- Thread starter 8850dave
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That period from the mid 70's to mid 80's was the period when all the American auto makers were turning out trash almost as often as a decent car. I don't know about Corvettes in particular, but I'd be looking for overall quality issues with paint, interior, electrical, frame welds, etc. The engine and tranny itself may be okay, but Corvettes got no more care or quality than anything else in that period.
I know we all feel comfortable asking non-antique tractor questions here, but you might be better off going to a Corvette specialty site and looking through the archives for common problem issues with that year.
Watch out for frame rot, they like to rust out behind the front suspension near the firewall and near the rear trailing arm mounts. 79s have metal floor pans, so check those for rust. Check for cracks in the fiberglass body. Make sure it has good paint, Vettes are almost impossible to find someone to paint and its expensive when you do. I have a customer that has over $5K in paint work alone on a car that was in good shape, he just wanted red. If it is stock, Vettes of that period are pretty lame performance wise. The biggest thing to watch out for is DON"T PAY TOO MUCH! A 79 Vette is not a high dollar car, people try to get top buck for them on the name alone. A perfect condition 79 is not worth more than $5-6K tops. I also advise people not to buy a Vette unless you like spending money, every Vette I have ever been involved with is a money pit, regardless of year.
The US auto makers must have lowered their
standards to meet the Japanese auto makers.
I do not recall any problems that were not the
normal in those years. The Japanese were and are
masters at slamming the US auto makers to promote
their junk, and in my opinion they still produce
junk. Look at the junk in the Toyota truck frames
that every body loves. Then there was the throttle
problem Toyota has or had. Neighbor had a Honda
they fogged mosquitoes with. The Japanese turn out
their share of junk.
When you buy Japanese you are thanking them for
December 7th ,1941. I believe Dec. 7th of 41 was a
early Sunday morning. Sounds like a sucker punch
to me.
standards to meet the Japanese auto makers.
I do not recall any problems that were not the
normal in those years. The Japanese were and are
masters at slamming the US auto makers to promote
their junk, and in my opinion they still produce
junk. Look at the junk in the Toyota truck frames
that every body loves. Then there was the throttle
problem Toyota has or had. Neighbor had a Honda
they fogged mosquitoes with. The Japanese turn out
their share of junk.
When you buy Japanese you are thanking them for
December 7th ,1941. I believe Dec. 7th of 41 was a
early Sunday morning. Sounds like a sucker punch
to me.
i agree by the time the 79 came out it was just a shadow of its former self and not a desirable model besides checking every nook and cranny on this car have you obtained a quote from your insurance co? they hate corvetts, and especially the later c-3's they are expensive to repair and their value just isnt there
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
hi performance =short life that's all you can get from the Asian toilet rim
Hobo,NC
Well-known Member
- Location
- Sanford, NC
Every now and again you will run up on a real nice one,,, for the most part they are a rattle trap...
I would not look at one unless it had way less than 100K on it they go to ell after that (everything)... I have found it impossible to get the AC to work as it should on anything but R12.... I enjoy working on them as long as there's no cap on the budget
... I have one on the lift now that a old couple just brought they are spending money on it like a kid in a candy store.... They had ratter buy a barn find (junk) andspend there time picking out parts from catalogs to build it like they want... Its there money they earned it...
DaninKansas
Member
My brother had two of them. The biggest issue will be a good inspection before buying - I would definately take it to a local shop (or even a Midas) and put it on a lift and inspect the bottom of the car for damage and the frame for rust. If just looking at it you start seeing sagging springs, nonoperatable electrical items (wipers, blinkers) and cracks in the fiberglass I'd pass. Those will turn into a never ending project. Painting them isn't much more expensive than other vehicles - a good paint job flat costs a lot no matter what the vehicle is.
Performance wise in stock form they were nothing to brag about - but in the last 10-15 years you can buy even basic performance parts that will serious wake a 350 up. The C3s are much lighter than current Vettes (and current cars in general) and even a basic replacement Good Wrench engine like I've linked to will give it serious performance.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet-Performance/809/10067353K1/10002/-1?parentProductId=
Back when they were "new" they were viewed as expensive to own - which they were. But current autos are much more complicated and make something like a 79 Vette almost quaint when discussing repairs. In 79 they were rated 210 HP or so (maybe less for an L48). For comparison my mini van is rated at 270hp.
The one my brother had back in the late 80s had all the emissions stripped off, new heads, cam and a Edlebrock carb and intake. The state of Oklahoma clocked him at 155 MPH with a helicopter. He had no idea he was going that fast - he just liked the song on his radio and was getting into it.
Performance wise in stock form they were nothing to brag about - but in the last 10-15 years you can buy even basic performance parts that will serious wake a 350 up. The C3s are much lighter than current Vettes (and current cars in general) and even a basic replacement Good Wrench engine like I've linked to will give it serious performance.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Chevrolet-Performance/809/10067353K1/10002/-1?parentProductId=
Back when they were "new" they were viewed as expensive to own - which they were. But current autos are much more complicated and make something like a 79 Vette almost quaint when discussing repairs. In 79 they were rated 210 HP or so (maybe less for an L48). For comparison my mini van is rated at 270hp.
The one my brother had back in the late 80s had all the emissions stripped off, new heads, cam and a Edlebrock carb and intake. The state of Oklahoma clocked him at 155 MPH with a helicopter. He had no idea he was going that fast - he just liked the song on his radio and was getting into it.
I bought a 1977 with about 35000 miles on it, drove it about 12 years and sold it for 2 grand more than I paid for it but had a lot of fun , used to take it on vacations. I used to work on them at a chevy dealer. You can put a lot of money in a worn out one. brakes, rear axle bearings, rear suspension parts, rusted frame ahead of the rear wheels and under the radiator support, power windows, weather strips, t tops leak like a screen door in a submarine.
But if it looks real good, it,s not all cobbled up under the hood and it runs and drives good, then use your better judgement, I wish I still had mine along with my super spt, Camaro and Impala.
But if it looks real good, it,s not all cobbled up under the hood and it runs and drives good, then use your better judgement, I wish I still had mine along with my super spt, Camaro and Impala.
MBI (Motor Books International) in Osceloa (spelling), Wisconsin published buyer's guide books for collectable cars. They were usually 100+ pages. I think they published a book that covered Corvettes from 1950's through the 1990's maybe later. You can find them on Ebay, Amazon.com or from MBI. There sould be many books available on corvettes and here should be some corvette club website also. Good Luck.
I agree with the other on this subject.
A buddy of mine has one, lotsa "o" work is the best summary I can give.
Also the late 70's TransAM was a real bad azz car, especially with the T tops. That 6.6 engine gulped down the fuel. A friends brother has one....OMG what a pig, 120 miles per tankful I think. That era of the Pontiac's were rust heaps too.
A buddy of mine has one, lotsa "o" work is the best summary I can give.
Also the late 70's TransAM was a real bad azz car, especially with the T tops. That 6.6 engine gulped down the fuel. A friends brother has one....OMG what a pig, 120 miles per tankful I think. That era of the Pontiac's were rust heaps too.
DaninKansas
Member
Buy one in good shape and keep it that way. Much easier than buying a rough cheap one thinking you can fix it up - you'll end up paying more.
luv2wrench
Member
I work on Gm for a living. 79 vette pulls in the shop. mechanics hide. junky, not much horse power if any. I think all vettes are junk. Sorry. but Ive worked all of them. 70s 80 90. C5 C6. Z06. All leaky noisy junk rattle boxes. Most owners are wacky. my 2 cents.
Billy Shafer
Well-known Member
My cousin had one.Worst mistake he ever made.The dealer had it more than he did
We have a 66 coupe we bought in 1970 (second owner) that had 92,000 when we bought it, has close to 180,000 on it now. One of the best cars we ever owned, 23 mpg at 75-80 mph. If you can see if there's a Corvette club around, maybe ask the local Chevy dealer since they tend to know if there are any around and get an opinion from them
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
most gm owners are waky
Case Nutty 1660
Well-known Member
I had a 79 trans am I bought new with the 6.6 and auto at 55mph she got 18mpg at 75 -85 she got 23mpg-25mpg great car wish I still had it
dr sportster
Well-known Member
In my local paper there is an antique and classic section and that year does not seem to have a high resale value. Check out the blue book first.
RandyB(MI)
Well-known Member
From 1970-1983 they don't even deserve the name plate. Get it cheap and flip it fast.
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
The Pearl Harbor attack caught the Americans off guard/sleeping. Not agreeing with it but isn't that the idea in a war?
Hal/ Eastern WA
Member
An OK toy to play with if you can get it cheap enough. About as low performance as any Corvette ever produced with a V8 engine, but ultra easy to modify to make it go a whole lot better.
On the other hand, have you talked to your insurance agent about this possible purchase? Years ago I thought about buying a 61 Corvette--it had been sitting for several years and had a lousy paint job. But it was offered to me for $2300!!! I believe I could have had the solid, straight Corvette on the road for less than $1000 more money. But then I talked to my insurance agent, who told me that the company I was with at the time just plain would not insure a Corvette. And the other companies he talked to were quoting figures of more than $2000/year for minimum liability. That was a WHOLE LOT of money back in the mid 70"s, and it caused me to decide to not buy the car. I wish I had bought it, since I believe I could have made quite a bit of money fixing up the Corvette and reselling it. But I was young and didn"t really have the finances to have a second vehicle that I could never drive. And I also did not have a good secure place to store such a car. Oh well!!!
As others wrote, I agree that a 79 Corvette is unlikely to ever become a hugely valuable car, like some Corvettes have. I would not plan on making ANY money if you were thinking of reselling it.
But depending on where you are in life, an old Corvette can be a fun, if fairly expensive project. I would SURE check out the insurance angle first, then you will not get a horrible surprise if you buy the car. Good luck!
On the other hand, have you talked to your insurance agent about this possible purchase? Years ago I thought about buying a 61 Corvette--it had been sitting for several years and had a lousy paint job. But it was offered to me for $2300!!! I believe I could have had the solid, straight Corvette on the road for less than $1000 more money. But then I talked to my insurance agent, who told me that the company I was with at the time just plain would not insure a Corvette. And the other companies he talked to were quoting figures of more than $2000/year for minimum liability. That was a WHOLE LOT of money back in the mid 70"s, and it caused me to decide to not buy the car. I wish I had bought it, since I believe I could have made quite a bit of money fixing up the Corvette and reselling it. But I was young and didn"t really have the finances to have a second vehicle that I could never drive. And I also did not have a good secure place to store such a car. Oh well!!!
As others wrote, I agree that a 79 Corvette is unlikely to ever become a hugely valuable car, like some Corvettes have. I would not plan on making ANY money if you were thinking of reselling it.
But depending on where you are in life, an old Corvette can be a fun, if fairly expensive project. I would SURE check out the insurance angle first, then you will not get a horrible surprise if you buy the car. Good luck!
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