defending the mid 70's c3 faith
 

I think it may be up to us mid-70's c3 owners to give our cars a new image. When I first bought my 76, one of the first coments i got was "OH thats one of the 150 hp Corvettes" -------which is not entirely true (180 rwhp doesn't sound like that much either). Now, I know that my 1976 Stingray is not a world class sports car, nor am I trying to make it out to be one. But, I'll tell you neither is the 1969 Boss 429, or 1964 GTO, or hemi cuda, or any ather 60's muscle car. The simple fact is they will all get there butts whipped by a viper or M3 on a track. So back to my point.I happen to love the style of our stingrays and they are easily upgraded to the power level (and beyond) of many of the famous muscle cars of the 60's. Also our cars come stock with power 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 wheel indep. suspension and a real nice weight balance. So modify the sheet out of your cars guys!!!!!( I've got a 383 stroker goin in mine) and next time you pull up to a Honda Civic with a fart can or a snobbish big block 60's Vette (as much as I love em) show them the potential of our rubber bumbered cars. Or maybe it's just the beer talkin!!!! :willy:

personally, I love the look of a rubber bumper shark with 17" mag wheels. No other body mods - they are great looking as-is, just a good paint job and wheels... then, if you put in a nice engine it will go as good as it looks! There are several on this forum that follow that forumula ( :) ) and I think they look great!

I feel the same! :iagree:

I love all Vettes but my RED 76 Stingray really turns heads.

I can't count all the times I have been stopped to talk about the C3s :yesnod:

I too feel that the bodys should be left alone, they are beautiful just the way they are. and 17"s look perfect on the shark which goes to show you what a timeless style the C3 is.

And as far as Horsepower goes I have surprised :eek: quite a few unenlightened automotive enthusiasts after politely listening to how weak mid 70s Corvettes are :lol:

I love this Vette... :cool:

Just one small point: that was 180 Net HP, taken on an engine dyno at the flywheel. Rear wheel HP would be less. :(

tom...

I followed one half way to work this morning. Looked great, sounded good. It left everyone (common daily drivers) just setting there when we left the light. I'm a big fan.

Rubber bumpered frighten the sh$t out of 'em non bumper rubbered bumper siblings monster toy......

Chromalusion Aquapurpeline 540 Richmond 6-speed BB rusted side exhaust now being changed to ss truck stacks after I find the pipe bender to bend the 90" ss pipe in the garage

Bring on them non rubber bumpered bumped aside to acknowledge the rubber bumpered bump bump bump monster toy

I'm first in line, boss....

Huh?? :confused: Somebody call in a frickin translator. :crazy:

Get in,
Sit down,
Shut up,
And
HOLD ON!!!! ;)

I specifically bought my '77 to have a car that was nice, but not too nice to modify the way I wanted to. The body and interior on mine is stock, but that's pretty much the only thing that's still stock.

I like to build my cars up. I can't see myself ever buying a car that was too nice/rare to modify.

To each his own.

Jeff C.

:thumbs:

I guess if you can afford 400 horses under the hood, you can also afford to put the petrol in it. I can still drive my '75 all week on a tank of gas, and have a ton of fun doing it.

I agree
 

if you buy a chrome bumper big block car, you'll pay a weight penalty, get bad mileage and may have to worry about overheating. I love big blocks but i've seen many owners remove those motors to protect there value and have to buy a crate big block ( GM 502) to put in it's place while the original motor sits on a hoist in their garage. Thats just too rich for my blood! I think that idea appeals mostly to retired folks tat have the money, time and menchanical experience to handle all that drama.
Mid-late vettes, I think< are best viewed as either great starter vettes, ssolw cool cruisers for pulling mini-skirts or as fame works for the semi exotics that the General couldn't / wouldn't make during there original production.
Now my blk 77 only cost me $6500, and thats a steal for a car thgats as dead sexy as that one when you consider how much attention i've gotten while driving it. U dont hear from many 302 small block Camaro owners or Burt Reynalds "Bandit" TA's people about having people snap cell phone pictres of their cars while driving ( even when not unwashed).
Had i lived on the mainland or just been more patient i wouldv'e gotten a stroker from the get go, however parts for building soemthing like that a hard to come by on the island and shipping is $8.00 a pound.
So i was more limited i my choices, but had bought the car knowing i wanted some sort of custom crate V8 motor. Mid-Late C3's should be viewed as a semi blank canvas on which the automotive artist can paint there wildest dreams!

I bought my 76 because of the price. The price is low compared to the chrome bumpered cars. That's fine. If, for example I bought an expensive Vette or any other car for that matter (original, low mileage L88, 69 Hurst/Olds, etc) you can't really enjoy these cars unless you drive 'em. But if you drive them, you also drive down the price.

With my '76, I can modify the engine, add a nice sounding stereo, drive across the country with the tops down, in short I can enjoy the car. I love the soft nose C3's. They're affordable, drivable, and you can make it into what you want (I would agree that the body should be left alone - the formula for that was right on). Chev wasn't allowed to make a 400 hp mid 70's vette. However, they gave us a powerplant that can be individually modified wthout penalty (depends where you live). In 1976 one option was a Cat. converter delete (in Canada).

So enjoy the mid 70's cars. Keep them stock, or make em into Snake Skinners. They bring back great memories. Yes, we dressed funny and danced to disco music...but back then, safe sex was movin' the bed away from the wall. :smash: :eek: :nono: :lol:

:iagree:

Our sharks are gorgeous! The mid-70s Vettes are full of potential and are easy to tweak for performance. It's always fun to see a street sleeper smoke some Audi or a stiff in a Volvo... :lol:

I chose to go right down the middle... A 73, with a little bit of everything. New styling from the front, old styling from the rear. ...And a 383 stroker motor in the 430hp range. Turns heads like crazy.

Hi George!!!! :D :thumbs: :thumbs:

Dep

Sounds like fun..... :lol: :cool: