Help,

My 1985 has around 80,000 miles on it. I would like to completly redo the car. Except I have never done this and need help. First, I want to put in a new engine . . . is it possible to put a new vette engine in it? secondly, can I change from auto to stick . . . lastly, how the heck do i redo everything in the engine compartment.

CK

 

My advice, sell your car and go out and buy yourself what you want. In the long run, you will end up with more money in your pocket. With that extra money you can install mods or enhance the appearance. 2cents worth

 

Well . . . My dad has a 1994 and offered to give it to me when he buys his new one. However, I just don't like it as much . . . I like the flat dashboard and feel that the interior is just nicer in general. Thus, I would like to redo my vette . . . I'm only 23 so I'm not in a hurry to get it done, i would just like to start working on it.

CK

 

If your doing a true restoration, you want to rebuild not replace. In 10 or 15 years that numbers matching car will be worth three times more than your modified car. :rolleyes:

 

I see your point, but I'm not worried about resale value or anything of that nature. . . I want a car I can enjoy. Here's what I'm thinking: Update the exterior to a 96 style (also saw corvette america has a c5 body clips, is this good or does it look lame) At any rate, then I plan to paint it red with black hash marks and put the gs wheels on it. Of course, I would redo the interior too. Oh, I will redo the engine and what not along the way.

CK

 

I saw an 85 w/ a C5 body kit on it last year. The kit itself looked good. He still had the stock wheels on it, which made it look cheesy. Don't think you are going to fool any vette person into thinking you have a C5 though. There is no seam between the back bumper & 1/4 panel on the kit like there is on the C5. Also, the exterior door handles stay the same. And of course, the interior is that of an 85.
Go with what you want. I have an 85 that I am researching putting a new 383 or 396 motor in. Have fun!! :cheers:


[Modified by dtorc4, 8:37 PM 10/18/2001]

 

I don't know what to do . . . i can keep the 85 or get a 94 with 80,000. At any rate, I like my interior better then the 94 thus the reason why i want to keep it. However, I want to make it look like the red with black hash gs that is on here . . . that is just the most beautiful car.

CK

 

As rewarding and satisfying doing your own work is, if you haven't done automotive work before, it can be very frustrating and discouraging.
My advise is to take it slow and plan things out. Have an outline of what you want to do, how fast you want to do them and how much time and money are you going to devote to your final plan. Otherwise you will end up throwing alot of money at it, and not feel like its getting closer to where you want it. Everyone wants a supercar that'll go 300mph, 9 sec 1/4 mile times and handle like an F1 car, but the reality is you couldn't drive that sort of thing on the streets much, and you'll be too broke to afford the gas for it:D The key is to know what you want out of that car and what are you willing to sacrifice to get there.
As for the work, unless you have a good friend that'll help you along, I suggest you find a good mechanic that you can trust.
Just to answer your questions quickley; Yes you cand install a Vette engine in it, but what's wrong with YOUR Vette engine? You can convert your auto to a stick, but it will take alot of time, effort and MONEY. There are some people on the forum that have done it, and I am sure they will be the first to tell you that it is not a job for the novice, faint of heart or the thin of wallet. As for "...redoing EVERYTHING..." in the engine compartment, take it one piece at a time. As you remove it, clean it, paint it or replace it as you wish and put it back in. Good luck.

 

What exactly is a resotration :jester . J/K, I agree that doing the work on the car is extremely satisfying when done, however it will be probably be much cheaper to sell it and buy another.

 

Follow your heart.The early C-4's are such a bargain, partly because of the "buy newer" mentality, that finding a strong one that can still be used while doing a makeover is relatively easy. They definately have an appeal, such as the dash, the "unhip" 16" wheels, the earlier front and rear styling, I think think they're the best value on wheels!

My '85 has 90k miles and is beginning a major restification, chassis, engine, and interior: in that order. It will take 3 years and involve around $15k, but each project will only take a couple of weeks and I'll use it in between. I've carefully mapped out what to restore and what to modify.
The thing about selling yours and buying something newer is that unless you find a really mint car (which will cost a lot) you'll end up spending nearly as much in restoration, and be out more money for the base car. You're not going to want to hop up an engine with 50k undocumented miles.

Just my .02 :cool: