1978 Corvette C3 Suspension

[Ikarah]

Hello all,

I am completely new to C3 corvette restoration and I am in the process of buying my first 1978 corvette. The seller has the old stock suspension but it was removed out of the car to upgrade it to a newer one. He abandoned the project due to age and someone unable to help him finish it. My question is, would it be fine to put the stock one back in and drive it? Considering it's age what typically would need to be replaced and what would that cost? I am searching online and full restoration is like 10k, I am just a little surprised since I am new to this surely this wouldn't be the cost of just replacing shocks and ball joints?

Thanks all

[nwav8tor]

Couple of questions first:

What's the mileage on the car and has any resto work already been done?

What's the rust status of the chassis and birdcage?

Will you do the work yourself or sub it out to a shop?

Is all the stock suspension still available and was any of it damaged when it was removed?

What happened to the new suspension the guy was going to install? If it's available, why not use that or do you want to maintain originality?

Besides shocks & ball joints, you may want to consider also replacing all the bushings (rubber or poly?) on the upper & lower control arms as well as the rear spring mounts. Universal joints on the drive shaft and half shafts should also be checked and considered for replacement with new solid Spicers.

10k should get you WAY more than shocks and ball joints. "Restorations" can vary from just a clean-up all the way to a full body off frame rebuild. Depends on what you want for a finished product and how much time and money you want to spend on it.

Not an expert, but learning as I go...


Paul