What does it take to get a '78 to a modern-car-reliability spot?

[Stallion]

My '78 is all stock, pretty virgin. Untouched, everything still in place. But, like any 26 year old car, a lot goes bad. I'm just thinking out loud, but what would it take to get her to the point of like a "new" car?

See what I mean?

 

[78SilvAnniv]

...what would it take to get her to the point of like a "new" car?

Replace everything with new parts.

Seriously, my 78 has very high mileage. Very high reliable mileage, I might add.
If you take care of your older vehicle with proper and preventive maintenance and upgrades, the older vehicle will serve you well for many years. My rule of thumb is to follow this order when considering changes:
Safety
Reliability
Cosmetic
Following in that order ensures a safe and dependable vehicle. I list cosmetic last because a pretty car that is not reliable or safe won't stay on the road or pretty for long and could cause an accident.
Heidi

 

[mike weyman]

preventative maintainance will do the world of good for an older car. if your going on a trip, check the oil, if it leaks oil, then fix the leak.
i went a slightly diffrent way with mine (FIRST VETTE)it was barely street legal when i got it, so i made the list of problems and started there.in 18 months i have invested near 17 thousand dollars, it will be on the road this july, and should be very reliable as most moving parts are new.
if investing the price of a new car into your old one is not in the budget,do regular maintainance and checks.don't let one problem turn into five .fix that slow leak in the rad hose before it spews green goo all over. you know what i mean.i have a 12 year old minivan i would not hesitate to make a cross country trip in , because it is well maintained. mike

 

[81 Corvette]

it takes money, lots of money

 

[Copdogcorvettes]

It all takes money. I now owner my third 78, had to sell the other two due to hard times. Two have had a 100k miles or more when I got them. What I do is make a list of what NEEDS to be done and what I want to get done. Being a poor working boy when I get some money together I do something on the list. If it is something that must be do to keep it driving then I look for the money in the budget, find it most of the time, and get that done. I also watch for a really good deal on something I want or need and if I find it, then that goes to the head of the list. As things get crossed off the list more goes on. I think the list just keeps getting longer by the week.

The first things on the list are always what makes it safe and dependable to drive. Those are the main things to be thinking about. The want list can be things that are a long way off, but would be nice to have. As I say a good deal can change what was on the list a little. Example; The exhuast system was new but very poorly installed and a stock system. I wanted somethine better. I found a good deal on 69 side pipes and covers, so I got them. They are on as of today and I'm a happy camper. I got a whole new system on the car for about $450. It stainless and looks and sound great. Now I'll sell the other new muffler and cat to help pay for what I replaced it with.

Just The way I do things. Hope it helps in some way.

Gary

 

[joe1975]

leave the hood closed don't touch anything the more you touch the more goes wrong

 

[wishuwerehere82]

My '78 is all stock, pretty virgin. Untouched, everything still in place. But, like any 26 year old car, a lot goes bad. I'm just thinking out loud, but what would it take to get her to the point of like a "new" car?

See what I mean?

Stallion,

I know that you have already done a lot to your baby with a lot of our help in the past, so don't take this the wrong way.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman have used a device called "The Wayback Machine" in order to go back in time and learn lessons of history first hand. If you can find them maybe they can help teach you the lessons of successfully keeping an old Vette in new condition.
Otherwise, dig deep into your pockets, count your change, and keep the phone number for your auto parts store handy.
To the left is an example of what $5,000.00+, the car and lots of time with a wrench in my hand has gotten me.
Complete engine rebuild with all new sensors,transmission,suspension,bearings,shocks,springs,exhaust,interior,tires,U-joints,brakes,fuel pump,steering valve,master cylinder,pinion seal,Shall I go on?
In short, all cars, in time, need repair, maintenance, and lots of TLC. Even new ones have problems.
As Dirty Harry said, " Do you feel lucky? "

 

[Stallion]

I think I see what you mean. So it's always pretty much a gamble then. Just do what you can, and you should be fine..?

 

[gooney0]

A lot of it is fairly cheap stuff. Its usually the $7 gasket which leaves you on the side of the road.

That said, its a good idea to keep up on those things. They are pretty cheap, but can make all the difference.

A big one... Never run out of oil or greese! You can only run out of oil once per engine. (ask me how I know) I lost my Muncie 'cause the oil leaked out. It only had 70,000 miles on it, but the gaskets were simply too old and dry. Very expensive....

Joe1975 has very good advice too. Don't break it!

My '72 was overheating. I though i'd try replacing the thermostat and gasket. ($3 at the part store) Its held in with two bolts. The bolts were too hard to turn so I put some weight on it and snapped the head clean off.

$175 to fix, plus a water pump which is what I actually needed.

On the other hand, if you don't try you don't learn.....

-Gööney0

 

[gary79]

after $7000 and almost 8yrs with my 79, now with a little over 100k on it, it's a very reliable car. here's a chronological list of my rebuild, fall 96 winter 97, rebuilt suspension front & back, also rebuilt carb & new radiator, belts, hoses(pretty reliable), spring 99, rebuilt bearings and put in muskegon brake rebuilt calipers kit, spring 2000, had L-48 rebuilt and installed 700r4 tranny,had diff rebuilt locally,i pulled it and re-installed it;spring 2001,new carpet and leather seat covers,new antenna, since then fix various little things, like new door pins which also fixed the door locks, since the doors got back in alignment. i did most of this work myself, except rebuilding the engine, but i did pull the engine and put it back in, saved $1000 doing that. the secret is to do as much work as you can yourself and shop for parts and deals, my front end rebuild kit was a Xmas special from Zip, $300 kit for $179 back before Xmas 1996. new bumpers and paint are next, will i ever be done, i don't think so.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

There's a steep learning curve when you first get these cars. If it didn't need any money do you think the prior owner would be selling it. They all have a story but in most cases the bottom line is they can't keep up with it and sell it off. Once you figure out what those things are, the car gets pretty reliable.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

...will i ever be done, i don't think so.

It is a never-ending circle... When you finally finish all your projects, it is time to start all over again at the begining!
Heidi

 

[wishuwerehere82]

Right Heidi!

A guy once said to me:
" The two best days in my life were the day I bought my Corvette, and the day I sold my Corvette"
That's full circle.

 

[gary79]

Right Heidi!

A guy once said to me:
" The two best days in my life were the day I bought my Corvette, and the day I sold my Corvette"
That's full circle.

the above may be true for some, but for me it's the days getting to full circle that make this worthwhile. driving my 79 is a pure joy, except for gas prices, i'm waiting for everyone to go hybrid so gas gets down to 30 cents a gallon again, back to my high school days.Ha! Ha! and kids are another joy; one nite at a car cruise a 5-6 yr old was draggin his less than enthusiastic father across the parking lot to my car!! i was flattered and it was deja vu all over again. it reminded me of myself and my first vette experience. i betcha that little boy owns a vette some day. "and the wheel goes round", full circle? you bet, one becomes fuller and yet another circle begins.

 

[MrGibbly]

I bought a '78 L48 in September that has 186,000+ miles on it. Original motor and transmission with just routine maintenance until I got it. The big things I did for the sake of reliability were to change all the fluids, belts, hoses and gaskets that I could lay my hands on. For safety's sake I replaced anything and everything to do with the brakes. The car is my daily driver and I've never been stranded!

Since then I have replaced all of the bushings with polyurethane, replaced the shocks with KYB, replaced the harmonic balancer, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, coil, door & ignition locks, etc. I've added a MSD 6 ignition control. I could post the "to-do" list if you're interested but it includes such things as repairing the non-functioning speedo and oil pressure guages, clock, etc.

Anyway, once you get past the fuilds, belts, hoses, gaskets, alternator, starter and battery...odds are, you'll get where you need to go pretty reliably.

 

[1978L48jafo]

My 78 was low mileage but extremely neglected, the previous owner wrecked (minor damage) and parked the car in a leaky barn with out the ttops improperly locked in. It took about a year to get it to what I would consider reliable condition. In hind sight, I should have passed on in and found one in better condition.

I think the trick is to prioritize repairs. I always seem to have things scheduled out, for example, I know I have one weak trailing arm and my rear most body mounts need replaced and my paint is shabby, but these are want to do items.



Speaking for myself I doubt if I will ever actually finish, there is always something that needs attention but go figure on a vehicle that is almost 30 years old.



I think to get it to the point of being equivalent to a new car would require complete overhaul and replacement of all worn or marginal parts. Big job unless you have a shop setup for this.



my .02

John

My '78 is all stock, pretty virgin. Untouched, everything still in place. But, like any 26 year old car, a lot goes bad. I'm just thinking out loud, but what would it take to get her to the point of like a "new" car?

See what I mean?