A real fan
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
From: Quebec Quebec
A real fan
Hello to all Corvette's fan. I'm one of you. I remember the first time I saw a corvette as it was yesterday. It was in 1969 in a beautiful summer day (I live in Canada). I was 11 years old and played with friends. Then everyone of us stopped playing and looked at this noisy beautiful (the wold is weak!) yellow thing. What was that? We were so impressed that we decided that every time a corvette will be seen by us, the first to see it will be able to do a wish ! My wish was to have one. Then my dream was to have one. For me, the C3 is the most beautiful car ever made. I have since made a lot of scaled plastic cars to built with glue and paint.
My beloved father died three years ago and leaved to me some money. After have had a grand am 1976 455c.u., a charger 1976 360 c.u. and a trans am 1980 305 c.u., I was ready for the best : a CORVETTE c3!
I often checked the regional market of Corvettes. But as soon as I received the money in my hand I checked to buy one.
About the same week, I read in the local newspaper : Corvette 1979, red, 8,000$. That's all. I called the man immediately to set an encounter the same day at 6 o'clock. When I saw the car, it was like you see your lover for the fisrt time. In french we say "un coup de foudre" (strike of thunder). The car was in a medium shape but messy, needed a new paint and interiror. The engine had some chrome and needed a carb job but seemed to run well. The engine recently rebuilt but not the heads. It wasn't possible to drive it because it wasn't register togo on the street. (In winter in Canada, we store our vette in a hot garage).
Here is what I done but DON'T DO THAT! I was so in love that I called back the seller at 8 o'clock, as soon as was back at home. I told him : 6,000$ and it's a deal. He accepted. No further check up, no road test. Anyway 6,000$ for good vette is very cheap even is there is a lot of job to do on it. Just a trusted seller. Imagine: this guy passed an ad in the morning and selled it in the night.
Here's the nightmare now.When I drove the car the first time on road I my feeling was that I drove on the ice. I couldn't drive it straight. At 100km/h it was dangerous to drive it. I said to me: What I've done?
The worst was to come. I had to rebuilt the differential, change strut rods, pit man arm, valve control, front shocks, tie rod ends. The direction of the car was highly improved but still go right and left on olds roads with truck grooves printed in the asphalt. I'm going to ask some tips from you on the tech forum.
Now the dream. I found in my neiborhood a guy who sold good looking chromed hooker side pipes (what a sound!), a complete inside as new, except for the seats, wich are in a 70% good shape, a store for the back window (in french we say vénitienne). All for 500$. Finally, I bought new seats. The rest of the mechanic is good and the frame is A-1. Carb has been rebuilt too. The total cost is actually is about 10,000$
Now I have my own dream car with a terrific look, sound and big tires (275-60-15 in the back). With a new paint and valves seals change (I have some smoke when the car is running idle for a while), i'm going to have my C-3 not far from show room condition I have cleaned and painted the under hood and I'm going to do the samething with the all under car eventually. That's my vette story. I think I'm gonna keep it for the rest of my life.
I'm a reader of the forum for a while and I've had a lot of great tips from you. TANK YOU ALL!
P.S: Will excuse my english please. I'm a french canadian. (Don't mean I'm smartest. lol)
My beloved father died three years ago and leaved to me some money. After have had a grand am 1976 455c.u., a charger 1976 360 c.u. and a trans am 1980 305 c.u., I was ready for the best : a CORVETTE c3!
I often checked the regional market of Corvettes. But as soon as I received the money in my hand I checked to buy one.
About the same week, I read in the local newspaper : Corvette 1979, red, 8,000$. That's all. I called the man immediately to set an encounter the same day at 6 o'clock. When I saw the car, it was like you see your lover for the fisrt time. In french we say "un coup de foudre" (strike of thunder). The car was in a medium shape but messy, needed a new paint and interiror. The engine had some chrome and needed a carb job but seemed to run well. The engine recently rebuilt but not the heads. It wasn't possible to drive it because it wasn't register togo on the street. (In winter in Canada, we store our vette in a hot garage).
Here is what I done but DON'T DO THAT! I was so in love that I called back the seller at 8 o'clock, as soon as was back at home. I told him : 6,000$ and it's a deal. He accepted. No further check up, no road test. Anyway 6,000$ for good vette is very cheap even is there is a lot of job to do on it. Just a trusted seller. Imagine: this guy passed an ad in the morning and selled it in the night.
Here's the nightmare now.When I drove the car the first time on road I my feeling was that I drove on the ice. I couldn't drive it straight. At 100km/h it was dangerous to drive it. I said to me: What I've done?
The worst was to come. I had to rebuilt the differential, change strut rods, pit man arm, valve control, front shocks, tie rod ends. The direction of the car was highly improved but still go right and left on olds roads with truck grooves printed in the asphalt. I'm going to ask some tips from you on the tech forum.
Now the dream. I found in my neiborhood a guy who sold good looking chromed hooker side pipes (what a sound!), a complete inside as new, except for the seats, wich are in a 70% good shape, a store for the back window (in french we say vénitienne). All for 500$. Finally, I bought new seats. The rest of the mechanic is good and the frame is A-1. Carb has been rebuilt too. The total cost is actually is about 10,000$
Now I have my own dream car with a terrific look, sound and big tires (275-60-15 in the back). With a new paint and valves seals change (I have some smoke when the car is running idle for a while), i'm going to have my C-3 not far from show room condition I have cleaned and painted the under hood and I'm going to do the samething with the all under car eventually. That's my vette story. I think I'm gonna keep it for the rest of my life.
I'm a reader of the forum for a while and I've had a lot of great tips from you. TANK YOU ALL!
P.S: Will excuse my english please. I'm a french canadian. (Don't mean I'm smartest. lol)
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 0
From: Northwestern South Dakota
Welcome, friend. Your english is a darn sight better than my french...or any other language for that matter (I am just your typical, one language, ignorant american).
Congratulations on your C3 purchase and renovation. I too plan to never sell my own dream cars....C1 to C5.
Good luck with your car and welcome again to the forum.
Tony
Congratulations on your C3 purchase and renovation. I too plan to never sell my own dream cars....C1 to C5.
Good luck with your car and welcome again to the forum.
Tony
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