I picked up the vette last night :-)

[oceangal]

VROOOOMMMM. All went fine with the ride home - no AAA necessary this time. Once we got back to the area I didn't want to park it, so I drove around town a bit and stopped eventually to get an ice cream. A family parked next to me and I could hear the little boy say...wow look at that cool Porsche! haha.
A few minutes later a white 77 vette parks right next to me! My first real life vette interaction. I practically leaped out of my car to talk to them lol. Nice couple and the husband showed me where the spare was and where the high beam control is! For some reason I was thinking those would be on the floor like one of my other older cars.
I got a few names of places from them to add to my list of places that I can bring the car for repairs etc. Tomorrow is the last day to get an inspection sticker so hopefully all goes well. I will have them check the car out for fluids as well. The prior owner said that there can be an issue with the emergency brake sticking (maybe permanetly) if engaged, someone else suggested to me that maybe the shop can put it on the lift and spray some WD40 on the brake lines or cable or something like that - do you think that will work?
My hope is that I can tell him about it and that maybe he can just sort of bypass that part if all else passes inspection.
Somethings that I have observed are:
The speedometer needle bounces around like its moving to the beat of the stereo, the fuel gauge does that as well but not as severly. One of the oil gauges seems permantely pegged. If there is an engine temp gauge I must be looking right at it and can't see it. I do see an oil temp gauge.
When I go from Park to drive the car drops down a few inches, is that what they do? I think its pretty cool feeling so I hope thats part of the package.
And yes the smile on my face is still pretty big!
Its official I can now.....
Oh and get this my brother who has a 1982 Porsche, said it was a really nice car and thought I got it for a great price, so that made me feel really good.

 

[22229stingray81]

Glad to hear all went well. There is no general "engine temp. gauge" but depending on what stereo your 'vette came equipped with, it should have a water temp. gauge and oil temp. gauge. The other "oil" gauge should be oil pressure. And yes the car is suppose to drop down like that in gear. It has something to do with having I.R.S. (Independent Rear Suspension). Sounds like you have a few things to work out but overall a good ride. Have you washed it yet?? That's a whole new level of Corvette fun!


-Tatortot

 

[cptkirk32]

Have fun with the vette, and I hope everything goes well with the inspection.

SGT Kirk

 

[oceangal]

Thanks for the well wishes
Nope I haven't washed it yet and it looks pretty good - I do have a lead on a detail person from one of the local folks on CAC and I will probably do that as soon as I can get an appointment. Any suggestions on washing are welcome!
I also want to remove the bubbling tint from the inside rear window but then again it does keep the sun out so not sure, but at night it looks like the window has a crack in it. I found the instructions for removing it on a search on the forum. It might be one of the few things I can do myself!
I looked at some tool sets and someone here had mentioned deep sockets - any idea what size would be the most useful?
Thank you!

 

[cptkirk32]

Any good socket set should have deep well sockets with it. Myself I like 1/4" drive sets because its easier to get into tight areas. My cars all have drive sets with them, and also a 1/2" ratchet w/ adaptor incase I need to do something with a little more umph to it. Make sure it has extensions and swivels with it.

 

[22229stingray81]

Everybody has there own methods and opinions on what to use to wash, but the general consenus is to not use dish soap, because it is too harsh. Maguires products are pretty good all around for just about everything. Also, when drying, do not use any rough towels or they will scratch the surface of the paint. Many people use micro-fiber towels. You can usually get them just about anywhere- Wal Mart, Pep Boys, even at Costco in bulk! I personally would leave the rear window tint on. In traffic in the summer the sun is absolutely devistating! Just remember it is your car and whatever you do to it is okay as long as you are happy.


-Tatortot

 

[74bigblock]

Nice! Glad it is running well for you. A word of advice... if it has to do with the brakes... don't use WD40, use regular brake cleaner found at any auto parts store. The lubricants in WD can and will gum up, as well as destroy your pads/shoes if they make contact.

 

[Tritium007]

Lori,

Glad to hear you got your new baby home. Absolutely awesome that you got to meet another C3 owner that quickly. Enjoy!

Concerning the rear window tint, not many shops will do those rear windows because the seams go against the defogger lines and the fact that the window is so large and heavily curved. Mid-America part # 602-134 is a curved, one-piece solid sheet of smoked lexan that fits inside the window on 78-82 (except CE). Says it won't interfere with the defogger and can easily be removed for cleaning. Have your credit card ready, operators are standing by.....last I checked there was a special offer $99.00 (reg $139.99). I don't have one myself, just saw it while surfing.

Mike

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Yea! Great first cruise experience!
I think the bouncing speedo needle is an indication that it is about to 'go'. These vettes have a sharp angle that the cable has to negotiate and they tend to wear and break. I think there are aftermarket products you can buy that will eliminate the sharp bend and keep the speedo operating.
The pegged oil gauge could just need to have the sending unit replaced.
Don't know about the bouncing gas gauge... I don't know if that means dropping the tank to access anything or not...
Heidi

 

[gec]

Lori,
Great to here your on the road, it sounds like your car has alot of the same small problems mine had (maybe there related lol).
The oil pressure guage was a quick fix, a new sender is about $10.00 and easy to change.
As for the speedo I changed the speedo gear (pita) & it worked great for awile then started to bounce again so I picked up a cheap garmin gps on ebay for $60.00. Works great & even tells me how to get back home when I get sidetracked after work
My e-brake handle is missing the release button & is on my list of things to fix.
Hope your inspection goes ok today, I have a brother in law that is a mechanic at a local GM dealer that spent a whole day going over mine helping me fix all the minor annoyances to get it to pass.
Gary

 

[Ripp 73]

Glad to hear you had a good cruise. When ever I have a pegged sensor in the dash it is typically because of a loose or bad ground somewhere. For instance my fuel gage pegged one time, got underneath the back end and found the screw that held the antenna had come loose, also making my rear lights dim. There will always be little gnomes in the car. Just take on each of them one at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by their numbers.

 

[oceangal]

Glad to hear you had a good cruise. When ever I have a pegged sensor in the dash it is typically because of a loose or bad ground somewhere. For instance my fuel gage pegged one time, got underneath the back end and found the screw that held the antenna had come loose, also making my rear lights dim. There will always be little gnomes in the car. Just take on each of them one at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by their numbers.

I orderd a chiltons manual today so hopefully I can maybe succeed in fixing some of this stuff
And more good news..I passed inspection! I think he was "kind" as we recognized each other - he also owns the local GNC store.
He even put my front license plate on for me as I couldn't get to the hex nut on the back of the area for the plate. i put on my cheapy car seats covers and they will do for this year. But ...next year....
Lori

 

[GerryLP]

I orderd a chiltons manual today so hopefully I can maybe succeed in fixing some of this stuff
And more good news..I passed inspection! I think he was "kind" as we recognized each other - he also owns the local GNC store.
He even put my front license plate on for me as I couldn't get to the hex nut on the back of the area for the plate. i put on my cheapy car seats covers and they will do for this year. But ...next year....
Lori

I can see you grinning (which it won't stop) all the way from New Mexico...

GerryLP:cool

 

[jdp6000]

Bad choice on the Chilton. Buy the Shop Manual for your 82. Available on Ebay. Its a must have.

As you know I have an 82. If you don't have a clock. You will have both an oil temp guage and an oil pressure guage. Which one isn't working...the oil temp guage is dead center and will have a range of 0 to 80 psi. If its the oil pressure sensor one thats flat its probalby the guage. The sensor is to the driverside of your distributor. Its quite large and has a harness connecting to it. Its also rather expensive....about $80. There is also an oil temp sensor that is near your oil filter...this part is much cheaper.

Jim

 

[jdp6000]

I read your original post again. do you notice the guages bouncing when you hit a bump? More specifically the gas guage. Could indicate a connection problem, does the oil temp guage work? Your engine temp guage is next to your gas guage. Aside from the bounce do the others work??

Jim

 

[Daryllawman]

Congrats on the Vette.....You will love the C-3.....Enjoy !!

 

[lnirenberg]

Congrats on a belated yet successful ride. Drive drive drive because before you know it the white stuff will be falling. As long as its not fatal stuff, either to you or the beast, the winter is very long and being without your new toy when it is warm and sunny will prove to be unbearable.

I think the car has to be 25 yrs old to be exempt from the tail pipe test so that may be your biggest hurdle. They can be a bit sticky ( no pun intended) about the ebrake. I got my sticker last year with ebrake out to lunch. Without naming names, its amazing what $20 placed firmly yet discreetly in the inspectors hand can do!

 

[craig32]

hey Lori,
Glad to hear you got the car home, finally! Have lots of fun with it. I guess your son is going to want to be a mechanic now? My mom had one when I was a kid, and it was a big catalyst in me becoming a 'gearhead'
Enjoy the summer, and hope to see you in Carlisle in August!
Craig

 

[zgator]

Don't know if you know it or not but Franklin Mint makes a model of your car.Same color scheme.You might want to pick one up but be quick they only made 1000 of them.You can't get it from FM but if you are interested I can get you the co web site that sells them $135.00

 

[oceangal]

Bad choice on the Chilton. Buy the Shop Manual for your 82. Available on Ebay. Its a must have.

As you know I have an 82. If you don't have a clock. You will have both an oil temp guage and an oil pressure guage. Which one isn't working...the oil temp guage is dead center and will have a range of 0 to 80 psi. If its the oil pressure sensor one thats flat its probalby the guage. The sensor is to the driverside of your distributor. Its quite large and has a harness connecting to it. Its also rather expensive....about $80. There is also an oil temp sensor that is near your oil filter...this part is much cheaper.

Jim

Will do - thank you! I also bought an original owners manual too - just because.