turner4th

Hello old friends. Well after a 5.5 year absence from the Corvette community, I'm looking at returning. I'd joined the forum in 2008 after acquiring a '94 that I loved very much.. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I had to part with the '94 in favor of building myself, the misses, and the dog, a new house. I thought I could swing it and keep the '94 but it's like they say, "when you build a home, expect it to cost twice as much and take twice as long as you'd planned". Ain't that the truth..
Anyhoo, on to the crossfire.. So after getting settled in and financially stable again (sigh of relief) I started looking for another C4. I fell upon a Craigslist add that sounded pretty good so i contacted the owner and here's the details:

1984 Corvette Coupe. (obviously)

-Crossfire 5.7, (obviously)

-Auto,

-Red, Tan interior,

-38k original miles (claimed),

-comes with 2 tops: glass and fiberglass,

-2 sets of wheels: black Z06 wheels with new goodyear eagles and the stock wheels with new tires as well,

-new exhaust.. some type of stainless exhaust with polished mufflers and quad round tips. looks pretty sweet but i'm not sure of the brand. Corsa maybe?

-asking $7000, negotiable.

I've yet to see the car in person, it's a day trip out to it's location and it's hard to find the time off work, but i've seen quite a few pics and it looks legit.

My questions/concerns are as follows:

1. How easy is it to drop a different gauge cluster in an '84 and /or fudge the odometer? Anything to look for other than brake/gas pedal wear, door hinge wear, ect. to tell if this milage is correct?

2. I understand a 5.7 crossfire is going to be at about a 100hp deficit to the LT1 I had, and I don't intend on even trying to make it run as good. My question is: I hear very good and very bad things about the crossfires. It seems to be a very polarizing engine, guys either love it or hate it. All I want it to do is run normally. I don't intend on trying to juice it up or try to make it something it's not. It's 205hp, If i wanted insane speed, I'd look elsewhere. I just want it to do what it's supposed to. Any thoughts?

3. Any thoughts on the 700r4? Is a shift kit worth it or are they calibrated differently than say a 700r4 out of a caprice or monte of the same year? I've got a 700r4 in a Chevy C20 diesel (coincidentally also an '84) that has been great, but then again, I drive the truck easy, and seldomly..

4.I don't expect to discover that this car is a z51, but I'm going to do the checks anyway, 2 turns lock to lock on the wheel, check the cargo box sticker if it still exists, check for "51" cast on the lower A arms.. Anything else to look for?

Any other thoughts in general on the '84's would be much appreciated. With any luck, this car will in fact be legit, not a Craigslist turd, and I'll be back to my vetting ways! https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...coolgleamA.gif

Thanks for any and all help, friends!

rocco16

The $7K is about twice what a 1984 coupe is worth...even if it had 50 miles on it.
If you can get the seller down to about $4000, then go for it.

You really need to drive it first, though. Promise me you will..........

turner4th

Yes Yes, I will Definitely drive it first. I'd noticed and fixed a few quirks and bugs in my '94, so I have a good idea what to look for. I plan on giving it a thorough going over. I'm basically looking for a nice driver, not a show piece, so minor cosmetics are a non issue for me. What I'm really looking for is a mechanically sound car. Any thoughts on special little quirks the 84s may have? I know they're kind of the red headed stepchild of the C4s, as they're the only ones with CFI. Thanks in advance for any info on that

DinoBob

I have read some stupid things on this form. This is the stupidest.

DinoBob

The car is worth his asking price if it is truly a low mileage, very clean car. The odometer would be very easy to fake..but who does that?

Larry/car

I suggest you find a newer car. You had a 94 previously, stay with the newer models or you will be sorry.

H P Bushrod

The main thing it comes down to is how the car has been maintained over it's life. Low miles don't mean a thing if the car hasn't been taken care of. Check EVERYTHING on the car. Have the fluids been changed on a regular basis? I wouldn't be too concerned about the Crossfire injection (unless someone has been screwing with it). All it is is GM throttle body fuel delivery that been installed on millions of GM vehicles over the years. It's reliable. Drive the car and see how she performs...that should be the deciding factor. Good luck...she sounds nice!

GILSWHO

I'm an original owner '84. 67000 miles and still runs very well. Look for rear main seal leak. A z51 will have larger rear wheels. I think 9.5" on back and 8.5" on front. Trans is very hearty. I had a rebuild 3 years after i bought it. Other than that it has been very reliable. I drive it about 1000 miles a year. It is a crossroads car between old vette and modern vette. Just enough old feel and just enough new gadgets. Almost forgot. Sometimes, after it sits for a week or two, it has a rough idle, like a plug is fouled. Within a minute or two it settles down. Good luck.

GKK

That low mileage 84 should look very clean and everything should work correctly.

The engine compartment should look decent and the interior should have no rips or tears. The paint should still look glossy.

I agree, that you will probably be disappointed with the 84 compared to your old 94. There's quite a difference between the two years...

My friends father in law is the original owner of an 84 C4 with only 14k on it that still smells new but, I would Never trade my 139k 91 C4 for it!...






.

CRUZN C4

Seven Gs is fair for a low mile 84. Buy it and enjoy it!

turner4th

Thanks for all the great info, guys. It'll be very helpful. I'm hoping to be able to go take a look at the car this weekend so wish me luck! Thanks again

Paul Workman

I've never driven a C4 older than a 90, and had a 95 for 5 years. The early C4s are noted for their stiff suspensions; the Z51 especially. The first Corvette (if not first US production car) to pull 1 lateral G on the skid pad.

So, I'm curious what your impressions are, once you drive it - being that you also having owned a late mo C4. Do tell!

FOURSPEEDVETTE

[QUOTE=rocco16;1586322449]The $7K is about twice what a 1984 coupe is worth...even if it had 50 miles on it.




Where, and how do you come up with this stuff?

fredd1

Bought mine new in '84 and it's still running 30 years and 76,000 miles later although it sat outside in my driveway for about 5 years before I recently decided to refurbish it. I've always used Castrol Syntec oil and the X-fire has been a very reliable engine (lower compression -uses 87 octane). When I first tried starting it after 5 idle years it needed a new fuel pump but once the pump (and the old gas) was replaced, it started right up. The AT had a slight leak and over the course of the 5 years the fluid level was so low it would shudder badly whenever it shifted gears. I changed the fluids (AT & diff.) and it's running/shifting quite well now (still need to locate the leak). The dash is fairly easy to remove and has had some well known issues. I had to repair mine once and it turned out to be the a burned connector between the two circuit boards. (caution, the odometer plugs in and can easily be replaced). Other issues: the power windows are driven by small gear motors with flexible plastic racks that are prone to breaking. I had to replace both within three years although the replacements have held up well since then. The Z51 suspension is VERY stiff and VERY uncomfortable to drive on bumpy roads (more than half the '84 MY production were equipped with it). The quick steering rack on the Z51 has had some known issues and I replaced mine at around 50,000mi. The HEI ignition coil was insulated with a hydroscopic epoxy and failed after only one year (campaign issued). The seat belts are known to lock-up and become unusable (campaign issued but no longer honored by GM). The Bose stereo system is prone to failure -mine had problems after about 15 years. Aluminized carbon steel mufflers and pipes rusted through after ~8 years. The clear coat was bad that first MY from the new Bowling Green plant and mine started peeling after three years.
All in all, for a detroit product of that era, not too terrible. 7k$ if it's in really good condition is probably worth it (I've spent almost that much refurbing mine). With 205 hp I've never felt the car was under powered, although I've never raced it and my previous car was an Olds diesel

34RedRage

my 1984 4+3 has 46,000 miles on it. it is a very well maintained car and still looks almost like new. I would guess its worth about $7-$8k in todays market......the 84 may not be real fast but they are a blast to drive...

H P Bushrod

Corvettes have been built in Bowling Green , KY since 1981...

bb62

Maybe it was assembled in Bowling Green, but the car is still a product of Detroit (metro area). The people who planned, financed, designed, engineered, tested, and marketed the car are all in the Detroit area.

fredd1

Yup, well aware of that. I was using detroit (uncapitalized) as a synonym for autos designed & built in the U.S. AFAIK most '82 models were still being assembled in the St.Louis Mo. plant while the new renovations were taking place in Bowling Green for the C4.
Rant mode on.
Unfiortunately the new C4 paint line process was not well enough under control for the '84 MYand resulted in a slew of complaints of CC peeling -paricularly on the reds and blacks. At the time I had several go arounds with Chevrolet customer service who assured me their finishes were warranteed for three years and extended to five if there was significant evidence of defects in the paint or workmanship. When I brought mine in to the dealership to correct the problem I was told oh sorry, that warrantee is only for '85s and up. The '84 model year was not being covered. While I still enjoy my C4 I can't say I'm impressed with the way GM conducts their business then or now. Over 8 years, 13 fatalities, and numerious accidents before they own up to this latest disloged ignition key issue? Unbelievable! (well at least the bad paint job didn't kill anyone ).
Rant mode off.

H P Bushrod

I remember the problems they had with the '84 model's red (some actually turned pink) and black paint (in addition to the clearcoat issues). I remember my ex-wife buying a new '82 Camaro off the showroom floor and the silver paint started coming off the hatch area and the mirrors in a year. Can't remember what reason they had for not repainting it, but I'm sure it was BS. Yep...I remember that stellar GM quality of the '80's.

ghoastrider1

that tranny is a darn good one. Yep, vet trannys are different than other models. They also mount a bit different..no mounting tabs on the tail shaft housing . Its been said those trannys are known to have issues with a front pump leak. Don't know, but mine leaked. I pulled it and had it rebuilt.
Low milage, good shape cars, bring more bucks, period. Nothing wrong with the xfire.. and if you truly just want a cruiser and enjoy the hobby, it would be a great choice to have.