About 76vette

I've loved cars for as long as I can remember, especially American muscle cars, and the third generation of the Corvette referred to as C3 for short, sits at the top of the list.

Over the years, I've owned Firebirds, Camaros, El Caminos, and many others.

I bought my first Corvette, a 1968 model, back in 1979. Nothing special about it, really. It had a 327/350 engine with an auto transmission, and it was a fun car to drive.

The '68 was followed by two '71 Vettes. Then, in early 1982, I bought a 1976 Stingray as my daily driver.

Fast forward to 2013, when I purchased a 1975 "project" Corvette that I sold before I went broke trying to fix it.

On Friday, February 20, 2015, I purchased my "new" 1976 4-speed Corvette Stingray. 

Click the 6½-Year Transformation image below for the video highlighting changes, repairs, and improvements.


This blog is the chronicle of restoring, repairing, cleaning, improving, and—mostly—enjoying my C3 Corvette

I hope you'll find it helpful.

Thank you for following.

—Luis @76vette



Why a Corvette?
It's America's Sports Car, that's why.

I love Corvettes in general, but the body lines of the C3 Vette are my favorite, and having owned seven of them over the years is proof of that.


Why a 1976 Corvette?
I've owned three chromies: a 1968 and two '71s. And while I still love the look of all that chrome, I tend to favor the cleaner and more contemporary look of the "rubber" bumper C3 Corvettes.

Besides, I grew up admiring these cars when they were brand new but always looked forward to more recent models, even though they are all classics today.

As far as post-77 Vettes go, I really like them*, but I am a die-hard fan of the "sugar scoop" rear window. Besides, I never understood why Chevy failed to make the bubble fastback glass an opening hatch. They (finally) did that in 1982, but only for the Collector's Edition, so they missed the boat for several years.

* I recently purchased a 1981 Corvette. You can find out more about that "new" project on the C3 Corvette Channel


Why a red 1976 Corvette?
"All Corvettes are red. The rest are mistakes."
—John Heinricy | Racecar Driver and Corvette Assistant Chief Engineer (Ret.)

Just kidding! I've owned C3s in blue, yellow, and Buckskin beige! Yeah, I know. Beige! Not that sporty. But, in retrospect, Buckskin-beige looked really good, especially with a bright red interior.

Anyway, I've always loved red sports cars, so when this one showed up on Craigslist, I had to go check it out.

Originally my '76 was silver (paint code 13), but the second owner had it repainted years ago in a unique shade of red, which looks great on the car and gets lots of compliments.

Since I do not know the code of the paint color the previous owner chose, when asked about it I simply refer to it as "Lipstick Red," and everybody is happy.

Chronology
The day I found it (Monday, February 16, 2015).


Inspection and test-drive day (Wednesday, February 18, 2015).





The day I brought it home (Friday, February 20, 2015).



My 1976 Corvette Stingray today.







Thank you for following my '76 Vette Blog!