And now, a serious question

Kinja'd!!! "PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012)
05/19/2017 at 10:33 • Filed to: None

Kinja'd!!!1 Kinja'd!!! 15

What am I looking for/Avoiding in a 1997 Corvette?

Obviously leaks and rust and weird noises. Are there known issues with frame/engine/transmission/cooling?

Going to go see one tomorrow. I know nothing about Corvettes. I need to save this one tho. It’s manual.


DISCUSSION (15)


Kinja'd!!! Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 10:41

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Bad clutch means dropping the whole rear subframe, because transaxle/torque-tube.


Kinja'd!!! PartyPooper2012 > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
05/19/2017 at 10:43

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Nice. Ad does not say anything about clutch being recently replaced. But the test drive would tell me if the clutch is bad.


Kinja'd!!! Tripper > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 10:45

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My mom has got a 3 pedal C5 (2000 I believe). Headers back too! The only issue she has run into is a dead battery haha. I know the clutch is super expensive, but it’s her second one and I don’t remember any real issues with either.


Kinja'd!!! PartyPooper2012 > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)
05/19/2017 at 10:49

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Frj6hr3YVU


Kinja'd!!! crowmolly > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 10:53

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Be aware 1997-1998 have the least desirable LS engine IIRC. It’s still good, but it has different heads (minor cosmetic differences), a different PCM, and some other early-build stuff.

NOT THAT IT’S A PROBLEM, just that it should not be priced like a 99+.


Kinja'd!!! PartyPooper2012 > crowmolly
05/19/2017 at 11:05

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Cosmetic stuff I don’t care too much about. I want me a manual car and this one has low miles. Outside looks nice on pics. Tomorrow I’ll get more personal.


Kinja'd!!! crowmolly > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 11:20

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Any way you slice it, the LS1/T56 combo is good. Years of abuse by the F-body crowd has proved it.


Kinja'd!!! ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 11:27

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Like Bman76 said, beware of the clutch. When that comes up for replacement on a C5 it will cost you a couple of grand. Also take a good look at suspension bushings, lower ball joints and wheel bearings. The lifespan of these components on big boy sports cars tends to be a lot shorter than folks are used to when compared to lesser machinery. It would not be unreasonable to expect them to be considerably worn well before 100k. Having a good suspension shop throw it up on the alignment rack and do a good PPI would probably be money well spent.


Kinja'd!!! random001 > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 12:04

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It’s a lengthy process, but not difficult. I got it down to 8 hours on jack stands on my 2002.


Kinja'd!!! and 100 more > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 12:06

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Looking for validation from a society that no longer values manhood.

Avoiding testosterone replacement therapy.


Kinja'd!!! PartyPooper2012 > and 100 more
05/19/2017 at 12:39

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huh? I am just following the law

Kinja'd!!!


Kinja'd!!! PartyPooper2012 > random001
05/19/2017 at 12:41

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yeah. considering the miles and stuff, it should still be original. I’ll find out tomorrow. It won’t be daily driver so if I have to jack it up and tool around with it for a few days, it won’t be a big deal.


Kinja'd!!! random001 > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 12:51

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I should note, I got it down to 8 hours after doing it three times by myself. it’s faster with friends.

But it’s not hard. And C5's are so stupid easy to work on. I miss mine so very much.

Bee Tee Dub, I had 170k miles on mine and the only thing that went wrong was a thermostat went bad. I changed the clutch because I wanted to at first, and my dad melted that one, so I changed it again, then I changed it for tracking...


Kinja'd!!! Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > PartyPooper2012
05/19/2017 at 13:19

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Not sure what you should be looking for, but I know what you should be avoiding: Corvettes, C3 or later.

Ok, sarcasm aside...I don’t know.


Kinja'd!!! PartyPooper2012 > random001
05/19/2017 at 13:25

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nice. My wife claims she knows how to drive stick... so ill use existing one to teach her / refresh her knowledges. once she kills it, ill stick a new one in there and it should last a while.

Plus I get to blame wife for burning out the clutch :-D