- Thread starter
- #21
B
Bender
Guest
Which one do you think is the cheapest catalog for interior stuff?
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2001
- Messages
- 3,239
- Location
- Norcross, Georgia, United Stat
- Corvette
- 2017 Arctic White Grand Sport
RedRagTop
Well-known member
Bender; Sounds like you have a lot of disposable income for a high school kid...
When you need to know something about the car or ask estimate opinions and the like make sure you research the tech forum here and post questions. How much do you actually have in the car now? Can you recoupe most of your investment by selling and start with something clean?
I would have given you a near perfect 88 vert for $15K US...
When you need to know something about the car or ask estimate opinions and the like make sure you research the tech forum here and post questions. How much do you actually have in the car now? Can you recoupe most of your investment by selling and start with something clean?
I would have given you a near perfect 88 vert for $15K US...
- Thread starter
- #24
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Bender
Guest
No I dont think I would get at least 12k for the car after all the repairs.
- Thread starter
- #25
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C V Man
Guest
To get an idea of how much money you can save by doing the work yourself:
Labor costs:
At $45-$65 an hour for labor... for every hour they work on your car, you could buy a brand new set of screwdrivers or sockets.
You said it cost you 3K for some of the work...
You also said you didn't have the tools to do it yourself...
I don't know how much the parts were, but I can assure you that the labor charges alone would have bought you one fine set of tools.
If we throw the whole cost issue out the window it's still better to do the work yourself.
Why?
Because no one cares as much about your car as you do!
C V Man
Labor costs:
At $45-$65 an hour for labor... for every hour they work on your car, you could buy a brand new set of screwdrivers or sockets.
You said it cost you 3K for some of the work...
You also said you didn't have the tools to do it yourself...
I don't know how much the parts were, but I can assure you that the labor charges alone would have bought you one fine set of tools.
If we throw the whole cost issue out the window it's still better to do the work yourself.
Why?
Because no one cares as much about your car as you do!
C V Man
- Thread starter
- #26
B
Bender
Guest
Yeah, I am almost 100% sure this one place scratched up my T-tops but I cant really prove anything since I own cats :/
- Thread starter
- #27
C
C V Man
Guest
To get an idea of how much money you can save by doing the work yourself:
Labor costs:
At $45-$65 an hour for labor... for every hour they work on your car, you could buy a brand new set of screwdrivers or sockets.
You said it cost you 3K for some of the work...
You also said you didn't have the tools to do it yourself...
I don't know how much the parts were, but I can assure you that the labor charges alone would have bought you one fine set of tools.
If we throw the whole cost issue out the window it's still better to do the work yourself.
Why?
Because no one cares as much about your car as you do!
C V Man
Labor costs:
At $45-$65 an hour for labor... for every hour they work on your car, you could buy a brand new set of screwdrivers or sockets.
You said it cost you 3K for some of the work...
You also said you didn't have the tools to do it yourself...
I don't know how much the parts were, but I can assure you that the labor charges alone would have bought you one fine set of tools.
If we throw the whole cost issue out the window it's still better to do the work yourself.
Why?
Because no one cares as much about your car as you do!
C V Man
Rain
Well-known member
Bender said:Gainesville, FL. Why does FL have so many Corvettes any way? I dont think there has been a day here I have not seen like 10 of them. I almost want to say they are as common as civics down here
Lots of vettes down this way because the weather allows year round driving. (Just like out on the west coast)
I think you mentioned a Haynes manual you had picked up but didnt quite cover everything you wanted. Check ebay from time to time for a GM Chevy Shop Manual (service manual).
These are the exact manuals the Dealerships use. They cover everything you need to know about repairing and replacing.
Between a good shop manual and this forum, You should be able to get that vette looking right again.
Good Luck
Rain
btw, for great prices on shop tools, visit Harbor Freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/
- Thread starter
- #29
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Bender
Guest
Parts are over priced.. Why is a piece of plastic 99.99? When it clearly cost 10 bucks to make.
- Thread starter
- #30
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Robin7TFour
Guest
i tend to use corvette central for parts. however, i've been seeing a lot of recommendations for the last detail.
robin
p.s a corvette fro high school ride. i was lucky to afford a 65 mg midget.
robin
p.s a corvette fro high school ride. i was lucky to afford a 65 mg midget.
- Thread starter
- #31
B
Bender
Guest
My friend has a 1970 GTO and is only 16 and it is in perfect condtion. The Last Detail online catalong does not load for me.
atmmac
Well-known member
robin74 said:
Bummer man having a vette in high school is a dream come true for me and probably for bender too. Too bad he didnt live closer id be happy to give him a hand!
- Thread starter
- #33
B
Bender
Guest
Yeah it really is a dream come true I love the car. The first few and only days I got to drive it to school this year I had a ton of girls ask for a ride lol.
- Thread starter
- #34
R
Robin7TFour
Guest
well i am about 1 1/2 hrs south of bender. when i sold mt mg for a triumph tr250 (another convert) i traded off on friday nights with a guy's motorcycle. didn't care about girls just liked going fast!!
atmmac
Well-known member
Bender said:
Haha me too they are like 17 yr old kid...corvette... my girlfriend wanted to drive it! Told her it was standard and she couldnt!
-Andy
80convertible
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2001
- Messages
- 416
- Location
- Asheville, NC
- Corvette
- 1973 converted to 1980 custom convertible
I'll forgo the life leasons as others have already posted on that. I bought my vette about 5 years ago as a weekend warrior. I had never even changed the oil in a car before buy my vette. I read everything I could get my hands on, internet forums like this, asked lots of questions at the local autoparts store (the owner had a chevelle and use to work at a chevy dealer), other vette owners (join a local club) etc.... A lot of info at http://www.corvettefaq.com.
One of the things I have learned over the years is how to find parts at reasonable prices. You appear to be on a budget. Don't get caught paying full retail from places like Ecklers. Use the forum classifieds, check ebay ( I buy lots of vette stuff off ebay) and various mail order houses...The Last Detail has great prices. Get a real GM shop manual off ebay for $25.00 or so. Also get an assembly manual specific to your year. Use your local library to read up on engine repair and basic auto repair. You will be suprised how much you can learn and fix without breaking the bank. I found that my local pawn shop has great prices on tools. Often I can find craftsman sockets for less than 50 cents. If they break, take it to Sears for a replacement.
Working on a vette is really not that hard. Just take your time and study the parts you are working on. Take notes when disassembling things to aid in reassembling. Ask for help from your friends who know what they are doing...maybe your friend who purchased the GTO knows how to work on cars. With all the repairs you need, I would worry less about the hp of your engine. If it is truly an Edelbrock crate engine, you have sufficient power, but it will be meaningless and possibly dangerous without a safe running car.
One of the things I have learned over the years is how to find parts at reasonable prices. You appear to be on a budget. Don't get caught paying full retail from places like Ecklers. Use the forum classifieds, check ebay ( I buy lots of vette stuff off ebay) and various mail order houses...The Last Detail has great prices. Get a real GM shop manual off ebay for $25.00 or so. Also get an assembly manual specific to your year. Use your local library to read up on engine repair and basic auto repair. You will be suprised how much you can learn and fix without breaking the bank. I found that my local pawn shop has great prices on tools. Often I can find craftsman sockets for less than 50 cents. If they break, take it to Sears for a replacement.
Working on a vette is really not that hard. Just take your time and study the parts you are working on. Take notes when disassembling things to aid in reassembling. Ask for help from your friends who know what they are doing...maybe your friend who purchased the GTO knows how to work on cars. With all the repairs you need, I would worry less about the hp of your engine. If it is truly an Edelbrock crate engine, you have sufficient power, but it will be meaningless and possibly dangerous without a safe running car.
- Thread starter
- #37
S
schmaltzr
Guest
I know a little how you feel. I guess the worst part is that 'I told you so' attitude you hear from your mom.
Though it's no consolation. If you don't make mistakes when you're young you'll make them when you get older. The truth is that it is part of the human experience. I have neighbors who are afraid to do anything because they don't want to make a mistake. They are at the mercy of those that learned how to get things fixed for themselves. Be one of those people who can fix things.
You've been putting money into a car and that's not really an investment. Turn your situation around and invest into tools and knowledge. You will get many times the return on that investment over the rest of your life, and the few thousand dollars you've 'sunk' into this car will seem nominal for the education you've gained.
If it makes you feel any better, I'm 46 and my wife didn't want me to buy my C5. On our first real road trip the gas guage went nuts on me and indicated I had no more gas. $1300.00 later it was working. I've used up my allowance money for the next few years. No matter how old you get you don't want to be strapped with large repair bills and a feeling like you got ripped off. I bought the mechanics manual after that. You've joined this forum...good step.
First and foremost buy the GM mechanics manuals. They can be well over $125.00, but are worth every penny. Look on Ebay, but don't settle for anything less than the real GM manual. These manuals have step by step instructions and diagrams, including torque settings etc. Ask for tools for your birthday and buy something that has a guarantee (no China junk). Garage Sales are a great place to get socket sets look for the made in the U.S.A. stamps. Good luck
Though it's no consolation. If you don't make mistakes when you're young you'll make them when you get older. The truth is that it is part of the human experience. I have neighbors who are afraid to do anything because they don't want to make a mistake. They are at the mercy of those that learned how to get things fixed for themselves. Be one of those people who can fix things.
You've been putting money into a car and that's not really an investment. Turn your situation around and invest into tools and knowledge. You will get many times the return on that investment over the rest of your life, and the few thousand dollars you've 'sunk' into this car will seem nominal for the education you've gained.
If it makes you feel any better, I'm 46 and my wife didn't want me to buy my C5. On our first real road trip the gas guage went nuts on me and indicated I had no more gas. $1300.00 later it was working. I've used up my allowance money for the next few years. No matter how old you get you don't want to be strapped with large repair bills and a feeling like you got ripped off. I bought the mechanics manual after that. You've joined this forum...good step.
First and foremost buy the GM mechanics manuals. They can be well over $125.00, but are worth every penny. Look on Ebay, but don't settle for anything less than the real GM manual. These manuals have step by step instructions and diagrams, including torque settings etc. Ask for tools for your birthday and buy something that has a guarantee (no China junk). Garage Sales are a great place to get socket sets look for the made in the U.S.A. stamps. Good luck
- Thread starter
- #38
B
Bender
Guest
I am guessing you got a big "I told you so" from your wife? But my friend rebuilt his GTO engine with a friend that did know alot of stuff but besides being able to replace a few parts and know must of the parts in the engine thats about all he knows.
- Thread starter
- #39
S
schmaltzr
Guest
No so much of an 'I told you so', it was more like, can't you just use the trip meter to calculate when you're going to run out of gas? Why do you have to get it fixed...just live with it. I take pride in my vehicles and home. I don't like to be seen in 'junk'. I also have a healthy income. If it weren't for her, I would have all my money spent on toys. As it is she has given me financial security and an outstanding credit rating...so I kinda have to listen to her. Working on the vehicle myself for some of the small things are my way of trying to scale back the expenses.
- Thread starter
- #40
G
GATOR454
Guest
VETTE = Very Expensive Toy To Enjoy
You never said how much you paid for your vette so it's hard to say if you got ripped off on the purchase. However it sounds like you are now ripping yourself off by not doing the maintenance and repair work yourself. It is not a new car with a warranty. It has a lot of 23 year old components that will require attention to last another 23 years. Only a rich man could afford to have someone else take care of and repair a car as old as yours.
For 9k you could have gotten a nice set of tools with a compressor and air wrenches, a completely new suspension, and a new interior with a new dash, with money to spare for some paint, but you would have to install it yourself.
I'm almost completely restoring a '74 for under 5k. and thats with a new high performance suspension. There is no way I could afford to do what I'm doing if I was having to pay someone to do it.
I am not a mechanic, but I have every repair manual I could get my hands on and the assembly manual. I also have the determination to learn how it all works, and I ask alot of questions on the different corvette forums.
In the next couple of months I'm going to learn how to replace the front and rear bearings and completely rebuild the steering. There is also no way I'm going to pay 4k for a paint job, so I'm determined to learn how to do that as well. In the end I will know how almost everything on my vette works.
Also I would never trust my car with a mechanic shop, and a dealership is the absolute last place I would take my vette.
If you are not willing to learn how to maintain and repair it yourself then you might want to consider selling it and getting a newer car with a warranty or get ready to keep significantly lightening your wallet.
Lastly, for what it's worth from the perspective of a 45 year old codger, your money would have been more wisely spent on your education i.e. college. I was young once and I have a teenage son so I know you will not understand that until you are a 45 year old codger yourself.
You never said how much you paid for your vette so it's hard to say if you got ripped off on the purchase. However it sounds like you are now ripping yourself off by not doing the maintenance and repair work yourself. It is not a new car with a warranty. It has a lot of 23 year old components that will require attention to last another 23 years. Only a rich man could afford to have someone else take care of and repair a car as old as yours.
For 9k you could have gotten a nice set of tools with a compressor and air wrenches, a completely new suspension, and a new interior with a new dash, with money to spare for some paint, but you would have to install it yourself.
I'm almost completely restoring a '74 for under 5k. and thats with a new high performance suspension. There is no way I could afford to do what I'm doing if I was having to pay someone to do it.
I am not a mechanic, but I have every repair manual I could get my hands on and the assembly manual. I also have the determination to learn how it all works, and I ask alot of questions on the different corvette forums.
In the next couple of months I'm going to learn how to replace the front and rear bearings and completely rebuild the steering. There is also no way I'm going to pay 4k for a paint job, so I'm determined to learn how to do that as well. In the end I will know how almost everything on my vette works.
Also I would never trust my car with a mechanic shop, and a dealership is the absolute last place I would take my vette.
If you are not willing to learn how to maintain and repair it yourself then you might want to consider selling it and getting a newer car with a warranty or get ready to keep significantly lightening your wallet.
Lastly, for what it's worth from the perspective of a 45 year old codger, your money would have been more wisely spent on your education i.e. college. I was young once and I have a teenage son so I know you will not understand that until you are a 45 year old codger yourself.
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