...And the list keeps growing...

[Stallion]

Problems:

Rear sound (still dont' know what it is)
Engine leaking (both oil and coolant)
Tranny leaking
Fix up the interior

And those are just the major things.

Every once in a while, do you just feel overwhelmed by what we have ahead of us for our Vettes? Especially our old ones. If we had a '03 or something, that list would be non-existent.

 

[Vinn]

I'm with you on that Stallion! I just try to take it one step at a time, and remember that I'm a part of this hobby because I enjoy it!

I must admit however, when you start to take something apart for a project, and find another 2 things that are broken or "Bubba'd" in the past, the amount of work ahead can get overwhelming and discouraging. Here's the breakdown on my '70:

TO DO:
Interior - (About 60% done)
I've bead blasted, installed new springs, painted and covered one seat. I'm waiting on the metal parts from the chrome shop to finish it up
New carpet's partially installed
I have all the components ready for a completely hidden CD/MP3 sound system, it just needs installed
I have most of the major components that need re-dyed ready to go.
Brakes - (75% done)
I rebuilt a leaky caliper, and changed all the front lines. I just have to get my new rotors measured for runout and installed.
Bushings
While installing the brakes, I've found some bushings that are in dire need of replacement.
Carburetor
My '70 has a 650cfm Holley on it, that leaks to boot. I'm installing a Holley 800cfm double pumper that my dad had laying around and donated to the cause , since it's a lot closer in spec to the stock QuadraJet. Plus, there's some sloppy fuel line work that I'll fix also.
Universals
I have a noticeable "clunk" sound when shifting gears, especially drive to reverse. This most likely seems to be the culprit.
Tires
I currently have the same BF Goodrich Radial T/As that the previous owner installed in 1984. They look like new, but they're too old.
Vacuum System
One headlight doesn't go down well, and the wipers smash into the wiper door before it's fully opened.
Battery
Dies if the door's open for a few minutes. An easy fix.

Sorry if I went on and on there, but at least I got myself all organized here! I hope to get mine back on the road for at least some of the summer. My winter project list definitely expanded and extended into the summer season!

Best of luck with your list,
Vince

 

[photovette]

Don't worry, C3 Corvette's were like this when they were new too. I bought an '81 when it was about a year old (1983)--it always had a long list of stuff to do!

 

[brusso]

Problems:

Rear sound (still dont' know what it is)
Engine leaking (both oil and coolant)
Tranny leaking
Fix up the interior

And those are just the major things.

Every once in a while, do you just feel overwhelmed by what we have ahead of us for our Vettes? Especially our old ones. If we had a '03 or something, that list would be non-existent.

Just think, if none of us were in the same boat we would have nothing to talk about.:eyerole

 

[bobherr46]

Yep. We're all in the same boat. Within a couple of days of buying my 79 I had a list of about 20 things to fix and then I spun the 2 front rod bearings. - Bob

 

[problemenko]

I'm with all the rest of you gents. My 79 has a large list of "to do's". All I wanted to accomplish the other day was to change the lower radiator hose, drain and flush the system and refill with clean coolant. Then the hood release, well, released into my hand. There was enough wire sticking through the firewall to get a grip with a pair of pliers. So the simple jobs turn out to sometimes be simple just compounded by unforseen issues. What do we expect with cars that are old?

 

[69autoXr]

And you guys aren't even racing!

 

[Bender]

The interior of my car is in 1000 peices at a friends house and the transmission is laying on the ground :/ I have put about 500 miles on my car in the past 6 months.

 

[bossvette]

You need to make a list of what is most important to fix first to last.
Safety issues first
Mechanical issues next
and cosmetic last.
Than do one step at a time, the more you do the more you learn.
Isn't your Vette a relativly low milage car?
Good luck

 

[Vinn]

The only racing I do is over to Penn-Ohio Corvette each time I find another bad part!

 

[jclit]

Mine is not too bad – only 64,000 miles. I am the second owner and the first took care of her until he died. But I still have quite a few TO-DOs on her, it is an old car. I have other cars to drive so I guess when things go bad, it’s not too bad, I just get to them when I can. A corvette is a never ending project. They even were when they were new. Just hang in there and do one thing at a time. It might be a good idea to get another car for back and forth to work etc. so when the Vet falls apart you can fix it at your leisure.

Jim

 

[Stallion]

Yeah, I hear you guys. I do have another car, but I would just like to see everything on her perfect. It breaks my heart when something is not right. You guys know what I mean

 

[curtis]

All this talk of lists sounds way to familiar to me. I am done fixing for the summer. Got a car show every weekend for the next 3 weeks. My list for the winter season keeps getting longer......that's ok cause I am broke now from all the stuff I did to get this car into shape again. Anybody want to see what Norkskog digital guages look like in a 76. email me and I'll send you a picture. They look cool to me.

 

[bossvette]

All this talk of lists sounds way to familiar to me. I am done fixing for the summer. Got a car show every weekend for the next 3 weeks. My list for the winter season keeps getting longer......that's ok cause I am broke now from all the stuff I did to get this car into shape again. Anybody want to see what Norkskog digital guages look like in a 76. email me and I'll send you a picture. They look cool to me.

why don't you post it so we all can see?

 

[3Quarters]

I guess you need to consider it a labor of love... If you didn't care for the car you would drive it into the ground and junk it... The previous owner of mine let too many Bubba's under the hood... I know the problems, although the normal person would never notice... The car was driven less than 100 miles a year and the brakes are giving me the worst problems... I couldn't tell what was in the master cylinder although I knew it was DOT3... I flushed a gallon of alcohol and about another gallon of brake fluid through the system and I'm still having brake issues... Once a week I'm rebleeding them and every time I do more junk comes out... Someone gave me a suggestion that I've been avoiding since I started this... Replace 4 perfectly fine calipers and be done with it...

 

[curtis]

Ok Bossvette, I'm trying to show you the guages.

Not a
very good picture from this site.


http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-6/744412/gaugeconsole005.jpg

 

[bossvette]

Ok Bossvette, I'm trying to show you the guages.

Not a
very good picture from this site.

Looks Ok to me did you have to change the sender for the gas gage?
If you "paste" the URL into the text box that appears when you click on the
yellow "insert image" icon above the main text area it should appear in the post like this:

 

[curtis]

THanks Bossvette !!! Original fuel sender. New senders for oil, temp, and air fuel. You didn't explain that picture thing good enough for me to make it all work. That guage picture was 680K and now it is 80K. See that big gap at the top of the guage panel? How should I cover that up?

 

[Macgyver]

WOW! PLease tell me all the details for that. Thats exactly like what I ahve envisioned. Im sure that set you back a bit, considering theyre gauges. Was it complicated to install?

Major Kudos

 

[bossvette]

THanks Bossvette !!! Original fuel sender. New senders for oil, temp, and air fuel. You didn't explain that picture thing good enough for me to make it all work. That guage picture was 680K and now it is 80K. See that big gap at the top of the guage panel? How should I cover that up?

the whole center cluster is mounted too low, it should fit up flush and the lower edge should sit further in the dash.
when in properly the top of the cluster fits up under the dashpad and the lower edge of the cluster sits on top of the center console. You need to push it in and up