Buying a 1971 coupe

[KiaTia]

Well, guys I am thinking about buying a 1972 coupe that has been sitting for some time. My question for the board is what should I look for as potential problems? Frame rust etc........ Any info would be appreciated.


HELP
KiaTia@aol.com

 

[billybob]

KiaTia,

Welcome to CAC

You should ook around, there is lots of information here and free to boot, the tools tab at the top is handy, you'll find these handy links

Corvette Buyer's Evaluation Form
http://corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/buyform.html

Buying a Corvette
http://corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/buying.html

And the offsite link

Guide to Buying Older Corvettes
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/3000/guide2.html

Bill

 

[Bob Yates]

The main concern I feel is the frame especially if its been around alot of salt. To check I would pressure wash the under carrige and use a metal thickness measuring tool, especially in front of the rear wheels. Next I look for fiber glass damage. There are some slick body man out there . Beware !!!! The rest is just money to replace items that are left. Brakes can be a big expense as well as interiors and the ever popular engine and tranny swaps. If your into the nummbers good luck !

 

[78SilvAnniv]

sitting

With any vehicle that has been sitting for a lengthy time, I would be concerned that the bushings, belts, hoses and gaskets will have been slowly drying up.
When you make the parts move again....leaks may follow. Big leaks.

Use this as a price negotiating weapon. Replacement of these items is costly.
This is why I am a fan of higher mileage vettes, or at least ones that are regularly driven without a lot of parked time between driving times.
Heidi

 

[tonyk72]

Ask somebody whos been around early C3's to take a look at it for you. You'd be suprised how many 'vette nuts are willing to help. I have a lot of "book smarts" when it comes to these cars but I still don't trust myself enough to evaluate a car's mecahnical and body components. Bob is right, beware of the shiny new paint job! Also beware of undercoating!! It's cheap & easy to spray a rusty frame and make it look good.

 

[cruzer99]

1. Look for body patches on the inside of fenders. The outside might look good but the give-away is the inside.
2. Find out what doesn't work (guages, air, locks, windows. etc.), they can be expensive to fix or replace.
3. Find out what is missing (spare, knobs, smog, etc.), the 72 had a lot of smog stuff on it.
4. Take someone with you if you can.

Good luck

 

[dlrshort]

Just be aware. Speaking as one who has bought and repaired and maintained 3 C-3's, I've never gotten a bargin. Have the car checked carefully by a corvette expert mechanic if you can find one, and expect that if you get a deal on the 'front end' you'll end up paying on the 'back end' as you own the car.

Good luck

dlrshort (appropriate name for one who ownes old vettes!)

 

[Stallion]

Wow! That's a beautiful Vette. In great condition, it looks also. I see what you mean by not getting a bargin. I'm also in the market for one, and I guess I'll find out first hand what you mean!

TR

 

[dlrshort]

TR, even that one is in the garage as we speak.........
Original 39,000 miles, gorgeous interior, but still needs plenty of work, new leaf spring , rear bearings, shocks, new carb and mufflers, and had an oil leak from the sending unit which damaged the original radio! It's my toy and I still love it.

Once again, good luck.

dlrshort

 

[Stallion]

Wow. Sounds like you're going to have to put a lot into it. But, that's part of the fun, right? Did you buy the Vette recently? If you don't mind my asking, how much did you pay for her? I'm in the market myself, and I'm trying to get ideas of pricing. Thanks!

TR

 

[robert kirk]

when i bought my 71 the guy said it had a frame off 2 years prior. it looked great. had 88 thou ori miles. i even put it up on a rack a walked around under it. everything looked great. all this took about 2 hours. i bought the car that evening. got it home and started tinkering on it and found some very interesting things. the most important is that i'm an idiot when it comes to buying used cars. the 2 is check the windsheld frame. it ended up costing me 3 grand to have the firewall and frame replaced. the frame under the car is beautiful. no rust, the trailing arms and all under supports were perfect. the windsheld frame was rotted all the was down to about 8 to 10 inches from the tie in points. when i found this i stripped the car all the way down and i wont even start crying about all the crap i found and the money it has cost to fix it. take your time and ask questions, look at things you would normally take for granted. robert

 

[84Vette]

As Heidi said
if it has been sitting take a look at the belts, hoses, electronics but especially the brakes b/c you can't drive a car around w/o brakes( trust me i know) have them start the car and take you for a test drive then get under it and look at the brakes not after it has been sitting.

 

[page62]

With the windshield frame, take a look at the VIN tag. If it is rust-colored, you're in trouble. Also, you can see the frame by using a flashlight to peer between the molding and plastic interior trim.

 

[tonyk72]

I just had a 'vette looked at by www.tonyscorvetteshop.com (wanna plug this place because they're great). Tony spent about 4 hours looking the car over. He checked EVERYTHING. The nice thing was there was another C3 up on a lift and he did a little compare and contrast between the two cars. I knew what was original on the car and what was not, right down to the nuts and bolts. He even checked the engine pad with one of those gizmos that a doctor sticks in your ear to verify if the pad has been tampered with. In the end I knew exactly what was wrong/right with the car and was able to make a purchase decision w/o worrying if I was buying a car with some hidden problems.
You may also consider joining the NCRS. I just joined and have access to some of the most knowledgable 'vette people around. What I did was email those people who were local to the car and ask where I could have the car checked out...I got lots of responses (and they all told me to go see Tony). Good luck and happy hunting!