Proud new C3 owner! Some questions
 

Hey guys, new to this forum, will be frequenting it as I now have a new project. Picked up a pretty good condition '76. It was repainted and looks beautiful from afar but come closer and you'll notice that it wasn't the greatest job. Body rust is pretty minimal except the only area I notice that's pretty rotted is the radiator support (any info as to where I can get a new one from?). It's definitely a fix-er-upper, suspension needs some TLC, a few oil leaks here and there and the interior can definitely use some loving.

Now, I have done some searching (honestly not a fan of using the search feature since it's not the most sophisticated on these forums, so don't get mad at me!), and read a good amount of the FAQ's and stickies. What are some common issues I should look at before I get it up on the lift tomorrow and give it a thorough once over? What is a good reputable source for parts? Bare in mind, I am a mechanic/owner of a repair shop so tools and the mechanical aptitude is there, but I'm not much of an 'old school' guy. My goal eventually with this car is to put a different motor in it (haven't decided what, that's where your guys' input comes in!) because what it has now is just wayyy to slow for me, at the same time, I don't need to be lighting up the rears everytime I take off at a stop light (I have my 740HP '12 GT500 for that!). Also, I've always dreamed of getting a Stingray with side pipes, I did some searching on Summit Racing and found some, but it appears that they pretty much fit a bunch of cars, can some one point me in the right direction for that?

Any other questions I'll put them up and I'll get some pictures up tomorrow when I get it in the shop!

[First of all welcome to the forum. Believe it or not the search box on te right will end up being your best friend because a lot of these cars have problems that can easily be searched and fixed due to the leg work and research already done. Also when it comes to trouble shooting or an up grade you will find the answers all there. As far an a different engine , most here go with the GM CRATE- from a 290 hp, to a 330 hp, to the ZZ4 crate or even a stoker 383 fast burn engineThere are also many vendors on the forum as well. You should subscribe to Keen Parts, Ecklers, RIKS, Mid America, and Corvette Central and once you get all their catalogs let the parts ordering begin.
Good luck-Richard

Congratulations. Give the car a good tune up and drive it the rest of the summer. Until you know how the car drives and handles, there is no sense speculating on what you might want to do to it.

By fall, you might have a different perspective.

:thumbs:

Welcome and congrats. Like Mike says, tune it up, check brakes and tires so that it runs well, have fun with it this summer and make a list for your winter projects.

Welcome to the forum… You will love this site the people here are very happy to help.
I just replaced my radiator core support, found used one on eBay in great condition. Half the price of a new one.:cheers:

Good luck

Thanks guys.. most likely i will drive it around for the summer and than start working on it after. There are definitely a few things that'll need fixing, first off is all the steering components in the front, steering is sketchy on it and the car likes to pull to the left when I hit the brake. Not only that.. my steering column feels like its gonna fall off where it tilts!! Very scary driving it around hoping the wheel won't end up in my lap haha.

Now last night, I was looking around for parts for various things and happened to have noticed, for some reason it seems like the year 77' was omitted or was by itself in terms of parts. Why is this? Was 77' a transitional year or something?

Welcome to the Forum. Being a rookie, I can only advise you to repair the items needed for safe driving first.......

then do as Mike and the other members suggested---drive the car for a while and make repairs as needed.....

and develop a plan as you go along/ordering the correct parts ahead of time as you read-up on how to make the repairs.....BUT be sure to ask member's advice in this same thread before you do a certain repair---they can save you time/money/mistakes!!!!!

(I was afraid to work on my project car at first, but the Forum members have helped me to understand----take it one area/repair at a time/gain some confidence)

Great advice.:thumbs:

Read....read.....read ....everything you can about the history .....understand the evolution of the C2 and C3 .

Get factory AIM .......factory technical service manual

There is a good book called. How to Restore C3 Covette ....soft cover.....the guy walks you though all the main mechanical components , choosing parts , what to look for ..etc.......great book , great photos , and good reading for average guy.

Welcome from a fellow '77 driver!
A couple of '77 things:
Dash/ door panels like. '76 and earlier
Console new for. '77
Steering column one year only - this one will be important for you in getting yours up to speed. Good luck and congratulations.

seats are like 78 non-pace cars and older

rear window 77 was last year for vertical window in the "sugar scoop"

(I believe) rear speakers were not an option.

My 77 did not have a cargo light, not sure if it was an option

There are two different models of 77 Corvette. Early production and late production. Many details are different. Early 77 production models had the anti-theft key switch in the driver's side fender, and the late models had the anti-theft switch integrated into the driver's side door lock. Since those electronic components are in different locations, that means the wiring harnesses are also different. My (early) 77 did not have any side emblems. The t-top weatherstrip has a different number of mounting tabs between early and late.

My personal favorite: The 1977 was the first model with an emblem with the flags waving up instead of down. :)

If I missed anything (or am wrong about anything) please add and/or correct my ramblings.

Welcome and congrats. You mentioned body rust, the only place you should see ANY body rust on a C3 would be the headlight covers and the fuel door, as they are the only metal panels on the car. Frame rust is common and you can get a new radiator support from many of the vendors with ads on this site. I have used all of the popular vendors here and been pretty happy with all of them.

As for side pipes, I am in the market right now as well. Hooker makes a C3 specific application, as does OBX and Maximizer. Hookers can be had I believe in Chrome or black and the other two are only in stainless steel. You can find the later two on your favorite auction site. Do a search for side pipes and you will get a ton of good threads here on the firum about them. A lot of guys have had good success with the OBX/Maximizers, especially for the price.

As far as other issues, look closely at the wiring. Many have had rotted insulation on wires and I believe a few have caused fires. Also, chances are that in 35 years bubba has managed to get his hands in there to "install" a radio or something and decided to just clip all sorts of wires (he even used lamp cord as a patch on mine! :eek:).

Good luck!

:iagree:
Congrats on the car!

I too am a newer C3 owner. I have been driving the living daylights out of it.

I decided to take it to a higher level so the days of driving the living daylights out of it will be decreasing. BUT it will still be driven!!!!!!!!

:thumbs:

All great advice above.
Congratulations.

Oh god guys lol, this is embarassing, the car is actually a 76!! For some reason I kept thinking it was a 77' until I was in the process of insuring it haha. Anyways, thanks for the great tips everyone. A couple things...

#1: Alot of heat coming through the foot area/center console! Any fix for this? There is no A/C in the car and I sweat easily haha. I did see that one of the suppliers for C3 parts sold carpets with insulation. It gets pretty warm by my legs.

#2: There is a spot on the body that I see has rotted through, on the driver side, you can only see from underneath, but it looks like a little recess for the lower seatbelt retractor. You can actually see the plastic retractor housing through the bottom. I noticed on the other side someone had fiberglassed over it. Any suggestions on how to fix it (my shop does have a welder)? It is sort of an awkward shape. Otherwise, the rest of the vehicle is fine!

and I will post up pictures soon!!

Read all about it. Worth the price of a copy.:
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...77FactBook.jpg

Any of the Corvette coffee table history books will show the 77s and explain the changes made for 77.

:thumbs:

Wenger828, I would recommend getting a new radiator support from one of the many good suppliers, such as Willcox or ZIP on the forum. Besides not being an easy job to change it, you might not realize that the support helps hold the whole front fiberglass in place on a C-3. Lou.

you have chosen well as the '76 is the best year of the stingray.best of luck!stay away from the bfh as advised by some on this forum,collateral damage will come swiftly and at the worst time.you have been warned!

Sounds like you are talking about the floor boards...yeah they rust out. You can get new ones that just weld (or rivet)in place after cutting the old out. Or you can grind out the rust and just repair that part. I riveted in a patch panel and used POR15 to stop anymore damage. Maybe a bit redneck to some, but it looks pretty good and is solid. I wouldn't use fiberglass underneath the car, I doubt it will hold up too well to rocks and road debris.

great thanks! makes me feel good hahaha

btw, here are some pictures...

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and almost nailed my shelby when i brought her home! wasn't use to how long the hood was!!
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and here are my two other babies

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also.. if anyone can chime in to my steering column issue that'd be great!
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...umn-issue.html

lou, thanks for mentioning, that explains why my passenger side front fender is a bit off.. i feel like the hood is slightly misaligned as well due to the front right fender being slightly off