2TONE82

Hello all,

After some time away I'm close to getting back into the hobby...it's been a long DRY spell without a Vette in the barn...

Going to look at an '80 this week and have a couple of questions

Aluminum Wheels, should they be painted black in the center around the lug nuts? It has the black center caps.

Speedo, what should the speedo read, 85 mph? What if the car was made for export to Canada, would it still be in MPH or KPH?

This is a low mileage car, from a picutre I was emialed, it appears to have a 140 (MPH or KPH?) speedo on it. I know these where availalbe for some time and probably still are. If the speedo has been changed out, then how can I verify the actual mileage?

Thanks in advance.

Fasteighty

No, It shouldn't be painted black in the center. The slots were black but not the centers.

Speedo should read 85 mph. Not sure about MPH or KPH, but someone from Canada should be able to answer.

It's doubtful that you would be able to verify the actual milage. Perhaps the previous owner has it documented somewhere?????

Crash80

I can't answer all your questions but I will tell you that the 140 MPH speedo is not from the factroy in an '80. My '80 had a 140 MPH speedo in it when I bought it. It states the car has about 39,000 on it. I too, was worried about the mileage and manged to track down the previous owner. He told me that he was the one who put the speedo. in and that he believed the mileage to be accurate within about 10-15 miles on the odometer. A lot of guys switch out the speedometers and they are readily available to get through most of the vendors. Luckily I had a lot of paperwork from previous owners that seemed to verify that the mileage is correct. I would think you could track the history and mileage through the DMV of your state to verify some of the mileage and previous owner issues.

Mine is silver around the lugnuts, just like the rest of the rim. I don't think there should be black around the lugnuts but I could be wrong, others out there with more knowledge than I will chime in on this issue.

CVT4ME

Glutamine83

the speedo should read to 140kph (approx) and the centre of the rims should be polished similar to the rest of the rim

2TONE82

Thanks for the information. Would appreciate additional comments from others that want to chime in.

The car reportedly has less than 8K original miles on it so the speedo issue is huge. I’ve had the pictures for months but just discovered the concern I’ve voiced.

The car is listed as all original with exception of the radio.

I have no reason to not trust the current owner, he is representing the car very well…but should he have trusted the guy he bought it from? Current owner is the third owner.

Show me the paperwork, then I’ll show you the money!

As for the wheel question, I seem to remember that the painted centers where phased out during a model year run, was it 1980?

Thanks for your thoughts.

2TONE82

Glutamine83

Let me ask the question another way...did the speedos for export have the KPH larger than the MPH?...vice-versa than those in the US?...if that makes sense.

page62

Canada-export Vettes would have had large km/h numbering (similar to what U.S. mph would look like) and very small relative mph numbering. It may also have "km/h" written in the center of the speedo face. The odometer would be also measuring in kilometres. (I would have thought the 1980 Canada-export Vette would have had a 240 km/h speedo...)

However, the 85-to-140 mph speedo conversion is very common in 80-82 Vettes. An 85-mph speedo looks just plain silly in there, and a lot of owners did something about it.

machineg

I purchased my vette (81) a couple of years ago off EBAY. the seller showed in the advertisement a picture of the speedo with 41k on. It was advertised as a collector low mileage vette. it also had the 140k speedo. It was way wrong. After getting Carfax. I was shocked that the seller lied. plus I felt stupid. it had over 180k. Do the homework, get a carfax.

Crash80

Car fax will not work on an '80 unfortunately. There is only 13 digits in the vin and car fax requires a 17 digit vin number. With the '80, the best bet is research the car the very best you can via past owners and paper trails if at all possible. Buy with your head and not your heart. As someone once told me, "Beneath all that glitz and glamour, lies a no-poopie Chevy." I was lucky, when I questioned the previous owner about the speedo. switch, he had no reason to lie to me about it because he no longer owned the car as he had traded it in a new C-5. So, I felt very confident in believing what he said was true.

CVT4ME

BSeery

1978-79 wheels had the black center in the wheels, 1980 did not.
ALL 1980's had a 85 MPH speedo (unless for export then it was a KPH). If it has a 140 MPH speedo it is not original and the mileage will only be guess from there on out. If you see that it's a 140 speedo, then it is no longer "all original except the radio" and I really would doubt the 8K miles as well.

If it is an auto, L-82 with most or the options including glass tops it should be around 14-15K TOPS. If its a 4 speed, maybe 1K more.

Good - Excellent L-82 for 1980 go around 10-12K in this area.

A car with only 8000 miles must have been sitting around a lot, and I would expect every gasket to be dried up and they will start leaking a lot when you start driving it.

How much are they asking for this car ?

2TONE82

Thanks to everyone for the input.

I looked on the car I currently drive; 85 MPH equals 140 KPH...so the speedo export speedo is beginning to make sense.

As for the wheels, I've referenced my "The Black Book"; photo of the '80 has the centers painted black...now I’m confused as several of you have stated the wheels should not have paint on them.

Any other '80 owners want to weigh in?

I've been tracking this car since Feb and finally got the guy to agree on a price. I've got several pictures but have yet to see the car as it is about five hours away. We are supposed to meet Wed. for me to inspect the car.

It’s yellow with black leather, L-82, glass tops, showing 8K

BSeery

Those may be leftovers from 79 and may have been installed on a few early 1980s (such as those shown to magazines and the press). As far as I know all production 1980's had no black in the wheel lug nut area. From what I understand, that is a decal anyway.

bloodvette80

My 80 has 0-140km/hr in the bigger font. I AM CANADIAN and I do not know sally rick or dwayne from Ontario. :lol:

Koz

No black on my rims.. :D

How much is he asking for the car?

The_Dude

No black on my rims either, and my car was also supposed to be completely original, but for the radio. As far as I know, 80s did not have black in the center of rims.

mapman

Check carefully for rust. Just because it is low mileage does not mean rust won't be a problem.

2TONE82

I’m listening to my heart and not my head on this one.

As a quick background, I’m looking at a very well optioned and represented ’80, L-82 showing less than 8K on the speedo. Problem is the speedo also shows 140 MPH (NOT KPH) vice the 85 MPH it should be.

Current owner has detailed paperwork from the two previous owners, tracking dates and mileage along the way without any gaps.

I spoke with Holt Auto Sales (they bought the car from the second owner and resold it to the current owner) supporting the theory that the original owner swapped the factory 85 MPH speedo with a ’79 (140 MPH) shortly after purchase. Apparently this was common in 80/81 and often done at the dealer. Anyone fess up to having done that?

Problem is, nothing substantiates the swap, therefore making my investment extremely vulnerable should I sell the car down the road.

VIN checks out, and according to the Black Book it was made in Feb/March of 80, so the hopes of an early production car with a ’79 speedo and wheels getting on the car is lost as well.

My head says don’t buy it but my heart says “WOW, flawless yellow with black leather, glass tops, L-82….

The_Dude

I guess it depends on what you are looking for and how much the seller is willing to part with it for. If it's in the condition described, it could still be worth $12-15k even though you can't document the miles. The correct wheels are available. I think BSeery sold a pretty nice polished set for around $600 on ebay. I'd probably check it out anyway (I'd also bring a set of ramps and a creeper). If you crawl under it for long enough you can get a pretty good feel for the condtion of the car. Good luck. :cheers:

Crash80

As I stated in my previous post, my speedo was switched by the previous owner. Sounds like by what I am reading in your posts that things seem to check out, a paper trail goes a long way in my book. When you go to inspect it, see if you can gleen some of the previous owners info. and make contact with them. Take someone with you who is versed in Vettes to your inspection. You can probably find someone on the forum who would be willing to help you out and go with you to check it out. It is not unusual to let your heart take over on this type of purchase, but cover your bases. I think you will get a gut feeling once you see the car and make the right decision. You are doing a lot of what I did when I bought mine. I thought long and hard, asked a ton of questions, agonized, researched. You name it, I did it. Remember that the car may be low mileage but it is still 23 years old. Age takes its toll on things as well as miles. You will replace things and fix things that you would not on a 1 year old car with 8,000 miles on it. But, having said all that, nothing will put a smile on your face like a Vette. Best of luck in your decision and I hope to see you on the forum if you decide to buy.

CVT4ME :cheers:

Stoge

I have a late build '79 (actually was purchased off the showroom floor 1/10/80). It has the 85mph speedo. My wheels do have black in the centers. With my car having the 85 mph speedo, I would assume it isn't possible for an '80 model car to have a 140mph speedo. As far as the wheels, I can't tell you. I do know 100% that my car is all original. My parents were the ones who bought it 1/10/80. I am the 2nd owner. Nothing has been tinkered with, I just happened to get a 1980 speedometer.