Aug 8, 2020
24
28
Montreal
VetteCoins
617
Car
1970 C3 LS5
Province
QC
Greetings from Montreal. Long time lurker, first time posting.

1970 Corvette, convertible, 350ci/300hp, original with matching numbers. 87,000 km (so it says on the speedo). Car looks pretty good, sounds good, I'm having it independently inspected (drivetrain, body, frame, etc) on Tuesday. My main concern is rust (and to what degree) especially on the birdcage.

Both doors have a gap, passenger slightly bigger than the driver's door. Both doors close solid with no issue, and no effort. Solid thud, no play up or down.

From doing a bit of research on the net, I understand this door gap issue is common to some extent on these cars. My question is if it passes the inspection and the birdcage is in good shape, how can I correct the gap(s)? Is there a shop in Montreal that I can rely on to do the job properly?

If it's not detrimental to the operation of the vehicle, I'm willing to live with it, but I think the car deserves better.
Attached pics.



IMG_4313.jpg




Thanks in advance.

Cheers.
IMG_4314.jpg
 
Not a pleasant morning two days ago, here goes ...

So, I show up at the seller's place to pick up the car for a test drive and to bring it to my mechanic for inspection.

"The steering wheel is a bit off-centre, the car goes straight but the steering wheel looks like you're turning right" he says.
a050.gif


Anyhoo, he gives me the keys, I sit down and proceed to wear the seatbelt. I spent ten minutes trying to adjust the slack so I can buckle-up, and he spent close to one hour trying to do the same. No luck. The deadlock wheel had basically fused from the rust and the male buckle would not budge for adjustment.
2-SB-PR-2in-Push-Release-Seat-Belt-Buckle.jpg

Tried everything from oil, WD-40, screwdrivers, pliers, no luck. He said he would bring it across the street to the mechanic. I asked him if this was a joke and how in hell did the car pass this part of the provincial inspection!? He said it's ok, you can drive it with no belt. I told him I can't afford a ticket (and demerit points) for not wearing a belt. "True" - he says. What a winner!
c042.gif


The SAAQ provincial inspection report had a couple of errors:
1. Mileage was recorded as 50,000 even !!! and the 'km' box was checked instead of 'mi'. The speedometer is in miles, not kilometers. What was the inspector looking at?

2. The VIN on the SAAQ inspection report (as well as all documentation in the car file) was recorded as XXXXXXX5XXXXXX. No letter to be seen. Turns out the 5 should have been the letter 'S'. All the paperwork, including the vehicle registration was wrong. The inspector, I would only assume, never bothered to actually look at the VIN metal tag on the car but just copied the info from previous documentation (wrong).

I give him back his keys and tell him I wasn't interested in the car anymore.

The mechanic who was supposed to inspect the car (which I never showed up for) said it was not meant to be, things happen for a reason (probably an omen), consider myself lucky and to move on.

Indeed.
 
Good move to walk away, even if you are able to do much of the work yourself this old gal sounds like a money pit and a candidate for a resto mod. New tubular frame, suspension, birdcage, Ls, brakes, wheels ... Good luck in your continued search.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Black 03 Z06
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 100 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.

Users who are viewing this thread