SEVNT6

Now that I'm in my sixties I've noticed a couple of things that have changed about the old C3.
For one, I swear it's getting lower. Now granted, I was an 18 year old kid when I bought it.
Back then I could hop in & out like a Springer Spaniel.
Now I kind of "plop" in. And my wife says it looks like I'm in pain when I try to get out.
And then there's the ride. Back in the day it had the perfect combination: A short wheelbase & a stiff frame.
Now every expansion joint seems to go directly into two cheeks & one lower spine.
But with that being said, I wouldn't sell this car if I was down to my last $10 bucks. It was my childhood dream.
I delivered newspapers in the rain & pumped gas in the snow to earn it.
And the plan is to have it be the first car behind the hearse..............

shaark92

I probably can't answer your question, but I've noticed my '71 needs a little adjusting as the rear wheels bow out just slightly. AFA ride ... I have nothing for comparison.

Was 49 when I got Victoria, my first Vette.

bobby70

Nice I wish I still had my first car but im 62 and had my 70 for 20 years and now I have the same problem getting in or out.thats just were getting older​​​​​​​

Techno

Yes
I've noticed the ground has been getting further away for any reason. To get up off or to reach something thats on it. It seems to be much further away than it used to be.
I've hit my head on my Vette and my Brothers '97, which feels like your sitting on the ground getting in or out.

Mako72

The front coils and rear leaf spring settle over time.

Rescue Rogers

yes it very well could be. Everything wears out eventually, just like us. Ive had a lot of old cars and even after 20 years the suspension would sag. When I was a kid if we had a nice muscle car we wold put it up on blocks in the winter to try adn extend the life of the suspension. After 50 years I could see a suspension sagging. If you get new springs, I suggest a good touring package with a fiberglass rear spring. I obught my 68 with an Ecklers suspension package installed and it road like a modern car. No loud banging or the feel of a pickup truck...

good luck
scott

SwampeastMike

The "is it stiffer" may have something to do with the question, "What happens to old mens' butts?" We seem to loose our youthful padding down there as we age

It could also mean that the suspension is due for a makeover with new bushings--especially on the control arms--and ball joints.

MelWff

Dont forget the foam in the seats decomposes and you end up with a lower and harder seat cushion and back.

doorgunner

FYI...
My project car literally rode like a go cart.
Just to test the new suspension after I rebuilt it I drove around town and on the interstate with NO shocks for about 30 minutes.
The ride was as smooth as possible, BUT, NO shocks are dangerous.

I think the Monroe Sensatrac shocks split the difference betwee No-shocks and performance-shocks.
It now rides as good as my Cadillac SRX.

Now for new lower seat foam to solve my "other" problem.

SEVNT6

Thanks for all the advice guys. A fiberglass leaf is at the top of the list. Something I should of done when they came out 40 years ago!
But I think Techno nailed it. It's time to accept reality. I was a young man who bought a young man's car a long time ago.
Now I'm an old man, but I still have that young man's car. It's me unfortunately....
Like bobby70 I'm 62. Guys our age back in '76 were buying their 1st new Buick, not a new Corvette.

This guy was seen standing next to my Vette back around 1978.
Not sure what happened to him.
My wife of 39 years think's he looks cool for some reason. Time for new glasses honey?.....

leadfoot4

I installed a 'glass leaf in the '79 C-3 that my wife used to own. What a difference!!

Rescue Rogers

I forgot about the seat springs. When I had my 68 seats out to compare them to some C5seats, I sat in both. When I sat in the 68 seats my *** hit the cement floor. I guess that’s why the ride was somewhat harsh and my legs would fall asleep....The C5 seats mage me sit higher but reclining the seats solved most of that

SEVNT6

I found a way accidentally a few years ago on how to firm up the drivers seat.
I wanted to better insulate my floor so I had to pull the seats out.
When I was done I was looking at the seats, & naturally the passenger seat bottom was in better shape.
So it made me wonder if you could swap C3 seats. In a '76 anyway...
Answer is YES! Just never tell your wife/girlfriend/both if you do this...............

imanut2

I hear ya old man!! LOL I played hockey for decades. As I got into my 30s I'd come home after a game and tell my wife 'Dang, these young kids keep getting faster and faster"...took me a few more years to realize that they weren't getting faster and faster, rather, I was getting slower and slower LOL

But I'm still young at heart :=)

SEVNT6

I have an old buddy who played hockey forever. He remembers how he got every scar!
The Vette isn't my only lowrider either. I have a '94 MR2 that I've owned for almost 20 years.
This car is a riot, handles like a monorail. But it's almost 2 inches lower than the Vette.
Plus my arthritic left knee has to work a clutch in this one. Something I've cussed not having in the Vette for 44 years.
But now that may be a blessing in disguise.........


STA71120

imanut2

Well, you gotta be tough to get old! :=) My vette is an auto also...everything I own other than my dirt bikes are autos. I am supposed to buy a '71 Norton 750 Commando (8,000 original miles) from my buddy...his grandfather was the original owner and he rarely rides it and has decided to let it go...but now the problem is that it's kick start only and I'm recovering from a broken right leg and the ortho doesn't know if it will ever be 100% and it may develop arthritis...if only he had decided to sell it last year before my accident...but heck, I might get it anyway...I'll have one of the kids start it for me and then never turn it off LOL

Stev-o

How old are your tires? Rubber gets hard as it ages, this may be way you feel every expansion joint?

My buddy has a C5, he complains that my fav road is too bumpy and he prefers to avoid it. I dont notice it at all and advised him to start shopping for new tires or a C3!

seacliffe301

Didn't the glass leafs offer a stiffer ride, or am I remembering that wrong?

leadfoot4

To my experience, the 'glass spring, in conjunction with a set of gas shocks, offered a much smoother ride. The "buckboard" ride disappeared.

BLUE1972

Went with Monroe shocks on my 72 and replaced the 15 year old tires that got stiff. Like a NEW CAR RIDE.. Also if you have 60 series go to the 225 - 70 series and it improves the ride. Remember front is handling and rear is ride.

TIRES DO GET STIFF AFTER A FEW YEARS, even the 85 which is lowered and more of a race car benefitted from new tires after 11 years.