Linas

Hello guys,

After some time of daydreaming about it, I have finally purchased 1977. It is in crispy condition, runs well, looks good, etc Anyhow, I have started to work on it, fixing some floor rusting, worn rubber hoses, and so on.

Maybe I can ask for some online sources regarding 1977 restoration and also some personal experiences working on this model. Naturally, while I advance in my restoration, I will have more specific questions and 'search' function in the forum will be more useful for me Now I just want to get some basic information. By the way, I have ordered owner's manual for '77.

As I'm half a world away from the homeland of Corvettes, I understand that in some cases I will have to be really creative in replacing broken original parts with available alternatives or do some things on my own, as shipping of original stuff is quite complicated

Thanks in advance and good luck working on and driving your sharks!

panic

i'm on this side of the pond as well...i also have a '77...
welcome to this forum linas

Durango_Boy

I may be from America, but I too have a '77 Vette. Congrats, and welcome to the forum. You'll love it here.

Is there anything specifically we can help you with right now or were you just introducing yourself?

jotto

Linas, Hi and welcome! Im in the UK and parts are not a problem. Most suppliers ship to Europe and its quick so no worries!

Good luck and enjoy the forum!

Linas

Hey, thanks for kind welcome words Well, I was more like introducing myself and asking for general info, however, I would also like to ask a couple more specific questions:

- Does anyone have a photo of original '77 plastic engine coolant tank? In my car is has been replaced with another one, which is rather loose, too wide and therefore too close to the engine. I would like to install "original-like one, as I do not want it to melt while driving and spilling coolant all over the place.

- Tilt&telescopic steering wheel cannot be fixated on telescopic movement axis and therefore is moving back and forth. Where might be the problem & how to fix it?

- The steering wheel is very "heavy", so I assume power steering is either totally dead or close to that. What step of diagnostics and repairing would you suggest?

- Hazard blinking lights - when I turn them on, which lights should blink - rears, rear sides, front sides, and fronts? Or fronts shouldn't?

Many thanks in advance for answering that bunch of stupid questions

panic

[QUOTE=Linas]
- Does anyone have a photo of original '77 plastic engine coolant tank?

http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?p...dept%5Fid=1251

Linas

Grazie

Durango_Boy

Okay...Panic beat me to the pic of the coolant tank. I was on my way up to snap one of mine while it's out of the car.

Your second question, about the tele/tilt column is pretty easy. When you're sitting in the car, staring at the wheel...at the top of the horn button is a small tab, on the top of a ring that goes around the column. This tab either moves left or right. One way tightens it, and the other way loosens it. Check to make sure that is loose or tight, and that may be your problem.

For the power steering. I'm guessing you checked for power steering fluid level? That's generally the first problem. If it's fine, check all the rubber lines for anything that may be pinched. If they are fine, you may be looking at replacing the pump, which after a few decades is always a good idea. Note: You will need a pulley puller/installer kit to get the power steering pulley off...but they can be ordered from many catalogs.

When your hazards are switched on, the front signal lights and the rear signal lights are all that blink. Your driving or marker lights do not blink. If you need to replace the hazard flasher relay, it's the one tucked way up on top of the fuse panel. To get to it, it's easiest to remove the driver's seat, lay on your back on the floor, and look up under the dash with a flashlight.

No question on this forum is a stupid question. Never feel ashamed to ask anything...and anyone that gives you a hard time is just a ****** so don't worry. we have your back.

Hope I helped a little.

stingraymaniac

welcome here
from sweden myself,this is a great place to be,only friendly vette owners

panic

[QUOTE=Durango_boy]Okay...Panic beat me to the pic of the coolant tank. I was on my way up to snap one of mine while it's out of the car.

Linas

Sure, it helped a lot! Thanks

panic

hi linas, let us know how is the situation in lithuania, many enthusiasts of american cars? clubs? interesting meetings? shows? do you have pics of your car? did you buy it in vilnius or is it coming from 'western' europe?

Linas

There's a couple American cars enthusiasts' clubs, however, I won't say that they are very active. Shows & meetings are more like internal club events and the only occassion for the classic cars to get in front of the eyes of wider public are the general auto or tuning shows, not specializing on classic cars.

As for Corvette C3's, I've checked with national car registry agency to find out that there are 10 of them currently registered in our country. Having in mind the population of Lithuania, it's 1 car per 350,000 people (it would be interesting to know this number for US )

I bought my Vet from a person, who got shipped from US a year ago and all he did with it, was some engine-work and interior "restoration" - tearing all stuff apart with intention to restore it and reinstall in sometime in the far future.

Now I have fixed all floor rusting, cleaned interior rusting, will start further paintwork and insulation soon. Then it will come time for new carpeting and leather restoration. The engine & related components (except powersteering & vacuum) seem to be working as a Swiss-made handwatch, anyhow, I will reinspect them further on

I will upload some pictures of my Vet soon.

Linas

Just a short question out of topic - in my 'reply to thread' field there is no 'browse' button for attaching pictures from my hard drive. Is this an option available only for advanced forum members or I am just missing something? Thanks.

panic

linas, go to www.photobucket.com you upload there your images and then from there you can post them here with their easy to use program (copy/paste/etc)...it's free.

Linas

So here are some pics of my '77. The ones in the beginning are when it still was in US, others were done here, in Lithuania.

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q91/Linas_Palovis/

panic

good project linas

Jud Chapin

Welcome to the Forum, Linas.

Orangevette

Love the color! I like the grill painted black on the hood, might do that on mine, gives some contrast.

Durango_Boy

Wow man...you have a fun car, and it's a great project.

Side Note: In Photobucket, where you see the thumbnails...under each one is three URL links. The on on the bottom, with the [IMG] tags, can be copied and pasted to leave an image directly in the post. Very handy for a single picture, or even multiple pictures.

Here's mine, under construction...