C3 Hard parts to find

[Ron M.]

On a C3 frame off restoration what parts are hard to find and what repro part are not made correct?

[Dale C.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

What kind of C3 are we talking about? Makes a huge difference.
Dale

[Terry M.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

Ron -- welcome to the NCRS Technical Discussion Board.

Let's see -- you want information about 1968 to 1982 Corvettes, right? That is kind of a broad range. Just a hint, but you might do better if you narrowed that range down a bit.

What parts are not made correct? Easy answer that has nothing to do with the year of your Corvette. ALL of them. Even NOS parts are often made differently than assembly line parts so that they will fit a broader range of cars -- like all C3s. I get a real chuckle out of people who boast that their car was restored with NOS parts. That is not something worth boasting about. But then we live in a world where most people are convinced that the term "matching numbers" means something. Welcome to NCRS.

[Michael F.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

I am with Terry

[Scott S.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

What parts are not made correct? Easy answer that has nothing to do with the year of your Corvette. ALL of them. Even NOS parts are often made differently than assembly line parts so that they will fit a broader range of cars -- like all C3s. I get a real chuckle out of people who boast that their car was restored with NOS parts. That is not something worth boasting about.

Terry,

Whenever possible, restoring original parts is ideal, but often times that is not practical (e.g., trying to repair a deteriorated 40+ year old radiator), not possible (e.g., original part was replaced with a functional but incorrect service part long ago by a previous owner) or it's unsafe, like reusing old motor mounts, or worse, trying to repair old motor mounts that have obviously deteriorated.

It seems like we basically have three options to choose from regarding any individual part when making basic repairs or during a complete restoration:

1. Restore the original part if possible, or obtain a used original part from a donor Corvette that is suitable for repair/restoration and re-use
2. New Old Stock parts
3. Reproduction parts

Some reproduction parts seem accepted as necessary, like carpeting or headliners for example, but many aftermarket reproduction parts do not seem to be held in high regard by many members on this board, particularly parts made in undisclosed countries which often turn out be of quality far below OEM standards.

With a few notable exceptions, even many reproduction parts that are supposedly made in the U.S. are incorrect in some obvious aspect, so consistently that it almost has to be by design, whether to avoid copyright violation or because they mistakenly used a blueprint for a later revised part instead of the original production part blueprint. Whatever the cause, it’s uncanny how predictably incorrect many reproduction parts are. So much so that I just expect reproduction parts to be wrong in some noticeable way, as much if not more so than NOS parts manufactured during the 1980s up to more recently discontinued Service parts. But in my comparatively brief experience, NOS parts that bear the correct original part numbers called out in the AIM and/or the 40+ year old P&A printed for the model year of your car, and which were produced for service during the 1960s and early 1970s, are certainly harder to find, but are much more likely to be very close to (or indistinguishable from) the original production part.

During a frame-off restoration, a huge number of parts need to be replaced with *something*: body mounts, engine mounts, transmission mount, grommets, hoses (basically anything made of rubber), various valves (heat riser, PCV, water shut-off, POA or STV, etc.), rag-joint, steering damper or PS cylinder, idler arm, dimmer switch, various specialized bolts (rear camber adjust bolts & cams, leaf-spring end-bolts), etc., etc.

These kinds of parts (and many others) are often not candidates for restoration of the originals, in which case our options are basically limited to either NOS or reproduction.

A car “restored” with worn out and unrepairable original parts would seem pointless. A car “restored” primarily with reproduction parts would likely be subject to various criticisms by many on this board. And if a car restored with carefully chosen correct NOS parts (where it makes sense to do so) is likewise nothing to boast about (assuming one was the boasting type ), then what’s left?

What are the other options?

[Rob M.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

Big block starter for my early C3 was difficult to find for a reasonable price...

I guess original shocks in reasonable condition are always a problem.

[Terry M.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

Scott,

I don't disagree with anything you said. Perhaps my point was too subtle.

If one is asking about parts for ALL C3s -- that is a pretty broad brush. My response was with an equally broad brush.

[Scott S.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

Scott,

I don't disagree with anything you said. Perhaps my point was too subtle.

If one is asking about parts for ALL C3s -- that is a pretty broad brush. My response was with an equally broad brush.

Terry,

I understand the need to be specific about the model year being discussed, it was the comments about restoring a car using NOS parts that had me wondering. Every now and then I read criticisms about the use of NOS parts on this board, and occasionally I read positive comments about reproduction parts.

I would guess your point was understood by everyone else, it probably wasn't too subtle at all, it just takes me longer to understand most things

[Terry M.]

Re: C3 Hard parts to find

Terry,

I understand the need to be specific about the model year being discussed, it was the comments about restoring a car using NOS parts that had me wondering. Every now and then I read criticisms about the use of NOS parts on this board, and occasionally I read positive comments about reproduction parts.

I would guess your point was understood by everyone else, it probably wasn't too subtle at all, it just takes me longer to understand most things

Scott,

Maybe no one else wanted to raise the issue. I appreciate that you did. It gives me a chance to explain myself. The Internet is not a good place for subtlety.

Seriously, I do get a chuckle out of the NOS parts boast, and yes I know some NOS parts are exactly the same as used on the assembly line -- and some are not. I still put that boast in the same category as "matching numbers," or "original miles." Maybe others don't. That is OK with me. I live my life & everyone else can live theirs. I know I am outspoken, but at least everyone knows where I stand.