SmokinVette.com Forums - C3 Corvette General Discussion

Replace door lock

sjkrause75 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:30:47 GMT

The lock on the passanger door fell off,I have a new set but how do you get inside the door to install the clip???

Need Some Help

Rudy Hallford — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:02:28 GMT

Hello, I want to thank everyone for making me feel welcome to the site. One person asked for more information on the car I am looking at, this is a copy of the details that were listed. He is asking 17,800 for the car, I believe that the price is good but with having a salvage title I would like to know how that affects the investment.

1974 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
Original matching numbers 454 and 400 automatic trans.

This is a show car. You will not be disappointed in this car.
This was the last year for the big block 454.

New Marina blue basecoat/clearcoat. (show quality)
New Black interior(carpet, seat covers, door panels)
Motor and transmission rebuilt less than 1000 miles ago.
New brake system(calipers, rotors, brake lines)
New fuel system including gas tank.
New exterior emblems, lights, lenses, luggage rack, mirror, door handles.
Factory style side pipe exhaust w/coated exhaust manifolds.
New 16" American Racing polished Torque Thrust II"s and Firestone Firehawk tires.
New vacuum system to headlights.
New aluminum radiator with duel electric fans (will not run hot)
All new weatherstripping.
This is a very fun car to drive. A/C, power steering, power brakes. T tops with storage bags.
Sounds awesome and runs great.

1200HP Twin Supercharged 1974 Chevy Corvette

--XXX-- — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:10:00 GMT

What a beast!

Thanksgiving at Corvettes of Dallas http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik...disp=inlin

Corvettes of Dallas — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:34:39 GMT

If you are going to be in Dallas or if you are looking for some place to escape from the in-laws -- Corvettes of Dallas will be open the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. And, if you just can't live without a Corvette purchase on Thanksgiving Day - I will gladly meet you to satisfy your Corvette hunger. Just call my cell at 214-202-0222.

Todd

tires

wagman — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:09:37 GMT

my 79 has Eagle gt 255-60-15's on it. I need to replace the tires. It has sat in a garage for 9 years. The car scrapes (mufflers) most bumps. Would it be Ok to go to a 70 series tire - larger diameter to gain a few inches. thoughts?

Flat Black C2-3 Vette?

chuckacious — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:59:11 GMT

Would I be the first person to paint a 1970'something vette flat black? if not, do you have photos of someone who did?
Thanks everyone.

This poor C3!!

gonesailing — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:14:36 GMT

I'm not sure what this owner was thinking, but this is really on the extreme side of :vomitbuddy:

heater/ac problems

wagman — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:41:10 GMT

just bought a 79, it runs well but the heater and ac don't work. Any suggestions where to start. blower motor doesn't work either. appreciate the advice.

Car sounds like motorcycle chopper?? do you know what it could be?

Mr. NiceGuy — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:02:33 GMT

I was drving home the other day and all of a sudden my 75 started sounding like a chopper motorcycle. I think it might be the donuts on the exaust pipes. any other suggestions??? o ya it still runs fine and has all the horsepower it had before.

Strenthening c3 frame

drmmhmd — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:14:10 GMT

I just inherited a 1969 convertible that i helped dissasemble in 1979. i bought a new frame for it at that time as the rear kickup rotted out, so i have a new frame that has sat in my garage for 30 years and a corvette in many pieces. i have been told that there is a gusset or kit to strenghten this area, yet i cannot find it, any help?

mike

68 Corvette backup light panel

Man In Black — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:50:25 GMT

For anyone looking for a backup light panel for a 68 Corvette, The Paddock company has a nice panel for $70.95 part #ASC144 This item seems to be hard to find at a good price.

Checking a C3 for rust

Priya — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:41:54 GMT

I'm getting ready to check out a couple of 79 Corvettes for rust and would appreciate any advice you have on where and how to look.

I know I need to get the car up on a hoist and check the visible parts of the frame and I understand the floorboards on these cars are steel as well. I know to remove the kick panels and look in there and to look up under the dash and see what I can. What about the windshield frame, is it any help to remove the interior trim on the A pillars to check for rust? Can I realistically see any problems looking through the windshield from the outside of the car? Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Can I install a chrome bumer from a 72 on a 73?

85L98-84L83 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:30:39 GMT

I don't like the plastic front bumper on the 73, is it possible to install a chrome bumper from a 72 on a 73?

1979 Cooling / Temp Gauge

Ringo62 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:10:59 GMT

I have a 1979 w/ 350 GM crate motor replacing original L48 Calf motor. Water Temp gauge won't register properly. I hooked up a mech gauge and temps read around 195-200 F. Dash gauge reads 220++. All other gauges seem to work ok (expect clock)..... what should I try/check next?

Also, AC was removed - only heater duct throws air - no defrost or vents. Should the heater control be changed to a non-AC type? Can the vac lines leading into to the heater control be blocked off? The defrost acutator does move (can turn on/off by hand)...... Thanks!

Why has the WAVE stopped?

vettecollector — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:17:15 GMT

I thought it was just mostly the C5 and C6 people that didn't wave at other passing Corvette's. Yesturday I passed a C3 and a C4 and today 2 C3's, not one wave from any of them.

Is the wave gone?
Sorry for my rant.........have a good one.

78-79 body panels fit 80-82 Corvette?

Priya — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:53:57 GMT

I'm looking to buy a C3 Corvette. I had a hard time deciding which year/s to look for, I like the looks of the 68-72 quite a bit and the horsepower of the earlier ones, but don't much care for the interior in those. I also like the looks of the 78-79 and like the interior in those much better than the earlier ones so I'm leaning to one of those two years. The 80-82 Corvettes are similar to the 78-79s except for the hood, front and rear bumper covers. I'm wondering if I bought an 80-82 would the hood, front and rear bumper covers from the 78-79 bolt on to it and if so, how much those parts might sell for.

Choke for Quadrajet carb

Kath — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:29:02 GMT

So I got the quadrajet remanudactured carburetor for my 69 350 automatic Vette but I thought it would have an electric choke. It has a manual choke. Oops - forgot to read ALL the details. What are my options now? Can I buy and fit an electric choke (easily)? My fearless mechanic (son-in-law) tells me that the original would have been electric because I don't have a choke knob inside to pull. So now I have to put a hole in the dash and hook up a cable and a knob. I could also just send the carb back and buy the Holley one with an electric choke but you guys already told me that the rochester was better. Any advice would be greatly appreciated before I start putting bullet holes in the dam thing. Kath :patriot:

Steering control valve

toobroketoretire — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:51:51 GMT

Your steering control valve is located on the extreme left end of the steering linkage, and it's fastened directly to the steering box's pitman arm ball stud. The steering control valve is the "brain" that controls the flow of oil in and out of the steering cylinder when you turn your steering wheel. Inside of the steering control valve is a "centering spool" that is adjusted by the factory to provide "nuetral" steering; no pulling to the right or left while the car is in motion. Over time, the centering spool comes out of adjustment slightly because of wear occurring of the rubber bushings on the frame/rod end of the steering cylinder. And when it does come out of adjustment, your car pulls to the right slightly all of the time.

Re-adjusting the centering spool to restore your nuetral steering is very easy. There is a 1-1/4" diameter dust cover on the left end of the control valve that comes off easily with a tap of a screwdriver/hammer. Inside of the steering control valve is a 1/4" fine thread self locking adjustment nut. Turning that 1/4" nut clockwise a little bit will shift the centering spool slightly and correct the car's annoying pulling to the right problem. I have found it's best to carry your tools with you and head out to the highway. Drive your car down the middle of a level road (on the top of the road's crown) and note how much it pulls to the right. Then pull to the side of the road and turn the 1/4" adjustment nut clockwise about 1/10th of a turn. Drive your car down the middle of the road again and again note how it tracks. If your car still pulls to the right, pull over to the side of the road again and turn the 1/4" nut clockwise a little bit more. When your car finally tracks dead straight without pulling to the right any more, head back home and tap the dust cover back on (using a little bit of silicon around the edges).

This "pulling to the right" problem is something ALL C3's with power steering will eventually suffer from. The problem starts when the new rubber bushings on the frame/rod end of the steering cylinder start collapsing from age, and the centering spool moves out of it's centered position slightly. You can re-adjust the centering spool to compensate for the rubber bushing's wear, and that adjustment will last for years. If you ever replace those rubber bushings, the centering spool will AGAIN need re-adjusting. One way or another, you can expect to have to re-adjust the centering spool every 5-10 years or so.

tail light problem

buster — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:28:26 GMT

I bought some LED tail light units to replace the OEM's on my "73 and they look great. Each unit has wires to a connection end which fits the original bulb socket. Problem is all lights work x turn signals. The LED's come on and don't flash but originals still flash! Any thoughts?

Something to show a Viper owner if he ever puts down your Corvette

CruiserBlvd.com — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:05:27 GMT

You probably didn't realize this Mr. Viper Owner Dude, but the Viper badge is really an upside down Daffy Duck.