hkdcamcain

Alright, recently i received a 1979(?) corvette... long story short, my uncle had this thing sitting in a garage for a long time, and its in kinda rough condition but i'm going to fix it up. but i have a few questions...
I have NO original manuals or documents, and it hasn't had insurance in years, so basically, i don't even know for sure if it is a 79, but it looks like the ones I've pulled up online?

Given that its a 79, What engine is in it? is it the L82? My grandfather thought it was an L81, and he also thinks its a stingray?

The tags in the engine and body are not currently visible and/or worn off or removed, as well as the interior is pretty bad. I have other questions, but i need to know the engine type first, thanks.

hkdcamcain

Main problems are:
Carborator - Currently its sitting on the passenger side seat, supposedly works just gotta put it back on...

Fuel - Half a tank of gas sitting in it for approximately 9 years, how would i go about draining that and whats in the engine?

General "Gunk" - how would i clear out the engine? do i need to disassemble or can i find something to flush it?

Battery/wiring - Dead Battery, and do yall think the wiring needs replacing?

j3studio

Blunt question: are there emotional/personal reasons for restoring this particular Corvette?

hkdcamcain

i inherited it from an uncle, and my grandfather helped my uncle rebuild it years back... well now i have it and im building it with my grandfather... so its got history or else id junk it and get a better engine or a newer faster easier to get up one...

Easy Mike

VIN tag is on the driver's windshield post and visible from outside the car. Jot the numbers down.

Trim tag is on the driver's door hinge post and visible when the door is open. Jot down the codes for paint, ineterior, and time/build (upper RH corner).

Engine pad on the block at the front of the right head will have the engine assembly and suffix code along with the VIN the engine was originally installed in. Jot down both numbers.

Order a '79 owner's manual if you don't have one.

Order the GM chassis service manual for '79.

Order the 1979 assembly instruction manual (AIM).

The Corvette Black Book and similar references will list the various engine, paint, and interior codes.

Good luck.

j3studio

Okay, as long is it's a labor of love this is a legitimate thing to do - just know that your payback will not be monetary. This is okay - you just have to know it; I've put more than what it's worth into my 1985.

Best of luck! All of the suggestions for Corvette data that Easy Mike listed are good ones and will help people help you.

Are you trying to restore it to original or improve it?

hkdcamcain

Well my plan is to have it all built back up to stock for the engine, then im swapping old exhaust that are rusted, cleaning what i can, redoing interior and painting it... after i get it running and back up to OEM standards for the most part, i will eventually try and get a few more horses running out of it, since the engine is not very quick stock... any tips?

Easy Mike

Restoration and be an expensive and drawn out process. My advice is to get the car road worthy and drive her for a while before you jump into a restoration.

While driving her, make a list of the things she needs right away, things she needs but are not immediate, and things she will eventually need. You can prioritize time and expenses that way.

When you're not driving the car, start putting your Corvette reference library together.

Knowledge is power.

hkdcamcain

We have pretty much every book you could imagine, and its not a primary car and never will be, so we are putting it up, fixing it to running condition, slappin seat covers on it, and ripping out the carpet... so its gonna be torn down and shoddy paint but it'll run good, but we also plan on fixing most of it within the year... money and time is not a problem... im in college with only 4 days a week of class, and grandfather is retired... so yea...

Easy Mike

Wait until you start spending tons of each.

hkdcamcain

yea im sure it will get annoying, but Ive done worse... remodeling a house is 10000 times worse