Hello everyone,
It has been awhile since I have posted and just as long since I have owned a Corvette. I am currently looking at a 1992 Corvette that is in an impound lot. I have talked with the lot owners to try to possibly purchase the car. What I know about the car is that it has been sitting for about 1 year. It was a running driving car when it was brought in( long story). It is black on black and defintely needs a paint job(I can do this), both door panels are warped and probably need replacing, and all the weather striping needs to be replaced.
The lot owners are in the process of getting the title and a set of keys. I do not know how many miles are on it(no key) but found some paperwork in the glove box that leads me to believe it may be a fairly low mileage car(under 75K).
So, my questions are 1.) since it has been sitting for so long is there anything I should do before trying to start it( drain fuel, etc.) 2.) any common issues I should look for on this model car 3.) Assuming it runs, what would be a reasonable price for something like this?
This would be my first"modern corvette" I have had a 1972 and a 1982 so, I am not familiar with all of the the electronics and such. Any information and input would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

Sitting a year is close to the cut off. I would remove the valve in the fuel rail and blow all the fuel back out to the tank, siphon the tank and wipe it all clean (you can reach into it easily). Put in a new fuel filter (of course), and some fresh fuel and you should be fine......but a year in the mind, might be 2 or 3 in real life. Look at the tires for dry rot, that would indicate how long it has really been sitting. If it's been sitting a lot longer...well you know, ethanol fuel is not good sitting around.

If it doesnt start, check for spark, and see if the optispark might have gotten moisture in it and you might have to replace it and a water pump (while your at it).

I'd just look it over for obvious stuff really, and go from there. The electronics should be fine unless mice have found a home under the dash. That's another can of worms that might be a real problem.

Good luck.

 

Get a large breaker bar. Now, hit yourself in the ***** with it while throwing a big pile of money down a sewer drain at the same time. This will approximate the experience of buying the car and then you can recover your senses and move on.

 

If it is really cheap I might think about it but I am a sucker for a project. Keep in mind nothing Corvette specific is cheap like the door panels you are talking about. Set your specific goal for this car and figure your budget. If it all adds up and your comfortable with it, go for it. If it doesnt, follow Bobs advice about the breaker bar.

I would think that $2K or less would be max for me.

Good luck!

 

Hey everyone,
thanks for all the replies. I too am a sucker for a project. I am still working out details for a purchase. I have ran a complete carfax for the history and everything comes back good and the mileage from the previous inspections follow what I had already thought was going to be a low mileage car. I think price will be around $2500.

Any more suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Mike