Hey all, im looking to buy a C4, the thing is im going to use it to make a vetper, i was curious as to which year C4's are best overall, and how easily i could get one with a good frame and an engine i can rebuild, the cosmetics dont really matter since im going to redo them anyways. I like the 93-95 Zr1's but im pretty sure finding one to use as a donor car wont be easy as they probably dont end up in salvage yards too much. But is engine swapping a regular C4 to a Zr1 engine any good? Which engine and which car has more support? Im not looking to making a drag car but you know, people always want more. Thanks for letting me in.

Eddie

"Power only steps back in the face of more power"

 

You have deep pockets,.. right?

 

The ZR1 is a great motor, but uber-expensive to deal with.

It can fit into a stock C4, no question, but everything about it is unique - AC, PS, ECU, take your pick.

This is what I would suggest - the amt of money you will spend to build a ZR1 would be best served in finding a perfect ZR1. A real nice 1993 or 1994 ZR1 will set you back about $18k~$25k. Consider that an engine is worth a MINIMUM of $10k... do the math.

 

What is a vetpur?!?! If i was going to buy a c4 right now I'd go 96 LT4!

 

I'm thinking it's the Viper body kit. I'm hoping he's not going to butcher a Corvette though

 

Why not just buy a viper then?

Hey Shawn did you pay my girlfriend to lay on your car?!? J/K

 

yeah... it's a Corvette with a Viper body kit. They look rather unique!!! Unless you just won the lottery... and you don't mind several Corvette enthusiast coming for your neck... I wouldn't butcher a ZR-1. They are not cheap by any means and are so rare, that destroying one will make more enemies than friends.

I'd start with an older C4 if any. You can score an 84 for around $5000. This will leave more money to build a motor and drivetrain and all the other things associated with the swap. You might want to look for a wrecked C4 too. Some I found on ebay had straight frames, but bad front fiberglass from an accident. They went dirt cheap!!! If you're going with a body kit anyway, that is probably the most cost effective alternative.

 

 

 

 

A ZR1 is NOT a good choice for such a project. It is too rare, too expensive and lacks the power you need.

For such a project several things should be considered:
-cost, it should be less than a Viper overall
-availability, the donner car should not be too rare
-features, the donner car should have all the need basic features
-performance, the result should be better than a stock Viper

Soo, look for an '89 C4 with RPO-Z51 suspension and a 6-speed tranny (1st year for 6-speed was '89) that "needs some work". This will give you a great suspension, good tranny and HD rear gears along with improved steering. If you want a DS air bag, non-digi dash go with a '90-'91 C4.

Then you can stroke out the 350cid L98 to 383 for the power and drop on your body kit for the "flash", simple eh. This should give you a car that will run 11s in the 1/4 mile, pull .9g on the skid pad and look the way you want.

Try Contemporary Corvette (link on my site) or some of the salvage yards in "Corvette & Chevy Trader" for a good build up Vette. An '89 coupe 6-speed with RPO-Z51 in "average" condition might go for around $11k, but one that needs "a little more work" might be a bargain for your project.

 

thanks so much for the feedback guys, i dont mean to offend anyone i just really like the look of a viper, and instead of using a POS fiero, id rather use a chevy body and engine thanks 65Z01 for the feedback, it was more it was what i was looking for, as to whether another C4 besides the ZR1 could be made to compete with a real viper, since its not going to be real it needs to perform. Would any of you happen to have links to corvettes that need big repairs and or are salvaged which i can work with? Thanks a lot for the feedback again, ill post pictures of my progress, since its a C4 hidden behind another body anyways ~ heh.

 

By the time you got done with all the mods and $$ invested to make a fake viper, you could likely have bought a real viper. Factor in the labor and blood sweat and tears, it cant possible be worth it. And on top of it all, its still a fake viper that will get no respect.

 

well, i understand what your saying chevy, but the fact is, i like the way chevy's drive over vipers. Ive driven both, but i drove a ZR1 and i liked it much more than i liked the viper, the viper was just barely faster but it was so hot in the cockpit its not even funny. And the fact that i can say i basically built a car that has no name is an achievement to me. Especialy at 18.

 

It sounds like you are doingit for the right reasons then. IF all you wanted was a viper then Id say it wasnt going to make you happy. If you are looking to combine the best of both worlds it just might work for you. Good luck!

 

There was a ZR 1 motor and tranny on ebay with a starting bid of $15,000

 

First of all, welcome, glad you decided to join. I really admire your ambition and desire to do things to how YOU want them. Especially at your age. This is quite the project!
So,
were you specifically after the LT-5 motor? Or will some other power plant make do?
Mass air flow engines are very easy to mod. Even to an extreme. Here on the forum, look for a guy with the name of "ski_dwn_it".
He's got a 434 cube mass air flow monster.

I have seen it a couple of times, that 84 vettes are awesome for chassis performance(read auto-x).
There is an outfit out here in Templeton CA called Paul Newmann cars or something that build any kind of car body on C4 chassis. Maybe email them and see if they are willing to offer any advice.
Good luck and keep us updated on your project.

 

We all think that the one we own is the best C-4 to own for different reasons. 1996 is the newest with the most refinements. 1984 might be the cheapest to buy but you will have much $ to upgrade. Its all an individual thing.
Cut up a vette and put on a viper kit? Not me.