What to make of a ’70s vintage Chevrolet Corvette like this 1977 example. After 1972, things changed in ‘Vette land, i.e. loss of power – hugely by ’75, plastic bumpers, loss of the convertible, the big-block engine got the bum’s rush, the Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic transmission’s slow fade away, cheaper quality materials, poorer workmanship – just a tsunami of issues. But still, they were Corvettes, cars mostly held in high esteem. Let’s take a trip back in time and check out this coupe with its very red interior. It’s located in Franklinville, New Jersey and is available, here on craigslist for $13,000. A tip of the hat goes to Russell G for this discovery!
Corvette sales hit a high-water mark in ’77 with 49,213 copies departing the St. Louis, Missouri assembly plant. As previously stated, the convertible was no more having been withdrawn at the conclusion of the ’75 model year. As for power, two flavors existed, both 350 CI V8s. The standard get-up, such as our subject car, developed 180 net HP but 210 net was on tap available via option RPO L82. And that additional 30 net HP was only part of the story as the L82 engine’s internals were more robust. This car, with its Turbo-Hydramatic three-speed automatic transmission, is said to “run great now” after a twelve-year parking hiatus.
The exterior, from what the images reveal, looks good. It’s hard to tell anything about the depth and strength of the Classic White finish. What’s not visible are signs of fiberglass cracks, seam splits, or bumper friction. Standard equipment included steel 15×8″ rally wheels and T-tops. The only noted foible with this car is a lazy opening passenger-side headlight door which is in need of a soon-to-be-replaced vacuum canister.
Inside is a lot of red. It’s actually the optional leather upholstery arrangement that shows well considering its 45 years of age and 87K miles of usage. Nice to see is the optional steering wheel instead of the cheesy four-spoke plastic affair used in the Vega and Camaro. I have to say that the black armrests don’t look original – the assumption is that they too would be red and not contrasting the way the top surface of the center console does. Typical power equipment including windows, steering, A/C, and cruise control are present though the cruise is inoperative due to a broken cable.
One could probably refer to this Corvette as a survivor but there’s too much back and forth opinionated debate about what qualifies as a survivor. So, with that thought, I would state that this car is just a nice, late C-3, that appears to be very original. And while a ’77 Corvette doesn’t have the appeal, market-wise, of an earlier steel-bumper C-3, it also doesn’t have the outsized price tag. And that’s something to consider, right?
That steering wheel would be a nice addition to any older vette that still has a thin huge steering wheel, tho it might not fit on a ’68 with a non locking column.
I would imagine performance would be improved noticeably here with true dual exhaust & modern free flowing cats – or none.
The chrome distributor cover is still required in ’77 – with std HEI?
All 67-82 Corvette three spoke steering wheels are interchangeable, the screw pattern and size and shape of the spokes are all the same. As long as the correct hub for the year of the column is used, any 67-82 wheel can be swapped between years.
joenywf64: I had a ’75 L-48 rated at a miserable 165 ponies net. With the cat removed and with standard free-flow dual exhaust the power went up to 200 net–a gain of 35 horses.
To the best of my knowledge the polished stainless steel distributor cover was standard on a ’77. Without it, good look trying to listen to your radio.
Who listens to AM radio? FM is not affected.
All 67-82 Corvette three spoke steering wheels are interchangeable, the screw pattern and size and shape of the spokes are all the same. As long as the correct hub for the year of the column is used, any 67-82 wheel can be swapped between years. 77 was the last year the stainless shielding was used, 78-82’s used a black plastic shield, with foil inside instead.
Looks like a decent entry level Corvette. Would make a fun driver, if you like this style of C3. The prices for these (in this condition) have been about the same for at least 5 years, so it is not an “investment car”, but will likely hold value if maintained properly.
The real lesson here is that it is Not worth buying a cheaper Corvette from this era that needs significant work. There are lots of project cars around that would quickly eat well over $13K in repairs alone. I regularly encounter examples where owners have way too much into the car, and often run out of money (or motivation).
I’ve owned 5 corvettes (65,69,73, 75 and 81) After the 81(dog) I said never again. The 75 I retune, took off all the emissions punch out the filler neck butterfly door and installed side pipes. The car was still a dog! C1,C2 and C3 up to 69/70 are okay. I drove a 84 corvette with the video game instrument panel that rode like a buckboard but could do 1g on the skid pad test. When the ZR1 first came out in the early 80’s GM made a big deal out of the car. Problem was no low end torque. Great car if you live in Germany and use the Autobahn.
The 73-77’s are the least desirable of all the corvette years, in my opinion they’ll never really have any collector car value. They make a good every day driver
I feel the same way. 1973 to me is a confused car, LOL Am I rubber or chrome? Contrary though, it seems for some reason 73’s are desirable to many. At least by the auction results these days, for me 71 was the last really cool C3, 1972 the fiber optics gone, 1973 removable rear window gone and wiper door gone. JMO
I know car prices are going up, but I just can’t see paying 13K for a ’77 Corvette unless it is an L82