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I am new to the forum and to the world of Corvettes. Owning a Corvette has been a dream for a long time and I just purchased my first, a 99 C5 6 speed Coupe. It has about 122,000 miles on it and I am good friends with the original owner. He purchased it new in 99 and has tons of records and history with the car. He stopped driving it about a year ago due to kids, life and everything else that got in the way so he sold it to me for $9K which I thought to be a fairly good deal. I have been researching the forum, but wondered what things should I do maintenance wise to make it a good daily driver? He did the clutch at around 70K so that should be ok I'm thinking, I just want it to be reliable. Thanks for any direction you can provide.
Dave
Welcome! Lots of information here especially on the stickies posted above the forum. Beware of fault codes, dated tires, harmonic balancer wobble and more.
Thanks, I'm really excited. There are definitely some things that need to be done to the car, but it will be a great project. I'm reading through the stickies now as suggested by DDaryl and lots of good info there so it should make for a busy weekend!
Welcome and enjoy your Vette. My only regret is I didn't buy one many years earlier. I have found a lot of advice, answers and useful information on the forum.
Welcome, I also have a 99. Torch red Coupe. If the previous owner took good care of it over its life, as I have, all you should need to do is change the oil and filter.
Bill aka ET
A couple of pictures of your car would be a good thing.
The first thing you may want to do is install or have someone install a LMC5 or Column Lock Bypass if it's not already been done. Do not let the dealer perform the column lock recall, they will only cause more problems.
I have installed both on different C5 Corvettes and it was not difficult;
You will need a low profile jack for lifting your C5 at the jacking points above. It is helpful to drive up onto some cut 4x8's to get more clearance. I use the following 2 low profile jacks; Larin 2-ton aluminum jack and a Harbor Freight 1.5-ton aluminum jack.
For oil changes I use a set of 57" 2-piece Race Ramps and drive the front wheels up on them while driving the rear wheels onto Trax Jax when I perform oil changes.
Then I lift the rear of the car up under the rear cradle with a low profile jack supporting and protecting the cradle with a 4x8 piece of wood so the weight is dispersed evenly across and there is no metal to metal contact. You only need to raise the rear of the car slightly higher than the front to completely drain out the oil. I make sure to place chocks at the rear of the front tires on the ramps.
If the coolant was recently changed you are good for 3 years.
Change the brake fluid if it appears dark in the reservoir. You should change the clutch fluid if it appears dark in the reservoir, however you will have to do a search for the "Ranger Method". I have used the Ranger method but in the end needed to replace my clutch master cylinder.
Air filter change is simple on a stock intake, just unsnap the 2 handles at each end, lift and carefully remove and install the new filter.
If the belts are original I suggest replacing them. Make sure to get the correct part number belt for your year Corvette.
You should check the sway bar end links and bushings. If they are the original plastic end links that came on the 2000 Corvette then they are probably shot and should be replaced with the oem C6 metal end links.
You may want to replace your spark plugs and wires. I replaced my plugs and wires with my header install and it was a breeze but it will be a PITA on a stock car with exhaust manifolds in place. If you are planning on headers, wait until then.
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-
'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Welcome to the forum and congrats on getting your ‘99.
First thing I would do is check what maintenance has been done and when it was done so you can see what might need attention. Fluids to be concerned with are the coolant, brake and oil. Recommendations for maintenance are in the owner’s manual.
Thank you all! I ran a CarFax last night and it had over 40 history records along with what he has in the car. He was meticulous about keeping the maintenance up and clean. I definitely want to check the harmonic balancer since I didn't see that on the list where it had been replaced. I will go ahead and do the belt as well. I definitely want to change all of the oils as well. Recovering Seats is in the near future. Possibly even some carpet.
Sorry for the delay on photos, here are a couple.
Love the interior color! That balancer is a PITA to get to. No need to order one tomorrow but keep an eye on it. It's like any other car with that milage (albeit the coolest of them all), check service records for fluids (clutch fluid too) and safety items like tires, brakes, etc. Replacing worn shocks and swaybar end links will improve the ride quality and are not too expensive. Enjoy your new chariot!
Recovering Seats is in the near future. Possibly even some carpet.
Nice color combo. You may want to try Ridies for new set covers, foam and more. Their prices are very reasonable and on top of that they are having a Group buy discount for Forum members. Many Corvette Forum members have bought their seat covers and rave about their quality and fit. Corvette Forum member Evil-Twin highly recommends their products and that's a great endorsement imo. Their colors are very close to OEM, They offer a maroon leather which is very close to Firethorn Red. They offer free samples.
03-05-2019, 08:17 AM
New to the Forum
