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Automotive technology has come a long way in the last 60 years. Just the fact that your trying to compare a new car with a 60 year old car tells me you will not be happy with a old antique car. You need to get out and drive a few old cars before buying one.
The reason I ask questions about the suspension is so I make the correct decision. C2 with many degrees of modification are out there. Maybe after market suspension riders equal with factory suspension. Better to ask those who have walked the mountain than to blaze a new trail. Virtual every C2 out there, that would use or consider a daily driver has had some kind of modification. The question is which modifications have the most value for each customer.
The reason I ask questions about the suspension is so I make the correct decision. C2 with many degrees of modification are out there. Maybe after market suspension riders equal with factory suspension. Better to ask those who have walked the mountain than to blaze a new trail. Virtual every C2 out there, that would use or consider a daily driver has had some kind of modification. The question is which modifications have the most value for each customer.
There will be some here who disagree but... If its going to be a daily driver you want power steering and power brakes. Without it it's a wrestling match. Some people don't mind. You probably will.
The factory suspension is just fine, whatever engine you get will be just fine, the interior is comfy and you get to look at the coolest dash ever put into a car. And compared to your C8 getting in and out is a piece of cake.
The reason I ask questions about the suspension is so I make the correct decision. C2 with many degrees of modification are out there. Maybe after market suspension riders equal with factory suspension. Better to ask those who have walked the mountain than to blaze a new trail. Virtual every C2 out there, that would use or consider a daily driver has had some kind of modification. The question is which modifications have the most value for each customer.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the C2 suspension assuming it's not worn out. As long as every piece is in good condition it should ride just fine; as mentioned before you do want power steering and brakes.
The reason I ask questions about the suspension is so I make the correct decision. C2 with many degrees of modification are out there. Maybe after market suspension riders equal with factory suspension. Better to ask those who have walked the mountain than to blaze a new trail. Virtual every C2 out there, that would use or consider a daily driver has had some kind of modification. The question is which modifications have the most value for each customer.
I drive mine every day that is dry and it is bone stock
The reason I ask questions about the suspension is so I make the correct decision. C2 with many degrees of modification are out there. Maybe after market suspension riders equal with factory suspension. Better to ask those who have walked the mountain than to blaze a new trail. Virtual every C2 out there, that would use or consider a daily driver has had some kind of modification. The question is which modifications have the most value for each customer.
We have a 99% original 56.(with bias-look radials) It is ok to cruise down the road, but very primitive in every aspect. We love it.
Sold an L79 66 that was nicely restored.(with rack and pinion) Much better driver than 56, but, by no means, modern feeling.
Have a 66 complete (including frame and coilovers) LS1 restomod. With C7 brakes, it feels somewhat modern and is a great driver.
2023 Stingray Z51: Better driver than MBZ, Porsche, BMW and C7 Z06 that we have owned.
2023 Z06: A screaming psychotic car! Stiffer than Z51, but still a nice road car. Loves RPM!!
To the original question: Every generation of Corvette has rendered the previous generation "less modern". There is a magic to the C1-2s, but every gen is a better driver than the last. Our choice for the best "driver" is the Eray....coming to us in February.
Ruxvette,
Hereford is a little known abscure area, pretty much, on the Mehican border; about an hour and 45 mins away from you. You have to travel east on I10 then turn right on the 90 just before Benson, towards Ft. Huachuca....past that is Hereford...just us, some illegals and Javalinas...
I actually know Hereford quite well. My mother in law moved there and bought a plot of desert (between Ramsey and E Hereford) and we used to visit all the time before she passed. We would stay in Sierra Vista, and it was great having a 4WD Blazer for those muddy roads when it rained.
Since I never have driven any other Vette, I can only provide to you my experience of driving my 1963. I am the original owner of my '63. It was ordered with the 327 CI, 340 HP engine, 4:11 gears, posi, BW T-10 transmission. I ran the 4:11's until the '70's (first 300,000 miles) when I changed to 3:08 gears. I continue to run the T-10. Our current power is a 350 CI, 400 HP, camed up, 10 to 1 engine. Never any AC. I changed to all 4 wheel Vette disc brakes and side pipes in the 70's, but still gets hot inside when driving on the high temperature highways. I did change to fast steering the summer of '63 and still run that (without any power steering). I run the biggest radial tires that fit the front and back. Gas shocks are on both the front and back and depending on our needs the leaf spring is standard or heavy duty. I bought my Vette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and now live in Madison, WI. Our driving season starts when salt / brine is off the roadways and ends when it is applied to the roads.
My wife and I are in our late '70's and were married in 1988 and she has taken to our Vette very well, IMHO. We have driven in the lower 48 states and all of the Canadian provinces (this was achieved in 2008). Our longest distance trip was 7,100 miles on a 3 week trip to Labrador, Canada. We are still able to do 600 miles in 1 day. Recent examples are 2 years ago to BG Museum and last year to Lancaster, OH. It is easier to do longer distance drives west of the Mississippi River. We seldom experience break downs on the road trips or our daily driving. This season we have traveled 8,000 trouble free miles so far.
We can and do pack our Vette with necessary stuff. We also will sometimes have a rack on the back or a trailer for our needs. I consider our Vette a multi use driving machine. Below are photos (top is down in all 3) so that you can see what I have been posting. Many photos and articles can be found if you Google: Steve Stone 1963 Corvette
My wife Marilyn at the Prince Edward Island Welcome center
Quebec / Labrador border (Note, our tent, sleeping bags and all of our gear is in the back, under the deck lid)
Our Boundary Waters Canoe Area outfitter, Ely, MN (Marilyn did not really want to be in this photo)
Safe driving and good health to all,
Steve Stone (original owner, '63 triple black convertible, 625,000 miles)
Ruxvette,
Hereford is a little known abscure area, pretty much, on the Mehican border; about an hour and 45 mins away from you. You have to travel east on I10 then turn right on the 90 just before Benson, towards Ft. Huachuca....past that is Hereford...just us, some illegals and Javalinas...
I actually know Hereford quite well. My mother in law moved there and bought a plot of desert (between Ramsey and E Hereford) and we used to visit all the time before she passed. We would stay in Sierra Vista, and it was great having a 4WD Blazer for those muddy roads when it rained.
I have a very well sorted 64 roadster that i did a complete mechanical refurbish, frame off, rebuilt the original 365hp motor with all upgraded internals, went thru everything, added sidepipes, manual 4 wheel disk brakes, all new suspension & the car is an absolute blast with its 3:70's. They ride good, look stunning, and the interiors on the 63-64 are just incredible. I like my 64 interior & driving position on the vette, as much as I like the dash layout & driving position on my air cooled hot rod 911.
Things I don't like about it are the the 4 speed trans, I have a 2nd home in Northern Michigan 3 hours away, and I don't like the 3000+ rpms. I know it won't hurt anything, but I'd still much prefer a 5 speed.
The seats are more like a slippery single width bench seat you slide around on, there isn't really any bolstering on them.
Vintage Air is another item on my list to upgrade to make my car even more enjoyable for me.
You sound like if you bought a stock car you'd spend an awful lot of money making it into what you like it to be, so you'd probably be better off to look for a resto-mod, or even a modified hot rod vette, that has most of the stuff you want done to it already. Then you can skip that price premium people ask for with the cars where all they care about is how original a car is, when all you want to do is modify everything you listed above to be what you want it to be. There are always sweet cars like that popping up on the classifieds here, and you've got some time to look for the right one it sounds like.
Things I don't like about it are the the 4 speed trans, I have a 2nd home in Northern Michigan 3 hours away, and I don't like the 3000+ rpms. I know it won't hurt anything, but I'd still much prefer a 5 speed.
The 3:08 rear end in my '64 makes the 4-speed livable.
Have never even sat in a C8, been a few years since I drove a C6 (zo6), drove a C7 (zo6) last summer
The C6 and C7 are like using a air nailer and the C2 is like using a hammer
The nail gun is smooth, powerful and hits the nail on the head everytime, on the other hand the C2 uses brute force and can miss the head of the nail if you are not carefull with it
That being said, after you get done driving the C2, the smile on your face lasts a long time and you find yourself staring at it everytime you walk away from it. Now mine is a BB '67 roadster with side exhaust and after a couple of hours running down the highway, I am ready to get out of it but man is it fun and really turns the heads of other motorist
Why are you ready to get out of it ? Vibration, squeak and rattling, heat fatigue, arm tired from driving, sore seat ??
I would expect it will take more energy to drive a c2 than my c8.
I don't mind being tired at the end of the day of traveling. It helps me sleep better. Being 70 and farm raise I have much time with non power steering on our tractors, trucks and harvesters.
Thanks for the comments. Yes, I want to buy a c2 with as many changes as possible to be able to enjoy the car. Cheaper that way also.
The 3:08 rear end in my '64 makes the 4-speed livable.
Since the question asked was:
"Never driven a C2, only a C6 & C8, tell me about driving the C2"
I'm not trying to get you guys to defend how great your 4 speeds are, Im just trying to say it's shockingly different that a 6 speed C6 or C8 auto. To this day, i find myself reaching for 5th all the time in my C2.
Sorry I wasn't clear on this, but to clarify, all of my uncomfortable rpm on the freeway concerns came from my fist 25 years with the car, when it had a 3:08 in it. I just put the 3:70 in the car a few years ago when i did the frame off & I've never had it on the highway with the 3:70 in it because i know it'll be even higher rpms now. A 5 speed trans has always been the plan "for me"... Just trying to convey the message to the potential C2 buyer that Is use to modern Covettes of something he may want to be aware of that was probably the biggest culture shock to me about my C2,
I am a 70 year old retired farmer. Bought a C6 5 years ago. Sold and bought a C8 2 years ago.
OK, I always loved the C2.
I owned a 2012 GS for 3 years. Loved the luggage room because we travel in it. Moved to the C8 two years ago. Nice car, no problems. Love the HTC in the mts. and evening cruises. Going from 22 cf storage to 12.5 cf storage in a C8 was not a joy, but doable.
Thinking I still want a C2 coupe. Does not need to be a 1963 or a high hp model. What I want is to still be able to travel in a C2 and be happy doing so. lol. I will keep the C8.
Thinking I need the following...... Vintage AC. Love my AC. Maybe rack and pinon steering so It does not feel like a truck. Put in some Boom Mat insulation in the interior to reduce road noise. Some heat reflective product under the car to keep heat out of the cab. (It sure helped on the 2012 C6. The tunnel was significantly cooler after insulation and reflective product.) I think I would be happy with a 327 and 350. Does a person need to update the suspension system, front and back, to give an acceptable ride ? Don't think I need a full blown retro or do I ?
Please tell me about your experience driving a C 2.
I grew up in Omaha, spent a couple of years in children's home in Central City as a guest of the state of Nebraska then back to Omaha where I bought my first Corvette...a '65 convertible. It had no power anything, disc brakes on front and drums on the rear (long story I'd be happy to expound on separately), a 327/350 hp L79 and a 4 speed. I have owned a C3 big block, C5 manual trans removable top, C6 manual trans convertible. Let me tell you there's a world of difference between a C2 and any late model Corvette! My first C2 and my current C2 are very much the same except for the brakes. My current one has all disc like it should.
I really enjoy driving a C2 as much for the nostalgia as for the car itself. The ride is stiff! The steering is not near as precise as the new models and if you don't have power steering it can be a workout to make a turn after stopping at a light. Once you get moving turning is not a problem. Braking is not as quick as the newer Corvettes so you need to react more quickly to get stopped. It's really no different than any other old car.
Mine is a 1965 convertible, no PS, no PB, M20 4 speed transmission, no ac, 327/350 L79.
And one last thing....it hates being in parades so I no longer do that. The engine carbons up when it is driven slowly then it runs like a dog until I get all the carbon driven out of it.
Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions I didn't get answered for you. My email address is ccrane@***.net.
P.S. Word of advice...educate yourself before buying any C2. You need to learn how to decode the serial number and engine numbers to determine whether they are the originals or replacements. It make a big difference in the value of the car.
Also, if at all possible you need to drive it before buying to see if everything's working properly.
"Never driven a C2, only a C6 & C8, tell me about driving the C2"
I'm not trying to get you guys to defend how great your 4 speeds are, Im just trying to say it's shockingly different that a 6 speed C6 or C8 auto. To this day, i find myself reaching for 5th all the time in my C2.
No different from driving my 2013 six speed manual Mazda DD and going to my five speed manual 2008 Pontiac regular summer-only car and then my nice-days-only 1966 C2 with the four speed. Par for the course.
12-13-2023, 02:37 PM
Value
and she has taken to our Vette very well, IMHO. We have driven in the lower 48 states and all of the Canadian provinces (this was achieved in 2008). Our longest distance trip was 7,100 miles on a 3 week trip to Labrador, Canada. We are still able to do 600 miles in 1 day. Recent examples are 2 years ago to BG Museum and last year to Lancaster, OH. It is easier to do longer distance drives west of the Mississippi River. We seldom experience break downs on the road trips or our daily driving. This season we have traveled 8,000 trouble free miles so far.
