Car advice

[tonym]

or have owned a Corvette C3 from the early 80's?

I'm just curious what you have to say about them.

Reliable?/ 'Cheap' to run?/ Rot or rust?

Any comments would be great.

cheers, tonym

[Jazzmoose]

Corvette??? Hell, you're not spending enough on jazz, Tony!

[tonym]

Well Moose, my listening and buying habits have changed over the last few months; I'm playing/practicing more and time is precious, BUT, this is a real one off.

Imagine a bit of Stanley Clarke tumbling out of the speakers in one of these beauts.

[BERIGAN]

Rot or Rust??? Them's got fiberglass bodies! T-Tops might leak a bit...

[BERIGAN]

Tony, did you have your eye on one? If not, you might be better served by a late 70's model from what I read in >this< article... Chevy along with the rest of American car manufacturers, were not building the best quality cars in the early 80's. But, like anything, if a car has been well maintained, it should be fine. I have a friend who has a 1980 Cadillac(Something I would not dream of having today what with cutting edge for the time technology) and has put over 220,000 miles on it, it looks brand new, and no engine work ever!)

I assume you know that parts should be fairly easy to get , at a price. And The Chevy small block V-8, and the 350 in particular is the best engine ever built, IMHO! I had a 350 in my 1969 Chevy Impala, and after my Grandmother used and abused it(She couldn't hear well and raced the engine when starting the car! ) I used and abused it (I got to drive it when I turned 16) Put the petal to the metal most every single day for the first few years. I only had to put a camshaft and a timing chain in it, by the time I sold it with 155,000 miles on it.

There are about 3 zillion companies making parts to hop up the engine (Sorry if you know all this, or are more concerned about the outside, than the inside!)

Catesta, you ever have one of these cars????? Or just those crazy British sports cars?

[catesta]

Catesta, you ever have one of these cars????? Or just those crazy British sports cars?

Maybe Tony and I need to switch places.

B, your advice was right on. The early 80's models Corvettes are probably not the best ever made, but are affordable, and if taken care of, should be fine cars.

You can't go wrong with the 350.

Tony, if you have the time this book may help.

Buyer's Guide

[tonym]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Funnily enough " those crazy British cars" also appeal. In particular TVRs; more fibreglass, more chassis rot etc., but great motors and very individual.

I am aware of the build type of the Corvette but wasn't sure if the chassis extremities; ie. the trailing arms and outriggers bore any similar TVR probs.

So, more reading, more measuring (our garage is just big enough and the turning circle is very tight to the shared driveway. I'll take the plunge soon.

cheers for now, keep it coming. Tonym

[catesta]

Good luck with your search.

Tony, I'm curious of what the availability of Vette's in your neck of the woods is.?

Here are a couple if sites I check on a regular basis.

classic cars

collectorcartrader

I hope you can access the sites.

Edited February 17, 2004 by catesta

[BERIGAN]

Good luck with your search.

Tony, I'm curious of what the availability of Vette's in your neck of the woods is.?

Here are a couple if sites I check on a regular basis.

classic cars

collectorcartrader

I hope you can access the sites.

www.collectorcartraderonline.com is a great site!

Ebay has tons of cars as well, but I don't know about shipping issues, which get back to Catesta's question of availablity over there!

Tony, keep us informed, it will be interesting to hear the story unfold!

[tonym]

Well Catesta, I'm just going to check out those links now (haven't been able to earlier, my dial up is atrocious).

Corvettes are quite thin on the ground around here (NE england). If you journey into the midlands there are more, and, more American car collectors in general. For some reason South Yorkshire seems to be a hot bed of Americana -- and the above car was indeed on a Sheffield company's website.

Unfortunately the only ones I've seen nearby are total nails; paintwork crazed to hell, especially around stress points, engines that sound like a bag of spanners and worn interiors.

I'm sure if a good one appears then the price will be hiked up.

But, you only get what you pay for, don't you...

One issue surrounding the engine size --don't the small block ones seem a bit gutless compared to the 5.7?

This is one reason that I've been put off the 2.9 in the TVR, although that is a different configuration too (V6 as opposed to the 4.0 V8).

Again, thanks for the links, I'll spend some time looking at those.

Cheers.

[catesta]

One issue surrounding the engine size --don't the small block ones seem a bit gutless compared to the 5.7?

I think you would definitely want to stick with the 5.7 (350ci) engine.

Unless it was an older model Corvette with a 327ci motor, they were big in the 60's, and fast as hell.

I don't believe the 305ci engine was all that popular in vettes, and with good reason I'm sure.

[BERIGAN]

Tony, another site with some basic by the year info that might be of help/interest.... http://www.cccvette.com/corvette-history.htm

The last year for a big Block Corvette was 1974 it appears(The 454 C.I.), everything afterwards would be a small block...saw that some 1982's had Cross Fire injection system, might want to just stay with the Carburetor fuel systems, unless you like a challenge!

[Jim Dye]

My uncle had and may still have one of these. About 20 years ago, He let me borrow it to take my girlfriend to the prom.

For a short time, my dad had one of the big block vettes. a 1970 model in Classic White with the 454. My mom said that it was the only car that she was ever afraid to drive. Too powerful. I was way too young to drive, but I do remember riding in it.

Edited February 18, 2004 by Jim Dye

[tonym]

Well. Surprise, surprise, that particular car has gone but I'm still keen on getting a classic though.

I have always longed for a TVR and I have my mind set on something like this now.

They come up fairly frequently and can be pretty unreliable, but I'll only be insuring for 5000 miles a year at most.

I'll keep you updated.

BTW, they will easily fit in our garage. The 'Vette would have been tight!!!

[tonym]

That is, by the way, a TVR 400 SE ( I would go for the 390 SE --- same V8 block and similar modifications to body).

Or if a V8 S series turned up at the right price (they fetch quite a lot) I would love one of these:

[catesta]

Sweet.

[Jazz]

hey tony you got good taste!

[tonym]

Just ot back from the 'Americana' exhibition/ car show in Nottinghamshire (Bev Stapleton country!!!) UK.

Wow, it was like I'd gone to heaven. Haven't decided what to splurge on yet but I was amazed by how many lovely condition Camaros and Trans Ams we have over here. A few nails too though. It seems everything had a V8 in it; bikes, trikes, motorhomes, ice-cream vans, kids scooters...

I travelled own in my mate's Firebird 305ci which sounds luurverly, I also had the pleasure of driving it back a bit. In the wet, on slippy North Yorkshire roads.

I was tempted by the Shelby GT500 (signed on driver's door insert by Carol Shelby) but I would have had to remortgage the house.

Some lovely 'Vettes aswell, many big block ones, but out of my price range.

I am very taken with the older Camaros though, they will fit in the garage, just.

[tonym]

Inside Gt Shelby.

[tonym]

£70K and it's yours.

[A Lark Ascending]

Just ot back from the 'Americana' exhibition/ car show in Nottinghamshire (Bev Stapleton country!!!) UK.

Was this at Newark?

I went a few years ago when it was at Castle Donington. One of the strangest weekends of my life. I went for a country music festival because Jimmie Dale Gilmore was playing. Gilmore was superb but the rest of the weekend was wierd - everyone dressed as cowboys with guns in the main music area until dusk; then they all changed into 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' geer for the evening. I've never felt so out of place!

And then there were the cars! Lots of people dressed as Teddy Boys driving classic cars. Very strange.

If you enjoy classic cars, Tony, you might like Lake Mora in Sweden. It's a mecca for classic car owners who parade their vehicles round this huge lake.

[tonym]

It was indeed at Newark Bev. Actually South Yorkshire/ North Notts is somewhat of a mecca in it's own right for this sort of 'way of life'.

A trip on North Sea Ferries will confirm this when waiting at the bar behind large hatted and waistcoated blokes with pony tails, you then hear them say "Ta, duck" or "Int th' none from Cud'th mate".

I'm not into the whole Americana scene, my friend is, you know; the Eagles on full blare all the time, cowboy boots on a Friday, stars and stripes handkerchiefs the works. He seemed tame in comparison with, well, what you've just described.

The music was awful, and one band were from Middlesbrough my home town but sang with an Arkansas twang!

Nice atmosphere. No fools charging around in cars, just gentle gurgling from the car owners... like content infants really.

My friend wondered why, about halfway around, how we, the British don't celebrate our heritage and culture in such a way. I suggested that maybe we do but it's usually associated with the monarchy or, at best, quaint village fetes and Morris dancing.

I've a feeling he'll stick with the bigger, better option.

[BERIGAN]

I am very taken with the older Camaros though, they will fit in the garage, just.

Tony, missed this the first time around...I don't think I am telling you anything you don't already know, but the first generation Camaros(In particular) you can just about buy a frame only and get everything else aftermarket, reproduction glove boxes even! All you need is fistfulls of money!

[tonym]

Well I have now a new motor

I have spent a long time trawling the net and classifieds for something that met my criteria and have, over the last month or so, chosen to view a few cars.

The whole business of travelling to see one is so time consuming and difficult to organise given my circumstances.

However, I was fairly judicious and chose to pick out only those that may have had me reaching into pocket.

Actually this one was only 90 miles away.

It's a TVR 350i with a bit of modification, and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. Over the next few weeks I will be spending a bit of time doing stuff on it to bring it up to tip top condition. The motor etc are excellent, the bodywork is very good but there are 4 or 5 very small nicks and chips that need doing.

I'm in V8 heaven.

For the ride home I had my pre-prepared tape ready. Side 1 -- Bullitt soundtrack. Fatal for travelling to; I was constantly looking in my rear view and shifting down B-)

Side 2 ----

Needless to say it rained all the way home. Yesterday was worth the wait though

[tonym]

So thanks all for the advice and interest shown here. My wife thinks I'm mad --- some sort of early-onset Mid Life Crisis. She could be right, but that would have meant it started when I was 18.

Anyhow, here is said motor. BTW the garage is now the same colour.

Cheers.