PR78Vette

Hi All,

My first post here, so firstly a big hello to everybody! I just thought I would post a few lines about my story and my car. I am based in the UK, hence the boring license plates...

I had always wanted a Corvette and after a few years of driving run of the mill cars with no character, I started my search. I ended up finding this example near Chicago, a '78 with the B2Z paint code, matching numbers as far as engine and VIN go, and reported low mileage.After lots of emails, pictures and paperwork, I made the brave move to purchase a car I hadn't seen and wire over some cash..(I know, this breaks all the rules of buying a car, but I was like a kid with a new toy!).

After arranging the transportation and shipping and having to work around Storm Sandy and possible dock strikes, it finally arrived 2 months later at my door! Luckily for me, the seller was as honest as could be and the car was better than I had hoped. The frame and birdcage are remarkable, and whilst not documented, the car only shows 32,000 miles, which look very believable.

Before I could book it in for it's MOT (compulsory annual UK vehicle test, getting harder to get classics through this!), I had to convert the lighting system / turn signals to UK standard. I started work on converting the rear lights (orange turn signals, etc) and then started on the front. I had to fit headlamps with EU beam patterns, create orange turn signals and a front facing white light (not sure what you guys call it, but it's a sidelight here) that was visible without raising the headlamps.

After a lot of reading on here, I thought it best I checked out the parking brake before I booked it in. As suspected, there was quite an inbalance left to right, so I used the theory of adjusting both rear brakes until they locked, and backed off 14 clicks per side. This seemed to give me the perfect balance and left the brake just 'binding'. After a quick check over the rest of the car, I nervously booked it in.

I was overjoyed to hear that it passed and had absolutely no advisory issues to report. Not bad for a 35 year old car I was also pleasantly suprised to hear that the park brake was working and actually suprised the tester with it's efficiency. At this point, I had a celebration beer or two...

I could now register the car, get it's UK license plates, and the rest is history! Feeling like I needed to find something to do, I found that the power steering hoses looked a little tired, so I replaced them all. I also replaced the fuel hoses up front as I had some spare hoses in the garage. The only thing I hadn't planned on was seeing the slightest coolant drip from just under the passenger side...Yes, the dreaded heater core was leaking..! Now I like DIY mechanics, but this has scarred me for life...What a job. I have no skin left on my hands, but then I did manage to change it with the dash in place. More fool me...

Worth it in the end? Definitely. I am learning more and more about the car, and hopefully maintaining a living piece of history. I know it's not the most desireable year for some, but it still feels very special to drive and every time feels like an event. I'm not sure I could ever part with it now and wonder why it took me so long!

I plan on using this as my daily drive and self maintaining it as much as possible, so i'm sure you will hear more from me and get lots of stupid questions, but for now, here is a picture I took this weekend on it's first real journey out since all of the work:



This site has helped me understand so much already, so a huge thank you to all that provide their knowledge and experience!


Paul

Redwing01

That's beautiful, great story!
Congrats.

Psychovette

Good on you! Sounds like a real life episode of "Wheeler Dealers". Your ride looks great and you will really stand out in the UK. The C-3 forum is a wonderful site for information and morale. Welcome!!

larryg3

Congratulations that is a very nice car. Keep up the good work.

F22

Great read and thanks for sharing the adventure! You must've been sitting on pins and needles on the final day of delivery, after waiting/dreaming/fantasizing for two whole months! Glad you got what you wanted and also, that you're enjoying it.

PS: Gawd, they even test the handbrake???? Wow...

Brown Squirrel

really like your year and color combo, that was my second choice. nice car.

PR78Vette

Thank you all for your kind words. It seems to be a pretty stock example, with the exception of the catalytic converter being deleted! My next job will be rebuilding the power steering ram as now i've swapped out the hoses I would like to refresh the rest of the system whilst I am at it. The PS valve looks pretty recent.

F22, they really do test the handbrake and expect it to meet an unrealistic threshold..They are making things so strict now it's unreal. It's almost like they are trying to force the older car's off the road! Luckily the MOT guy lived in the real world (although it tested OK) and was prepared to lean against the car with his body weight to see if it held or not as a more scientific way of testing it!!

oldsarge

Welcome, congrats, looks great, have fun.

Roco71

Welcome and enjoy

Priya

Ooo, that silver anniversery paint job looks so darn good on those cars! I'm struggling to decide on a colour to paint my car and was thinking I wanted something out of the ordinary, but silver sure does look good on a C3, really shows off the curves.

hunt4cleanair

Paul

Well congratulations on surviving the shipping and testing phases which sounds like the greatest hurdles. Many of us like the 1978's due to their throwback to the C2 fastback era.

And its nice to hear how helpful the forum has been to assist you with the mechanical challenges that you've had and may have down the road. At times, all it takes is a tip or two to motivate us to take on an DIY automotive project.

Good job.

TurboStitchCW

welcome to the forum! Your car looks great!

I lived in the UK from 2001-2003 and that MOT is no joke..lol. It's such a PITA to pass especially with older cars.

Congrats on finding the right C3 for you!

pigag2

Great looking car, always like the SA as they bring me back to my university days. Love the color combo. When I was looking for my first C3, I was looking for a SA or an 82 CE because of their low numbers and I settled for a CE. I could have easily settled for a SA if I had found a nice one first.

pigag2

Mick71

Welcome! Really nice car, especially from that angle.

billcarson

looks terrific and best of luck! and yes great knowledge here on the forum, and what we don't know we make up.

RMVette

Congrats! You have a great looking car....enjoy!

PR78Vette

Thanks again guys. I didn't set out to find a SA paint car, but once I saw one, I loved it so my search was probably a little bias from there in. It's certainly getting a lot of positive attention over here, it's had it's picture taken by two random people already..!

Finding the sweet sound of the V8 very addictive, although with the current petrol prices here in the UK, I need to be a bit lighter on the 'go' pedal!

Camivette

Good luck and Congrats!

qwank

i'm interested in seeing how these added lights look.

PR78Vette

I managed with a little work and patience to avoid adding any aftermarket lights. I really wanted to retain the original look as much as possible, I have seen some imports here with LED lights literally strapped to them with zip ties just to get through the MOT test.

The requirement at the front is to have a front facing orange turn signal, and a white 'sidelight'. Optional until a certain year were side mounted turn signals. What I did was remove the front orange lamps, and carefully cut a slot top to bottom in the back casing. I then made up an acrylic insert to create a divide in the lamp. I retained the orange lamp for the turn signal, and fitted an additional bulb and holder with a clear bulb. I then rewired so the orange side marker becomes a turn signal and flashes in unison with the front. Here is a poor picture that I just took to give you some idea. This is just with my 'sidelight' running.



The rear was a lot easier, I used the clear section of the inner lamp with an orange bulb for my turn signal (no reverse light needed over here for this year car), and just some wiring modification to modify the brake lights slightly. I'm sure there were easier ways, but I really wanted to retain as many of the original parts as possible!