Why do classic cars spend so much time in the shop? This '82 Corvette is back to CAR WIZARD - AGAIN!
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- Опубликовано: 29 авг 2024
- Some cars seem to live at the mechanic shop, but why do classic cars seem to spend even more? This 1982 Chevy Corvette has comeback to CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ again this time for a whole new set of issues. What are they and why did they fail?
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I wonder what the future holds, old cars are getting too expensive to fix and new cars are getting too expensive to buy.
I have been thinking the same thing🤦🏾♀️
Two words: public transport
@@glassman1533 Will never work outside of big cities in the US
Restoration shops will be more viable
They want us out of cars
I'm a mechanic and a customer so I can appreciate you for being an honest mechanic and everyone should appreciate that but just as you know most people have been burnt by shady shops so that's why they talk crap about mechanic shops you're just like me you're honest
The package is actually called the Collector's Editon. The package was the only way to get an opening hatch
Yup. The special package came with those turbine wheels and if I'm not mistaken the mirrored t-tops.
Gorgeous
And only in that color...it's missing hood decal
They are too hard to work on now Wizard is moving on from old cars. I wish he would just change his stance and continue to take them in at least for his youtube channel. I am serious there are hundreds of youtubers doing modern crap, what makes this channel unique is the working on the old and new so I think its a big mistake as far as his youtube channel goes. You are making money off youtube so I do not see how hes not making money off old cars because he is making money off interesting content. Just wait and see once the old cars are gone. His viewership is going to take a hit.
you're absolutely correct and I passed up buying one last year that just needed the complete brake system replaced I should've brought it they only wanted $8000 for it.
This video caught my eye as I had one of these. I should have never sold it. Mine was purchased new by my cousins who put it in a barn with a cover over it 13 years. I bought it with around 17,000 original miles. Still had it on Jack-stands for about a year polishing everything even the exhaust pipes shined. Replaced a bunch of dried out stuff like valve cover gaskets and so on. I really liked the TBI. It ran flawlessly. Sold it to a neighbor with 21,000 miles who kept it 4 years then sold it to a collector in Oregon. I always have wondered where it is today. Guess this is not the one but sure brings back memories. Thanks for all you do.
Love the older general motors. Had a 1970 firebird and also a 78 trans am, and I miss them both greatly. Strangely I also miss a little Mazda MX3 V6 manual that I had for a couple years after those cars. But the Pontiacs win, they were so much fun and easy to work on.
Which is a damned good thing, because Planned Obsolescence made sure we did and do, right?
Still have my '65 and '67 GTO's I bought 40 years ago and have been driving the whole time. I like them more now than I did then, and they are still practical useable cars. No car payments, either!!
That design is timeless
Agree, only GM I’d ever own, a Corvette of any year
@@ozarkliving7263 Interesting. Having had Corvettes, they're the one GM I would never own again.
A Timeless Design, that was designed to last 3 years.
@@jimmyfleetwood1118 why I had 3 everyone was great
The 1980-82 'Vettes were the most beautiful ever made in my opinion. I was bitterly disappointed in the "cheese wedge", "doorstop" "pie slice" design of the C4. The C5, C6 and C7 looked just like it with minor changes. Boring.
In 1982 I saw this Corvette in a Detroit Mall and fell in love. Hiring manager at my first big interview had the exact one for 30 days before it was stolen and stripped to the frame.. we spent most of the time talking about the car, which I feel got me the 18 year job. I've always hated the stories about this Corvette being the worst model to have. Still beautiful to me
Crossfire Injection was only on the 82 and 84 Corvettes. 81 was carbureted and 85 had tuned port injection.
My dad had an 84 Corvette he bought new. Such a fun car!
I’m looking to buy a C4 myself.
Technically there were a few 83 Corvettes manufactured, but they were all test productions that were condemned to the crusher, but only one escaped that fate thanks to mother nature at the time, and that 83 Vette ended up staying preserved and is part of the permanent collection on display at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Kentucky
AND that it survived that infamous sink hole that claimed many collector corvettes by mere feet.
Built in 83, still not an 83 model year Vette. Technically.
Great video...Many people dont realize how destructive TIME to be on cars, not just mileage.
Also highlighting the importance of a good relationship between shop owner and car owner for tackling projects like this.
Wizard: We're going to look at this sweet 1983 Corvette.
Me: I thought 1983 didn't have a Corvette released to the public. The only one that exists is stored in a museum as the only survivor of that year.
The Corvette Meuseum.
The 'glass sinkhole museum? Lol
They made a handful of '83 Corvettes but they were never sold and on the day they were supposed to be crushed, one of them was spared because it was in a few inches of water that day and nobody wanted to get it out. Someone stuck it in a warehouse to be found years later
I love the C3 Corvettes… the most beautiful in my opinion! Thanks for bringing this video to us!
When I was in high school in the 90’s a friend of my dads had a car lot, he had a clean early 80’s Camaro that I wanted. Stopped bye and asked to take a test drive and he said he would never sell me that car. He didn’t want to get crossways with my dad.
Wizard I I definitely get what you’re saying about older cars
You said they didn’t make many of this 30 year anniversary vette
I owned a 1963 corvette roadster I loved it how every it wasn’t built fro gandering or braking fun to drive in a straight line
A cheap for repairs
327 but with a 2 speed power glide automatic
So many corvettes had been made since
Except for special editions idk how collectible they are.
Great video I will share
Best wishes always from Las Vegas Craig
This video is 8 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bravo wizard 👏🏻
Missed Mrs. Wizard's interior tour. Misfire Injection earned it's name because nobody knew how to work on it and it was so much more sensitive to vacuum leaks and bad gas than carbs. I remember putting Collector lower stripe kits on several regular Vettes and matching the interior color with the upper pinstriping.
Cease-fire injection?
Loved my '84 also, cannot say enough about it, first one around here that sat covered on the display floor at the dealer until its release April 24 th. They use to let me sit in it under the cover. On the road the reactions were amazing, everyone loved the look. The Digital Dash had all the info you needed,. metric too. a radiator that defected radar signals, plastic springs, hidden storage under rear glove boxes, entire front end hood opening, gyroscopic head lights, and off course the Bose stero, One thing missing, an Ashtray
Oh Wizard sucks to see the old car problems, i feel your pain indeed. As someone who works on old bmws and vintage dirt bikes. Very often if not every time on one of these mid 80s products have so much go wrong with them as your working on them. Didnt plan on doing fuel lines and brake lines but i shit you not i sneezed under the bay and tapped them with a ratchet. All three replaced from parts from germany set me back a month. My summer e30 turned into the autumn one just like that.
A few years ago you could find every part for this C3 and now you have do a lot of research online. I have a 2013 Caprice and parts have dried up for parts specific to the Caprice. Drivetrain is okay, and some parts were the same as other GM/Holden/Pontiac, but since Holden shut down it’s slim pickings
Its still very easy to find parts for Corvettes. There is a shop in Texas that bought all of the used GM corvette molds and makes 100% GM Authentic panels and parts.
Yeah I don't understand the c3 was in production 14 15 years parts shouldn't be a problem
A lot of 5th gen camaro, G8, and SS parts are shared with the Caprice. I have a G8 and I'm in the same boat.
Having had at least 5 Corvette 76-up C3s in the shop in the past two years, I got to say I do not want to work on them again. All sorts of conditions, from nearly new to hacked up.
The only thing I like about them is the ease to remove the oil pan...I'll take a C4 over a C3 anytime.
By the way the cat bracket isn't bolted on, but I'm sure it's already taken care of.
My friend had a C4 back when it was new. The lower radiator hose went on it. To replace it, took it to dealership and the engine had to be lifted (or, what's what he told me.) I assumed from there that the C4 a difficult car to repair.
A GM engineer took me for a ride in the then new '84 Corvette. That thing rode around curves like it was on rails. it was a very cool car.
You would think that the wizard could subsidize his vintage car labor costs with RUclips money and keep the videos coming. I think a lot of us subscribers like to see cool vintage cars. Charge what it takes and business comes to you, if you do a great job.
Thats for sure. Its more interesting to see a mix with this old stuff included then your run of the mill daily drivers and aged exotics which also take time to get parts for.
He runs a shop and is only one person. That's the great thing about RUclips. You can find something you want to watch. I agree, but that doesn't matter, it's not my channel.
It's a business. RUclips also takes massive time energy to create. He's trying to please everyone. But as usual - needy needy why why why commenters want more from him!
He's made it pretty darn clear that he has no interest in that business and gave many reasons why on many occasions.
Easy to say from an outside perspective. He has a business to run and labor and bills to pay for. And to keep everyday customers, he needs to be able to get them in and out. Therefore he must keep his employees focused on the quick turnover vehicles. RUclips is a side gig for him not his life. Wizard is doing the right thing.
I still have my Dad's '67 Camaro RS. You are so correct, when you go in for repairs it's never just one thing. I call it the "Domino Effect". When you tip one over, the rest fall one after the other. But, the old car has a home as long as I'm alive. It's in the body shop now for a little facelift. :)
I called so many mechanic shops for my 71 VW Super Beetle. All of em were all like "nope we don't do that" I was losing hope, but then I was referred to the right shop.
back in the day we did a lot of work on that model of vett , seems like we replaced a lot of rear leaf springs to restore the proper height. i had a 84 it had the crossfire engine , never had any problems with the engine, though the 4+3 transmission was a constant problem.
I think it got a bad reputation because FI was kind of “new” at the time and many people didn’t know how to troubleshoot problems. Now there are RUclipsrs who a great at FI, turbos and tuning, but totally fail at a troubleshooting a carb, and have to find a wise old man to help them lol
@@pops55650 the 84 had the cross ram intake with very small runners , which was HP limiting but it had huge torque and quite decent MPG. seems like it had a sort of torque/RV ish cam that would run out of steam @ 5k rpm and the SBC guys liked to turn the "R"S wern"t liking that.
Yeah I always remember seeing them with a saggy butt.
@@pops55650 kids who buy a mk1 vw ,and don't understand Bosch CIS injection,rip it off and put a carb on.
Stop, just stop,that's the dumbest swap ever.
Wizard, I definitely understand your dilemma with older cars and not wanting to work on them anymore. But, consider just doing the Chevy pickup and corvette from 1968 and newer. Plentiful parts and high end clients. Charge 50% premium on labor. Not restoration shop, just a high end repair shop for high end clients.
I agree. I would say 1980 and newer.
Bingo.
Naaah. 65 and newer.
The wizard doesn't work on cars unless u give him ur arm and leg
@@yrasphong
Lots of other older vehicles are just as easy to get parts for. The problem is where do you draw the line and out of those vehicles what projects do you actually take.
@@yrasphong he's a small shop though, what's he supposed to do work for free? gotta take the highest paying customers to stay afloat
Glad to hear your comment about not wanting to work on older cars due to the difficulty in making a decent return on the time spent researching and working on the vehicle. You may be a You Tube Star but your a mechanic and running a business. Your employees count on you to have a profitable shop and provide them a nice, clean, and safe place to work.
old cars are in the shop a lot b/c they are old and need to be gone through and have all their bushings, hoses, etc replaced with new, as well as having the motor, trans, and rear ends looked at to make sure they are good have the suspension checked maybe even updated to better stuff
But it also doesnt help that even fully restored old cars just sit and dont get driven. Doesnt matter if youve replaced everything if the car sits for years and maybe see's a few 100 or thousand miles over multiple years. To properly sort a car, you have to drive it and see what still needs some adjustment or fine tuning. But many guys who restore them only park them except for the few weekends a year they take them to shows around town, and then claim they want to do more, but dont trust the car to go hundreds of miles from home.
Yet I follow some young guys that have old 50s and 60s american cars and daily them as if they are new cars. Sometimes they need repairs, but they mostly work as if they were new. Its really how you use them and how willing you are to keep up on maintenance.
@@joshuakhaos4451 i daily drove my 73 elco when i bought it for like a year before i had to park it over the drive shaft and sadly no one close to me (as in 500 miles) doesnt do anything with drive shafts and b/c its set it needs more work.
@@0Heeroyuy01 Thats the one downside to an old car, the lack of parts or the lack of skill to fix said car.
@@joshuakhaos4451 anything else i could fix it with time (aside from welding if needed, but that i could learn) but i dont have the tools or knowledge to fix drive shaft
I love how a car seems to sit forever then the owners seem to get shocked it’s going to take like 10,000$ to fix it and get running and replace almost everything
If they didn't neglect things as they came up, it wouldn't build up to so much.
Ive seen and heard this the majority of the time a person with a classic. Meanwhile, I follow a few guys in their late 20s and 30s who exclusively own cars from the 50s and 60s as their dailys. Sometimes they have to make repairs, but they keep up on maintenance and the cars run. 2 of them take their old American Iron on 1000 + mile roadtrips like their cars are brand new off the lot. But then again, they use them as they were intended, not as a vessel to gain extra income.
@@dodgeplow This is why I find the vast majority of classic car owners a joke. They own them more for the potential money they could bring, so they just let them sit for months or multiple years at a time before moving. Then the owners complain that they cant enjoy their expensive toys even a little because they dont trust the car to drive more than maybe 30 minutes around town or to the nearest car show.
ANd when you just say that why dont they actually get them out, enjoy them and fix the ever growing list of issues as they come up so they CAN truly enjoy their classic. They say that they would love too, but its going to hurt its value.....
@@joshuakhaos4451 They save up enough money to buy the car but never budget a maintenance program.
@@joshuakhaos4451 cars from the 60s are the easiest to maintain. The design of the main functional parts reached a good level of maturity without complicating electronics. There are always a few exceptions here or there, but generally they are easy to maintain, many (most?) repairs can be done by someone with basic skills, and substitute parts can often be found if direct replacements aren't made - my '85 snow plow truck is like that - many generic parts but still on the road.
Most "old car owners" have NO CLUE what it takes to keep a machine with 30+ years on it in safe, running condition. They forget that rubber and gasket material has a finite lifespan - it doesn't last 'forever'. Suspension systems "work hard" whether you drive the car or not - it supports the weight of the car whether you're driving it, or it sits parked in the garage. Few people look at the 'date-code' of their own tires, or understand what that means. Few fuel hoses exist that are formulated for today's ethanol-spiked gasoline. It costs BIG MONEY to address these issues, and there's a huge disconnect between purchase-price and needed maintenance upkeep.
I had a 1977 L-82 Corvette for many years, did all the work. Use Stainless Steel sleeved calipers to fix the leaks in the front/all brake calipers. You will never have to replace them again. Also, make sure the pistons have "O" ring seals. Also, replace that steel rear spring with a fiberglass spring. Two things that will make this replacement worth while. About 30 lbs weight savings, and the ride will be "much" better with the fiberglass spring, get the heavy duty spring, it will not be too harsh but, is better than the stock spring rate. The 1984 was the first year for fiberglass springs, both front and rear. Also, replace the emergency brake shoes if you do all 4 wheels. These calipers and spring should be available from, Jeg's, Summit Racing or other Corvette only type businesses. It was found that that slanted radiator helped to deflect police radar, they could not see the car until it was closer to the radar unit, fiberglass helped too. You should check the rear wheel bearings, if they have never been serviced the are way overdue, front bearings too. If you cannot get new/rebuild power steering cylinder, there used to be a rebuild kit.
I love the c4. My goal is a silver one with red interior and stock wheels
My friend got the bug...he finds and restores the 60-70's vettes. And wins awards at shows. Thing is, he once said he would never do an off-frame restoration. Now he's on his fourth. And its just a hobby. But yes, they are classics. Yes, they are difficult to get parts for.
That's the best way to buy these cars. Let someone else spend his time, hundreds of hours at low rates to restore these things.
The c3 was in production forever why would finding parts be such an issue
@@rrf6747 It isn't. The problem is the delay to get them. Some take months. But you can get almost everything for a C3 (and a C2 for that matter).
Thank you, Wizard and Mrs. Love the looks of old cars, love more the reliability of new cars. I am a Geezer, from the days (the 70s) of distributor caps, carburetors, points, drum brakes, having to replace sparkplugs once a year, and when cars were toast by 80-100k miles. Cried when I traded in my 96 Audi A6 with 375k
why trade it in at that point?
My 68 Mustang is down when I work on it, not because of hard to get parts or money, it takes time because I want things done the right way. It may take a week just to put radiator hoses on correctly. It has been down sine June for new water pump, radiator and condenser. It will take another month or two just to get condenser lines put on my way. It is a hobby that I enjoy. My wife and I have many very generous offers, will never sell.
Mine came-off the show room floor, love it !
Don't have a garage to protect your hobby car during the cold Kansas winters? No problem... Just take it to the Wizard's for some hard-to-find parts and rest assured will be warm and toasty in the shop for those critical months. Hee hee. 🤣
Wizard I would enjoy a build video on what you guys repair on this vette!
To start out, I really do love old cars. they are just cool. I feel your pain relating to old cars in a repair shop environment. You have to charge time and materials to make it worth your time. Any type of warranty is a whole other topic. A high percentage of customers have no clue what it takes to work on the "classics". Just trying to find quality parts that work/fit properly, can take hours and hours of your time. Often times finding parts take more time than the repair. Then, one problem leads to another and another, etc. Where do you stop!!!. Most customer don't understand. One thing I am guilty of on my RUclips channel, Up-N-Runnin, is making it look easy. I can complete any job in just 20 minutes!!! In reality, it can take months to compete some of these jobs. I could write a book. Anyway.....great episode.
I mean, yeah, old cars have their problems. But i'd still rather drive an old car where stuff can be fixed rather than drive a modern shapeless blob with a engine that is designed to fail after 100K and you cant fix anything on because it all requires you to plug into a special-made diagnostic machine.
But that's what most high-end shops with substantial market share now want to do - banal maintenance on modern cars, mostly involving plugging in proprietary diagnostic machines. Real mechanics are becoming less common.
None of my six cars that are between 32 to 57 years old spend any time in a shop ever. One, is I do preventive maintenance and two I do all my major work. I just finished my 1990 Mazda 626 hatchback rear suspension was entirely rebuilt by me making it completely new to go along with the front rebuild two years ago. Shops do not do good enough work to meet my standards which I learned back in 1977.
Although you said your customer, the owner of this nice ‘82 Corvette, wants to keep it totally stock, he and you should consider changing the power steering to a Borgeson unit. It consists of a GM integral PS steering gear modified to easily mount in a C3 chassis. Check out all on the posts on the Corvette Forum. He’ll end up with no leaks, quicker steering, and a much better steering feel. Win-win-win.
I am so glad I’m not the only one who loves the C4 above all!
The Crossfire Injection system, was inspired by the 1969 Camaro 302 Z28 Cross Ram (2x4BBL) intake manifold, used in the Trans Am racing series. Chevrolet needed a low profile, higher flow intake, that could use off the shelf throttle body injectors. It provided a stop gap solution, until GM came out with the 1985, Tuned Port Injection system.
But it's anything but high flow. It was a compromised set up to begin with, long thin runners and a big plenum. Every successful tbi system after that had decent ports and a small plenum. But they were saddled with swirl port heads.
Understandable decision by The Wizard not to take on older car repairs and/or restorations ...
It would mean a total change of business direction, not to mention additional facilities such as fabrication, paint, interior etc. A massive capital outlay with stop/start cash flow, parts supply & a current economy on the cusp of recession, not just in the US but worldwide.
As the workshop stands now ... there is more than enough variety for Omega staff and money coming in ... even with an economic downturn ...
I understand why people keep contacting Crazy D with their classics ... it's the trust factor ... people trust The Wizard and his staff with their classic ... plain and simple ... 🤔
I love seeing it in the background of your videos as well as the 66 Chevelle.
That's good to hear that the Wizard likes the C4. I heard a lot of trash talked about them. I bought a 1 year old red C4 TPI in '86..Loved that car. Bought a '97 C5 vert in 2004, wish I had both of them still. Classic cars cost a lot of money to buy and maintain. I'll stick to bikes. My 2006 Springer Classic gives me the old skool feel with modern technology.
My dad bought a '79 new when I was 13. These C3's were at the height of the Malaise Era. The '79 was very similar, just not as gutless and has less useless body crap on it.
There is an '83. GM was late with the '83, so they scrapped production. They made a dozen or so and ordered them all crushed. Someone at the plant decided to hide one and it now sits in the Corvette museum in Bowling Green. It looks like a C4 of course and not your trick with the C3.
Also, during this time they moved Corvette production from St.Louis to Bowling Green. I believe that '82 you featured was one of the first produced in Bowling Green.
81 they started production at bowling green
it's funny even back in the 80s, all the autos I owned leaked somewhere, it always seems to start around 45K.
Old cars are like old people. We start fallin apart more and more. Unless you do a full 100% restoration, it will always have a problem somewhere. But then again, todays parts are purity shit. Even a full restoration these days may continue to haunt you with constant parts replacement.
Even new cars go in for warranty work. It’s hard to beat the second law of thermodynamics.
New car reliability and complexability vs. Style n unreliability with some of these old cars costing as much as a new car at initial purchase price.
People have changed too so work ethics and pride of workmanship have gone and got worse compared to earlier times. Cost cutting efforts by car companies today Is an reflection in parts, assembly of vehicle and cheap parts made poorly. Work ethics are much higher in JAPAN as disclipine and pride is instilled in the culture. Old age and time kills everything.
I just repaired the steering cylinder on my 1980 Corvette. If the shaft is not bent or gouged you can simply replace the seal. ($6 plus shipping and tax from RockAuto). You don't even have to remove the cylinder from the car - just remove the shaft from the bracket on the frame and remove the old seal with picks and magnets, then press the new ones in place with a pipe (I used an engine crane handle).
Honestly my two TBI 350 trucks from the 90's were really reliable. Never had any problems up there. Simpler to work on too. You knew right away whether you were getting fuel!
I seen a full restoration of this car & all the decals were actually painted on! That body shop did a phenomenal job. Those sides & hood fade jobs take amazing talent! The striping does too! If I recall correctly, they're double stripes, fat & thin. They're awesome accents to the car though. It's a shame that GM used stickers. 😏
Edit: the customer said he missed the factory orange peal paint job, jokingly, of course!
They made the C3's through '82 and started producing the C4's in '83 as an '84 model. The only '83 is in a museum.
Great video!
My ears pirked up when he said '84 vette- didn't fool me 😄
... sorry I meant '83
@@alkelenson648 I'm kind of like CW when it comes to Corvettes. I think the C4's were the best looking. The C5 was night and day a better design, but.....Baby got back!
I have a 75 Corvette. I need paint and a radio for it. I done new fuel tank, pump, sending unit, fuel lines, brake lines, calipers, side pipes, new carburetor, new white wall tires and new interior carpet. But now I'm out of money :( and having trouble tuning the Avs2 carb
It is a *1982 Corvette*. Had one. Worked very well, long legged 2:86 diff. Rear hatch opened. Gorgeous wheels. I had mine redone with fresh Urethane over machined surfaces.
Usually needs SS sleeved brake calipers. Always carry an emergency bent rod so hood latches can be opened from drivers door.
I pulled a 84 corvette out of the junk yard over Covid with a seized engine. I was going to replace the cross fire because I never really worked on Fuel Injection cars. I came across a video of some guy in Long Island and he said that if you keep up with it, it could be reliable system. I rebuilt it and it works. My confidence went up with this project. I wish I had a mechanic like you close by. Good stuff as always!
Its reliable if you maintain them but not particularly powerful or economical. 84 vettes have the stiffest suspension and would still hold its own with a crate motor
I would be happy to find anyone willing to work on any old car. It is worth the extra cost. Everything in life always costs more than you think.
Great video. I love these C3 Corvettes.
And congratulations for crossing 3/4 million subscribers! Been with you since 50k! 👏🎉💪
Kinda sad the owner wants to keep stock. You can do soooooooooo much to these cars from the Corvette catalogs. Just a conversion to headers, dual exhaust, and high flow cats would gain a bunch of power. That Crossfire intake manifold is very restrictive. Hand port it or buy the Renegade manifold for 30hp gain. The ECU can also be tuned. Read up on the Corvette forum.
Had a friend's father that had one of these, he used to come in like a pimp to football practice circa 1986.
That car is art - even thought the silky white paint job was deliberate!
The rear main and front trans seal might be a bugger to fix. Even the Wizard gets a 50/50 shot at getting them both right first try. Wish you luck Wizard.
My grandfather had a 1982 Corvette that him and my uncles shoehorned a 1970 427ci V8 into back in the 1990s and that car was awesome.
When my grandfather passed away in 2008 my uncle got the car and he has spent a fortune trying to keep that thing from literally falling apart. He lives in Utah so of course the winter weather doesn’t help but there’s no doubt those older vehicles will literally nickel and dime you to death and unless there’s sentimental value there is no reason to own an old vehicle.
My mother bought this car, new, off the showroom floor when I was 14 years old and it's the first car I ever drove (illegally at 15...hey, she needed smokes) and it was amazing. I think it was the first Vette, to have a hatchback that opened, too! Did I mention she was a single mother and had 2 boys? That was always a fun ride home.
I’m not a big fan of Corvettes but this one, the C3 is one of the few that I like. This particular model, the 25th Anniversary ‘Vette is one I could gladly own.
I wouldn’t consider this as an “old” car, just a used one. You get something back in the early ‘60s and before and that I would call “old”. But I’m sure that parts ARE hard to get for almost any that I’ve mentioned.
My ‘classic’ car is a ‘63 Cadillac Series 62 4 Window (Hardtop) Sedan deVille. I bought it in 1980. In 1981 I bought a Parts Car for it. I also began buying anything I could find NOS and mechanical. I wish now that I had tried harder to find NOS Rubber door seals etc. That’s really the best way to own an Old Car. I used to do nearly all of my own work on it. Now I only do that which I really enjoy doing.
From a Business standpoint I get where you’re coming from but from a Customer point of view it really, really sucks. Finding a reliable Auto Shop eases one’s anxieties immensely. But to now lose it is crushing.
I have a Brother-In-Law who lives on the Kansas/Colorado border. He has a Model “A” Ford. He just had a frame off full restoration done in it at an antique restorer in Denver. Cost him about $30,000. He’s ecstatic with it. You probably don’t have to go to the West Coast to get an Antique restored. There are such speciality shops really all over. Maybe you could figure out a way to do a new business venture of Antique Auto Repair/Restoration?
There is a College in McPherson, KS which runs a degree program in Antique Auto Repair and Restoration. You might want to check them out if you haven’t already.
If you're interested the largest C4 corvette in the world is actually located in mulvane kansas, its owner cliff starbird just completed a total restoration of it a couple of years ago.
Mine Never been in the shop,,,
I have a 2007 xk jaguar convertible, 1 of 97 Winter Gold 53000 miles on the clock. It's not a garage queen! Have had it four years now, I do car shows with it. Great car, put a smile on my face everytime I get in it and drive it. Love looking at it, it's just a great design.
I have a 95 c1500 with with a 350 TBI. Super simple and super easy to work on Love it
There is a shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on the corner of Prince & McGovern Street that works/ restores cars.
The steering arrangement look like the one on my early 90s Ford 6600 Ag Tractor.
I worked on these cars when new, and the Z-28's that also had Cross Fire. Went to GM training school in 1983 and got certified. Not a stellar system, like the single pots were. The intakes leaked at the rear gasket and sucked air. And gas liked to pool on shut-off. I get why The Wizard can't really do older cars for a profit....usually the loudest boos come from the cheapest seats, and people with 40-70 year old cars who aren't mechanical find it hard to see why there may be issues with stuck fasteners, out-gassed parts, or unavailable parts. I'm in the hobby, and have huge respect for guys that overhaul 50-100 year old parts and warranty them. I know I sure wouldn't.
They spend so much time in shop because they need so much work to get sorted out to a level where they are safe to operate and reliable enough to get you anywhere there and back without worrying that it'll have to be towed home every time you take it out.
The budget to do that kind of work, the work that is all hidden because you aren't doing any aesthetic work, is more than any person feels the entire project should cost.
Every joker out there thinks their old car is worth big money because of those auction shows. They don't have a clue. It takes a good $40K to get the majority of them to a point they're worth $20K. If yo doubt that, then spend the money and then put the car on he auction block at No Reserve. You'll leave in tears.
There were no '83 Corvettes. the C4 was supposed to debut that year, but they wisely let it ripen for an extra year.
That’s a beautiful looking car 🚙 , I see that the Nissan Juke is still hanging around 😮
I have this exact Corvette. Even though I have never had a problem I refer to its injection system as "Cease Fire".
Isn’t that like calling a girl “easy” when she has never slept with anyone? You have to have had the problem before you can put it down.
82 Collettor Edition. One of my most favorite cars. Thank you for showing it. I have been waiting
I recently got a 86 c4. Grey with silver grey interior. While its quick off the line in 1st gear, other than that its not really fast.
Biggest gripe is the build quality. Interior sounds like its going to collapse going down the road. EVERYTHING rattles and squeeks. The entire interior is held together with tiny exposed philips screws. Over tighten them even slightly and it snaps the plastic.
In the '90's I bought collector cars from the '70's. They were in and out of the shop a lot. My brother, who runs his own car repair business told me once," It isn't that your car had a bad alternator or needed new tires. The problem is a car that is over 30 years old, everything on the car is over 30 years old." So expect everything to fail, is the message. And they did, on a monthly basis. It's an expensive hobby. Just ask Jay Leno. He imported a full time mechanic from Japan just to maintain 3 classic cars.
Love your attention to detain and balanced attitude you work with!
I want to correct you, Wizard. There were a few 1983 Chevrolet Corvettes, they were the test cars for the C4 generation, it took longer than expected to work the bugs out of the new car so the 1983 Corvettes were never available for sale to the public.
There is 1 single 1983 Corvette left, it is white and I actually saw it in person when I took a tour of the Bowling Green Corvette Assembly Plant in 1991. It was placed in the lobby. Currently, the car resides at the National Corvette Museum also in Bowling Green, KY. It very narrowly missed being lost to the sinkhole.
Lucky me, I drive a '92 Cherokee - there's perks to having what amounts to a box of legos on wheels - lots of cross-compatibilty, simple electronics, and any bodywork can basically be fixed if you can weld.
Gas mileage sucks tho
C3’s are great intro cars for people who are looking to get into classics. Parts EVERYWHERE. Original and aftermarket.
I’ve never seen an older corvette like this completely stock. It’s beautiful!!
That is a beautiful Corvette! I love the C4's myself.
Lol no cats, that bad boy brings me back. I remember a neighbor had that very same one. Same color and everything 😍
I drooled over this car as a teen.
It was a dog as Corvettes were in this era.
The interior was awesome new but didn’t age well.
I wouldn’t kick her out of bed but not because she’s fun. She’s just good to be seen in.
I’ve been working on my sister in law’s 89 IROC that sat for a decade and wow what a pain in the backside!! Just changing the plugs 🤦♂️. Replacing the fuel tank a nightmare! Replacing the fuel injectors next and the fuel regulator! My 09 MKS I took to a trusted mechanic for a tuneup!!! Just $700!! This is why I love all my pre 80’s fleet: 73 Camaro, ‘60 Impala, 67 Chevy 3/4 ton custom 4x4, and my (Hienz 57) 62 GMC framed 64 Chevy box 66 Chevy cab n fendered 74 Chevy p/u front suspension adapted short box 1/2 ton! Oh yah it’s got a factory leaf sprung Dana 60 3:73 twelve bolt out back!!
SBCs prior to '86 had the two piece rear main seal.
I have had a 1977 Corvette and replaced the motor with an L46. Sold it to get my money back... It was like buying a boat, you are happy for two days: the day you bought it, and the day you sold it.
in corvettes, crossfire was 82 and 84 only.
that is also a great driver quality collectors edition 82, with the 700r4 trans.
I'm not much of a Corvette fan, but that is a beautiful car. I'm happy that you can accommodate the good customers you have. The owner of that Corvette is a blessing for a shop.
Love Corvettes! Best bang for your buck! That 82 Vette looks great!
That Corvette is a beauty !!
Would be even more beautiful with paint correction/ceramic.
There’s a good few C3’s imported to Ireland where I live. In fact a local man I know literally five minutes from my house has one, I got a clip of it on my channel.
My late husband had a "Special Package".
Oh, what a lover ! ! !
That shot of the front end approaching had me singing "Go Speed Racer, Go!" LOL
A 1983 Corvette would be worth something because they don't exist. This is the only year there was no corvette. SUPER RARE.
I've always thought of older cars as a conveyor belt. Not all of the parts wear at the same rate. Therefore, as time marches forward, no matter what, parts wear, dry out, etc and the list of repairs comes and comes. It is just fact. A good owner will hit the "reset" button occasionally and start the process over, greatly extending the cars life. This Corvette is a beauty, I was 11 when this car was new and I loved it. My 1982 Crossfire Trans Am was the same way. I bought it with 50,000 miles on the odometer in 1998 and knew to be ready for what was coming, and boy...the conveyor belt speed was ramped up for that car once the problems started to come. Still loved it, but sent it sailing. I still do it, knowing what's coming. But, I hit the stop button a lot sooner these days. My 2 permanent toys are older, a 2006 and a 2001. I make sure maintenance happens with those, I'm probably never selling my GTO, I know what will happen to it if I sell it.
Good customers make running a shop a pleasure. You take care of them they will take care of you .