Hi everyone; I'm new to the forum and have a couple of questions about my 1975 Corvette Stingray; It has 35K Original miles and is all original. The driver’s side rear caliper is froze up and I barely got the car home. I was thinking of the following for the car:

Replace all the Calipers, Pads and Rotors. Is it best to have brand new SS Sleeve Calipers or are remanufactured just as good? Both madvet and Eckler has kits available. Any other brake suggestions?

The battery is bad, so I plan in replacing it. I assume nothing to special about it except a side mount. Again any suggestions will be appreciated.

I also wanted to redo the exhaust system as the old mufflers look….well old. I was thinking about headers, replacing the catalytic converter to off road and getting some SS Polished mufflers. Is this a good idea? The car is original and I will be keeping the all the stock parts…..but will this change make the car way too loud? I have a Mustang Cobra with a cat back system that is just right, but not much experience with the 350 exhaust sounds and how well they adapt to modifications. Again, any thoughts on where to purchase a system, madvet has one but opinions would be appreciated.

Lastly, will an old carburetor need a rebuild or a new unit? The car seems to bog down which could just be the plugs but I would like everyone’s opinion.

Sorry for the long first post, just very accustomed to Mustangs and would love some of your opinions! Thanks Tom

Well, for the battery I suggest an Optima Redtop if it will fit. These are great for cars that are not driven on a daily basis. For exhaust I highly recommend the headers, high flow cats and I would go for Dynomax Super Turbo Mufflers as those will give you a nice tone and sound without being too loud.
I would for sure give the car a new tuneup. Go for all new plugs, distributor cap and rotor, wires and for the carb I hate the Quadrajunks on them so I would replace it with something like a Holley or Edlebrock.
As for the brakes I am not sure what to say. If it was me I would just go ahead and replace all of the calipers and rotors and pads. Then I would bleed and flush the system and add some really good brake fluid.

Thanks Danase; for the exhaust does Dynomax make high flow cats? Can you give me some direction on where I can purchase an Exhaust system? Thanks!

Yes, they make high flow cats called "super converters" You might even like their Ultra Flo Mufflers but they might be a tad loud for your liking. The good thing is they are not too expensive and you could always sell them and get the Super Turbo Mufflers later. Here is there link: http://www.dynomax.com/default.htm It even has a link to go to to find a dealer near you.

Hey, I just read your profile and it says you are from Detroit! I am just south of Detroit so I can tell you a few places to go. Most Belle Tires sell Dynomax, Ram Chargers sells them (is where I got mine on my old truck), Murray's sells them, Speedy Muffler sells them and if you want to buy online there is always Summit Racing.

Thanks for the link. I've worked with one of the Tuffys that is a dealer....I've also purchased a system from Ramchargers so I have some options. Although I'm not going to start working on it too soon as it's going to be 90 for the rest of the week! Thanks again!

Yeah, seems like Michigan is winter and summer any more and no temps inbetween. Good luck with the project!

Thanks, should be fun! This will be my weekend Cruiser, hopefully with a little kick in the pants! Nothing to major, the Mustang will remain my Drag car!

Awesome man! You taking one of the cars to the Dream Cruise?

If I get the Vette's brakes up and running I want to take the Classic. But if the Vette is not ready, I will be taking the Mustang. How about yourself?

LOL Me? I don't have a Woodward worthy car right now. I have an Impreza. I might be missing the cruise this year to help my sister move anyway. :( Do you race the stang often?

Every third Thursday of the month until it snows! Good times!

At Milan?

i have run my car at milan and once i get my helmet here i am hoping to run at lapeer a bit...i will be at woodward, but the track car is back home in pa being worked on...

I only have ran at Milan. Good people out that way. My best time is in my signature

ORIGINAL: Patrick
i have run my car at milan and once i get my helmet here i am hoping to run at lapeer a bit...i will be at woodward, but the track car is back home in pa being worked on...

Another Michigan person? Or do you just come to the state often?

i havent been at milan in a few years...i live a bit north of detroit...my best time at milan a few years ago was like a 13.08, but last year at a track a bit slower than milan i ran a 12.60, and right now shes getting new valve springs, new timing chain..some other freshening up things, because i broke a rocker late last season.

What are you running?

an older dodge, and a bunch of slower vehicles..in the last 2 years, ive run 5 or 6 different cars..

The calipers (four pistons each) are well known for leaks and freeze ups. The only time I buy from Ecklers or MidAmerica is when it's something that I can't get from a local parts store. They're notoriously expensive. I replaced all four calipers (and the master cyl. and booster) when the car was about 15 years old. Since then I've had to replace every caliper at least once because of leaks (Only driven about half the year). But, since they were all lifetime warrantee from a local supplier, they were easy to replace. As long as you're not going to be racing the Vette, these would be fine.

As for the exhaust: The 350 that they put in these cars were mild enough where you could almost run straight pipes out the back of the car and you wouldn't be any louder than the average redneck pickup rumbling down the road. My state doesn't require emissions testing for cars older than 1984 so I removed the cat and had originally put on headers and some "mufflers" (they were really just lightly baffled pipes, about $150) from Ecklers and the sound was nice. Since then, I've gone to Hooker sidepipes and am MUCH happier.

when i worked on my buddys 76, the LF caliper was leaking from several of the pistons...the local parts store wanted something like 80 bucks A PIECE of a reman caliper, so he ordered parts, and i rebuilt it...alot more work, alot less cost.

something else to think about, my father, who is a long time vette owner, said that this era had alot of problems with the independant rear rubber lines collapsing inside of themselves...

I have a '72 coupe with 59K original miles and it has never been in the rain. I bought it new for $5525. As far as the brakes, I would buy new calipers from a parts store that warrantees them for lifetime and I would use silicone brake fluid and stop the condensation problem. I am a fanatic for keeping my car all original. I would use some mufflers that fit nicely under the back and keep a nice car like yours all original. Flowmasters look like the original.

On another note, can you tell me more about the Woodward cruise. I live in SC and would like to see that?

about the woodward dream cruise, if you would like to see more than 40,000 muscle/classic/customs, etc, and be around almost 2 million auto enthusiasts, then Woodward is for you...this will be my firt this year is i have moved to the immeadiate area of the cruise, and I am very excited!

ORIGINAL: Patrick
about the woodward dream cruise, if you would like to see more than 40,000 muscle/classic/customs, etc, and be around almost 2 million auto enthusiasts, then Woodward is for you...this will be my firt this year is i have moved to the immeadiate area of the cruise, and I am very excited!

Lucky! I doubt I will get to Woodward at all this year. :( I have to help my sister move Saturday morning and who knows how long that will take.