Yesterday I came home with a 93 6spd to do some restoration work on with my sons and start to drive this spring. I chose this car because it needed a lot. It has an ugly spoiler that I will promptly remove and sell cheap, it's leaking oil, the fuel filter is dripping gas, the exhaust system is cobbled up and sounds like Joe Dirt would drive it, the tires are older, the door panels are pulling away, the wiper delay does not work, its missing a few things, the tires are outdated, it has a rotational scraping sound under the car under heavy acceleration, the lcd screen is dim, the surge tank seam is starting to weaken and seep coolant, it has mismatched shocks.... well you get the idea. It definitely been beat on and neglected and I felt sorry for the car. The car does have great bones and some redeeming qualities. The engine fires right up, the clutch does not slip, the trans doesn't have any worn synchros or bearings, the diff sounds good, it goes down the road straight, it made the hour and a half drive home with zero issues, and most importantly, my boys love the car. I didn't pay a ton for it and felt like it was a car I could make nice again. I don't know a ton of history unfortunately, and it's missing the owners manual which was disappointing. I plan on ordering a bunch of parts today and getting to spend some time on the car throughout the week and this weekend. I will continue to update this thread with new pictures of the restoration, which I can only hope turn out half as good as VikingTrad3r's cars!

 

I’m always amazed at folks that won’t spend money to maintain a vehicle, yet they always have a fancy stereo system….it’s one of the first things I look for when I shop used cars…that and those stupid *** “air fresheners” hanging on the rear view.

you’ll have fun with it I’m sure, and with your boys liking it…even better !

later, Tiny

 

For your missing owner's manual try
https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/c4/1993/
for a free download pdf.

Although it needs some work, an LT1 6 speed is a great place to start. I have had 3 of them and love the combination.

Good luck with your project.

 

Looks like a great start to me. Decent interior with the sport seats, no FX3 to deal with and a nice color combo. I'm right there with you re: the spoiler but it looks like it will make a great driver. I think you did well if the price was right.

 

The price was ok in the car market we're in today. I picked the car up for 6k. A little higher than wanted to go on this particular car but a running and driving LT1 with a 6spd can be tough to find cheaply. I felt as though it was ok since the drivetrain is great. The engine runs smooth and strong and the car pulls very well. No mechanical issues with the clutch, transmission or differential so that's a huge win there. The engine is leaking oil and I've already ordered everything to fix it, so I'll take care of that when the parts arrive. Much of what the car needs is cosmetic, the door panels and spoiler being two of the worst things that need attention. I looked last night at removing the spoiler and it looks as though I'm going to have to remove the rear bumper. The hardware holding the bumper on is tough to get too tbrough the opening behind the license plate and has some rust. Last night I did remove the cheap plastic insert CORVETTE lettering and the two stickers on the back bumper. Looks much better now. Next to go is the spoiler.

 

You're not wrong at all, Tiny. And the worst part is that the stereo doesn't even sound as good as the original Bose did in my 94.

 

I would exchange the word "restoration" for "the way I want it" !!

 

Looks like a good solid candidate for you to put back the way it should be. Good luck with it

 

The plan is to bring the car back to stock in most ways and restore it to its original condition. I plan on removing all of the aftermarket add ons and repainting the car the original color. All parts going on the car will be correct other than the thing I will make such as supports for the door panels.

 

Incorvettei, I appreciate the words of encouragement! I'll do my best to put it back to the way it should be!

 

Im curious, what would make the rotational scraping sound?

 

That's a good question. It sounded like it was coming from right under the shifter. I need to put the car on a lift and inspect the C-beam and all of the u-joints.

 

I'm excited that a lot of parts have arrived this week and I'm expecting more tomorrow and next week. Looking forward to digging in tomorrow and getting some stuff done on the car. A new expansion tank and cooling system hoses and lines will be first, followed by a new fuel filter, and then valve cover gaskets and rebuilding the instrument cluster. That's my goal for this weekend. Next week when the intake manifold gasket set arrives, I'll dig into that job. Should be fun!

 

Looks like the little girl is getting her look together ,she has to look cool driving it as soon as it's finished ..LOL I think you got a few years ,great start .I just restored a 93 I might be able to help might , PM me any time I'll see what I can do for ya .. Have at it .. Good luck ..

 

I spent some time working on the 93 today with my youngest son. I pulled the seats and he helped me clean and sweep under them. Then I removed the cluster and restored the lcd panel from the kit from batee and cleaned the bulbs and polished the clear lens. The cluster turned out great and I'm more than happy with it. Really excited to keep improving the car and buying new parts. Still on the hunt for a rear bumper and with any luck, I'll be able to find one that's already Arctic White.

 

Time spent with your boys tinkering on old cars is always worth the effort. Enjoy it, they’ll be gone before you can turn around.

later, Tiny

 

I really enjoy spending time with my kids and its even better when I can incorporate cars into the mix. I let my 7 year old and 4 year old daughters sit in the Corvette last night and play and pretend to drive it. They had a blast and didn't care that the keys weren't in it. They are so excited by my Corvettes that they routinely ask for rides in the cars. If it wasn't raining last night, I would have taken them for a ride one by one.

 

Yesterday I got both of the Corvettes out and snapped some pictures. My son helped me install new center caps on the 84 and we took both cars out for a cruise. We had a lot of fun messing with the cars. Wish we would have had the time and a little warmer weather to wash them. Next weekend hopefully. But in the mean time, I have to address the oil leak on the 93 and continue searching for a new rear bumper. Striving to constantly improve the car.

 

 

I took the car for a gentle cruise yesterday after work and really enjoyed driving the car. The new Spicer u-joints should be here today and I'll get those on this weekend. But yesterday was too nice of a day not to cruise!