couldbefun

i need your help, fellow C3er's. i am looking at a 79 corvette(sorry no stingray) and took it out for a test drive today. here are the problems i noticed. 1. pulls hard to the left 2. wobbles badly, mainly around 25mph and worse at higher speeds 3. steering wheel shakes, mainly when it wobbles. 4. engine is not original, but is a 350 engine from a 67 camaro(rebuilt by certified technician) outfitted with a high lift rv cam. engine performs rock solid, no strange happenings or sounds while driving. well, the tires are very old, and i beleive that is the cause for the steering wheel wobble, the car wobble, and the hard pull to the left(not adjustment, already had that done.) my toyota truck had the same problem, wobbled and pulled it was tread seperation. this leaves the engine swap, which would not be considered a problem except that the guy wants 12k for the car, and wont back down. personally, i think the "new" engine is a step up, but my father tells me it is not a real corvette w/out the original engine. trailing arms/entire front suspension and linkage have been rebuilt recently, around 59k miles, chassis currently has 67k miles, engine has 6k on rebuild. no rust on entire frame, with the exception of a SMALL amount of surface rust in front of rear wheels(go figure :lol: ) new paint job, looks stunning. i am not looking for a parts matching car, just a fun car to drive to the movies, etc. i realize it needs a lot f maintenance being an older car, right now if i bought it it would cost around 3k to get it up to "mint" (600 for tires, 2k for restoring entire interior, 4oo for new rubber, tell me if im off on these) car has been on my mind for months, but finally got it out to test drive w/father. i am 17, have a good job ($9 an hour in a a small town, a good job for a high schooler here is 6.50 an hour) i know i can afford ins and payments, but want to know kow much over he is asking for car.keep in mind it needs 3k to make it a show quality car. interior isnt horrible, but needs repalce within the next 3 years. Mainly, i want to know how should a corvette of this vintage feel when driving? should it be smooth and solid? should it be jumpy and uncomfortable? how should it ride and turn? this one wobbles, but other than that it drives smooth, shifts smooth, but is bumpy. i think it is normal, supposed to be a rocket not a cadillac. know and thanks for your time. here are my questions agains since it is such a long post
1. is this way too much to ask for car?
2. has anyone else had problems with wobble and am i probably right in guessing it is tires?
3. how should a c3 ride?
4. what the hell is a stingray? i see no difference between the normal coupe and a stingray.
and sorry for the LONG post. and cheers to all of your outstanding vehicles :cheers:

PatsLs1vette

personally id keep looking ,12k and still needs work id pass.....just my 2 cents

Nomad78SA

I would pass on the car,sorry..i am with pats406nitrovette on this one. To many excellent cars in that year era in much better condition for less.
Check out this link and see what they have and the prices.
http://www.vettefinders.com/
Also look in the C3 cars for sale here.
Neil in Tenn

squeaky g

Take your time and look at more. There are plenty of resonable priced 75-82's out there looking for a good home. I'd pass on that one. trust us, there will be another that comes along that you like. :yesnod:
Check out:http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/


[Modified by squeaky g, 8:25 PM 1/6/2002]

PatG

12K is too much for that car. It could be tread seperation but it could also be other significant suspension issues. Unless you are very good at working on corvettes you could spend thousands on repairs. If you are doing the work yourself it could still be hundreds in parts and many hours of labor. My '79 had similar problems when I bought it 10 years ago for $5500. I have invested $2000 on interior, $2000 on motor and another $1500 on suspension and brakes with all of my own labor. This puts me at about $11K for a very nice driving '79. Keep your eye out for a good driver for $12K or something less expensive if you want to do work.

squeaky g

Pat, when I saw your sig pic I thought I was looking at my Vette! Nice car.

fauxrs

Too much - pass on that one, there are many other fish, or sharks for that matter, in the sea

Carl in LA

Ok... Lets see if I can preach for a while..

The wobble... no, even Corvettes that have lousy tires don't wobble... that is indicitive of a tire seriously out of balance... perhaps a little worse... an alignment should help.

The replacement engine - Not a problem in my opinion... when an owner does anything serious to the engine they have made it "not stock" and it will never be the same... on your first vette, worry that it runs period, not that it runs and is still stock after 25 years.

The price... maybe a little steep but the replacement parts you mentioned are worth a few thousand dollars... just on what you described... I would offer $8000 for that kind of car.

About the overall situation... enrole in your local college and earn a degree in whatever field interest you... then you can afford either a brand new vette without all the problems that go along with a vintage model or a clean classic or a heap that you can rebuild to whatever suits you.

daniel77350

I gotta '77 if you can wait about 3 months...

its about the same with miles, but no vibrations etc, the interior needs new dash pad ($300) new capret($130) new seat covers($200 leather-like)...Actually it doesn't absolutly need that stuff, but thats stuff I had planned to replace. The engine is being detailed now, but it'll be done by then(and possibly the new carpet)...exterior just got painted 2 months ago, and in feb it goes in for color sanding and buffing(the reason Im not selling until it gets out of the body shop). only 9k ;) OBO. :jester

Daniel

couldbefun

I wnat to thank you all for your helpful input. i am thinking i will try to forget about this car and see what else is out there. it will be hard though, i have not seen such a pretty car in my life. i would have to get one and get the same paintjob- it looks sweet and one of a kind 2 tone blue/white :jester .....I have seen a white stingray(whatever the hell that is) around town for sale, needs a new paintjob though...hmmmm......... ;)

PRNDL

Just like all the above advice, car seems overpriced to me (way overpriced). It may be difficult for you to actually look at a lot of vettes, but you can get an idea from looking at ads - keep an eye on the C3 for sale section on this forum. 79s are near the low end of the price range for C3s, so that means you should be able to get a nice one for $8 - $10k.... maybe even less. Your father is absolutely right. A nonoriginal engine that is more or less similar to the original engine will decrease the value of the car. Did the Camaro have a 350 in 1967? I thought it was a 327, but I cant remember Camaro stats!

Chevrolet badged the corvette with "Sting Ray" (2 words) up until 1967 (Starting when????) . In 1968 there was no badge on the corvette, and then in 1969 there was a "Stingray" emblem on the corvette until I dont know what year. So the "Stingray" is just a badge, and I can't remember when they stopped putting it on the corvette. MJ

squeaky g

I think you will be glad you did. It is a buyers market right now, take your time and enjoy the looking. Sometimes thats part of the fun!

ddecart

The guy wants $12k for the car and he hasn't even fixed the wobble in the front end? RUN!

Like the guy couldn't spend $200 on some decent used tires to get rid of that?

Allthings considered, the car is WAY overpriced. A '79 that needs work and doesn't have the original engine should IMHO be well UNDER $10k.

One note on the engine: The 350 didn't make it's introduction until 1969. So this would be a 327 if it were out of a Camaro. Check the engine numbers. Also...if it has 1967 heads, they don't have hardened valve seats and you'll eventually be needing to do some work there.

Hold out for something better for less $$. It's out there. Be patient.

Gameshow Bob

Run Away! Run Away! I just bought a '80 back in June for about $12ish. New Interior, New Engine, new calipers, 56k miles total. . . for that much money the car should be about perfect! Only thing wrong with the car was the A/C. . . but I've never known a used car to have a working a/c.

QuickVet

i spent 6K for my 79 and it had no problems for 2 years :smash:

Chris Fowler

12k sounds really high to me for a '79...

redc3vette1

SOUNDS LIKE U BETTER PASS THIS ONE UP THERE ARE PLEANTY OF VETTES OUT THERE WITH NO PROBLEMS FOR THAT PRICE OR LESS ....... :cheers: GOOD LUCK :cheers:

Desertdawg

Here is the Arizona dealer:
http://www.cnv-corvettes.com/

They have really nice cars, no beaters:lol: use it as a price reference

The_Dude

Yes, far too much money. I bought a '79 a month ago that needs some minor mechanical and interior work for $4800. For 12k, it should be an immaculate turnkey car.

BeachinVette

I would pass on that car.. There is too many good cars that are in near mint condition for that knid of money..
Good luck
Bob