Topic: brought back to life
in Forum: C3 General Discussion
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Spotsylvania, VA - USA
Joined: 1/20/2007
Posts: 293
Vette(s): 1977 Silver Coupe
Friday, on the way home, I spotted and C3 on the back of a trailer. I don't know what year it was, but the color of it was yellow. I was tempted to follow to see if I could catch him to see if he would sell it.Then Good Sense took over and I went on home.
I can see my Wife's face right now if I brought something else home to work on. Anyway, It looked like it had a missing right front and no engine. That is about the best I could see.
Now My question is. What is the worse condition that anyone's brought home for a restore, driver, whatever?

Mine had to be able to drive it home from Media Pa. I was lucky, the brakes gave out about 10 miles from the house. This is a car that was supposed to be in good mechanical condition.
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Yeah, I ran into one of those "good mechanical condition" cars as well. I should have known.
I was all prepared to pay around $6k for her and when I got there the price had dropped significantly since the plate that the power steering cylinder attaches to on the frame rail was laying in the back of the car. Some Gomer had tried to weld it in with a MiG and gotten lots of globs and wire leavings but no good weld.
A buddy of mine got that fixed (he hates welding upside down). From there it just went downhill:
All new calipers, master cylinder, front line, rubber lines
All new front end bits, tie rod ends, ball joints, bushings
Water pump (literally shredded 15 miles from nowhere)
PS pump and hoses
Radiator
Distributor & coil
Engine turned out to be a 5.0L 305 and this is NOT a Calif. car
New bits for the new engine
Paint (8 coats stripped w/razor blade by painter and counting)
new nose and tail cap
needs new interior
after market radio with big honkin' hole cut in dash
u-joints (after the rear let go at 80+mph)
transmission valve body (THANKS, JOEL!)
and on it goes
Sounds like a lot, and probably lots more to go, but I do enjoy workin' on her. I just wish I could get her to stay together long enough to get her out of state!
I was all prepared to pay around $6k for her and when I got there the price had dropped significantly since the plate that the power steering cylinder attaches to on the frame rail was laying in the back of the car. Some Gomer had tried to weld it in with a MiG and gotten lots of globs and wire leavings but no good weld.
A buddy of mine got that fixed (he hates welding upside down). From there it just went downhill:
All new calipers, master cylinder, front line, rubber lines
All new front end bits, tie rod ends, ball joints, bushings
Water pump (literally shredded 15 miles from nowhere)
PS pump and hoses
Radiator
Distributor & coil
Engine turned out to be a 5.0L 305 and this is NOT a Calif. car
New bits for the new engine
Paint (8 coats stripped w/razor blade by painter and counting)
new nose and tail cap
needs new interior
after market radio with big honkin' hole cut in dash
u-joints (after the rear let go at 80+mph)
transmission valve body (THANKS, JOEL!)
and on it goes
Sounds like a lot, and probably lots more to go, but I do enjoy workin' on her. I just wish I could get her to stay together long enough to get her out of state!

Greensburg, IN - USA
Joined: 9/24/2003
Posts: 5189
Vette(s): Previous: 1984 Coupe, 1988 Maroon Coupe, 1989 Coupe, 2001 Roadster Present: 1967 Stingray Roadster, 1976 Stingray Coupe, 1989 Roadster..
Geez Dennis that ain't much fer a "kit kar".....
Sorry man, jez kiddin. I couldn't resist cuz ya have spent allot of time & dough on her lately it seems.
No mater though cuz it is a nice piece of work and you have brought back a piece of Corvette history. To that I say "Thnxz Man!"

No mater though cuz it is a nice piece of work and you have brought back a piece of Corvette history. To that I say "Thnxz Man!"


Moderator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20229
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
I was lucky in that the '74 was drivable(barely) when I bought it.
The first '72 I had 100 years ago was a total. The entire rear clip was knocked off of it. I rebuilt it, drove it for a while, and got the rear knocked off again. This happened one more time after that!
Insurance finally made me get rid of it, or them!
Adams' Apple 2007-03-27 19:00:00
The first '72 I had 100 years ago was a total. The entire rear clip was knocked off of it. I rebuilt it, drove it for a while, and got the rear knocked off again. This happened one more time after that!


Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
in Forum: C3 General Discussion
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