Howdy!

[Zephyris]

Didn't see any welcome/intro forum, so I thought I'd introduce myself. If any of you attended the Concours 2007 thing at Koons, I was the really tall redheaded guy walking around and talking everyone's head off with questions. [:))]

Hopefully soon I'll have a *very* nice C4 courtesy of a member that will remain unnamed for now, and I'll be a card carrying member! If that falls through, there are lots of other nice C4s around if I feel like being patient. :) I really want to become heavily involved in Autocross around the state, so one of the big things for me is getting to meet all of you good folks in person and improving not only my mechanical skills, but driving skills as well.

Not to mention I'll be the youngest member in the club. [:p] Hope to see all of you soon!

[wazzzup]

Welcome! [\:D/] Head Fool here!

[firebird]

Heya, welcome! I was the guy at concours running around with the camera. I'm prolly the guy who will be helping you with the mechanical side since I am head tech for the club and also do a lot of small garage days at my house. I usually post them via email and on here so the next time I have one try to come out!
-Paul

[Zephyris]

Well, I got my car! I picked up a 1994 black coupe in PA for 10,500$ that included a brand new rear main seal, clutch assembly/flywheel, and a thumbs up from the mechanic that had the pan off when I was asking him about the condition of the bottom end. It had 102,000 miles, and unfortunately hadn't been driven very much so the tires were dry rotting! As you'll see soon enough I fixed that, albeit in a very expensive way. Onto the pics!

http://www.companymen.net/photos/personal/vette/DSCN0023.jpg

I bought these from Tire Rack since I liked the look and Mid America was a ripoff. They may not be true 3 pieces, but hey, they also didn't cost and arm and a leg and weigh less than the stock sawblades! The fronts are 9.5 and rears 10.5, all wrapped in 285/35ZR18 Eagle F1 GSD3s. I'm debadging them tomorrow.

http://www.companymen.net/photos/personal/vette/DSCN0024.jpg

The tranny shifts like butter, engine/exhaust sounds great! (brand new cats as well)

http://www.companymen.net/photos/personal/vette/DSCN0026.jpg

Of course, being an almost 14 year old car, there are things wrong with it.

- Transparent roof metal part is coming off, needs to be put back on and reglued
- It leaks! I need to learn how to install weatherstripping
- I have no shocks in the front! The bilstein's are leaking, but I've got brand new adjustable KYBs coming in from Summit.
- The light motors are acting funny, I'd have to ask someone about that
- I can 'feel' the car become a little noisier in a bad way under acceleration. Gut feeling says I need new u-joints. Not looking forward to that...
- The brakes are scary. C5 brake upgrade will be done before I even attempt to autocross it.
- I need new caps all around the engine, brake/PS fluid is misting out of their containers.
- I kept on getting low coolant lights. Rebled the system, no leaks, no sign of a HG leak or coolant being brown, nor contamination in the coolant itself. *bashes the LT1* I hope it's fixed now..
- I'm getting used to the power and I'm already looking at performance parts... but I have to be a good boy and wait until next semester.
- The bushings are old and it shows. Need to toss an Energy Suspension kit on the car.
- The suspension isn't how I'd like it to be. Eventually will toss in different diameter sway bars and probably upgrade the whole shebang with VB&P equipment.
- I move around too much in those seats! I may be 6'5" but I'm thin and need better, so a RD crossbar and 5 point harness for both seats is in the future.
- I *HATE* CAGS!

Hmm. On the plus side, having never owned a V8 performance vehicle, I must say it is addictive. The power is always there, unlike a lot of turbo cars, and the noise is wonderful. Plus, unless you compare it to a Fox-body Mustang, it is stupid cheap to make fast(er).

Eventual go fast parts will be 4.10s and a tune. Assuming I make it back from Iraq, a massively upgraded valvetrain (hello 7000+ RPM), bottom end rebuild, longtubes, and exhaust will be in order, and possibly a repaint. I may then consider road racing it.

[urtoslo]

Janos,

Nice looking car! I like the rims and tires too.

See you at the autoxes!

Andrej

[LilRedCorvette]

Of course, being an almost 14 year old car, there are things wrong with it.

-Transparent roof metal part is coming off, needs to be put back on and reglued
- It leaks! I need to learn how to install weatherstripping Yep, not uncommon at all. Stay with the GM weatherstrip, it may be more expensive but it fits better than aftermarket.
- I have no shocks in the front! The bilstein's are leaking, but I've got brand new adjustable KYBs coming in from Summit.
- The light motors are acting funny, I'd have to ask someone about that Does the motor still run after turning on/off the lights? You probably need to replace your headlight bushings. Do a search on this forum. It's an easy fix, can be done on your kitchen table, about an hour per light.
- I can 'feel' the car become a little noisier in a bad way under acceleration. Gut feeling says I need new u-joints. Not looking forward to that...
- The brakes are scary. C5 brake upgrade will be done before I even attempt to autocross it. You probably have the JL9 standard 12" brakes. Should you decide to compete in NCCC, a C5 brake upgrade requires a roll bar installed. You can go with the J55 13" brake upgrade without having to do that. Up to you.
- I need new caps all around the engine, brake/PS fluid is misting out of their containers.
- I kept on getting low coolant lights. Rebled the system, no leaks, no sign of a HG leak or coolant being brown, nor contamination in the coolant itself. *bashes the LT1* I hope it's fixed now..
- I'm getting used to the power and I'm already looking at performance parts... but I have to be a good boy and wait until next semester.Get the car solid first. Get some driving/autoX/HPDE experience in the car first. Then add your go-fast parts.
- The bushings are old and it shows. Need to toss an Energy Suspension kit on the car.Not uncommon for cars this age. Sounds like a complete suspension rebuild may be in order. Tie rod ends, ball joints, bushings, u-joints, etc.
- The suspension isn't how I'd like it to be. Eventually will toss in different diameter sway bars and probably upgrade the whole shebang with VB&P equipment.
- I move around too much in those seats! I may be 6'5" but I'm thin and need better, so a RD crossbar and 5 point harness for both seats is in the future.
- I *HATE* CAGS!Agree. Disconnected it in my '89.

Eventual go fast parts will be 4.10s and a tune. Assuming I make it back from Iraq, a massively upgraded valvetrain (hello 7000+ RPM), bottom end rebuild, longtubes, and exhaust will be in order, and possibly a repaint. I may then consider road racing it.

Congrats on being a '94 owner! My comments are in bold above. Also, should you get the desire to detail your engine compartment, do not soak it in water. The '94 gen1 optisparks will crap out of they get wet. It hasn't happened to me, but I know others who have learned the thousand dollar lesson the hard way.

Good luck!

[Zephyris]

Would the rollbar be required only in NCCC road race events, or everything? The big thing is that the C5 parts I can find for much less than C4 reproduction/rebuilt stuff, along with the saved weight of the newer ones.

[urtoslo]

Roll bars are required for convertibles in all high speed events or if you have certain performance modifications, ie supercharger, that greatly increase the stock horsepower. Sounds like what you are planning would put you into NCCC Group III (many engine mods) and thus would need a roll bar and fire suit. It's a safety issue.

[Zephyris]

Oh, OK! So just the brakes alone wouldn't drop me into the rollbar required class, but the engine mods would. Thanks! :)

[kedvesh]

Welcome! [**==]

[urtoslo]

Oh, OK! So just the brakes alone wouldn't drop me into the rollbar required class, but the engine mods would. Thanks! :)

Oh, oh!! I do believe that C5 brakes on a C4 put you into Gr III Race Prepared... That's why I'm in Gr III. Sorry, I missed that earlier. [:D]

You know, those rims and tires already put you in Gr II. [B-)]

As mentioned, you could go with the J55 (13") option if your car has the 12" brakes, and that would keep you in Gr II.

The roll bar requirement is only for high speed stuff. You could mod the heck out of your car (engine, suspension, etc) and run Exhibition for all the NCCC parking lot low speed autoxes you attended. If you wanted to run Spook (race track, no cones and greater than 80mph speeds) with those C5 brakes, then you would have to put in a rollbar. [B-)]

[AlohaC5]

Welcome to the club! Hope to see you and that nice vette come out to a few HPDE road course events next year. [B-)] [\:D/]

[Zephyris]

Wow!! I put on the KYB's yesterday and I've gotta say, what a difference! While the limits of the car don't seem to be much different, it sure made the ride a lot firmer and smoother! The front two shocks were completely trashed... I could push them in and they'd take a few seconds to rebound. The rears weren't much better. The stock front bushings looked good, so I just replaced the rears. The car inspires a lot more confidence on bumpy roads and especially S turns now. Unfortunately, I discovered an absolutely aggravating thing while it was jacked... I have a HOLE in my floorpan! :( I can stick my pinky through the gash and feel carpet inside the cabin.. it looks like the hole was shoddily repaired before, and now the covering is all flaking off. It seems like it was a jacking accident... so now me and my roommate are going to cover it with mesh, seal as best we can with rubber, clean it as best we can, and go the ultimate sealant route... truck spray in bedliner! If it's good enough to bulletproof buildings for our boys in Iraq, it's good enough for me. Will post pics soon!