SonOfGaladriel

I've had my stock '69, small block, for 6 months now. She's a nice driver quality car and very well mechanically and cosmetically maintained by the previous owner, which I will certainly continue. I love the car, love driving it, but she is a bit stiff, a bit under responsive in the steering, lots of little squeaks and rattles (which do add some charm of course).
There is about one inch of play in the steering wheel, it does have the composite rear spring, newer coil springs, fairly new shocks, still on 15" rims on new tires.
All in all, a pretty decent ride for a 44 year old car, but I'm considering some potential future upgrades. I'm new to this and need some advice.
I don't want to turn it into a hotrod or be too radical, no days at the track for me. She's just for cruising.
I would like the car to ride smoother, have improved steering response, and perhaps a bit more power, be more efficient.
What are the top 5 things I can, do, on a modest budget, to achieve the desired results? I'd appreciate an approximate cost estimate for each up grade as well if you can provide it.
Lastly, since she is fairly original and stock, should I just leave her alone and enjoy her the way she is?
Thanks!

SonOfGaladriel

Here she is:

Amorget

Buy a 1974 Chevy Vega, drive it for a month and you'll forget all about any of the issues with the Corvette ;-)

Honestly, rebuild the suspension and find out why you have 1" of play in the steering and fix that. How old are the shocks? If they are really old buy a descent set. Power and fuel mileage are a little more complicated, headers and exhaust maybe depending on what you have currently.

SonOfGaladriel

I've had my local Chevy dealer look at the play in the steering wheel and they said it was normal and didn't recommend any repair. The play seems to be coming from between the steering box and the steering wheel. I've turned the screw 1/2 turn and that helped a bit. Too nervous to turn it any more, cause I've read it can cause problems.
Shocks are about two years old now, no signs of any leaking, but I'm not sure of their quality.
What can I expect to pay to rebuild the suspension?

ddawson

I'd send the steering box out to be blue printed and replace the idle arm. Check the rag joint too. Check the tie rods for play too.

Is the rear spring show the rating?

Amorget

I don't know jack nor %^& about your local Chevy dealership, but I know I would never take a car older than about 15 years to a dealership. I would bet half the service guys there weren't even born when the last C3 rolled off the assembly line. Find a local place that knows Corvettes, older Corvettes, and take it to them. Ask on the regional board for your area for recommendations.

As far as cost to rebuild the suspension, no idea. I believe there is a vendor that sells the entire kit for 199, but if you want to drop it off at a place for them to do it all, I really have no idea.

Flivver61

Steeroids. I upgraded my whole suspension, which is nice, but when I added steeroids rack and pinion, its like a new car, handles nice and tight. I didn't want to spend the money for rack and pinion, but so glad I did.
FYI, I have a 46k mile 72, and it is very solid, and in very good shape.

TimAT

I live in KC- and years ago I worked at 3 of the Chevy dealers in the KC area- I wouldn't take them anything that wasn't under warranty unless I wanted to part with some very large $$$. Not to mention that the old guys that KNEW the older cars have long since retired or moved on. All the young guys know is how to plug it in to the computer to tell them what's wrong.
Getting the steering box tight and to the correct specs will do a lot for your experience. Setting the end play with the adjuster on the top of the box without checking the rest of the box can destroy the gears inside- and they are really getting hard to find. Along with a careful inspection of the front end components- tie rods, ball joints, idler arm etc., followed by a good alignment. Take a look at the rag joint too. It's possible it's died and your steering box is fine.
The local Corvette Club is pretty much sponsored by Hendricks Chevrolet on Shawnee Mission Parkway- at least they used to have the monthly club meetings there. My 69 is pretty much modified to suit me and some of the members want to argue with me about it so I let them do the thing they want and I do mine. But it might be a place for you to start looking.
IF you don't have any luck with them, drop me a PM.

Jasonb86

When I got my '70 last year, my biggest problem driving it was the heat and noise in the interior. Two boxes of Dynamat xtreme from amazon and a layer of reflectix (lowes),and my car was noticeably cooler and more quiet inside. Less rattles too. I put it under the dash, seats, doors, and through the rear storage area as well. It's a nice upgrade you can do yourself. You just need a pair of mechanic's gloves, box cutter, 3m adhesive (for reflectix), box cutters, and some patience. They make pre-cut kits as well but it did not bother me to shape and cut mine. Was like building a jigsaw puzzle.

scottw

Sweet looking car. Congrats.
The one inch play isn't too bad. Think mine is about 2-3 inches. If it is between the wheel and box I would say it is time for a new rag joint.
Front suspension upgrade is about 275 for new ball joints, tie rods, etc. (USA Made, Chinese or Mexico made is 208) http://willcoxcorvette.com/product_i...ducts_id=25756
The steering gearbox rebuild runs around 190. http://www.muskegonbrake.com/corvett...earbox-rebuild

All the links were the first places I looked. Shop around to find the best deals.

SonOfGaladriel

Thank you all for the replies. I'm going to start reading up on the steeroids and the suspension upgrade kits from Wilcox.
Any advice on carburetor upgrades?

Jason Staley

First thing, you have a beautiful car . Since you don't want to take it the track or anything like that and just want a nice classic corvette to have fun with, here are some things that I would recommend as a start:

Squeaks.

Make sure your T-Top bushings and hardware are in good shape and not missing or worn out. When the body flex's the T-Tops can make noise. Plus these are just inexpensive parts to not have working properly.

http://www.volvette.com/TB30A.html



http://www.volvette.com/b-tophardware/TB04.html



http://www.volvette.com/b-tophardware/TB02.html



For ride comfort

Since your car has been upgraded to a fiberglass spring, I would get a set of shocks valved for it. The fiberglass spring has different damping characteristics that the original steel one. For the best ride, not harsh, but still handles well on the street I would go with the KYB GR2's from Vette Brake Products. By far the best riding shocks I have had.

http://www.vbandp.com/auto-parts.htm...category_id=46

For steering response

First either adjust your steering box correctly or have it blue printed. There should be very little slop in the steering box. Also get all new MOOG joints for the steering (don't get the cheap overseas parts ... you wiil regret it in this area). Also make sure to get a new MOOG heavy duty idler arm (bolts to frame on passenger side). If you get the factory steering rebuilt properly with good hardware, you will be amazed to how it can function. Also, while you have the steering box out, replace the steering coupler that connects the box to the steering column. The rubber needs to be in good condition or the steering will feel sloppy.

I know alot of people swear by Steeroids, but it isn't necessary really. Nice and trick but the factory system isn't bad IF it is in good shape. I use my car on road courses with the factory setup with NO issues at all and I have no desire for a quicker steering ratio. Just different choices for different folks really.

For the engine responsiveness

Unless your experienced at carburetors, I would seriously think about saving the money from not buying a Steeroids rack & pinion and use it for a throttle body fuel injection. By the way, I have carberurators on two cars and I love them, but they take time and money to learn. If you live in an area like me, good luck in finding any mechanic that knows jack about carb's.

There are some newer throttle body EFI systems out that fit under standard air cleaners to keep that original look and are self tuning so they should be relatively easy to get up and running. Plus itwill more than likely help efficiency a little, and will be easier to start on cold mornings.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/d...ection-systems

One more thing

If its a manual transmission, I would either rebuild the factory shifter or go with a more modern design shifter. Unless it has been rebuilt, there has to be some wear in the bushings. A little slop here will make shifting more vague and the car not as much fun.

SonOfGaladriel

Jason- thank you very very much for all of this detailed info! This is exactly what I was hoping for. Thank you for taking the time to provide all the links and for the advice!
Simply great! I'm going to research the above right now.

CA-Legal-Vette

I was thinking of a good Top 5 list to get you started. Jason's write up above covers a lot of items pretty well. Though I'm not sure I agree with switching to FI, it has merritt too but isn't what I'd call a budget upgrade. Instead of going through the same technical approach, I thought I'd throw out something different.

1). Get Tools: I think it's hard to enjoy these cars if you have to take it into someone every time something breaks or isn't right. Make no mistake, things will break. Get tools to handle the work that you have the skills to manage and buy quality. You don't need Snap On ( though I love the ones that I have), but I wouldn't buy wrenches at Harbor Freight.

2). Get Knowledge: The forum is a great place to gain knowledge about these cars but there are many other sources too. Tim suggested Corvette clubs and it's a good suggestion. Enthusiasts are a great way to learn about the cars, local mechanics and even great places to drive locally. Speaking of Tim, he's on my Outlook list of contacts. I'd take him up on his PM offer.

3). Safety First: Hard to enjoy driving these cars if you expect to crash and die every time you take it out. Steering should be tight and braking should be excellent. if they aren't, address these first.

4). Make a list and check it twice: Appologies for the Christmas theme. As you learn more and start to find things that need doing or you want to do, try to keep a list and review for prioritization. It's far too easy to get diverted with chasing a rattle that just appeared and is annoying you. While a new noise might be telling you something important, so is the fact that you have slop in the steering. See item 3.

5). Drive It: Lots! Once you're past any safety issues, the more you drive it, the more you'll enjoy driving it. Too many folks (myself included) will have their cars off the road for years at a time doing major rebuilds. While not inherently wrong, many people get burned out and lose interest over time. Had I not started driving mine extensively over the last 18 months, I would certainly have sold it when I moved and I may not have come back to the hobby. Drive it, drive it and drive it some more. A car that beautiful belongs on the road.

vettefred

Comments such as the above serve no constructive purpose and only serve to denigrate the many folks who work as techs at Chevy dealerships and are Corvette enthusiasts. Our Chevy store actively participates with two local Corvette Clubs and has helped restore dozens of C-3 Corvettes.

Painting with such a wide brush hurts many.

Fred

7T1vette

In order of importance:

1. Check your 'ragjoint' (flex coupling between steering column and steering box) for slop/degradation. If defective, refurbish the coupling you have by replacing the flex disc and cleaning/painting it.

2. Take your car to a REPUTABLE (that means you research where to go from other vintage Corvette owners) alignment shop. Have them check all of the steering and suspension systems out and inform you of the detailed results. Tell them in advance that they may, or may not, be doing any repair work that they find necessary and ask how much this inspection will cost--up front. Make repairs as necessary in the least expensive way possible (DIY is almost always the BEST way).

3. Get a better set of tires (yours may be several years old...check the mfg. date). Or even better, get a set of 18" wheels and some 45 or 50 series tires.

4. If the shocks on your car are hydraulic, change them to gas shocks. Bilstein Heavy-Duty in the front and Sports in the back for your car (w/rear monoleaf spring). If they are too expensive for your budget, get some Monroe gas shocks--but they won't last nearly as long before they need replacement.

5. Replace that 15", thin black POS steering wheel with a nice, leather-wrapped and padded 13-14" wheel. Good ones that look similar to the C3 spoked wheel are available for around $90-100. If you want it to match your interior, mask the spokes, wipe the leather down with lacquer thinner, then shoot it with matching color of SEM ColorCoat vinyl dye.

6. Anything else you do would require converting your stock suspension and steering systems to some more modern aftermarket kit. But, be aware that the stock C3 systems--if in good condition--were/are very good by most standards. I believe that if they were in good condition, you would not be asking this question.

P.S. If you have stock power steering system, you may need to rebuild the control valve and replace P/S hoses, if they indicate leakages. These are relatively low-dollar fixes and DO NOT require the replacement of stock equipment with alternative steering boxes to yield good steering performance.

Amorget

I am sorry I hurt your feelings Fred, however it does serve a purpose. Too many people think the dealer is the only place to take you car and they will give you the best service for your Chevy. That just is not the case in 99% of scenarios. Did you even read father into the post where a guy who worked at 3 Chevy dealers agreed with me?

In case you didn't, here is the quote:

I am glad that you found an exception; in my area, I have not.

Mike Ward

Find out what's wrong with your existing steering and suspension before feeling the need to throw the baby out with the bath water.

There are no carburetor upgrades. The alternatives out there are different, not better.

74modified

I would make sure what have now is correct before modifying anything - and I like to change things. Good alignment, steering, check all bushings, maybe some new tires. You may be happy as-is. I do recommend changing the brake flex hoses to steel braided and good brake fluid change.

TimAT

Properly setup Quadrajet will run with anything out there. And finding and correctly fixing the steering and suspension problems will not only be the least expensive solution, but for the type of driving you intend to do, most likely be the best.
I replaced all of the bushings in the front and rear suspension on my 69 simply because they were cracked and looked bad. Nothing was really feeling loose, but it sure did make a difference.