Everything you need to know before buying a C3 Corvette | Car-addiction

Quick checklist to buy a C3 Corvette stingray.
You can also use this as a checklist for any older corvette purchase.
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[@chickenjo23]

The bumpers are urethane not fiberglass. It doesn't melt. The heat dries the urethane and becomes wavy.

[@ckstaff]

Actually, if someone just wants a C3 but not spend the big bucks you can get a pretty nice vette, 75-82, many under 10 grand.

[@runningrich]

Exactly my point.

[@elitewarrior0076]

@@runningrich Do an LS Swap too, and you will vastly improve performance

[@runningrich]

@@elitewarrior0076 5.3 or the 6.2?

[@9thgatedim273]

@@runningrich 4.8-lt4

[@speeddemon8438]

Around 5k by chance? Looking as a first car and something to learn to work on

[@studio-flash]

Even though it's not the best Corvette it knocks spots off many sports cars today. The best classics to me were f1 c2 63 and 67. And the c3 1969..gorgeous..none better.

[@collinsedward777]

This is not a corvette stingray. Still very nice corvette!

[@russellboyd5262]

I have a 1977 corvette,I put 15000 in updates,Headers,performance exhaust,shocks,new mono leaf springs,many more,The previous owner also put 15000 in it before he died,and i bought it.,at an estate sale.Its beautiful,gets ALOT of attention,thanks russ.

[@gotdamnjimi9758]

Damn it can get that expensive I don’t plan on going crazy with mods. I just plan on driving it from time to time and doing regular maintenance when it needs it

[@teter129]

Great video, I've owned a C3 before and even I learned something I didn't know. Nice work.

[@runningrich]

Thanks

[@pontiacgrandprix733]

Or really a great car as Vettes go, motor was a slug, but I love the body, it's kinda like a hot girl, that's never very active in the sack, just lays there and looks pretty

[@runningrich]

Hahaha. This is great!!!

[@charlesmiller7139]

Well put. Lol

[@dannyspitzer1267]

Haha. Good analogy

[@runningrich]

Thank you, everyone, for all your support in 2018. I am looking forward to an amazing 2019, Stay tuned for lots of awesome upcoming content.

[@joekingrey1423]

The rear and front bumpers are made of urethane. Aftermarket fiberglass replacements are available that will not become wavy over time.

[@runningrich]

Thanks.

[@rahulisdodo]

LOVE the video man! Looking into buying a 79' T-top stingray as well. Real informative!!! ALSO, a fellow Canadian so you understand our weather problems haha! Please keep making video's on this car, it really assisted in my preliminary research!

[@runningrich]

cudkanda thank you very much! More videos will come soon.

[@metalgods04]

The front and rear bumpers are made out of rubber not fiberglass. That's why if you look closely at the back bumper some times the color is a little bit different from the body witch is fiberglass.The C6 was really bad on that. Same color but sometimes paint colors can dry in different shades on different types of surfaces like steel, fiberglass, and rubber. Chevy's been doing this for decades. How to fix it is to buy after market fiberglass bumpers. And shoot the whole car at the same time instead of pieces. That's what I did to my C6. Looks way better. Some people might not be able to tell but next time you are driving around town and see a Vette specially C6 look closely at the shade of the paint on the rear bumpers bet you'll start noticing the difference. But who cares I'll always be a Corvette gal so it's not a big deal for me.🤘🤘🤘

[@mykidpatkinsingjohn7171]

The bumpers are plastic not fiberglass and no, GM doesn't use latex paint they use lacquer!! Body straightness (equal, even gaps), frame, floor and birdcage rust biggest concern when buying C3s. Anything else can easily be fixed.

[@runningrich]

Correct

[@XxProRider]

Bumper and nose not fiberglass some polystyrene material. After market can upgrade to fiberglass

[@freezerburn04]

Sweet car, man! And thanks a ton for the tutorial 👍🙏👋 ‘freezer

[@kevinfay5172]

If you want straight dont use stock urathane bumpers go to fiberglass after market bumpers will sharpen the car looks big time

[@runningrich]

Your Correct. I just found that out.

[@douglasshorter1513]

It’s not a weave from the hot sun on fiberglass but on the polyurethane body parts it is but on fiberglass if it is weaving it is from the dual action sanders pad being bad and over pressure on the part when you redo the paint have them use some type of media blasting on it like corn cob bits but don’t use paint stripper on it and check for crakes on fiberglass and have them resin the cracks not just bonds over it all over the under Car metal have it power coated send the extra money I didn’t the paint on mine re cracked and all of the bottom metal parts rusted up with in 2 years I parked my in the yard and covered it

[@jerrittyler2614]

These are the reasons to not buy a C3 (1969-1982) corvette 1. Heavy frame rust 2. Birdcage rust 3. Bent frame 4. Bad title/no title 5. A car too far gone to restore (although this is debatable) Everything else is fixable ..and as I'm sure you know by now, 1976 was the last year they called the Corvette a Stingray.

[@runningrich]

Your right. But they look so identical. Rust wise this car was very clean. A friend of mine owns this now.

[@mypointofview6056]

@@runningrich This video really sucks!

[@stephenshea2088]

Didn't the stingray end in 77?

[@leethadmitchell1996]

1976 was the last year of the official sting ray although the look remained the same for 1977 and 1978 only difference was the ABSENCE of the stingray badge on side of car. This was replaced with the corvette racing flag and St Louis flag.

[@truebetold65]

Look how beautiful that car is.. gorgeous.

[@runningrich]

Thank you.

[@tacomargboffrode1771]

Good job thanks!!

[@runningrich]

Thanks. Please subscribe

[@stevedouglas5443]

The bumpers are made of plastic, not fiberglass.

[@evolvingguy2766]

I’m pretty sure the previous owner glasses them over

[@runningrich]

Most probably

[@perrymakris5062]

I don't want to be picky but you called the rear differential an axle. You lost me when you pointed to the bonding strip (6:50) on the Left Rear and stated that there is metal there and it rusts. Sorry, there is no metal there. If you want to limit rust problems, buy something from the southwest. Buying a C3 in the "rust belt", you better know exactly what you're look at! You can get some good deals on C3's. If you find excessive rust move on to the next one! There were thousands produced! Anyway, good luck with the body mount bushings. Hopefully your birdcage at #2 & #3 mounts is not rotted out.

[@darkleg7355]

I spent a summer stripping the paint off my 70 vette so the paint job only cost me 3k.

[@runningrich]

That's a good deal

[@robertbrydge5778]

As long as it’s not a rust bucket , everything you’re complaining about can be fixed at a reasonable cost if you do it yourself.

[@runningrich]

You are correct.

[@marcodevries4481]

The “weave” (??) is not even fiberglass. It’s plastic.

[@russellboyd5262]

do you still have this car,or you still happy with it,you should do an update for us c3 owners.thanks russell wayne boyd.

[@runningrich]

Unfortunately I don't have the car anymore.

[@russellboyd5262]

my heart,is trully broken.lol russell wayne boyd.

[@runningrich]

I sold it and got a v10 Viper. And sold that too.

[@manoalarouj4531]

Thank you for all the info, I just have one Q ... is this car a daily use ( if I bought it in good condition and put some work to it )

[@runningrich]

I'm sure you can daily drive it. It's has the Chevy 350 motor which is a reliable and easy to work on motor. It's just highway drive is not fun or comfortable in the 3 speed automatic.

[@reviewzone3291]

No not a daily car buy honda

[@runningrich]

Why not? Cheap to fix, parts are available, lots of aftermarket support, not a Honda reliable but more reliable than any other Chrysler new age vehicles.

[@jameshuban6515]

I'm assuming this is a 78 or 79. I'm not going to hype the Stingray designation. It's just a badge. Like any car that age, all of the rubber (bushings, gaskets, etc.) needs to be replaced. That can be expensive. The T tops leak. Get used to it. Again that is a gasket problem. The glass problem on the rear fender is a bonding (glue) issue. Yes the birdcage rust is something to be concerned about. The fiberglass body hides the rot underneath it. I would recommend Fluid Film or something similar to spray up into the cavities. Sure the universal joints on the drive and half shafts may need to be serviced. All that said these cars have a great support network. You can find almost any aftermarket replacement part needed. Like most cars of that era. They were detuned and smogged to the point they couldn't compare to their older siblings. But they are basically the same as the chrome bumper cars. The drivetrains have potential. Especially if you do a LS upgrade. They will only grow in value.

[@runningrich]

Thank you for your detailed comment. I sold the vehicle to a local collector 2 years ago. He is doing a full restoration.

[@jameshuban6515]

@@runningrich Hey, Thank you for the reply. That's great that someone is doing a restoration. We need to preserve all the vehicles we can. My brother owned a white, 72 454, convertible. It was an awesome machine! Like my youth, I wish I could find it now.

[@runningrich]

Oh man 73 454. That must be a rocketship.

[@FunWithAJ]

Pretty sure by 79 they were using rubber front and back bumpers not fiberglass.

[@runningrich]

Fiberglass man. I wish they were rubber.

[@otsenres1636]

I'd love an 82 but the smog laws in California suck and I don't want too deal bi-annual smog testing.

[@runningrich]

Aah that sucka big time.

[@UniqueApollo]

I'm going to get my uncle's 1982 silver blue c3 corvette he said he can sell it for 12k should I keep it or sell it for something more easier to maintain. It needs little work it has 83k miles on it last time it ran was in 2018 we just lat it sat for 2 years. Should I keep it? He said it just need interior he said he has everything.

[@runningrich]

12k is way to much money for an 82. Just my thought.

[@henryhause5600]

if you're trying to teach others about the c3, you bombed it. 76 was the last one called a stingray.

[@runningrich]

Never heard this before. Where did you find that?

[@henryhause5600]

Car-Addiction since a kid I restored cars mainly Vettes you can Google it even 76 was the last to have Stingray written on the fenders 77 had Flags they weren't called stingrays no more

[@corbinhbucknerjr558]

All the C-3's are Stingrays, that's the body style. They just eliminated the emblem that said "Stingray" after 1976. Otherwise there is no difference at all in the cars. There is just a certain segment of people out there that think that emblem is the be all and end all of the C-3 Stingrays, and love to stuffily say, "That's NOT a Stingray", simply because they don't have the emblem. Using the same reasoning, if you take the chrome "Corvette" letting off the back, it suddenly is no longer a Corvette. Absurd. It would be different if there had been a "Stingray" package, that had different equipment such as a handling package or special stripes or different wheels and tires, but the ONLY difference is the emblem.

[@collinsedward777]

The Corvette Stingray Coupe C3 has have different rear window design.

[@GunnyNinja]

@@corbinhbucknerjr558 That's some faulty logic. Chevy gets to decide what they call the car, not you. They took the badges off for a reason. The name didn't start with C3's...

[@richardguzzinya4242]

It’s not a Stingray. The last Stingray was made in 1976.

[@runningrich]

Ooh damm. I'm losing my sleep on this.

[@edgargalvan1313]

It’s the same shit just a badge name no fckn difference

[@sixspeedcity1804]

Mine doesn’t have any cracking which is crazy

[@runningrich]

Lucky for you man. Keep it clean and apply rubber lube regularly

[@sixspeedcity1804]

@@runningrich how do I apply it? I got the car 5 months ago and it’s my first car

[@runningrich]

Just buy rubber refresher or lubricant from auto parts shop, usually comes in a spray can.

[@DoggyB22]

Icon pic was a click bait! Upsetting..... Link of that pic?

[@reviewzone3291]

I bought the same car for $800 They don't have value any one wants a car get a 1975 or lower

[@runningrich]

Wow. That's an amazing price. Here in Canada a low km, rust free example drives a premium. How long ago did you buy and where?

[@johnknauss2369]

You bought a very shitty corvette my man

[@runningrich]

Which one do you have?

[@johnknauss2369]

Car-Addiction not me I was replying to review zone 😂 I love your car

[@runningrich]

Oh thank God. I was like wtf is wrong with my car. I went outside took the cover off and looked at it for 15 min. Shook my head and came back. Lol

[@scottelkin562]

Buyers Guide rule #1. C3's were Stingrays from '69 - '76 only.

[@runningrich]

That is correct. Everything else applies to all C3

[@cerqua718]

77 was the last year

[@scottelkin562]

Nope

[@chuckgannon5633]

76 was last year of sting ray

[@runningrich]

What changes since 76-79?

[@bulldoggmoto6896]

Not a stingray 76 was the last stingray

[@runningrich]

Ya ya ya.

[@amarqzm5082]

Wasn’t 1977 the last year

[@runningrich]

Last year was 76 with the badge.

[@khadijaalali2706]

I have a question is this car fun to drive?

[@runningrich]

How do you classify something fun to drive?

[@khadijaalali2706]

@@runningrich fun for me is going 30mph but it feels like I'm going 60mph sort of like a miata

[@runningrich]

That is definitely this car. Lol

[@khadijaalali2706]

@@runningrich lol thanks for the info

[@isfel7526]

How much did you pay for it? I'm looking to buy one just like that

[@runningrich]

4500 cad.

[@nathanschiel4244]

How much is a c5 in good condition

[@runningrich]

Hard to day. May be $15000 cad.

[@-TheOracle-]

That car needs a new car. ~LOLOLOL!~

[@runningrich]

Lol

[@benniep.5387]

This is definitely not a Stingray.

[@Mito125RR]

Not a Stingray, and they do rust.

[@runningrich]

Just missing the badge. Or else it's the same vehicle

[@russelljdj]

Dude! 76 was the last year "STINGRAY" was on the car. 77 was the last year for the STINGRAY body. 78-82 are known as the "Coke Bottle' Vette. NOT A FUCKING STINGRAY! AHHHH!

[@hd2kill]

Great tips

[@runningrich]

Thanks

[@russelljdj]

Stingrays ENDED in 1977! Jesus! The Frames can rust. And I heard nothing about the Trailing Arms.

[@runningrich]

Lol. Yes I know

[@studio-flash]

Yes but started up again with the C7.

[@philspaces7213]

Eerm... 76

[@lemondisc]

This guy knows nothing about c3 corvettes.

[@runningrich]

Why are you googling if you know so much?

[@lemondisc]

C3 corvettes were not painted with latex paint. Corvettes do rust. And the bumpers are made of urethane not fiberglass. So waves in them is normal. Also the left rear quarter was separating from the body and you did not point that out as that is a pretty big repair. Do you really wish for me to continue?