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Hi everyone, my name is David and I wanted to share the work I have been doing on my 1988 Corvette lately. I have owned the car since I was 16 years old back in 2003 and I intend to keep it for a long time. This spring I completed a 2 year 'build' on it and I enjoyed driving and racing it this summer. However, near the end of the summer driving season I got the 'itch' to start working on it again. So with a total of around 2,500 km since completing my 2 year build I'm starting another smaller build to hopefully take the car to the 'next level'.
If you want to read my earlier build thread you can find it by searching: DMITTZ CORVETTE BUILD
Scope of project:
-Exhaust system
-Brake upgrade
-Weather stripping replacement
-Interior repair(s)
-Super Ram Intake upgrade
-Some general repairs.
Budget:
Although I don't have a strict budget for this build I am going try to keep the cost a fair bit lower than in my previous build but I am still going to buy what is necessary to do quality work.
Here's a couple pictures from the 'Corvette' Summer:
This is of a road trip my wife and I did with some good friends...
I did 4 autocrosses this year which allowed me to dial in the the alignment specs. Picture at the track...
Due to time/ money constraints in my earlier build I didn't get a chance to address the exhaust system or do a brake 'upgrade' So those Items were first on my list.
A large pile of boxes full of parts for the Corvette to get this build started
Here's the new exhaust and brake parts ready for install
The old exhaust system on the car had a really bad drone at highway speeds and was all together to loud. In fact my wife and I had to wear ear plugs when driving on the highway the drone was that bad! lol.
So With the blessing of my wife I ordered up a pair of true dual outlet 'no drone' mufflers from corvette central. I Also ordered some S/S tip from them as well. In addition I also got a 'narrow' 2.5 inch X-pipe from Jegs.
My good friend Will is a mechanic and the shop he works at does exhaust sytems so I brought the car down along with my mufflers and X-pipe and had him bend all the pipes and then install the exhaust on the car. He did a really nice job and now I have a full dual 2.5in exhaust on the car (no cats). I'm really happy with it as there is no drone anymore but I still have a nice aggressive sound at idle or when I get on the gas. Also I gained a fair bit of ground clearance since this system does not hang down like the old one.
Here's a few pictures I took from under the car...
I'll take a couple pictures of the exhaust from the back of the car tomorrow. More updates to come...
Looks like you are going with C6 Calipers. What pads are you going with?
Yes, your correct those are C6 calipers. I went with Hawk HP+ pads since that was the type I had been using with my 'old' brake system. I love the performance of the pads, but hate the dust. I'll give some more info on the brake upgrade soon in an upcoming post.
Sweet! How do you like the Banski Suspension parts by now?
I love the Banski parts, the suspension is awesome now. It rides really smooth but also handles like crazy. The other nice part is with the Banski parts doing an alignment is much easier/quicker and I can basically get whatever geometry I want.
I chose brake rotors that look just like yours. I did extensive reading, both here on the forum, on the web and on manufacturer's sites and saw that cross-drilled rotors are only for customer preference due to the type of material in today's pads.
The slots do function as intended though.
There is a thread (maybe here) that shows cross drilled rotors that cracked.
I chose brake rotors that look just like yours. I did extensive reading, both here on the forum, on the web and on manufacturer's sites and saw that cross-drilled rotors are only for customer preference due to the type of material in today's pads.
The slots do function as intended though.
There is a thread (maybe here) that shows cross drilled rotors that cracked.
Good choice !!
Yes, that was why I choose slotted over cross-drilled.
Here's the pictures of the back of the exhaust system, just took them a few min ago. Sorry I can't take any further back pictures at the moment as the car is I my workshop and the foot of snow outside is stopping me from opening the door right now.
I just took the time to read through your original thread. As someone who has been around this forum for a long time and who has been a C4 owner even longer, I want to thank you for the quality build threads that you have posted. They will be a great resource for years to come.
I recently pulled my old '87 out of the corner of my garage where it had sat for the last 20 years. Though it doesn't need much, it has been quite fun getting the old girl back in to shape. It is easy to forget the potential these C4's have and it is great to see what you have done with yours. Best of luck in your continued build.
I just took the time to read through your original thread. As someone who has been around this forum for a long time and who has been a C4 owner even longer, I want to thank you for the quality build threads that you have posted. They will be a great resource for years to come.
I recently pulled my old '87 out of the corner of my garage where it had sat for the last 20 years. Though it doesn't need much, it has been quite fun getting the old girl back in to shape. It is easy to forget the potential these C4's have and it is great to see what you have done with yours. Best of luck in your continued build.
You are very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed my first build thread, I know I learned a lot while doing the work on the Corvette and it was always my hope that other owners would be able to use my build thread as somewhat of a resource.
That sounds pretty neat that you have an 87' that you have had in storage for 20 years. Do you have any pictures of it? or a thread on your bringing it back to life?
You are very kind. I'm glad you enjoyed my first build thread, I know I learned a lot while doing the work on the Corvette and it was always my hope that other owners would be able to use my build thread as somewhat of a resource.
That sounds pretty neat that you have an 87' that you have had in storage for 20 years. Do you have any pictures of it? or a thread on your bringing it back to life?
-All the best, DMITTZ
I haven't been documenting things anywhere near as closely as you have. I'll have to start taking some pictures as I continue my work.
So far I've gone over the fuel and intake systems, replaced the ABS relay, alternator, belt, plugs and wires, etc. Now that it's running well, I'm going to go all over the brakes and cooling system next.
I don't want to clutter your thread with too much more on mine. Here's one picture I took after I got it out in the fall.
Last edited by SmokinBlack; 12-28-2016 at 09:11 AM.
12-27-2016, 01:49 AM
DMITTZ Corvette build Vol.2
