Installing a New Fuel Pump on a C3 Corvette

Replacing the fuel pump on a C3 Corvette is not necessarily difficult, but it can be a messy job, so you have to plan your work and then work your plan.

Over the years. I've replaced many components on my Vette, and have to keep reminding myself that the best ones are those made by reputable companies, which 99.9% of the time means American-made. Yes, there are exceptions to that rule, but I have gotten to the point where I refuse to take my chances with components made elsewhere.

Now, to be clear, when I say "American-made" that includes parts manufactured in Canada and Mexico, as well as the USA.

And when it comes to finding the right parts, don't just click the "Add to Cart" button the moment you find what you're looking for.

I've found many great deals on eBay and Amazon in the past, but there are a lot of fly-by-night sellers on both platforms with prices all over the map, so search and compare prices before finalizing a purchase.

I found the right fuel pump for my 1976 Corvette on CarID.com (link at the bottom of the page), even though the listing did not include my model year. However, from my research, I knew this was the right pump for my car.

As a matter of fact, it may be the same fuel pump for Corvettes (and maybe other Chevrolets with small-block V8 engines) from the late 1950s all the way to the late 1970s, so always take the time to do your research.

Total cost, including delivery charges, was $36.12. A great price when compared to other part vendors.

New Carpeting and Insulation for my C3 Corvette

Even though the all-black interior of my '76 Corvette looked okay, it was—in my opinion—dull, bleak, and boring, and I felt I had to do something about it.

Having the dashboard completely out in order to clean and re-seal all the air ducts, as well as repair the heater box while also deleting the heater, gave me the much-needed impetus to go ahead and replace the carpeting. And since the black carpet had to be removed, I covered the front floors and transmission tunnel with FatMat for both heat and noise abatement.

Needless to say, LED courtesy lights also helped quite a bit as shown in the "after" photo above. Also worth mentioning is how hot regular, incandescent bulbs get, so replacing those with LEDs is the smart thing to do. I also replaced all the dash bulbs, and what a difference that made!

1976 Corvette Rear Bumper Cover Repaint

If color-matching is some kind of a magical process, then, unfortunately, we're out of modern-day alchemists who have mastered the craft.

Charlatans, on the other hand, are a dime a dozen, and the two photos below prove my point.

As one of my Instagram followers commented, they probably didn't even bother to spray a test or spray-out card before painting the whole bumper.

You don't have to be an automotive paint expert to see the color-matching fail depicted above. And the photos are forgiving. In real life, the mismatch was worse.

Fabricating My Own Glovebox Liner

Forty-plus years will wreak havoc on anything made out of cardboard, and my 1976 Corvette's glovebox liner was so exception.

So I had two options:

1. Buy a reproduction liner (about $30 plus shipping)
2. Make my own glovebox liner (about $8)

I chose option number two!

1975-1979 Rear Bumper Detailing

Forty-plus years take their toll on any car, especially in hidden areas, and this was clearly revealed once the bumper skin was off of my Corvette.

But since I don't mind a challenge when it comes to cleaning, detailing, or restoration, I kept removing parts and the end result was a sweet reward for the many hours it took me to remove years of dust and road grime.

Once the bumper cover was removed (click here for that article), I assessed what needed to be cleaned, replaced, or repaired.