My daughter is about to turn 13 and we are members at a local road track. She will be driving on track before she is driving on the street.

So i was thinking that an 84 would be a steller entry level track car, low hp from factory with the excellent out of the box handling a c4 offers, and an extremely cheap entry price to boot.

Most people go with a miata, or a civic, as an entry track car and I do feel that is very wise for 99% of people. The 84 will still be a handful. She will start slow, and receive lessons from the track pro at Rocky Mountain Motorsports new track in Alberta Canada.

In our case, i am familiar with the c4 platform and so what looks like a bag of issues for some, is a “been there done that for me”. Where i live these darn cars are getting harder and harder to find “cheap”. So an 84 4+3 car came up locally for 3300usd. It needs alot of work but not nearly as much as my 89 mouse fest did. Its remarkable this 84 has zero odour. Zilch. It sat in california for decades and baked. Was imported up here and then i was told sat in a field here in souther alberta.

So we ended up paying $1800usd for the early 84 4+3 that at one time was Im sure a gorgeous car. Not so much anymore. I have found a replacement known-good crossfire motor for $800. A quick look at the pictures below will show you just how badly the prior owner had an overheat incident. (more on that later, i think ive figured out the chain of events that led to the issue).

In one years time she will be legal to drive on public roads with a learners license, as ling as an adult is in the car with her. So really we are not too far off. And as already mentioned she will be going on track for lessons this spring. Im definitely not sending her out in my ZR-1.

OK….now onto pictures and what not.



The girls named the car “Frostbite”.



She came in from a cryogenic deepfreeze. Note the name on its windshield.

At one time, this was “medium grey metallic”. Interior is graphite.





What we know it needs:
A driver door panel. Looking for a beat up cracked (read, cheap) door panel in any color.

Engine, sourced already. Its going in stock.

LCD dash resoldered

It would be nice to get weatherstripping but she is paying for this all by herself which means she will not be buying the good stuff.

Tires- this is pretty moot as if you are tracking a car you will be buying this on the regular anyway

The dash pad—is totally cracked. Ive never seen one like it, though ive read about it. Again, her money. She will want it presentable so she will have to replace it or try her hand at filling the cracks and then alcantara wrapping it.

The interior rear carpet is all burnt up and the fuzz comes out with the vacuum. I happen to have a full carpet set for her, she just needed to spray it with SEM Graphite (15303) and it actually came out looking mint. Im shocked.

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Now this one is weird. I noticed some weird looking fibres showing at the trans tunnel. The PO pointed it out to me when i viewed the car, we collectively thought it had to be some chemical that ate away at the carpet, the seat foam and leather, and the seat bucket shell!!! After we got it home i looked closer and i figured it had to be a cigarette that caused a burn—even a small fire.

The fiberglasss tunnel is fine. The paint Discoloured somewhat, but structurally fine. I can see evidence where the antenna, the center console light, and the rear hatch button all had damage to the wiring and were repaired, albeit somewhat bubba-like. So now im really thinking a smouldering fire from a cigarette.

But there is zero odour. So had to be a long long long time ago. Its been like this a very long time.

So Victoria wants to pull the seats and vacuum and re-dye the carpets etc. As she pulls the driver seat, i see a much smaller witness mark of heat….same as the other side. No burning, but the plastic of the trans tunnel trim is all damaged like the other side.

Sooooooo. Now im thinking a catalytic converter that is scorching hot.

——-

Recall the engine overheat. And that the dash doesnt light up. (its the internal ground issue that lights up both the signal indicator lights but leaves the lcd dark but working). The seller said he drove it around on some road trips. Then he was moving the car to storage for the winter and this happened in stop and go traffic.

I think it has a totally blocked catalytic converter from bygone decades ago. That caused the heat damage. I dont think it was ever run until the PO picked it up, who drove it on the highway only (wind to cool—i have experience with this on a roach 86 i bought) without a dash, so no indicator lights working. (high oil and coolant temps for example) and boom, he overheated, and popped the head gasket, and actually totally f’d the engine. When it turns over it sounds like it has some metal on metal resistance. Hence, the engine swap.

Maybe if she decides she likes the track, we will get the crossfire intake off the current engine ported. For now, i *like* the fact the 84 is totally restricted! Thats why we bought it in the first place. A starter track car.

More pics:




scary looking


i scratched it with a flathead and tried to poke through. its solid.

this is the driver side. You can see the heat damage. Did you know those tunnel trim plastic panels were fiber re-enforced? i didnt.





this is the passenger seat bottom. looking at the left side. crazy. i mean obviously there was a small fire. I have googled and i do see some evidence that this has happened to others. We are not concerned about the seat bottom as we have a set of 1990 sport seats to go in that came out of the coonvette racecar build.

 

Nice project car.

 

Sounds like she will be very happy with the top notch pit crew working for her. It will be such a fun project for the two of you and so great knowing she will be taking such a hands on interest. I have two daughters, both adults now, and they never showed any interest in doing any mechanical work on a car. My eldest will now add air to her tires and even pulling my air compressor out of the garage to do it.

Enjoy your time with her.

 

I'm subbed on it Ryan. Looks like a good project car and a great father daughter bonding opportunity. Looking forward to more great reporting and pictures to come.

 

That's wild! Best of luck to her!

 

So so cool! I'd love to do something like this with my daughter someday (10), or even just a restoration project on its own, but I myself have so much to learn, too! Very awesome project and looking forward to seeing it progress! Enjoy!

Mike

 

What a great project!! The 84 is the perfect car to learn on. I learned on an 84 and coincidentally, I still have my 84 4+3. Just turned 43k miles. My kids always want to drive it but I only have one able to drive. Shes not quite ready for this car. Maybe this summer as shes still very inexperienced and I don't want to lose a daughter or a car.

The time spent with your daughter on this project will be invaluable and the knowledge she will gain doing it will last a lifetime! Since she's putting her own money into the car, I feel as though she will take more pride in the car and take better care of it along the way. This may be a car she will keep and cherish well into adulthood or perhaps one she may keep forever. You're doing a great job as a father!

 

Very cool!
"frostbite" lol....awesome name!

 

Thnx Guys.

So you have to keep in mind here….this is a kids first car. on a kids budget, and also needs to be safe for lapping. Not only safe but you dont want to show up at the track and lose a half shaft from a ujoint letting go so there are some pm type things to do. Track day prep does cost money she doesn’t have and obviously i will make sure it is safe. I want my kids to grow up with a sense of ingenuity, industriousness, able to work through problems methodically one step at a time. solving puzzles. makes the brain sharp. The younger they develop confidence in their ability to brainstorm and solve, the better.

So we actually got it started yesterday. the seller was straight up honest saying the engines toast but i figured we would try to get that feeling of accomplishment so she knows this car is an car and not an piece of junk that will never run. engine had more friction than normal in turning over. once it started , there was no knocking but its chirping and shaking pretty bad. it chirped just when cranking actually.

Im guessing thats a spun main bearing? if it was a rod bearing it would knock right? and the vibration is from the crank being journal being in an out of round bearing? thats my working theory. for the replacement engine cost im not even going to bother with diagnosing. I know the engine got so hot it went nuclear, spewed coolant so hard it blew apart the overflow tank, and then the engine seized. Now it chirps and vibrates like a scared puppy.

Here are pics of her engine bay. the evidence isnt looking good for this motor!. the amount of rust in the water stains kinda implies a lack of give-a-darn. also, see that oil dipstick? im pretty sure thats not the original! who knows if its the right length.



im thinking the blowout was so violent this tank burst. the rusty coolant spray is everywhere.

dried rusty water everywhere


i need a car trailer with a winch to pull the cars up. i could yank this engine and then tow the vehicle to the warm carwash to pressure wash the engine bay. hmmmmmm.





This isnt going to be my typical thread where i make things look as new as possible. She doesn’t have that budget. Nor does that matter for this cars intended usage.

Our priority is first safety (will be a track car)
second durability (again, a track car)
third learning and education
fourth/lastly aesthetics.

So for example it needs a door panel on the driverside. its not there so we cant just repair it its not there. prices for a used door panel on ebay (and any used c4 part really) are retarded. It actually kinda makes me angry how much these guys are asking for a used, cracked, ramshackle door panel. $300!!!!! and that is before shipping which for us is another couple hundred. So what that means for her project Frostbite is the door panel is going to be the cheapest one she can find, locally, and will not likely be the right colour. in this cars case, SEM has a colour coat “graphite” for $19/can that is a deadnutz match.

As for exterior paint, its not important. but we are enthusiastic about learning.

She has a google sheet started, so now she is learning project planning skills. Tracking expenses. Prioritizing workflows.

So you can see how “a project car” can be a huge learning tool to a kid, and help them develop confidence that they can make things happen and go from what they see before them to what they see in their mind.

 

Will a door panel from a 87 work on a 84? This is down in the Tri Cities WA. but might be a source if shipping isn't too crazy.
https://kpr.craigslist.org/pts/7567056672.html

 

Hi Russ yes it will work. I may have found a red one locally for $50 and will msg that person if need be thnx for helping out.

 

I wanted to address your comment on losing a daughter to a car. Yeah i thought about it hard. I mean even the lowly 205hp 84 can get away from you. As crazy as it sounds, this is actually why i want her to start on the track, and get lessons from a professional.

My girls have been ripping on quads since they were 5 years old. Started with those little china 90cc quads. They are now on Yamaha Timberwolf 250’s. Rwd only as i wanted them to learn how to avoid getting stuck and how to dig out if they do. And those have governors. So little by little the girls (i have 4 of them ) learned how weight and balance works, they rolled one, they were allright.

Then we got a little 2stroke dirtbike. an 80 by suzuki. We do mountain biking, and generally just push our kids little by little, so they can learn how physics works.

We plowed a racetrack in our yard, and they have learned how to “hang it out there” in a safe environment. She can drive my 87 manual jeep YJ and we go out into the snow to get it stuck and have to work our way out. The difference between low and high gearing. All these experiences and lessons compound and build with each other as they put together the physical world around them.

Obviously an 84 vette is a big step up. But, its not without calculated consideration that she will go into the cockpit of that car. And it will be in a safe environment, not on public roads.

I know you were not being critical Mazda. i thought your comment as a fellow dad was worth following up on. I appreciate the comment and its worth discussing. Little by little, the younger a kid learns to respect equipment, machinery, gravity, momentum, force, the better. As long as they are never going too far in one leap is how i kind of look at it.

I can even go further to say when the time comes for her physics classes, she will be more prepared to connect a theoretical construct with all the physical examples that she has already experienced in her short life.

As a dad of only girls, I do think about raising them in a way where they are prepared and ready for what life has coming. This is all part of it!!

Thnx for the comment mazdaverx!!

 

I'm just waiting for when the car is completed and she starts getting faster lap times then you.

 

Her mother is already nipping my heels.

In a c5 though.



my wife is getting faster and faster.

 

It sounds as though you're doing a great job with your girls! Getting them quads and dirt bikes to ride is an excellent idea and is an amazing gateway into Motorsports racing. That's where I learned when I was a kid. As an adult, I love autocrossing and because of my experience on the quads, I feel as though it helped with autocrossing.

My wife and I have 7 kids. Our oldest has her learner's permit and desperately wants to drive. She is however, a tad reckless and too care free. Ive seen her on the quads. She and my oldest so who is 14 are both hell on wheels. I bought a 2000 Wrangler with a 2.5 and a 5spd to restore with him and give to him as his first car. He's a literal animal when it comes to driving and fixing cars. He's great at both. When he was 9, I taught him how to move a car with a manual transmission. Now I will let him drive from the cul-de-sac back to our driveway. I sit in the passenger seat and guide him. He does well. My oldest daughter I do the same with. My mom recently passed away and I now own her Mazda 5. This will be my daughter's car.

I wouldn't trust either of my oldest in my Corvette. Even though its an 84, it will exhibit some snap oversteer and I haven't taught them how to get out of that and how to drive through it. I feel like it would be my fault if something happened. Once they're a little older, I will let them drive the car. They need to because it's such a cherished car to all of us. But I want them to learn how to respect it when they drive it. The 84 can get a bit jittery on rough and uneven roads and they should know how to handle the car. I just have to make the time to teach them.

 

interesting comments about the 84 being jittery. got my attention for sure. must be due to the very stiff springs. this is a non-z51 84. however, the fe1 84 is equivalent to the z51 85 so i mean still considered stiff. but not crazy 84 z51 spring stiff.

my first track car was a base 86. soft soft springs!! I put brand new bilsteins on the car and all i got was understeer. took work to bresk the back end loose. my zr-1 is VERY bad for understeer. i figured the 84 non Z51 would be the same.

So im sure i would have shaken it down on my own anyway, but now with your comments i will start talking with her about the requirement for me to drive it fo a few lap days with her to dial it in. Its pretty bad actually that i didnt even think about the bar and leaf rates. i can adjust rates as needed.

thank you again for your comments here and i will make it a priority to show her what understeer, throttle oversteer are, snap oversteer are, braking while turning oversteer, and we will have to induce all of it multiple times. that will be fun actually.

—-

You also sound like an awesome dad who is enjoying watching/guiding/teaching the motorsport and
equipment side, preparing the kids for the physical real world. 7 kids. Kudos to you and your wife.

-//

Thanks again for the comments, i will revisit them when this car gets on the road/track.

 

Yeeeeessssss!!! Congratulations to your daughter on her first Vette. My younger daughter is also into vettes and I love spending time cruising with her, going to shows, and working on it with her. I also started racing when I was around 15 with a circle track car. It’s a great experience and she will hit the public roads with great experience in vehicle control that will make her safer. Good job dad. Enjoy it!

 

Awesome project.

If you end up needing some peripheral 84 stuff let me know... I've accumulated a decent lot of parts over the years and have quite a bit I would just let go. Wish you were closer... I have a whole takeout exhaust I'll never use with a brand new cat just laying around...

 

right on thats what we hope will occur by learning early. maybe she will be into wheel to wheel racing one day too and we can be on the same team. that would be fun.

Thnx! No doubt there will be things we are missing. Will certainly post here and tag you for things that we need to solve. My first 84 so ….



I thought it was awesome too haha. Im a kid of the late 80’s and early 90’s so i instantly thought that sounded like a Transformer name. Will be pretty cool, she can work that name over. maybe even a custom plate would be fun.

 

Right on Dave thnx. And yeah, u r probably correct on your blue 85.

i had an 85 auto, and it had the same “narrow” bar diagonal braces that this 84, and my early 86 4+3 had. That 86 was my first track car….i found it pretty awesome on track at the limit however i must admit that was very early days for me and if i drove it now maybe id hate it. Doubtful though

Are you saying there is no diagonal tubing brace from the hinge pillar inboard and up to the main dash cross support on the 84 and 85? That *would* make a difference in how the inside of the car would be for nvh id think. A guy could probably diy some braces even if just to reduce dash rattle.

One less step for a heater core replacement!

Shes been slacking the past couple nights. She needs to pull the rest of the carpet so we can “re-dye” with SEM graphite. Im honestly shocked at how good that stuff works. Key is light light coats, let dry fully and then brush it out so all fibers loosen up. Not suggesting thats a good solution for a real nice car but for her, so far on the rear wheel arch carpet panels, they look great. When she gets it done, i’ll post up pics of her interior.