Life with a C4 in Wales, UK. Mega thread
04-27-2018, 04:26 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Life with a C4 in Wales, UK. Mega thread
I've found these forums a great resource and so I thought I'd give back by telling the story so far of my C4. I always enjoy reading long term ownership experiences and hopefully I can answer any questions about problems I've encountered. I've put together all my blog posts so it reads a bit fragmented and there's a lot of photos, so put the kettle on and make a cuppa first!
I bought my first car when I was a final year student at 21, a Porsche 924 2 litre. I owned the car for over 3 years and it introduced me to car culture at large. I drove it to about 10 countries across Europe and miss those halcyon days! Anyway, aged 26 I was on my third old Porsche but always lusted after an early C4 and this is where I'll pick up.
I was at a classic car meet at Bristol Queens Sq. with my sister and was talking about how I would like a C4 Corvette but it would have to be manual, with the early engine and digi dash. Walked around the corner and there was my next car waiting for me! Spoke to the seller, went for a drive on Tuesday and then on Wednesday it was being dropped off at mine!! Bear in mind there's about 100 C4's in the UK and about 26 million cars on the road, so this was a stroke of luck!
February 2016
Since I sold my 924 Turbo, I missed the event of having a ridiculous car and although my 924S is very competent and probably the best car I've owned, it didn't have the wow factor.
So about the car, it's a 1989 Corvette C4 with the early body style which I like, especially the rear lights!
The spec is:
L98 SBC
6 Speed ZF manual gearbox
Z51 handling pack – the front wheels are 9.5in wide!
6 way electric sports seats
Bose sound system
FX-3 adjustable ride – The Bilstein shocks have 3 settings you can change in the cockpit
The awesome digital dash!
Stock apart from custom stainless exhaust with no cats and 1 silencer
Everything on it works and it has all the right options, the right colour etc.
It's a different beast to the 924s, which are small, precise cars. This is a sledgehammer! It's very comfortable, not that bad at going around corners and the sound is to die for!
I'm 26 and insurance was a mere £282 fully comp with £50 excess and commuting included! Don't ask me how much a full set of tyres costs or if I've worn out my petrol station loyalty card...
Before I got it and drove it in the rain....
It has taken a bit of getting used to but the gearbox is a lovely thing, quick and crisp shifts with a very solid feel. I've found the key to going around corners is a full tank of fuel, otherwise it's a bit interesting. With so much torque, it's easy to overwhelm the rear tyres. Definitely a point, squirt & pray car! Even with 13” discs, it speeds up faster than it slows down, the brakes are very wooden feeling compared to the Porsche. It is exceptionally comfortable on a long run and it's hard to think of a car I'd rather hit the motorway with.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is how much other people like it, a dowdy 40 something woman in a Hyundai I10 was asking me to rev it at the lights even!
Surprisingly to me, my 924S still hasn't sold but when that's gone I can picture myself getting some nice bits for it. Still, the most fun car I've ever owned and one I don't think I'll top in awhile!
Previous owner never used it in the rain, oops!
[/quote]
Took it down the beach and made some retro looking images:
April 2016
Replaced the gear ****, which now makes the steering wheel look tired. Also took it for a proper setup in the meantime. Gone from 1deg +ive to 1 deg -ive on the rear camber along with a few other tweaks, it's like a different car now!! But I've been collecting parts ready to have the suspension overhauled, new bushes, balljoints etc and a lowering kit of course! Throttle body is a bit worn and so it's time to go bigger! Next up on my shopping list is the dishiest wheels I can find!
I bought my first car when I was a final year student at 21, a Porsche 924 2 litre. I owned the car for over 3 years and it introduced me to car culture at large. I drove it to about 10 countries across Europe and miss those halcyon days! Anyway, aged 26 I was on my third old Porsche but always lusted after an early C4 and this is where I'll pick up.
I was at a classic car meet at Bristol Queens Sq. with my sister and was talking about how I would like a C4 Corvette but it would have to be manual, with the early engine and digi dash. Walked around the corner and there was my next car waiting for me! Spoke to the seller, went for a drive on Tuesday and then on Wednesday it was being dropped off at mine!! Bear in mind there's about 100 C4's in the UK and about 26 million cars on the road, so this was a stroke of luck!
February 2016
Since I sold my 924 Turbo, I missed the event of having a ridiculous car and although my 924S is very competent and probably the best car I've owned, it didn't have the wow factor.
So about the car, it's a 1989 Corvette C4 with the early body style which I like, especially the rear lights!
The spec is:
L98 SBC
6 Speed ZF manual gearbox
Z51 handling pack – the front wheels are 9.5in wide!
6 way electric sports seats
Bose sound system
FX-3 adjustable ride – The Bilstein shocks have 3 settings you can change in the cockpit
The awesome digital dash!
Stock apart from custom stainless exhaust with no cats and 1 silencer
Everything on it works and it has all the right options, the right colour etc.
It's a different beast to the 924s, which are small, precise cars. This is a sledgehammer! It's very comfortable, not that bad at going around corners and the sound is to die for!
I'm 26 and insurance was a mere £282 fully comp with £50 excess and commuting included! Don't ask me how much a full set of tyres costs or if I've worn out my petrol station loyalty card...
Before I got it and drove it in the rain....
It has taken a bit of getting used to but the gearbox is a lovely thing, quick and crisp shifts with a very solid feel. I've found the key to going around corners is a full tank of fuel, otherwise it's a bit interesting. With so much torque, it's easy to overwhelm the rear tyres. Definitely a point, squirt & pray car! Even with 13” discs, it speeds up faster than it slows down, the brakes are very wooden feeling compared to the Porsche. It is exceptionally comfortable on a long run and it's hard to think of a car I'd rather hit the motorway with.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is how much other people like it, a dowdy 40 something woman in a Hyundai I10 was asking me to rev it at the lights even!
Surprisingly to me, my 924S still hasn't sold but when that's gone I can picture myself getting some nice bits for it. Still, the most fun car I've ever owned and one I don't think I'll top in awhile!
Previous owner never used it in the rain, oops!
[/quote]Took it down the beach and made some retro looking images:
April 2016
Replaced the gear ****, which now makes the steering wheel look tired. Also took it for a proper setup in the meantime. Gone from 1deg +ive to 1 deg -ive on the rear camber along with a few other tweaks, it's like a different car now!! But I've been collecting parts ready to have the suspension overhauled, new bushes, balljoints etc and a lowering kit of course! Throttle body is a bit worn and so it's time to go bigger! Next up on my shopping list is the dishiest wheels I can find!
Popular Reply
01-30-2020, 11:39 AM
Racer
Thread Starter
It's been a while! I'll have to fill in the gaps from the summer, but in the meantime here's my new wheel setup. About a year ago I bought some 18” Speedline Alessio from Facebook marketplace with the unusual 5x120.65 PCD. A bit of research and I imagine they were originally from an Aston DB7 GTS. Anyway turned out one of the barrels was cracked and I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with them. Scouring eBay as you do I found some NOS wider barrels in Germany for a fair price. Coupled with some wider lips from a Porsche breaker in the UK I had everything I needed to put together a great set of wheels. I used a local specialist to powder coat the centres gunmetal grey. They also did the lips in chrome powder coat since I like driving more than polishing and the barrels gloss black. They're 18x11 rear on 315/30 and 18x9.5 275/35 fronts. Lots to look forward to this year, mainly a trip to Le Mans 24hr Classic with track time!
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04-27-2018, 04:26 PM
#2
Racer
Thread Starter
June 2016
I picked up the car earlier in the week from my mechanic with lots of new bits! It's now polybushed throughout, new balljoints, tie rods etc along with the lowering wedges/bolts fitted. New Bosch injectors, leads & plugs have sorted my hot start issues too and a new fuel filter for good measure along with some other bits whilst it was apart! Should be spot on for my trip to Spa this autumn too! He was really enjoyed working on it and the way it was put together, made a nice change from classic BMW's and Brit stuff apparently!
It's surprising how well it keeps up with modern machinery, a 15 plate M135i could hardly keep up and an E39 M5 only just edged it...
August 2016
I polished it. By hand. That bonnet is big.
Couldn't resist this sign on the way home...
Then it was on to the MOT. It's always a nervous time putting an old car through an MOT, especially if it's the first one and it's imported. I ditched the US style plates, fitted a rear fog and was rewarded with a clean pass aside from some play in the rear wheel bearings! Result!
Days later one of the headlight motors would keep turning. GM in their wisdom decided each light should have its own motor, powered by plastic gears. You can guess the rest. No sooner had I removed one pod, stripped the mechanism off, made some new bushings out of a nylon rod and realigned the whole assembly did the other one decide to do the same! I nearly threw my socket at a passing dog.
On the weekend it was back to Queens Square in Bristol, where I bought the car at the start of the year. It's always a fantastic meet-up and it was nice to bump into the previous owner again. I hope he thinks the car has gone to a good owner, he couldn't resist hanging around to hear it again. The car sits just right now it's lowered, see:
The end of August was Retro Rides of course, and a chance to drive up the hill. It got a bit wet but I had tremendous fun as can be seen:
There was a friendly meet-up outside Bristol which I made the trip over the bridge for, I guess not all American cars are so big.
I picked up the car earlier in the week from my mechanic with lots of new bits! It's now polybushed throughout, new balljoints, tie rods etc along with the lowering wedges/bolts fitted. New Bosch injectors, leads & plugs have sorted my hot start issues too and a new fuel filter for good measure along with some other bits whilst it was apart! Should be spot on for my trip to Spa this autumn too! He was really enjoyed working on it and the way it was put together, made a nice change from classic BMW's and Brit stuff apparently!
It's surprising how well it keeps up with modern machinery, a 15 plate M135i could hardly keep up and an E39 M5 only just edged it...
August 2016
I polished it. By hand. That bonnet is big.
Couldn't resist this sign on the way home...
Then it was on to the MOT. It's always a nervous time putting an old car through an MOT, especially if it's the first one and it's imported. I ditched the US style plates, fitted a rear fog and was rewarded with a clean pass aside from some play in the rear wheel bearings! Result!
Days later one of the headlight motors would keep turning. GM in their wisdom decided each light should have its own motor, powered by plastic gears. You can guess the rest. No sooner had I removed one pod, stripped the mechanism off, made some new bushings out of a nylon rod and realigned the whole assembly did the other one decide to do the same! I nearly threw my socket at a passing dog.
On the weekend it was back to Queens Square in Bristol, where I bought the car at the start of the year. It's always a fantastic meet-up and it was nice to bump into the previous owner again. I hope he thinks the car has gone to a good owner, he couldn't resist hanging around to hear it again. The car sits just right now it's lowered, see:
The end of August was Retro Rides of course, and a chance to drive up the hill. It got a bit wet but I had tremendous fun as can be seen:
There was a friendly meet-up outside Bristol which I made the trip over the bridge for, I guess not all American cars are so big.
04-27-2018, 04:26 PM
#3
Racer
Thread Starter
Headlights started playing up again, this time the connections to the bulb. I bought a pair of replacements and some new H4 bulbs. Decent dipped & main beam once for the first time, wish I'd upgraded the bulbs before Spa.
Also on the agenda was replacing the tyres. The Falkens were bald on the back after a few thousand miles (oops) and I gambled on a set of Nankangs. It's hard to find 275/40/17 tyres and a set of these was the same price as one Michelin... I have to say next time I'll go mid-range again. Whereas before the car would stick with wide rubber all round, now it comes unstuck suddenly and has turned into a point and squirt machine. I'm not really bothered about wet weather performance as it's hardly a tame car in the rain anyway.
September 2016:
I went to Queens Square once again and bumped into Vesa, who'd I'd spoken to previously. He has a 1994 LT1 auto which he has just put back on the road. It was cool to see another C4 and interesting to note the differences between the two. Personally I prefer the sharper edges of mine, especially the rear. I'd take his sawblade wheels though and the interior falls into dated 90's rather than 80's plastic. I love the digital dash in mine though. Actually, I think every car looks best in its first iteration rather than the face lift, which always loses something from the purity of the original design.
October 2016:
I got some bargain 3 piece split rim wheels from Austria via eBay.de The RH ones I'd bought previously where 5x112 with 5x120 adaptors. This was no good as the Corvette has long studs not nuts and they protruded through the spacer into the wheel, as well as making the offset the wrong side of optimistic. These rims are made by Braid and called Folger Cup 4. I know Braid make some very nice wheels from my Porsche days and these are no exception. 17X10.5 on the rear and 17x9 up front should give a great stance and allow me to swap my tyres over from the stock 17x9.5 setup.
My soon to be neighbour in Cardiff has a cool car too
Also on the agenda was replacing the tyres. The Falkens were bald on the back after a few thousand miles (oops) and I gambled on a set of Nankangs. It's hard to find 275/40/17 tyres and a set of these was the same price as one Michelin... I have to say next time I'll go mid-range again. Whereas before the car would stick with wide rubber all round, now it comes unstuck suddenly and has turned into a point and squirt machine. I'm not really bothered about wet weather performance as it's hardly a tame car in the rain anyway.
September 2016:
I went to Queens Square once again and bumped into Vesa, who'd I'd spoken to previously. He has a 1994 LT1 auto which he has just put back on the road. It was cool to see another C4 and interesting to note the differences between the two. Personally I prefer the sharper edges of mine, especially the rear. I'd take his sawblade wheels though and the interior falls into dated 90's rather than 80's plastic. I love the digital dash in mine though. Actually, I think every car looks best in its first iteration rather than the face lift, which always loses something from the purity of the original design.
October 2016:
I got some bargain 3 piece split rim wheels from Austria via eBay.de The RH ones I'd bought previously where 5x112 with 5x120 adaptors. This was no good as the Corvette has long studs not nuts and they protruded through the spacer into the wheel, as well as making the offset the wrong side of optimistic. These rims are made by Braid and called Folger Cup 4. I know Braid make some very nice wheels from my Porsche days and these are no exception. 17X10.5 on the rear and 17x9 up front should give a great stance and allow me to swap my tyres over from the stock 17x9.5 setup.
My soon to be neighbour in Cardiff has a cool car too
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1993C4LT1 (04-28-2018)
04-27-2018, 04:27 PM
#4
Racer
Thread Starter
December 2016:
On New Years Eve I went on a tunnel run organised by PH South Wales. I think a flame spitting V8 was well received?
My girlfriend is a New Yorker and her brother kindly agreed to receive some parcels in the post for her to bring back after she visited at Christmas. He owns this rather tasty Audi:
A full set of quality weather seals was a £500 expense but should make all the difference to the overall look of the car and stop a nuisance leak. I've fitted the door ones so far but the others look more time consuming. There's no metal pinch built in, it's more like foam that has to be glued to the fibreglass body.
January 2017:
Then it started to get cold and I had the first actual failure in many miles of driving. The radiator started to leak. A short drive ended in some steam and I was fearing for the headgasket. A new radiator was only £160 posted from the US but it was with my mechanic and I didn't want to wait on postage. I sourced an excellent used replacement and all is well again! In the coming weeks I'll get the wheels fitted so if anyone is interested in the stock Corvette ones drop me a message.
It stills cleans up nicely after winter grime too!
The other thing I couldn't resist from the states was a set of louvres. I love the red rear lights but these are so retro!
April 2017:
Car time has been limited so far this year, having moved at the start of the month. This went smooth as a hedgehog. But I did get a tip off the mechanic I use that his friend might have a space in a garage nearby. A few days later and I had my half of a double garage around the corner! It's shared with a dormant Alfa, perfect for me to get my car in and out easily.
With the newfound roof overhead, I replaced the rear hatch solenoid. Unlike the 924's I've had previously, the Corvette doesn't have a key to open the rear screen. There's a button on the edge of each door and one in the centre arm rest. Unfortunately, my hatch wouldn't click open anymore! GM thought of this, and so there's a small wire pull hidden under the carpet in the boot. It's just a case of emptying whatever you have in the boot over the front seats, climbing in the back and trying to find the damned thing. Whilst I had the rear interior in bits, I took the opportunity to replace the rear hatch seal. This was the one I thought about leaving out of my order as it appeared in fair condition. Well, when I came to remove it, the seal fell apart into 3 pieces! How it was holding on I don't know. Keeping the new seal in one piece meant removing the rear hatch struts too and I was able to reminisce about weak hatch struts on the 924 as I tried to hold the hefty glass screen up without assistance!
Out with the old!
But the main reason for posting is that I have the new wheels fitted at last! The stock wheels on my car are 17x9.5 all round and these are 17x9 on the front and 17x10.5 on the rear, with a slightly more aggressive offset. I had the 275 40 17's swapped over and depending on your viewpoint, the fronts are a little over tyred or the rears a little under tyred. It's hard getting wide tyres in 17", ideally some 285 40 17's would look better on the rear or even some 315 35 17, which were fitted to the 11" wide ZR1 rims.
I think the tail light louvres will stay, I love the stance of the car now, shame you can't hear it
On New Years Eve I went on a tunnel run organised by PH South Wales. I think a flame spitting V8 was well received?
My girlfriend is a New Yorker and her brother kindly agreed to receive some parcels in the post for her to bring back after she visited at Christmas. He owns this rather tasty Audi:
A full set of quality weather seals was a £500 expense but should make all the difference to the overall look of the car and stop a nuisance leak. I've fitted the door ones so far but the others look more time consuming. There's no metal pinch built in, it's more like foam that has to be glued to the fibreglass body.
January 2017:
Then it started to get cold and I had the first actual failure in many miles of driving. The radiator started to leak. A short drive ended in some steam and I was fearing for the headgasket. A new radiator was only £160 posted from the US but it was with my mechanic and I didn't want to wait on postage. I sourced an excellent used replacement and all is well again! In the coming weeks I'll get the wheels fitted so if anyone is interested in the stock Corvette ones drop me a message.
It stills cleans up nicely after winter grime too!
The other thing I couldn't resist from the states was a set of louvres. I love the red rear lights but these are so retro!
April 2017:
Car time has been limited so far this year, having moved at the start of the month. This went smooth as a hedgehog. But I did get a tip off the mechanic I use that his friend might have a space in a garage nearby. A few days later and I had my half of a double garage around the corner! It's shared with a dormant Alfa, perfect for me to get my car in and out easily.
With the newfound roof overhead, I replaced the rear hatch solenoid. Unlike the 924's I've had previously, the Corvette doesn't have a key to open the rear screen. There's a button on the edge of each door and one in the centre arm rest. Unfortunately, my hatch wouldn't click open anymore! GM thought of this, and so there's a small wire pull hidden under the carpet in the boot. It's just a case of emptying whatever you have in the boot over the front seats, climbing in the back and trying to find the damned thing. Whilst I had the rear interior in bits, I took the opportunity to replace the rear hatch seal. This was the one I thought about leaving out of my order as it appeared in fair condition. Well, when I came to remove it, the seal fell apart into 3 pieces! How it was holding on I don't know. Keeping the new seal in one piece meant removing the rear hatch struts too and I was able to reminisce about weak hatch struts on the 924 as I tried to hold the hefty glass screen up without assistance!
Out with the old!
But the main reason for posting is that I have the new wheels fitted at last! The stock wheels on my car are 17x9.5 all round and these are 17x9 on the front and 17x10.5 on the rear, with a slightly more aggressive offset. I had the 275 40 17's swapped over and depending on your viewpoint, the fronts are a little over tyred or the rears a little under tyred. It's hard getting wide tyres in 17", ideally some 285 40 17's would look better on the rear or even some 315 35 17, which were fitted to the 11" wide ZR1 rims.
I think the tail light louvres will stay, I love the stance of the car now, shame you can't hear it
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mcm95403 (01-19-2021)
04-27-2018, 04:27 PM
#5
Racer
Thread Starter
Took advantage of a day off and some nice weather yesterday to give it a polish and coat of wax. Comes up nicely for a 28 year old piece of fibreglass.
It looks fast even when it's standing still..
May 2017:
I caught up with Practical Classics magazine last week as they toured Britain looking for the best classic cafe. Not sure they got the best impression of Cardiff, ending up in the docks next to a scrapyard. Although it was a fun little outing in between my night shifts and there was a good mix of cars. Whether mine is practical or classic I'm not sure!
I met up with a friend who has added some nice touches to his Boxster ( https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...f=47&t=1559653 ) And Geraint's immaculate paint work motivated me to change the final weather seal. This has made a big difference in the appearance to my car. Then I took him through a tunnel and he made a little video...
I've been having more fun with the car the last week. I met up with a Facebook group for American car owners in the South Wales area last Sunday for a little drive out. It was great to have a proper geek out about marque/model specific issues. Blatting around the link roads and going through tunnels was super fun too. Although it's not a club and much more informal, it was much more rewarding than the Corvette club. After a year of membership I'm not going to renew. I don't stray much out of Readers Rides or the Classics sub-forum on here but I found the Corvette UK forum to be pretty dead and racist comments dismissed as banter. I went to one Corvette meet and it was very disappointing. I was the youngest by about 20 years (and I'm 27 now, it's not like I'm still a student) and with about 15 people there, only 3 other Corvettes were present. Personally, if I'm going to a car club thing on a Sunday, I'm going to be a nerd about that car and want to share knowledge/stories about it with others. Not spend 3 hours having a Sunday lunch talking about anything but cars should the couples get bored? A bit of a rant but I found the 924 club attracted people of all ages, walks of life and the cars reflected that too. Perhaps that's what lead me to own 3 different ones over 5 years and still pay an interest even now. When you're trying to keep an old car on the road, especially if it's imported or unfamiliar, then having a local group you can swap advice and help with is great and really goes a long way to enjoying owning it in my opinion.
Loved this Buick
And the factory decals on this Camaro. Just like a vintage advert!
This Camaro was in great condition and we'd been through similar Tuned Port Injection woes.
Had a passenger ride in the yellow Mustang. Supercharged, heads, cam etc. Allegedly 800bhp. Felt very big compared to my car and nothing has touched the >400bhp 944 Turbo I went in once when it comes to performance.
Earlier that morning we were at the Queen's Square breakfast meet in Bristol, always worth the trip over for an eclectic mix of cars.
It looks fast even when it's standing still..
May 2017:
I caught up with Practical Classics magazine last week as they toured Britain looking for the best classic cafe. Not sure they got the best impression of Cardiff, ending up in the docks next to a scrapyard. Although it was a fun little outing in between my night shifts and there was a good mix of cars. Whether mine is practical or classic I'm not sure!
I met up with a friend who has added some nice touches to his Boxster ( https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/...f=47&t=1559653 ) And Geraint's immaculate paint work motivated me to change the final weather seal. This has made a big difference in the appearance to my car. Then I took him through a tunnel and he made a little video...
I've been having more fun with the car the last week. I met up with a Facebook group for American car owners in the South Wales area last Sunday for a little drive out. It was great to have a proper geek out about marque/model specific issues. Blatting around the link roads and going through tunnels was super fun too. Although it's not a club and much more informal, it was much more rewarding than the Corvette club. After a year of membership I'm not going to renew. I don't stray much out of Readers Rides or the Classics sub-forum on here but I found the Corvette UK forum to be pretty dead and racist comments dismissed as banter. I went to one Corvette meet and it was very disappointing. I was the youngest by about 20 years (and I'm 27 now, it's not like I'm still a student) and with about 15 people there, only 3 other Corvettes were present. Personally, if I'm going to a car club thing on a Sunday, I'm going to be a nerd about that car and want to share knowledge/stories about it with others. Not spend 3 hours having a Sunday lunch talking about anything but cars should the couples get bored? A bit of a rant but I found the 924 club attracted people of all ages, walks of life and the cars reflected that too. Perhaps that's what lead me to own 3 different ones over 5 years and still pay an interest even now. When you're trying to keep an old car on the road, especially if it's imported or unfamiliar, then having a local group you can swap advice and help with is great and really goes a long way to enjoying owning it in my opinion.
Loved this Buick
And the factory decals on this Camaro. Just like a vintage advert!
This Camaro was in great condition and we'd been through similar Tuned Port Injection woes.
Had a passenger ride in the yellow Mustang. Supercharged, heads, cam etc. Allegedly 800bhp. Felt very big compared to my car and nothing has touched the >400bhp 944 Turbo I went in once when it comes to performance.
Earlier that morning we were at the Queen's Square breakfast meet in Bristol, always worth the trip over for an eclectic mix of cars.
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1993C4LT1 (04-28-2018)
04-27-2018, 04:27 PM
#6
Racer
Thread Starter
The past weekend both me & my girlfriend were off work so a little trip was in order with the forecast looking good and the car running sweetly. We went down to Cornwall, no squeaks or rattles, air con blowing (okay, wheezing) cold, returning 25mpg and making progress.
Looks tiny in St Ives car park:
On the road to Lands End. The new balljoints, polybushes and a proper alignment have made the car a pleasure to weave through B roads. We managed the trip seeing only a couple of caravans and one tractor! When the Corvette C4 was launched, it could pull 1G driving around a skidpan. It hasn't lost any of that mechanical grip now it's lowered and with the quick steering rack, it's great on twisty roads. You don't have to put lots of big inputs in and it goes where you point it.
At Lands End we saw a group of Germans doing an aircooled UK tour. They had 3 mint (mint, mint) Karmann Ghias and a late Beetle on Fuchs.
This is the closest my girlfriend has come to being home in New York for awhile, just 3147 miles if the sign is to be believed.
Attachment 48352988
Saw this awesome over-land-cruiser in the car park too!
Meanwhile it looks much sleeker with the Corvette panel in place, I'm sure it helps economy too...
Found the ulitmate parking spot in Mousehole, no door dings here!
On the way home we were making good time when we came up to a new C63 AMG and played for a few miles. I hope the kid in the back goes on to buy some shonky old thing later. I still remember when a Detomaso Pantera overtook us when I was 6...
Then my clutch release bearing failed and it was at the workshop from June – September
Looks tiny in St Ives car park:
On the road to Lands End. The new balljoints, polybushes and a proper alignment have made the car a pleasure to weave through B roads. We managed the trip seeing only a couple of caravans and one tractor! When the Corvette C4 was launched, it could pull 1G driving around a skidpan. It hasn't lost any of that mechanical grip now it's lowered and with the quick steering rack, it's great on twisty roads. You don't have to put lots of big inputs in and it goes where you point it.
At Lands End we saw a group of Germans doing an aircooled UK tour. They had 3 mint (mint, mint) Karmann Ghias and a late Beetle on Fuchs.
This is the closest my girlfriend has come to being home in New York for awhile, just 3147 miles if the sign is to be believed.
Attachment 48352988
Saw this awesome over-land-cruiser in the car park too!
Meanwhile it looks much sleeker with the Corvette panel in place, I'm sure it helps economy too...
Found the ulitmate parking spot in Mousehole, no door dings here!
On the way home we were making good time when we came up to a new C63 AMG and played for a few miles. I hope the kid in the back goes on to buy some shonky old thing later. I still remember when a Detomaso Pantera overtook us when I was 6...
Then my clutch release bearing failed and it was at the workshop from June – September
04-27-2018, 04:28 PM
#7
Racer
Thread Starter
September 2017:
It's been awhile! The clutch release bearing bent like a pringle and so it has been out of action. Input shaft bearing just fell out, frustrating as the clutch was new only 18 months ago.
Had a complete new clutch kit fitted, tapped in a new bronze bush on the input shaft and then had some other bits done too. It's got new rear wheel bearings, discs & pads and a new starter. The old one let me down twice when it was really heat soaked so I thought best to change it since I also have long tube headers now! They are snug but fitted fine. Seemed a shame to have the old exhaust adapted, so I raided the piggy bank and got a true dual one made. It's quieter now it has back boxes but pulls a lot stronger, especially up in the higher rev range. Having been without it for 10 weeks I just want to drive it everywhere now!
Attachment 48349291
Attachment 48349292
Attachment 48352972
Attachment 48352973
Attachment 48352282
Attachment 48349293
January 2018:
My belt & tensioner arrived andddd.... the smog pump was making the noise. Nevermind, I put the old belt back on and ordered a smog eliminator kit. Couple of weeks later some brackets and an idler pulley arrived from the US of Ebay with no instructions. A bit like a K-Nex kit with only the box, or in this case photo to work from, I got it together. I'd already removed some smog pipework when I fitted the long tube headers but it was amazing how much more stuff was obsolete once the pump and various brackets were removed too. All the belt driven components are hush now and there's a lot more space around the engine too, win win! Come the spring I'm tempted to clean up the engine bay and aluminium suspension parts, it's an interesting looking engine and I think I could keep on top of it looking smart over summer.
I picked up some 1in hub centric spacers from Ebay US too. A mere £35 delivered. Has anyone else had luck with the eBay international postage scheme? I'm sure it miscalculates sometimes but the goods are always delivered! Whilst pottering about with the spacers it was time for fresh oil & filters along with a PCV valve and brake pad clip. I had a feeling that a rattle was due to the pad moving around in the caliper and noticed on the front one of the little c clips was missing. Happily rattle free, for now.
For Christmas my delightful girlfriend bought me another Corvette! This time a 1:18 scale model by AutoArt. A guilty pleasure since I used to collect diecast when I was a lot younger... The detail is fantastic, the targa roof & pop-up lights work even! So I had to take it for a spin before I put it up on my bookshelf with my old turbo. On NYE I did the annual Pistonheads tunnel run, always a good laugh, although I usually scarper after a few runs just incase anyone is too naughty. Parked next to a 3L Z4 coupe, coincidentally I test drove one a few days later. In a moment of weakness, mainly from having a sensible daily, but came to the conclusion I have the best of both worlds in a Corvette and then a diesel Volvo.
Yesterday I headed over to Queens Square breakfast club meet. I realised next month it will be 2 years since I impulsively bought it from there! Always a good selection of cars and a good excuse to go for a blast.
It's been awhile! The clutch release bearing bent like a pringle and so it has been out of action. Input shaft bearing just fell out, frustrating as the clutch was new only 18 months ago.
Had a complete new clutch kit fitted, tapped in a new bronze bush on the input shaft and then had some other bits done too. It's got new rear wheel bearings, discs & pads and a new starter. The old one let me down twice when it was really heat soaked so I thought best to change it since I also have long tube headers now! They are snug but fitted fine. Seemed a shame to have the old exhaust adapted, so I raided the piggy bank and got a true dual one made. It's quieter now it has back boxes but pulls a lot stronger, especially up in the higher rev range. Having been without it for 10 weeks I just want to drive it everywhere now!
Attachment 48349291
Attachment 48349292
Attachment 48352972
Attachment 48352973
Attachment 48352282
Attachment 48349293
January 2018:
My belt & tensioner arrived andddd.... the smog pump was making the noise. Nevermind, I put the old belt back on and ordered a smog eliminator kit. Couple of weeks later some brackets and an idler pulley arrived from the US of Ebay with no instructions. A bit like a K-Nex kit with only the box, or in this case photo to work from, I got it together. I'd already removed some smog pipework when I fitted the long tube headers but it was amazing how much more stuff was obsolete once the pump and various brackets were removed too. All the belt driven components are hush now and there's a lot more space around the engine too, win win! Come the spring I'm tempted to clean up the engine bay and aluminium suspension parts, it's an interesting looking engine and I think I could keep on top of it looking smart over summer.
I picked up some 1in hub centric spacers from Ebay US too. A mere £35 delivered. Has anyone else had luck with the eBay international postage scheme? I'm sure it miscalculates sometimes but the goods are always delivered! Whilst pottering about with the spacers it was time for fresh oil & filters along with a PCV valve and brake pad clip. I had a feeling that a rattle was due to the pad moving around in the caliper and noticed on the front one of the little c clips was missing. Happily rattle free, for now.
For Christmas my delightful girlfriend bought me another Corvette! This time a 1:18 scale model by AutoArt. A guilty pleasure since I used to collect diecast when I was a lot younger... The detail is fantastic, the targa roof & pop-up lights work even! So I had to take it for a spin before I put it up on my bookshelf with my old turbo. On NYE I did the annual Pistonheads tunnel run, always a good laugh, although I usually scarper after a few runs just incase anyone is too naughty. Parked next to a 3L Z4 coupe, coincidentally I test drove one a few days later. In a moment of weakness, mainly from having a sensible daily, but came to the conclusion I have the best of both worlds in a Corvette and then a diesel Volvo.
Yesterday I headed over to Queens Square breakfast club meet. I realised next month it will be 2 years since I impulsively bought it from there! Always a good selection of cars and a good excuse to go for a blast.
04-27-2018, 04:28 PM
#8
Racer
Thread Starter
April 2018:
Last year a mate of the mechanic who works on the car let me his double garage around the corner from my house for a mere £60 a month. To start with, this was great! But people would constantly park in front of it, blocking my car in or out. I put up new signs, left polite notes on windscreens etc but it was an ongoing nightmare. Picking my battles, I started looking for elsewhere to rent and found an ex-council lock-up with mulitple entrances behind big steel gates and I'd save £20 a month. So earlier this month I downsized. I even bought a shelf to put stuff on and some luxury foam mats! Thankfully the C4 is a small car so there's plenty of room for activities even in a single garage.
I was intrigued by the Canadian sticker on my car too and 2 years after buying it I ran a Carfax. This is a bit like an American HPI check. Well, it turns out my car was delivered new to Ontario, Canada! Thus confirming that no American knows what a proper gearbox is...
Earlier in the week I headed over to Yate for an American car meet-up. I went awhile ago and the standard & variety of cars makes it worth the trip. There were a couple of Dodge Vipers there, a GTS and an RT10. I lusted after these as a boy, playing "Viper Racing" on the PC and even getting a dealer brochure from my parents' friend in Ohio. I've still got it stashed somewhere. I'd love a Viper and imagine the experience would be similar to my manual C4. They share the same diff, atrocious interior quality, big torque and no traction control. A couple of other localish C4's went to Yate and I was chuffed to see how clean mine looked for 30 years & 107k miles. Had great fun driving home in the sunset too, what a summer 2018 was!
Last year a mate of the mechanic who works on the car let me his double garage around the corner from my house for a mere £60 a month. To start with, this was great! But people would constantly park in front of it, blocking my car in or out. I put up new signs, left polite notes on windscreens etc but it was an ongoing nightmare. Picking my battles, I started looking for elsewhere to rent and found an ex-council lock-up with mulitple entrances behind big steel gates and I'd save £20 a month. So earlier this month I downsized. I even bought a shelf to put stuff on and some luxury foam mats! Thankfully the C4 is a small car so there's plenty of room for activities even in a single garage.
I was intrigued by the Canadian sticker on my car too and 2 years after buying it I ran a Carfax. This is a bit like an American HPI check. Well, it turns out my car was delivered new to Ontario, Canada! Thus confirming that no American knows what a proper gearbox is...
Earlier in the week I headed over to Yate for an American car meet-up. I went awhile ago and the standard & variety of cars makes it worth the trip. There were a couple of Dodge Vipers there, a GTS and an RT10. I lusted after these as a boy, playing "Viper Racing" on the PC and even getting a dealer brochure from my parents' friend in Ohio. I've still got it stashed somewhere. I'd love a Viper and imagine the experience would be similar to my manual C4. They share the same diff, atrocious interior quality, big torque and no traction control. A couple of other localish C4's went to Yate and I was chuffed to see how clean mine looked for 30 years & 107k miles. Had great fun driving home in the sunset too, what a summer 2018 was!
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C5 4me (04-28-2018)
04-27-2018, 07:20 PM
#9
Incredible thread! Beautiful car.
Those new wheels look great, BUT man I really like the '89 wheels on that thing. I guess stock wheels look more rare to me now, but I always did like the '89 wheel on with the c4 lines.
Those new wheels look great, BUT man I really like the '89 wheels on that thing. I guess stock wheels look more rare to me now, but I always did like the '89 wheel on with the c4 lines.
04-27-2018, 08:22 PM
#10
Race Director
Those wheels look like the Shelby series one wheels. I am curious why the spacers are needed, were those added after the wheels or at the same time?
I remember being in Swindon in 1998, I saw one ZR-1 and one LT1 vette
I remember being in Swindon in 1998, I saw one ZR-1 and one LT1 vette
Last edited by -=Jeff=-; 04-27-2018 at 08:25 PM.
04-27-2018, 08:51 PM
#11
Racer
My Welsh friend I assure you I am as familiar with a manual transmission as you are a sheep.
(Full disclosure: my best friend's father was Welsh, so I don't spare him the ribbing. In reality, he was an engineer living in St. Albans so they probably never saw a real sheep.)
I wish we lived closer than the 4700 miles Google tells me. I'd be at your side in my red '89 on every trip. Your writing is excellent as are the pictures. I almost want to take a trip over to see you - I'll buy the beer if you pay for the petrol. Or, maybe that should be the other way 'round? What's a liter cost these days?
Mine would not look as good as yours, however. It must be the red and the Texas sun. How do you get the paint to look so wet? I have hand polished and waxed mine and it looks purdy good but yours looks new. Have you painted it?
Keep the updates coming.
(Full disclosure: my best friend's father was Welsh, so I don't spare him the ribbing. In reality, he was an engineer living in St. Albans so they probably never saw a real sheep.)
I wish we lived closer than the 4700 miles Google tells me. I'd be at your side in my red '89 on every trip. Your writing is excellent as are the pictures. I almost want to take a trip over to see you - I'll buy the beer if you pay for the petrol. Or, maybe that should be the other way 'round? What's a liter cost these days?
Mine would not look as good as yours, however. It must be the red and the Texas sun. How do you get the paint to look so wet? I have hand polished and waxed mine and it looks purdy good but yours looks new. Have you painted it?
Keep the updates coming.
Last edited by rblakeney; 04-27-2018 at 09:16 PM. Reason: Not complete
04-28-2018, 10:01 AM
#14
Safety Car
Beautiful car and interesting read. 
Welcome aboard. 
Welcome aboard.
04-28-2018, 10:06 AM
#15
Safety Car
I really enjoyed reading this thread! Thank you for posting it. Great story with great photos. It's always interesting to see these cars in a different setting. Best of luck with your car!
04-28-2018, 07:47 PM
#18
Instructor
Member Since: Oct 2013
Location: Fond Du lac Wisconsin
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Was in Bristol on business many years ago. Great town. Thanks for all of the pictures.
Brought back some nice memories along with the fish and chips. Car looks great.
Brought back some nice memories along with the fish and chips. Car looks great.
04-30-2018, 07:03 AM
#19
Racer
Thread Starter
Thanks all!
Jeff - I added the spacers later, they fill out the arches better now since it's also lowered. The wheels are an oddity. Manufactured by Braid they're Folger Cup4. A bit like OZ Mito's. I'd love the Shelby Series One wheels on a ZR1 like yours!
RB - Yes, there's a joke about 2 pairs of boots too. The paint has a few light swirls really, some light flatters it more than other. Nowadys it's about £1.25 a litre, it was £1.50 a couple of years ago. So a US gallon is $6.50
Lingenfelter - I agree. I loved the 80's naffness of them but decided to take them off again. My indicators/turn signals are where the reverse lights are. UK inspection (MOT) bans red indicators, they must flash amber. Most C4's have nasty looking amber rear lights for this reason.
On the weekend I took my girlfriend to West Wales. It's a couple of hours away and we went to the most western point. We managed to fit in a little boat tour and saw lots of seabirds, seals & even wild horses. I'm a sucker for a castle and we looked around 4! The oldest thing we saw was a stone carved Celtic cross next to the pub, from 1033!
Jeff - I added the spacers later, they fill out the arches better now since it's also lowered. The wheels are an oddity. Manufactured by Braid they're Folger Cup4. A bit like OZ Mito's. I'd love the Shelby Series One wheels on a ZR1 like yours!
RB - Yes, there's a joke about 2 pairs of boots too. The paint has a few light swirls really, some light flatters it more than other. Nowadys it's about £1.25 a litre, it was £1.50 a couple of years ago. So a US gallon is $6.50
Lingenfelter - I agree. I loved the 80's naffness of them but decided to take them off again. My indicators/turn signals are where the reverse lights are. UK inspection (MOT) bans red indicators, they must flash amber. Most C4's have nasty looking amber rear lights for this reason.
On the weekend I took my girlfriend to West Wales. It's a couple of hours away and we went to the most western point. We managed to fit in a little boat tour and saw lots of seabirds, seals & even wild horses. I'm a sucker for a castle and we looked around 4! The oldest thing we saw was a stone carved Celtic cross next to the pub, from 1033!
