Troys Toy 70

I know it's no an Olds. . He has wanted one all his life. It is a 76 L82. Over all good condition. We had an idea that a motor rebuild may be in the near future as it has over 99,000 miles. However, 15 miles into his maiden ride, what sounded like valve lash turned into a knock.

He bought it well under market, so it stinks, as we thought he would get to drive it a few times before we tore it down. Given the overall condition, there is room to play with the rebuild a little. He is joining the Vette forums, but you guys are always so helpful I thought I would ask. Any recommendations for a good street cruiser with attitude build, and what are the best sources for these cars.

Thanks,
Troy

Greg Rogers

Looks like a nice one. At least the rebuild shouldn't be too pricey being a small block Chevy....

Jimi2much

Troy , I've had a 76 , 79 , and an 80 . You guys will have an absolute fun and rewarding time making this his first street machine .
It looks like it might have an 80 tail / spoiler piece , and you definitely have 78-80 , 15 x 8.5 O.E. Aluminum Wheels .. Overall slightly modded , and seems to sit nice . Now . On to the plan . You 2 make a decision on performance level of your small block Chev . Currently is an Auto , way more simple to keep it that way , but not tough to go manual .
If and when you remove engine , just the normal replacements . Motor Mounts , Rubber bushings @ tail shaft of transmission , and be super aware of rear leaf spring ( 1 failed on me - no Bueno ) and possible cracks @ R.E. Cover .. Really pretty easy to replace . If you go for higher horsepower , new U - Joints for drive and half shafts . Shocks , and sway bar links and suspension is done . 2 of my 3 got new rear leaf spring .
If brakes are needed , it is usually plug and play . In the 80's - OO's it was SSBC , Stainless Steel Brake Co . Totally rebuilt Calipers W/ pins Hardware
Pads were @ 495.00 exchange for a set of 4 ... That will put you in good shape on this car . Your son is fortunate to have a source and sounding board to endorse levels of build . Looks like he found a really decent piece to start on .. Let the games begin , good luck Troy .







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1968_Post

Looks nice... When I was restoring Corvettes, I primarily used Paragon or Corvette Central out of Michigan. The caveat is the last one I did was more than 10 years ago. If interior parts are needed, Al Knoch used to be the go to place. For standard repair parts, the specialty suppliers can be pricey, so I'd consider more mundane suppliers like Rock Auto.

marxjunk

id build or buy somethigng with cubes...put the orig motor and trans up and do what every you want with it....you can even put a big block in it if ya like and enjoy it...a nice LT1 would be an easy swap

oldcutlass

A BBC in that is a pain in the butt, stick with an SBC. As these Vettes are not as popular, its a blank slate to do what you wish. It can be made into a fun and reliable toy.

Troys Toy 70

Thanks guys. He is uber excited to say the least. Here is a couple of pics he took yesterday after he washed it. My favorite is the one with the sunshine coming across it.

Jim you are right. It has an 80 tail end, and was painted black instead of the factory bright blue.

As for the story, he is supposedly the third owner. The first owner had it for the first 98,500 miles, the second owner bought it about a year ago. We have receipts for parts and service, some dating back to 2004. So who really knows.

Trailered it home (2 1/2,hours) to the DMV, and my son started to drive it home. Two discoveries. 1) Gas was dripping on right exhaust muffler. 2) Engine noise changed and be came more prevalent. Finished trailering the last 10 miles.

Now he is a young man, and he is chasing HP numbers right at the moment. "Somewhere around 400 should do." I am more, "Lets make the bottom end stout, and go from there. Top end can be added later. Get use to the car, then build." Which means I have become an old man.

66luvr

I have a Chevy 383 short block in my garage for sale. All new, scat crank and the rest is from GM Performance Parts. $2000
Put good heads on and it would be easy to get to around 500 horse power, that should be fun.

jozw30

If you're considering a different motor, why not consider an LS based swap? 400 hp is easy and relatively cheap (certainly not any more than the other options mentioned).

Probably get 20mpg or so to boot.

Bet there are tons of cars already done and there may even be swap kits available......

redoldsman

That L82 was a pretty decent engine. I think it had forged pistons and crank. I had a 74 Big Block (factory) it while it was fun, it was not a car I drove every day. There is no room for air to move so it runs pretty hot. It was thirstier than my V10 F250 and very difficult to change plugs in. An LT-1 would make a nice swap. This will be a fun car and parts are plentiful.

Troys Toy 70

We discussed a LS swap on the way down the road. He thinks some old school natural aspirations is really cool.

It's not a DD, so mpg not a big concern. I think he would go with a 200r first.

The L82 does have a forged crank and pistons, which should make a good base.

Funkwagon455

I would say that in an age of a general disinterest in mechanical things with the younger generation being enundated with electronics, I'd be thrilled and proud if my sons brought a car like that home. Nice ride, Enjoy it to its maximum potential! My dad was a Vette guy, I like them a lot but not quite my personal flavor just yet.

edzolz

If he is under budget constraints, I recommend the Jeg's replacement 350 crate engine. Right now at under $1500, brand new with a 3 year or 50K warranty when installed in the qualifying vehicle.

steverw

I would definately go with a 383, if your not up on your Chevys, thats a 350 bored .030 with a 400 crank shaft. Very powerful, very torquey. Thats what i have in my 65 Vette, and i love it. Actually the 2nd 383. You can buy them crate or buy the individual parts, or a complete rotating assembly, and put it in your block. Mines a full roller motor, never had it dynoed but i guess its 400 to 425 HP. Maybe more maybe less, dont know dont care, its fast. I have a modified Holley carb on a Weiand Stealth intake. It will run.
I love Vettes, I hope you and your son have a great time with it.

Troys Toy 70

I am both thrilled and proud. He has helped me, sometimes begrudgingly so it seemed, on my project. Watching him crawl underneath the car check frame, bushings, then check vin and other things was really cool. I think he just needed a project to call his own.

Troys Toy 70

I did not see those, at my first glance. That is a good option to keep in mind.

Troys Toy 70

We talked about that. I knew it was 30 over, but couldn't remember which crank. I know we are going to have some fun. He wants to go to car shows together once I get the 442 finished.

1969w3155

Had a '76 L82 back in 1982, Doug Thorley headers and side pipes, along with a Holley, still wasn't enough to motivate it very well, spun a bearing at 129 mph. Damn thing had to be the hottest s.o.b. to be in.

TK-65

My father just sold his 21,000 mile original L82 4 speed loaded 76. For 11,500. Mint survivor car with build sheet, window sticker and owner history. Sorry to say those cars are basically worthless.

DSC_0250_zpszz1amabd.jpg

Troys Toy 70

Lol, with headers and side pipes it would be like an over broiler.

Troys Toy 70

That looked like a nice ride, and the latter C3s get no love. From what we were looking at, that price was below market for what it was. He gave less than half of that for this one. Most were in the $8-10k and not as nice as your fathers

nj67

I have owned a few Corvettes and think 76 is the last year they still looked good. If you get 350hp plus in there it will be one fun ride. I also think side pipes look hot on a Vett but opinions vary on that.

Troys Toy 70

x2

TK-65

He was the third owner of it. It was never driven in the winter, and rarely driven the last 15 years. Had every option including 3.55 posi rear. Everything except shocks and battery were original. Had NOS mufflers on it too. He had it on ebay twice and got one bid.

wr1970

To tell the truth i am not a big vett fan. That is one of the years i do like. I would have thought it would be worth more myself with the history but cars are down right now i think.

TK-65

GM made a ton of them, they were low on power, and the body style was around for 15 model years. They have potential but in the end it will always be a mid 70s Corvette.

oldcutlass

A set of Corvette Rallys and some Hooker Header side pipes really wake the look up. Combine that with a 383 he would be riding in high cotton.

83hurstguy

If he had said this at MCACN maybe we could have tried harder to talk him out of it, j/k...

Good for him though, I'm all for people messing with RWD old school american cars. I'd try to throw a 383 in there, a nicely used one like mentioned above can typically be found for a great deal. I had a similar project car in the past in terms of mileage, car is at the age where everything has deteriorated and will need lots of TLC. Should keep him busy for a while! Best of luck with it, hope he has fun.

Troys Toy 70

Thanks Luke, I don't think it would have done any good. Some people you just can't get too. Although, he did admit that an A-body 442, would be his second choice. There is still hope. Now, we have a mini MCACN going on in our garage.

oldcutlass

All that matters is he took an interest.

Troys Toy 70

Absolutely, I think I'm more excited about that than he is about the car.

redoldsman

Personally I think this is a decent car. It is relatively cheap, can be made to be fast and it is still a Corvette. I think they are good looking cars. I like the ones with the flat back window the best. Parts are available and affordable. This thing would be a beast with a 383 in it. I hope you and your son enjoy the car.

marxjunk

any young person interested in any pre 80 US manufactured car is a very good thing indeed

Troys Toy 70

It is a decent car, and I agree I prefer the flat windows as the bubble glass. Now, my all time favorite is the 67 427 with the stinger hood.

steverw

I had a 77, it looks just like the 76. Their definately not the most popular Vette but their good cars. A little TLC and some elbow grease, building it with your son, it dosent get any better than that. There are a lot of Corvette parts vendors, I have had it with Ecklers. I do like Zip Corvette, but i bought alot of parts for my 65 recently from Yogi Bairs Corvette, when i was rebuilding my rear suspension. They are in Pa. Great people to deal with and reasonable on prices.
Have fun and good luck. And can i ask your sons age?

Troys Toy 70

He is 22, just moved back in with us as he started a new job close by. As a teenager, he didn't express much interest.

We actually do not see him much, as he works straight nights, and we work days. This weekend will be the first time we will have a chance to look at the motor.

z11375ss

Three letters. L S X. From a boneyard perhaps. That would be a true motivator.

Troys Toy 70

Good news, bad news..

We had a chance to investigate tonight. Traced the noise to the back of the motor. Listen, pulled plug wires one at a time, noise never quited down. Dropped the dust pan and here is what we found. These are the converter bolts. Tranny was rebuilt about 1,000 miles ago

Cracked flexplate?? Or should we be looking for Something else?


Having trouble posting a video to give you a link. Will post in morning.

toymobile

I have only seen 6 converter bolts in MOTOR HOME's ???
Put new bolts in and give it a whirl. If the flex plate is cracked or broken it has already happened, one more run want change anything.

Johnny

Troys Toy 70

Here is a link to the video.