Picked up another Vette
 

Have been planning on building a custom 78 Pace Car for a while, but the right car has never presented itself. This changed today. Brought home a 78PC that had a rough life. It's an L48 auto, with 40k original miles. It was left outside for almost a decade, and ended up at a salvage yard where it was stored up on an old loading dock for a long time.

As far as I can tell, everything original is in place with the exception of the radio. The paint is shot, but the body is great. Frame and birdcage are super solid, which is really all I cared about.

Plans are to pull the body off the frame, clean and paint things, and pull the drivetrain. Got a 6.0 LQ4 with a healthy cam, intake, long tubes, and bigger injectors going in along with a 3200-3500rpm stall converter. Gonna try and run a 6pt cage real tight in the car so it doesn't stick out too much.

I know there's a few Vette guys on here. I figured you'd get a kick outta this poor thing. lol


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I've been following TheCorvetteBen on YouTube, he's a guy in Texas who has a business of buying, selling, and parting out neglected 1970s Corvettes. It seems like there's quite a few of them around that would be ripe for modern drivetrain and suspension upgrades.

Wow. Any car that gets loaded with a forklift is rightly called a "poor thing".

K

Looks like the forklift picked up another Vette too. ;)

Nice find. I had a 79 L-82 for a few years. Really enjoyed driving it.

very interesting project....I assume that you will restore it in it's original Pace Car Black and Silver.
It's amazing that somebody would trash on a Pace Car Corvette that bad. It's great that you are going to save it from the crusher. I just purchased a Corvette Indy Pace Car......a 1995 model (one of 527 built) It is totally pristine with just 1000 miles on the clock....nothing needed except another coat of wax. I've always been fascinated with Indy 500 Pace Cars and finally bought one......Good luck with your project

Very nice! I actually owned a 95 PC not that long ago. Had 36k miles on it. Was a really nice car.

Got the interior stripped out of the 78 last night. So far the car is exceptionally clean.

My GTO was painted anniversary Vette silver when I bought it. Always thought they looked pretty mean.

I hope the T-tops aren't missing! How's the interior?

Great find! Looks like something I would bring home. For me theyre never too far gone!! Im not really a vette guy but have always loved those 78 PC's. One would look great between my 77 black T/A and my 79 silver T/A :D
Really is quite surprising to see one in that condition. Almost every one new was put away as a future collectible which never happened. There was one local to me a few years ago that was in worse condition. It had been stripped to basically a shell though.

Tops are gone, which sucks. Those mirrored tops are expensive, but I have a set of regular tops to put on for now. The car will have them off 90% of the time anyway.

The seat covers and rug are shot, but the door panels and dash are perfect. I have another set of covers from my last 78PC that are much nicer than what's in it now, so those will be going in shortly.

100% true. Everyone put these cars away in hopes they'd be worth big bucks someday. In the end they all screwed each other, as the market is saturated with mint 78s lol.

That's why I love this one. I can modify it and not feel bad about it. It was in a legit junkyard, so the Vette guys really cant complain. It was either me saving and modifying it, or it getting parted out and squished.

Cool find, they looked pretty snappy when they were new. Your endless energy and progress on many projects always amazes..... The Energizer Rabbit of PY.

I'll never get one most likely, but I like the 74 look also. Post 73 Vettes from the 70's are still in the range of commoners like me, it seems.

Great project car!

I just do not understand how people can treat a special car like this pace car like it’s just another run of the mill car. Glad you’re saving it! If it’s missing the t tops I know a couple of guys who might have a set.

I saw that and posted it on a Corvette Pace Car Facebook page, everyone thought it was too far gone, I figured with only 40k miles it might be salvageable. I too have always liked Indy PCs, missed a 71 Challenger for $4500 way back when, passed on a 84 Fiero, I finally got a great one.

Of the C3 cars, I like 69-72, but I also like those later Pace Car editions. I have a C2 (and a huge amount of parts) , but I also have a complete left door, a hood and a spare tire tub from a '74 if you need parts.

Be a good choice for a late model LS drivetrain. Glad the frame is in nice shape.

Tom V.

That's a very cool car. If I had that car, I'd get it running and paint it. That's it. Really nice looking car in person.

I fixed / painted a few of those same vetts back in the 80’s . They make repop stripes for that ?

They do! I'm planning on leaving it as is for a while, but I'll paint it eventually.

I got the engine and trans out of it today.