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!
gotta few q's!
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welcome to SV .. its a good idea to drain the fuel tank if its sat for several years..ethanol fuel separates after time...changing oil, coolant and trans fluid is also good. ..10w30 oil 5qts..if automatic trans, Dexron Fluid, about 10-11 qts if you drain torque converter, differential use 2 qts 75w90 gear oil and 6 oz Limited slip additive ...the carb may be a problem if fuel was left in it.. watch for flooding on start-up..check distributor cap too..good luck, let us know if we can help
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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).
first off thanks a million! and i agree on the fuel. the belts i think can get me enough to just start er up. and yea the hoses prolly could be replaced. the car is all original with everything on it. could use a paint job but other then that i cant wait to dig into this project. ill try and get a few pics up soon. do you guys know which side the fuel lines run and where exactly the fuel filter is? thanks again!
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The fuel lines are mounted to the right-side frame rail and the tank vent line is mounted to the left-side frame rail. And the filter is in the inlet of the carburetor. It's a pleated paper filter about 1" long and is inside of the big "nut" where your fuel line attaches.
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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.
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.
yes, infact the rust gets so bad here i recently undercoated and redid my entire 1995 f150 frame and body myself before the rust got its chance...! and the story why the car has sat is because it was my g-pas and well he just quit drivin it. it ran up untill he parked it last for whatever reason. And i have already checked what i could see and things seem solid enough. the car itself is off the ground on tires with air and the floor boards are solid. frame from what i could see was alright. not great. as far as the engine compartment goes most paint still exists. Im thinkin nows the time to save this car. to much longer and itll be gone.
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Yep, I was stationed at Scott AFB 1976-1980 and they used to put salt on the roads then that just killed metal. Do not guess, you have to get under there with a phillips screwdriver or ice pick and poke at the frame as hard as you can by hand. Good metal can not be damaged that way, rusted thru metal can be poked thru. Where you live the frame condition is critical. Good luck.
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C3 s have a greater rust problem in the birdcage, than the frame..that is ,in the metal framework around the passenger compartment.. look at the rails around the windshield ,under the reveal moldings.and in the hinge pillar area.. remove the kick panels on each side floor and look inside, remove moldings and look underneth.. these areas are prone to rust, especially if salt is used on the icey roads .frame sections can easily be repaired or replaced, but a rotted out birdcage is a nightmare..
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.
thankyou thankyou, i gotta get the pole barn cleaned up a bit before i can start takin much apart, and yea that rubber bladder.. never knew that. would that be something i need to replace? as in the rubber being cracked from being dry?
mine was sitting for a while bone dry and before I took off the sending unit I did a pressure test on the tank to see if there were any leaks, mine turned out ok (my tank was already out of the car when I did this) maybe one of the other guys will, but I don't know of a way to check it in the car since ther are a few hoses attached to the top and one might be cracked giving a false reading. start by using a flashlight and taking a look in the fill neck to see if there are any "evils" floating around.
yea, id like to just remove the tank and then be able to do full check, i know for a fact im gonna need a new gas line now. :doh:
that stuff is a little too much $$ for me to be playing with especially on a run that long, maybe some of the other guys have used it. When you do take out the tank there should be a build sheet on top of it so long as this is the first time it is being disturbed, be on the look out for it. The sheet will give you all the specs on your Vette. Something to put in a safe. Mine was long gone when I pulled my tank down.
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No, I would get original type replacement lines if the oem ones are damaged. The tank to pump line is only $65 from Corvette America as an example and it is stainless steel.. Braided lines are normally just rubber covered with braiding for dress up looks and will not last forever like one made from stainless steel tubing.
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