Really Cool History of the C3 Corvette (You've Probably Never Heard!)
2023 ж. 21 Ақп.
75 051 Рет қаралды
While working on the Abomination Corvette project build, I've also been doing a little research on C3 Corvettes built from 1968 until 1982, and I found some really cool history that's mostly unknown. If you know more cool history that I left out, please let us know in the comments!
Yet another outstanding show, I always come away from your channel knowing something new. I honestly don't think I've seen a corvette that I didn't like. I believe the latest models have rocked the motoring world and given the Italians and the Germans a lot to worry about, anyways thank you so much for all your hard work and all the very best from Scotland buddy
Wow, thank you!
CHROME!!!!!!!! im a grown ass man. i dont need a nanny state crony looking over my shoulder that is unless they don't want to loose an eye
take a hard top over everything else myself
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” The most feared words in the human language.
Ha! Ain't that the truth!
I am the proud owner of a 1970, C3 with the L46, 350hp option. With a very rare option of an M22. One of only 17 made.
The C3 will always be my all time favorite.
I have a 1981 with an interesting story. I bought it from the original owner (a friend) in 1985. Before he purchased the car, it was apparently modified and used for racing by the dealer, Hustedt Chevrolet in Centereach, LI. It seems that the car had an experimental GM engine and drive train installed and was a titled winner at Lime Rock (later confirmed after I had the car in a car show by someone who recognized it). When my friend bought the car new, all of the original components were re-installed by the dealer. The serial number on my car indicates that the car was manufactured in St. Louis, but according to the window sticker the final assembly point was Bowling Green. My car is painted one of the new plants Grand Opening celebration 2-tone colors - Light over Dark Claret Metallic (featured on the new brochure). I surmise that the car started life in St. Louis, and was transferred to Bowling Green for completion. It also came with a 4spd, Gymkhana suspension, AM/FM/Cassette stereo, velour seats, and glass T-Tops. Today it has only about 27,000 miles on it and is in mint condition. I win shows in my category whenever I enter it in a Corvette show. It has all of the options available for a except a trailer hitch (who would want that on a Corvette anyway?). The only other missing option is cruise control, which was only available on Corvettes with automatic transmissions in 1981. Today the car breathes a lot easier because I removed the ECM and related components and replaced the carburetor and intake manifold with Edelbrock, replaced the exhaust manifolds with Hooker Headers, a new 2.2" stainless steel, x-pipe dual exhaust, and installed an MSD high spark ignition. Now it sounds and runs like a Corvette should.
Egg crate grille on the '70-'72 side vents make those my favorite C3 years. And those are some pretty nice lines @ 5:51.
A somewhat little known fact is a few astronauts were given c3 corvettes for basically free and drove them to the NASA base on occasion.
Not only were they Corvettes but they had the legendary 427 under the hood
They were leased to the astronauts for 1$.
For all mankind (fictional nasa show) made me really want one
I crashed mine drunk driving😊
@@buzzedalldrink9131 I quit drinking when I got my old Vette, because I knew........
Joel Rosen always took a great design and made it a collectors item. His version of the Mako Shark was and is still my favorite version of the C3. Great Videos Thank You 🙏
Thanks! And thanks for watching!
I was a huge Mako Shark mk 2 fan in 1966; when the 68 vette came out, with the similar styling, I was thrilled!
Very well done! I had heard most of them, but not all (you would have won your bet!) A couple interesting things I've come across: 1) My dad was a patternmaker (built foundry tooling) and worked with a guy that built a mid-engine Corvette. I think he used the drive train from a Tornado for the transaxle. My dad says he remembers that once word got out about it, GM sent several engineers over to study it, and then GM bought it up and warehoused it, never to see the light of day again. 2) I've seen the Mako and Mako 2, as well as the Aerovette when I was lucky enough to visit the GM Heritage Museum in Sterling Heights, MI. If you ever get the chance, it is well worth the trip. There are many permanent exhibits as well as some that they rotate through. A V-16 Caddillac, the FIrebird II and Firebird III turbine concept cars, and some innovative airplane & marine engines were on display when I was there, too. Keep up the interesting videos!
My cousin had a 68 that he let me drive pretty frequently when we were in high school. It was a handful to drive with no power steering, fat tires and long clutch travel. It rattled, shook and leaked but always looked good doing it. It also hauled ass and made great noise from the side pipes. Many good times were had with it.
Great history/research. Thank you.
Great video about tye C3 Corvette , lve always loved the C2 Stingray , but tye lines of the C3 are just as amazing 👏 👌 👍
Excellent we need more!!!
Good information... I am one of the Corvette buffs that he mentioned and I actually HAD heard all of those stories before. One thing I DID want to mention was that actually the "430 HP" option that he mentioned for the 69 was the ACTUALLY available for 1967, 1968 and 1969... but it was the L-88 and NOT the ZL-1 The ZL-1 was essentially the same engine but it had an aluminum block - and the ZL-1 was also only available for Corvette available in 1969 (Camaro had the ZL-1 also)... so when he mentions that the ZL-1 427 in 1971 was only rated at 365 HP he was completely incorrect. The 427 was discontinued in the Corvette after 1969 and if you wanted a big block Corvette you got a 454. The 454 that he probably MEANT to reference in 1971 was available in two configurations, 365 HP and 425 HP I also assume that he MEANT to reference is the fact that the iron block LS-6, 454 ci engine that was in the 1971 Corvette was rated at 425 HP while the 1972 version of the LS-6 was rated at a scant 270 HP... but it was the same motor. Otherwise, good video.
i'd say the final tuned down c3 production vette looks even better than the mako shark concept.
Great information. I have a 1980. Bought April 24 2009.
Thank you for the history lesson very interesting Arlin
Hi- Its actually John Silva, not Joe Silva, from the Boston Mass area. He was a customizer for years. He offered a Maco conversion for a fee, about 3 grand on my car and kept the peices removed which was everything except the doors and t-tops. . It was very heavy good quality fiberglas . Fit and finish was great. He probably did 15-20 of them. There were a dozen in the shop when mine was done in early 70s. The stories between him and rosen vary but it was a very short term thing. Other companies since have made the kits. Bumpers were extra, as were a few other options. The cibie headlites were not legal in some states and I replaced mine (not adhustable) with early 70s caprice quad retangular that were a perfect fit except for grille shortening. Most kits had no grille, lite or bumper availability as well as hinges. (55 chevy works). The low mounted lites can be an inspection issue in some states. And front bumper is only for appearance. But they do attract attention.
Awesome video! Love the CERV2 Vette too. Thanks for sharing this. Inspires me even more to work on my 79. Keep up the great work.
Thanks!
The design for the C3 was actually initially a Pontiac, the 1964 Pontiac Banshee, but when the GM execs got a look at it & saw it was going to rival the 'Vette they put an axe to the project. And then a few years later Chevy comes out with a car that is just a slightly reworked Banshee LMAO. Total coincidence I'm sure. Keep up the great work brother 🤙
I just looked up images of the Pontiac Banshee on the internet. That's incredible! I had never heard of that concept car. Thanks for the info!
@@TheHorsepowerMonster No prob brother 👍 I actually found out about it while looking up info on the mid-engine rotary powered AeroVette, as I am a devotee of the spinning triangles as well as piston engines lol.
The Chaparral II was a GM design in 1963, and much of it went into the Mako Shark II. It is also where much of the Banshee came from.
You could just as easily say that the Banshee styling was a rip-off of the 1962 Chevy Corvair Monza GT concept car. Neither of these cars shares much mechanically with the Corvette.
@@Sherman62 I think the C3 looks alot more like a Banshee than the Banshee looks like '62 Corvair Monza with the canopy roof/door but I will admit there are definite similarities between them all. Just must have been where the GM designers head's were at in that time period.
I love the C3 Corvette. Just beautiful from every angle and just the quintessential look of an American sports car. I’d even take a 1975 model year. I don’t care. I can remember being very young being around these cars and being mesmerized by them & their look, their sound and their stance. I really miss the old school General Motors. Some Canadians may have become outraged that there was no back seat in this particular video.
Excellent vid! Thanks from a C5 Z06 owner
Truly enjoyable video👍🏼🙏
Great video. I really enjoyed how you put this together and how you presented everything. Keep up the good work.
I am glad the C3 did not have a rear mid engine. With the technology we had in the 60's, 70's & early 80's I would hate to think where that engine would have ended up when in a rear collision.
Fantastic! Love my 1980 C3
That 25 minute video seemed like it lasted only 3. Thanks for a very entertaining video on C3 history.
Thanks for the kind words!
4:11 Holy crap!!! looks just like a McLaren M6GT!
The 73 is my favorite C3. I like the rear chrome bumpers and I like the look of the urethane front bumper. If I had one, I'd want a 350 4spd car.
Great history video on the C3 vette, thanks mate!
Man..that Makoshark 2 with the black side pipes is incredible I never knew the C3 has that moving wiper cowl... Thats crazy
Nice channel.. watched your Episodes about the Corbett restoration in one Night. Planning a C3 as my next Project. Also total Frame off to do it right. No short cuts.... ;-) Like the Idea using the Mazda RX8 Seats. They look awesome. Weird Idea would be cutting a C3 apart and Manufacturing a Tube Steel Frame underneath and placing the Engine in the rear of the car as intended.
Thanks nice article and very informative. Keep it coming. 🤟🏻🤟🏻
Thanks!
Learned a lot. Thanks
Very nice video, thanks! I would like to buy one of those C3.. any advice? :D
Fantastic vlog!! Thanks Ido Oosterveld Netherlands
Great video I have a C3 1970 small block automatic and I love it
Really cool info!
Thanks for an awesome informative video!?
interesting stuff, thanks for vid!
Excellent!
Hey thanks! And thanks for watching!
If I had the money, I would love to build my own rear-mid engine C3 Corvette. The C3 is my favorite design. Especially the early ones with the chrome bumpers
1:27, 1:42, are actually a REAR-engine car. You can see the engine sticking out behind the rear wheels in 2:07. 4:00 - now this is mid engine. Nice video and good luck with your Corvette.
Great vid!!!!!
Awesome video Great work !
Thanks a lot!
A used Corvette and a bottle of sippin whiskey. What a dream!
I remember being very excited about the Mako Shark as a 15 year old kid. I loved the look of the paint being darker on top and fading to white at the bottom like a real shark. When the C3 came out I thought they were pretty cool but I was hoping the Mako Shark would come out eventually.
Hey thanks for all of this Corvette info. Now since there always seems to be a debate about the European Opel GT, and calling this car a little Corvette, well this is not entirely true, in fact it basically is the other way around, since the Opel GT was there first, and so the Corvette basically is the Grand Opel GT ! Well technically both cars were based up on the GM Mako, but the Opel GT was there before the Corvette was, so let's give the little Opel GT the credit it deserves, shall we..? Corvettes are as of now (actually since the very begin in the early 60's known as "Grand Opel GT" In fact: the whole Corvette C3 developing project was at Chevrolet-GM internal known as Project Opel since that the chance for people to go and nose around with such a name would have significantly turned out to be slimmer... ;-) One more thing to be added to the T-Top story: why it is called T-Top to begin with..? Well Chevrolet basically wanted to call the Removable Roof : a Targa Roof; yes just like Porsche did, in fact Porsche had the Patent on the name of Targa and so Chevrolet had the choice: Pay Patent costs to Porsche or rename the Removable Roof: and so Chevrolet came up with the name T-Tops: basically referring to Targa Tops; a name Chevrolet was not allowed to use. Although Chevrolet did put Targa Tops Roof Panels in several cars, but they had to name them T-Tops.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 01:11 *🚗 C3 Corvette was nearly the first mid-engine car back in 1968, coming close to being a mid-engine Corvette before the C8.* 04:26 *🚗 The Mako Shark 2 concept car, which influenced the C3 design, faced challenges in production due to its advanced features and design complexities.* 10:28 *🚗 1970-1972 C3 Corvette models offered potent engine options like the ZL1 big block and the LT1 small block, providing high performance capabilities.* Made with HARPA AI
Next project: a Norwood Can Am Corvett! Sidepipes, BBS turbofans, huge rear tray spoiler etc.
I have a '70 Cutlass, so I enjoyed the factory videos of the Olds. I also had a '66 vette, and so your comment that the production run was from '68 to -82, could have been from '63 to '82, since as you said, the frame/suspension/best engines, was a holdover from the C-2.
damn man, where you at? ive been waiting for youre c3 videos!!!
Fun video to watch
Here's a bit if trivia on 68 vettes! the first batch of 68's were all convertables( 10000 cars) due to the t-top copy rights and also the cars had so many issues that Zora complained to Mitchell saying " we can't sell this car to customers untill issues are fixed"!!!!
You mention the aluminum wheels, according to the black book only 4 cars were sold in 1973 with the new wheels. 800 sets were produced but recalled due to porosity issues. What is the actual scoop?
Nice video. Actually, in the early 70's, they would've had the 454 instead of the 427.
you skipped the L82 hi performance engine 330hp befor headers and idlebrock torque manifold, recurved ignition 400hp
The L46 was probably the best street sbc in the c3
The C7s are really hard to see out of too
Interesting about the T Bar roof being a structural part of the car but how does that work with the roadster, where there is no structure in the roof area?
In 1969 I put a 350 Crown conversion into a 1966 Corvair. Later that year a 427 into a 1966. Both Midengine. V8 Registry has hundreds of V8 Corvairs. GM left behind.
and close ratio rock crusher 4 speed w\hurst shifter, 370 gears 150 top end and 13's on quarter. i modified brand new one
I disagree that the rubber bumpers don't look good. I own a 70, but I think the later Corvettes look great. All C3's look great.
Unrelated question to a great video.. I found a used set of Vortec heads at a local flea market. When I got them home I realized one was 906 and the other was 062. So much info on flow and the hardened seats... Can they be used together?? Don't hate... NEW GUY
A guy in my town back in the 80's had a Corvette Station Wagon
Corvettes came very close to being steel, which was the original intent. GM had trouble with the tooling, and a process similar to boats was suggested by an engineer, and the idea stuck.
I JUST LOVE ; KEEP GOING HP😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
I had a 427, 390hp '68 coupe (New $5,600 out the door) as a young sailor in CA. Those were the days !!! Anyhoo....I had 2 peculiar anomalies that maybe someone can shed some light on. 1st and most peculiar was sometimes a loud frame shaking "thump" when braking. The second "problem" was rapid spark plug fouling. The plugs needed to be changed every 3k miles or a noticeable "missing" would occur. I rectified this by installed a CD ignition that increased the "spark" from 25 k to 50k volts. Sure wish I had that car today !!! As an aside, I sold the car to an Evangelist minister that paid me in small bills in a paper bag !!!
Very cool story!!!! I'd love to meet you someday and hear your story. Are you near Ohio? I am a car expert (OEM design engineer for 30+ yrs) but I'm NOT a C3 expert. My thoughts..... SHAKING THUMP - Well.... I'd want to witness it for myself. But my thought is.... shaking and thump are two different things. A shaking when braking is almost always a seized caliper pin because no rotors are ever perfectly planer or equal in thickness. And doubly so after heat is built up. A seized pin doesn't allow for the caliper to float side to side. You'd almost always feel that in the steering wheel and if bad enough... in the brake pedal. A THUMP... hum... well I'd suspect something abnormally loose. First thought is a brake pad. Second, a suspension bushing, third a bolt holding the caliper, fourth something in the drivetrain or body that shifts if braking hard enough. I'd have to just witness it for myself to narrow it down. Shalom ❤
Plug fouling... since you changed them multiple times and upped the voltage to fix it. IMO it was running too rich. Most likely at light throttle operations. Probably would have had more part throttle power if jetted properly. Was there a possibility the car was intended for high altitude markets? My dad was a GM mechanic in the late 60s and in Fla. He once had a woman bring in a car who just moved from Colorado. Her complaint was the car backfired. He figured out it was jetted too rich for the low elevation of Fla. He re-jetted the carb and it ran perfectly fine.
If that bar in the roof of coupes was there to make the body stiffer -- what did they do about convertibles? Did convertibles have heavier frames?
The Maco Shark kit , was by John Silver, not Joe Silver. I was fortunate enough to have met him and he put a Maco nose on my 68 Vette… interesting story how that happened….
Imagine just how far along the Corvette platform would be if it'd been mid engine for 50 years. I doubt it would have stayed quite the domestic bargain it's been throughout the decades.
True!
@@TheHorsepowerMonster If I was building one I would swap it over to the 68-72 look. Painted dark metallic green with white L72 Yenko stripes. Stock interior covered in deep tan on all the touch surfaces with the seats rebuilt with stiffer foam contoured for more bolstering. A 6 speed manual transmission, large CI, high compression, aluminum block, a bigger cam, worked cylinder heads on a Kong ported 2650 LT4 supercharger or Kong ported 2650 LSA. With new suspension, brakes, and updated stock style C3 wheels in a bigger diameter and wider width
I think if it became mid engine, it may have actually died as a brand. The front engine and slow overtime developments allowed the brand to build over time. If they were mid engine, how much could they really change, and how much could they really sell if they raised the price. I don’t doubt it would be successful, but I think this slower progression has lead to better vettes today. Just my opinion.
when the 1984 vette came out one beside us punched it a the light and spun out 25 feet . My friends boy goes did you see how far it peeled out ! I told him that aint nothing my neighbor had a new 65 FI stingray and it would peel out , well the boy asked me "how long" My answer as long as he had his foot on the pedal !!!!!!
I would love to see a crate L83 in this with a 6 speed. 87 octane and 26mpg is just a huge win
はじめまして、コルベットｃ3完成を毎回楽しみに拝見しています、素晴らしいですね。
The 1964 Pontiac Banshee designed by Delorean was the real beginning of the C3 look but the brass at GM didn't want a 2 seat sports car in the Pontiac line-up so they killed it. they developed his design into the C3.
Then they made the c5 which is well balanced with Trans..and diff towards rear of car just as good as a mid engine design.
Wasn't the ZL1 all aluminum? That is a pretty important detail! The L88 was a firebreathing race car that needed at least 105 octane. The ZL1 was RATED higher, but those who knew what was up knew the L88 made more power. I quote: "Although this engine received a factory horsepower rating of 435, actual engine output was somewhere between 540 and 580 horsepower, giving the 'stock' L88 enough power to run a quarter-mile in the high-11-second range!"
Look up the story of the paint job on the Mako Shark Vette.
I had a 1977 L-82 version. A friend had an earlier version. Sometime between 1974 and 1977 Chevrolet changed the rear bumper cover from a two piece to a single piece. Does anybody know exactly when? Thanks.
2 piece is '74 only.
@@eagle7267 Thanks for the info.
Luckily my 81 had the emissions crap deleted before I got it so it at least makes a little more power than stock
I'm tryin to get my 1980 finished up before you finish the abomination.
Good luck! Unfortunately for me, I think you've got plenty of time!
@@TheHorsepowerMonster I believe you picked yours up within a couple weeks of me getting mine. The last cheap 1980! 383 stroker, T5 swap, fuel injection. Gonna be rowdy!
Mako color was supposed to match swordfish on wall. Couldn't match so they painted the swordfish to match the car.
I am about take possession of a gray 73 c3 big block automatic. It is sort of a family hand-me- down. Old age and gas prices plus the low sitting vehicle and Texas Bubba trucks spooked him a bit. So he covered it was a fitted car tarp it and placed his energies elsewhere. The car gets cranked but not run on the road anymore. Originally a New Jersey car the Virginia finally Texas for the last 30+ years. The numbers match but I very sure there is moisture damage. I am arranging for a car carrier trailer as we speak to take her home. I have drooled over it for years but never let my desires known. Out of the blue he asked if I wanted it. Not other relative has shown an interest and he expressed, I had the mechanical ability and patience and thought that combination was ideal. So it's mine. So here I am lurking and learning as to what to look for as a project or a lost cause. We will see. Needless to say I have a very patient wife which trumps all. ThANk you for the tremendous effort with your research and production. As a retired professional photographer, I know what kind of sacrifices behind the scenes it takes. Than you so much.
Hi I was in my hay day in the 60's and 70's. and a GM guy and I was more than disappointed in the way that the " super cars" went. I saw the Corvette go from a respectable performer to something that could not pass electric busses. in my opinion the engineers just kept screwing up all the GM's i.e.. the “corporate” powertrains. Killed GM by the bean counters.
only mistake i saw in your video was when you was talking about the 1974 rear bumper and you showed a 75-77 rear... the 74 was a 2 piece rubber bumper. . a one year feature.
I didn't hear you say anything about Harley Earl ?
Every production Corvette since 1953 was technically 'mid' engine. Unlike Camaros, Mustangs etc, with their engines above the front axle, the engine in Corvettes has always behind the front axle. The only difference with the C8 is that the Corvette is now 'rear mid' engined vs 'front mid' as it had been for the 66 years prior.
What about the 454 cu.in. L88 (?)
Sorry for that 454 LS4,5,6 not the 427 L88.
L-88 was a 427 not a 454 and it was available from 67-69.
I thought C3 came from Pontiac Banshee design but no mention of it here?
I seen your website and I love those merchandise..... I'm from India can I buy those merch... Please let me know asap 💖
4:49 it's like the 90's somehow became a car
THERE WAS ONLY ONE CAR. DESIGNED BY ZORA ARGUS DUNTOV....THE 68 TO 82......
In my eyes, Corvette Died after 82. I owned 2 C4's. An 85, which I foolishly traded a 1980 4 speed. and an 87 Convertible. Hated them both. although not as much as the 81 I bought in 2013.
I LIKED THE 1975 CORVETTTE
5:32 😍
I have my C3 Corvette it's a 1977 and I had sent's I was 16 years old and no it doesn't have any EPA on it because it was a test car and everything that a normal Corvette has this one doesn't have any sent's I am related to Louise Chevrolet I know all about the car and I hope you get that one done with all the work you still have to do in it is a lot i would have got a new frame for after seeing how much rust that one had and they were drunk putting that frame together I talked to my cousin who worked on all C3 Corvette he told a lunch time GM brong in cages of beer for all the workers
How many 😳 Lemans races has the corvette 🏆 🥇
Eight... look it up.
@@Yobettev yep 8
If American car companies had changed to NET horsepower ratings a few years earlier. People wouldn't have been so shocked by the numbers. But instead, they waited until the power was actually lower to change their rating system. Which made it appear to customers that they were losing a lot more power than they actually were. If they hadn't been so greedy and changed to NET ratings in 1970 when they had the most powerful engines. The customers wouldn't have been so shocked by the numbers
I had a 1970 350/350 HP 11 to 1 V8 4 speed. Car was a hoot, fast and a a lot of fun however, along came kids and my car went bye bye.