gotta few q's!

bassman said:

well im new here and would first like to say thanks to anyone willing to help. i have 1975 corvette thats been sittin for some time now. i dont need the bells and whistles quite yet. first i want to start the beast and just play it safe for awhile. do you all have any ideas or things i need to know before i jump in? im plannin on changin all the fluids, filters, plugs, battery, general cleanup and then give it a try. anything else i need to know? i have alot of basic engin knowledge but not all to familiar about the older vettes. thanks all!

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If it has in excess of 100,000 miles it wouldn't hurt to replace the spark plug wires based on time and mileage alone. And as Fish said, it's an absolute necessity to siphon the old fuel out of the tank and start off with fresh fuel. Also replace all of the vacuum hoses (on the engine only) and all of the fuel hoses as they are almost certainly as hard as rocks by now. There are three fuel hoses each on the 3/8" feed and 1/4" return lines so replace all 6 of them. Unless the plugs are worn out the old plugs will be fine; just check their gaps and screw them back in snug plus a little bit (about 15 ft/lbs torque). And be sure to thoroughly clean the battery cable connections at the battery and the frame to ensure good connections. The C3's most often used an aluminum frame-to-block ground cable with crimped-on aluminum eyes and I'd suggest replacing that ground cable with a new 4-gauge (or 2-gauge) copper cable with copper ends. Where the cable attaches to the underside of the frame mount use a flat washer on the eye with a shakeproof lock washer under it and also coat it with a non-hardening gasket sealer to keep moisture out (silicon will do). Charge the battery completely before attempting to start it as it's a must to spin over at least 500 rpm while cranking. If the belts show any signs of cracking replace them and also replace the power steering pump return hose; using 3/8" fuel hose or 300# push-on hydraulic hose and make sure the pump is filled to the proper level (the cap has a dip stick on it).

You are in the Saint Louis area. Cars there rust into the ground over time. Before you expend a lot of time and funds get the car up off the ground and inspect the frame and metal parts for rust. The car could be terminal but look ok because of the fiberglass body. Also, generally there is always a reason why a car sat for years, and that is for you to find out.

Start with getting the engine running, the entire fuel system must be flushed from the tank to the carb and usually the carb needs to be redone or replaced for a car that has been sitting for years. Fuel tank is often rusted out because water is heavier than gas and any moisture in the tank will rust it out over time. Replace the oil and filter and coolent. Now try to start the engine, if it runs ok you can do the hoses and other stuff later. After getting the engine running ok the entire brake system will have to be flushed and gone thru before driving the car for obvious reasons.....Engine running ok, brakes working, check the tranny and rear end fluids and top up as necessary. Now you can attempt to drive the car and it should be safe arround the block. If the drive train is working ok you are lucky and can now go thru and do the rest of the fluid flushes, hoses, belts, tires and all the other small but expensive stuff necessary to make it a reliable car. If a major component is terminal you will have discovered why the car was originally parked during this process. Be sure and inspect the frame first.........good luck.

Welcome Bassman, you found the right palce for getting help. These guys know their stuff, I am in the middle of doing a frame off on my 75. It was in very sorry shape with lots of missing parts. I still have the body off so if you need to see a picture anything underneath let me know. The fuel tank on the 75 has a rubber bladder inside. First time I ever saw something like that and I asked around and found that this was another way to help in any rear collision( along with the tank shield). You might also want to check the kick in the frame right in front of the rear wheels, dirt and moisture get trapped in there and can give rust a great place to hang out. Get a long air nozzle for your air gun and blow out the frame. I got about 5lbs of sand out of each side of mine.(must have been a beach cruiser) a piece of brake line works great. Then you can spray in some rust coating to help prevent any further rusting. Good luck with your project.