Whats the Story behind your C3?
 

Just wondering how you got your Corvette and what was the best thing that has happened with your C3 since?


ALSO if you would like to, read Corvette Stories from the Backbone of America. (Im not allowed to provide the webist, but you can find it). I got this book when i aquired my corvette last year! The Author, Tommy Mallory, is a good friend of my uncles and gave my Grandparents a signed copy, and on my birthday my grandparents then signed it over to me. Needless to say i am obsessed with the book and ive read it so many times ive became bored with the stories so I posted this to read more! EMAIL TOMMY MALLORY YOUR STORY TO GET IN THE NEXT EDITION!

Retired from Indiana and moved to Phoenix area. I was used to cutting grass, shoveling snow, cleaning gutters, and raking leaves. In Phoenix, all I had to do around the house was rake the rocks once each year. :lol:

So, I needed a "hobby"; and, since I had previously owned 3 other Corvettes, it seemed logical that I look for another to make use of my 'spare time'. Found a high-mileage '71 coupe that was "family owned" for 34 years and was complete (all parts...except radio...present and accounted for). Price was right, so I couldn't pass it up.

I've now had it for 7 years and have gone through almost every system in the car to rebuild the existing hardware. And, my strategy was to not replace anything that could be refurbished/rebuilt. It has been a lot of work...but not a LOT of money, as I kept true to my strategy--and most everything GM built could be re-built to nearly new condition.

The best thing that has happened to me and the C3 is that my 6 year-old, autistic grandson and I both have a love affair with the "blue car". And, it turns out that Micheal is mentally brilliant and extremely mechanically inclined. The "blue car" provides an avenue by which we can both have direct involvement. If he can learn to take care of 'our' car and obtain a Driver's License, it'll be his to take care of for the next generation.

Great story, I wish the best for him. :thumbs: Looks like things worked out - you getting another car for a hobby and your grandson being mechanically inclined.

Bought a '71 340 4-speed 'cuda when I got my first job in 1971 out of high school. Loved the car but wanted something with a/c. So in '74 I found my '72 vette with a/c and I sold the 'cuda. Payments on the vette were $50.00/mo. :lol:
Best mods over the years were to pull the original motor, put in a warmed SB and later the Tremec 5-speed overdrive. I've driven it all over this country, it's no garage queen.
And that '71 'cuda? I still get to see it, I sold it to my brother and he still has it. :cheers:

Bought my 76 a little over 2 years ago from a Sergeant First Class retiring out of the national guard, he liked the fact that I was a Marine and sold me the car for what he had into it. Drove the car home and enjoyed driving it for about a year. Got busted doing 182 in a 55 so lost my license for a year, for that year I road a scooter back and forth to work and decided to put lots of time and money into the vette, now she has side pipes, a LT1 and T56 combo, upgraded brakes, new front and rear 80's bumpers, torque thrust II's and a few other goodies. Now I have spend the last 5 months in Japan and get to go home in about 3 weeks and paint her up!

Hi,
I'm afraid that my Corvette story is pretty trite after reading 7T1's post!
Regards,
Alan

My mom has had 3 Vettes over the years. I remember when I was real young my mom & dad had a red 66 that my dad did a frame off. After a less than amicable divorce, my dad sold the 66 to a guy buying it as a grad present for his 18 y.o. son. 66 was never seen again, but I still have all the trophies it won at the cars shows it went to.

Mom remarries and they buy a 69 blue vert and she cruises that for 3-4 years before selling. I had my license when she owned the 69 and she never ever let me drive it. Vetteless for many years after the sale of the 69.

April 2011, mom buys an 81 red vette at a steal, guy owed $ to the IRS. She tells me so that "I won't be mad" I say congrats and when you are done driving it please allow me 1st offer.

Mom has been retired (early) due to health and there has been to much death in the immediate family, in which she usually handles the deceased final affairs etc. Her mom, dad, brother, and cousin all move on within a few years of each other.

Summer 2011. Mom asks to meet at the halfway point from where we both live to have lunch and she can see her grandsons. Ok, see you there. We show, say hi, give hugs and she hands me the keys to a 78 SA Vette sitting in the parking lot. "Speechless" is an understatement. Her reason? "I want you to enjoy this while you are young, life isn't a dress rehearsal you only get to do this once, have fun, be safe, I love you."

I'll never sell that car. Thanks mum, love ya.

Call it intuition, call it a psychic find (yes I call the psychic friends hotline all the time! j/k), call it luck, call it a gut feeling - here is my story and I would like to hear others.

About 10 years ago I had wanted to find a Corvette, I was working for the PD at the time and my friend told me of a 1969 that was sitting, it was complete right down to the carb but the guy wanted alot of money, too much at the time for a car that needed a complete restoration. I had recently finished college and was well into my 67 Camaro at the time. It was silver, 4 speed, had an L88 hood but was not a big block car, that was the one thing someone had swapped on. I decided to pass, as I really didnt have, couldnt justify what he wanted for it.

Jump forward 10 years, I am at work, a different job, my 67 Camaro is about done and for real though is weird that at random, one Friday afternoon, I honestly said to myself.

Let me check online see if I can find a super cheap Corvette, like a 1968 or 1969. I really would like to get one, I was thinking how badly it sucked that I could not get that one years ago. I had this weird feeling that I could find a Corvette online at a good price........

4:30 pm I logged on I did a search and a Corvette had just been posted in the ad and it was this car. The ad was literarly placed a few minutes before.

4:32 pm I emailed the person. who then emailed me back and said that it was still available, that the restoration had been started but they couldnt finish it.

4:35 pm I email him back tell him I will look at it that night, he sends me pictures of the car that was also sent to others who were inquiring.

4:40 pm I ask him for a phone number and address, he sends the address says its his sisters house and to go beside the house and look at it.

4:45 pm I think it sounds fishy, no phone number, the price of the car is so low, I am going to his sisters house, whom I havent talked to on the phone.

4:50 pm I am back and forth with my dad on the phone who was en route to check the car out, though we were both sketched out, worried it was a scam or something. (recently off craiglist in boston a guy was going to buy a car, he brought a couple grand, got there not to find a car but rather someone who held him up!!)

5:00 pm My dad calls, he met the sister, there is a car, he says it is clean, but has been hit. The car was way up in the air, he checked the frame extensively (my grandfather had a body shop over 50 years, my father is also in the business) the frame looks good, no rot, no bent rails.

5:10 pm in am eagerly en route to the house, I get there, I find a Monaco Orange 1969 Corvette that originally had a 350 hp 350 cubic inch motor, it has a 4 speed, the interior is very complete and good shape. the car has 52 K miles, though has been a tough life, it also sat in a garage for about 17 years, further proof that its time on the road was tough.

5:30 pm we make the deal, we call my friend to make arrangements to two it. Through the whole process I hobble around with my broken leg and ankle that I broke a few days before surfing. The cast is getting wet and I dont care!! I just bought my Corvette!!

5:40 pm we make out the bill of sale, I pay in full and we were on the way home, car on ramptruck.

I guess it goes to show, that when you see an ad for 1969 Corvette Stingray parts or fix for a super low price or best offer you should probably follow up as it may not be a scam!

7T1Vette, great to hear the passion that you share with your grandson regarding the Corvette. Sounds like he is really into it and I bet that your interaction with him, with the car involved will be in roads into other great happenings in your lives. Thanks for sharing such a personal and nice story!

My son is 2 and loves cars, already he is all over the Corvette and my father regularly takes Noah out to the barn to show him around the cars when we are over the house. The other day Noah was in the drivers seat of my dads big block 68 Camaro, I was in the passenger seat and my dad was standing outside the drivers door, Noah grabbed the wheel and the shifter and started making sounds...vroom vroom vroom,,,vrooooooom!

Oh, yeah.... That's when you know that they are into cars.

So, I have to tell another little story about Michael:

When he was about 4, I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride in the "blue car". He got a big smile on his face and said "YES!!!" So, I put his car seat in the passenger seat and said he could get in. With that, he got this big sorrowful, sad look on his face and started to sob. I said, "Michael...what's wrong?"

He looked at me with those big sad eyes and said, "I wanna drive!"

Was looking for a project car, found an '81 that was more or less complete and solid though needed a lot of help.

It still needs a little less help, but is a long way off.

My 15 y.o. son helped me detail the car on Saturday. He has ADHD (no excuses) but his attn span is about 10 seconds. He may not be as meticulous as I am when it comes to detailing, but the time spent with him talking about the car and life in general was priceless. After suppa, I took him for a 45 minute cruise, not a lot of talking, just enjoyed the moment.

That's what I love about this car, the memories it is creating.

I remembered as a young boy the experiences I had riding with my dad in his '67 drop top 327.

Had a motorcycle & family kept persuading me to sell due to their concerns about my safety. Sold it, was looking for a hobby car and started the C3 search. ~1 year later and many labor hours, my '69 coupe is almost ready for the road :thumbs:

Here is my story.

Moved into my home in 2003 and met my next door neighbor. I spotted the car cover in the garage and could tell he had a Vette under it (C3's have very distinctive curves). Asked about it and told him if he ever sold it I wanted to be the first call. So for the next 9 years I would joke about wanting it.

April of this year he decided he wanted to sell it since he hadnt driven it since 1996 and it needed work. I bought her without ever looking under the car cover. I had no idea the year, color, or what work need to be done. I just always wanted a Vette and something to work on.

I paid him and a week later I had time off from work so I drug her out and started the repair process. What I ended up with is a 1975 Dark Red Metalic L48 with TTops, 4spd, black leather interrior with 6,147 original miles and all the paper work from the original owner through me (I am the 3rd owner). I have the original order form from the dealer to the factor, the factory invoice to the dealership, the window sticker, and all the owners manuals, tire warranty, envelope for the keys with the key ID numbers, warranty stickers, etc. The car is 99% factory installed original with the following parts being the only things done to it other then oil changes and the other fluids being replaced.

-front and rear bumper covers replaced
-all 4 calipers replaced
-front brake flex lines replaced
-tach filter and tack circuit borad replaced
-front sway bar end links replaced
-new tires

I have all the original parts except the calipers in a box stored along with the tires.

I had no idea what I was getting into but am very happy with the purchase. Now I just need to get another one so I have one to drive. I plan to trailer her to Bloomington and entering her into the Survivor category next year now that the local Corvette club has looked her over and recommended I do that. They also recommended selling her at Mecum after I take her to Bloomington but that isnt going to happen. I plan to keep her till I die. I sold a 71 Chevelle as a kid and still kick myself 25 years later so I wont make that mistake twice.

The first and second owners are good friends so they are looking for old pictures of themselves with the car to add to my book that has all the documentation to include vehicle inspection from the state with the mileage recorded.

Kevin
I see that your car is painted now and it looks like the interior is getting close, how about a photo?
Scott

Wanted Corvette at 18, couldn't afford Corvette.

Bought Camaro instead.

Pissed money away on a few of those.

Got older, started a business, wanted a Corvette again.

Could afford Corvette.

Found Corvette and bought Corvette.

Lived Happily Ever After.

The end.

Similar store to mine; only it was my decision (no family pressure). I got my 1972 project last November and traded my 1997 Harley Road King for her. I have been working on it ever sense, and just got it painted last week :rock:. I had been working on classic VW for the past 10 years then got my bike and decided it was time for a corvette. I have been blessed to have an understanding wife.

I bought my first Vette in Janurary of 1979, a red on red 1978 while I was dating my future wife. In the summer of 1979 we became engaged and I was laid off from my good paying job.

I traded the Vette in for a more economical car and was married to my wife. I always said I traded the Vette for a wife. We've been married 32 years so it was a good trade!

About 7 years ago me and the missus was reminiscing about the "good old times". She cofessed to me that one regret she has was she never asked me to let her drive the Vette. The more we talked, the more I remembered how much fun we had while dating and cruising in my 78.

Without her knowledge, I started to look on flea bay, the classifieds, and online classic car dealers. At first it was just as a curiosity. In a short matter of time however, I started to look in earnest, never letting my wife know what I was doing.

Finally, after 6 long months of searching, I found a 82 for sale locally. I secretly went out and looked at it and fell in love. I didn't test drive it though and told the dealer I'd have to think it over.

I stewed over the car for a week. Finally I figured it was now or never.

I took momma out for our weekend dinner date. As we were dinning I asked her if she ever wished we had Corvette. She said yes, some day she wished we could get another one. I smiled at her and said, well honey, our someday was here.

The next day we drove out to the dealership and drove "the Precious" home.

We've owned the Vette almost 7 years now. If me and my wife are not at a local car show together on the weekend, we are taking a drive.

A typical drive starts with me asking wher to? Her response is, just point the nose in any direction and GO.