I owned one of these books during my years with a previous 87 and then a 96 C4. I sold it when I thought I was getting out of the C4 hobby.
I sniped a used one off Ebay as I prepare to take delivery of my 91.
The full title is "101 Projects for Your Corvette 1984-1996" and it was written by Richard Newton and published in 2003.
I strongly feel that this is a must-have book for the C4 owner to have in the library along with the Factory Manual for your year and the fine Michael Antonick book "Cor-Vette Specs C4 1984-1996 Models".
I started reading Newton's book again and found some very useful information and ideas.
Let's start a discussion here to help increase everyone's knowledge of the C4.
Richard is a Forum member here and might even chime in.
I will paraphrase some of his ideas: You should not make any changes with your newly acquired used C4 until you have owned it for a year and fixed any problems in the subsystems and have caught up on the normal maintenance items.
When you first bring her home you should make sure that all the systems are working correctly. Change the coolant, have the ignition system checked and have the computer downloaded to check for any problems. Flush all the old brake fluid and check to see that the brake pads are wearing evenly on both inboard and outboard sides of the rotor.
Richard doesn't say anything about changing the oil and filter when you first bring it home but I always do that. Some folks would also want to change the transmission fluid and the oil in the rear differential along with the power steering system.
He also states that the rubber bushings wear out after 100,000 miles and should be replaced with quality polyurethane parts.
Here's the one that a lot of you will disagree with: ".......avoid most of the parts sold by aftermarket companies. In my opinion, they will actually detract from your Corvette's performance. Over the years, I've dyno tested a variety of aftermarket chips and most of them caused a decrease in horsepower. The same can be said of most aftermarket exhaust systems as well as of many other aftermarket parts."
Richard does admit to highly modifying his 1985 coupe for track use but says that it is less useful for daily commuting and weekend trips now.
"The 1984 to 1996 Corvette may well be one of the best performance bargains on the market. If you manage to find a good one, you're going to love the car. If you happen to get a bad one, you're in for a series of problems. However, if you know what to look for, you can turn a problem-ridden car into a praise-worthy vehicle."
Your comments and personal experiences are welcomed.
Later, we will discuss some of the information in the different chapters.

 

I'm pretty sure this is Richard Newton's car:

 

I can't wait till I get from a 1001 projects on my vette down to 101 projects

 

I have the book and recently read it a 2nd time from cover to cover. It's easily digested and divided into sections. There were some areas I really wanted more detail, but as you say, having the Factory Manual is another must - which I don't have


After 3 yrs of ownership my main concern with this car is suspension. I believe there is too much natural play in the stock setup to really enjoy this car on the limit, or even at normal speeds on rough roads. Would love to do all bushings, but a recent inspection revealed the bushings are in much better shape than I was expecting. My 96 is just past the 100k mark now.
It's also been lowered and my personal feeling is if you're going to drop the front, it needs stiffer dampers also.
The only thing in the book re suspension setup I was dubious about was the statement that most of the handling of the car is dependent on the rear setup. I've not had any track experience with this car yet, so I can't comment from experience, but would love to hear more about owners experiences with modified setups

 

I certainly would give the book a One of the first books I got and between it and the FSM, learned my way around the car. As mentioned, wished there was more detail in some parts and have found thoughts I disagree with, but taken in context and when it was written, no big deal. Overall, good value, glad I bought it and have recommended it to others. For a new owner, I think it's a must have. But having the book enabled me to understand and learn more on this forum (and some others) than any other source book

 

I have been lucky enough to meet Richard and spend quite a bit of time talking to him. He is a welth of knowledge and if you ever get a chance to sit in on one of his seminars, DO IT!

 

My wife bought it for me as a XMAS gift a few years ago (worst Christmas ever)....from what I remember it was only good for one thing (emergency TP) and since the pages were glossy it didn't even do a good job at that.


Honestly the book is probably good for folks with limited to no mechanical skills.....or those with a stock c4 that want to feel better about themselves after a car load of teenage girls blew by them in a newish mustang/ honda/lexus you name the car...anythiing decent and new has more than 300 hp.





Mike

 

[QUOTE=aboatguy;1572253638]My wife bought it for me as a XMAS gift a few years ago (worst Christmas ever)....from what I remember it was only good for one thing (emergency TP) and since the pages were glossy it didn't even do a good job at that.


Honestly the book is probably good for folks with limited to no mechanical skills.....or those with a stock c4 that want to feel better about themselves after a car load of teenage girls blew by them in a newish mustang/ honda/lexus you name the car...anythiing decent and new has more than 300 hp.]

Y'know, I absolutely CANNOT agree with these comments! I'm a fairly accomplished shade tree mechanic and Richard's book was the very first thing I bought after getting my car. Having read it cover to cover gave me a LOT of valuable insight and it also saved me from wasting a lot of money on mods that are of dubious value (read the book to find out what I'm talking about). Likewise, it also gave me a few good ideas about some mods that ARE worthwhile. Either way, it's a worthwhile read. Richard's comments about getting to know your car for a year before modding it and attending to the maintenance issues that are probably needed, are just plain-old common sense (something that's sadly lacking in a lot of people these days!). Now, you can ignore his advice if you want... and you can spend a bunch of money on parts that won't do a damn thing for your car... but you can't deny that Richard's an authority on C4 Corvettes. In addition to being a writer who's had 100's of articals published on these cars, he's also an experienced mechanic, a racer, and a long-term C4 owner. Finally, he's also a really nice guy and a fellow Forum member. If you didn't like his book because it was beneath your technical abilities, fine; you're entitled to your opinion. But referring to it publicly in writing as being "only good for one thing (emergency TP)" and "good for folks with limited to no mechanical skills" is simply a personal attack on Richard. Legally, it's probably also defamation (consult your attorney to see what that could mean to you). Also, perhaps it didn't occur to you that maybe this book was written with the specific intent of educating people (maybe even so that they could become as smart as you!)? In short, your comments are not only ill-informed, they're downright disrespectful. Especially to a fellow Forum member! If I were Richard, I'd be demanding a public apology from you. (Don't worry, you're not likely going to have to do that - I suspect that Richard's too classy a guy to enter into this fray and even comment on your post!) For Forum members who remain undecided on the value of this book, I suggest that you find a copy somewhere and just read pages 8 and 9. If you don't understand his straight-forward, honest approach to these cars after reading these two pages, then save your money in order to go buy a throttle performance switch instead.

 

I found the book a good and generalized introduction to get to know your Vette. I found that some of his advise on mod changes to be correct.Its not for the "Heavy Mods" people but a honest appraisal and "how to do" for the average owner.Any good info helps you learn and then you are able to progress to more mods if you so desire.

 

Although I never owned the book my friend had one for his 84 and told me how Richard said the way of getting at the taillights bulbs on a 84 is accomplished by going through the rear license plate. I will give Richard a $100.00 if he can get at the outer bulbs through the rear license plate. This tells me Richard never really tried to change the outer bulbs but heard about it in theory. The only way possible to get at those otter bulbs (unless you have not eaten in several months) is by getting a small skinny tall 6 year old with long arms to reach back there for you or the only REAL way which is by going through the side quarter panel. I don't think he gives that advise in the book which tells me Richard never really changed rear outer bulbs on a early C4.

 

Ron,

Great to see your back in a C4. I look forward to seeing and hearing more about your 1991. I own a copy of Richard's "101 Projects" and feel it is an excellent resource for any C4 owner. My hope is to contact him and showcase his book on my Corvette web site.

John

John

 

[QUOTE=carguy604;1572258073]Looks like our reading experiences were different.
I posted an honest account of my experience with this PRODUCT. If you check my history on this site you will see that if I have a positive experience with something I'll post accordingly.


Mike

 

[QUOTE=aboatguy;1572259452]I think what Carguy604 is trying to say is "have a little class" when reviewing others work or your wife's gift. Ex. "I read it and it didn't really work for me" Not "It is not fit to wipe crap off my rear"

 

Does he still have his white 85 vette? I read his magazine articles in "corvette fever" when he started that 85 vette project. A good read, the last thing he did in the magzine series was the upgrade to the Aluminum heads and it ended up costing him a bundle to have them redone and ported. Probably would have been better to just order some AFR heads. He was talking about going to a 383, what is he running now?

 

Getting to the outer bulbs is easy. This is the best way I have found at changing the tail light bulbs on the older C4's with the round tail lights, 89 and earlier. Follow the order I have it written and you shouldn't have any problems as long as you can reach your arm in through the license plate opening.

What you do is reach in through the license plate opening after you have pulled the license plate. Remove the bulb socket on the inner tail lights.

Remove the two screws holding the inner tail lights lense. Remove the inner tail lights lense. Reach in through the inner tail light lense hole and change the outer tail light bulbs.

Go ahead and put in the new bulbs for the inner tail light sockets. Put the inner tail light lense back in with the two screws with arm reaching in through the license plate opening. Then screw in the inner tail light bulb socket. And replace license plate.

I recommend you put in long life bulbs. I also recommend if you don't already have one. Go to Autozone and get a 10mm ratchet wrench. The one I have lets you fold the ratcheting end up to 90 degrees. Makes this job alot easier vs. using a socket wrench. Though, you could get by with a 10mm socket wrench.

I found the 101 project book to be very informative. You can read most of the 101 project book online. I wouldn't mind getting a 101 project book part 2.

 

I think the book is super, the best book ever written ever about anything.

And by the way, I have one that I am willing to sell if anyone is interested.

 

I'll have to pick up a copy. Can never learn too much about the C4.

 

My daughter gave me a copy last year for Christmas.
If you're looking for an excuse to bond with your car during the long winter, it's the perfect book to find something to tinker on!

 

[QUOTE=motorjunkie;1572261306]Thank you. Very succinctly put.