Gentlemen, I am pondering...

DorianL

DorianL

solid fixture here in the forum
Staff member
Gents, I am thinking of letting go of the Tangerine Tornado to replace it with a C3 corvette.

I know for the likes of Grumpy, my little TT is mild. With its centrifugal 400, it belts out 650HP and 700TQ.

But I have several issues with it.

One is... it's "finished" (as is the Karmann Ghia). I built it exactly to my specs. Grumpy gets all the credit for the engine concept and design BTW. Sooo there is little tinkering left to do on it.

My second issue is that my kids are getting older and soon they will be able to drive. They have been asking if they can eventually drive the Chevy or the Ghia. My answer has been a resounding: No! Not until you are in your 40s!

Hmmmm, to my standards... and certainly to theirs, the TT is a brute. It has great street manners, don't get me wrong, but I will not allow my son to drive it because he will kill himself. And if he damages it... I'll kill him. I put too much blood and sweat into it. (The same holds for the Ghia in this respect and that's why I won't allow them to drive it anytime soon - but it is drive-able and one day I will allow them.)

Furthermore, when I check out, what are the kids going to do with it? They are attached to the Chevy and have dear memories of it... but right now, and even later on, no one can drive it. Once I am gone, what can you do with it? Open the garage, smile, look at the dusty TT that hasn't run in years and say: "this was dad's?" ...then close the garage again? What's the point? I'd rather they see use out of it.

Hm

I think a nice mild-but-spirited C3 makes sense. It's not out to kill them. If the kids damage the car, it's not something I am overly attached too. They would drive it on occasion only of course.

Furthermore, the family seems excited about a 70-71 corvette.

My wife also seems supportive. She hates the brutish Chevy, but immediately seemed to like the 'vette which she would drive as well.

Am I rationalizing?o_O

Anyway, I have two concerns.

I have heard a lot of people expressing regrets about "the one they let go." What do you guys think

I am worried I will not be happy with the 'vettes handling. (I just had a very shitty experience.) Likely I'll be asking a lot of questions about C3s in the next few weeks.

Brainstorm thoughts... all are welcome.:D:D:D
 
BTW: in terms of what I will be leaving behind... there was power and handling. Here's my laundry list of mods: TransAm fast steering box, new coils, urethane, boxed lower arms, airlift drag bags, HD sway bars, 3.42:1 gears, THM200-4R with a lcokup converter, SBC400 with a centrifugal, AFR heads, and a roller cam.

I found that this made for a VERY good all around performer. A G-car, dare I say?

As my test ride with a 1970 was soooo shitty, I am worried. How well do these fellas handle?
 
You guys are my dipstick for sanity - trying to make sure I am not over rationalizing or going to over regret the Chevy :D
 
i have a gorgeous 1968 Pontiac Catalina Convertible that the whole family can go out in at same time. It has the very popular 400 with a TH400 trans (numbers matching all except for a recently replaced performance Posi with 3.73 gears).
Much less than a chrome bumper C3
Having trouble loading photos. This is the same Atomic red, but with Red interior and white top. Bonnevilles are a few inches longer but otherwise identical. I will load pictures as I get them.
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chromebumpers said:
Will you have trouble selling the TT? Curious, What price range will it be in?
Click to expand...

HA!!! Now that is the question. I have NO idea what the market is like for something like this...

I will probably "ask 22.5k, with an eye on 20k, expecting 18k, and might be agreeable to letting it go for 15k."

As I say, I suck at haggling.
 
Oh I would definitely shop in the USA and ship back to you you can make out very well. No wonder there are so many dealers shopping here, shipping back. My best deals are from guys taking cars to Holland, Poland and Germany to name just a few among many. Always try to know the car and what you'll likely to need or want. Buy it here and ship those items with the car, trust me on this one!
Touch up paint, tune up parts, gaskets, rebuild kits, even tires stuff the car full! I can't be any more serious about this guys!

Sometimes you can get a cargo box for nearly the same as letting a shipping broker put your car in his box. In that case I squeeze that container full as possible if you have time on your side.
I sold a Corvair to a man in New Zealand 6 years ago, made a deal with him to take on additional parts (after reading the "Wanted Section" of Hemmings and several car clubs) is made a small fortune on a whim a "moment of clarity" as I call it.
 
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I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO YOU'LL ALWAYS LOOK BACK ON CARS,
YOU HAD A GOOD DEAL OF FUN DRIVING AND BUILDING,
AND AFTER YOU SELL THEM YOU'LL TEND TO REGRET IT,
but reality is that most of us realize we can,t afford to keep every project we work on.
now I,ve owned a killer big block 1968 corvette ,that I built and installed a impressive 496 bbc engine in and a mild 1976 sbc corvette, you can improve a c3 but it will never handle and drive like a well sorted out c4,and you can probably find one under 10K-
$15K in excellent shape if you shop carefully
and If your looking for a corvette that has both performance and street drive-ability,
Id strongly suggest skipping any c3 and moving up to a 1996 corvette, it won,t be as fast as the TT in stock form but it will be fun to drive and the wife might like it.
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http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-grumpy-what-c4-should-i-buy.7827/#post-26967

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/looking-for-first-c4-vette.11316/#post-51494
 
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Thanks Grumpy. But the family is steering me toward early C3. I suppose I had bad ass performance. Now we are looking into a combination of looks, handling and acceleration. We respect and accept that performance is being traded off for vintage.

...as long as it will handle reasonably well compared to the TT.
 
well Id at least try to find an earlier big block version
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This is going to sound like an absolutely stupid question but... Why a big block?
 
if you've ever driven a properly tuned big block corvette , even the milder versions have impressive off idle torque that the small blocks lack, its that torque that makes the earlier 1968-70 big block cars fun to drive,
keep in mind I'm not talking about horse power here, you can build a nice fun small block like in your current TT, or boost a decent BBC to provide even more impressive power, thats not what I'm talking about here, what I'm referring to is that a properly set up and tuned 427-454- or 496 BBC (should you choose to go that route later) feels great, sets you back in the seat and the low rumble in the exhaust and off idle torque is totally controllable once you develop a few driving skills as you press the throttle down and can instantly access. you never have too exceed 4000 rpm with a properly set up BBC yet you can still run through the gears and feel like your driving a muscle bound sports car.
I may not be describing it well, but if you get the chance to drive a manual trans big block, try it out, its not like the sbc that requires constant gear changes and rpms to provide power! while a properly tuned big block only requires a bit more toe pressure on the throttle, to hear the rumble change to a rumbling moan while your pushed back into the seat.

this is a bit like trying to describe how a very sexy woman, can make you feel, if they want too, and are in the mood to do so,
YES , the feelings are totally different, but you darn sure will remember the experience, feel your heart-beat increase, and crave a constant repeat performance with either!

and you don,t need to extensively modify a correctly built and tuned 454-496 to have a doctor jeckle & mister hyde car, that drives smoothly and works effortlessly as a daily driver, but has the potential with a few mods to smoke the tires most of the distance through the 1/4 mile if you decide to go that route.
 
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Hey Dorian, how old are your children? Are they old enough to work alongside you to build a new (old) car? I would get the whole family involved wife and girls included. It be a high spirited car, not a brute like the Tangerine Tornado, but a more modest car fun for the whole family to drive, and all have the pride in building it also! Say, may late 60's camaro? Just a idea! Families the play together stay together!
 
busterrm said:
Hey Dorian, how old are your children? Are they old enough to work alongside you to build a new (old) car? I would get the whole family involved wife and girls included. It be a high spirited car, not a brute like the Tangerine Tornado, but a more modest car fun for the whole family to drive, and all have the pride in building it also! Say, may late 60's camaro? Just a idea! Families the play together stay together!
Click to expand...

Kids are in their teens and you are right on. The TT really is a one person only toy. Time to spread the fun ;-)
 
Grumpy said:
I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO YOU'LL ALWAYS LOOK BACK ON CARS,
YOU HAD A GOOD DEAL OF FUN DRIVING AND BUILDING,
AND AFTER YOU SELL THEM YOU'LL TEND TO REGRET IT,
but reality is that most of us realize we can,t afford to keep every project we work on.
now I,ve owned a killer big block 1968 corvette ,that I built and installed a impressive 496 bbc engine in and a mild 1976 sbc corvette, you can improve a c3 but it will never handle and drive like a well sorted out c4,and you can probably find one under 10K-
$15K in excellent shape if you shop carefully
and If your looking for a corvette that has both performance and street drive-ability,
Id strongly suggest skipping any c3 and moving up to a 1996 corvette, it won,t be as fast as the TT in stock form but it will be fun to drive and the wife might like it.
176.jpg


http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-grumpy-what-c4-should-i-buy.7827/#post-26967

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/looking-for-first-c4-vette.11316/#post-51494
Click to expand...

C4 Corvette here too.
The handling is Razor sharp.
Even sideways at 100 mph its easy to recover.
Dry pavement or wet during a heavy rainstorm.
 
I'm not arguing with Grumpy or Brian about the C-4 but I think you would be happy with a C-3 or do the best thing & get both its just a larger shipping container LOL
 
DorianL said:
Hmmmm, to my standards... and certainly to theirs, the TT is a brute. It has great street manners, don't get me wrong, but I will not allow my son to drive it because he will kill himself. And if he damages it... I'll kill him. I put too much blood and sweat into it.
Click to expand...
I don't think you will just hand them the keys and say, "Go have fun". You will go
with them and share the excitement and keep them and the car under control. To
me this is a great chance to do something with your kids and share a love that you
have.

Looks like you might have answered your own question, "I put too much blood and
sweat into it." If that's so, then have you put to much into it to sell the car??? Maybe
sell it to buy something that can be built with your kid's helps, making them part of
the process.

Maybe your not done with the car, you could devise a system that would limit HP and
allow them to drive it with the right HP for their experience and skill level ..... just a
thought.
 
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