Reader-Owned 1976 Corvettes

Aaron says:

I'm in British Columbia, Canada. Anyway, I am in the process of bringing back to life a '76 and as soon as it is done I will get you some before and after pics.

I bought my 'vette this summer. It's a '76 (L48 - automatic - with power windows - air conditioning - buckskin interior) with some small modifications as you can see. The previous owner was from Marseille (France) and he bought it in Belgium. He changed the front bumper and the engine hood for those of an '82 model. It seems also that my car was in Florida and New York before. I would like to know who was the first owner and seller of it.

The reason that I bought specially this car is first that I'm an absolute fan of Corvette since the first one I saw when I was 8 years old in '76... The other reason is that I dreamed all of my life to have MY special 'vette. I always thought that the most sensual and beautiful 'vette was the '76 model, the last Stingray. I thought that the most sportive and powerful face was on the '82 model, so my dream machine was a mix of the two, and one day, this past summer, it appeared on internet, a French car! My dream was already here in France and now it's mine.

Actually I restore it, drive it as often as I can, show it in some old and collectible car events and I'm very happy and proud to realise my dream, to drive my Corvette.

I often buy parts from Eckler's, Corvette Central and Mamotorworks, but I am still looking for an OEM stereo and a water radiator holder.

Best regards, and don't hesitate to give my address to some other fans of C3 'vettes. It's always a pleasure to talk about it, and especially to learn how you feel about that car.

Marc is from Montauban (south of France) and his email address is lucileminard@orange.fr

For as long as i can remember I have wanted a Corvette. I even wanted it to be Burnt Orange to represent my loyalty as a fan of The University of Texas. These dreams have finally come true. I am the second owner of this car and her name is Farrah. All the work that was done to her as of yet was done by the original owner and by fate, she fell into my lap. I am truly amazed that my dream car is in my garage this very minute. I plan on putting much more work into her with exhaust, tires, wheels, and definitely into the engine. She will be at the Texas Motor Speedway the second week in May at the Lone Star Corvette classic car show.

This is my 1976 Corvette Sting Ray, it has the 350ci with numbers matching TH350 auto transmission, new 2007 Corvette Atomic Orange paint
w/ Orange Pearl ghost stripe. (My favorite in the sun). It has new fiberglass front and rear bumpers, new front grills, new front turn signal lenses, and new Tan Leather and Vinyl Interior.

Options include:
Power Steering
Power Brakes
Power Windows
Power Locks
Factory Alarm
Dual Horns

It also has:
AM/FM Stereo w/ CD player
6 new speakers
All weather-stripping is new A/C and heater work great.
All new seals around a/c & heater ducts.
New a/c & heat control panel
R134a conversion with VIR eliminator kit
New dual Magna Flow exhaust w/ headers
New dual electric fans on with new aluminum radiator
Edelbrock Performer intake & Edelbrock 600 cfm carburetor.
Energizer Cam
Double Roller timing chain
High pressure oil pump
Overhauled original cylinder heads 4k miles ago.

Binnie writes: An awesome looking '76!

I purchased my '76 from my neighbor in May '06 because I've always wanted a Vette and this one was neglected. My first project was to replace the floor pans and strip the interior. The car sat on axle stands in my garage until '07 when I could dedicate more time and money. I retired in June '07 and spent most of my severance money on the restoration. New carpet, console and door panels were ordered, all of the other interior components were dyed and matched the new ones perfectly. The engine is a numbers matching L82 rebuilt before my purchase. The engine was bored 30 over, heads were shaved and a very healthy cam and flat top pistons were installed. Paint is a metallic Gray and shows very nice with the Smoke Gray interior. I joined a local Corvette Club, Corvettes of Durham and enjoy showing my '76 Vette with pride. Plates are personalized 'Bakes 76'. Wheel rims are Gragar S/S 15x8.

This is my black 1976 C3 that I have had since May 2008. This Corvette come to France from California three years ago. This was my first car meet last July, near Eurodisney in Paris with many exotic cars like Ferrari and Dodge.

My 1976 Corvette. It has a 350 ci engine, Edelbrock carb, performance exhaust, manual 4 speed transmission. I bought it in July of 2006, it was a California car, imported to Belgium 12 years ago. Car drives lovely now.

I've only had the car for a few months. It wasn't in any sort of driveable condition when I got it as it needed rear end work. It hadn't been driven in years. I wouldn't call it restored, but a lot of work has been done in a short period of time, keeping as much as possible original. I've learned a lot, patience was the best lesson. It's like my third kid, the one that doesn't leave crayons on the floor. I really enjoy driving it.

Here is my 1976 Stingray with 40,000 original miles. Everything is bone stock except the paint and bumpers.

I bought the car at the age of 24 in 1992 as a daily driver. It had the original L82 motor, tranny, etc. I drove it for about a year and then my father and I put a 383 in it with Dart Sportsman II heads and an Edelbrock Proflo EFI system in it.

It sat for about 6 years in a body shop getting painted and then about 4 years ago, I got it out and started tinkering with it again. I put in a heavier driveshaft, new 3" half-shafts, offset heavy duty trailing arms, rear 390 # VBP spring and Tremec TKO 5 speed with a custom cross member. I also redid the seat covers, interior carpet, and dash. I put some Draglite XP wheels on it: Front - 15X8 with 235 60 BFG; Rear - 15X9X 5 3/16" BS with 295 50 BFG tires.

Last year I dug into the motor and put a 427 sb in it with the following specs:
Dart Little M block, 4" stroke, 4.125" bore
Scat 4340 crank and rods
Mahle forged pistons; 10.5:1 CR
AFR 210 Eliminator CNC heads
Comp cams steel roller rockers, 1.6 with AFR stud gird
Comp cams solid roller cam with 631/631 lift; 250/258 @ .050; 111 LS (think it is around .670 lift with 1.6's)
FAST xfi efi computer/wiring and dual sync distributor
A1000 fuel pump with -8AN feed/-6AN return lines
Also made a driveshaft loop, 5 point roll cage, replaced the rear body mounts.

This year
Ported Motown EFI intake with FAST 1375 cfm throttle body
55 lb low impedance Delphi injectors
Still tuning it as it wasn't getting enough fuel

Things left include tuning the EFI, some interior work, door hardware replacement, L88 hood install and paint and Dragvette 6-link; flanged 17 spline half-shaft install.

How do you transform a 2002 Harley Road King into a 1976 Corvette? I got the Vette in Jan 09 from a guy near Dallas. He only had it for about a year and before that, it sat under a carport for approximately 15 years. He wanted a Harley and I wanted a Vette. The odometer reads 59,000 miles, with matching numbers. The power train was strong and the exterior was in great shape. The interior needed some TLC. I restored the inside, put on some new paint, and upgraded the wheels. As of 11/13/09 it is in the shop having the motor rebuilt.

This car is a "dream come true " for me since I was a little boy. When I was about 10 years old, my aunt from USA brought to Poland a radio controlled car - a Corvette C3 as a gift for me. Since then I was dreaming about owning a true American muscle car. I had to wait over 29 years for my dream to come true. I bought this car in December 2007 in New Jersey. It is in original perfect condition with working factory radio (beautiful sound from 70's ), clock, factory alarm and map light. For most of its' life the car was stored in a temperature controlled garage. Everything works in this car. It was "born" in June 1976, classic white with gorgeous smoke-gray leather. It is a 'numbers matching' car, an automatic transmission with 53k miles. Options include: PS, PB, PW, AC (working!), tilt/tele steering, gymkhana suspension (very uncomfortable on Polish roads), map light on rear view mirror. I also have the very fragile tank sticker. I really love this car and I hope it will stay with me forever. You can view a video of my car.

Binnie writes:

Many of these fine cars are finding their way over to Europe and Adam realizes how fortunate he is to own this gorgeous '76. I would think that Adam's car must turn some heads when he meets or passes other cars on the highways of Poland. We all know how proud you must be!

I am the original owner of this 1976. I put in my order on Jan 10,'76 and the car was delivered on Thursday May 6th. It is an L-48, Air, Auto, P/S P/B, with Smoke Gray Leather. It has the original paint, drive train, and interior. It has never been hit and has not been on a wet road since the fall of '85 and only vacations before that. List price: $8979.95 Delivered: $8126. Build# 32597 70K as of 2/1/07.

Binnie writes:

They don't come much better than that! Dan also told me that he started saving $$$ around the age of 12, right after a wild ride in the back of a '63 split-window coupe!! He had $3000 to put down by the time he was 18 in '76. His dad got him a 4-year loan for the rest & the rest is history.