by Keith CornettCorvette Blogger It's not very often that we get to take an up close and personal look at a prototype Corvette. Most all of them are either crushed or destroyed during development by GM although a few of them have slipped out the door in the past. Mid America Motorworks brought three rare C5 prototypes to the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals last weekend in Chicago. We poured over them a couple of

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by Eric YeeCorvette ForumCorvettes, especially the C4 and later gens, are among the best handling cars ever made. And the best way to experience their limits in a safe manner is on a track or autocross course. But for a novice things can be a bit intimidating. My first high-performance driving event started during a downpour, and the only thing I remember about that session was being passed by everything except for the pit wall.

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Corvette manufactured the C5 from 1997 through 2004.  At the time the C5 Corvette was introduced, the 1997 C5 featured an all-new drive train. The transmission moved to the rear of the car. As part of a trans-axle assembly, the transmission was connected to the engine by a torque tube. This arrangement improved the front-to-rear weight ratio of the Corvette, which translates to better handling.SpecificationsPlatform: y-body; engine: 5.7L LS1 V-8; transmission: 4-speed automatic (from previous

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The headlights on a Corvette C5 are very distinctive. They not only provide the vehicle with the adequate light that it needs in order to meet legal requirements as well as the ability to drive at night or in confined areas, but they give the vehicle a unique appearance and style as well. As with all other vehicles, the headlight bulbs themselves do burn out over time. For this reason, you'll need to be ready to replace

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The Corvette C5 is an excellent choice of sports car for the driver who is looking for power, speed, performance and overall aesthetic quality. The vehicle is truly unique amongst other vehicles on the road. However, if you wish to make your car even more distinctive, you'll need to go about modifying it with the help of some custom kits and other accessories. One of the best ways to do this is the use a

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The Most Important Thing is to Have FunCheck your ego, don’t get discouraged , and remember why you’re doing this in the first place. Finishing last in novice class is nothing to be ashamed of. So what if your finger is tired from giving point bys to the kid in the clapped-out Daewoo? Most people will never set foot on a racetrack, let alone lap one. Don’t let initial frustrations sour you to the point

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Don't Forget the Nut Behind the WheelYou are the car's most important component. So while excitement may make it tough, get plenty of rest the night before. It sounds boring, but don’t forget sunscreen, and bring a cooler full of water. When you're baking in the sun, you'll thank me. Some clubs may have loaner helmets, which are the equivalent of bowling alley shoes for your head. Just go buy your own, and make sure

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Channel Your Inner Boy ScoutYup, that means being prepared. If everything is is up-to-date, the chances of something going wrong should be minimal. But brakes get hot, rotors crack, and pads wear out. Sometimes brake fluid might even boil up through the master cylinder. So I carry a “brake job in a bag.” All the tools I need to swap pads—including the pads themselves!—along with a vacuum pump for bleeding, are in there. An accurate

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Make Sure Your Car is Really Ready to Rock Is the fluid in the master cylinder reservoir clear and amber? Or does it resemble something sliding off a hill after a rainstorm? When was the last time the oil was changed? Are your tires in good condition, or do you need a dusty manuscript to decipher the DOT codes because they were made in the last century? Make sure all the ball joints and tie

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Moderation is the Key to ModsA hot cam, the stickiest R-compound tires and the latest trick suspension pieces aren’t going to do anything for a track neophyte. And since classes are mostly defined by the level of track prep, you might just wind up modding yourself out of your class.      Plus, there’s a reason racing schools like Skip Barber put beginners on street tires. They talk more, they mask errors less, and their

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Changing the brake pads in the C5 Corvettes is pretty simple, But here is a run through with a few tricks to make it as easy as possible. Tools Needed: 15mm box-end wrench 16mm open-end wrench 15mm socket wrench 2 large flat-head screw drivers Large C-Clamp First off, remove the wheel to get at the brake rotor.  Follow guidelines for properly raising and lowering your car. Front Brakes: 1) Insert a pair of large

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Corvette Vs Prius Miles to the Gallon While it might seem a strange match up, the comparison between the Corvette C5 and the Toyota Prius is an interesting one. Sure, in nearly every way you can’t find two cars that are more different. That sort of contrast, though, leads to some interesting conclusions. Similar Purchase Cost A Corvette C5 can be bought for about $25,000. That’s about the same price as a Toyota Prius.

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Although Chevrolet is perhaps best known for manufacturing a series of sports cars called Corvettes, this manufacturer has also produced a lesser known series of Corvette trucks as well; read on for a brief overview of these vehicles. The Corvette truck has been the subject of a great deal of debate in the several years since it was first released. Generally speaking, customers and critics alike are somewhat unsure what to make of it; it

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Changing the oil in your C5 Corvette Items Needed:Oil (Check your owners manual for the proper amount and type)Oil Filter (If your manual doesn't tell you a filter size, check your local parts store)Floor JackRampsJack StandsCatch PanPaper TowelsWrench or Socket Set for the oil plugOil Filter Wrench (Not needed, but it can be helpful)

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Step 1 1. Remove the upper stabilizer bolt and the lower stabilizer nut. Remove stabilizer bar from mount and swing down. Tools required: 18mm socket, 15mm wrench Step 2 2. Remove the muffler support brackets. Tools required: 13mm socket with extension Step 3 3. Remove the 4 bolts that attach the left and right muffler pipes to the H-pipe. Tools required: 15mm wobble socket 4. Swing down both mufflers and set aside. Note: For an

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Download in Excel 2000 format Download in Excel 5.0 format Download in Excel 4.0 format Ever wonder how much your dealer pays for your Corvette? Have questions about options? You need to take a look at this spreadsheet! It is an outstanding interactive tool for figuring out retail and wholesale prices on 2000 Corvettes. It also has all the option descriptions available by just moving your mouse over the appropriate field.

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Brand Development, Growth & ExpansionThe 5th generation Chevrolet Corvette C5 was produced from 1997 through 2004. Chevrolet drastically changed the C5, which was considered an improvement from the C4 models. A newly redesigned LS1 small-block engine was introduced with the 5th generation Vette. The C5 was originally intended to be manufactured as a convertible and was designed as such. The Corvette C5 was only offered as a 2-door hatchback coupe from 1997 until 2004, a

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The C5 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was introduced as the successor to the FRC C5 Vette. This model Chevy Corvette produced superior performance for a number of reasons.The Z06 employed a high horsepower edition of the LS1 standard V-8 called the LS6. This engine produced 385 horsepower (or 287kW) and was lighter and faster than the previous ZR1 engine.

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The manufacturing company, Pratt and Miller, partnered with General Motors in 1999, bringing about the C5-R Chevrolet Corvette. This Chevy Vette was essentially a C5 with a bigger engine based on the 5700-cc V-8 (the racing versions had 6000 cc's, eventually increased to 7000 cc's), a more stream-lined body, wider track, and longer wheelbase. The new bodywork also included a rear wing and exposed headlights.

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2003 was a special year for Chevrolet, marking 50 years of Corvette production. To help celebrate, the company introduced a special 50th Anniversary Edition Vette.

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The Chevrolet Corvette received the new General Motors LS engine in 1997. Although classified as a small block, it had very little in common with the previous generation of small block engines produced by GM. It had the same bore spacing, but the engine block was aluminum. The bore was shorter than the previous small block at 3.908 inches (99.33 mm) and the stroke was longer at 3.622 inches or 92 mm. The pistons were

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The LS6 was introduced in the 2001 Chevrolet Corvette (the year the Z06 Vette was re-introduced) as a higher powered version of the LS1. The engine used the LS6 designation, which is the same as the big block 454 cubic inch engine of the 1970's. The engine in the 2001 Chevy Corvette produced 385 horsepower (287 kW) with 385 lb. ft. of torque (522 Nm); in the 2002-2004 models of the car, the motor was

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