C3 Vette anyone?

[Stallacrew]

My car story:

My grandfather bought all of us (my sisters and I) our first vehicles. He asked me what I wanted. I said a Corvette. Well when I turned 16, MUCH to my surprise, there sat a cherry little 1979 Corvette 5 speed. Well dad immediately vetoed that (this is my dad's dad so he felt like arguing) "my boy doesn't need a damn 8 cylinder sports car"...and I will agree, he was right. I would likely be dead if I had the Corvette as my first car.

Well, for the next 6 years it sat at my grandfather's house, and last year on my 22nd birthday, he gave it to me (since I got a Cherokee as my first vehicle the Vette was my grandfather's then). Well I didnt have much time to work on it and get it up to tip top shape, so that is this summer's "while I'm at home working" project.


My question is, who out there has a Vette (preferably C3) and what does yours look like?

Mine is currently white, and as much as I would love to paint the whole thing black or something like that, it'll stay white, but may get a set of racing stripes.

My Plans:

-LED tail lights
-Reupholster seats
-Replace carpet
-Stripes (green?)
-Fiberglass the dash and console
-Mild sound system
-Exhaust run next to doors (maybe)
-Remove rear spoiler (maybe)
-Touch up paint/buff/polish
-See if I can work on some HIDs
-Get it tip-top under the hood.
-Door panels?


Pretty much it's sat for the last 7 years and I'm getting back up to par.



Lets see what any of you guys have. CorvetteForum seems to be pretty handy. If anyone has some tips on glassing the dash and console lets hear them. I'm industrious and what not, but this will be my first glassing adventure. If all else fails I waste a little money, and put stock back in.



I'll post pictures when I get home around the 15th of May.

[winkosmosis]

Keep it running well, upgrade the stereo, and leave it alone. No need to rice a Corvette.

[1985xjlaredo]

Yes do not FK up a good Corvette with stripes and a stupid carbon fiber dash. And dont do the leg pipes (exhaust next to doors) you will look like a poser to just about anyone who knows anything about Vette's. Hell even my Mom would call you a poser on that one. But she did have a 69 Vette with legs on it.

[vetteboy]

This was mine...sold it in '05 when I started getting heavier into the Jeep stuff.

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs030.snc1/3192_565401274399_24800499_33506661_8271717_n.jpg

'79, L-82, 4-speed (I'd bet yours ain't a 5), some work done. I completely re-worked the suspension with poly bushings and used to do some autocross racing.

I would suggest leaving off most of the stuff on your list, and getting it running well with a competent suspension. Don't waste the summer working on it, drive the f'ing thing and when the weather turns crappy again start working on the interior.

[Stallacrew]

First off, this isn't really a restoration worthy vehicle. It's a 79 which, from what I understand, isnt a real prestigious year. Secondly, It has some interior issues to begin with since this wasn't garage kept when we got it or after, so it's been sun baked and possibly leaked in for the last 7 years.

The thing is gonna need the dash ripped out regardless so that the mildew can be cleaned. I see no reason in keeping a stock cracked dash and seeing as Im not wealthy in the least, I can't go buying nice replacement parts.

My mother is a seamstress and has a small business so she will do the seats, and anything else, my dad will help work on.



I asked to see what other people had and before you know what the situation or condition was, you told me to not "rice it up" and don't FK it up with a carbon fiber dash (which I didn't even mention).....and they come with stripes from the factory, so why not put a stock stripe on after market?



And I dont give two sh*ts about what your mom thinks.





I for one keep a stock XJ but I see lots of you guys take really nice XJ's and beat the hell out of them when you could have used a beater to begin with. I'm not taking a 100% original Vette with 2000 documented miles and perfect interior and f-ing it up.

Come on guys, think first, then post.


EDIT: the reason for the LED tail lights was when we got the thing, "a tree had fallen" on the rear spoiler/fin and the white trash before me sprayed a copious amount of grey primer on the area (what whatever reason I dont know, there was just a small chip out of the thing) and had also covered the two driverside lights partially with primer.

[Sherman_thetank]

Exactly my thoughts....I love the look of side exhaust whether people thing your a "poser" or not who give a fawk. Although....i don't know what to say about green stripes, how green are we talking?

[tbburg]

Fond memories. :D
My first job, first day. I spent 4 hours honing the caliper bores for one of those(16 holes!), then another hour putting the brakes back together. We get the wheels back on, off the lift, and the boss throws me the keys. I did the brakes, so I get to see if they work.

1985xjlaredo: Why warn him away from side pipes? It's more fun when you learn not to put those on a street car by burning the crap out of you shins!

[1985xjlaredo]

OK OK sorry for negitive crap post earlier.
You can find good replacement for some of the interior parts for pretty cheap. I think that the most common color for the inside was black. I know it was in 77.
Oh and really nice XJ's deserve to have the crap beat out of them!
Good luck with the Vette and sorry again:cheers:

[bigalpha]

I'm diggin the idea of LED lights.

I like the idea of recreating the factory racing stripes. I really like green+white, as long as it's the right shade of green.

[FlexdXJ]

502, 17's up front 18's in the rear, Mild sound and maybe some Dark green stripes. That combined with LED tails and HID's would be a cool ride!

[BruceB83]

Speaking of the side pipes on the old vettes. About 2 summers ago I burnt the shiiii-aaat out of my leg getting out of the car...:rattle:. I was wearing shorts and wasn't paying attention. I'll NEVER do that again! I now have a nice burn scar on my calf :laugh3:.

[kujito]

502, 17's up front 18's in the rear, Mild sound and maybe some Dark green stripes. That combined with LED tails and HID's would be a cool ride!
Hell Yeah!

The supercharged LS9 (new ZR1) motor is on sale for 22,000 (vs. 28k) though!

[Sherman_thetank]

O ok, ill just go rob a bank so i can pick up a couple of those.:laugh3:

[Darky]

Sounds like a good plan. What about like graphite stripes (dark metallic gray)? I've always liked the look of graphite or even silver stripes over white. Sidepipes are cool on any older Vette in my opinion, who cares if Corvette purists call you a poser for emulating the 67 427 Vette? That was the most BA Vette in history, and to recreate a piece of it's look, only makes sense. Do the LED tails, if anyone accuses you of stupidity, hit em with the practical side. They draw lower amps then light bulbs, they don't burn out anywhere near as fast (you'll likely kill the car before you need to replace one), and they can be modified to glow from the center out or left to right/right to left in a turn signal, thus making them more visible and noticeable to inattentive drivers so they don't hit you. :D

[Darky]

O ok, ill just go rob a bank so i can pick up a couple of those.:laugh3:
Get me one, I'd like to put in my XJ, or maybe even my 720 truck...:firedevil

[Sherman_thetank]

Now that would be a ride...600hp in a toaster!

[Darky]

Now that would be a ride...600hp in a toaster!
http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii269/darkXJ/Funnies/toaster.jpg
:dunno:

[97XJ2]

A mild rebuild on the engine, if you want to go that far. Or just do some bolt on's, heads and intake and carb tuning. Depends how far you want to go. And a well sorted suspension is also key. I'm also a fan of keeping things clean and streamlined, I couldn't tell you if the factory rear spoiler was actually effective but it appears to have been an option. Its your car, do what you want. I have seen enough garish late C3's to make me want to puke. But what kind of green? Green on a pearl white would like kinda neat I think

[Sherman_thetank]

lmao that just got saved to the junk drive

[Rob Mayercik]

lmao that just got saved to the junk drive

x2

[kujito]

That was the most BA Vette in history, ...
That's debatable. That new ZR1 is a fawkin beast. Just over 5.2 lbs/hp; for comparison, Ferrari's Enzo is ~4.5 lbs/hp and the new 430 Scuderia is right at 6 (~6.014).

Plus, the ZR1 has Jake on board!
http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p417/kujito/JakeZR1.jpg

[squidd]

I had a buddy that had a 79' we used to autocross. 1st vette I ever drove. Good memories. Does your have T tops? These are great on track day because if you are tall you can remove them and your helmt wont hit the roof.
If it were mine I think I would invest the money into the engine. I think for that year. the base 350 was only rated at 200 HP. GM used to sell a really nice crate set up for under $2000 that with the right carb and intake they clamed 250-300 HP out of the box. I personally love side pipes as well :)

[Darky]

That's debatable. That new ZR1 is a fawkin beast. Just over 5.2 lbs/hp; for comparison, Ferrari's Enzo is ~4.5 lbs/hp and the new 430 Scuderia is right at 6 (~6.014).

Plus, the ZR1 has Jake on board!
http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p417/kujito/JakeZR1.jpg
Well, yeah, the new ZR1 is a beast. It's the most powerful fastest Vette in history, not to mention the most expensive. However, there's just something about the lines of the 67 with that 427 rumbling through sidepipes that hits me on a more fundamental level than the newer Vettes. Perfect world, I'd own a red 67 convertible 427 with tan leather and a graphite 09 ZR1. :D

[Stallacrew]

Well to answer a few questions:

Interior is red, not a huge fan, and I kinda want to go black with it, maybe with some green piping on the seats to match the stripe. If I glass the dash it will likely look just like stock only smoothed a little and also maybe re-arranged some. It wont look like this, I assure you:

http://image.truckinweb.com/f/14804969/0904tr_14_z+ford_f250_super_duty+fiberglass_dash.j pg


As of right now, it's stock stock stock. 350 with a manual (be it 4 or 5 speed, I dont know.....its been 7 years here guys).

I am in between thoughts on the spoiler on the back. I'll have to fix it and see if I want to keep it.

The LED's I think will be nice. Not real sure how I will set it up, but I know it'll be awesome. And this is also, as stated because of a painted over set of old plastic covers.

Sorry I blew up on the first two posters, but I asked for suggestions or examples and got and internet beat down... I get defensive, sorry. We're straight now.


I have two greens in mind. One hunter and the other grabber:

Hunter:
http://www.trim-built.com/images/hunter-green-02.jpg

Grabber:
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb309/Johnlyn1/bossonerh3-1.jpg

Again, this will only be the stripes on the white that'll be this color, not the whole car. If it's the grabber green it might get a 1/4'' black outline to set it off, but the hunter won't have the outline. If not two nice thick stripes, then it will be one good sized one. No gay flames or stuff like that, trying to keep it a little classy. I know most people will recommend the hunter over the grabber, and it will likely be Hunter in the end, but I still LOVE that grabber green. No crazy body lines like the Mustang pictured.

If someone wants to photoshop some stripes of different colors on a white C3 (1979) then I'll definitely consider other colors or stripe combos. I like green and you rarely see it on sports cars so that was my initial thought.


I really just wish the whole thing was painted this color:
http://www.corvetteblogger.com/images/content/101508_1.jpg

I might go with that color stripe if I can get a close enough match.

It does in fact have t-tops (thats why the interior will mostly be taken out since they may have leaked and I am sure they have gotten plenty of sun).

The rims MIGHT get an upgrade since they are stock steelies with "beauty rings". I will look and see what I can get for cheap that wont be like dubs or something. Maybe just polished aluminum, but more likely the texture of Moabs. Nothing too fancy.


I am very open to suggestions. I may ditch the side pipes and decide to run true quads out the back, who knows (I assume that would be the same as true duals, only 4 pipes ran, not 2.) I am going for a good classic look with a little modern upgrade (I.E. HIDs, LEDs and new interior with glass), but Im not trying to Rice it out.



Any ideas, comments or questions, let me know. This wont have any time to be worked on til the end-ish of May, but I will keep people posted.


THANKS!

[IslanderOffRoad]

My dad had a 77 when I was in high school for a short while. Thing drove nice, sounded great, and was fun to play with, when it was running.

When it wasn't you heard nothing but swear words from the garage. Its not the most shadetree mechanic friendly design out there, but I still love how they look.

[IXNAYXJ]

The very first thing I'd do is get to work on making some power. Do you know if it is an L82? If so, you have the fire breathing monster (;)), developing 225 hp. Otherwise the base motor has the same output of a 4.0 I-6.

If you can find a vin tag or boradcast sheet, here are the options:

RPO Description Production Price
A31 Power Windows 20,631 (38.34%) $141
AU3 Power Door Locks 9,054 (16.83%) $131
C49 Rear Window Defogger 41,587 (77.29%) $102
C60 Air Conditioning 47,136 (87.60%) $635
CC1 Removable Glass Roof Panels 14,480 (26.91%) $365
D35 Sport Mirrors 48,211 (89.60%) $45
D80 Spoilers, front and Rear 6,853 (12.74%) $265
F51 Heavy Duty Shock Absorbers 2,164 (4.02%) $33
FE7 Gymkhana Suspension 12,321 (22.90%) $49
G95 Optional Rear Axle Ratio 428 (0.80%) $19
K30 Cruise Control 34,445 (64.02%) $113
L82 350 cu. in. 225hp Engine 14,516 (26.98%) $565
M21 4-Speed Manual Transmission, close ratio 4,062 (7.55%) n/a
MX1 Automatic Transmission 41,454 (77.04%) n/a
N37 Tilt-Telescopic Steering Column 47,463 (88.21%) $190
N90 Aluminum Wheels (4) 33,741 (62.71%) $380
NA6 High Altitude Emission Equipment 56 (0.10%) $35
QBS White Letter SBR Tires, P255 / 60R15 17,920 (33.30%) $226
QGR White Letter SBR Tires, P225 / 70R15 29,603 (55.02%) $54
U58 AM-FM Radio, stereo 9,256 (17.20%) $90
U75 Power Antenna 35,730 (66.40%) $52
U81 Dual Rear Speakers 37,754 (70.17%) $52
UA1 Heavy Duty Battery 3,405 (6.33%) $21
UM2 AM-FM Radio, stereo with 8-track 21,435 (39.84%) $228
UN3 AM-FM Radio, stereo with cassette 12,110 (22.51%) $234
UP6 AM-FM Radio, stereo with CB 4,483 (8.33%) $439
YF5 California Emission Certification 3,798 (7.06%) $83
ZN1 Trailer Package 1,001 (1.86%) $98
ZQ2 Power Windows and Door Locks 28,465 (52.90%) $272
ZX2 Convenience Group 41,530 (77.18%) $94

For reference, a NAXJA member is selling his '79 L82 right now:

http://www.pnwjeep.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12389

-----Matt-----

[vt98xj]

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc214/vt1992s10/Dads%20cars/Picture002.jpg

My Dad's old 81' I plan on picking up one sometime down the road, the thing was a blast to drive even with the lack of horsepower...

[CherBear]

Wide rear tires, better stereo. Leave the TLs alone, please for God's sake dont paint it with stripes!!!
Keep it one color.

[tbburg]

I wouldn't go with the huge rim/skinny tire combo on the older vette.
A) I think it looks stupid.
B) The suspension geometry is going to be wrong for the low-profile tires.
I'd go with what used to be called "+1", jump up to 60 series tires on 16" rims

Based on the year('79) your best bet for increasing Hp:
1) Scrap the cat. converter. It's probably a pellet type core and about as free breathing as a straw. Any modern replacement/aftermarket cat will be an improvement.
2) Increase compression. In the late 70s, they lowered the comp. ratio on everything to help with emissions. To avoid a short block tear down(if it's good) look on E-bay for aluminum heads with tight chambers, it's surprising how cheap some of those go. A friend scored a set for about 500 (also shaves 40-50 lb off the nose)
Don't bother about headers, cam, etc. until you get that done

I have to vote with the solid color crowd on the paint (sorry,...) for that year car anyway. at most you could start stripe panels on the hood and continued on the rear deck. As pretty as the styling is, there are no body lines to accent the stripes

[Stallacrew]

.......and in recent news I was able to get inside the car. The keys have been lost and I was able to get the window down (belt or teeth on the rail were broken...I'm guessing belt. The thing is STINKY cause the t-tops have leaked for the last 7 years and there is a puddle in the passenger side floor board. All that will be addressed. I still need to pull the panel off and get the lock mech to "open" mode. Unfortunately, even though I got inside, the locks are either missing their inside unlock peg, or are stuck.



I have some good pictures off my phone of the thing, but I am about to leave the house. I will post up later.


I'm excited. Now that I'm done with school and have a job with an income, I can work on this puppy. It's not near as bad inside as I thought it was going to be.



Sorry for the 7 month wait (thought I would get to this this summer); but its on now.

[Stallacrew]

I realized that since I just moved home from graduating college, I dont know where my card reader is, so i will have to locate it tomorrow.

Pictures then.

EDIT: Just found it; realized I knew exactly where I put it.... Just a few minutes now

[Stallacrew]

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1635-1.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1634.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1633.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1632.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1638.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1631.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1639.jpg
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm315/stallacrew/1979%20Corvette/12-23-09_1637.jpg

[bjoehandley]

You know, Jeep Moss Green Pearl wouild look really nice on that car!

[Stallacrew]

Do you say Moss Green cause the thing is covered in algae/moss/mildew/ew?

[crazyjim]

I love the early style Chrome bumper C3's, but you can still make the plastic bumpers look ok.

http://c3-r.com/c3rimages/nps/bnpsin.jpg

http://c3-r.com/c3rimages/nps/bnpsin2.jpg

http://c3-r.com/c3rimages/nps/bnpsin3.jpg

http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/736470/original/satin1.jpg







And a few early gen's for sh*ts and giggles.


http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt329/billybobscars/68%20Custom%20Vette/18_5.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt329/billybobscars/68%20Custom%20Vette/14_8.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt329/billybobscars/68%20Custom%20Vette/5.jpg

http://www.sigbrokers.com/images/1969-Chevrolet-Corvette.jpg

[bjoehandley]

Do you say Moss Green cause the thing is covered in algae/moss/mildew/ew?

No, because that color looks pretty nice on things with curvey lines, Shot a stock body for my E-Revo with the stuff when I first got it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/bjoehandley/E-Revo/Moss%20Green%20Stock%20Body/HPIM4699.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v698/bjoehandley/E-Revo/Moss%20Green%20Stock%20Body/HPIM4695.jpg

[PhotographerMike]

Looks like you have your work cut out for yourself!
Once you get it running and the windows and interior cleaned and dry, get some new tires! Yours look worse than the ones on our daughters first car (77 Dodge w/ 50,000 original miles). She had a sidewall blow out because they were so old even though they looked near new.

[bjoehandley]

I love the early style Chrome bumper C3's, but you can still make the plastic bumpers look ok.

http://c3-r.com/c3rimages/nps/bnpsin.jpg

http://c3-r.com/c3rimages/nps/bnpsin2.jpg

http://c3-r.com/c3rimages/nps/bnpsin3.jpg

http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/736470/original/satin1.jpg







And a few early gen's for sh*ts and giggles.


http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt329/billybobscars/68%20Custom%20Vette/18_5.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt329/billybobscars/68%20Custom%20Vette/14_8.jpg

http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt329/billybobscars/68%20Custom%20Vette/5.jpg

http://www.sigbrokers.com/images/1969-Chevrolet-Corvette.jpg

I'll be honest, the later ones just look cleaner to me without teh chrome bumpers.........