Chris' 1980 C3 Corvette Project Car Part 2: Rear Suspension Fixes 

Another great and informative video. As a C3 owner and a do it yourselfer, I really appreciate your videos and your knowledge of repairing C3 is amazing. All your work is very much appreciated!!

I love watching you work on these vetttes! Thanks for posting the videos!

I can see that you do as I do, put the wheels under the car adding extra safety. Thanks for sharing.

I love your clear explanations on how stuff works! Keep it up you are a great teacher!

Ben, you are perhaps one of the must under appreciated car restoration guys on the 'Tube. I thoroughly enjoy your videos. My only recommendation would be to think about trying a few "voiceover" videos to supplement your "on camera" style. Either way, your videos are great and I can really see how you've matured with your content and quality over the past few years. Great job and I look forward to your future videos!

I have watched several clips and liked them all.

way to go Chris..Your Vette will ride, and look so much better....

Great video on 1980 corvette!

NICE C3 VIDEO. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.

That's some good work on that car , looking good

A good rule of thumb for thread engagement is to have a minimum of two (2) threads protruding through the nut. Cool videos!

Nice work man. I can't believe how bad those bushings were.

I liked that C3 Corvette.

The master of vettes. 👍👍

I enjoy all of your videos. Amazing, you can do it all. 🚗🏋️‍♂️👍

Great job!

Man Ben, your videos are too short! I love'em!

I like the ride height with the correct bolts. Good call. 👍

I appreciate the video. I wish it was out when I did my strut rods and spring in my vette I have an 81. good job! Keep the old Vette videos coming!🙂

I love all your videos!! I am trying to find a good place and the correct front rotors for my 1977 corvette. They are just like the ones in the front end of your video.

Good video. I'd never seen much detail of C3 rear suspension so I enjoyed that. And yes, very good Ben on the Vacuum Advance tutorial. For anyone unfamiliar, the Vacuum Advance is critical for a good running car. I'm not sure when manufacturer's stopped using them, but you young guys out there be sure to check that the Vacuum Advance is working BEFORE making adjustments on other things. Also, if you're going to run one of these old HEI distributors, ALWAYS keep an extra Igniter in the car. When they quit there's no warning and they always quit after shutting off the engine, so you come out to your car and it won't start.

Good video!

. Gymkhana suspension, and 4spd '78-'82 Vettes, got steel springs. All the rest got fiberglass. That is how I remembered it.

That's a unit, looks like a 1970's hot rod with it higher at the back

Can’t way to see more on that 1980 vette

I have a 77 that I picked up in 99 and it came from the factory with ac, but when I bought it, it was taken off and really don’t know why. But now 22 years later, I’m plan on getting the air working. Not sure what all brackets that I’ll need. Sure could use sone of your help on that. Hopefully your do a video on it. Thanks for all the other videos.

Ben, Thank you for continuing to share your knowledge with the Corvette community :) What size were the stock bolts you put in Chris's C3? Respectfully, Ken

Hello Ben, Thanks for the video, Just to let you know that is an aftermarket leaf spring. Thanks for the details.

Just thought i would let you know that when rpm's go up vac goes away when you idle then you have vac and that is when the vac advaces the timeing so it will idle smooth that is also why you disconnect the vac advance when setting the timing you are correct what it does just wrong on higher RPM's it is less as centri advance takes over then

I would say the exhaust being right under that bushing is probably why it was so crusty... they were terrible! lol

Hello from Canada.... Just found your channel and am very impressed. Starting a 1974 stingray convertable project. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. Cheers

Hey Ben I have a 1980 corvette and im having some issues with the turn signals the right side works fine but the left side just stays on and doesn't blink but the right side does. all bulbs are good.

Great video. Question, are the holes at end of the leaf springs supposed to line up with the end of the trailing arms? Or be fairly close to being aligned? Mine aren't and I'm concerned the leaf spring might be bent. I have a '77 and I'm removing my trailing arms.

Great video as usual but I was confused by the vacuum advance. Doesnt it work the other way around ? when idling you have vacuum as your throttle is almost closed, as you accelerate vacuum reduces with the opening throttle ; so it actually advance when vacuum goes away. I'm just learning this stuff and wanted to check my understanding. Thanks

The rear shock nuts and bolts came loose on my '66 Corvette by spraying a mixture of 50/50 Acetone/ATF fluids on the bolts and nuts. I have had problems in the past with bolts that were hard to remove and this mixture is perfect. I sprayed it on twice a day for two days and the nuts and bolts came off perfectly this afternoon. Try it. You can see other RU-vid recordings that tell how to mix it.

When I put a new leaf spring on my c3 the ride height was super high. I had to go with the long bolts so people wudnt think I was going off roading. Im guessing that may not b the original leaf spring. And the owner had the same issue i did

Ben, you have likely mentioned this somewhere. I need to do some of the bushings you mention here on my 76'. Can I jack the car from differential and front cross member? I need to put it on 4 stands.

did you keep that big Holley on the new intake? I think these had those electronically controlled QJets originally, which can be a headache to get running right. car sure sounds better than before...

I would use a sawsall or bolt cutters on that lowering bolt

My dad had to get longer bolts when he got a new leaf spring. It stood too high but after time it will set down. Thats probably what happened with this one

would have been nice to have a before and after ride

what shocks do you recommend for. 77 c3 with a sport suspension

the fiberglass leaf spring didnt start until 1981.. I have an 80 and from the factory it came with the metal spring back in the 80's I added leafs to mine spring to raise the rear up

while you were down that far in the rear suspension, did you check the universal joints for wear? Not looking for more work for you, but as old as the car is , and the rubber parts falling apart...may as well

What intake did you use? Thanks

How can you tell if bushings and bearings are bad in your trailing arms?

Corvettes C3 came with transverse leaf springs. Aftermarket single leaf came later

Hello, where were you able to source that bolt kit? I have a 1972 and the bolts are there but missing cups for lower bushing. Please let me know Thanks. Keep Up The Good Work.

Oh man I just saw the interior..that is my old car.....has to be ...I've got the origanal motor if you want it !!!!

only gas-charged shocks push back out after pushing in. if you push in the shock and it stays put, then it's probably not a gas charged shock. admittedly, almost all performance shocks nowadays are gas charged, I think. FWIW. OEM from 40 yrs ago, probably not gas charged.

What about the trailing arm bushings, they had to be shot as well

4:30 could you have used a ratchet strap to compress the leaf spring from above?

before you throw away Chris's old distributor, you can get a replacement vac advance from RockAuto about $13, to salvage that distributor. just fyi.

The fiberglass leaf spring does not have as much arch as that steel spring

Where did you get all the parts? My Vette has the same issue

Where can I get those parts for the rear mines the same

So with these recent number of videos, are you full time restoration, or do you still have your outside job? If so when do you sleep?😊

What is the correct ride height and where do you measure at?

How much would all this work cost ? Ballpark figure, thanks.

Does this engine have headers?

Also looks like his A/C compressor bolt was loose 12:55

I need to adjust the rear suspension on my c3, the same thing, the tires are out at the bottom

Good video Brah !! 1,000 jokes @ 13:56 >:)

Can I suggest a gorillapod for your camera so that we can get a little more detail on your videos? Some of us like the actual 'wrenching' that goes into this stuff and can be an aid to those who want to do it themselves, as well.

How you lower the rear and front suspension in a c3 Corvette? Thanks,!

Hey new to this channel...did you guys install that motor...if not I think that's my old Corvette..is it by chance a zzz fast burn 350

It looks like the exhaust pipe is touching the mount and I am sure it cooked the old bushing and will cook the new one too. Just saying.

where did he buy it cause a friend has one in NJ cheap

If the rubber can disintegrate that badly over time, wouldnt it be a better idea to put poly bushings in instead?

Car makes ta ta noise from back 1980 vette

Why not just cut that extra long bolt? Angle grinder would take 5 seconds. Great job either way!

I wonder why people don't replace tires with the proper size. Seems dumb.

That's not the correct rear spring. It really should have the fiberglass spring put back in.

Nylock on rear suspension?maybe not good,castle nut is better....if that was my car guaranteed it would have come off prob when i punched it ....haa

car needs alot more parts

i'll never understand the affinity for these shit cars, a cobbled-together assemblage of off-the-shelf-parts with absolutely zero engineering... and that stupid fiberglass body. the C3 corvette was emblematic of thirty years of cynicism and contempt of american automobile manufacturers.