defending the mid 70's c3 faith
 

I think it may be up to us mid-70's c3 owners to give our cars a new image. When I first bought my 76, one of the first coments i got was "OH thats one of the 150 hp Corvettes" -------which is not entirely true (180 rwhp doesn't sound like that much either). Now, I know that my 1976 Stingray is not a world class sports car, nor am I trying to make it out to be one. But, I'll tell you neither is the 1969 Boss 429, or 1964 GTO, or hemi cuda, or any ather 60's muscle car. The simple fact is they will all get there butts whipped by a viper or M3 on a track. So back to my point.I happen to love the style of our stingrays and they are easily upgraded to the power level (and beyond) of many of the famous muscle cars of the 60's. Also our cars come stock with power 4 wheel disc brakes, 4 wheel indep. suspension and a real nice weight balance. So modify the sheet out of your cars guys!!!!!( I've got a 383 stroker goin in mine) and next time you pull up to a Honda Civic with a fart can or a snobbish big block 60's Vette (as much as I love em) show them the potential of our rubber bumbered cars. Or maybe it's just the beer talkin!!!! :willy:

personally, I love the look of a rubber bumper shark with 17" mag wheels. No other body mods - they are great looking as-is, just a good paint job and wheels... then, if you put in a nice engine it will go as good as it looks! There are several on this forum that follow that forumula ( :) ) and I think they look great!

I feel the same! :iagree:

I love all Vettes but my RED 76 Stingray really turns heads.

I can't count all the times I have been stopped to talk about the C3s :yesnod:

I too feel that the bodys should be left alone, they are beautiful just the way they are. and 17"s look perfect on the shark which goes to show you what a timeless style the C3 is.

And as far as Horsepower goes I have surprised :eek: quite a few unenlightened automotive enthusiasts after politely listening to how weak mid 70s Corvettes are :lol:

I love this Vette... :cool:

Just one small point: that was 180 Net HP, taken on an engine dyno at the flywheel. Rear wheel HP would be less. :(

tom...

I followed one half way to work this morning. Looked great, sounded good. It left everyone (common daily drivers) just setting there when we left the light. I'm a big fan.

Rubber bumpered frighten the sh$t out of 'em non bumper rubbered bumper siblings monster toy......

Chromalusion Aquapurpeline 540 Richmond 6-speed BB rusted side exhaust now being changed to ss truck stacks after I find the pipe bender to bend the 90" ss pipe in the garage

Bring on them non rubber bumpered bumped aside to acknowledge the rubber bumpered bump bump bump monster toy

I'm first in line, boss....

Huh?? :confused: Somebody call in a frickin translator. :crazy:

Get in,
Sit down,
Shut up,
And
HOLD ON!!!! ;)

I specifically bought my '77 to have a car that was nice, but not too nice to modify the way I wanted to. The body and interior on mine is stock, but that's pretty much the only thing that's still stock.

I like to build my cars up. I can't see myself ever buying a car that was too nice/rare to modify.

To each his own.

Jeff C.

:thumbs:

I guess if you can afford 400 horses under the hood, you can also afford to put the petrol in it. I can still drive my '75 all week on a tank of gas, and have a ton of fun doing it.

I agree
 

if you buy a chrome bumper big block car, you'll pay a weight penalty, get bad mileage and may have to worry about overheating. I love big blocks but i've seen many owners remove those motors to protect there value and have to buy a crate big block ( GM 502) to put in it's place while the original motor sits on a hoist in their garage. Thats just too rich for my blood! I think that idea appeals mostly to retired folks tat have the money, time and menchanical experience to handle all that drama.
Mid-late vettes, I think< are best viewed as either great starter vettes, ssolw cool cruisers for pulling mini-skirts or as fame works for the semi exotics that the General couldn't / wouldn't make during there original production.
Now my blk 77 only cost me $6500, and thats a steal for a car thgats as dead sexy as that one when you consider how much attention i've gotten while driving it. U dont hear from many 302 small block Camaro owners or Burt Reynalds "Bandit" TA's people about having people snap cell phone pictres of their cars while driving ( even when not unwashed).
Had i lived on the mainland or just been more patient i wouldv'e gotten a stroker from the get go, however parts for building soemthing like that a hard to come by on the island and shipping is $8.00 a pound.
So i was more limited i my choices, but had bought the car knowing i wanted some sort of custom crate V8 motor. Mid-Late C3's should be viewed as a semi blank canvas on which the automotive artist can paint there wildest dreams!

I bought my 76 because of the price. The price is low compared to the chrome bumpered cars. That's fine. If, for example I bought an expensive Vette or any other car for that matter (original, low mileage L88, 69 Hurst/Olds, etc) you can't really enjoy these cars unless you drive 'em. But if you drive them, you also drive down the price.

With my '76, I can modify the engine, add a nice sounding stereo, drive across the country with the tops down, in short I can enjoy the car. I love the soft nose C3's. They're affordable, drivable, and you can make it into what you want (I would agree that the body should be left alone - the formula for that was right on). Chev wasn't allowed to make a 400 hp mid 70's vette. However, they gave us a powerplant that can be individually modified wthout penalty (depends where you live). In 1976 one option was a Cat. converter delete (in Canada).

So enjoy the mid 70's cars. Keep them stock, or make em into Snake Skinners. They bring back great memories. Yes, we dressed funny and danced to disco music...but back then, safe sex was movin' the bed away from the wall. :smash: :eek: :nono: :lol:

:iagree:

Our sharks are gorgeous! The mid-70s Vettes are full of potential and are easy to tweak for performance. It's always fun to see a street sleeper smoke some Audi or a stiff in a Volvo... :lol:

I chose to go right down the middle... A 73, with a little bit of everything. New styling from the front, old styling from the rear. ...And a 383 stroker motor in the 430hp range. Turns heads like crazy.

Hi George!!!! :D :thumbs: :thumbs:

Dep

Sounds like fun..... :lol: :cool:

I'm just glad they kept on building the vette as a vette and not do what that other car comany (you know, the one that starts with a F and ends with a D) did with their so called sports car. Remember the mid to late '70's mustang? Yech! At least we don't have a four banger vette we have to defend!

First, it's all relative based on year model. Despite a low point in performance across all auto manufacturers, the mid-70's Corvettes remained true to the car's spirit yet became more plush in order to address a changing & evolving market.

Today, rubber bumper sharks remain a great looking Corvette and a great value with almost no limit on modifications and customizations (just look on E-Bay).

Amen Brother!!!! the mid 70's were a sad time in Automotive history. But I love the clean lines of the rubber bumper cars...especially the verts and tunnel backs. If you know your gonna wanna play with it these are great cars to start with.....and I agree....Leave the body stock...I have to admit I was looking at c4 seats so my ass doesn't slide around.

Just saw a '78 for sale here locally. The price was certainly right. Shark looks for an affordable price and lots of performance potential. They are truly undervalued at the moment. I'm still thinking about buying this car for a father/son project. I think we could spiff it up pretty nice over the next year before he starts driving. He could put all his classmate's ricers in their place. Plus, it would keep him from begging to drive my '68.

My 79 is no "63 Split window". However when I balance the fact that I drive my 79 everyday nearly year round I find the car great.
Just came back from running the car on Pocono Race track banked turns and road course. Drove there and back. I was supprised how well the car did and a race car driver friend of mine was not supprised he said that Vettes are factory race cars. Great seats hold you during hard cornering, fair stright away speed(will get faster). Just plain fun. Nice black paint job with lines that up close and personal look great. Never appricated these rubber bumper cars until I owned one. Bought the car for a great price, little by little upgrades which I hope include a 383 next year make it perform better. All part of the for me hands on hobby. :steering:

I am with you guys. :thumbs:

I paid a reasonable price for my '82 and will drive it, enjoying the dependability and 16 mpg in town 22 mpg highway, until it's 25th birthday. Then I'll drop in a 383 stroker and enjoy it even more!

I could go on and on about the looks but I'd be preaching to the choir. For smiles/ $ you can't beat it. :cheers:

My son and I worked modifying his 95 Z-28 and had a great time. I turned it over to him when he turned 16. He treats it like his baby and we have more in common than most teenagers and parents. I have a 95 T/A for my 15 year old. He is way excited.

I think you should do it! Just my .02.

Sounds like a sweet car. I hope you got approval from the rest of the forum for all of those mods. With the 540 and Richmond 6-speed, are you sure you can keep up with the factory big block egos....er...uh, I mean guys...

The Smog Year 'Vettes are made to be modded. They're plentiful and cheap. They're RWD, V8 cars so the platform's already there and they're never going to be worth piddly squat to the collector crowd.

Mod 'em. Drive 'em. Break 'em.

That's what they're there for.

haha, i cant believe you compared a 69 boss429 and other relatively rare muscle cars to a m3 or viper. Comon man, compare apples to apples. The viper is a 80k dollar car, the m3 is built to handle. The old muscle cars of the day could still beat a m3 on the strait line.

This doesnt seem true either. Why dont you ask chuck harmon what kinda problems his bb is running him. Seems he last reported his 477hp and 445tq 427bb was getting 18 miles per gallon. Vettemaniac is getting 18.9mpg with his bigblock and Zwede hit 20mpg with his 454. Im not sure what Norval is getting, but im sure he is getting some pretty good gas mileage also. The early c3s were also lighter then the later ones, so the extra 150 pounds for the bigblock in the early c3 evens itself out with the later ones. I dont think any of the bb cars are having any real heating problems. Seems heating problems occur to both the sb and bb folks becuase of a plugged up radiator, missing radiator seals, or poor airflow.

The Corvette wasn't REALLY a 'super-car', in the 'World-class' term, until the C4s came out, which were the first time that GM REALLY tried matching the Europeans:
all the earlier chrome-bumper cars can offer, over the mid/late C3s, were big-blocks and no smog-crap.

Most of the chrome-bumpered/big-block cars are so valuable these days, nobody drives them, and NOBODY modifies/hot-rods them!

You can buy a rubber-bumper Shark for much less than it's chrome-bumpered brethren, modify it to suit your personal tastes, out-run the early C3 (and a few C4s/C5s, too!), drive and enjoy it, and still have $$$ left in your pocket, compared to the prices of chrome-bumpered cars.

If you pull-in at a car-cruise, or even a Corvette-only gathering, with a tastefully-modified/hot-rodded mid-to-late C3, you'll stand-out in the vast waste-land of '84-up Vettes:
exactly how-many Torch Red c5s can you look-at?????

The mid-to-late C3s need no 'defending of the faith':
they got Chevrolet into the '80s, where the then-new technology made it what is today, a World-class car in every way.

The mid-to-late C3s are also great entry-level cars for persons wanting to get-into the Corvette-tradition;
they'll always be-around, and most poeple will think of C3s when the word "Corvette" is mentioned.

:thumbs:

I like 'em both ways-50% with chrome bumers, 50% with rubber bumpers ;)

:steering: ;)

[QUOTE=lostpatrolman]haha, i cant believe you compared a 69 boss429 and other relatively rare muscle cars to a m3 or viper. Comon man, compare apples to apples. The viper is a 80k dollar car, the m3 is built to handle. The old muscle cars of the day could still beat a m3 on the strait line.

actually i've seen 60k mile vipers for $22000, which I believe is way less than a 69 boss 429 of comparable mileage (am I wrong????...I've owned 3 mustangs and an pretty familiar with their prices) also a stock M3 ( which I have seen used with 80k miles for about $12000) can run a 13 sec 1/4 mile .....only a handful of stock 60 muscle cars could match that.plus get their butts whipped on a track. SO I think I AM comparing apples to apples........My only points being, I love 70 Vettes but don't compare them to world class sports cars(without heavy mods)...And while muscle cars snobs continue to ignore the rubber bumpered as a collectable car, I will keep and mod my 76 Vette as I wish and enjoy driving it and whipping their unsuspecting butts
:cheers:

I bought my 74 vert because i love the way it looks!

I recently bought a 69 vert because i love the way it looks!

Point is i like all the c3 bodystyles :D

I love my 75 and all other VETTE's are in the same boat. :cheers:

Bring it...chrome bumper BB's taste good.

:reddevil:

Want to adopt me :D ??

My son helped me mask off the '68 to get it ready for gelcoat tonight--and he volunteered! If he keeps up, that '78 'll be in the driveway soon. Then I just have to explain it to the wife...geee dear, look what followed me home.....

Speed costs money how fast do you want to go?

I looked at a dozen vettes. I bought the one I did because the frame was unbelievably solid and basically it was the best vette I could afford. If I had an extra few grand I would have got a 72 LS5.

Not to mention what they did to the Thunderbird. At least they are still making the Mustangs , Shame the Firebird and Z28 are gone , Anybody think they will be back?

I wish
 

I wish someone would think my 75 had 165 hp. :rolleyes:
im making 310 now and after i put these GM fastburn heads on i will stomp some ass :smash:

Right on, I think that makes us better off than a lot of Dads. The wife should understand. :thumbs:

I'm doing my thing to make my 75 competitive with the vipers or anything else roaming the highways. The 460 motor gets 12 pounds of boost from a 8-71. I have coilovers all around and the suspension is heavily reworked in the front with extended spindles, zero pump and a 6 link in the rear. I also run a tremec.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...m/DSCF0475.jpg

Way to keep the faith, Bro'. Gotta love blowers sticking out of hoods. Sweet! :cheers:

[QUOTE=Glensgages]
Most of the chrome-bumpered/big-block cars are so valuable these days, nobody drives them, and NOBODY modifies/hot-rods them![QUOTE]

Not so, I drive my 69 vert 427 hard and often. I'll never own a car just to put up look at and rub, purists be damned, my vette was made to run not be babied, and I like to let her eat. I wouldnt be the least bit concerned about modifying it either. It's my car, and always will be, I like to drive the hell out of it, and could care less about it being all "original".

I'm sure im not the only one.

I like the looks of all the c3's, but i've seen a few posts on this thread coming dangerously close to bashing the early bb chrome cars. Thats just nuts, if you love your 68', or your 78' or even your VW beetle, good for you, who cares what anyone else thinks.

ewalker302:
You are one of the minority, and I didn't mean to offend you in any way;
if you prefer I change my stastement to "FEW" drive/modify the early big-block cars, I will.
:cheers:

I didn't mean to 'bash' the big-block cars ( I ain't THAT stupid...), it was more of a general staement about their rarity, their value, and the people who own them.

I have found that a vast-majority of theses cars' owners are into the "show and shine" thing, more interested in preserving these cars;
Only a few are driven and enjoyed for the sake of being driven and enjoyed, and fewer-still are modified, unless they were saved from destruction.

Maybe it is a 'regional' thing, but here in Pa., I rarely see a chrome-bumpered car;
occasionally, I will pass a particular SB vert on a Sunday morning on my way to/from my P.O. Box, but that is 'it'.

Zora didn't build these cars to be 'show'-pieces.....
:thumbs:

I love my 76 too!!!
 

I do have to admit price has alot to do with my choice of year model (76), and would trade it for a chrome bumper vette if the oppertunity ever arises, but prefer the sleek sexy look all the way to the 82.... and don't really like any of them newer than that.... alot will disagree with me, but I think the 84 and up lost the uniqueness of being a vette, and look too much like the camaro's and firebirds of same years.

Take Care All !!!,

Loren :cheers:

World Class
 

World Class
Duntov considered the Corvette to be world class when he got the C2 w/ IRS & said something like now I have a Corvette I would be proud to drive in Europe.
There have been excellent reviews of the Corvette in particuliar the
LT-1 compared to the Ferrari Daytona.
The 77 set a R & T handling record later matched by a Ferrari 512BB. Mario Andretti got close in a C5.
http://ganeys.home.sprynet.com/77facts.htm

Only the sto*k guys are limited by factory HP. Even the L-88 needed exhaust mods.
Some of us have been increasing the HP of ours & others for a long time.

:cool:

Suggest Increase Power.

:cool:

I've got the faith and agree with many of you. Knowing you have a sweet looking C3 and can modify it to your liking is like "having your cake and eating it too." ;)

Yeah Norval - but when are you gonna stop buying those bolt-on
accessories and do some real mods ?

:rofl: :D :rofl: :thumbs:

All C3s are the real deal. Not for superior power, or handling, or
reliability, or good looks. It's the WHOLE PACKAGE - caprice motor
or crate motor - it's thye WHOLE PACKAGE.

Interesting note this Trans Am site had in which admitting it was slower in the quarter than the Corvette!!!

Read on...LOL

The turning point for the late 1970's Trans Am's occurred in 1976. The corporate bean counters had all but given up on killing off the T/A, especially when they saw the enormous profit the model was bringing in. Gradually, nearly as many Trans Am's left the assembly line as the other Firebirds...combined.

For starters, the T/A got a more integrated front end appearance, enhancing the visual appeal. The new front end returned the parking lamps below the front bumper, each within a narrow cooling slot. Unfortunately, the front spoiler was trimmed back again, leaving it to merely be a keepsake from the glory days of old. The color keyed front bumper, covered in deformable urethane, replaced the rubber covered steel unit of the previous year. The bumper smoothly integrated into the front header panel which was still comprised of fibreglass. Round headlamps made their last second generation appearance on the 1976 edition.

To the rear of the car, the styling pattern which influenced the front was copied. The rear bumper was also covered in a soft urethane with a depression in the center, eliminating the false bumper bar. This theme made the Trans Am a much more complete looking car. The tail lamps were still of body color and stretched from the corner of the rear end to the license plate recess.

Inside the wide doors, a new interior greeted the owner. The seats were a bit more contoured, with richer materials. Vertical ribbing replaced the horizontal sew lines of the 1971 thru 75 seats. The seats also were thicker appearing, with additional padding. Buckskin replaced saddle and just as burgundy was given up for firethorn, GM's new "wonder color". The material for the base vinyl seats was of Oxen vinyl while custom trim ordered up Tetra vinyl. Again, no cloth trim was offered.

At 185 hp, the 400 was still the base motor and relatively unchanged from the 1975 edition. The engine coded WU when ordered with a manual or YS, Y9 or YZ for Federal cars or ZK if California bound when assigned to the automatic,

Returning for what was to be it's final season (again?) was the optional 455 V8, still labeled in H.O. guise. As with the 400, the specs were virtually interchangeable with the 1975 edition. Once again the 455 was packaged, including the confidence inducing semi-metallic front brake pads. As a 4-speed manual was still the required transmission with the big motor, California cars were not allowed this combination (nor any other 4-speeds, for that matter). The single exhaust system was unchanged from 1975 and exited through dual tail pipes with chrome splitters.

The shaker hood scoop, while still no longer functional would make it's last appearance as the original rounded design. The pronounced intake lip of the shaker would be less so in the model years's to follow.

All Trans Am's were still fitted with the GR70x15 steel belted radial ply tires. The tires were still offered in black wall or raised white letters for appearance sake. Rally II wheels, body colored (or argent) with bright spoke accents and trim rings were standard. The honey comb wheels common to most Trans Ams were a no cost upgrade. As with the shaker hood scoop design, these wheels would be offered no longer after 1976

Black was finally offered on a T/A this year, but only about 2590 of them. The Y82/Y84 Special Edition's made their debut as a limited run of Pontiac Motor Division 50th anniversary package cars. The Starlite black exterior was highlighted in gold with pin stripes, starting at the front bumper, wrapping around the body via the wheel openings, finishing it's journey at the rear bumper. Completing the gold exterior accents were a specific hood bird decal, headlamp bezels, grilles, fascia mounted Firebird crest, and honey comb wheels. A small portion of the cars also received black chrome splitter tail pipes. Inside, a gold finished engine turned instrument panel applique replaced the silver tone of other T/A's and the black spokes in the Formula steering wheel were supplanted by a gold version. Either the 400 automatic or 455 manual combinations could be ordered.

It was on this special T/A that an option would be introduced that would literally open up an entire market - the T-Top. Originally slated to be fitted to all anniversary edition cars, only 643 were actually produced with the tops. The tops, manufactured for Pontiac by Hurst, were known as Hurst Hatches and were fitted after assembly. Of the 643 50th anniversary models with Hurst Hatches, 110 were built with the 455/4-speed combination, while 319 455's had the 50th package without the tops. The 400 cars featured 533 with t-tops, and 1628 without.

Sterling silver and Cameo white were the only colors to return to the 1976 line-up. In addition to Starlite Black, Goldenrod yellow, and a pair of much different reds- Carousel and Firethorn were added to the line up. Although Firethorn red was a must have on the rest of the GM offerings, it looked somewhat out of place on the Trans Am.

The September 1975 issue of Road Test magazine (which unfortunately went out of circulation 1981), featured a silver 1976 Trans Am on the cover. Highlighting the cover was an appropriate sell job: "The King is back! First '76 Test: Firebird Trans Am 455 HO. In this issue, the 455 T/A is objectively examined and exposed, being touted "It is the fastest accelerating and best-cornering American car you can buy".This was a very strong statement indeed, but remember, the vaunted Corvette could only hand off 210 hp while the only producing 255 lb/ft of torque in the L82 version.

In search of the fastest American car (guess what was on the cover, again ), the April 1976 issue of Car & Driver discovered accelerating from 0-60 took 7.0 seconds, while an additional 8.6 seconds were needed to produce a speed of 90.3 mph in completing the quarter mile. Winding the big inch engine to 4850 rpm, 350 rpm beyond the maximum recommended engine speed, gear produced a top speed of 118 mph in fourth gear. In 1976 these were big numbers, however, our beloved bird did not fare so well. The Corvette was .3 seconds quicker in the 1/4-mile time and went 6.5 mph faster on the top end, benefiting from less frontal area. The worst news of the article was a bias-ply tired 360 cubic inch Dodge Dart didn't quit going any faster until it's 220 horsepower propelled it to nearly 122 mph.

The good news of the article featured the excellent brakes of the T/A. In stops from 70 miles per hour, the front disc/rear drum 3820-lb Trans Am stopped 20 feet shorter than the all-disc brake equipped 3655-pound Corvette. Twenty feet may not seem much, but in life it is the difference between wheeew, made it! and aww-&$%#. From a standing start the Corvette also needed 1-tenth of a second longer to meet the sixty mile per hour mark.

The Trans Am was definitely the rage in 1976. It was the car to have. So popular was the T/A in fact, 46,701 were built as 1976 model year. This accounted for forty-two percent of Firebird production. Why was the car so popular? As more and more people became fed up with sluggish cars, (heck the gas was flowing again!) the Trans Am was the last resource of performance. The $4987.00 base price still delivered the buyer a lot of bang for the buck. Double digit percentage price increases hadn't yet been tacked on by Pontiac, so the car entered '76 only $247.00 higher than in 1976. But the popularity was just beginning as 1977 was about to make all the Burt Reynolds wanna be's noticed, as a "bandit" was about to be unmasked.