Newbie advice please - looking at a 1972 C3 targa this weekend

Nassau65

Nassau65

CCCUK Member
A thorough inspection is highly recommended on vehicles over a certain age. As this corvette, which IS a specialised car in the UK is now 52 years old, it’s a very worthwhile thing to have done. Money very well spent in my opinion.
Even better if someone who is up to speed on C3’s in this case. It will be worth every penny it costs and you will know what your getting into.
 
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teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
OK, it just bothers me to see things not connected and what it could be for ?

I found another 1972 C3 and compared to the '72 above
Clearly is part of the vacuum system that is for the headlight doors and as what was in question off the firewall is for the wiper door/cowl
Like a diaphragm, (they call a relay)
1 hose comes from the vacuum tank reserve, 1 hose is for cowl/wiper door and 3rd hose is the drain side when door is being closed

72cowl.jpg


vacschem.jpg
 
Letank

Letank

CCCUK Member
Even though prices are always on the up, I personally don’t think this one is good value at £27.5k.

There are a few things in the pictures that would put me off it right away.

- The side pipes have already been mentioned; they are aftermarket ones (possibly Patriot) that haven’t been fitted or looked after particularly well. The rocker covers also look like they have been cut to get them to fit, which looks pretty nasty.

- The front grilles are painted black when they should be chrome. I suspect because they’re not in great shape and a lick of black paint was a cheap fix. These grilles can cost over £1000 to replace/restore alone!

- The centre gauge surround is silver when it should be black.

- Engine bay has lots of non original parts on it, and doesn’t appear to have been particularly well loved.

If your budget is around £30k then my advice would be to speak to Gavin at EMC about one of his cars. Whilst the initial outlay might be a little bit more than this, you would be getting something that has been restored with fresh paint, fresh interior, re-chromed, etc that would be head and shoulders above this one. 👍
 
Emc

Emc

Supporting vendor
teamzr1 said:
OK, it just bothers me to see things not connected and what it could be for ?

I found another 1972 C3 and compared to the '72 above
Clearly is part of the vacuum system that is for the headlight doors and as what was in question off the firewall is for the wiper door/cowl
Like a diaphragm, (they call a relay)
1 hose comes from the vacuum tank reserve, 1 hose is for cowl/wiper door and 3rd hose is the drain side when door is being closed

View attachment 25550


View attachment 25551
Click to expand...
You are wrong, the part in the picture is the wiper motor operated windshield washer.
 
CaptainK

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
Gosh. Lots of activity on this post.

Can I also add about the PCV system on that engine. On the passenger side it appears to have none. On the drivers side, the pipe appears to go down heading towards the exhaust pipes (and goes out of view in the photo). My PCV valve on the driver's side in my 1968 go to the carburettor on the front. And the passenger side PCV I think is supposed to go to under the air filter (mine has an open mini filter on it due to a drop main air filter base and the pipe didn't fit very well).
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
CaptainK said:
Gosh. Lots of activity on this post.

Can I also add about the PCV system on that engine. On the passenger side it appears to have none. On the drivers side, the pipe appears to go down heading towards the exhaust pipes (and goes out of view in the photo). My PCV valve on the driver's side in my 1968 go to the carburettor on the front. And the passenger side PCV I think is supposed to go to under the air filter (mine has an open mini filter on it due to a drop main air filter base and the pipe didn't fit very well).
Click to expand...
Good observation Capt. Perhaps the drivers side tube simply hangs down under the front chassis?......a 'bodge' version of the early Draft Tube 'blow past' crancase pressure relief pipe? - hopr the engine hasn't got too much 'blow past' or it'll could have a smelly cabin!
 
teamzr1

teamzr1

Supporting vendor
Emc said:
You are wrong, the part in the picture is the wiper motor operated windshield washer.
Click to expand...

I went by a forum thread as to a 1972 C3 having a vacuum wiper door problem with image I posted

72 wiper door vacuum issues - CorvetteForum - Chevrolet Corvette Forum Discussion

C3 Tech/Performance - 72 wiper door vacuum issues - After car is started in a minute or two wiper door rises and stays up. all lines have been replaced as well as switch under fender. I can get door to go down at times depressing switch that wipers rest on. but when restarting the door opens...
www.corvetteforum.com

Make no difference, as I was asking why the relay had no hoses on it ?
 
Chuffer

Chuffer

CCCUK Member
CaptainK said:
Gosh. Lots of activity on this post.

Can I also add about the PCV system on that engine. On the passenger side it appears to have none. On the drivers side, the pipe appears to go down heading towards the exhaust pipes (and goes out of view in the photo). My PCV valve on the driver's side in my 1968 go to the carburettor on the front. And the passenger side PCV I think is supposed to go to under the air filter (mine has an open mini filter on it due to a drop main air filter base and the pipe didn't fit very well).
Click to expand...
Good spot Shipper . (y)
 
Chuffer

Chuffer

CCCUK Member
Also hard to tell for certain but studying the close up pics of engine again it looks there might be micro blistering on the paintwork on the top pf the front wing ( fender ) .
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
Chuffer said:
Also hard to tell for certain but studying the close up pics of engine again it looks there might be micro blistering on the paintwork on the top pf the front wing ( fender ) .
Click to expand...
Chuffer may well be correct......or images were taken after light rainfall. I think that bottom line is that this car could well be a good car........perhaps at a given price allowing for possible rectification of things that have been pointed out.......but £27.5K? - info relating to supposed 396 cu in engine needs to be qualified - is it a stroker conversion to the original 350? usually known as a 383 cu in or one of Chevy's once available 400 cu in engines?
 
M

marchartog

Regular user
Mr. Cricket said:
Rust is your biggest enemy with a C3 (others too but this is a C3..) The fiberglass panels are bonded to a steel birdcage which sits atop a steel framed chassis so while the exterior of the car can be made to look presentable what lurks beneath is the important bit. C3's leak water in, in numerous places (I have a '71) and have had others. Often the water just sits quietly chomping on the available metals with no where to go such as the body mount pockets which are a crazy design. Drain tubes are often plugged so again water just sits and sits and sits.. As Mad mentions ask to remove the inspection covers in the rear arches and front footwells to see what condition the body mounts are in which will kinda give you an overall idea of condition. Stay WELL away from a rusty C3. Look for signs of blistering around the front screen trims as that includes the upper most section of the birdcage. Looking at the condition of the engine bay and that so many exterior items have been replaced all points to a bloody good rust inspection being done. Good look though, C3's can be a blast to drive especially the earlier one's

View attachment 25549
Click to expand...
Thank you for the comments and what a gorgeous car!!
 
M

marchartog

Regular user
Thanks all, what a fantastic welcome to potential ownership with helpful feedback and a very insightful call with Gavin. I have looked at the car in question and as suspected by several here it needs a lot of work. The hunt continues. Will keep you posted and no doubt ask more daft questions!
 
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