After 5 years of ownership I finally removed my spare tire carrier, it's not pretty

80convertible · 03-15-04, 09:07 PM

Well,

I decided to see what the a$$ end of my vette looks like after 5 years of ownership. Ignorance is bliss until now. I discoverd that one of the straps securing my gas tank was missing a bolt and just sitting there. My differential cover, differential cross member, spring and associated hardware, trailing arms and more are badly rusted. I also discovered that there are 8 bolts that attach the aft most cross member to the bumber support brace. 6 of the bolts are missing. Spent tonight chasing the threads for the missing bolts to remove rust before installing new bolts. On the positive side, the frame itself is perfectly rust free

Looks like the rear suspension came off another vette that lived up North. My to do list just got longer and more $$$. Oh well, just another day of vette ownership.

atmmac · 03-15-04, 09:18 PM

Dont ya just love spending through the roof for every part!

-Andy

80convertible · 03-15-04, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atmmac

Dont ya just love spending through the roof for every part!

-Andy

I can't imagine life without ebay for vette parts. I'm almost addicted to searching for good deals on ebay. That's how I sell it to my wife..."honey I just saved us money by buying on ebay".

mac495 · 03-16-04, 12:54 AM

There must be some good news out of all that??? Like did the spare still have air in it...

Rich80 · 03-16-04, 06:47 PM

Mine had air in it... About 10 pounds! I had my spare off the day after I bought it. No rust, everything in place. Lucky I guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac495

There must be some good news out of all that??? Like did the spare still have air in it...

Stallion · 03-16-04, 09:23 PM

Hmm...that reminds me. My spare is still there, never been down, from '78.

Flared69 · 03-16-04, 09:27 PM

i still have my original wheel in the spare slot.

no idea how long its been there. Might take it off. Is it illegal to not have a spare in the USA?

80convertible · 03-16-04, 09:44 PM

From what I've read over the years on various vette forums, I think more C3s opt to not carry a spare. Everyone is looking for weight loss. Some people are content with a cell phone and their AAA membership. Me, I don't think I would be comfortable driving far from home without a spare.

Stallion · 03-16-04, 10:56 PM

No way, I would never drive without a spare. What would AAA do for you? Can they actually bring you a new wheel to put on? Because I know that us Vetters don't wanna have our babies towed for a simple thing like a blowout.

DDLS1 · 03-17-04, 12:04 PM

I have not carried a spare in years. The spare still resides under my 99 Dakota, untouched, as well as my 94 Grand Cherokee(162k miles) BTW the C5's have no spare. AAA a can of fix-a-flat, what more could you want.

citruspilot · 03-17-04, 01:18 PM

Spare tire? SHOOT!

Thats right, mine is empty too. I forgot that about a month ago I reached under there and pushed my finger into the spare to check it and its soft as hell. I guess it has never been checked since 1979. Oh, well. Just gives me something else to do now.

Thanks for the heads-up!

Jeff

bossvette · 03-17-04, 01:34 PM

spare, whats a spare?

baja216 · 03-17-04, 01:37 PM

The spare tire holder was off of mine when I bought it last summer. I've still got "get a spare tire" on my to do list. I don't plan on re-installing the holder though, just keep the spare at home in case I need it. So far I haven't taken the car very far from home!