Well I ended up with a 73

K

kingjason

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
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11
Location
TX
Had a guy buy my 82 and I found a 73 I couldnt resist. The good is all rebuilt suspension, brakes, all new hoses, vacuum canisters, tank and exhaust three years ago, and the interior and dash look fantastic. The bad, the guy lied about it needing the flywheel flipped over (spun bearing), it needs paint, and it was pulled off a trailer by some dipwad with a chain that bounced it into a tree and cuased some minor fiberglass damage under the bumpers. I am really torn since a this point it is all original and the numbers match. I really love the L88, fender flare cars with the center stripes but do I really need that much tire? I have learned thru lots of studying that I can get a 9.5 x18 under it with no mods so i may go that route. Then there is the motor. I kinda want around 300 hp but I got a guy that wants to build me a 460 HP motor and change over to AFR heads, and full roller it. I do like the roller idea so who knows. I guess once I start modding it Imight as well go all the way huh?
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welcome to VetteMod :hi:


'73 is a good year and even I'd be tempted to leave it as original as possible - and that's although I usually start modding on day 1 of ownership, had my C6 for less than a week when I got under there with a sawzall to cut the mufflers....:D

Flares: I am currently installing 2" flares from Vanacor, these are the same L88 style but 2" wider instead of 4" --> rims/tires are a lot cheaper, for 4" flares you something insane like 13" width and a 335 tire....

It needs paint anyways so why not ... I vote for flares and stripe :thumbs:
 
Keep in mind they only made 30,000 or so '73s, so they are about as rare as hen's beaks.
Why'd you buy it? To brag about how original it is in parking lot meets or drive it like Zora meant it to be? The better you make it run, the more you'll like it and better you'll want it to run.....
Get to work! Make it yours, make it fast!

(This is VetteMOD, after all--welcome!)
 
I bought it to hot rod it in a modern kind of way. The fact its all original though kind of makes me want to keep it stock though. I even have the rack for the back. I joined this site originally because I was going to really modify my 82 but I had a guy want it more then me and I was happy to get rid of the crossfire.

I kinda want to do this in red.

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The hardcore NCRS folks can tell you how original it really is. Interior looks nice to me..... The front bumper looks nice too, like true flex, not the OEM urethane that was wavy when it was new.... the rims are not original '73 either.... so you've got a matching engine block (spun bearing ???) that you can simply remove and keep for a future owner who wants it "original"... '73 is not subject to emission testing so if it was me I'd drop a BigBlock between those fenders :D

I'd just try to keep the modifications "reversible" because it's not one of those years when they made 50000 C3s.....
 
Yeah thats my problem. I go thru a lot of cars but in my mind I want to keep this one so I dont want to half a$$ it. However, a set of stock wheels, paint and rebuild the motor may be worth it money wise. I have car ADD like crazy sometimes but have always wanted a nice old Vette. Yes it came with a new nose and I have got the bolt kit and some odds and ends on order for it. Yeah I knew the wheels were wrong but I have checked the block and heads on it.
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The guy just flat lied about the motor. After I got under it and the flywheel looked right I took a screw driver to it and manually got it to turn over. I then bought a 1000 cca battery and this is what I got.
 
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It do sound like it needs some help.

I'm a BB fan, and you can get all sorts of BB crate engines for not too big money- the killer will be all the pulleys, brackets and assorted parts. On the flip side, a killer SB can be had that's a drop-in deal. Your biggest worry will be that the tires will hook up and you'll need a coal shovel to pick up all the broken rear end parts.

With the L-88 flares, a 295 tire on the rear leaves about 4" that needs to be filled. Ol' Red has that combination. When I did wheels and tires I had no place to turn to for info.

Welcome to VetteMod!
 
kingjason said:
Had a guy buy my 82 and I found a 73 I couldn't resist.
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Welcome to VetteMod! You picked a good year! The NCRS types are always going to look down their nose at the 73s so you might as well make it what you want. And the 73s are one of the best to mod. No emissions requirements even here in CA and since they will never really be collectable you're not hurting your resale price much. And no wiper door to mess with.

Zora modded them. You might as well too.

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If you don't go with a big block, I seriously suggest you find a late 1st gen SBC. 90' truck blocks are great. They are factory roller, 1 piece rear main and can be had for no more than an early block. With the factory roller and a good head/cam package you can easily torture the back wheels with 400hp or more.
As for wheels and tires, I currently have c5 wheels on mine (I'm not suggesting that with a '73 though) and can fit 245 up front and 285 in back without modding the fenders, just the use of 3" adapters.
 
Yeah I have thrown out the stock idea. Will keep the block if I dont build it up. Kinda like the stock hood and have talked myself out of the widebody flairs. I have a guy I know that has some aluminum AFR's laying around and a set of comp rollers and a cam he just happened to have from a build he never did. He said 1800 for 460hp on the stock block if its buildable. He also just got thru freshining up a 5.3, thats carbed and cammed he is trying to get me to try.He is a pack rat and builds motors just to have them. Guy has a 510, 454, nice 30k mile pull out lt1, a full dohc cobra motor and other stuff buried in his little shop. He also does custom paint so we shall see. My thoughts are the yellow paint job above in Red with the rack holes filled in. Some 18x9.5 rears, 18x8 fronts and then go from there. I think i would be very pleased with that. i really like the bubble lights in the front to but whew the price for them babies is up there.
 
i think the 73s are the best looking model year........as for originality i am not the guy to ask, i still wear my NCRS sweat shirt.....not correctly restored stringray with pride and swagger...the fact is there is so much fraud going on with "original stuff" that the chances of getting ripped off is great, which i think will bring the market down to reality at some point and then you are only one mishap away from not original any more....kind of like screwing with out birth control precautions...sooner or later things arent the same. i say make it any way you want to enjoy it.....

as for fender flares....you guys remember my red 69 with fugly gas cap

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