Newbie Help!!!

[MR. T.]

I am looking for a 78-82 vette , and I want some advice as to what to watch out for/look for. I am presently selling my motorcycle and I know that the forums were a great help. I was a Mustang guy in my youth, but I have always had a desire for a vette and I love the lines of the 78-82. I have alot to learn, but we are not far off from snow up here so I will probably seriously look in the spring, but gather info now so i can make an informed decision. Thanks

 

[vett boy]

Check at the top of this page "learning center" some good basic hints -Welcome and good luck

 

[6 Shooter]

1st off - Welcome to the

2nd - If possible buy your Corvette during the winter, prices are usually much better.

3rd - Some C3 Guys will come around and offer you some Great info per your C3 search.

Let us know what ya end up with!

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter

 

[Mr. Chuck]

I purchased my 81 new; now have 125,500+ miles and have repaired numerous systems / components on it as they wore out over the years. The car has had only one design issue worth note and that is the valve cam lobe at #3 cylinder rounded out; I was told at the time it was due to higher than normal heat caused by the return exhust gas that returns via the intake manifold by #3. The rough idle problem showed at about 55K miles (just past warranty). The new CAM went in and no further problem to date. I think one of the key factors is the environmental conditions the car has seen; How many owners, where they lived; like in a warm climate, no winter snow and salt, was car kept in doors; had good / regular maintenance, any crash repair; etc. Even if you don't plan on major up-grades; minor things like performance shocks, stainless brake calipers makes service life easier and the driving experience much better. Having a good mechanic you know and trust go over the target vette in detail is more than worth the cost, even if you decide later not to buy it. If the vette has high mileage, I would also look closely at the wiring, especially the connectors in the engine compartment, I have had to replace many that have disintergrated with the heat and oil contamination (oil drips, pwr steering leaks and the like are a given), especially on the alternator, starter, distributor and various sensors. The rear leaf spring fiber glass inserts will over time brake down and begin to migrate out from between the steel leafs. On the positive side of things, you may find a vette that the current / prior owners have already address all or most of these as built factors / aspects and the Vette may be ready to roll right out on the road and go; the biggest issue may being able to afford to put gas in the tank. Either way welcome to the forum and becoming a Vette owner; an experience only possible after you actually own and drive one.

 

[jdp6000]

I also decided to look for a 78 to 82. I did quite a bit of research. You can decide but here is what I came up with.

1978-1979 is the same body. Out of these two I decided to look for a 1978 Pace Car or Anniverisary Edition. They are little rarer. I scratched the 1979.

1980-1982 is the same body. The body is different then the 1978-1979. 1980 is carburated and no computer (I believe). The 1981 has a carb but had a computer. The 1982 had crossfire TBI's and a computer. I choose to look for a 1982 Special Edition, If I couldnt' find an SE I was prepared to buy a 1982 plain. I went for the 1982 because it was the last year of the C3 body and the first year of the TBI fuel system. The TBI is a difficult system to understand. Some of the parts on the 1982 are specific to the 1982 and a little tougher to find. Although I think the 82 is rarer the 1980 and 1981 are easier to work on....more straight forward.

The choice is yours...

Jim

 

[srs244]

mr. t
welcome to CAC.

a lot of what has been already described lends itself to preference and really doesn't answer your questions. that said, it is all very accurate, however, in my opinion here are at least a few of the things to look for in a 78-79 vette:

frame rust. look particularly in all the areas where cross members and front and rear frame extension meet. these are places that are particularly vulnerable. it is not unusual for the lower radiator support to be deteriorated, but that is not a problem as it is easily replaced.
check to make certain that all the foam baffles are still around the radiator. these block air flow around the radiator and force it through the radiator. if they are gone, chances are the car has been run on the hot side and not cooled properly.

look at the windshild frame where it meets the door jams for rust. it is also an area that is particularly suseptible to rusting.

if you are looking for a 78 pace car, make sure that all the "limited edition" package accessories are present (when i bought mine, a few of the power options that had either failed or been problematic along the way were just disconnected (if i was lucky) or just removed and discarded (which was more the case). some of the "replacement" parts used were functional, but not correct. you'd be surprised how quickly $80.00 turn signal levers that are the correct ones will add up, lol. if you are prepared for all the little things to make it right, and you factored it into the price you paid, all is well, if not, BIG SURPRISE, trust me!!

check the vin number (it's coded). all pace cars will have the last 6 digits starting with 9 and ending in a number NO MORE THAN 6502 (example 1Z87L8S906502). the "L" indicates the engine (in this case L-48). as previously mentioned go to the learning center for number interpretation. if the number after the "S" isn't a 9 you are looking at a clone and not an original pace car.

make certain that the trim tag is inside the drivers side front upper door jam. it will give you the coding for the original paint and trim combination (as compared to the current colors).

since the headlights are run on a vacuum system make sure they seem to work properly. try the over ride switch first before starting the car and trying the light switch. it may give you some indication that the system is holding a vacuum properly in the reserve tank and not leaking it out somewhere.

run your hand (carefully) inside each of the fenders and see if there seem to be irregularities inside that would indicate a fiberglass repair (accident damage??)

ask if the brake calipers have been either replaced or re-sleeved with stainless inserts. look for brake fluid leakage markings on the calipers.

see if the emergency brake seems to work (they all deteriorate very badly over time and freeze up or have been disabled or removed instead of being repaired and replaced). if it works someone has paid attention to it, and probably also to the car in general.

if you are looking for a nice vette to be a driver, numbers matching, etc is not that big an issue, but it is nice to have an original engine at a minimum, but that's just my opinion.

how long has the current owner had the car and why is he selling it?? (if he has only had it a short time, be weary of someone trying to flip a problem car they bought unwittingly).

just a few things to think about in my opinion. i'm sure there are a lot of others herre who can add to my suggestions.

good luck in your search. i've had C2 (1), C3(2) and C4(1) vettes and i am partial to the looks of the C3 as a head turner.

steve

 

[MR. T.]

Thanks for all the advise, and insights I appreciate it, I am mostly looking for a daily driver, that my wife and I can take out instead of the bike. Insurance on the bike is getting way to high, but so is gas. One thing that really bothers me is the low horsepower numbers for the 78-82 models. I am sure it would not take much tweaking to get it up, but my wifes maxx with a 3.5-6 is putting out 200hp and 225 ftlbs of torque. We have kinda of settled on an 80, just because that is the year we met, kinda of sappy, but if helps get a vette in the garage, a guy has to do what a guy has to do!

 

[6 Shooter]

Kind of an interesting Web Page

- 1978 Corvette Stingray

http://www.vette-net.com/closeup.asp?year=1978

 

[MR. T.]

- 1978 Corvette Stingray

http://www.vette-net.com/closeup.asp?year=1978

Interesting site, gives you some more to look at. Questions did all vettes come with the removable roof?

6 shooter checked out your freedom link, couldn't agree more.

 

[jdp6000]

Doesn't really matter what C3 you buy...they pretty well all are 6.5 to 8 second 0-60 mph cars (stock).

Jim

 

[srs244]

for under around $1000.00 some of the things you can do:

there are a few very simple things that you can do to increase the stock HP on your purchase. first (depending upon your state and it's requirements), you can remove the "stock" exhaust system and cat and change it out with true duals using the stock L82 diameter pipes (2 1/2 inch) and less restrictive mufflers. in my case, i eliminated the stock system and chose to use ansi resonators instead of any mufflers at all. give the car a bit of the side pipe sound, and i like the sound.

the other thing you can do is to help the car breath by adding an aftermarket fully exposed air cleaner (or by adding a 2 snorkle L82 air cleaner if you by a 78 or older model with L48 engine).

last (and the most expensive of the three but still keeping the price under a total of $1000) is to add a shift kit (if you buy an automatic). as i'm sure you are aware, adding torque is the most simple way to add horsepower.

if you are looking for a rocket sled, you need to rethink your position and stay away from the later C3 model years as these were produced during GM's struggles with adherence to the EPA regulations and even led to GM's thinking of considering eliminating the corvette from it's product line.

as an aside, there were a lot of magazine articles written during the later 70's that claimed that the ratings for those C3 models was understated as part of genreal motor's attempt to get the cars passed through the EPA requirements. most claimed that the L48 engine actually produced about 210 HP and the L82 was closer to 235. obviously any of that could be confirmed via a dyno test.

 

[craig32]

Questions did all vettes come with the removable roof?

If you mean C3's,yes - unless they were convertibles!


Craig

 

[titan81]

and dont forget
in 74? they switched to rwhp not of the engine
the 79-81 are the 250 hp motor, rwhp is 190ish...
Mostly poor heads, exhaust, ect.. bolt ons,

 

[MR. T.]

I have located an 81 with 126,000kms on it probably about 75,000miles or so. It seems from the pictures to be in pretty good shape. He says it is all original, the only problems he knows of are that it leaks power steering fluid and the air conditioner needs a re-charge. He wants $10,000 cdn. I going to have a look at it next week. I let you know how I make out. Anything in particular to watch out for with this year? Thanks.

 

[Daryllawman]

Hello and welcome to the Corvette Action Center....Good Luck on your search...

 

[zgator]

AC needs recharge=Major bucks.It's never just needs recharge.

 

[craig32]

I have located an 81 with 126,000kms on it probably about 75,000miles or so. It seems from the pictures to be in pretty good shape. He says it is all original, the only problems he knows of are that it leaks power steering fluid and the air conditioner needs a re-charge. He wants $10,000 cdn. I going to have a look at it next week. I let you know how I make out. Anything in particular to watch out for with this year? Thanks.

Mr. T,
10 grand CDN is about 8 US - pretty reasonable for an 81. I've seen people ask a lot more for a lot less. I don't even know if the A/C works on mine - hell, the roof comes off! Don't know how much you'd use it north of the 49th. . .1981 is the last year for the carburetor and the first year for the computer - if either matters. It is also the last year at St Louis AND the first year at Bowling Green, mostly difference in paint. I bought mine needing a lot of stuff and most of it is done now, if you get it and need help with something, feel free to ask. And also, join the 'L81 Vette registry' Sounds like you might be 10,000 Loonies and a couple 'Friendly Manitoba' plates away from your dream! Good luck and keep us posted.

Craig

 

[MR. T.]

Thanks for all the input, I will be looking at it on Tuesday, I am impressed by the photos of it, but heck I have never been in a vette let alone drive on. I hope I can take the 81 for a little rip and see if the whole vette thing is for me. I will keep you posted.