Hello Corvetteforum!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 265
Likes: 21
From: Grand Rapids MI
Hello Corvetteforum!
Greetings and salutations! 
My name is Jay, and I am the inheriting owner of a silver 1984 Z51 4+3. I'll probably have it 'til the day I die...lots of sentimental value. While it may not be the quickest year, it was fast enough in '88 to get me to the hospital--and not be born in the passenger footwell! 
My father was a huge 'Vette buff, and while he was a bit too old-school to get involved in online forums like this one, he loved these cars with a passion. He also loved SCCA/HVRA road racing; I grew up going to the track in Sebring, FL with him. Most recently (for the past 20 years or so actually) he ran in vintage with a 1964 C2 roadster that had been converted to a track car way back in '66. Apparently it has some winning history as well. Here's a quick clip of him driving during the 12 Hours of Sebring event in 2007:
Sadly, he passed away this past January, and I've been missing his knowledge and presence a lot. The days have gotten better, especially with the impending arrival of the '84 (my big project!), but I still find myself thinking about it at the most random times.
I've got big plans for the car, and before anyone asks--YES, the Crossfire is staying! I don't need to build a rocket ship, and the TBI, along with the Star Wars digidash, is a huge part of the car's character. I know there are plenty of ways to make it "fast enough"
I can remember riding in it with him when I was really young, and being awestruck by all the flashy readouts and the multicolored display. I was sure it was the baddest beast on the road 
It was also my first trainer when I was learning to drive stick. That lasted about five minutes until I'd stalled it 2-3 times, then Dad called one of his buddies and had me practice in his old Bronco II
I do intend to solve some of the factory restrictions on the car, and give it more of the oomph a Corvette deserves. To start, I'll be installing a new true dual exhaust w/crossover, from headers to tips. I also have a Renegade intake manifold I picked up for a steal--hopefully it lives up to the hype, since I never found any hard numbers on its performance. HAS to be better than stock choker though
Not expecting massive gains from that particular setup...dyno time will wait until I can also get a set of performance heads, a somewhat lopey but well-behaved cam (would like to convert to hydro roller, not sure how complex that will be), parallel plumb the TB's, make the regulator adjustable, beef up the FP and injectors, and oh yeah...learn how to tune!
I want to pick up a new ECU and see what I can do with it (piggybacked to the old one, to retain IP function), since the mods I'm planning for will render the car otherwise undriveable
I could have a chip burned, but would prefer to learn! I've never worked with tunable ECU's before, but I know enough automotive theory to be dangerous, and I'm excited to learn how to lay out A/F and ignition mapping. If anyone knows of a great book on the subject (or a great deal on an ECU), I'm all ears!
Anyway, this is definitely a long-term project, and I'm planning way ahead of what I can get done right now. The car won't even be here for another week or so
And I'll have plenty of age-related maintenance to get done before any performance work--don't think any of the rubber has been touched yet, and it's probably getting tired at 31.
But that's me, and some of my story...I'm always looking for new advice and information, so feel free to fill me in on any pitfalls I should know about
Cheers all,
Jay
My name is Jay, and I am the inheriting owner of a silver 1984 Z51 4+3. I'll probably have it 'til the day I die...lots of sentimental value. While it may not be the quickest year, it was fast enough in '88 to get me to the hospital--and not be born in the passenger footwell! My father was a huge 'Vette buff, and while he was a bit too old-school to get involved in online forums like this one, he loved these cars with a passion. He also loved SCCA/HVRA road racing; I grew up going to the track in Sebring, FL with him. Most recently (for the past 20 years or so actually) he ran in vintage with a 1964 C2 roadster that had been converted to a track car way back in '66. Apparently it has some winning history as well. Here's a quick clip of him driving during the 12 Hours of Sebring event in 2007:
Sadly, he passed away this past January, and I've been missing his knowledge and presence a lot. The days have gotten better, especially with the impending arrival of the '84 (my big project!), but I still find myself thinking about it at the most random times.
I've got big plans for the car, and before anyone asks--YES, the Crossfire is staying! I don't need to build a rocket ship, and the TBI, along with the Star Wars digidash, is a huge part of the car's character. I know there are plenty of ways to make it "fast enough"
I can remember riding in it with him when I was really young, and being awestruck by all the flashy readouts and the multicolored display. I was sure it was the baddest beast on the road It was also my first trainer when I was learning to drive stick. That lasted about five minutes until I'd stalled it 2-3 times, then Dad called one of his buddies and had me practice in his old Bronco II
I do intend to solve some of the factory restrictions on the car, and give it more of the oomph a Corvette deserves. To start, I'll be installing a new true dual exhaust w/crossover, from headers to tips. I also have a Renegade intake manifold I picked up for a steal--hopefully it lives up to the hype, since I never found any hard numbers on its performance. HAS to be better than stock choker though
Not expecting massive gains from that particular setup...dyno time will wait until I can also get a set of performance heads, a somewhat lopey but well-behaved cam (would like to convert to hydro roller, not sure how complex that will be), parallel plumb the TB's, make the regulator adjustable, beef up the FP and injectors, and oh yeah...learn how to tune!
I want to pick up a new ECU and see what I can do with it (piggybacked to the old one, to retain IP function), since the mods I'm planning for will render the car otherwise undriveable
I could have a chip burned, but would prefer to learn! I've never worked with tunable ECU's before, but I know enough automotive theory to be dangerous, and I'm excited to learn how to lay out A/F and ignition mapping. If anyone knows of a great book on the subject (or a great deal on an ECU), I'm all ears!Anyway, this is definitely a long-term project, and I'm planning way ahead of what I can get done right now. The car won't even be here for another week or so
And I'll have plenty of age-related maintenance to get done before any performance work--don't think any of the rubber has been touched yet, and it's probably getting tired at 31.But that's me, and some of my story...I'm always looking for new advice and information, so feel free to fill me in on any pitfalls I should know about
Cheers all,
Jay
Last edited by 84Z51J; May 15, 2015 at 09:32 AM.
