Well it's finally happened, the wife has given me the green light to realize my life-long dream and buy myself a vette. I have been shopping for a nice C3 that I can tinker with. Now I am by no means a gearhead, I am just hoping to get out there on some weekends and have a little fun fixing her up. I don't want to fully restore it to show quality or whatever, I just want a sweet driver.

So here is what I ran across, a co-worker of my wife has quite a collection of cars and he is wanting to part with his 1978 Standard for $6000, which is what he paid for it a number of years ago. He says he has put $4000 into it, including a new motor a couple years ago. He says it runs great and is in very good shape. I am waiting for pics and VIN, which should come today or tomorrow.

So what I am asking is do you guys think this is a good starter for me, or is there something about the '78's that I should know? From the research I have done, it doesn't seem that there is anything extra-ordinary that separates this year from similar years as far as the motor, electrical, etc. Do you guys think I will be able to some home-improvements to this baby?

Thanks in advance for any input you all might have. I will post pics when I get them.

-KJ

My first Vette was a '78 Silver Anniversary L82...great car.  I knew little about what to look for and lucked out...nearly all original and great condition.  About the only modifications were a composite rear transverse spring and an aftermarket stereo which didn't work.

You've picked a nice car for a very decent price, unless it's a mess.  There are few issues to deal with that aren't common to all C3's...make sure the birdcage and the frame aren't rusted. 

There will always be small issues to deal with...after all, it's thirty years old.  If you can, before making a decision, take the car to a shop you trust and have them go over it...look at brakes, calipers, frame, motor mounts, exhaust...pretty much a state inspection if the seller hasn't already done that.

If you decide to buy it, then get catalogs from Corvette Central, Eckler's, Corvette America, etc., as you'll need them for whatever upgrades you want to do. 

A '78 is a great car to go cruise in.  Reliable mechanicals, sharp looks, and a lot of satisfaction driving it.

Hey Madmick11,

Sounds like a more than reasonable price. Do the usual checks. Drive it, look at the body, look at the engine, check thae fluid levels, check for leaks.

Note anything that is wrong or broken. CCheck for replacement or repair price on those items. These are price bargaining points and what you might purchase repair in the future.

Check with a mechanic if you like. Give us some pics and more information and we will give more insight.

Good Luck!

Hey MadMik11,

 

I owned a 78 for a couple of years. I recently traded it for a 96. The 78 is a fun car to own. I enjoyed working on mine. 6K sounds like a deal if the car is in good shape.

 

I would recommend evaluating the car in four categories.

Look for leaks. The rear main seal, Transmission cooling lines, valve covers and power steering pump should be scrutinized. I would pay some one to really look the drive-train over. A major problem here can cost you thousands.

 

Electrical

Verify all the gages work properly. Replacing the printed circuit board is labor intensive! Verify all the power options work correctly. I can't think of one electrical problem I experienced that didn't cost at least a hundred dollars to correct (that’s doing it myself).

 

I spent a boatload of money working on the interior. Rebuilding the T-tops (new hardware, seals and panels) cost me well over six-hundred dollars.

New carpet with a thermal underlayment will cost you a couple hundred dollars.

 

Check for paint cracks. Most of the cracks I noticed on my 78 were around the driver’s side door handle and the rear quarter panels. You can't paint over this condition. All the paint needs to be removed. A cheap paint job will cost you a thousand dollars minimum. That’s if you do the body prep. I had MAACO paint my car (two stage original color). I was happy with the paint job, no orange-peel or runs. I drove the car daily and didn't want to spend too much money on a paint job.

Run a hose over the T-top and rear window and check for interior leaks. I had a glass guy replace the rear window seal; I wasn't going to play with that big piece of glass myself. A complete weather seal (minus rear window) kit is less than three hundred dollars. Plan on a full day to replace though. If the paint is bad and you plan on repainting soon wait until after repainting before you replace the seals. 

The car from the factory was pretty low in the horsepower department (185 BHP). I put a mild cam, had some head work done, upgraded my carburetion (new intake and carb) and installed a true dual exhaust.  The next mod for me was going to be a rear gear swap (3:55's).

 

I tallied up all my expenses repairing and modifying my 78. And in the two years I owned it, spent about Forty-five hundred dollars. Considering what I originally spent on the car, it was a good investment. I would have kept it but had a bug for a convertible.

 

 

 

If the paint is a mess, $6000 is not that great. Any decent paint job is going to be $5000 minimum unless you do all of the prep work. Most reputable shops won't touch a Vette that they didn't prep. I have owned Vettes for twenty years and I can tell you, when it comes to paint jobs...you get what you paid for. Also, check the body mounts good when you do your inspection.

Scott

Thanks everybody for that fantastic advice. After reading all of your sage advice I feel like I am definitely on the right track. I am going to write all of these very useful tips down so that when I do finally get to see it, I will be well prepared.

Still waiting on those pics...argh its killing me. I am so excited I was up until about 5am this morning thinking about it. Guess I got the bug...and it feels good.

KJ - I bought my 1st c3 after I got help from these guys!  Just my 2 cents..  Theres a big diff between tinkering and restoring. You can get very upside down very fast.  Every C3 will need to be tinkered with, even a low mile mint one.  My 81 was cosmetically in brilliant shape. Mechanically I did a ton of work as a "tinkerer"..  Heres my results KeBo2008-05-16 06:15:34

DO NOT LET YOUR EMOTIONS GET IN THE WAY. TRY TO BE OBJECTIVE. dON`T RUSH INTO THE FIRST CAR YOU SEE. TAKE A LOOK AT SEVERAL AND BUY THE  BEST specimen you CAN AFFORD!. GOOD LUCK. mAYBE YOU CAN REACH OUT TO A C3VR MEMBER THAT LIVES NEAR YOU TO GO LOOK AT IT WITH YOU.   BOB