it is awesome to watch you diagnose and fix issues with older Corvettes especially the C3 and C4s.. I had 3 Vettes in the past my first was a 76 I bought while in college only to have it destroyed by a drunk driver a few days after getting it.. then my 2nd came an 85 C4 TPI I bought that in 95 only to sell 6 months later as I moved to Delaware and insurance on it was astromical to my budget and lack of parking space but before moving back to South Dakota, I won a 96 Grand Sport at a Corvette show and all I had to pay was sales tax on it I had it for a little over a year and when I got divorced from my ex.. he stole the Corvette and sold it and ran off with the money.. and now today I hope that I can buy another Corvette someday soon.
My first was a 75, my second was a 76, but, now that I am older my third was a 68. Holy crap, the 68 was amazing. It would smoke them in first, git it good in second and , bark it in third. Kudos to you for saving them but, they are crap. I love them all.
I think the plastic rivets needed the center to be pushed in to lock them The stem expands the "leaves" on the rivet to lock them in place. Great videos, everyone of them!
Another satisfied costumer! I love the simple fix on the radio. I think it is human nature to fear the worst when it comes to cars. Luckily you had to take that center console apart anyway for the gauge so you didn't do it to check out the radio wiring.
Ben, I love your videos. It seems that these cars are often parked because of little problems. What a shame! A fuel pump fails, or the carb gets some dirt in it, and the car gets parked for 20 years! Ugh!
I had a radio playing up after being installed by professionals, it would cut in & out & was really warm on the facia, so i took it out & the back was really hot & it turned after i had a quick look was that when the professionals put it back in, instead of taping up the individual wires they taped all the exposed wire ends together which weren't need at all which was shorting out & heating up the radio, i taped up all the ends & voila, perfect, cool radio that worked much better, sometimes the professionals love to charge but not do the job correctly, you did an amazing job on Norris vette...keep it up, i like the way you do your commentary & explanation of how it's all going.
………..I really like how you're super thorough when working on cars. You don't shortcut anything and I appreciate that you'll go the extra mile when you're repairing or replacing something you'll look around and take the time to replace something else that might be nearing the end of it's life in the near future. Definite care to attention. Way to go, Ben. :)
Ben you make it look easy. Thanks for the advise on my differential. It's been cold or raining here is SC. I'll change the fluid as soon as I can and let you know if it helps. Thanks for the information you share with us. It really helps.
Nice troubleshooting!! One place I would caution is the blown fuse. As a old electrician, I would suggest paying very close attention to things while the radio is turned on and playing to see if/when something makes it stop. You found a blown fuse but no indication as to WHY it was blown. Something caused that fuse to blow. Unless it was "bubba" playing around, it will blow again when the same conditions repeat.
i spent 2 hours on the vacuum headlight system for my 73 and that was all the time i was prepared to spend on it. Pulled out the entire vacuum system and replaced it with electric headlight motor
All corvette owners online who wrench their own vettes, watch Ben, I know he knows his stuff, and he's versatile, before UA-cam and 40 years ago, I was Ben, worked out of a car club barn, old cable lifts and all. He knows how corvettes work and why they don't. Best self help for corvettes on UA-cam in the United States. Great work Ben, from the CT Stingrays....thanks very much! Keep these c3's alive.
on my 74 l48 4 speed I had a clogged filter and decided to go with a glass one with colored cartridges that allows u to see any crud... it ran great!!! in fact going into second I spun the tires!!!!... and broke my motor mounts... driving my fan into the fan shroud!.... sounded like a bomb went off..... broken plastic everywhere.... ect..man i miss that car...
I give you a lot of credit, being a young man so adept at working on these old cars! I noticed on the last video that your timing light was "skipping" like you didn't have a good spark, but you were working on the high idle, then you had to look at the distributor beginning on this video, I wonder if those were related?
Really really enjoy your channel Ben! Now if those chickens came from Tractor Supply then you know why they are always looking in the window. They love mechanical stuff!!
I agree. I have Mag in my 2012 C6 GS. I did the Jim Mero upgrade and I still couldn't tell the difference. I'm told the big difference is on the track,by Jim. So, my track time is one mile or less so I don't think I'd do it again, if it available I'll still get it. O n my C8 order .
Nice videos Ben,just a tiny suggestion..I know "issue" sounds cool,but really "problem"is the appropriate word.Thanks again for your videos,are very helpful indeed
Great job as usual. BTW, you may have a leak on the new headlights relays since they do not pop up very fast...tell me how I know it. Disconnect all 4 vacuum hoses. Block off the green port and attach the vacuum pump to the yellow port. Vacuum pressure should be maintained. Mines were toast out of the box...nowadays most are crappy spare part reproduction.
On my 75 the third wire on the HEI was for the tach. I believe the 74 and earlier was gear driven tachs, Never saw in the video If the tach was working. Even with a cam my idle was only 750 RPM. I had same speedometer problem but drove it 9 years with just the tach. Not one speeding ticket, not that I didn't push the limit a few times. :) That horn button can be annoying.
Thanks for the great 2-pt video. I have a 73 vette and just had the engine pulled and rebuilt. Now my mechanic (with me as the gopher) are attending to details. I had a question about the computer graphic you had in the video about the vac system for the headlights. What is the program and is it specific to the C3 vette series? As a 73 owner, any resources I can get to help put this car back to spec would be a great assett. Thanks for anything you can offer! Take care and hope all is well in you neck of the country. I am in PA.
My Brother I could really use tour help on mine 1985 C4 Carvette one light is working the other is not, the transmission is not working properly.etc I'm in Dallas.
So Ben, I figured out the thing with your Chickens.....because you are an internet celebrity now. :) they are your "stalkers" anything to get a glimpse of you haha or they are hungry and want you to feed them. :)
40 seconds in, dont tell me, Vapor Lock? read about it on the daytona replicas they made, had to have a cut panel made around the rear of the hood by the windshield blades to let air pass through there from the engine bay, as you DID switch the carb which might have made it tighter in there Rowley Corvette here in MA has the photos on their website of the part in particular they used on the Rowley GTC corvette.canney.net/webvettes/customized/c0072/index.html photo 8 down, and look at the Cowl Panel, that's a custom piece they made for the rowley GTC's that suffered from this problem along with the mcburnies. as I like these cars as their like a combo of the C4 and C3 styling, its just the damn winshield gives away what it is sadly, been thinking of a way to deal with that for years and still havent found one I like really and most of them were made using a series of corvettes I hated styling wise, the 80 to 82's so I really dont see the evil in them really. but this could be tested if it keeps vapor locking by simply roadkilling it and taking the hood off.
+Terri Bel Bliss customer said sometimes worked sometimes didn't. Also, remember hind sight is 20/20. The solution always seems obvious when you already know what it is.
The fowl are curious. What more interesting part of their world is there to explore other than what you might be doing? And testing the current was a reasonable approach; fuses should never "blow" unless something untoward has happened. We'll see if it recurs, maybe. And are you just really, really nice, or do you edit out the cussing when "new" parts are very, very bad? Nice job.
Well, !@#$ happens to us all. Those that claim they never make mistakes must not do any actual work.... Seems like tech schools could devote a whole course to the corvette light system, I thought only I could have that kind of bad luck... I wish I actually understood the electrical theory behind the GM HEI ignition system, but after wasting a lot of time and money, I have tried to remember to always check basic things first, like those connections, sure hope that has solved the problem. My dumb ass 09 Camry makes a rattling noise in the steering column, kind of like what you describe. Dealer tells me it needs a whole new steering column, but am wondering if the problem couldn't be something as simple as this. I would take the horn apart, but am afraid of blowing the air bag....
Remove the airbag fuse ,first ....Or /and disconnect the battery,if previously owned ..And remember going slow sometimes means ...really going fast,(less errors ,less mistakes),because you see things then with less emotion
Same year I graduated from high school. Love these cars, but they were poorly built, and rattled everywhere. Bad suspension, and poor build quality were the marks of these cars tho.
the little things working is what makes a car fun to drive and most people let that shit go
hi lyle thanks for your help on my 79 we talked brakes .you was a lot of help.
Man, this guy knows his stuff!!!!
it is awesome to watch you diagnose and fix issues with older Corvettes especially the C3 and C4s.. I had 3 Vettes in the past my first was a 76 I bought while in college only to have it destroyed by a drunk driver a few days after getting it.. then my 2nd came an 85 C4 TPI I bought that in 95 only to sell 6 months later as I moved to Delaware and insurance on it was astromical to my budget and lack of parking space but before moving back to South Dakota, I won a 96 Grand Sport at a Corvette show and all I had to pay was sales tax on it I had it for a little over a year and when I got divorced from my ex.. he stole the Corvette and sold it and ran off with the money.. and now today I hope that I can buy another Corvette someday soon.
Goodness, You make it look easy.
Another good video. Its the little things that will drive you crazy .
My first was a 75, my second was a 76, but, now that I am older my third was a 68. Holy crap, the 68 was amazing. It would smoke them in first, git it good in second and , bark it in third. Kudos to you for saving them but, they are crap. I love them all.
I think the plastic rivets needed the center to be pushed in to lock them The stem expands the "leaves" on the rivet to lock them in place. Great videos, everyone of them!
Another satisfied costumer! I love the simple fix on the radio. I think it is human nature to fear the worst when it comes to cars. Luckily you had to take that center console apart anyway for the gauge so you didn't do it to check out the radio wiring.
I have to compliment you on your patience. I absolutely have no use for vacuum problems and you methodically go step by step.
I repaired the headlight actuators by replacing the stem rod seals.
Ben, I love your videos. It seems that these cars are often parked because of little problems. What a shame! A fuel pump fails, or the carb gets some dirt in it, and the car gets parked for 20 years! Ugh!
I had a radio playing up after being installed by professionals, it would cut in & out & was really warm on the facia, so i took it out & the back was really hot & it turned after i had a quick look was that when the professionals put it back in, instead of taping up the individual wires they taped all the exposed wire ends together which weren't need at all which was shorting out & heating up the radio, i taped up all the ends & voila, perfect, cool radio that worked much better, sometimes the professionals love to charge but not do the job correctly, you did an amazing job on Norris vette...keep it up, i like the way you do your commentary & explanation of how it's all going.
Those were not professionals...I hope your used that term with sarcasm. Haha
Very interesting video Ben. You make this stuff look simple to repair. I'm sure that Corvette owner is a very happy camper today!!
Well done Ben! Always a pleasure to see these Corvettes and other cars you work on get fixed up! :-)
The '73 is a true beauty!
good job
Great video Ben. As always I really enjoy your style and I great fixes. Cheers
………..I really like how you're super thorough when working on cars. You don't shortcut anything and I appreciate that you'll go the extra mile when you're repairing or replacing something you'll look around and take the time to replace something else that might be nearing the end of it's life in the near future. Definite care to attention. Way to go, Ben. :)
Ben you make it look easy. Thanks for the advise on my differential. It's been cold or raining here is SC. I'll change the fluid as soon as I can and let you know if it helps. Thanks for the information you share with us. It really helps.
Nice looking Vette.
Nice troubleshooting!! One place I would caution is the blown fuse. As a old electrician, I would suggest paying very close attention to things while the radio is turned on and playing to see if/when something makes it stop. You found a blown fuse but no indication as to WHY it was blown. Something caused that fuse to blow. Unless it was "bubba" playing around, it will blow again when the same conditions repeat.
I had a shorted speaker that kept blowing the fuse and putting the stereo in protect mode, took a while to figure out.
With a good detail and buff of the paint this will be a nice cruiser!
Good stuff Ben, keep up the C3 and C4 content. Helps a lot of us!
i spent 2 hours on the vacuum headlight system for my 73 and that was all the time i was prepared to spend on it. Pulled out the entire vacuum system and replaced it with electric headlight motor
Ben is the only car guy I ever watch on UA-cam
All corvette owners online who wrench their own vettes, watch Ben, I know he knows his stuff, and he's versatile, before UA-cam and 40 years ago, I was Ben, worked out of a car club barn, old cable lifts and all. He knows how corvettes work and why they don't. Best self help for corvettes on UA-cam in the United States. Great work Ben, from the CT Stingrays....thanks very much! Keep these c3's alive.
Amazing to me that the complex vacuum system of this day was cheaper for GM to put in than electric motors.
I always wanted one of those..
on my 74 l48 4 speed I had a clogged filter and decided to go with a glass one with colored cartridges that allows u to see any crud... it ran great!!! in fact going into second I spun the tires!!!!... and broke my motor mounts... driving my fan into the fan shroud!.... sounded like a bomb went off..... broken plastic everywhere.... ect..man i miss that car...
Great videos..
Good repairs.
Jeeze that car sounds nice
Hate the paint but love the car
I give you a lot of credit, being a young man so adept at working on these old cars! I noticed on the last video that your timing light was "skipping" like you didn't have a good spark, but you were working on the high idle, then you had to look at the distributor beginning on this video, I wonder if those were related?
Yeah 88.1!! Doing great work on the car! Love the videos.
I have a 1973. C3 is a great vette. especially a 4-speed L82 car. Do yourself a favor and use two throttle springs. Inner and outer spring for safety.
Really really enjoy your channel Ben! Now if those chickens came from Tractor Supply then you know why they are always looking in the window. They love mechanical stuff!!
I agree. I have Mag in my 2012 C6 GS. I did the Jim Mero upgrade and I still couldn't tell the difference. I'm told the big difference is on the track,by Jim. So, my track time is one mile or less so I don't think I'd do it again, if it available I'll still get it. O
n my C8 order .
The chickens knew it was the distributor wire! They were betting on when you were gonna figure it out! Lol!
I "almost" wanted to own a corvette. I think I'm good now.
I'll stick with my 69 Camaro.
Nice job on the repairs!
amazing
LOVE YER CHANNEL DUDE, CANT WAIT TA GET ME A VETTE, USE TA OWN A 79..
Fuse check FIRST!!
Nice videos Ben,just a tiny suggestion..I know "issue" sounds cool,but really "problem"is the appropriate word.Thanks again for your videos,are very helpful indeed
+A Z potatoe potatoe...
Not sure if the paint is meant to be matte or if all the clear coat is gone but regardless, I love the color
You've just scratched the surface with that car.
Great job as usual. BTW, you may have a leak on the new headlights relays since they do not pop up very fast...tell me how I know it. Disconnect all 4 vacuum hoses. Block off the green port and attach the vacuum pump to the yellow port. Vacuum pressure should be maintained. Mines were toast out of the box...nowadays most are crappy spare part reproduction.
+4 Speeds considering an actuator was bad out of the box, I wouldn't doubt it!
On my 75 the third wire on the HEI was for the tach. I believe the 74 and earlier was gear driven tachs, Never saw in the video If the tach was working. Even with a cam my idle was only 750 RPM. I had same speedometer problem but drove it 9 years with just the tach. Not one speeding ticket, not that I didn't push the limit a few times. :) That horn button can be annoying.
I striped all that crap vacuum out replaced with solenoid out wrecked cars, works perfect.
All those vacuum leaks might have been the reason why you were struggling with the high idle
it was decent in Vancouver so i replace my dodge dart 1970 gas take . next spet fuel pump then check my carb
looks like your distributor is missing the center ground strap for the module plug .
Where is your ground lead that is supposed to be in the middle slot on the hei distributor .it is missing on yours
You have any knowledge on replacing the door locking mechanisms? More So the door locking Rods and inside and outside handles
Hey Ben, GREAT videos,could you do a video of a C3 seat removal, I've never seen one, but you always remove the seats, thanx
Thanks for the great 2-pt video. I have a 73 vette and just had the engine pulled and rebuilt. Now my mechanic (with me as the gopher) are attending to details. I had a question about the computer graphic you had in the video about the vac system for the headlights. What is the program and is it specific to the C3 vette series? As a 73 owner, any resources I can get to help put this car back to spec would be a great assett. Thanks for anything you can offer! Take care and hope all is well in you neck of the country. I am in PA.
Are the older C3's easier to deal with? (Less vacuum lines)
What do you think of the carburetor that is actually a fuel injection system? Can you install them in place without much more work?
I can't see into the gas tank too good - hold on, I'll light a match for better light...
What's the old saying - 75% of fuel system problems are electrical?
Ben, what kind of heater do you have going? Is that an open-element electric?
My Brother I could really use tour help on mine 1985 C4 Carvette one light is working the other is not, the transmission is not working properly.etc I'm in Dallas.
Is the car white? Is this the one that some dummy installed a th350 in instead of a 700r4?
So Ben, I figured out the thing with your Chickens.....because you are an internet celebrity now. :) they are your "stalkers" anything to get a glimpse of you haha or they are hungry and want you to feed them. :)
Do you have some fellows on the window hehehehehehe
40 seconds in, dont tell me, Vapor Lock? read about it on the daytona replicas they made, had to have a cut panel made around the rear of the hood by the windshield blades to let air pass through there from the engine bay, as you DID switch the carb which might have made it tighter in there
Rowley Corvette here in MA has the photos on their website of the part in particular they used on the Rowley GTC
corvette.canney.net/webvettes/customized/c0072/index.html
photo 8 down, and look at the Cowl Panel, that's a custom piece they made for the rowley GTC's that suffered from this problem along with the mcburnies.
as I like these cars as their like a combo of the C4 and C3 styling, its just the damn winshield gives away what it is sadly, been thinking of a way to deal with that for years and still havent found one I like really
and most of them were made using a series of corvettes I hated styling wise, the 80 to 82's so I really dont see the evil in them really.
but this could be tested if it keeps vapor locking by simply roadkilling it and taking the hood off.
You are great but next time maybe check the fuses first? Idk
+Terri Bel Bliss customer said sometimes worked sometimes didn't. Also, remember hind sight is 20/20. The solution always seems obvious when you already know what it is.
The fowl are curious. What more interesting part of their world is there to explore other than what you might be doing? And testing the current was a reasonable approach; fuses should never "blow" unless something untoward has happened. We'll see if it recurs, maybe. And are you just really, really nice, or do you edit out the cussing when "new" parts are very, very bad? Nice job.
Well, !@#$ happens to us all. Those that claim they never make mistakes must not do any actual work.... Seems like tech schools could devote a whole course to the corvette light system, I thought only I could have that kind of bad luck... I wish I actually understood the electrical theory behind the GM HEI ignition system, but after wasting a lot of time and money, I have tried to remember to always check basic things first, like those connections, sure hope that has solved the problem. My dumb ass 09 Camry makes a rattling noise in the steering column, kind of like what you describe. Dealer tells me it needs a whole new steering column, but am wondering if the problem couldn't be something as simple as this. I would take the horn apart, but am afraid of blowing the air bag....
Remove the airbag fuse ,first ....Or /and disconnect the battery,if previously owned ..And remember going slow sometimes means ...really going fast,(less errors ,less mistakes),because you see things then with less emotion
Same year I graduated from high school. Love these cars, but they were poorly built, and rattled everywhere. Bad suspension, and poor build quality were the marks of these cars tho.
I love your videos, but it really annoys me how filthy that car is.
+Rick Allen I cleaned the inside toward the end, but the owner didn't want me to try to save the paint
Rick Allen
Those leaves in the wiper valley drove me crazy!
Engine to fast for manual seems the same as before
We miss your expertise, not enough videos.
Why do you waste your time and money on these nasty vetts??
Read the title, this isn't my car.
That's a 1968 corvette
good job