Finally an Introduction

[Dream Ride]

My names Donnie. I finally got a Vette after years and years of actually not even thinking I'd ever be able to. So my wife says one day "If you quit smoking I'll buy you anything you want." The bells and whistles went off!

Been smoke free for 16 days and brought my 1979 home yesterday.

Drove 350 miles to get it. Had to change the Thermostat housing gasket before we left the sellers house. After about 60 - 70 miles on I-40 East the front drivers tire came apart from dry rot that we didn't notice before we left (tread looked great) and gave me this

Had to call Road Side Assist, a must have, because we didn't have any tools including a jack. They sent a truck to change the tire out and we inspected the passenger front tire and saw that it was almost ready to come apart so I limped down the road like Charlie Daniels in Uneasy Rider and had two new front tires put on. The backs were fine.
Got back on I-40 and after a while the Speedo went out. One of those little things.

I got way too much sun on my face and arms not thinking about it after years of riding in air conditioning. I think I even got heat exhaustion from it cause when we got home all I could was lay down with ice packs and after the sun went down take my wife for a ride. It was a long, hot, nerve racking wondering what was going to happen next, costly most miserable ride I've ever had. And I loved each & every minute of it. I got a Corvette Tan........Yeah Baby!!!!
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[killain]

Nice looking Vette! brings back memories. When i first bought my 79 it was sixty miles from my home. The valve cover gaskets were so back i lost a quart of oil every fifteen miles, but with some fresh gas and air in the tires i made it home. I never went over 45 mph and I took it to my buddies garage, he's a GM master mechanic and did a bulk of the mechanical restoration work. but when i asked about the tires, he said they were so old that they'd explode before they went flat ! I got a laugh out of that. He found a near matching original set of Goodyear RWL radials for it. Good luck with your car.

 

[fine69]

Congrats on your first Vette... I do like them '79s...

Remember to keep your end of the deal -- cause if you start smoking again, I'll have to take that Vette off your hands!! ... Welcome to the CAC...

Ralph

 

[oceangal]

Welcome to CAC

I too had a breakdown on my way home with my car too. Hardly the feeling I wanted.

The good news is if this event didn't trigger you to smoke you should be all set.

 

[78Vette-SA]

Greetings.

My first Corvette (a 78 Silver Anniversary! - about 12 years ago) was purchased from a local Corvette dealer that had been in business over 25 years. Told me it was a 2 owner no-hit car with 24 thousand original miles. I was totally new to Corvettes.

It took about a week or so before I figured out that there were over 5 owners, the car had basically been totalled, the firewall was cracked, the evaporator box was crushed and the frame tweaked because it got it so hard in the left front it pushed the motor back and over. There was broken glass all under the carpet and I traced it back to the original owner who may have died in it.

After about 2 years I had completed a complete frame on resto and the car was like brand new and I still miss it to this day. I see it all the time at local shows and still talk to the guy that bought it from me. I think he plans to die in it (of old age).

So welcome to the hobby and enjoy your 79. You gotta figure the rest will be all good from here. Like rain on a wedding!

 

[Dream Ride]

Greetings.

My first Corvette (a 78 Silver Anniversary! - about 12 years ago) was purchased from a local Corvette dealer that had been in business over 25 years. Told me it was a 2 owner no-hit car with 24 thousand original miles. I was totally new to Corvettes.

It took about a week or so before I figured out that there were over 5 owners, the car had basically been totalled, the firewall was cracked, the evaporator box was crushed and the frame tweaked because it got it so hard in the left front it pushed the motor back and over. There was broken glass all under the carpet and I traced it back to the original owner who may have died in it.

After about 2 years I had completed a complete frame on resto and the car was like brand new and I still miss it to this day. I see it all the time at local shows and still talk to the guy that bought it from me. I think he plans to die in it (of old age).

So welcome to the hobby and enjoy your 79. You gotta figure the rest will be all good from here. Like rain on a wedding!

Wow, I feel like a big sissy even mentioning my first ride experience now.
Thanks for the encouragement, it will all be good from here on. It's a Vette, what else could it be?

 

[Emtmike]

Very nice vette . It takes time to get it where you want it, so no worries :cool. Good to hear you kicked the habit too.....congrates. Also....WELCOME to the forum

 

[lagnaf]

Congratulations and welcome to the family. Get used to little troubles that make you want to shit in your hand and rub it in your hair. That's the love affair we all have with our cars.

 

[XLR8]

Congrats on your purchase and first ride home!

Enjoy!
Jane Ann

 

[bill81vette]

Congrats on the new ride!!!!
enjoy!!!!

 

[hotshotzny]

your wife is very very trusting... i promised my wife i would get on an airplane if she quit smoking.... and im not giving in in 2 weeks, we are talking like 6 months minimum before i even consider it.. good news is i never have to worry about flying

on another note.. good luck with it.. you are gonna need the extra money

my car may be nickel and diming me to death but i love it!!

remeber to

 

[Dream Ride]

your wife is very very trusting...

We've been married for 32 years and dated since the 8th grade..........no more secrets.:L

 

[XLR8]

We've been married for 32 years and dated since the 8th grade..........no more secrets.:L

Congrats on that too!

You must be a KEEPER as much as your wife is.

Enjoy your new C3 and the !!

Jane Ann

 

[Vette79]

your wife is very very trusting... i promised my wife i would get on an airplane if she quit smoking.... and im not giving in in 2 weeks, we are talking like 6 months minimum before i even consider it..

Ain't that the truth. Only 2 weeks? You made out...Welcome to the CAC family and the 79 Family...

 

[lagnaf]

I think the two weeks speaks to the idea that perhaps your wife wanted a Corvette just as badly as you did. "Keeper" is a very good word in describing this woman.

 

[hotshotzny]

I think the two weeks speaks to the idea that perhaps your wife wanted a Corvette just as badly as you did. "Keeper" is a very good word in describing this woman.

BINGO

 

[Dream Ride]

I think the two weeks speaks to the idea that perhaps your wife wanted a Corvette just as badly as you did. "Keeper" is a very good word in describing this woman.

It doesn't take much to get her to go for an evening drive, so yeah I think you're right about her wanting one too. Me a keeper? Nagh, I'm just some dude. But her, oh yeah. She's a babe. Makes the 79 look extra good.