C4 Race Car Build - roadrace, endurance
11-17-2016, 06:25 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
C4 Race Car Build - roadrace, endurance
My friends and I decided that we wanted to get into Chumpcar racing. One of my teammates has a vintage (68 corvette with wide body kit) race car that he takes out to historic events every once in a while, then we all stated talking about making a Chump Car… We talked about this for a while now, then this August we made the jump and decided to look for a car.
We originally did not know what car we wanted, we just knew that we wanted an American V8. We started looking at Fox Body Mustangs but that quickly changed to looking for a C4. We found this 86 vette and made a deal ($1,300). Now we have a car…
We originally did not know what car we wanted, we just knew that we wanted an American V8. We started looking at Fox Body Mustangs but that quickly changed to looking for a C4. We found this 86 vette and made a deal ($1,300). Now we have a car…
11-17-2016, 06:42 PM
#2
Instructor
Thread Starter
Once we got her home we began the stripping process. We pulled anything that was not needed to make the car go or stop out. We also removed the whole inner structure from the doors including all of the glass motors, etc. This is always the fast part the hard part is putting it back together.
11-18-2016, 12:24 PM
#4
Instructor
Thread Starter
As soon as I get home I'll upload more pictures. We are building the car to fall in the Chumpcar rules but also cross reference with others like SCCA and NASA to make sure we have all of the safety items for the most strictest organization.
The goal first off is to make the car safe and dependable. When we get a few races down and we are tired of getting passed we will probably upgrade the motor and get the car faster.
The goal first off is to make the car safe and dependable. When we get a few races down and we are tired of getting passed we will probably upgrade the motor and get the car faster.
11-18-2016, 01:17 PM
#5
Subbed!!!!
11-18-2016, 02:07 PM
#6
As soon as I get home I'll upload more pictures. We are building the car to fall in the Chumpcar rules but also cross reference with others like SCCA and NASA to make sure we have all of the safety items for the most strictest organization.
The goal first off is to make the car safe and dependable. When we get a few races down and we are tired of getting passed we will probably upgrade the motor and get the car faster.
The goal first off is to make the car safe and dependable. When we get a few races down and we are tired of getting passed we will probably upgrade the motor and get the car faster.
There is a lot more removal you can do on the dash area.
11-19-2016, 07:46 AM
#8
Instructor
Thread Starter
On to the Motor -
When we got the car it was having a little trouble staying running. This was actually good for us as we were able to get a better deal on the car. The car would start idle for just second then stumble and stall. We started trouble shooting and replaced the coolant temp sensor. I think we got her going now. But in the trouble shooting phase we checked the timing and realized that the balancer had separated and needed to be replaced.
So as with anything one task ran into another one. So we replaced the balancer
As we had to remove all the accessories when we replaced the balancer we also started to take off any unnecessary items so we removed the A/C, Air pump, EGR system, etc. this led us into having to re-route the serpentine belt. I have a pic somewhere I’ll dig up but it turned out pretty good.
When we got the car it was having a little trouble staying running. This was actually good for us as we were able to get a better deal on the car. The car would start idle for just second then stumble and stall. We started trouble shooting and replaced the coolant temp sensor. I think we got her going now. But in the trouble shooting phase we checked the timing and realized that the balancer had separated and needed to be replaced.
So as with anything one task ran into another one. So we replaced the balancer
As we had to remove all the accessories when we replaced the balancer we also started to take off any unnecessary items so we removed the A/C, Air pump, EGR system, etc. this led us into having to re-route the serpentine belt. I have a pic somewhere I’ll dig up but it turned out pretty good.
11-19-2016, 07:49 AM
#9
Instructor
Thread Starter
Frame Repair
After getting her all stripped down we discovered that the battery tray was covering up a little bit of a mess. At some time in our car’s life the battery leaked and started to eat through the frame. We decided that the best thing would be to fix the bad spot in the frame.
After getting her all stripped down we discovered that the battery tray was covering up a little bit of a mess. At some time in our car’s life the battery leaked and started to eat through the frame. We decided that the best thing would be to fix the bad spot in the frame.
11-19-2016, 08:04 AM
#10
Instructor
Thread Starter
On to the cage –
One of the key ingredients to having a race car is to have a roll cage. It helps to have a teammate who can Tig weld and has an attention to detail. This has been one of the more time consuming tasks but well worth the effort. Here are some progress pics.
One of the key ingredients to having a race car is to have a roll cage. It helps to have a teammate who can Tig weld and has an attention to detail. This has been one of the more time consuming tasks but well worth the effort. Here are some progress pics.
11-21-2016, 10:25 AM
#15
Instructor
Thread Starter
We have been constantly testing fit and double checking our dimensions. One thing for sure is it is a tight fit and there is not a lot of room in a C4. The seat will be mounted low in the car and when mocked up the driver will sit low and visibility would be better if you could sit higher. It is all about compromise when putting a cage in the C4.
11-21-2016, 10:37 AM
#16
Race Director
Nice build.
11-21-2016, 10:51 AM
#17
Team Owner
Pro Mechanic
I dig this. Nice repair on the frame.
Are you going to weld the frame rail seams?
Are you going to weld the frame rail seams?
11-22-2016, 12:46 PM
#18
Instructor
Thread Starter
Thanks for the encouragement. I have some more pics to upload when I get a chance.
Tom, we don't plan on welding the seams yet. One step at a time, that task would be a lot easier with the motor removed so maybe then...
Tom, we don't plan on welding the seams yet. One step at a time, that task would be a lot easier with the motor removed so maybe then...
11-23-2016, 10:48 AM
#19
Melting Slicks
That is so great, keep up the good work and have fun. I love that these cars are so affordable, but also have very good performance potential. Big bang for the buck! YEAH!
P.S. Your car may be an 86 but some of the body panels are from a later model (92-96). Maybe you knew this already but wanted to mention it. The first pic in the thread looks just like my 1995 (but in slightly worse repair LOL).
P.S. Your car may be an 86 but some of the body panels are from a later model (92-96). Maybe you knew this already but wanted to mention it. The first pic in the thread looks just like my 1995 (but in slightly worse repair LOL).
11-23-2016, 11:33 AM
#20
very cool guys glad to see you're coming along, I believe this is the very first C-4 Corvette I've seen with holes in the frame. Good on you to do the correct repair with the cut out and welding, good as new now, loving the pictures thank you.