Toys. Toys are Good

"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
07/17/2019 at 11:21 • Filed to: Corvette, C4 Corvette, C4

No not those kids, but the automotive kind! (repost morning crowd)

Oppo, please welcome the new to me 1995 Chevrolet Corvette LT1 6 speed that I just bought. There was no way I was going to go long without a fun manual car.

God damn I love the big clam shell hood. So easy to work on the engine and front end in general. *whispers* also pop up headlamps *wink wink*

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I do like whichever previous owner made the decision to throw on C5 Z06 wheels. I think they look decently modern and retro enough at the same time.

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More posts will come. This is only day 1

DISCUSSION (45)

Nibby > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/16/2019 at 20:03

those exhaust pipes look like an afterthought

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/16/2019 at 20:26

I typically don't like red but that's fantastic.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/16/2019 at 20:27

The best part?

Kinja'd!!!

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > Nibby
07/16/2019 at 20:32

Or no thought at all

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/16/2019 at 20:34

In teresting you went with a c4, considering how close C4s are too c5s I usually think the obvious choice is the C5, but there is plenty of room for saving some good cash if you find a reasonable seller of a c4 that doesn't think it's worth the same as a c5

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered
07/16/2019 at 20:36

The C5 maybe "better," but the C4 is certainly cooler.

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/16/2019 at 20:37

Love it! Looking forward to your posts about it!

shop-teacher > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/16/2019 at 20:45

That's awesome!!

smobgirl > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/16/2019 at 21:13

That’s awesome! Congrats!

2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast
07/16/2019 at 21:40

Thats quite opinionated, I wouldn't take any c4 made before 1990 over a c5

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered
07/16/2019 at 21:47

I would. C4s just feel so different to get in and drive. You feel lower than anything on the road. The heavy steering and clutch dont let you forget what you’re driving. The seating position feels old school super car vs the C5 whose seats, driving position and feel come off closer to a Malibu.

Don’ t get me wrong, it’s worse in most measurable ways, but the C4 feels more special since it was a product of a different time.

CaptDale - is secretly British > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered
07/17/2019 at 11:22

There was absolutely no way of getting a C5 for the money I was looking to spend. Plus I really wanted a fun Radwood car and this checks all the boxes for me.

JeepJeremy > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 11:26

Very very cool!!!

Targa top?

jimz > 2Fast2Furious: Rotary Powered
07/17/2019 at 11:30

as ubiquitous as the LSx is and its breadth of parts support, the previous gen SBC is even better.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 11:30

Nice! Congrats, Cap’n.

CaptDale - is secretly British > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
07/17/2019 at 11:36

I agree

BeaterGT > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 11:37

Congrats! It looks fantastic.

And also congrats on the GTO sale, don’t know how I missed that but also saved me from buying it ;)

CaptDale - is secretly British > Nibby
07/17/2019 at 11:50

They are trash and will be changed!

CaptDale - is secretly British > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
07/17/2019 at 11:50

I don’t either. Might wrap in blue

CaptDale - is secretly British > Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast
07/17/2019 at 11:50

Thanks!

CaptDale - is secretly British > BeaterGT
07/17/2019 at 11:54

Lol. Yeah glad to see it go.

Thanks, she should be fun.

CaptDale - is secretly British > JeepJeremy
07/17/2019 at 11:55

Yup yup!

CaptDale - is secretly British > smobgirl
07/17/2019 at 11:55

Thank you!

CaptDale - is secretly British > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
07/17/2019 at 11:55

Thanks.

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 11:58

I can’t wait to have our cars side by side!

BeaterGT > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 11:58

How many miles? I used to have a 1994 Z 28 with LT1/T56.

CaptDale - is secretly British > BeaterGT
07/17/2019 at 12:03

186k

CaptDale - is secretly British > shop-teacher
07/17/2019 at 12:04

Thanks!

CaptDale - is secretly British > SPAMBot - Horse Doctor
07/17/2019 at 12:04

Seriously though!! Especially going on drives!

feather-throttle-not-hair > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 12:09

That’s what i like to call a “full circle car”

Me from the age of 4 until the age of 12: C4 Corvettes are awesome!

M e from the age of 13 to the age of 16: Ehhh, C4 s are alright

Me from the age of 16 to the age of 25: C4 s are crappy, worst generation of Corvette

Me from the age of 25 to the age of 30: The C4 wasn’t actually that bad, its kind of charming

M e from 30 until now: C4 Corvettes are awesome

Chariotoflove > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 12:12

Funny looking TVR.

Seriously though, this blindsided me. Good pickup. These cars are awesome. And pop-up headlights are the best.

CaptDale - is secretly British > feather-throttle-not-hair
07/17/2019 at 12:16

Heh yeah kinda. I have a 1/18 scale since I was a kid. Always liked them

CaptDale - is secretly British > Chariotoflove
07/17/2019 at 12:16

I mean fiberglass and a V8.... TVR copied Chevy ;)

But yeah it was a great deal, still Radwood approved, and POPUP HEADLIGHTS!!!

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 12:41

I think a fake grand sport color combo would be good.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
07/17/2019 at 13:28

Yeah, but instead of the C4 GS colors I was thinking the C3 GS

Future Heap Owner > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/17/2019 at 13:58

Congrats man! Buying cars sure is a lot easier than selling them, huh?

Khalbali > feather-throttle-not-hair
07/17/2019 at 15:06

Wow are you me???? I think I still prefer the c3 though.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/19/2019 at 12:26

(late) Congrats! This looks very much like my former 93 LT1/6-speed car.

Kinja'd!!!

If you have questions about wrenching on these cars, I’m happy to help.

If you haven’t already done so, lift up the rear of the car and check your rear wheel bearings. The rear hub assemblies (along with front ball joints) on these cars have a lifespan of not more than 40-50k at the very most, which is to say if you don’t know the last time those were done on the car, it probably needs them. Likewise, pay attention to the water pump on them. The weep hole drains directly down onto the optispark (of which there are no longer ANY quality replacement parts at any price), which is a common way to kill an optispark (deep puddles are also bad, unless the vent mod had been done).

https://www.carstereohelp.org/

These guys rebuild Bose components, including on these cars. Sooner or later you’ll need them, and be careful about leaks around the back glass and/or liquids spilling in the back. Water back there will leak into the compartment under the floor where the BCM and audio control module live, which will make them unhappy. Despite the 1998 looking website, they do good work.

http://batee.com/

You’ll also need this guy at some point, too. When you do, send him money with a smile on your face. He’s a retired electrical engineer somewhere in rural Missouri, and he happens to be the ONLY source of repair for the two climate control boxes on these cars (the control module in the dash, and the electrical box under the dash that actuates all the vacuum solenoids and makes the magic happen). Like plenty of other things on these cars, there are no more new parts to be had (at any price), and these boxes will fail sooner or later on every single one of these cars. Eventually the capacitors on the circuit board fail and the acid paste that leaked out damages other components on the board and/or solder joints start cracking. Weird things happening over bumps is usually the sign of solder joints failing, and once things fail for good the system will usually default to blowing hot air out of the defroster vent. This guy rebuilds the boxes and sends them back to you.

Fun fact, he’s the only source for this work. If you use the rebuild and return service for these components from one of the big corvette parts sellers, they just drop ship your parts to him and mark it up 20%. He’s also the primary source for dash repairs on the later cars.

Also be nice to the clutch. There are no more replacement dual mass flywheels to be had and there likely never will be, as LUK scraped the worn-out tooling after then going through bankruptcy GM didn’t pony up their share for new tooling. Clutch disks can be had, but quality throw out bearings and pressure plates are becoming scarce, along with quality parts for the clutch hydraulics. The cars can be converted to single mass flywheel via some custom machining on an F-body flywheel and a sprung hub clutch disk, but there’s a NVH price to pay for it.

Those Z06 wheels are a good call on the car, as there are still a wide variety of tire options out there. The staggered set up on the later sawblades like mine had are down to exactly one street tire option if you want want to run matching tires.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
07/19/2019 at 13:42

Yeah I know about the fun Optispark plays on these cars XD. This one has an MSD box so my hope is they have an MSD distributor because they changed the water pump after they failed. Didn’t know about the hubs and ball joints but I will add them to my ever growing list.

The car is going to turn into mostly a track toy, so not really sure how important most of the interior electrics are going to be especially once I start tearing that all out, but I am happy for the information. I have torn apart electronics like this are resoldered stuff before so I wouldn’t hesitate to try to repair myself.

Interesting about the clutch. I figured down the road I would go with some single mass wheel and the upgraded GM slave sleeve cylinder like modern GM cars have. You said NVH price?

Yeah the Z06 wheels helped sell it for me. They have always been one of my favorite designs.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/19/2019 at 14:28

Neat. In the case of a track toy, you’re going to be doing rear hub changes on a regular basis. My understanding is that back when folks were still playing racecar with these, rear hubs had a lifespan of about 1 weekend when running sticky tires. You’ll want a GOOD T-55 bit. The three torx bolts that hold on the hubs are buried deep inside the rear upright assembly, accessed via some long extensions on a ratchet. Stripping the head of one of those bolts would be a deeply unfortunate experience.

The other thing you’re going need for track work with the rear hubs is a source of the thrust washers that go between the hub and the axle stub. They’re a teflon-coated washer that is made of unobtainium. I found them significantly worn when I bought my car 55K, and it took a long time to track down new ones. A few GM parts sellers listed them, but no one actually had them on the shelf. GM itself has no more. I eventually found a GM dealer in Canada that 4 on the self and bough them up. I used 2 on the first hub changes, and then 1 on the second hub change on the driver side about 35k later when it developed some play again. I sent the remaining thrust washer to Fly Norcal after I sold my car. You might ask him if he still has the part number handy.

In the alternative, I found references online of some folks replacing that thrust washer with one from some flavor of 4X4 GMT 400 that could be made to work, but I never investigated any further.

The rear hubs are a frustrating GM-type failure on these cars. The basic design of the rear hub goes back to the C2, and they simply don’t stand up to the rear wheel/tire combo and cornering loads a C4 generates. GM knew this was an insufficient design via warranty claims by the mid-80's, yet produced the car for another decade unchanged.

With a single mass flywheel, the ZF6 has significant amounts of gear rattle when not under load. The car I’ve experience with one sounded like the proverbial “rocks in a coffee can” when sitting at a red light. If you didn’t know better, one would think there was something seriously wrong with the car from the sound. The a modern sleeve slave cylinder sounds interesting, but I’ve never heard of it being done on one of these cars. One of real downsides to them is how few corvettes were ever made with the ZF6, and the gearbox was never used on any other car.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
07/19/2019 at 15:00

The Ram Clutch conversion kit seemed popular on the forum but I am not 100% sure.

I have read that the SFK race bearings are the ones to get. Though some preliminary searching I can’t find any for sale. I’m sure I just need to dig deeper ing to bowles of the internet. Supposedly they last something like 10 track weekends. So I be a good long time on a street car?

Good to know on the teflon washer.... fucking GM

Hmmmm, not sure if I would worry about the noise from the trans, but I guess that just has to be something I worry about when the time comes.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/19/2019 at 15:18

Interesting on the Ram kit. I wasn’t aware of this, but that looks like a good way to go. It may not have been a thing yet when I owned mine.

On my car, I just made sure I treated the clutch nicely. I did exactly two hard launches in the car, and one donut. That’s not to say it didn’t get properly exploited on twisty roads or off a stop light, I just always launched gently before rolling into it. At 95k, the original clutch was still working well with only some minor noise from a worn throw out bearing and worn dual mass flywheel (virtually all the mileage on the car was highway driving) .

That would be a phenomenally long rear hub life, but awesome if it happened. I think there was some kind of heavier duty “race” hub out there at one time, but I never saw them actually for sale. I’m sure some of these cars are still running track days, but I don’t know of many still being raced below the GT1 level (at which point the general shape of the body work resembling the street car is about all they have in common with a C4 that drove on the road).

You’ll find there are number of things on these cars for which there are simply no more new parts and/or good repair options out there. They occupy this space where they’re old enough for all of the new parts inventory to have been used up on certain common failure/wear points , yet not enough cars out there or out there being maintained to a high level to justify the investment of a parts seller ordering enough of something for a manufacturer to do another production run . Or rather they’re not worth enough money and/or enough of them owned by folks willing to pay the price premium that would be would have to come with these parts.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
07/19/2019 at 17:24

Yeah the Ram kit is very intriguing but I will definatley be saving the current clutch as much as I can while I work on the rest of the vehicle. I’ll keep in mind no to beat on it.

Oh I do have a question. I get pretty good ramp up on the shifter when I load the engine up. I am wondering if that is and indication of the motor mounts going bad or if maybe the center ladder mounts might be wallered out? I am getting the car in the air this weekend so anything else I should look at of for let me know.

Yeah I am very tempted to order the hubs because they are fairly reasonable. For hubs on a sports car anyway.

And yeah I see that with a lot of cars I have owned.... Fiero, GTO, and this. Not quite in their not new prime yet.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > CaptDale - is secretly British
07/19/2019 at 17:54

I don’t especially remember lots of shifter movement on mine, but there was some. Engine mounts wouldn’t be a big deal, but they were still in good shape on my car at 95k. I’d be more suspicious of the bushings on rear differential /housing/subframe. Those take a lot of load, both from the driveline torque and cornering loads/sup por ting the weight of the car. For bushings on my car, I replaced the lower control arm bushings with polyurethane while the lower ball joint were done. They really improved the way the front end felt through a corner. I also eventually replaced all the end link bushings with polyurethane . The rear endlink bolt that someone cross threaded at the factory in 1993 was a nice touch (the original owner was my parent’s next door neighbor, so it’s complete history was known).

Speaking of engine mounts, near them are the knock sensors. The knock sensors double as the block drains for the cooling system . Because of the way the reverse flow cooling system is set up, Pulling the radiator drain plug drains almost none of the coolant from the rest of the system.

Fasteners are worth paying attention to when wrenching in these. On my 93, I found anything related to the brakes and/or suspension was a metric fastener , anything related to the body/interior was an SAE fastener , and powertrain/underhood stuff could be either. For example, when doing the waterpump replacement I learned all the fasteners on the front of the engine related to the belt drive system were metric, but all the water pump faste ners were SAE. This was important, because a couple of the LT-1 water pump bolts go all the way through the cooling jacket in the block , so you have to chase the threads to clean them before putting it back together with fresh sealant on the bolt threads.

CaptDale - is secretly British > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
07/19/2019 at 19:36

Good to know on the bushings and such. I am going to thoroughly inspect them all when up in the air.

The fasteners make sense since that was the time manufacture started switching to metric.