Babies and Corvettes.....
08-15-2003, 08:39 PM
#1
Racer
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Member Since: Jul 1999
Location: Murphy Texas
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Babies and Corvettes.....
After much waiting and anticipation, just like having a baby, my newest addition arrived on Wednesday! A 1977 L-82 manual transmission corvette.
:thumbs:
I am blessed with 3 healthy children, the newest edition Madison is only 4 months old. Well my newest "baby" isn't so healthy. While I got her for a very reasonable price, I got what I paid for... a lot of work! But I wanted a low price project car that would give me something to do in my spare time so I'll probably be throwing lot's of questions to you all. As I said a couple of days ago though, it's great to be back as a vette owner again after 3 years without one.
Here is what I know so far.
The Good: The engine seems to run strong and the manual transmission does as well, although I have difficulty shifting into 2nd gear at times. The frame appears to be solid, which was my biggest worry since I bought it in Portland and I live in Dallas. I did it from pictures and phone calls only, which made me very nervous. The brakes work well. :)
The Bad: The Power Steering isn't (to steal from another post). It is as manual as you can get. Not sure what it needs yet but it is my first priority. The speedometer doesn't work. The brake lights don't work, but the tail lights do. The AC doesn't work. The clock doesn't work. The water temp doesn't work (another priority to go along with the steering). :(
The Ugly: The interior is rough, to put it mildly. The dash is solid, but the carpet and most of the trim is pretty bad, including the door panels. Based on the plate in the door it was originally dark blue, but was converted to black and not done very well. The exterior is red and was done about as well as the interior. The code says it was originally light blue. There are several chips and bubbles on the hood. :eek:
But the bottom line is there is a solid foundation to work with and after a couple of years of work, and who knows how much money, I will have the kind of vette I want. With a little love and a lot of hard work, just like kids, I should have a good "kid"!
By the way, I live in Murphy Texas, (NW suburb of Dallas) and need a good mechanic to do a thorough check up so I can put a list of "to do's" together. Anyone have any recommendations? I want someone I can trust and that will be fair in price for the things I won't be able to do myself.
Thanks everyone!! :cheers:
:thumbs:
I am blessed with 3 healthy children, the newest edition Madison is only 4 months old. Well my newest "baby" isn't so healthy. While I got her for a very reasonable price, I got what I paid for... a lot of work! But I wanted a low price project car that would give me something to do in my spare time so I'll probably be throwing lot's of questions to you all. As I said a couple of days ago though, it's great to be back as a vette owner again after 3 years without one.
Here is what I know so far.
The Good: The engine seems to run strong and the manual transmission does as well, although I have difficulty shifting into 2nd gear at times. The frame appears to be solid, which was my biggest worry since I bought it in Portland and I live in Dallas. I did it from pictures and phone calls only, which made me very nervous. The brakes work well. :)
The Bad: The Power Steering isn't (to steal from another post). It is as manual as you can get. Not sure what it needs yet but it is my first priority. The speedometer doesn't work. The brake lights don't work, but the tail lights do. The AC doesn't work. The clock doesn't work. The water temp doesn't work (another priority to go along with the steering). :(
The Ugly: The interior is rough, to put it mildly. The dash is solid, but the carpet and most of the trim is pretty bad, including the door panels. Based on the plate in the door it was originally dark blue, but was converted to black and not done very well. The exterior is red and was done about as well as the interior. The code says it was originally light blue. There are several chips and bubbles on the hood. :eek:
But the bottom line is there is a solid foundation to work with and after a couple of years of work, and who knows how much money, I will have the kind of vette I want. With a little love and a lot of hard work, just like kids, I should have a good "kid"!
By the way, I live in Murphy Texas, (NW suburb of Dallas) and need a good mechanic to do a thorough check up so I can put a list of "to do's" together. Anyone have any recommendations? I want someone I can trust and that will be fair in price for the things I won't be able to do myself.
Thanks everyone!! :cheers:
08-15-2003, 09:59 PM
#3
Safety Car
Re: Babies and Corvettes..... (Redshark6974)
A little over a year ago I gave my Vette away. The new owner is my Granddaughter http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-...0/IM000835.jpg show here.