C3 question............

[citruspilot]

I am looking for a C3 Vette. A Corvette dealer told me recently some things to look for and one of his pointers is as follows. He said that when you put the car in gear, automatic that is, the rear end should sit down or settle. And when you put the car in reverse the rear end should lift a little. Not much but it should lift.

Sounds interesting but is it really all that important for me to check this out when looking at the auto transmission C3's? If so why?

Thanks.

Jeff

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

I am looking for a C3 Vette. A Corvette dealer told me recently some things to look for and one of his pointers is as follows. He said that when you put the car in gear, automatic that is, the rear end should sit down or settle. And when you put the car in reverse the rear end should lift a little. Not much but it should lift.

Sounds interesting but is it really all that important for me to check this out when looking at the auto transmission C3's? If so why?

Thanks.

Jeff

All automatic Corvettes do this whether they're new or old, good or bad. HD suspension do it less than regular suspension because of the stiff spring.

No idea why your dealer thinks it's important. :confused

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Distracts from looking at the important things like the rusted out frame on the car he is trying to sell you.

 

[bossvette]

go to http://www.bairs.com/ and buy his Video it will tell you what to look for

 

[The73vetteman]

I wonder if your dealer meant you should check out the condition of the rear spring?

It needs to have some curvature in it (raised in the center), rather than being flat or even bowed downwards.

Like Bob says, there are many more things to look at on a 'vette than whether it "squats" or not. (And isn't "squat" just a function of the differential action?)

'73vetteman

 

[74bigblock]

Dunno about the differential action, but mine does this when I put into gear. Used car salespersons are the devil. Never to be trusted.

If you want to know what to look for.... spend some time on this site, and you will learn what you need. Everyone in here is helpfull and many even go the extra mile for you... even when they have no idea who you are.

 

[citruspilot]

Your right! I only posted this question about 45 minutes ago and look at the responses. Anyway, this is just one thing that I intend on looking at on a Vette before I purchase. I already have a good list of items to check off and what to look for from another source that is very well informed on the C3 Vettes.

I appreciate all your responses as mentioned above and will keep an eye on this site. It seems like a very good place to ask questions and get useful information. I just sold a 93 Z-28 and found a Camaro website that was very much like this. So finding a Vette info website with the same sort of stuff is good. I am looking forward to finally getting a Vette back in my garage. Its been 6 long years without one!

Thanks again for your help.

Jeff

(edited for spelling)

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Welcome citruspilot!

Welcome to Corvette Action Center.
As you can see, CAC is full of friendly and helpful members.

I would like to suggest to you to click on the Blue Tab at the top of the page titled "Learning Center" and go to "Buying a Corvette" and print that out. With that list in hand, you are almost guaranteed to not forget to check something important.

I have a feeling that what the used car salesman was trying to convey to you about the automatic vettes going into gear and squating or lifting, was mostly to let you know that that is normal yet unique to IRS vehicles.
Because of the half-shafts from the differential to the wheels, when put under load the half-shafts rotate forward in D (squat down) and rotate backward in R (raise up).
The biggest thing that paying attention to this will tell you...if you hear a 'noise' when it is put into gear it could mean several things, all having to do with the drivetrain to some degree. If there is a clunk it could mean that the side-yokes are worn and need replacing (costly) or the u-joints are worn and need replacing (not-so-costly), worst case would be needing new rear gears.
Drive the vette in several slow, tight figure eights and listen for any noises like clunking, moaning/groaning or squealing metal/metal contact. This will give you a good indication about the rear half of the drivetrain.
Heidi

all out of advice...

 

[Paul Borowski]

Distracts from looking at the important things like the rusted out frame on the car he is trying to sell you.

I AGREE on this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[AUSSIEVETTEMAN]

Look for rust, rust & rust!

It will be hiding in the weak points on a Vette. Those are of course, the body mounts and the windsheild frame.

Look for signs of wet carpet, which indicates a water leak. If she is leaking, there will be a point where the water is coming in and usually it will have a little rust. Places like air vents and around windows will do this. The car you will be looking at will be over 20 years old and will have worn or cracked window seals. These will leak, guaranteed! The rear windows don't cause too much rust damage because the windows are mounted in fibreglass, but are still a problem with letting the H2O in.
Don't be scared to pull interior trim off and look behind it. Water leaks like this start to rust the frame of the window and you will find it as soon as you take the trim off. Most of the time the water gets through between the window and the seal, leaks down the pillar and onto the floor. If she has bigger leaks, like the floor filling up with water, then she has cowl leaks, which will need the window and the dash out and a welder to repair. The cowls have putty in two assembly line tooling holes, which over time will shrink and let water in. Once it starts to come in and nothing is done, then the rust will slowly kill the frame.

Same for the lick panels on the floor. They hide two of the eight body mounts, which also rust. If they have rust, you have another water leak. This water leak will be in the vents. Check for debris in this area like leaves and stuff.

I wouldn't be too concerned about driveline stuff unless there is evidence she has been in a crash and the alignment may be hard to adjust. Check behind the fibreglass panels to look for old panel repairs. This is easy around the back of the car. If there is a patch on the inside or the bonding straps are out of shape, she may have been tampered with.
The driveline can be repaired and is the least expensive compared to water, rust or crash damage. The car you are buying is old and is bound to need new bearings, universal joints, shocks, trans work ect because not everyone services their cars periodically. Parts simply get old and ware out.
You will probably have peace of mind anyway if you replace bearings and seals and repair the drive line yourself. It sort of 'draws a line in the sand' and says that was done then and I know cause I did it!

Anyway get some feedback from this site and from the friendly guys and gals who are willing to help. Great bunch of people!

Cheers

Tony

 

[Flared69]

Rust will be your major thing to look out for.

If I were you, I'd try finding a c3 with a reletively recent body off restoration. And if they say it has had one, ask for documentation/receipts/pictures etc. As everyone allways loves to take pics of their work in progress - I would be a little weary of someone who didn't have the pictures and documentation and was claiming it did have the restoration.

When you hear about windsheild pillars, this is very important. I remember reading somewhere on this forum that it could cost up to $10,000 to fix. Expensive.

Of course, depending on your knowhow, it is, at the end of the day your decision. Just make sure everything works.

 

[Stallion]

Well, restoration isn't necessary. But it does have to have a record of being taken care of well. I'm all original factory, and my '78 is in perfect shape. Factory is worth more than restoration, too.

 

[Flared69]

Very true.

 

[citruspilot]

Thanks so much for the welcome and the help. I saw that particular 81 Vette today and it was much more of a project than I had hoped. I could not believe how "free" the front end was. I could literally move my hands on the wheel back and forth about three or four inches and the car would still go in a straight line. Made me wonder if the 68,000 odometer was real or not!

Still looking by the way for my next Vette. I have been all over the computer trying to find all the "for sale" ads in the southeast part of the country............I am going crazy!! :CRASH I find myself staying up until well, 11:50PM when I should have been in bed an hour ago!! Glad I found this site though! ;worship

Jeff

 

[Stallion]

Go to www.cctol.com

That is my favorite place to look for cars, and they have a great selection of Corvettes, too. And you can search by region, so you don't have to travel to far to see the Vette.

But, if you do hear about a Vette, that isn't so close to you, us CAC members would be more than happy to look at it in person, and take pictures for you. This has been done before.

Good luck!

Stallion

 

[citruspilot]

I do use the Collector Car Online website alot. But I guess I check it too often as the cars always seem to be the same ones. Or theres not enough info about the car and making all those phone calls just to see how many miles it has are getting pricey. In time I guess my excitement will subside and I'll be more patient. But with the Christmas holiday off I have way too much time on my hands..................

All your suggestions are appreciated. Do keep em coming!

Thanks again.

Jeff :crazy

 

[1974vette]

Well CitrusPilot, seems to me you're a neighbor if your only in Charlotte...anyways, i dont know if you have tried this website but they have a many corvettes and get new ones every week... Cars On Line <---thats to the home page or
Corvette Menu

hope you find what you need,
-matt

 

[BruceBed]

My 73 with auto does this but what's the point? This is only one of many thing you should be looking for. If this is the only thing your dealer told you to look for- then tell them to settle down and get out.

 

[herron]

The biggest thing that paying attention to this will tell you...if you hear a 'noise' when it is put into gear it could mean several things, all having to do with the drivetrain to some degree. If there is a clunk it could mean that the side-yokes are worn and need replacing (costly) or the u-joints are worn and need replacing (not-so-costly), worst case would be needing new rear gears.
Drive the vette in several slow, tight figure eights and listen for any noises like clunking, moaning/groaning or squealing metal/metal contact. This will give you a good indication about the rear half of the drivetrain.
Heidi

all out of advice...

I realize this is an old post, but I just joined the Forum in July and just saw it. It caught my eye because of the comment "tight figure eights and listen for any noises like clunking, moaning/groaning or squealing metal/metal contact...."

I noticed this past weekend that there is a distinct "squealing metal/metal" sound when making a tight right turn. A mechanic told me earlier (not in relation to this question) that one of the rear support strut bushings (driver's side) was worn out, and needed to be replaced. Could this be the source of the squeal, or is there something else going on? (mind you, I'm about as mechanically minded as a cat).