Hello. As I mentioned in the New Member area, I found a '76 Corvette while searching for a vehicle for my son. I am hoping it is a good deal. The seller was asking $5000 for the car. It has a new 350 GM crate motor with less than 2000 miles on it. It also states that it is a '76 model updated to '82 body style. I'm not sure if a new body was put on the car or if the rear end was modifed. (I'll have to ask again.) Basically, the seller told me that the '76 has windows that are vertical behind the driver's seat whereas this car has a rear window that slopes towards the rear of the car. The rear end of the car is square with a small spoiler on the back.

While driving with the family to meet the seller to view and test drive the car, he calls and informs me that the transmission quit working while he was driving it back from storage to meet me. I informed him that I still wanted to see the car as we could negotiate on the price. I told him I would meet him at the gas station where he drifted the car into.

Once at the gas station, the car started up immediately and sounded great! (The smile on my son's face was priceless when he heard that V8 come to life.) The engine sounded strong and I didn't detect any misfiring or unusal noises. The only leak I could find on the enging was a small bit of coolant coming from the thermostat housing. (easy enough to fix) Sure enough though, when I put the car into gear, nothing happened. It doesn't even try to engage. It acts as though the transmission is constantly in neutral. So, worst case senario, I figure the transmission is going to have to be replaced. The exterior of the car is in decent shape for a '76. It has some scratches and a few spots where the paint has chipped off the car. The seats have been reapohlstered but the rest of the interior will need some TLC. The only other issue is that the car doesn't have A/C. My son, of course, was willing to overlook this "small inconvenience" in order to get the car of his dreams. (Of course, we'll have to see where that priority lies after a TX summer )

The gentleman seemed genuinely emabarassed and distressed that the car broke down. He prided himself on the phone in the fact that it was very dependable and that he used it as a daily driver. In light of the transmission issue, we negotiated on a final price of $3500 to offset the cost of a new transmission.

I have a couple of questions to ask members here:
1. Is there anything I should check (other than linkages) on the tranny to see if there may be an easy fix to the transmission? It has a 350 Turbo (3 speed auto).
2. The seller stated that I may want to put a 400R or 400 Turbo in the car instead??? Is anyone familiar with this tranny? Any Pros or Cons? (If anyone knows of a link to a reputable rebuilt tranny company, I'd love to see it.)

I'm hoping this is a good deal we are getting on this car. If anyone knows of any reason why I may want to keep from purchasing the vehicle (short of someone else wanting it. ) I'd like to hear your thoughts. I am supposed to head up tomorrow or Tuesday to purchase the car and bring it back to my house.

Listed below are some images of the car.


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[IMG]local://upfiles/3414/C3D280E0C9B0407B8A9A03B4AC572CE4.jpg[/IMG]

 

In addition to the questions asked above, is it possible to add a 4 speed instead of the auto tranny?

 

First, yes, you could add a four-speed. You'd have to get hold of a whole bunch of small parts (clutch pedal assemblies, etc.), and it would be quite a job, but it could be done. It is worth remembering that it is always much easier to simply restore an old car and keep it good condition rather than change it. Also, an auto transmission is easier on old axles and u-joints etc., although admittedly maybe not as fun to drive.

The upgraded trans issue makes sense if you have to replace the transmission. There are people on this forum who are expert on that so I will let them fill in the details, but I'd do it if it were me. Your crate engine probably has a good deal more power than the original (no offense to 'vettes of that era, but they had very limited power compared to even today's base crate engines).

I don't mean to be a troublemaker, but I suggest that you first do one thing. Check the car over carefully to try to determine what it is. A 76 with an '82 body? Maybe, but the suspcious mind in me wonders if: it is a surplus title someone put together - they had an 82 with no title and a '76 title, etc. Or it has been a car badly wrecked and they kind of pieced it together with whatever would fit. I'm not saying you did n't get a good deal (sound like a really good deal, actually) but make sure you find out what you are really dealing with: is it all '76 under the body? - frame, suspension, etc., or a mix of other stuff: this will help when you start ordered parts, etc..

 

hey..nice looking car..I guess the whole thing comes down to, is if you like the car and it seems solid to you..people change the body parts to these cars all the time, it depends on what fits and what you like...take the car and have it inspected if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself..as far as the trans goes...this may sound stupid but if the trans fluid is pretty low this will affect it's ability to shift or not...then again it may be broken and need to be replaced..replacing it with the same kind eliminates the hassle of having to find or purchase different parts to fit a different size trans..there are plenty of upgrades for all of the gm transmisssions to turn them into anything you want them to do and be reliable at the same time..................the price is definitely right if the only thing wrong is a bad transmission and it has no a/c....a small price to pay for owning a vette................i have a/c on my '80 and and have yet to use it, then again I'm not living in Tx either!!!!!!!!best advice...inspect it THOROUGHLY and ask ANY and ALL your questions..remember: the only stupid question is the one you didn't ask and now regret.............Good Luck...Russ

 

Hi TX, welcome to the best place for questions and answers about C-3's. You say the Vette your looking at has a new crate engine, thats great! GM sells crate engines with a 3 year- 50,000 mile waranty, does the seller have a transferable warranty? How about that "Small" leak at the thermostat housing? Did the seller run out of water and overheat the engine and did he overheat the transmission at the same time, which is why the transmission is shot? How long has he owned the car? Does he have any reciepts for the things he's changed or repaired? You say you might go for a 4 speed, like LW says, you can do it, but those little parts will cost plenty. Last and most important is how come the car is titled as a 76 & has an 82 body? If you ever decide to sell the car a lot of people will say "Red Flag" something is wrong, and you will not get top dollar which is the same reason that you are getting the car at what appears to be a bargin price. The car looks great in the photos, but you should buy a car that you can drive for 3 to 6 months, than you can make a list of things that you have to do. Well TX you asked for some opinions, and that's mine. Petes 74 T-Top.

 

Thanks for all the input guys! My son and I went ahead and picked up the car. I'm pretty sure everything is on the up and up. The seller owned the car for about 3 years himself. The body was already switched over before he purchased the car. Everything under the car is from the '76 model but the body is '82. I'm pretty sure the car hasn't been wrecked. He put new suspension on it and didn't see any signs of damage. Also, all the shims on the suspension are evenly spaced and no uneven wear on the tires so I assume that should be a good sign. I'll still take it to someone who is more knowledgable for peace of mind.

He got the crate engine from a local Chevy dealer and is sending me the warranty info and all receipts he has on the car. The thermostat is an aftermarket chrome brand that didn't have a gastket. He used Hi-temp RTV to seal it but my not have done a very good job installing.

I called a highly recommeded transmission mechanic close to me and the car is being picked up today to be repaired. It should be out by Friday before I leave out of town! I'm going to go ahead and just have the 350 Turbo rebuilt. (2 yr - 24,000 mile warranty) I think that's standard? Transmission guy confirmed what Lee told me about the 400 tranny, I decided to go with the 350 'cause he told me that although people love the 400, my son would probably be able to roast the tires through 2nd gear. I'll let him change that a few years down the road if he wants. I don't want to tempt him anymore than necessary to get in trouble with the car.

Next item is to get a factory manual. The seller gave us a Haynes but I don't believe they're quite as thorough.

Is there anyway to run a vehicle report on a '76? Carfax will only go back to an '81 when the 17 digit VIN was implemented. How about a reliable way to figure out the value of the car so I know how much insurance to put on it?

Anyhow, can't wait for that first run in the car.

Thx again for the advise.

 

Congratulations on your purchase, you and your son will have a great time with your new Vette!

 

Good looking car. If the body is actually an 82. The car must be titled as an 82. The VIN is riveted to the cars structure on the A-Pillar. If the body was completely replaced, the VIN would be from an 82. If the front and rear bumpers and panels were replaced with 82 pieces there is no problem. Check your vin plate. Stick a small screwdriver under the plate and gently lift it up. If it pops off, it has been glued in and you have a possible stolen car on your hands. It is a violation of Federal and state law (all 50 states) to remove or alter a VIN. I hope that is not the case with your car. Good luck.

P.S. I have nothing but manual shift cars. The conversion can be done but I do not recommend it unless you are going with a 6 speed. Replacing the trans with a 700R4 is the easiest thing that you can do and the least expensive.

 

Hi TX & son! Did you grt your Vette today? Didn't hear from you, are you still out driving it around? Best of luck to you both, Pete.

 

Hi, Pete.

Sorry about the delay. I've been back home for less than a week and found out I have to go back out of town for a month. Been taking care of business.

Yes, we got the vett out of the tranny shop yesterday!!! I forgot how nice it was to have a fast car. I haven't had one since I was in my mid 20's.

Driving it home it felt as though the power steering went out. Checked the pump and it was bone dry. (not good) I put some fluid in the pump and noticed that the power steering control valve assbly was leaking fluid out of the GREASE ZIRT. (again not good) We decidied to go ahead a do a night test drive with my son's friend who also has a '76 he and his dad restored from the frame up. Drove it for about 3 miles last night before hearing the infamous Power Steering Pump whine. Out of fluid again. We put more fluid in the pump and drove back home.

Today we picked up and installed the power steering valve assembly. My son felt good to get one of the items checked off his growing list of "Things to do to the Vett". Took her out for a spin and she worked fine. Next item will be the Master Cylinder when I get back.

I noticed one thing when driving that was unusual to me. When driving about 55 mph, the tach is reading ALMOST 4500 RPM!!! It gets into the yellow at 5000 I believe. Is this normal? It has a crate GM 350 and a 350 Turbo tranny. Other than that, the car seems to ride fine.

Once again I'd like to say thanks for everyone's input.