1978 Corvette

Melion

Just a few questions.
I spotted one for sale last week for what i think is a very good price, i am going that way again tomorrow to have a proper look. Does anyone know what i should look out for in these? From the quick glance i had last week it seemed absolutely spotless from the outside.

What would be the going rate for one of these? Oh and whats the story with tax? 5.7L engine

Matt Simis

Apart from looking fabulous I heard they are rather terrifying to drive. 4speed (or 3!?) auto, no aids, RWD and mountains of torque. But thats kinda the point I guess.

Alanstrainor

Moved to the Classic Cars forum.

Melion

Thanks for moving the thread, id forgot about this forum

davoxx

the suspension goes in them, i think. other than that the history would be important, like when was it imported ... etc ..

Big Nasty

Have you a link to its for sale ad? May know something about its history!;)

Melion

Its not online, went to take a proper look at it this morning. Had 1 flat tyre, lots of moss and mould around the window seals on driver side. Bit of condensation inside windows. Bodywork was spotless though.

Big Nasty

Melion wrote: »

Its not online, went to take a proper look at it this morning. Had 1 flat tyre, lots of moss and mould around the window seals on driver side. Bit of condensation inside windows. Bodywork was spotless though.

You take any pictures? Where abouts is it located? Colour?

Melion

Its in County Limerick, silver. ZX reg IIRC

Big Nasty

Melion wrote: »

Its in County Limerick, silver. ZX reg IIRC

Ok, I don't know it at all then sorry. Likely a ZV reg though! How much you looking to spend? Better off buying from an enthusiast / club car if you can.

Also check out the following website, some of the lads there may know it: www.gascc.ie

Melion

Its for sale for 6k, was wondering why it is so cheap as i would expect it to sell for double that price.

Big Nasty

Melion wrote: »

Its for sale for 6k, was wondering why it is so cheap as i would expect it to sell for double that price.

Presenting a car for sale with flat tyres and moss growing on it - doesn't exactly sound like he took care of it the best in all fairness!

For this model 'Vette (unless it's something exceptional) a rough guideline would be as follows:

Poor: €6k
Average: €9k
Excellent: €12k

Melion

It was in a garage, not a private sale. Im going back there next Wednesday, ill make sure to take pictures.

racso1975

Cant wait to see them love that car. One of them and a stang and i'd be a very happy man!

Big Nasty

Melion wrote: »

It was in a garage, not a private sale. Im going back there next Wednesday, ill make sure to take pictures.

Make sure you do! If you're seriously interested in an American car let me know and I'll see what I can find.

racso1975 wrote: »

Cant wait to see them love that car. One of them and a stang and i'd be a very happy man!

There's a good few of them tipping around!

steder

Hi im going to look at one of these this weekend if anyone has any advise on what to look out for it would be great.Its 1978 the anniversary model.:)

VetteD

steder wrote: »

Hi im going to look at one of these this weekend if anyone has any advise on what to look out for it would be great.Its 1978 the anniversary model.:)

Rust in the birdcage is the biggest problem.

matty2k9

yeah the birdcage is their main problem and the top of the window frame,
by any chance is that 'vette the brownish one with sidepipes?
ive got a 1976 'vette in flame orange:D

steder

No it was a 78 silver one.The chassis was ok only surface rust but there was a crack in the wing and after askin about body repairs i was told its very hard to repair because fillers will keep cracking so i decided against it il have to keep looking:(

alastair

steder wrote: »

No it was a 78 silver one.The chassis was ok only surface rust but there was a crack in the wing and after askin about body repairs i was told its very hard to repair because fillers will keep cracking so i decided against it il have to keep looking:(

Fibreglass repairs shouldn't be particularly difficult.
http://www.glassmandan.com/tutorials/002.html

steder

Thanks for the link do you know anybody that does this?
Ive been with panel beaters who told me they would be using fillers which wont work because it will set solid and when the fiberglass flexes the filler is going to crack.

alastair

I'd talk to marine repair people - though many boat people would do their own patching. http://www.fibreglass.ie/marine.html

steder

Thats perfect thanks il call them tomorrow and see what they say:)

matty2k9

if you see any cracking or anything on either of the 2 front wings walk away from the car a guy that was a GM mechanic for 20 years said that you will need a full body resto
look on donedeal, theres a white 1975 one on it with sidepipes,
ive drove this car, its abit sluggish but a very very nice car
worth a look and your opinion

steder

Thank you the damage was on the front left wing looked a bit funny like somebody tried to repair it before.
I have seen that car on donedeal but its out of my price range at the moment:( il just have to wait and see if anything else turns up.

matty2k9

steder wrote: »

Thank you the damage was on the front left wing looked a bit funny like somebody tried to repair it before.
I have seen that car on donedeal but its out of my price range at the moment:( il just have to wait and see if anything else turns up.

what is your budget?
im in the american car scene and i know of a few cars around
does it HAVE to be a 'vette?
i know of a reeeaaallll nice camaro

steder

Ya i think it has to be a vette i really like the anniversary model.
Il keep looking they say the best things come to those who wait:)

chevyv8

matty2k9 wrote: »

yeah the birdcage is their main problem and the top of the window frame,
by any chance is that 'vette the brownish one with sidepipes?
ive got a 1976 'vette in flame orange:D

your da has a flame orange vette matty.....:D:D

matty2k9

chevyv8 wrote: »

your da has a flame orange vette matty.....:D:D

nope its mine all mineee :D:D

sudo911

Bee good or I'll take it back off ya!!!

OP > birdcage, body mounts (front and rear), radiator support brackets, and the headlight support bar bonded to the front clip are the main things to look for. If you are going to check out the car, open the doors and remove the sill cover... that will allow you to remove the kickpanels in each of the footwells and inspect the area around the body mounts... if you have a lot of rust in there, walk away..... equally, from the outside look into the A-pillar and see if you can see any rust.... the chrome bars on top of the windscreen are normally filled with sealant/filler on ones hiding some history....

Other than that, they are a great car and have the advantage of the body work being glass fiber..... a 78 model isnt exactly desireable, but in good condition you can get one for 6/7k. I saw one in Cork recently for 4k which needed some TLC - all depends on what you want...

If you are prepared to put in a bit of elbow grease and dont mind rolling up your sleeves, you can churn out some real nice healthy HP/TQ figures.... I only did a top-end rebuild on mine before I sold to Matty and she was pushing over 350HP/430TQ... NICE!

Send me a PM if you want to talk to someone as to what to look for etc.... glad to help...

Big Nasty

chevyv8 wrote: »

your da has a flame orange vette matty.....:D:D

:pac::pac::pac:

steder

Well lads does anybody know this car or know anything about it?
I was talking to the owner and there is no tax or insurance so cant test drive it before its bought :eek:
I was talking to a guy who ran a check on it and said it was crashed but didnt know how bad.
Any info would be good.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/chevrolet-corvette/91101072

Big Nasty

steder wrote: »

Well lads does anybody know this car or know anything about it?
I was talking to the owner and there is no tax or insurance so cant test drive it before its bought :eek:
I was talking to a guy who ran a check on it and said it was crashed but didnt know how bad.
Any info would be good.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/chevrolet-corvette/91101072

I would give it a miss on the info you have posted above. Being a 1980 car it would have to be NCT'd every year also. Plenty of them out there - you've just got to keep looking and wait for the right one to come up.

Big Nasty

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C259166

steder

Hi MCMLXXV

That was my thought on the car as well was just hoping some one here knew the car.

Thanks for the link but its out of my price range at the moment i looking for one for around the 8k mark.
Im not in any panic so il just keep looking and hopefully something will come up in time.

Big Nasty

steder wrote: »

Hi MCMLXXV

That was my thought on the car as well was just hoping some one here knew the car.

Thanks for the link but its out of my price range at the moment i looking for one for around the 8k mark.
Im not in any panic so il just keep looking and hopefully something will come up in time.

Fair play, you're going the right way about it as opposed to impulse buying.

Only thing I would say is spend as much as you possibly can and get the cleanest example you can find as opposed to buying a do-er upper.

Keep a good eye on Car & Classic as some good deals come up there.

Best of luck with your search and continue to post cars you spot here.

matty2k9

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3460451.htm
looks a nice car

steder

Thank you just had a look there is a good bit of info on ebay about it.:)

matty2k9

that guy adrian just sells corvette's so it should be a good car

Dades

Will be interesting to see what that goes for!

Big Nasty

Poxy colour and I never liked that bubble glass on the back of the late C3's.

Clean looking motor though!

matty2k9

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Poxy colour and I never liked that bubble glass on the back of the late C3's.

Clean looking motor though!

the colour aint that bad john, i think its just the wheels that let the car down
it looks the same colour as pat's old blue camaro
+1 on the bubble back on the 78/79 C3's i dont like it either
some like some dont:p

steder

matty2k9 wrote: »

the colour aint that bad john, i think its just the wheels that let the car down
it looks the same colour as pat's old blue camaro
+1 on the bubble back on the 78/79 C3's i dont like it either
some like some dont:p

I guess im in the minorty here im one of the few that like the 78/79 C3 model

But after speaking to the seller this one is not for me:(

matty2k9

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170724089152&clk_rvr_id=292860766301#ht_1113wt_1185

steder

Thanks ive already sent a mail about it over a week ago and still havent got a reply.
They must not be in a hurry to sell it:rolleyes:

The interior is some colour:eek:

matty2k9

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/2817902

Big Nasty

matty2k9 wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/vintagecars/2817902

I was waiting for you to post that up Matty, nothing really inspirational about it at all, especially with the crack in the wing. The one Alan sold 18 months ago for less money was a far better car IMO.

matty2k9

MCMLXXV wrote: »

I was waiting for you to post that up Matty, nothing really inspirational about it at all, especially with the crack in the wing. The one Alan sold 18 months ago for less money was a far better car IMO.

yeah was just posting it up so the guy could go out and have a look at it and take a spin and get to know what the 'vettes are like
that car that alan sold was a beauty, never seen it in the flesh but pics looked a good car and by alans standards it was a nice one

steder

Cheers matty

This is the one i originally went to look at and there is another mark infront of that crack its about a foot long and looks like it has been repaired before underneath its not to bad only surface rust it needs a complete respray if you rub your hand on the paint work it feels like sand paper.behind both wings there is some sort of fillers not sure why its there.
Oh and the lights dont work.

matty2k9

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Corvette-1977-C3-/250974635294?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3a6f41051e#ht_1593wt_1185
or this ( i like it)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1977-Trans-Am-Pontiac-Firebird-6-6-V8-T-T-/280811042351?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4161a4762f#ht_3560wt_1185

steder

Cheers Matty

Ive been watching this one for a few days.
Im waiting on him to get back to me with more info and hopefully some pics