C4 kit car
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Director of Bands
St. Jude Donor '08
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
I just bought my first Corvette (a '93). After all of the shopping and looking and for the amount of time and money that you would spend, if I were in your position, I would simply buy a car that needed a little TLC and then modify it to taste. I can imagine that this would be a lost more cost-effective than trying to build a car from the ground up... unless that is truly your passion. If so - go for it!
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From: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
Well, I was really looking into building it myself. This would be a few years off, and I'll have some schooling in by that time. Do you know of any good websites that sell C4 body parts, frams, chassis, etc.? I know it would be a slow build, but I think it would be worth it, cause instead of buying a car and replacing everything, I could just build it the way it should have been built. Plus, all of the other stuff that is already on there would be worn. I'll have to search for websites of other people doing to same thing.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Bahston Mass.
Re: C4 kit car (Corvette Kid NC)
I doubt you're going to find anybody else doing the same thing. You could buy one that's already in pieces maybe pretty cheap and build it back the way you want. That sounds a little more practical. You're going to have a zillion bucks in it the way you're thinking, buying a piece at a time. Good luck.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,106
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From: ...tearing up the highways, one state at a time™®©
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
the C4 doesn't use a traditional frame (like C3's and earlier) with that in mind, you would have to buy a "tub" from a C4 at a MINIMUM and go from there. By the time you are done buying one or two parts at a time, you could ahve gotten yourself a decent C4.
You said you have $600 per month to spend on this - over the course of a year, you would have $7200 bucks - That buys a NICE c4 :thumbs:
I don't want to sound discouraging, but when a friend of mine is selling his 88 for $6k I would wonder how much $$ it would have taken to "build" his car to the same point :skep:
Good luck - Motorbooks International has a lot of Vette Books
You said you have $600 per month to spend on this - over the course of a year, you would have $7200 bucks - That buys a NICE c4 :thumbs:
I don't want to sound discouraging, but when a friend of mine is selling his 88 for $6k I would wonder how much $$ it would have taken to "build" his car to the same point :skep:
Good luck - Motorbooks International has a lot of Vette Books
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,784
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From: Atlanta GA
Re: C4 kit car (*89x2*)
the C4 doesn't use a traditional frame (like C3's and earlier) with that in mind, you would have to buy a "tub" from a C4 at a MINIMUM and go from there. By the time you are done buying one or two parts at a time, you could ahve gotten yourself a decent C4.
You said you have $600 per month to spend on this - over the course of a year, you would have $7200 bucks - That buys a NICE c4 :thumbs:
I don't want to sound discouraging, but when a friend of mine is selling his 88 for $6k I would wonder how much $$ it would have taken to "build" his car to the same point :skep:
Good luck - Motorbooks International has a lot of Vette Books
You said you have $600 per month to spend on this - over the course of a year, you would have $7200 bucks - That buys a NICE c4 :thumbs:
I don't want to sound discouraging, but when a friend of mine is selling his 88 for $6k I would wonder how much $$ it would have taken to "build" his car to the same point :skep:
Good luck - Motorbooks International has a lot of Vette Books
Its would be a waste time and money to do it this way.... Just save up till you can buy one. It is much easier and cheaper (Usually) that way
Worst Idea of the day :p: (sorry i had to say it)
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,106
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From: ...tearing up the highways, one state at a time™®©
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
what is it exactly you want your C4 to be?? :confused:
Show?
Speed?
work in progress?
500 bucks harly will buy a set of wheels - the auctions you are thinking of are hype and do not exist that I have ever seen... For CORVettes at least... Maybe a CHEVette ;)
Really, wait a year, take the 600 per month you said you were going to save and buy a nice $6,000 vette w/ $1,200 left over for mods, insurance, gas, etc :cheers:
Show?
Speed?
work in progress?
500 bucks harly will buy a set of wheels - the auctions you are thinking of are hype and do not exist that I have ever seen... For CORVettes at least... Maybe a CHEVette ;)
Really, wait a year, take the 600 per month you said you were going to save and buy a nice $6,000 vette w/ $1,200 left over for mods, insurance, gas, etc :cheers:
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,106
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From: ...tearing up the highways, one state at a time™®©
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
So those government auctions are just hype? I'm sure some people have had their car impounded for having drugs and were driving a C4 corvette. I'll have to research it more.
Seriously, my friend is selling his 88 Coupe for $6k. has new paint and 5 spoke zr1 type wheels on it. It is a solid foundation for whatever you might have in mind - more are / will be out there :cheers:
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Pro
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 515
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From: Everett WA
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
Off item, how do you load up pictures from your computer to use as an avatar? When I go to the thing to pic my avatar, it only has pictures that I can choose from this site, nothing to where I can upload my own avatar. I have seen some of you guys here with your own custom avatars.
as for auctions.. leave them be. http://www.corvetteshoponline.com/ has some rebuildable ones, one for 2k even. you could try that for a base.
If your set on this build-yourself-a-car, i understand. sometimes you just want to do something the hard way, and not manny people see the reasoning behind it. I for one, think that it would be really cool.
I would think that the shop manuals would have really good pictures of just about every part. (i dont have one, so ask someone who does)
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Kingman AZ
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Cruise-In VIII
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
In my humble opinion this is a really bad idea. Go for the inexpensive well-used C4 and refurbish it. You can still say with pride: "I rebuilt the whole thing myself"! Good luck! :)
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Re: C4 kit car (BrianCunningham)
if you wanna learn about the guts of a C4, pick a year, get a service manual.
http://www.helminc.com
also, check out this book: Corvette from the Inside, by Dave McClellen.
Another good book: Corvette Fuel Injection and Electronic Ignition, 1982-2001.
The C4, as mentioned earlier, does not have a conventional chassis...it's a monocoque construction. The rear 1/3rd of the vehicle is fixed and cannot be extensivly modified.
these cars can get expensive to work on... think money pit. when done, get it insured for agreed value, otherwise, if something goes wrong, you won't get soaked.
Also, don't expect to sell it for anywhere near what you have in it... if you build this, it will be for YOU.
Get a newer vette, too... There are more parts available for them than the earlier ones.
http://www.helminc.com
also, check out this book: Corvette from the Inside, by Dave McClellen.
Another good book: Corvette Fuel Injection and Electronic Ignition, 1982-2001.
The C4, as mentioned earlier, does not have a conventional chassis...it's a monocoque construction. The rear 1/3rd of the vehicle is fixed and cannot be extensivly modified.
these cars can get expensive to work on... think money pit. when done, get it insured for agreed value, otherwise, if something goes wrong, you won't get soaked.
Also, don't expect to sell it for anywhere near what you have in it... if you build this, it will be for YOU.
Get a newer vette, too... There are more parts available for them than the earlier ones.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,375
Likes: 1
From: Northern CA
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
So those government auctions are just hype? I'm sure some people have had their car impounded for having drugs and were driving a C4 corvette. I'll have to research it more.
If the car is worth $8,000 dollars, and you bid $500. Someone else will outbid you. It will eventually be bid up to near market value or even above if someone there has auction fever.
Also, building a "new" C4 from parts will cost you more than a new C6.
Dick
[Modified by xs650, 8:45 PM 1/18/2004]
Pro
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 515
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From: Everett WA
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
they wanted money. I figured it would'nt cost anything to see what the government was gonna auction off. :mad
They had what's called a 3+4 transmission which I hear sucks butt.
anything about these C4 cars I need to watch for?
There was one in for sell/wanted that had a broken head gasket and the guy would go for 2-3k. might look at that. (it might be gone too...)
chances are good that there might not be alot of people, and they may not even be interested in Corvettes, as a C4 is outdated and the bandwagon in this country is the newest model is the hippest.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
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From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
You can get used Vette parts from Contemporary Corvette (link on my site); they vend new parts and own a large Vette bone yard in eastern PA.
Check out an issue of "Corvette & Chevy Trader" magazine; I've seen wrecked Vettes in it occasionally.
Check out an issue of "Corvette & Chevy Trader" magazine; I've seen wrecked Vettes in it occasionally.
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 38
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From: Conway Ar
Re: C4 kit car (65Z01)
on my 84 i bought it for 5K and had to fix a huge hole in the passenger side floor panel had to fix the heater cuz the vaccum wasn't hooked up and am re painting it, while also gettin a new trans. (U should go ahead and buy a cheap c4 and build it up instead of from scratch although it is fun to work on.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,252
Likes: 6
From: The Colony Tx
Re: C4 kit car (joshwilson3)
If you really want to build a car from the frame up, look into the older models. There are kits for the C1's and C2's available. And in the C1 arena, you can go 53 or 60. Much easier than trying to fabricate your own parts, and if you go with a C1 the suspension will be similar to the original, but more up to date. A lot of the kits use the Malibu body from the late 70's.