New to the world of 'Vettes (need help)

[kridgley]

hello everyone,
'87 I just sold my Trans-Am and purchased a '75 vette .... it's pretty sweet.
There are a few things wrong with it though ...
-The brakes (to me, seem very stiff) ... there is not a lot of play in the pedal, and when i apply the brakes, it seems to require quite a bit of effort .... is this normal?
-Second, the interior needs some work (leather, new metal ... any suggestion where I can find parts?
-The seat also seems different from most cars ... do the seats move foward and backard ... and can you adjust the angle like on other cars?
-Last one ... Is there anything that I should be aware of with this care ... what is the '75 known for falling victim to??

--Thanks all

 

[Stallion]

Do you have power brakes? As I hear from other members, non power brakes take quite some effort. If you do have power brakes, I wouldn't say that you should expect the same feel than from your '02 Minivan. Just keep in mind that it is a 1975 Corvette. But if they do feel stiffer than you would like, it could be a problem in your power brake booster. Maybe your master cylinder needs a rebuild. Could be numerous things. Possible bad pistons on the calipers.

As far as the interior goes, my '78 seats move forward and backward, and then do flip up (to get access to the back of the Vette). And as far as I'm concerned, your Corvette should have the same design of the seats. But no, on mine, you can not adjust the angle. For instance, you can't make it more upright. Unless I haven't found that nob yet D).

As far as what is known for failing, a '75 owner might be more apt to telling you this, but I think all of our Sharks are pretty much prone to the same problem........everything. But don't let that be a fun stopper. There are just things that a 25+ year old car goes through.

Enjoy her! Have fun. Drive it like you stole it.

Any other questions? We have the greatest Corvette community here. Just ask...

 

[born2saw]

Welcome to CAC and Vette ownership i was grinning for 3 months when I bought mine.

My 1975 has power brakes and I do not feel the pedal effort is much at all. In fact, I think my 1990 has a stiffer feel. If you have power brakes, you may have a bad booster, or it may just be a vacuum leak.

Interior parts are availabe from nearly all the major suppliers, although they can be pretty pricey. Check Zip, Corvette America, Mid America Designs, and the Paddock just to mention a few. There are others out there and I'm sure members will share there experiences with all of them.

As for your seats, yes they do move forward & back. The seat back on a 1975 is only a little adjustible. You need to move the back forward, and there are 2 posts attached to the seat bottom with phillips head slots in the top. You can remove these posts and use a large washer (spacer) or several to make the seat more upright. There should also be washers in place that can be removed to lay the seat back alittle. you need to have at least one washer in place. I am not sure what the limit is as far as how many washers can be placed in there, but it only offers a slight bit of adjustment.

The biggest thing to watch out for on an older C3 is RUST. There is a check list of what to look for when buying a corvette somewhere on this forum. The good news, is these are pretty simple cars to work on, the mechanical parts are off-the-shelf Chevy parts and in general are easy to find, and with a little help (and a service manual) most people can learn to do much of their own work (half the fun of having one of these old beauties).

Hope this helps, enjoy your Vette, I know I enjoy both of mine.

 

[kaz1961]

Welcome to the madness! I also just bought a white 75 this past September, what color is your interior? Mine is oxblood, maybe we have twins! My brakes are not stiff at all and require about the same effort as my newer cars. As far as parts check out Volunteer Vette at http://www.volvette.com/, they have free shipping for online orders which can save you a bunch of money and their prices are very competitive. My main headache since purchasing has been power steering leaks which I understand are very common to our cars. I replaced the hoses and stopped most of the leak but I still get a little bit of dripping. Good luck and have fun!!

 

[The73vetteman]

Hi and welcome.
I have a '73 with non-power brakes. Stopping her takes quite a bit of effort compared to modern cars. One of the first jobs I did was to change the master cylinder and replace the brake fluid. Brake fluid is hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs water, and water means corrosion. Corrosion in the braking system is a very common problem.

Another common problem is with seat belts. Most of us have them overhauled by Ssnake-Oyl out of Texas. Not cheap but they do a great job. I also had to replace the seat belt reinforcing plates underneath the car as these were very badly corroded. No point in having good belts if they pull straight through the body when you need 'em!

Another problem that springs to mind is the tacho not working. This is not a big deal for some folks but I like to know what the engine's doing. Usually the drive gear in the dist gets stripped thru poor lubrication. Not too big a job to do.

Other problems? Clocks don't work - I posted a link to site about fixing them a few weeks back. Also, like the man said, RUST! Especially in the frame around the windshield - where it's really, really hard to see it!

But don't let this put you off. I love my car and the many faults just give it character.

 

[The73vetteman]

One more problem area just came to mind - the parking brake! What a joke that is. I think GM must have got some kid fresh out of college to design it, and then never found the time to do it right.


Lots of posts in here about fixing and adjusting the brake. Just use the - very good - search function.

'73

 

[kridgley]

thanks guys .... my interior is tan with oxblood carpet ... i am currently fixing the seat belts, headlights, and the power brake booster....and also trying to figure out if I'm supposed to have cat. converters ... cause here in DE, we need them ........

I appreciate all the help guys, looking foward to getting this on the road (legaly)

 

[born2saw]

The car originally came with a catalytic converter (y-pipe into the cat, into a y-pipe and dual mufflers and tail pipes), so you will probably need one. If your exhaust is stock minus the cat, a high flow cat is resonably priced and should bolt right in. You may also need to check on other emissio9ns controls that may have been removed such as the AIR pump etc. However, with today's fuel and a new cat, you may be able to pass emissions without much else.

 

[68Roadster]

The best advice I can offer is to buy an Assembly Manual.....theres so much info in there.

Have fun and welcome to the CAC!

 

[Stallion]

The best advice I can offer is to buy an Assembly Manual.....theres so much info in there.

Have fun and welcome to the CAC!

Every nut and bolt on that car.

 

[photovette]

And, all the sweat, pain, love, and money you will pour into your 'vette will be worth it in the end!

 

[Bender]

And, all the sweat, pain, love, and money you will pour into your 'vette will be worth it in the end!

Don't forget anger for the overpriced parts and then the parts not fitting 100% correctly Hopefully if everyhting goes right I will have my corvette 100% like new by December. Anyway welcome, and I suggest asking as many questions as possible before you buy or do something, get some good websites for the parts you want.

 

[BruceBed]

hello everyone,
'87 I just sold my Trans-Am and purchased a '75 vette .... it's pretty sweet.
There are a few things wrong with it though ...
-The brakes (to me, seem very stiff) ... there is not a lot of play in the pedal, and when i apply the brakes, it seems to require quite a bit of effort .... is this normal?
-Second, the interior needs some work (leather, new metal ... any suggestion where I can find parts?
-The seat also seems different from most cars ... do the seats move foward and backard ... and can you adjust the angle like on other cars?
-Last one ... Is there anything that I should be aware of with this care ... what is the '75 known for falling victim to??

--Thanks all

It sound like you don't have power brakes... welcome to the club. High pedal and hard action of brake pedal? My vert is manual brakes and I tried to install a bolt on power brake unit from Eckler's to try to ease up the braking action. That was a horror story and it won't work, despite what they say. There is a different firewall for power brakes vs manual.

I've never used them but I hear Al Knoch is the guy for interior parts.

There is no angle/ rake adjustment on your seats. Just gooooood ole back and forth.

The only thing 75's are victm to is the usual. parts and price gouging.

This year is a driver type of car, no great appreciation in value or desirabilty. Just enjoy .