Thinking about doing a "Torqhead/opti delete" to my 1996 LT4. I want to ask the hive if they think it will adversely effect the resale value of the car? It should be a huge improvement to performance and reliability but people are funny sometimes.

 

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Can I ask why you are deleting it ,from your 96,if it is so much better?

 

I’m planning to delete the Optispark and replace it with Torqhead.

 

I vote, go for it, if that's what you want! Everything should be plug and play....no butchering! Save ALL the original components you remove and stash them away to keep for the car. Do it right and keep things sanitary....like mounting the coil packs, make it look factory! My personal opinion is, it seems that the trend in the automotive world for quite awhile has been, anything you do to "better" (HP, brakes, handling,etc) the vehicle is completely acceptable and welcomed....especially when it can be returned to stock with no alterations/permanent changes. There will always be the "purists"/NCRS type that will frown on anything but "numbers matching" factory original....but any "bolt-on" that can be undone is no big deal and preferred by many!
As far as value, I would pay more for your car with the torqhead properly installed/tuned and original ignition system in a box to go with it....maybe not the $2K it cost you, but I'd be stoked to meet you in the middle and pay a grand more!!! Don't do it worrying about resale, if you're gonna sell it in the foreseeable future, leave it as is. If your plans are to keep it for the foreseeable future, then do it and enjoy the benefits! I actually like both systems, I feel by the '96 and '97 (F-body, I know '95 too ) the vented opti is much more reliable (my '96 Formula WS6 has 77K miles....never had an issue, knock on wood)! As for the torqhead, what's not to like? Although one can argue it's all about the tune, there are plenty of dyno results that confirm very respectable performance gains throughout the entire RPM range by doing the conversion....there is a reason most modern engines have individual coils for each cylinder, it's better for many reasons! And if it is "all about the tune", then this is the ignition system and ECM you need to unlock the full potential of what you already have! Go for it, your LT4 is a sweet engine, it's much more than a different intake and heads compared to the LT1! And as much as I don't mind/like the optispark ignition system....there's no arguing, the 24x is stronger and more reliable! Good luck, either way you decide!!!! Just my .02 worth👍
edit: Would I pay more for a C4 with run of the mill aftermarket rims....NO!
Would I pay more for a C4 with Shelby series 1's....ABSOLUTELY!!!
Would I pay more for an LT1/LT4 C4 with the home-made 411 and coils conversion....NO!
Would I pay more for an LT1/LT4 C4 with the complete and properly installed Torqhead 24x system....ABSOLUTELY!!!
It's one of those "bolt-ons" that is from the "top shelf" and in my "book" adds to the value👍

 

You also have to understand/accept how limited the market is for a C4 Corvette and that only C4 enthusiasts will (possibly / maybe) understand what the Torqhead conversion does. With that said, if you have 2 equal 96 LT4's side by side, in fact, lets call them the exact same car, options, color, mileage and condition.

Car A (yours) costs $2100.00 more (the cost of the Torkhead kit on their website today) + shipping + any of the add-ons they list.

Car B (not yours) - no Torkhead so doesn't have that cost.

People are going to buy Car B. C4 people are notoriously cheap. They brag about getting a car for the least amount possible, don't support the people making great parts to make the cars better by purchasing their products.

2 companies come to mind, Vett-Aid (made harnesses and custom cool dashes) and Banski Motorsports (great heim joint rear suspensions).

You also have to be cognizant of the battle going on right now regarding fuel. If it gets rammed down our throats, the cars become worthless anyway.

The bottom line is, (now just like me and a myriad of others spending money to make the cars better) you are doing it solely for yourself. So if you cannot accept that, don't spend the money.

 

I am seriously thinking about the same thing,
41k miles and previous owner put 2 Optus in last 3 years, ran great when I bought it…..for 1 week,
then died no start, no diagnostic equipment so I took it to dealer for diagnostics, instead got 1300 of other repairs, and “intermittent loss of spark”,might be opti 1300, or pcm which if bad is hard to replace, and when I picked it up it had
broken body cover when battery was accessed and broken trim around interior drivers door handle due to door panel not being replaced correctly, have been buying FSM and tools since,
I will be the one that cares enough to do it right,
what else is early retirement for.
I will start with grounds, spark, injectors/fuel pressure as the opti, plugs wires coil ICM have all been replaced and appear to be in like new condition, if it turns out to be the opti I will be ordering complete kit from Torqhead along with PCM and HPTuner dongle and software.
Unless anyone has a better idea.
just ordered the 24x kit, will do install myself when it arrives, A new experience for sure.

 

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My Opti hasn't failed yet 1996 with 67k miles. I however would love to be able to tune with HP Tuners instead of the crap Jet DST software and a bonus of shorter simpler plug wires.

 

Depends on if your car is collector quality or driver quality. If it's a bone stock garage queen, torqhead is a modification and would absolutely hurt resale, the same as any other mod.

If it's a driver quality car thats gonna get a hotcakes, longtubes, etc... won't hurt as much. You won't get anything for it, but someone who wants a hosted up lt4 car probably won't care about it having a torqhead, as long as the tune is done by a reputable and good tuner. If it's some sloppy mechanics backyard bs job, that'd probably be a turn off to almost everyone.

 

May be an incentive for someone to buy if al they know about Optis is the rumor mill horror story stuff.
Wouldnt worry about ncrs stuff...sometimes youll see an ad with numbers match engine, C5s too. Doesnt mean anything wtih these cars as they are not collector items.

Make it yours, the way you like it. Theres a buyer for every type of vehicle out there.
Most car guys based (if they are smart) on condition, maintenance. Lipstick doenst make it sound or reliable

 

Today, on autotrader, there are 485 C4 Corvettes for sale. Do you really think that there are 485 eager people just wanting to buy a C4 when the prices of 5's and 6's are coming down ?

You put one of each (4,5 and 6) for sale on the same lot, in the same condition, with close to the same price, do you think the average person will be wanting the C4 after driving one of the other 2?

Fix the thing for yourself. Don't worry about the resale value, unless, as was stated, its a "collector" car and even then, those are few and far between and need the right person to show up.

Also, keep in mind, that right person is going to need to pay cash. These cars are getting past the point of financial institutions being willing to loan on them, due to age restrictions.

 

Do it !! I have a 96 that was abandoned on a farm no engine or trans, for a 15k miles lt4 with trans from a cool guy 4 hours from me . Bought a bunch of stuff as wel..Then bought a procharger set up off a CE LT4 car. Bought the torque head as a bundle. It Ez to set up. Kit was complete with computer as well. You will make power with it .nothing crazy but 20 or so. Read about what others have done. No wires get cut. Just plug and play. Hardest part is the crank hub..Put on the crank signal set up BEFORE hub goes on or you'll be pulling it off again.!! You'll like it alot ! Research it a bit !

 

Other reasons for changing it are personal and MAY be worth it, but the ignition system won't make a meaningful power diff.

 

There are ~350 million people.in the US. You don't think 1 in ~750k people would buy a C4?

Keep in mind, the cheapest decent C6s are in the mid 20s right now. The c5 is garbage compared to the c6, and neither has the analog drivers car feel of a c4. It makes more sense to buy a c4 for decent money than a c5.

 

If a C4 is someones bucket list car, sure they will buy the C4 and pay.

Usually lean towards the C4 but really...same condition, price lowish mi...line up a C4, C5 /Z or C6..id have a tough time not buying the newer one.
To the average guy say who drove a 5 or 6 then drives a 4 he will probably never want in a 4 again. They feel like crap in comparison
It will take an enthusiast to "pay"..the crack pipe pricing im seeing is almost laughable.

 

I feel the opposite...but I guess I'm not the average guy in today's world.

 

You can tell how the average person feels about C4 Corvettes by how many have been neglected, tore up, left to rot and overall abused. At least around here you see that. I have seen lots of really rough C4's and late year C3's. Too so many people, they are nothing "really special". In fact, to a lot of people, when you see them driving them in the salt, etc, they are just cars.

You see it in the Corvette clubs and at a lot of car shows. People walk right on by.

 

Went to a meeting for some vette club when I first joined here just to meet people to go on runs with.

It was the Jergens crowd, I was told "One day if you work hard enough you can get a real corvette (meaning a C5)
"We dont race, go on drives or antyhing like that. We just meet for breakfast"
Done.
Sure do. Only a few x someone stopped when I had the Z hood open at Fri night cruise in. Says to his buddy "Its a tuned port injection those are slow pieces of ****".

Tom...if the comparo had my fav yr color, options I would stick with the C4. To pick one of ea at random as much as I know the C5 6 are numb and prone to electronic bs it would havee me leaning towards the newest one.

Think Ive heard every joke and derogatory comment about the C4.
Hey it was cheap, looked good fun to drive and mpg wasnt bad.
Yes, its one ot those....one of those slow ones. I know.

 

Eh...who cares, if it's fun. Pretty much every gas car is slow, now days.