sentinal77

just bought my first vette.


problem is, bubba got a hold of it before i could..


it needs EVERYTHING, and i'm gonna need you guys' help.
needs
motor rebuild
tranny rebuild
body work
paint
all suspension
new tires/wheels
brakes

you name it it needs it. so where do i start?

just letting you guys know in advance ill probably be having a lot of questions..









a wheelbarrow?really?


okay so its all vacuumed out now, so where to start?
give me your imput..

thanks,

sentinal


ps, first project, and i'm only 17. can't wait to get started

MakoShark72

Get several part time jobs!! You're gonna need lots of $$$! Good part is..there's loads of help and advice right here. Everything you are about to dive into, somebody here has taken the plunge already. Ask any and all questions. We've all already asked the stupid ones, so no worries there! My advice would be to assess what you have, start making a priority list of things that need to be done (from the looks of it, its going to be a fairly long list), decide on your goals (driver/show/resto-mod, etc), and come up with a realistic budget (can be very hard to do, BTW). Then, start tackling things one at a time. Have FUN!

Congrats!

smon

Get it safe and running first.

Engine (check out stock rebuild vs. crate)
Tranny rebuild
suspension rebuild can run high
Brakes
Lights, Horn, etc. for inspection

For me money was tight, so i only spent money on things that NEEDED replacement. I waited on the other things that didnt keep me from driving.

good luck, looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you.

Sean

TimAT

Start by getting the engine compartment/firewall cleaned and then carefully inspect the wiper area and around the windshield. Make sure you're not dealing with a rotted windshield frame.
Past that:

Look around for a 350 crate engine or plan on dropping some bucks into that one- as rusty as the cylinders look in the pictures, I'll bet they have pits you can park a cat in. Block will ned to be bored to clean that up. If it's a 4 bolt block with a good number then it might be worth sinking the money into it- If it needs bored, just take it .060 and build a 383.
As you're doing that, start looking at suspension and brakes, what it needs and what you want to do with the car.
Go back at look at Stinger 12's thread- "Rookies first restoration attempt".

I'm not trying to discourage you- I've been in your shoes- MORE THAN ONCE!!

DZRick

I think the wheelbarrow and shovel might have been needed to dig that block up out of his backyard.

You've got a bunch of work ahead but you'll find that there are a bunch of guys here that are more than willing to give you advise and help spend "your" money.

Have fun.

rajsid

Man, in that condition, I'll do nothing less than a frame off restoration.
Many thanks to you for saving another one from the crusher

Good luck with the adventures ahead.

scott2173

well it looks like youve taken on alot but theres a good part to all of this work ahead of you
from your pictures it looks like you have a young helper there and the time and experience that you two are gonna have will be worth every long nite and every weekend you spend on it
have fun

Paul L

You've bought a junkyard car. Sorry....Not worth restoring. Have you any idea of how many dollars that car needs to get it on the road, much less presentable? About 3x what it would be worth.

Red70vette

You really need to sit down and think about what you are doing, what you want the car to be, what you can afford, and how much time and space you have.

Judging by your photos you have a huge project a head of you. The reason you got the car in its current condition is because the prior owner gave up on the very project you are about to undertake.

You have to be very handy and enjoy doing this type of work. If you have to send everything out for work you will be broke in no time. In the end you are going to have significantly more money and time into that car than you could ever get out of it. So you have to be doing it because you enjoy doing it. If this looks like work to you run as fast as you can. You will be able to buy a completely restored car, that looks good, runs good, and will be a lot of fun today for the money you are going to throw at this project even if you got the car for free. Plus the fact it could be years before you drive the first mile.

If you are going to have work done by someone other than yourself price it out before you turn the first screw. I do not mean to be harsh or pessimistic but a car restoration can be overwhelming so you need to think about what you are going to do before you get in too deep.

A motor rebuild, tranny rebuild, body work, and paint combined will far exceed the value of the car when complete. And that is only the beginning, wait til you get a case of the "while I am at it". So make sure this is the car you want and you intend to keep it and enjoy it for years to come. Otherwise you are going to regret it.

Frogday

I think the young helper in the picture might be the proud new owner.

So this is a 1977? That looks like a lot of work. ($$$). I would be prepared to turn $20k into $10k and consider it to be $10k worth of learning experience.

1nicecorvette

start here

Steve~74

Damn......that's a monumental project, I hope you have tons of patience and tons of cash.

wills670

You need to check the frame and bird cage and see if you have any rust issues before you go very far.

You are going to need a big pocket book and a lot of time on this one or an even bigger pocket book if you can't do the work yourself. You need to look it over very good and make a list and the money it will cost to repair it and some of the guys here say to double the full amout or triple it and you might be close to what it is going to cost you in the end.

I am not trying to bust your butt or anything but you need to look that car over very good and see if the money and the time frame for repair is with in your time frame for repairing this car. At lot of cars that people buy in this shape seem to get in over their heads and figure it out after spending a lot of time and money only to get discouraged and end up parting it out. Good luck on your project and I am sure you will get a lot of help from the people here as you need it.

That transmission looks like one of the muti bolt pattern transmission's, it should work for you car but I do not think it is what came in the car.
If I am wrong someone else will chime in and say I am wrong.

08vycpe

I agree. I hope you got this car for free. Doesn't look like it's worth trying to make safe and road worthy. It will cost you a fortune and you will loose all that money trying to rebuild it that could have gone toward a nice looking low mileage late model C3.

I would start by using this car as a parts car, selling all the parts and using the money you make to buy a car that you can drive. Rule number one is buy as much car as you can when buying a C3, especially a rubber bumper one.

79L48

Let's look at this realistically.
1. Check your frame and birdcage to make sure what you have is worth rebuilding.
2. Clean up the engine bay (lots of degreaser and elbow grease but it's essentially free.
3. Get pictures of stock cars of your year and play "find what's missing", then start buying what you need.
4. Search until your fingers bleed for a used engine that will get you to the beach and back. Nobody says the engine you put in now is the one you'll live with forever. You don't need a $10,000 built up 383 stroker to have fun in the car.
5. Have the trans gone through professionally. If it's all there, may as well refurb it and use it.
6. Sources like muskegon brake and vette brakes and parts will help you get the suspension in order. This will cost you many times what your wildest imagination can ponder... See if you can buy a junk parts car and put a suspension together from between the two cars. Buy new bushing and assembly kits. Not all new, but you're on the road!
7. Hopefully your above donor car has an interior. If not, go to swap meets and search the internet for used ones.. Who cares if the colors even match at this point? Many pieces can be dyed and painted to match.
8.The old paint is already stripped (somewhat crudely from the looks of it), so get some books or videos on fiberglass body work and go from that angle.Smooth it out, remove the trim and paint it... In this case, do a Maaco or a Krylon.

Do you have a concours winner at this stage? Hell no! But you're rolling down the road, you've learned a lot and if you still love the car and the hobby at that point, you start back at the beginning and do it all over again. . . the right way.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Most projects aren't carried out from beginning to end without creativity and budget pitfalls. If you want to do it, you can do it. Set reachable goals, stay patient and work like a miner until you get what you want!

Good Luck!

7T1vette

I assume you bought it for very few $$$. Hopefully, you just wanted a hobby. Well, you got one...BIG TIME! If you want to make that car into something nice, expect to dump more money into it than you would have if you bought one in good condition. No, I'm not kidding. If you thought that buying that bucket of parts cheap will save you money, think again. Not trying to be mean, here...just trying to let you know what you're in for.

Now, if you can do all of the work yourself (except the machine shop work on the engine), and you have lots of time, and a reasonable amount of expendible ca$h, knock yourself out. It can be a "labor of love", if you have the right mindset and you're not in a hurry to put it together. If money is no object, you can rebuild it properly in one year, or so. If you have a limited budget, expect to work on it for 3-5 years. The engine alone will cost you at least $2K for machine work and parts. You'd be better off buying a crate engine for it. I admire your "pluck". But think about it hard before diving in. You could always sell it to someone else and look for a 'better' project car. Good luck. The rest of us will gladly help with info.

78VetteChic

Hey but do the numbers match?




Just trying to think of something positive to say.

spedaleden

Your right about one thing!

Oh Lord What have you done

Buy the time your done, you could of bought a new one. Ask me how I know!

JIMS1970VETTE

I guess the RAID BUG SPRAY on the windshield is to get the bugs out if the car But seriously we will give all the help we can here in this forum. A serious assessment is needed of the cars condition before you start.

stinger12

This reminds me of the condition of my vette when I got it, only mine was running. About $20 000 later, and thousands upon thousands of hours of labor, I still have not finished mine. I just started the bodywork stage on mine, and even though I am doing all the labor myself, materials are still quite expensive.

I suggest you look for another project, I really do. You are better off saving up your money, then buying a car that doesn't need lots of work. I was in your position 2.5 years ago, and now I am into a body off. Its lots of work, and you need lots of space to do it. Not to mention a full time job to support the hobby...I work 40 hours a week, and most of that money is eaten up by the vette build.

I'm not trying to discourage you...just trying to offer some help through my experience. If I knew what I was getting into 2.5 years ago, I probably would have sold the vette and saved up more money for one in better condition.