sperkins

I've been running my '03Z at the road course and sometimes I really wonder if it's worth the risk. With that said, I found an '85 C4 for $2,300 and I'm kicking around the idea of making it a dedicated track car. The car is compete and is currently being used as a daily driver by the owner.

I know very little about the C4 platform so I'm wondering if this is a good idea.
What are your thoughts on expected performance and build cost?

0Randy@DRM

The 84-87 cars are pretty limited on the aftermarket support. We sell some parts for them, but the 89 and up have options.

The 89 and up cars have a better suspension geomitry also.

Randy

kowalski340

Randy is right......with that said I know people who have built full race cars out of 84 to 88 vettes and they have fun with them! It is easier to build a track car utilizing the 89-96 though. after all the price is right. Sadly I paid much more for my 89 lol

Aardwolf

That would be a fun project! My biggest worry would be that year had a bunch less HP. I've been enjoying the track car project with my '88. I would not want to lose a Z at the track either but I'd want to track it! Maybe you need to define some goals?

Cobra4B

There is most definately someting to be said for trackign a cheaper car... last month at VIR was our first time out in the Panoz, a full on race car. I didn't worry one second about my equipment or putting it into a wall, or having to drive it home. It's amazing how much better you can drive when you focus on driving only.

We looked at C4s, but most everyone says that by the time you do the needed mods to a C4 you might as well have bought a '97 C5 or '99 FRC.

Aardwolf

Are those models still about 12K + the 2.3K in cost? I could build myself one hellva C4 track car with 12K.

Slalom4me

Or buy one for not much more.

Link contains images of car and attractive model.

"This Corvette sold in June 2007 for only $15,250.00
to a customer in New Zealand."

.

kowalski340

thats such a nice car!

varkwso

I just bought a one owner (smoker though ) 99 FRC, 110,000 miles, tired black paint, clean carfax with a few ills (pass window inop, AC belt tensioner bad, torn drivers seat, intermittent airbag light, brakes at backing plate....) from a dealer in Dawsonville GA for $9300....it is overall in great shape...

When I can get the window operational (ordered parts from Gene Culley) plus the brakes refreshed it will see a track...

rfn026

My track car is an '85 and I love it. The single biggest problem though is that there aren't a lot of good parts available. You sort of have to scrounge for them. Randy used to carry a lot more at DRM, but even he has cut back on some parts.

Larrry at Melrose can offer you some help on these cars as well.

The thing to remember about having a track car is that you're not racing so a lot of the stuff doesn't really matter. A long as you're having fun you'r doing the right thing.

Keep in mind that you're never going to be the fastest car out there. A few months back I had Lou G. in my run group at Sebring. Last month I was running with some LMP2 cars. No Corvette is going to keep up with those suckers. You might as well just save some money and have fun.

The old '85 will be back in Corvette Fever this year. We're going to get it down to 2,700 lbs and see what it's like at that weight. I'll then do some weight balancing on the car. It would be nice to get over 1.2 g in the turns.

I'm a big track fanatic. I've got Sebring and Homestead within 2 hours of me. How bad can that be?

Racing can be cheap. It's winning that costs a lot of money. Track days take winning out of the equation. Now you just work within your budget and have fun. I really don't think it matters what you're driving since your just there to have fun and scare yourself a little.

If you can take Turn 1 at Homestead flat out you know what I mean by fear.

Richard Newton

101 Projects for Your Corvette 1984-1996

Wheel and Tire Performance Handbook

ZBRA

I'm well over the cost of an early C5 now, and mine still isn't done.

http://pics.zbra.com/c4/Progress/2008-03-02/

cire96

Sperkins:
Notwithstanding the preceeding comments regarding the efficacy of a 94 chasis, my take is that it's almost never cheaper to build a race car than to buy a used one. The cost of converting a street car for SCCA / NASA sactioned side to side racing is a lot more than most estimate.

My experience comes from campaigning a Spec Miata the past five years. I could have bought a good car for two thirds of what I spent to build one and would have saved countless hours in fabrication. I'd go tolling in racingjunk.com.
Cire

sperkins

Thanks. I can imagine that is true. I'm really not interested in running any type of organized events - mainly just HPDE days. I plan on running about 6 to 8 events this year. I was mainly thinking about just doing engine, suspension and safety upgrades. Still think it would be a money pit?

mrc24x

It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Low price of admission and pay as you go......

1) gut it (free)

2) new bushings $300 plus some sweat and cussing

3) Brake pads and change all fluids.

4) alignment , tires and wheels

5) add a full cage when able. (It really helps the weak chassis.)

Drawbacks of an '85 vs '89-91; Wheels and suspension are different. Iron heads vs aluminum. 4+3 tranny vs ZF6. No ABS.


Drive it and add what you want later. C4's are a lot more reliable than most admit.
Good luck.

** I forgot to mention the fact that if you wad it up just buy another one for 2-3 grand and transfer the parts.

0Randy@DRM

[QUOTE=rfn026;1564432008]My track car is an '85 and I love it. The single biggest problem though is that there aren't a lot of good parts available. You sort of have to scrounge for them. Randy used to carry a lot more at DRM, but even he has cut back on some parts.

Richard Newton

I am bring back the trailing and camber rod brackets! I am seeing a trend of more and more C4s being built. I will go to battle for you C4 guys. They are fast, cheaper, and more people can go fast that don't have the money to get into a C5 or C6. The fastest car in our area is a well drivin 86 by John Boos. His times make every other car seem slow. Doug and followed him for a few laps in a RSR car. That 86 came flying out of the slower corners!!!

What are you guys looking for???

Randy
www.dougrippie.com

TTRotary

I would go with the 99 FRC idea. Better chassis, engine, driveline, brakes and a lot more power. And you don't have to gut it and go whole hog race car right off, either. Start with decent track tires, brake pads, and good brake fluid. Refresh fluids. Cover the tie rods with AL. foil. Get a seat, fixed mounts, harness, and the proper safety equipment (Hans device). Porting the oil pump would be a worthwhile investment in engine life.

If you get competitive, then you can start thinking about the more radical stuff.

MAC95 6SPD

You need to set goals first and be realistic. How much money do you want to spend, how much work do you want to do, are you going to pay someone to do the work or do it yourself, what type of driving/racing do you want to do and how fast do you want to go.
If you are just looking to get on track than a C4 is an inexpensive and good way to go. They are inexpensive and if you do your own work can get you to the track for little $$. Now with that said you will not turn the lap times in a stock C4 that the stock C5s will. So be honest about that part if you want to be one of the fastest in a stock car the C5 will be easier to get there. Also there are more people who will work on the C5 and there are more aftermarket parts. So if the intention is to have a daily driver and a track car, keeping it stock and be one of the faster on the track a C4 is not it.
With that in mind, I have a C4 full race car and it drives well and is fast. In the TCC Traditional class we run restricted motors and even with the restrictors we can run times with the C5s and in the prepared class one of the fastest cars is a C4. So they can be fast. However, to get to these times the cars are not cheep. Neither are the C5s that run the same times, going fast is never cheep.
Also, If you are not looking at following rules to keep in a race class and just want to drive a corvette on track fast and inexpensive a C4 is a fine choice. Take a car like the one you are looking at, add a cage, fuel cell, Stroker or bigger motor, larger brakes and good wheels and you can have a very fast and safe car.
Lastly if you will not be doing the work yourself then I would buy a car already done. You could build one a little cheeper, but at the price already raced C4s are selling for not much. The only difference is you get it the way you want if you do your own. The little details already in a race car add up, accusump, lexan windshield, tuned shocks, sway bars, fire suppression, etc take time and money.

Mat

rfn026

Be careful not to confuse racing and track events. One can be inexpensive and another one can break the household budget.

You cannot win at a track event. No one can win. It's not about racing. It's only about driving fast. You only need to go as fast as you want to go.

Please don't modify your car until you've run a half dozen track events. You are the slowest part of the car right now. After a half dozen events you'll be driving well enough to take advantage of the improvements.

You first purchase should be sticky tires. You're on your own from that point.

I refer to track days as "Run what you brung - and hope you brung enough."

There are no rules. I'm at the point where I can stay with poorly driven Ferrari Challenge cars. The well driven ones just blow by me. I really need a 427 cid small block engine. Or, I could learn to drive better.

Nahhhhh - I'll just spend more money on parts.

Richard Newton

101 Projects for Your Corvette 1984-1996

Wheel and Tire Performance Handbook

John Shiels

get a later model C4 or better yet get one already prepped and or caged. C5 is better but it all comes down to $$$$$ Fastest Corvette I ran at Pocono was a C4 World Challenge car that Pete Pulieo owns, Had some big HP 383 7500 rpm engine but it handled very well. Get a car that is real old and I guess you would keep it a few years it may even get harder to get parts.

You really need to do a good budget analysis and then leave some extra money for the unexpected. If you did do a later C4 it would probably be easier to sell down the road if you want to.

xsiveone

That's dirt cheap for a car that you could go have fun with on the track and easily walk away from if you were to put it in the wall.

What I would do considering that you just want to do DE's at first and learn, is buy the car, change the things that you must change like the fluids and pads, tires and go have fun. I'd keep the car in tact as a street car and if you get more serious about tracking your car, save more money for a newer car to modify and then sell this one.

You never know.. Once you get the bug, you could be selling your C5 Z06 before too long and buying a C5 Z that is already prepped for T1.