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Hello everyone I’m new to the vette world snd to this forum
I recently picked up an 87 convertible with 45,000 original miles that has sat for 5 years
Everything mechanically is good to go and planning on doing new paint later and possibly putting a set of c5 wheels on. Not sure what direction I want to go with this as far as making it my own so any input greatly appreciated and if there are any fitment issues with c5 wheels feel free to clue me in
I have a 90 vert which has same color combos. Because I am not mechanically inclined, I would trace to towed to your nearest vette mechanic. I am lucky Tony’s Corvette shop is not too far. I would have them go over the complete car from engine, brakes, transmission etc. change all the fluids, and get a list of items priority order of the things to repair. A car sitting for five years will have all kinds of possible hidden issues. This past month, I was having heater issues. Turned out to have a mouse next in the heater box! You just never know. But, you want to hit all the biggies before you take her for. Long ride! Have fun in your new ride! Expect to have a lot of rubberneckers! These cars are beautiful!
Yeah I have already had the car gone over by my mechanic he found a couple of minor issues that he fixed and gave me a clean bill of health just gotta figure out where to go from here.
I had a 89 convertible, that car had alot of things that needed attention, but for the first few years i just enjoyed driving the car, There were some oil leaks, coolant leaks, power steering leaks, the interior was beat up, but i enjoyed the heck outta driving it. It had a 6spd manual and it was just fun to drive! I eventually fixed a ton of issues with my car, but that was half the experience of owning a old car. since it wasnt a daily driver, i could tear into fixing it and not worry about needing it the next day to get to work. keep driving it, these cars will show you the path you need to take all by themselves,
Theres really not a ton of aftermarket parts that make the car look better, they look perfectly fine, wheels are one thing i wanted to do on mine but the other problems kept my spare cash box pretty empty, have fun in your new car, you'll love it!
Do any of the switches, emblems, trim pieces, etc. need to be replaced? Replace anything that's is worn, cracked or damaged. They may not be the most noticeable things but they will stand out when everything else looks great.
Surprisingly I only have one emblem that needs replaced but I have a new one that came with the car
all switches work But like I said it’s only got 45,000 miles. I may end up replacing radio just so I have blue
I do plan on having fun with the car and I appreciate the feedback
I had 89, same color, loved the car, like on another post, you will need a spacer, if you went with C5 wheels, there are others out there that will fit, do search on google for wheels, that you might like better, and chrome or black, both look good with red.
Remember all Corvettes are RED!
A simple item to start with, dye and wax the steering wheel. Can do this in place, but make sure to shield with the dash and floor with towels or something. I was amazed that my cracked looking wheel cleaned up awesome with just black shoe dye and some wax.
Wax will also work great on the seats. There are several types (which I forgot to write down, do that too!) of wax or leather conditioner that will work great. Nice shiny leather red seats, awesome!
I don’t have pics of interior yet but will post some later. Bought the car in fall and now it’s winter and cold and snowy here in Indiana so car has been stored away
I would recommend you just log some good mileage on the car before you wade very far into anything that requires much $ invested in cosmetics. It'll give the car a good shake-down that might reveal any latent mechanical or electrical issues that might be lurking. And, it'll give you more time to stare at the car, and to contemplate where you really want to go with the cosmetics.
I agree with giving the car a good shake down
I already fixed a few issues like the headlights not working right which was just the relays snd then antenna broke and I replaced that
I had my well trusted mechanic give a thorough inspection and put new shocks on he said everything checked out great
I will probably need new tires because the car sat for almost 6 years and tires flat spotted I’ll give it time and see if they will come out but not too sure. But it’s in really good shape over all
It sounds as though you're on your way to working through any issues. Flat spots should disappear within a few miles of driving. Excessive age, or other visible issues would be a separate issue that might suggest it's time for new tires.
Mechanically sound is a relative term. Last year I bought a 96 with 53000 miles. My mechanic went through everything, replacing what you would expect. A few months ago I turned it over to him to install a cam package, and when installing rockers and springs he found one cylinder which leaked down slowly. So upon pulling the heads found one cylinder which the valves had high carbon deposits. And the water passages were nearly stopped up with deposits. Then he found a timing chain bolt was about to work its way out, and very loose screws in the opti. So while everything checked out and it was running great, problems from sitting around can still be lurking around the corner.
I would recommend you just log some good mileage on the car before you wade very far into anything that requires much $ invested in cosmetics. It'll give the car a good shake-down that might reveal any latent mechanical or electrical issues that might be lurking. And, it'll give you more time to stare at the car, and to contemplate where you really want to go with the cosmetics.
Looks nice in the photo, BTW.
Enjoy the ride.
Live well,
SJW
I strongly agree with this post. First order: get acquainted with the car as it is.
Ideas
I had 89, same color, loved the car, like on another post, you will need a spacer, if you went with C5 wheels, there are others out there that will fit, do search on google for wheels, that you might like better, and chrome or black, both look good with red.
