Restoring a 79 Vette

[Wills79Vette]

I am restoring a 1979 Vette that has set for 3 years. So far I have replaced front brake calipers, radiator, water pump, master cylinder, and battery. I now find that I need new altenator.... But I have a question about Mirrowed Glass T Tops, can they be repared, and does it come out good after it has been done? The drivers side has a good crack in it, but doesnt leak. Currently I have the origanal Fiberglass T-Tops on there, any suggestions? I have Ecklers, Riks, and Mid American Corvette mags, what are some other good ones? One last question, brakes seem to be a big problem for the 70's corvettes, is it possible to upgrade to a newer year model of brakes? After i replaced the front brake calipers and done a complete pressure bleed of the brakes, I noticed the rear calipers take a few secs befor they release and give a jerky feel, what is a possible cause for that? Thanks for your patience.

 

[JohnZ]

No need to spend money to "upgrade" your brakes - the system you have is excellent, and its capabilities are far beyond any thrashing you're likely to ever give it, assuming proper maintenance. Your car is 23 years old now, and if it still has its original rubber flex hoses, they should be replaced; old flex hoses deteriorate from the inside out, and swell shut internally. They'll pass fluid under pressure, but the internal flow restriction will reduce the flow of fluid back to normal pressure when you take your foot off the pedal, causing exactly the symptom you describe. If this condition is allowed to continue, it will fry the pads and ruin the rotors due to heat glazing, and they'll warp; then they will start pumping air into the rear calipers during highway driving and you'll lose pedal.

 

[61 Silver]

I had my 65 alternator restored and it only cost $40.00, the alternator looks great.

 

[Greekman]

Wills, a '79 is a great C3 in my opinion to have, but not the best for stock horsepower as you have probably already noticed. It's a great car for cruising and on caravans of any club events.

I have found my engine bay area to be more difficult to work on than eariler C3's due to all the added accessories like A/C P/S and dual snorkels.

Your first repairs sound familiar to mine. First front brakes rotors leaking requiring replacement, then water pump and now the radiator has developed some small pin hole leaks.

I have had the car since April '02 and am now just starting to feel comfortable enough to take the car on a long distance out of state trip (with other Corvettes of course).

Good luck with your car,

.

 

[page62]

You should also get Corvette America and Corvette Central catalogs. A good magazine is Cars & Parts Corvette.

For your restoration, just think to yourself: what is made of rubber? There are some things you'll never consider, like valve seals (mine are shot). When you think if it, replace it!

 

[Wills79Vette]

Some of the others things I have looked into replacing are the door panels, rear compartment doors, the center cap for the alumnium rims, and steering wheel cover. I bought the car August of 2002. The radiator had a crack where the main flow hose came in at the top. I got a good replacement from a local shop for 150 bucks. What is a good cleaner for the alumnium rims? These have a bad build up on them, the "Never Dull" seems to work ok, but its not giving me the shine I want. Im new to working on cars, my neighbor has helped me alot. Thanks for the help thus far, Ill keep you all updated on what i find. :cool

 

[mvftw]

Before you replace parts , check the date code. You may have factory parts that can be rebuilt for the same $$$ as getting a different one. It will be worth $$$ in the end

 

[Greekman]

Sounds good Wills

The center caps on the wheels...
Chevrolet has had problems in the past with the center caps coming off when hitting chuck holes etc. There was even several TSB issued by Chevrolet for this item. I use a bead of yellow weatherstripping adheasive on the wheel center for added protection of them falling off.

The dull shine on your wheels....
Mine are the same, what can we expect for wheels that are at least 23 years old! You can polish them all you want and you still won't get that original factory shine and that is because the wheels have a clear coat coating on them. To get them back to new you would need to strip the old clear coat off, polish the metal and then re-clearcoat the wheel. There are kits in the repo catalogs for this procedure. Also wheels should be removed from the tires.

The steering wheel....
Like the earlier posting many many of your cars parts if original you can send them out to be refurbished or reconditioned for the same price of new if not less. The steering wheel leather wrap, there is a company that you send in your old wheel and they will re-wrap it to look like new. It's not cheap, but you still have the original part and looks great!

Good luck
and feel free to drop me a line anytime with questions and I'll try to answer them.

.

 

[baseballcorvette]

Door Panel help

I'm trying to replace the carpet on my door panels.I took out the old carpet by cutting the threads on thye bottom side of the vinyle. I bought a piece of foam at a fabric store to place behind the new carpet and the door panel. I cannot figure out how to bond them together.Do I need to take them to someone to have it resewn. How is this done? Please Help!

 

[wwilkins]

Try rebuilding your back brake calipers if the inner cylinder walls aren't too pitted. Mine were full of rust so I just replaced all four. As far as upgrading the brakes, don't bother. Right after I replaced my brake system I was screaming down the road with the nearest car 200 yards behind me so I jammed on the brakes. He nearly ran me over before I could get off the brake pedal. Scared the **** out of both of us. My 25 year old vette stops better than my BMW 325 and my Honda CB750. Now if I can just get it to go as well as either of them.

 

[Wills79Vette]

I have found a good place to go to get help. I have one regret about my car, it isnt the origanal motor, the 2nd owner blow the motor, he bumped the automatic transmission into neutral on the interstate and threw a rod. The 3rd owner replaced it was a crate 350, 300HP. But I dont think all of the HP is still there with it. But I will look to see if the stuff I will be replacing is OEM. I have the oyster white interior, would it deface the car if I changed the carpet and seat?

 

[Wills79Vette]

One more question, what all should I look for with the brake calipers to see if replacing the seals is all it needs?

 

[Wills79Vette]

Here is a Pic of my car, The hood was popped when my friend took the pic.

 

[Wills79Vette]

I checked out my altenator today, it is a replacement, not OEM. I took it to get check out, not producing the voltage needed. So I will put the altenator in tomorrow. Ill let you know how it goes.

 

[Wills79Vette]

I replace the altenator, now everthing is good as far as it goes. I drove it around some, and boy did i ever miss not being out on the road with it. Why did they back in the 70 go with such a soft feel on the wheel? My first car was a 85 pontiac ferio with dual exaust and a 2.8L v6. That was a death trap of a car, but it had the racket and pinion steering, without power assist. I know that this vette weighs much more, but i like the feel of the road i got with old car. Just thought i would throw that one out there. Thanks with your help!

 

[page62]

If you don't have a lot of road feel and the car handles well, be thankful! That could mean you won't have to mess with suspension compenents for a while!

It sounds like your car is non-numbers matching (as they say) so don't be too concerned about originality. Just have fun!