Considering buying a C4....

"The Stig's former college room mate" (das-stig)
09/19/2016 at 10:24 • Filed to: None

...for a track day car. LT1 6 speed. OPPO, convince me it’s a good idea or talk me out of it.

I mentioned to the wife I wanted to buy a dedicated track car instead of tracking my DD. Told her what i was thinking of and how much they cost and instead of her throwing a fit, she just said “so why didn’t you buy it?” It’s great being married to a gearhead. :)

it would be similar to the one pictured.

I would prefer a c5, but none fall into the price range where if I put it in the wall, I don’t care. “Disposable” c4's are able to be found with some searching.

DISCUSSION (35)

crowmolly > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:26

Do it. Get one with a vented opti if you can.

AkursedX > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:31

I like the idea. C4's are quite underrated as far as performance goes. I’d find one with a solid roof and then I would upgrade to a coil-pack setup. http://www.delteq.com/ sells a quality setup.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:32

I don’t care what people say about ‘em I still love the C4.

I looked into what it would take to rally cross one but it’s too risky, even the floor pans are fiberglass and I’m afraid something would punch through.

deprecated account > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/19/2016 at 10:34

Fab up some skidplates? I could get behind a C4 RX car.

PorkchoPlissken > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:34

More C4s should be tracked. Still one of my favorite vettes.

BeaterGT > crowmolly
09/19/2016 at 10:35

Not positive on Corvettes but I think this was 1995 and up on the Fbodies.

crowmolly > AkursedX
09/19/2016 at 10:35

I *think* most LT1 enthusiasts go to the 24x setup now instead.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > deprecated account
09/19/2016 at 10:37

Thought about it, though at that point it would be shielding the underbody of the whole length of the car.

Matthew Phillips > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:38

The C3 and C4 are on my list of first sports car. Good luck !

StingrayJake > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:39

“Disposable C4s” makes me think you’re going to be doing a lot of work to get it running reliably.

deprecated account > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:39

I’d make sure it’s a ‘92-’96 as that’s the non-L83/L92 cars. I’ve always loved the C4 and they can make gobs of power with little upgrades. Or go for a crapbox one and.... Chassis-cart time!

Kinja'd!!!

shop-teacher > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:40

Yes. Do this. This is good.

deprecated account > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/19/2016 at 10:42

:( What about a C5? Those have fiberglass floorpans?

AkursedX > crowmolly
09/19/2016 at 10:43

Didn’t know that was out there. Yeah, I’d totally do that.

I Will Always Be The Honey Badger > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:43

LT1 is a little orphaned when it comes to performance. Why not go with something like this. 5,000 bucks get you a good platform, relatively clean car, and a manual ( not a 6 speed, but the 4+3 isn’t bad). Bolt on a mini-blower, some headers, and swap the cam with an inexpensive melling grind. Some better pads & rotors, suspension work and sticky tires later you’re still under 10K for a fun track car if you do the work yourself.

Kinja'd!!!

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/wnd-…

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-…

Kinja'd!!!

The Stig's former college room mate > StingrayJake
09/19/2016 at 10:51

the one I found would need paint and interior if I were to make it a driver. Engine is solid, clutch is new, suspension and brakes check out. Peeling clear coat does not bother me, and most of the interior would be removed for cage and racing seats.

for me, $5000 and under makes a car “disposable.” For that price, there are actually quite a few decent c4's out there. lt1 cars are a little harder to come by, but i’ve found them. I haven’t found any c5's under 10k, and at 10k they were pretty rough.

jjhats > AkursedX
09/19/2016 at 10:54

no c4 have solid roofs. even the zr1 had targa tops and it was a known fuck up and weak spot for the car hence why they fixed the c5

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:55

You get a star for the understanding wife part of the story in particular.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > deprecated account
09/19/2016 at 10:56

Haven’t checked, they cost too much lol

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 10:59

I like the idea of an LT1 track car, coming from a guy who daily drives an LT1 6speed C4. As a track toy, many of the issues common to a C4 become less of an issue. Keeping chassis electronics going/ finding the few and far between folks how can repair 20+ year old electronic stuff like automatic climate control boxes and Bose boxes is not really an issue on a track car, nor is expensive weather stripping.

You should know that the daul mass flywheels used in these cars does not exist any more. When the clutch is due, it will have to be converted to a single mass flywheel, and it will have gear rattle. Again, this is probably not an issue in a track car.

For rubber and brakes, C5 wheels are out there used for not much money, and C5 wheels will let C5/C6 front brakes bolt up to the car with some cheap and common adapter brackets that are out there. Also, there is a replacement front air dam with cooling ducts built in that most of the corvette parts sellers should have for reasonable money.

Some common C4 issues to look for/anticipate:

Front lower ball joints tend to last about 50 or 60k, as do rear wheel bearings. My feeling is that rear wheel bearings might be some thing of a regular replacement item on a tracked C4, but quality timken replacements run around $100 from rock auto and they are simple to replace. You'll have to invest in a 36mm socket and a quality T-55 torx bit.

If you found a Z51 package car, that would be awesome. Larger front brakes (which can also be retrofitted to any C4, and fit under the C4 wheels) and stiffer suspension.

Also, I just might happen to have a 93 LT1 6 speed with 75k up for sale very soon in Southern NM. Two owner car, red, most common C4 issues already addressed, and it has some polyurathane bushings in the front suspension, fresh bilstien shocks (firmer Z51 valving).

crowmolly > BeaterGT
09/19/2016 at 11:00

95+ on all B,F,Y

deprecated account > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/19/2016 at 11:00

http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/5780644454…

http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/5770187937…

http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/5744082272…

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > deprecated account
09/19/2016 at 11:07

yeah I’m looking at under $4,000 cars lol

The intention is to beat it up off road I’m not spending that kind of money!

deprecated account > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/19/2016 at 11:12

True, true. Not even remotely decent C4s are sub-4k though, at least for me.

StingrayJake > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 11:23

Nice. From what I understand late model C3s are starting to creep up. Guess C4 is the last great cheap Corvette.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 11:36

I think C4s are glorious. I think the only real agreement among most people is to go with a 89 or later car. The LT1 is powerful stock and the L98 can be modded to be it’s equal but everyone agrees the build and interior on earlier models is worse. Although, the suspension is good on all models, the truly early ones are probably better for track/cross but most people seem to agree you are better trying upgrading the later suspension, than trying to make an 84s dash work or interior be of higher quality. I test drove a 93 and it was rattling and the door cards were falling off and the paint was not good, but for $3k someone got a good deal because the engine seemed pretty healthy and it shifted well.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 11:58

remove LT1 and put in LS1 and your good

random001 > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 12:09

I can tell you nothing but do it! Unless you’re really tall, then you’ll have helmet issues. At 6'4", I had issues tracking my ‘92, adjusting the seat to uncomfortable places to pass check, but still, my stock C4 was a blast on the track!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > deprecated account
09/19/2016 at 12:20

Well I want a manual, but there are plenty of auto C4's available in running/driving condition on CL for 3-4k.

The Stig's former college room mate > random001
09/19/2016 at 12:24

i’m 6' even. my buddy has a 96 with racing seats and a roll bar and i can get in and out of his OK. it’s not exactly graceful, but once i’m in i’m comfortable.

The Stig's former college room mate > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
09/19/2016 at 12:25

my plan would be use lt1 until it blows up, then upgrade to an ls.

random001 > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 12:27

Excellent. I always ran into trouble with the plastic cladding back there for the targa top. I moved to an 02 Z06, fixed roof, and never had an issue again.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 13:25

I remember reading about the then-new C5, and all of its innovative structural engineering.

How much worse is a C4 chassis in comparison?

hike > The Stig's former college room mate
09/19/2016 at 15:09

Do it! Just make sure to get wheels with a standard tire size. I’ve got an 87 which is 255/50r16, which makes it a pain the ass to find tires.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > AkursedX
09/20/2016 at 11:11

Indeed. I think folks sometimes forget that an LT1/LT4 C4 is a properly fast car.