corvette_realtor

Drove the car today. Here is everything I know:

First Mechanic Opinion
- Crack in header
- Badly overheating

Second Mechanic Opinion
- Block is good
- Needs new gaskets and new radiator

The seller performed a test at the mechanic and the readout says the following:

- Antifreeze
- Block test
- Failed block test
- Possible head gasket
- Cracked head?

The car drove, I took it for a couple of spins around the neighborhood (nothing crazy or high speed). The temp went from 165 degrees F to about 210 degrees F in that 10 minute drive. I believe he said over 250 is a problem?

The car was leaking out of the front driver side after the drive. Here is a pic:


Seller said the AC does not work on the car. Could that be related at all? I really want it to be an easy fix

BrandensBeast

210 Degrees is perfectly normal for this car, is this the original color? under the driver side mirror looks either dirty or to have bad paint, the side light doesn't look perfect either (the paint around it) The car was leaking what, coolant? power steering? This car seems like a headache, but I could be wrong! Did you take any other pictures? I'd have another mechanic come and look at it, I can't see why this car would need a radiator unless that's the actual thing leaking, the car isn't overheating.

The AC on these cars don't usually work because they run off Freon, which I believe is hard to get now? (I can be wrong, the ac on mine was torn apart and never worked) I believe you'd have to convert it over to something else, i'm sure someone else knows what i'm talking about.

divotdug

'84 AC came with R12....you can still buy it if you know where to look.

Mine was converted to R134 but whoever performed the work did a horrible job and the compressor clutch is shot. Sounds like a coffee can full of ball bearings when the compressor engages.

I have same question for the OP, what the heck is leaking?

corvette_realtor

On the overheating and temperature issue: I only drove the car today in a low-speed residential neighborhood for 10 minutes. I assume if I drove it further and at speeds higher than 30mph, it would get hotter. Guess I should try it to find that out, huh?

Here are the other photos I took of the car today. I believe this is the original paint color.









I am being advised this may be too much of a project car for my first Vette. For some reason, I just want to believe that the mechanics are wrong (or just don't know), and that this is a fluke to be fixed. I know the owner took good care of it.. Flummoxed on what to do.

BrandensBeast

These cars get hot sitting in traffic, usually once they get rolling they cool down, I would say the car would stay nice and cool. Mine actually would cool down from about 212 sitting in my driveway down to 199-207 putting the pedal to the floor having some fun on my street. Hope this doesn't come off rude but there is NO reason for someone to drop the price from 6,400 to 2,500 unless something is wrong with this car, it's easy to clean up a car and act like it was taken care of, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

Like I said before, there is PLENTY of these cars out there to choose from, the 84 having the L83 (instead of the L98 and up) and it being the first year these cars were thrown together, i'd stay away from this car. When asking people if I should buy mine back in october, i'd say about 90% of the people said stay away from it, I ended up buying it anyway against better judgement and am now selling the car... if it's too good to be true it usually is!

Edit: looking at the pictures this car has HAD to had some of the weatherstripping done, not sure if you asked, or maybe he told you, but the weatherstripping looks brand new up the upper part of the targa top running down the side of the windshield, the weatherstripping on the actual door its self (where the window slides out of) looks to be the original since it's all cracked and ruined, not a huge red flag, just figured i'd mention it!

corvette_realtor

The weatherstripping is not in as good of shape near the rear (where the door window glass meets the weatherstripping in the door). In those corners, it is quite worn. Both doors have chipping of the front weather seal of the door/window (visible in photos) and the rear hatch has a seal that is cracked / needs to be "tucked in" beneath the glass while putting the hatch down. I did not ask how old the seals were.

The exhaust is not original. They are ZR1 mufflers I think he said... not sure, but they are square-ish instead of round, like I'd imagine they would be originally. They really growl though.

divotdug

I have the skill to determine and fix the problem. If I lived in the area, for $2500, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

I do not know your skill level but given the body looks great and the interior only shows moderate wear. I think it would be a great starting point.

The absolute worse that could happen is you need to replace the engine.

It's all just nuts and bolts....

BTW have told us how many miles on this car?

Just saw your post above, I also noticed the non-stock mufflers.

corvette_realtor

Car has just shy of 94,000 miles on it. I may be able to get him to price lower (when he first thought engine should be replaced, he said he would take $1k). If I can get him to wiggle down more, I think it would make more sense. I was bummed to know the AC doesn't work in addition to the known overheating problem.

I'm sure a mechanic can figure out a fix for it. To me - I just don't want to wind up too underwater with it. This being my first Vette, and my first older car, I am nervous on taking on too big a project. I don't want the rest of the car to suffer if I can't fix the engine right away. I am not a skilled mechanic by any means; I have never even changed my own oil. I'm sure I can learn a thing or two, but....

BrandensBeast

These cars will get very expensive if they keep going to a shop they're pretty easy cars to work on though! I did spark plugs and wires (crimping them and everything) for the first time ever and put them on the car within about an hour, came out really well and looks great, compared to what was there. The car is still a Chevy at the end of the day, if you don't break it it will break itself

divotdug

I can appreciate your nervousness. Nervousness about the unknown is how we learn.

I'm 64 and been tinkering on cars since I was 16. Started because I got tired of paying someone else to do something I should be able to do.

It's something I enjoy, something you may or may not find enjoyable. But you will not know until you give it a shot.

I think it is not a bad deal at $2500. If you can get it for less than it is that much sweeter.

I'm still wondering what was leaking in your first picture. It's a pretty big puddle so I'm thinking coolant. The question being where did it come from. Could be a leaky radiator, busted hose, totally failed water pump or rotted out freeze plug.....all easily resolved but can be used for negotiating down the price.

Do you know if either of the mechanics that have checked the car did a compression test? That is the first thing that needs to be done. Again, something you can use as a negotiation tool.

The A/C could be as simple as just needing to be recharged.

The car looks good from your pictures. If you can get it for less than $2500 I can't imagine you finding yourself too upside down getting it in good mechanical shape.

Do you live in a state that requires inspections?

I also wanted to comment on your test drive. These cars do run hot. Mine routinely runs around 204º in normal driving. It will quickly climb to 230º when sitting in traffic, which is when the fan kicks on.

RustyCFI

Did anyone else notice that the front passenger rim is on backwards but the driver one isn't?

Remember, this is a 1984, it is 32 years old. I own one as well and it is a lot of fun. However, head gaskets are an absolute pain to replace. If it is blown then you have to worry about coolant getting into the oil system (turns to a color like milk chocolate). If it did then that is definitely not good.

Exhaust: Your exhaust tips are not OEM 1984's. Check to see if the mufflers were changed and the state of the piping after the cat.

Oil leaks: Valve cover leaks are extremely common (and easy to fix). Leaks usually occur at the rear side. Also check the timing cover for leaks.

Heads: 624 heads have been known to crack at the middle exhaust ports due to heat and lightweight construction.

Radiator: Check the radiator hoses. Retighten them if they have been replaced recently. After replacement people usually forget to retighten them after a few hours of driving (usually only needs to be done once). Check for any green stains on the plastic black radiator end that would show coolant dripping out from the hose.

AIR Pump (Smog pump): Sometimes the hose can pop off, minor issue but should be checked for as it would give some hints as to how much attention the previous owner paid to it.

Temperature: 1984s run HOT. 220-230s are not uncommon as this was what it was originally designed to do. There are modifications that can be done to fix this.

Next two need to be on a lift really to see:
Transmission: On the passenger side of the transmission check for a stamp that says MD8 for the 700R4 (automatic) or MK2 for the manual.

Engine stamp: On the driver side of the engine block it should have a CFD with a 207 under it as the stamp.

Do you have any pictures of the engine that you can post?

corvette_realtor

divotdug - thanks for the info and advice you've given. I think you are the only person who has given a thumbs up as far as purchasing the vehicle. I am not afraid of taking on projects (I bought a house that has required a lot of work, and I learned to do many new things). I feel I could learn with this car about doing some form of maintenance/repairs/etc. I think getting the car at a lower price will offset the financial risk of overdoing it with improvements and repairs.

RustyCFI - thank you as well for the detailed info regarding things to look for repair-wise. You are right about it being an older car, and part of my logic behind buying one that needs work is that I believe any 80s C4 I consider will need something at some point.. Never know what can go wrong on older cars.

I do not have a pic of the engine, but am probably going to look at the car again by this weekend. I looked at the engine, it was clean, everything looked about right (from photos and such online). I will spend more time looking at it next time, will look in the oil system for that milk chocolate color you described.

divotdug

Also peer into the radiator and the overflow bottle for an oil slick. Another telltale sign of a failed head gasket.

I'm not sure why others would steer you away. From the pictures the best part of it as a project car is it doesn't need any body work. Plus the interior looks sound.

Mechanical's are the easy stuff.

Good luck!

ccrazor

[QUOTE=RustyCFI;1593113221]Did anyone else notice that the front passenger rim is on backwards but the driver one isn't?

Check proper rotation, passenger rear is wrong side as well as drivers side front..

RustyCFI

ccrazor: Yep, you're right when I take another look at it. If those tires are unidirectional then there are going to be wear issues among other things if they aren't set up properly like the rims.

Paint on the car looks really nice.

corvette_realtor

Yeah, the paint is nice, the interior is nice, but they could both use a little bit of work. I'm not sure what is up with the tires and backwards rims. I can see that the spokes are pointing toward each other, which I assume is how you know they are on backward.

I saw it a 2nd time. The engine was smoking after 2-3 minutes of it running. Definitely problems there. I got repair/replacement estimates, so that helped me settle my bogey.

I made an offer on it, but I don't think the seller and I can strike a deal. For me, it's a big financial risk that I can't take on if I'm starting off with too much invested in purchase price. I hope he finds a buyer rather than parting it out. That would be sad!

divotdug

Sorry it is not going to work out for you. Was it smoking out the exhaust or from under the hood? If out the exhaust, was it white smoke? Another indication of a failure somewhere between the water jacket and a combustion chamber.

What sort of estimates did you get?

corvette_realtor

The hood was open and engine running when it began smoking. The smoke came from near the crossfire "box" on top of the engine. It was near the windshield, passenger side. Thin, white smoke.

The mechanic said $3,500 for replacing the engine. $1,500 I believe if the current engine can be fixed. That was sight-unseen. It has only been looked at by the seller's mechanic, who does not replace engines.

I don't know if that price includes replacing the radiator. Plus however much to fix the A/C (could be done later, if at all).

RustyCFI

White smoke is the color we were hoping against. What divotdug said is what is happening. Somewhere there is an expensive leak occurring, expensive because it could be (aka most likely) screwing up a bunch of the valve train components and other internal materials (pistons, bore sides, etc).

corvette_realtor

I see.. I guess I can stop hoping that the mechanic was wrong about the engine needing replaced then eh?

I don't even know if I would want to rebuild the CrossFire engine for $3,500. Seems like it would be more fun to have a higher-performing engine in the car if it's gotta be redone. But, that's where it becomes a bit expensive.