mika0328

i am the proud owner 1960 corvette. The same story as most owners of this model. Have always loved it and always wanted one. so when the opportunity presented itself. I bought one. great price at $28,000.00. nope not original engine nor tranny. here is the question. i have put in it over 2,000 and it seems as a never ending story with the car.. It is a nasty ride. engine has a lot of power and the transmission is a turbo 400. but the car shakes, rattles and to be honest with you the brakes scare the hell out of me. when i break it pulls to one side. is this normal???? for this year car and model... forgot to mention it still has the skinny 14 inch white wall tires. I think that if i change rims and tires it will cure most of its problems. start great and it sounds great but simply i hate the car. wont sell it .. it is my sons 18 year old birthday gift and he is only 6 but would like to some day enjoy the car.

Mike Terry

You are posting in the wrong section. Post in general/ Tech section.

Viking427

A mod will move this to the general section unless they're all napping.

Welcome to C1's ! yep, they all ride like lumber trucks since they're suspensions are based on 1940's technology ..that's part of their nostalgic charm As far as stopping and ride are concerned, any drum brake car can pull to one side or the other upon stopping if the brakes need attention (bled, adjusted properly with good shoes). I would get the brakes sorted out first, then make sure it's got a good set of radials on all four corners and the front end aligned. Those three things alone will go a long way toward helping make you feel more confident of the car. At that point it should go where you point it and stop when you need it to unless the steering and bushings need some attention as well. Then you can address the squeeks and rattles one at a time. Be aware that the ride will be rougher than more modern (60's and newer) cars no matter what you do, so you need to be resigned to this fact. Take a little time to familiarize yourself with the design and engineering of this era car (suspension, steering, braking) and stick with it, you'll be glad you did. The feeling you'll have and all the thumbs ups /looks you'll get while behind the wheel usually far outweigh any "engineering definciencies" or negative behaviors the car may demonstrate. It truly is a time machine.

There have been innumerous discussions over the years on shocks, bushing replacement, steering box adjustment, front-end rebuilds, brake upgrade/rebuilds, tires, wheel hop, over/under steer, disk brake conversions, front suspension upgrades, retro-rods etc. etc.

Use the search feature on the forum, it'll become invaluable in helping you attend to every single problem your car has. This forum is over 10 years old with the amassed experiences of 100's of C1/C2 members. There's not one problem you'll need help with that hasn't been addressed at least a dozen times already by fellow C1 owners over the past 50 years and if so, you can always ask again cause we love to give our advice/opinions.

Frankie the Fink

Viking pretty much nailed it but just to give you hope...my '61 with front disc brakes and radial tires (otherwise COMPLETELY stock) drives, tracks and stops just fine. Yours will to after some attention.

You will never get all the quaint groans and creaks out of 50 year old fiberglass flexing around a ladder frame but you can learn to love 'em. (I'm not aware of any 14" tires on late '60s vettes....you prob meant 15")...

Pilot Dan

When you go through the brakes, do the entire system and not just some parts. This is where a lot of guys make the mistake with drum brakes and end up with uneven braking. I just did this job on my 59 to freshen up the system and the car stops straight and on a dime.

Also make sure your steering box is properly adjusted and has the correct heavy lube in it. As mentioned above, a new set of radials and a good set of shocks will also greatly help. Pilot Dan

John S 1961

Same story here, they drive like crap....Until:

Disc Brakes (now proper stopping)
rack and pinion steering (my own design, and its pure joy!)
Alternator (actually charges a battery)
Headlights on relays (full power to lights)
chasing rattles (one area at a time)
Keep the tall skinny tires, run em pretty soft, keep soft springs

Now she drives like a dream, very enjoyable, relieves the anxiety feeling (those crappy brakes and steering I felt like a hazard)

Oriondriver

Disc brakes
Meyer IFS
new tires
4 link rear suspension
5 speed

Drives beautifully.... well worth the investment and will tell you that I will now take my kids with me whereas before I would not due to safety concerns...

Scott

CWPASADENA

Take one area or the car at a time and go completely thru it. A C-1 Corvette that is properly repaired will drive, ride, steer and stop well. Sometimes a modified engine while it may have lots of power is not very streetable. You may have to look into detunning your engine a bit.

Be sure a shop you have work on your car is familiar with these old cars.

There is no reason that your car can not be made to be fun and a pleasure to drive.

Hang in there.



Chris, CWPASADENA

Gman58

I own a 58.
The drum brakes front and rear have been completely gone through. Front end has all new bushings and is aligned. Steering box is set up correctly. I have 15 inch radials all the way around. Shocks are relatively new. The car handles nicely and the brakes are strong. The ride is one reason I like the car. Greg

vettebuyer6369

I have a '58 and I drive it pretty regularly. I found no need to switch to disk brakes or change the steering. The key on my car was keeping the stock 15" wheels (not sure what 14s you were talking about) and swapping to wide white wall radials from Diamond Back. The car rides like a different car now. My wife says,"it no longer feels like we are going to tip over."

I have an NOM but still have it very stock appearing, including the correct generator. Drove the car last year to/from Bloomington for the Goldyear Event about 500 miles without a hitch.

corvettecsn

Welcome to my world. I also have a 60 with a later 327 and turbo 400 (for now) . Stick car going back to a stick. Drum brakes take a little getting used to after discs. Turn the drums and change wheel cylinders if you have to and bleed them right and you should be good to go. Wheel cylinders at Napa are 13 bucks . Cheap investment. I have American Mags and 225/70/15 uniroyal tiger paws. Previous owner put them on along with new rubber bushings and it steers and rides pretty good. Suspension squeaks a little but a lube job and driving it a bit more will help that. It still is uncomfortable driving any distance but Damn I look good in it. Go to a good alignment shop and have it looked at. One thing about 1960's cars the suspension systems are pretty cheap to fix compared to cars now. I do have plans to upgrade to discs this winter just for safety reasons.

Dan Hampton

Absolutely correct. All the brakes hardware, cylinders, and shoes will not cost you more than $350. A cheap and easy fix. Make sure the rims are true and that you jettison any old bias ply tires in favor of radials.

AZDoug

Check your front suspension condition also, control arm shafts and pivots and kingpins. Loose front ends make for interesting driving and braking experiences.

I really like the front disc brake conversion, as I am no longer afraid to drive the car in close high speed freeway traffic, and I can actually stop the car in a short distance from a 120MPH 1/4 mile run. Oh, yeah, I also rebuilt the front suspension also with all new inner cross shafts, bushings and king pins and tie rod ends, and adjusted the steering box correctly.

I don't have any problem at all doing comfortable high speed highway cruises of several hundred miles at 75-100 MPH, averaging about 85-90.

Doug