Actually this is for my stepson. He's decided he wants to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a Corvette. Who was I to say no...Actually I encouraged it. One more Chevy in the driveway is a good thing , Right?

Anyways he's looking at a smallblock 1977 Corvette with t-tops and leather. Where are the spots that I need to look for problems. Rust, cracks etc. I'm clueless about where to look and what to look for on Corvettes. We're going to look/buy tomorrow after work.

Thanks, Lance

One area to watch for is frame rust over the rear kick. I believe that frame section is available repro. No issues with the drivetrain that I'm aware of. Check out the fit of the T-tops, the functioning of the hidden lights, and the windsheild wiper panel. That body style was old by '77 and the teething problems were worked out. Of course it is an old car now and it could have seen anything by this stage of the game. The '77 finally got a glove box after Chevy thinned down the windsheild posts after the dropping of the convertible. It was also the last year before they went with the sloping rear glass. '77 was the only year that the optional luggage rack could hold the T-roof panels (the rack was contoured for it). It could have a 4-spoke wheel or an optional leather padded 3-spoke wheel. The standard L48 was a 2-bolt main, cast crank & piston engine with 1.94/1.50 valves. The L82 had a forged crank & pistons, 2.02/1/60 valves, 4-bolt mains, a hotter cam plus finned aluminum valve covers, still in natural aluminum finish.Chevy starting painting their engines blue for 1977.

Those are good driving cars. Most of the areas where a '77 Corvette would have had problems is likely to have been fixed already. The one super common trouble area of '65 to '82 Corvettes is the brake calipers. The design sucked! Hopefully the calipers on this car have been stainless steel sleeved http://www.ecklers.com/product.asp?pf%5Fid=40291&dept%5Fid=1039 . The rear trailing arms are problematic http://www.ecklers.com/find.asp?PageNumber=2&find%5Fspec=trailing+arm&cat%5Fid=&sub%5Fname=&level=0

Mainly you need to inspect it the same way you would any old car - get it on a lift. Look for cracks in the body, these can be expensive and time consuming to repair properly. Look for any signs of rust bleeding through the a-pillars, there is steel inside and that area can be a water/moisture trap.

Good Luck, Thomas

Lance you may want to ask the guys over at corvetteforum.com. Quite a few are quite smart.

Frame rust and core support rust is always an area to inspect. 77 is a great driver. Not a ton of money, but a ton of fun. Easy to get parts for too. Best of luck with your purchase.

And the power steering valve that leaks......

Thank you gentlemen. This car sounds really nice so far. It's dark blue with a white leather interior and t-tops. Only has something like 65k miles on it. I'll post pictures if he ends up with it. Supposed to have been parked in a garage for quite a long time.

Ditto on the Dog leg area of the frame and the rear suspension.

The 4-wheel independant suspension can get pretty spendy to repair if your farming it out. As well as potential rust at the trailing arm mount area, (as stated)

Got some pictures from the seller. This thing is beautiful.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/front3.JPG
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/1eb4scd.jpg
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/27aescd.jpg

Y'all don't know me, but basically I'm a Corvette guy with other cars mixed in as well. I've got 16 in my collection, all 1970 and older, but have owned almost every year from 70 foward also at one time or another (at least up through a 90 ZR1 and Callaway, my last 2 late ones). The first new Corvette I ever bought was a 75, almost identical to the 77 except for minor emblem and trim differences.

As far as dependability/availability of parts & service, etc, the late 70's aren't any different from anything else from early 60's through early 80's. The problem is, the late 70's were the low point of performance (and styling in my opinion) and they don't have very strong value and are fairly plentiful for REALLY CHEAP. The good news is, they're easy bolt ins for perfomance upgrades, even including big block engines.

Somebody mentioned stainless brakes. Unless the car has been parked for many years, there's not a chance the brakes haven't been done already. Parked or not, if it has a pedal they've been done. Even so, everything to do the brakes can be bought for less than 400 bucks, which is a couple hun cheaper than it was 20 years ago. One of the biggest potential expenses is the rear end. You should jack the rear, getting a tire off the ground, then put a pry bar under the bottom of the tire and pick up. While doing this, look to see how much movement there is in the yoke where the inner U joint connects. If there's much more than just "barely moveable" you're in for an expen$ive repair that's NOT a home project. Sometimes the yokes will have worn excessively and cut the housing in the area where the seal fits requiring complete replacement. The problem with the independent rear on any of the Corvettes from 63 to 82 is that as the spring sags with age, the rear camber changes, and as it does, it puts more weight on the inside surface of the yoke where it rubs on the pin in the middle of the carrier. As this yoke wears, the camber changes still more, accelerating the wear even more. The trailing arm bearings also require service by someone with special tools and the knowledge of how to shim them properly. If they've been neglected too long the bearings can cut a groove in the spindle making them unuseable. It's not at all uncommon for somebody to buy an older Corvette and have a 2 to 3 thousand dollar surprise in the rear of the car. The rest of the car is pretty straight foward.

Frame rust in the area already described is a significant concern, but I wouldn't consider buying a 77 that needed rear frame rails. It's a damn complicated proceedure, requiring removal of the frame and there's not a late 70's Corvette on the planet worth that kind of effort in my opinion. I'd also look very carefully for previous fiberglass damage and frame damage also. In about 30 years a lot can happen. Rubber bumpers can also be at the point of requiring replacement, and that is expensive including paint work required.

quote: It's not at all uncommon for somebody to buy an older Corvette and have a 2 to 3 thousand dollar surprise in the rear of the car.


Had a 70 Roadster back in my youth, took it to the shop, he tore down the rear end, gave me the estimate, and stated he wouldn't put it back together for safety and liability reasons. He said the rear wheel was ready to come off. Either a huge $$$$ repair, or pick it up in a flatbed.

2 nights earlier I had it up to 110MPH on a quick burst on the highway.

That scared me a bit.

Just imagine the rear wheel coming off at 110 MPH sitting unseatbelted in a fiberglass roadster.


So yes, please check out the rear suspension as was well detailed by 2BlueLS6's.

77s are good drivers. Ours (http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c4/xfire//1977main.htm)

Dan, that '63 is my kinda project. A lot of my ole' junk is kinda like that........ cars that were left in storage and largely forgotten or neglected for years. Unfortunately with the internet and commonly available publications, there aren't many neat old cars sittin' around in corners anymore. I hope y'all are gonna lose that L88 hood scoop and put a 63 hood back on that car. Outside of the '67 big block hood, the 63 hood with the fake grilles was the best looking one ever put on a Corvette IMO. I couldn't see the interior color, but that car'd look a lot better with a black convertible top on it also.

My 63 roadster is black with red interior. Quick history (short version since this is in fact a Chevelle website) Car ordered hardtop only, fuel injected 3.08 gear for a guy to street race top end. Dealer couldn't get sorted, owner traded back in within a month and several hundred miles. Second owner bought, got running right, got arrested street racing, took car completely apart down to bare chassis with 4066. ORIGINAL miles sometime in '64. Car has changed hands among local car guys 4 times since. It's never been put completely back together. I aquired it 15 or 18 years ago, rebuilt drivetrain, cleaned and detailed chassis, bolted body back on, painted in black laquer, and haven't sanded and buffed. It's been in that same condition for well over 10 years now. My son has a large garage on a house he bought. Last month he said he'd like to get the black 63 over and finish it. So MAYBE after over 40 years in boxes it'll roll again.

2blueLS6's, you looking to adopt any mechanically inclined foster kid's? I'll even stay at my house, just drop-off the cars.:D

Dan, that '63 is my kinda project. Quick history (short version since this is in fact a Chevelle website) .

PM sent! Woundn't want to bore these Chevelle guys. ;) :D

PM sent! Woundn't want to bore these Chevelle guys. ;) :D

Car stories NEVER bore REAL car guys................. 'least not unless they're Ford stories.

Car stories NEVER bore REAL car guys................. 'least not unless they're Ford stories.

Exactly. Bring it on :)

Well there's another Chevy in the family. Very very clean Corvette. It showed all over the car that it was the guy's baby.

Thanks for everyones insight and suggestions, Lance

Well there's another Chevy in the family. Very very clean Corvette. It showed all over the car that it was the guy's baby.

Thanks for everyones insight and suggestions, Lance


:thumbsup: Congrats to your step son. Four years ago my Son (http://www.corvetteforum.net/c4/xfire/seniorfrontr.jpg) bought an '89. There was a perm-a-grin for weeks.