I'm real close on purchasing a later model C3. It's between a 79,80 and 81. All in similar condition with similar options. One of them will be my first Vette. I've run the gammit, from C5's, C4's and even saw the new C6 at the Philly Auto Show. They're all nice cars but I'm still drawn to a C3. (The C6 is out of the question right now) I'll post more as the sale progresses and pics as well. I'm sure I'll have many questions and look forward to this new adventure.

Keep us posted. It should be fun. We will help where we can.

Ken Styer

A few things to think about. With the 81 you enter the computer age. 81 Vetts have computers for the emmisions system, 80's (except the Cal. cars) and 79's do not. There are two engine options a 350/190 (two bolt mains, smaller heads and a bit lower compression) and the 350/230 HINT the latter is what to look for.

Thanks Glenn

Be sure to check them out really good for frame and bird cage rust, everything else can be fixed a lot easier. If you don't know what to look for, respond here, maybe I can help.

What are some visual checks I can perform for rust? (Other than the obvious) How do I check the bird cage and body mounts? Any othter nasty points? I can handle the mechanicals but bodywork and framework I would need help and they are I would suppose the costly repairs.

Where did the car live most of it's life. If it lived in the snowbelt or in a very humid climate and was driven there will be quite a bit of rust.

Check all of the body mounts carefully. Bring a long screw driver so that you can poke around the mounts. The first mounts to go are the rear mounts. They are located by the rear tire and can easily be seen and checked. They can be replaced but it can be a challenge to do it right.

The front mounts are located behind the kick panels but can also be inspected pretty closely from underneath.

If you find any severe to bad rust on the mounts you will want to check every inch of the frame.

Check around the windshield carefully. If the windshield frame is rotten this will be a major expense to fix. Especially if rotten at its base. I bought a Texas car that lived in an arid area and even it had a tiny bit of rust on the windshield corners. That kind of rust is no big deal and can occur from just washing the car because the water gets trapped between the post and the moulding. You should not see any appreciable rust on the pillar posts with he stripping and moulding on.

Check the front crossmember for rust Check the radiator support and crosmember for rust. Check the exposed part of the cage you can see behind where the rocker mouldings mount. Vettes do rust!

I looked for my car for almost two years! Know exactly what you want. Numbers matching?, Low mileage survivor, driver to hot rod etc...What color? Be patient, there are a lot of cars out there. One has your name!

My recommendation is that if you are unsure, pay a Vette expert to inspect the car and give a full report on every aspect of the car with pictures. This should cost about $250.00 where I am from and it is money well spent.I avoided a major mistake when the inspection revealed that every body panel had repairs and the rear body mounts were toast. It is also an excellent way to learn what to look for and to determine exactly what you want so you know it when you see it. I paid twice and when I found the right car I knew it and since I had already paid someone a couple of times I knew exactly what I wanted and what to look for and pulled the trigger. I did make a compromise on the color.

I know this is a long reply but since I just finished going through what your going through, I thought it would help.

Thanks for the advice on the rust. What's the deal with the 81 cars and computer controlled emissions?

BLennox covered it pretty well, but I believe you will have a lot better look at those body mounts by removing the kick panels (they are at the bottom of the hinge pillar) and also remove the 2" X 4" plates on the rear inner fenderwells just forward of the rear wheels to look at the rear channel mounts. There is also a triangular shaped brace where the side frame rails meet the rear cross member on each side, junk accumulates above there and causes severe rust.

problemenko said: ... What's the deal with the 81 cars and computer controlled emissions? ...

The electronincs aren't the most 'driveway mechanic friendly' unless you're really into them. It may also cost you more going to a mechanic.

Well, the 80 turned out to be in rough shape for the money. The owner is asking $12.5K but the car needs paint, carpeting, interior work, new bushings (at a minimum)and the frame is fairly rusty. The car has 21,000 original miles but looks to me as maybe more, although it may be the car was not garaged kept. Oh well, I continue the search.