky 1/2 year parts are cool.


Overall, depending on how you plan to use the car (investment only, weekender, daily driver, racer, etc) should have a bit of impact on what you really are looking at. Originality is important to some people, but not others. If you're considering it as a daily, originality is a bad thing :D since you are way better off with a later model fuel injected crate engine. So if you aren't concerned about precision originality, you can buy most of the mechanical stuff at Autozone (all 4 calipers, starter, alternator, tie rod ends, etc all from them on my car), and theres plenty of good catalogs available anyhow with good reproduction parts.


I'd say the only things I would avoid are Crossfire fuel injection, and paying a lot for an investment type vette that didn't have documentation out the wazoo.

I don't think I would have done anything different really. Well, maybe planned a bigger budget for the full restoration :D

 

Hehe, I'll keep that in mind about the 68's.

I currently drive a 2000 GMC ext cab Sierra. Its been a great truck (bought it new in 2000) for me so far. I plan for it to stay my main vehicle. The corvette would be the weekender. The insurance for it scares me. Do you get a break for it being 25 years or so old?

At this point, I'm not a hardcore original guy. First and foremost, I want the thing to work. I am expecting this vette to be a starter for me. Later on I can guy another one and build it to a showcar original status. I understand the 180/210 horsepower 350s that they run. So I'm not expecting to blast myself into space with it. I just like the look, and hopefully feel of it. I could sit in a chair and just stare at it and be content. :) I'm looking for a manual, and hopefully the 210 hp engine. The numbers that I've seen that combo run seem to be in the 6 to 7 second 0-60 range. I would be plenty happy with that. Later on in a few years when I get a 2nd one, assuming the experience is pleasurable, I can turn the first one into a speed demon if I wanted. I just dont want a vette that strains and putts up to road speed if you know what I mean.


[Modified by Masterfulks, 12:01 AM 8/13/2003]

 

buy one that's done or near completion....unless you just want to look at it instead of driving it!!! :U

 

Welcome to the forum! You are starting out well. Spending a little time here will save you a lot of aggravation and money. As to insurance, unless you plan to use your vette as a daily driver, there are several "collector" car insurance companies such as Grundy's which can generally save you a lot on premium costs.

<edit> P.S. I was stationed in Biloxi with USAF many years ago - I sure do miss those shrimp fests!


[Modified by 76Frankenstein, 7:10 PM 8/12/2003]

 

Just FYI - I work in auto insurance - no company that's really paying attention will write you a policy with full coverage for a car that's more than 15 years old. You *may* slip in under the radar if you get a dumb agent, but then you're assured a payout of... well, crapola, if something happens.

If this is a weekend car, and not a daily driver, insure it as a classic! It's the only way to be sure that you're insured for the value of the car, instead of "Actual cash value" - probably just a couple hundred dollars.

 

:iagree: Be glad you're not in Texas, you're options on an early vette are even fewer. For awhile, Allstate wasnt even offering coverage on vettes for new customers. Go with a "Declared Value" package that limits your mileage to 5 or 10K per year.
You're off to the right start and this is a great place to get good info. After awhile you'll figure out who's expertise is in what area. Determine how you intend to use the car, what features are important to you and try to narrow your search down to one or two model years and learn as much about them as you can. It's much easier to be an expert on one year than a whole generation.

 

Nothing. Knew about cars & Corvettes before buying.

:cool:


Yes, "1979 model sold the most ever".
Yes, "the vertical window ended in 77".
Sounds good, the 64 T-Bird is a unique car.

You might want to see 77 Facts on my website.

 

Black68Vette you crack me up! :D

 

Tell me how many ebay searches you have set up for 68 specific parts.. I've managed to collect around 6 or 7 door locks/buttons at this point, not that I need em but just in case. Its a curse the 68s ;)

 

Here’s a few lessons learned as of late…I too am in the market for another C-3. I used to be very active on this forum, having been a member for almost four years, but sold my ’82 a little over a year ago. She was my first ‘Vette and proved to be a great learning tool. Bought her for $5,600, sold her for $7,800 five years later with 148K on the car…I had way more than $7,800 in the car in both time and money.

Some people say you can’t look at these cars as an investment. Well, call it what you want but I work too hard for my money to drop $15 large (or more) on something that I’m not willing to thoroughly investigate… leave no stone unturned.

Check out my post titled “? on an 80 L-82” for my most recent journey down “buying a C-3 lane”. The sad part is that in two days I was able to track down the original owners and find out more about this car than the current owner could provide…and he provided me their names. I honestly believe he felt like the car was honestly represented to him by the seller. He held nothing back from me and was very surprised at my findings. Another note, he purchased the car at an expo; great place to see some cars but a bad place to fall in love with one. He was provided detailed owner history on the car at the time of purchase but didn’t have the time nor attempt to contact them before the show was over…pressure to buy or it will get away…

Best advice; IMHO, avoid the pressure/artificial time lines. Get to know the car in question very well. Drive it, hell, offer to wash and wax it, ask questions, compare it to other cars of that year (the tip off on the 80 I mentioned above was the speedo not being correct for this year) and don’t accept a dead end, keep digging….you know how many people I called in Battle Creek MI to find the second owner of that ’80?

 

another thing - you will almost always come out money ahead if you spend your money upfront. Buy the Corvette that is in the best possible shape that you can afford. This is almost always cheaper than buying a basket case and rebuilding everything, especially if you set a dollar value on your time.

In your research, you will see many cars for sale: "$20,000 in receipts, will sacrifice for $12,500". Better to pay the $12, 500 and not $20,000.

 

I'm trying to figure out how this forum works, systemwise....

Lets see if this quote works. If not, would someone tell me how to "quote" a topic that I'm replying too?

This was for 76Frankenstein :)

I cant wait to cruise our beaches in my soon to be C3!

 

:iagree: totally. A lot of us on this forum laugh at ourselves for how much money we have put into cars that will never fetch anywhere near an equivalent price if we sell them. I won't speak for others, but in my case, I would have been better off buying a show condition 69 big block convertible then fixing things on my driver 69 small block coupe. Buy the best condition car you can possibly afford. :yesnod:

AC

 

MasterFulks - In the post reply window, just below the text window is a row of buttons "Bold", "Italics", etc.. - to the right of that should be a text link message "Quote original post" - click that and it will insert the original text in
your reply :yesnod:

 

I laugh at myself for the amount of money I'm going to pour into this frankenstein I got suckered into (my own fault), but it's paid for, it's mine and I'm keeping it, darn it ! :lol:
$1k here and $500 there hurts less than $8-12K up front, or so I keep telling myself. I just look at it as sporadic car payments - with unlimited month financing :jester