Chevy Corvette Forum banner

'78 Corvette can't smog, what am I getting into?

29176 Views 256 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  Lethal Tendencies
My '79 C3 (Corvette can't smog, what am I getting into?)

EDIT: I bought it. Here is a link to the full album of pictures: http://imgur.com/a/acXBs

Hi-

New to the forum, did some searching but haven't found quite what I'm looking for.

I colleague of mine has a '78 (might be '79, not sure) Corvette that he'll let me pick up for $1k, he just wants it gone. A few years ago he paid around $8k for it and it has all kinds of goodies, but he doesnt know what they are (he knows nothing about cars). All I know is that it is a 4-speed, should have a lot of power, and probably has no smog equipment.

I'm going to go look at it this weekend.

Can anyone tell me what I should be looking for? If this car truly has no smog equipment at all and I need to get it smogged, are the parts hard to find?

I read that they came with a smog pump, I assume it originally had an EGR system and catalytic converters.

I'll report back when I see it in person and get some pictures. I think it is a steal, it was very nice a few years ago but has been baking in the desert sun and I understand the paint and the top are toast. Here are some pictures of it right after he bought it (he says it looks nothing like this now, it's been horribly neglected for a few years)



See less See more
3
1 - 20 of 257 Posts
does it have to be tested in your area? the smog parts are still available from corvette specialty vendors, Ecklers, Corvette Central, Zip, etc and you can find some used parts on E-bay..
Yes, actually there is a special DMV office in Las Vegas where you have to take cars to be inspected under certain circumstances....like when bringing it from out of state. I'm not sure what I would have to go through yet.

Front what I've read so far, the best thing for me to do is to look at the catalyst sticker and see if all the items listed are on the car, and if they are not, find them and put them on.

I'm just not sure yet what will be on that sticker, I'll see the car on Saturday and figure it out.
Hi.
I have a 1978 Pace car 95 % original and live in las Vegas
You may come over and take a look at mine so you can compare anything that may be missing!
caal me or text me at: (661) 400-9819 Paul
Thanks! I might take you up on that.

It has become pretty clear to me that for $1k I should buy this thing and if it doesn't work out, I should have no trouble selling it. I understand it looks nothing like the pictures I linked to.
Thanks! I might take you up on that.

It has become pretty clear to me that for $1k I should buy this thing and if it doesn't work out, I should have no trouble selling it. I understand it looks nothing like the pictures I linked to.
the links don t come up...it you don t want it, let me know
You have to copy/paste the links into a new browser tab/window. I'm a new member and the forum rules prohibit me from posting links or photos.
I tried, it still wont come up.. but, you say it doesn t look like that anymore anyway... go check it out, put up some pics of it now.. to get your posts to 10, just put up some one word posts, like HELLO!, several times..
Again, these pics were taken several years ago and it has been sitting in the desert sun ever since.



See less See more
3
OK I think I got it to work, made and deleted a few posts...
cool...what the hell is that sticking out the rear, ?? ...... so these are old? how bad can it be now ? go check it out.. for $1000 bucks? how can you go wrong if the whole car is intact ...
Yeah I don't know what those crazy mufflers are...supertrapps maybe?

It should be intact, may or may not run. I'm pretty much under the same school of thought as you...for $1k I probably can't go wrong. Whether or not I keep it afterwards is what's up in the air.
like I said, if you aren t interested after seeing it, send me contact info, I may be interested
Found a more recent picture on google street view:

See less See more
Found a more recent picture on google street view:

It's still worth a grand.
it will probably clean and buff right out. check with someone about IF a car that old has to be smog checked, and if so are there exceptions.most states have limits on how much you have to spend etc. drain the tank get a tank of alcohol , double up your jets an " its an alternative fuel vehicle". i did it once:smilielol5:
I'm going to see it tomorrow morning around 11am. He says the tires aren't flat anymore. I'm hoping it'll clean and buff out. The tops looks like they need some real work.

I've been reading up a lot on what NV will make me go through. I'm just going to bring it home, get it running, clean it up, and get a pass to drive it around and take it to the DMV and see what happens.

If it is beyond what I want to put into it, I'll resell it.

It is actually a '79, not a '78.
He said it won't run.

Based on his descriptions, I might be able to get it to fire up with some jumper cables and a can of starter fluid, we'll see.
1 - 20 of 257 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top