Mods you regretted...
 

We're always hearing about how this or that mod improved speed, handling, appearance or just enhanced the general Corvette experience. What I'd be curious to hear about are the mods that had the opposite effect or at least no effect (and thus were a waste of time and money). If you knew then what you know now, what wouldn't you have done to your Corvette? TIA...

The mod that aggrivates me is the off road(true dual) exhaust. What was kool:cool: at age 22, is not so hot now. The B&M shift kit in my trans sux as well.

I don't know if I can say regret but I definitely had second thoughts about modding the car any further. I think it was a combination of a higher stall TC, getting rid of the FWO's, more power, and a really bad decision. The street was wet one night and I didn't realize it. It hadn't rained but there must have been too much moisture in the air. I was testing out something I had done to the car. I stomped it from a stop with the traction control off and the tires broke loose. It was a really close call with a car, then a pole, then a fireheidrant, than some other inanimate object. Fortunately I kept my cool and steered my way out of it. That was the longest 5 seconds I've had in a while. It was probably even less than that. If the streets are wet I never turn off ASR or drive aggressively but they did not appear to be. I don't know if I would do the TC again after that. It's good for the track but can be dangerous on the streets if your not careful.

:cheers:

Briefly, I regretted going with longtube headers and the highflow cats... I was having trouble passing CA SMOG, with high NO readings. I was certain it was the cats - my car passed with FLYING colors before the headers... I eventually got it worked out, though, with a can of Seafoam and a re-test being the only expense I incurred.

I guess it's safe to say that at some point or another, I regret (or at least 2nd guess) just about every "mod" or upgrade I've done. Even something as glorious as the RD Camber Brace I've regretted! The shop that did my Opti and WP removed it, and I opted to not have them re-install it to save myself the extra labor charge. When reinstalling it later that week, as my hands began to develop those inevitable small bleeders and scratches, I definitely regretted having to install it *again!*

Heck, even the hatch vent has made me go, "Now why did I...." when a rattle developed in the cargo area. Of course, it had absolutely nothing to do with the hatch vent, but it was easy to place blame there initially.

That's the way it goes, I guess.

No regrets, except for mods I haven't done yet. Here is my latest mod, the little decals on the intake (just for bling):

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...h/100_0804.jpg

Knowing what I know now and the thousands of dollars that i have pissed away, I would kept it stock!

:lol: Andy, that's almost as bad as my "Winter Project":

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1629064

i wish i modded my car with all emissions legal mods. instead, every two years i pull my engine out and put the stock one back in, along with all the emisions equipment. i didn't mind doing this when i was younger and didn't have my son, but now it becomes a major drag every two years to do.

i regret not modding it the legal way. does that make sense?

Hmmm. not sure I am ready for speaker cover plates yet. It does look like a good winter project for a FL (or GA) car though. :D

None so far. No matter how hard I try to WANT to leave it stock, enjoy it the way it is and save the money...I cant. :thumbs:

No doubt about this one!!!!

The AutoVation Racing Pedals I bought on a forum group purchase.


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ighlight=pedal

These pedals are too big and you often end up simultaneously apply brakes and throttle...

These pedals look great, but they are absolutely a safety hazard!!!

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING THIS ON A 6 SPEED!!!!

BTW I am a normal shoe size 10-1/2

:cheers:

The only mods I've regretted (temporarily) are the ones you get in the middle of and go "**** this is a lot of work!"...

...then you get 'em done and tell everyone else how easy they were! :lol:

Oh...and don't lie Brad (Hot Rod 90)...you MF'd that Fidanza for *years*! :rofl:

No regrets, if it ain't free (or practically free), I ain't doin' it!:rofl:

On my CE, I initially regretted getting 4.10 gears. The shop used Richmod gears, and they whined like crazy. For the first 1000 or so miles, I was hating myself for getting them......then that all changed. The wear patten settled in, and they became one of my best mods.


With my Z - I'm choosing every mod carefully. Do it once, do it right, and be done with it.....that my new motto

None... its stock, for now:thumbs:

Im doing a 383 build on a second engine... but that will be going in a race prepped vette, no regrets there

:iagree:
There is no better advice for someone new to the Corvette world than this.

thats gotta be a real pain :ack:

:rofl: You got some big ones, man! I don't know if I'm ready to tackle that yet or not! :willy:

("We're not worthy, we're not worthy....")

Worst decision was the Hypertech Thermo Master Chip. I installed it and fought engine ping for a couple of years. When I decided to have a custom chip done by Tom Wong up in Vancouver Washington for a close to stock car. Tom ran a base line using the above chip and found that it was advancing the timing to 43 and reducing fuel! PING :willy: :willy:

He burned a couple of chips and settled on the second to last chip burned after dyno testing. Now the advance is only about 34 degrees and we are not reducing fuel. No more ping. And the chip has handled my other mods without any problems.

Next would be the throttle body air foil for the stock TB. Wasted money.

All the other mods have been good. I built my own camber brace with bolts on the horizontal section from the drivers side to the passanger side. Remove the two bolts and you have full access to everything, you don't have to pull the whole unit. It only takes less than 5 minutes to unbolt. That was a good choice. And I built a large diameter pipe to bolt in to replace the Magniflow cat when at the track....VERY good move!

I regret the non-pop up headlights I put on. They will be going back to stock.

Mojo. Oh wait a minute, you meant mods on the car.:rofl: :smash: :lol:

This one is going to get my hand slapped.:D

Currently I am regreting installing a ProCharger. I too believe in doing it right the first time but it sure takes a lot longer on the front end. To prepare for FI I have done the heads/cam/intake/plenum/runners/fuel pumps/fuel injectors/water alcohol injection/long tube headers/crane cd ignition/high flow main cat/cat back exhaust/trans shift kit/trans oil cooler/DeWitts radiator/fuel pressure gage/boost gage and surely some other things I can not even remember.

I am getting close to having the head unit installed but I am having no luck in finding someone in the Dallas area to dyno tune it. If I knew then what I know now, I would build me a forged stroker and shoot the juice to it.

90Indy

kn filter,waste of money. no other mods.

headers....the exhaust has leaks now and Im in CA to boot

:eek:



















:D

:smash:

Years ago I had an 86 coupe. I bought some of those black out "dot-decco" coverups for the front driving lights/turn signals and the rear tail lights. I drove her to work the next day and was thinking how cool I looked running down the Interstate!:cool:
When I got out of the car at work and did the usual "look back" I noticed that the right front one had blown off as did the outer left rear! I must have looked like a real dork!:rolleyes:

Only mod I regret not getting was ZR1 Other than that no regret on my C4.

In Oregon personal plates can be transfered to another car you own. Emmisions are tracked by plates! so when it come to testing my Corvette I transfer my plate to my Camery. pass every time.Go faster!!!!!!

Dont think I would brag about that online

Regrets
 

I regret installing intake air foil and K&N air filter. I did it before I joined this forum. Both were waste of money

I regret not buying a ZR1 :(

The only mods I regret are mods the previous owner put on.

I regret the air foil and the single mass flywheel he put on.

I'm using you as a role model. I haven't done ch!t yet.

Years ago I painted the stock wheels on my car,I never thought 84 wheels could get uglier,but they did.

TB Bypass...... :smash: :smash:

:cheers:

Monza upswept mufflers. Cheaply made, started to rust after a month and they snapped, crackeled and popped when you stepped on it.

:iagree:

I find cr@p all the time that I have to repair because of the previous owner mods. I just discovered after replacing a blown fuse that my car has an after market alarm I now will have to track down. It is loud!

I'll be in the minority here. I don't regret the airfoil since it cost me $10 and took 15 minutes to install. I sometimes have second thoughts about the Corsas. No complaints, but $1100 installed is a lot of money to pay for minimal HP gains (probably not a true statement if I had an L98), louder WOT and chrome tips.

I wonder if for about the same money I could have gotten decent LT headers and cats and gotten more HP. I suspect it would have cost me a lot more to do that mod right, though. Or, maybe I should have done the 410's. I bet nobody will complain about that mod. Unfortunately, at this point there's a limit on how much $$$$ I want to stick into a 14 y/o car with 102K on it.

I regret the cheap-a__ rotors from that botched group buy last year.

They didn't fix my vibrating brakes and I wasted a lot of time assuming that since they were new, rotors weren't the source of the problem. As it turns out, they were warped/uneven straight out of the box. Had them resurfaced, and I'll be going back to stock way sooner than planned.

Live & learn...

At times I regret lowering my LT4 (front & rear). Although it looks great & feels great, you just can't drive the car w/ reckless abandon like you could at stock height. I find myself driving more cautiously because of the lowering and that does take some of the fun out of the whole experience. My very recent addition of the QA1 shocks sure helped though...in fact, my regret level has been lowered significantly since I put these on.

might as well add in the open lid & k&n gig. makes for the fabulous trio of stupidity that this forum espoused just a couple years ago :lol:

then again, that's where the magic the search function here can bring up necessary dissention.

Great thread!
Should be required reading for all new C4 owners.

My philosophy is "stock engine/upgraded chassis".

That way I avoid major regrets....and so far my only regret was installing Edelbrock IAS shocks. Fortunately, they came off as easily as they went on and another Forum member was glad to buy them. :thumbs:

Larry
code5coupe

this is where many of us part ways. imo, stock performance is an embarrassment. thats L98 and LT1, unless of course someone got lucky with some steroid factory freak. the engine needs a major upgrade in today's enviornment. C4's should all have had 400hp right out of the factory. so i say to gm they balled us from behind, particularly the L98.

My CE Roadster was modified by the original owner, I am the second owner.

It has Corsa cat back exhaust, a chip, and a K&N, a CAGS bypass, and maybe a few other mods I am not yet aware of.

If it was up to me, I'd have left it stock, except maybe the CAGS bypass.

I would have considered showing the car someday, and these mods would hurt its collecter's value. They can be undone, but it would be expensive.

Whatever modest bump in performance the exhaust gives, I think I would have prefered the quiet of the stock LT4 pipes.

Bill

"Chips" don't apply to '96's. You may have had the PCM re-tuned...

I understand your desire for upper-echelon performance in today's environment, but you must remember that the L98's were awesome when they were new...which was 22 years ago!!
Even the LT1's and LT4's (and they are at least 11 years old) were incredibly powerful stock engines in their day.

To say we were somehow cheated when Chevy made these cars so many years ago is being unfair, in my view. I say, "Thank You, GM" for giving so many of us this fantastic, affordable machine.

Larry
code5coupe

Mods I regretted.......
 

Installing wings on the car.
Remorse beset me almost immediately;

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...e/rearwing.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3.../frontwing.jpg


But, I fired up the grill, and ate them the same day.
:thumbs:

:iagree:

No one ever beat my STOCK 1989 L98 automatic in numerous tests, so it was far from an embarrasment to drive.....in its day

Oh my LT4 has done pretty well also....

:cheers:

Rear spoiler (wing), it's coming off soon.

why do you regret this mod?

I put chrome valve covers on, but it just doesn't look right. Maybe some black composite ones are in my future...
My exhaust is also way too loud, but I'm working on that...

True duals to Monza mufflers. Removed the cats and it makes babies cry. It sounds great but it's too loud. If I give it any throttle when taking off, it sounds like I am going 60.

The Trans-Go shift kit is pretty stiff. That helps me not hit it very hard when I take off from a dead stop. :rofl:

The exahuast will be a good fix. I like the shift kit though.

How about the Vortec cold air intake that scoops the cold air right off the ground along with water that will hydro lock your $22,000.00 engine package? Oh and then taking it to a shop that has had it for 7 months? Guess the shop doesnt count as a mod though.

Yea,but it was fun while it lasted.

I've evaluated the mods I've done and they have all made for a better car for my driving. I never plan on entering into the ncrs events with this car. Different strokes for different folks. The engine mods include the usual, borla cat back, upgrade on the optispark, wires, chip, and air filter about cover it. I did a clutch last summer and kept the original style Dual mass flywheel, Im glad of that. Soon I will be installing new stiffer springs, bilsteins, and poly suspension bushings. My plan with this car is to upgrade with caution. I hope I dont regret the poly, some guys love em, some go back to rubber. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

How about some more info on this please? I have the front license ram air and it makes me nervous thinking about water getting in there. I have only heard of one other person, a C5, hydo locking the engine with a ram air intake.

Thanks :cheers:

Putting another layer of sound insulation (over the factory) on my 92 vert.

You get as much mileage out of these pics as I do from the wife's Toyota huh ;)


If I'd installed the Hypertech and not the previous owner I would have seriously regretted that.. the only thing I ever noticed was maybe a slight bump in torque around 2k rpm with less power up top and a generally rougher-feeling engine all round. It's an expensive fan-reprogrammer basically. For a manual car already tuned very well, definitely not worth the 400 bucks these things go for anyway.

This is a great thread. I need to replace the exhaust system on my '90 coupe, and have been debating just replacing everything w/ stock parts to headers and true duals. Sometimes I think, just leave it stock, other times, go for it. So I am torn, I don't want to waste money, and I am afraid that if I want to sell the car later, having headers will make it harder to sell.

Sorry if this is a hijack.

Hijack warning

I am pretty skeptical that enough water could be scooped up from one of those intakes to hydrolock a running motor. Especially since I have literally poured water into more than a few running small blocks in order to clean up carbon with absolutely no damage to the motor ever occuring. Whatever you were told, I believe something else must have caused this problem.
I am not promoting the intakes, I dont have one and dont want one, this just sounds a bit improbable to me.
Roy

Yep, it's a hijack. Thinking about a mod doesn't count!:smash:

Luckily, I made all the mistakes on my first vette, so when I got my second I didn't make the same mistakes...
On an L98 it's absolutely pointless to port the TPI, unless you plan to completely port the S**T out of it AND Siamese it.
Also, it's completely pointless to waste money on any other type of exhaust setup on an L98, other than Long Tube Headers with either single 3" or dual 2½" exhaust.

Mine is easy! When I dropped the 5K+ on a Procharger! Car pulled hard in 3rd & 4th (just spun in 1/2) and sounded good but all the BS I have delt with within the last 2+ yrs was not worth it. Last summer was the first that I enjoyed the car again. It's running perfect now just on the engine so I don't know why I'm considering going to the juice? I guess I want the 10's that bad!!

bottom line for Me was too much compression to go with a SC!:ack:

This thread really needs to become a sticky. :yesnod:

Very seldom does the "other side" of some of these mods ever see the light of day.

Larry
code5coupe

i posted once then deleted it. i decided to re-post.

there are only 2 mods i ever regretted. all else i've got on now trips my trigger and turns me on every day. i wouldn't live without them, and they enhance the corvette experience the way *i* think it should be, so its all good.

except:

1. the fidanza flywheel. in my setup it was a big fat zero. too light for my taste and not what i was looking for. and to go along with it, my ZF got loud as hell. unacceptable for a daily driver. notta problem if i didn't care about that and lived for the track 24/7. good news here is i was able to recoup most of the cost by selling the stage II kit purchased originally from carolinaclutch.com. bought a brand new OE dual mass, throwout bearing, and a nice used OE pressure plate on a good deal. so it was pretty much a wash.

2. here's the killer. the 1rst chip re-program. and NOT the tuner in my profile, he's the one that saved me the 2nd time. the 1rst time was someone else who i'll not mention by name here for obvious reasons.
had my engine built the 1rst time and it burned up quick. piston ring lands destroyed in #5 and #7. i still have the parts, will save 'em forever to remind me of a lesson well learned. that lesson was that i trusted and didn't verify. i was promised a superior tune and ended up getting a tune that was considered fraud. a look at the binary file revealed very little time was spent on adjustments, maybe 10-15 mins tops. this is a speed density car. error condition right off the bat. NO fuel adjustment made to either table. NONE. this spells early death for a SD with major mods. i put the chip in thinking some minor adjustments could be made in short order. i didn't know the aformentioned until after the fact. so bingo, it detonated like crazy and that had to be that. spent $250 on a chip that cost another engine rebuild and all labor cost to the tune of $4.5k. that was $4.5k more than i should have ever spent. and this certain tuner refused to give me a refund on the chip that he never tuned. this happened about 2 years ago. i have since forgiven this person. but i'm posting the generic info here because the question was asked and i'll answer it. so there you have it.

so overall i've learned that stock base C4 power is unacceptable as a dailiy driver. thats my opinion. woefully unacceptable. my next purchases will only be beasts that have been paid for by someone else, have gone thru their teething pains, and have lived a proven half-life. i will not pay full for power ever again. or buy it straight from the factory. that means a C6/Z06 -- minimum. the Z06 part is mandatory. that's in my plans down the road. i'm a patient man. and thats a big lesson for me.

the issue in #2 above is the only tragedy i've ever experienced in a car. it was my 1rst modded car. it wont be the last. but i won't be performing the gig. $4.5k, which is entirely unacceptable, is enough for me to learn hard and learn good. i only need to go thru it once. i'm too damn cheap to blow money unnecessarily on cars.

Rocco :iagree:
And I'll bet there are a lot more where these came from!:lol:

[QUOTE=Hot Rod 90;1559183693]i posted once then deleted it. i decided to re-post.

there are only 2 mods i ever regretted. all else i've got on now trips my trigger and turns me on every day. i wouldn't live without them, and they enhance the corvette experience the way *i* think it should be, so its all good.

except:

Here's the killer. the 1rst chip re-program. and NOT the tuner in my profile, he's the one that saved me the 2nd time. the 1rst time was someone else who i'll not mention by name here for obvious reasons.
had my engine built the 1rst time and it burned up quick. piston ring lands destroyed in #5 and #7. i still have the parts, will save 'em forever to remind me of a lesson well learned. that lesson was that i trusted and didn't verify. i was promised a superior tune and ended up getting a tune that was considered fraud. a look at the binary file revealed very little time was spent on adjustments, maybe 10-15 mins tops. this is a speed density car. error condition right off the bat. NO fuel adjustment made to either table. NONE. this spells early death for a SD with major mods. i put the chip in thinking some minor adjustments could be made in short order. i didn't know the aformentioned until after the fact. so bingo, it detonated like crazy and that had to be that. spent $250 on a chip that cost another engine rebuild and all labor cost to the tune of $4.5k. that was $4.5k more than i should have ever spent. and this certain tuner refused to give me a refund on the chip that he never tuned. this happened about 2 years ago. i have since forgiven this person. but i'm posting the generic info here because the question was asked and i'll answer it. so there you have it.


I would have sued the living sh_t out of that crook.

Responding to this thread, I installed one of those electrical gizmos that is supposed to increase power dramatically when the gas is depressed very hard. It's supposed to advance the timing to increase power. What a waste. That one came out rather quickly. I sold it on Ebay a long time ago.

Yea, well I probably shouldn't have done the high performance chrome frisbee....not too much bang for the bucks.....:rolleyes:

I wish I had put a crossbar type exhaust, the mufflers were stock replacements, should of put on something more preformance, less resonace. At 60 its killer hum. :ack:

I was trying to gain a little help by reducing weight from the car so, I got rid of my girlfriend....I kind of miss her now. :lol:

:rofl: Maybe next time just put the gf on a diet. :rofl:

:iagree:
Most think a supercharger is a simple bolt on. It is not that simple. Using one takes a commitment.
One I was not willing to make.
I removed it and sold it. For me, NOS was a better shake.

I'm willing to go the NOS route but MUST find someone close to me and someone I TRUST doing it and KNOWS what they are doing. Another engine build,problem solving couple years I will not be able to deal with!! Basically, they will have to sign a contract to work on my car!! :willy:

Remembering the SC I do MISS the whine, turned alot of heads!

All these comments make me realize how well built from the factory cars are. When we "mod" something we believe that it's going to be better than the factory. But then we realize that it isn't! The factory has tested all of the components on the cars and knew excactly what they were doing.
Even bolts that need to be torqued would result in something bad happening to that component that was suppose to have its bolts torqued to a certain amount of torque and somebody didn't torque them. All these so called mods do not improve the car, they make it look improved but in reality it isn't.

I prefer the wet kit for safety. It allows you to control how fat the mix is. Others feel a dry system is better, but I have had excellent results with a simple wet system. I have run 50+ bottles through and have not had problems.
Like the supercharger, some safety measures need to be in place, but not too big of a deal.

I never modded my ride to make it better. I did them to make them go faster. Gm built them for balance. Emmisions, reliability, stopping, accellerating etc.
I never wanted balance. I appreciate going fast, and stopping well. Everything else takes a back seat. I personally, could not own a stock c4. I fully understand why some would not have it any way other than stone stock. Different strokes for different folks:cool:

:iagree: I have to chuckle when I read about stuff like that. Takes quite a bit to hydrlock a vette, especially with the filter underhood and facing up. That is, unless it was used as a swamp buggy

I did exhaust, intake, and $500 tires for my old firebird formula and ended up selling it a month or two after that.

:thumbs:

Man,
This is messed up. It's too bad a stock C4 can't get you from stoplight to stoplight fast enough. When you posted about your friend being a pantload, I wonder if you drive like a maniac. Do you need maximum power to keep you "on the edge" or better than everyone else? For racing/motocrossing/etc... a stock vette is obvious too slow -- but it's not a true race car. For matching up to today's engine's, it's unimpressive -- but technology has changed. From your statement, I can only see a person who want's to get from light to light in 5 seconds -- flooring it, then slamming on the brakes. Is that what you really need for a daily driver?

Emissions and technology play a factor of what was provided in the late 80's. At least that's what responses to my thread on this subject revealed. And, my vette is faster than my non-emissions 1968 GTO. My C4 can get 30mpg on the highway -- plus it's cleaner and handles WAY better. I don't think we got screwed. You seem to be whining because your 17-yr-old car wasn't built to compete with today's cars.

My view doesn't mean I don't think Chevy could have done more, they probably could. But they didn't do THAT bad -- considering the times.

Next you talk about buying someone else's proven mods -- and ones that are half-way used up. Not my ideal -- but if you get a good deal, what the heck. I'd bet on factory reliability over someone I don't know. But, I'd also bet on my work vs. someones elses.

From this thread (and other's), it sounds like you regret the money you put into mods. While you say it's not worth it, you keep saying how important it is. What's your real position?

If you're not going to buy from the factory, why reference a Z06? If that is the requirement for your starting platform, this did not come across. It sounds like you want to buy the Z06 -- not a modded car. I think you weren't clear. I think you have some inner conflict.

Gregg

K&N filter was a waste.
Air Foil was a waste.
TB bypass was a waste.

Great thread to read!

I've regretted the wife mod on more than one occasion :eek:

On a serious note. If your car is a daily driver, I'd think long and hard about loud exhausts, cams, major work etc... KISS(keep it simple stupid) works well in this regard. My vettes are toys for me, so I will mod my C4 with a LS6 swap ;)

I did regret adding huge amps. subs etc... to a WS6 I owned. Getting too old for that junk and it added too much weight for me.

Air Foil was a waste, I felt like a :_dupe:

BTW, I have one for sale. :rofl:
:lolg:

Thats not entirely true, you can get a piggy back chip for them. And if that is what it had (ive seen a fair few), id regret it too if it was me. There is a bloke over here with a Grand Sport that has one, i told him at a show last year to take it off before someone saw it, when he told me it was getting him 40 horses, i almost fell over laughing..... :lol:

Ok I'm your therapy couch, and its session time. We have an hour, right? I'll cut down to 120 seconds. Yes, the earlier C4 was adequate for the times, but a now as a 17+ year old car in terms of factory power it definitely isn't. I do think the handing is quite fine for today's standards. I'm not good with power vs. today's cars. 250chp then hitting a brick wall at 4300-4500 rpms (this especially sucks) ain't gonna ever cut it, no way no how. NOT in a car thats touted to be a street power. LT1 is an improvement but still lacks unless it's some whacked factory freak. I keep seeing posts about torque monster L98 this and that. Its kinda ok, but its nothing to get wound up about and throw around some self-rightous hard-on. The L98 needs help. And in today's enviornment, help is desperate. Why did I buy one? Well I don't like the later C4 exterior bumpers and gills and always much preferred the more agressive early C4 styling. But then I don't like the early C4 interior particularly the dash. Because I don't believe in screwing up with different bumpers and panels (reverse "posing", if you will), the later C4 was out, LT1 or not. So the 90 was the only choice. I was ok with that, the visuals were all covered, and being a ZF6 I got the maximum that L98 had to offer @ 250chp. Ok good enough to start.
Well, that lasted about 6 months. The engine had to be worked over. And it was too quiet.

Now my inner conflict you're reading is real. It stems from these fractured facts:

1. I had to pay for 2 rebuilds. This doubled the cost, and changes the attitude somewhat. I'm sure you read about the basics as to why I had two rebuilds. I'm money conscious, so that experience caused major conflict at first.

2. Modded.....I agree with you that buying modded is a matter of trust. I would only ever buy it if it was a slammin' deal. So I agree. The point I was really trying to say is I learned that paying $.05 or $.10 on the dollar is smarter than paying the dollar. Now this all really matters most to one who has to pay to have it assembled, like I did. Anyway, not paying full pricing again. I made all the decisions on parts and got deals where I could (the shop purchased very little, and just incidentals) so that saved a heckuva lot. But that damn #1 above killed all that, and then some (alot more).

3. Factory.....C6/Z06 offers the bang in today's standards. Tits-on styling. 427 cubes. Up to date technology. But I won't ever buy one new. Only one about 5-7 years old already. Its that pesky money thing. If I got all hot and bothered and bought one now, that would cut into my retirement plans down the road. And I don't like that above all else.

Now about general attitude.....no I don't suffer from some complex, as I couldn't care less about racing, timesheets (ink on paper), dyno numbers (more ink on paper), numbers-schmumbers, street racing, punks, self-proclaimed bigshots, or any of all that. The only thing I ever expected was a rush of the face to the windshield and some level of scare built into daily driving. Thats it. And factory stock C4 base power aint gonna get that job done. By the way, stoplight to stoplight is only part of driving. The stock L98 fails after the stoplights go away and you're on open road.

Sorry, my session might have lasted more than 2 minutes.

trust me, at the time i was seriously considering it. but that was 2 years ago. i've since forgiven him, and promised i would never utter his name in public again. well, thats in public anyway. i've written it all off, financially speaking, but there are some emotional residuals that creep up from time to time.

Would put a bloody big dent in your beer money too mate.... :cheers:

which is the most unacceptable of all, mate :D :cheers:

I regret not knowing more about cars and wasting all that money on labor in the first couple years I owned it.

After that I had a buddy that did most of the work, and lately I am doing a lot of it myself (learned a TON about engines since then).

I regret putting in a Spec stage 3 racing clutch and single mass flywheel. Like someone else mentioned about their exhaust, it was cool when I was younger, but it sucks now. The tranny is on its last leg, and I will be going back to dual mass and a stock clutch when I replace the tranny.

I only somewhat regret all the nitrous parts I bought. I never got to fully run the car on nitrous with it in 100% working condition and tuned, my best time on nitrous was 1/10 slower than my stock engine... Now its all 100% running great, but the kit is in the closet in a box and I honestly dont care to even put it back on now.

I wish I had spent the money on other things like new seats and fixing my AC and stuff... comfort things instead of performance things.

I guess that all comes with growing up and getting older. Times change, so does taste and ideas, even about the same car you've owned for many years.



...oh yeah, I REALLY regret buying a sh1tty Astro Top and not spending the money on an OEM. There wasn't much data on suckiness back when I bought it, so I preach loud and clear how much the ysuck when someone even mentions Astro Tops.

GIJoe, how long ago did you buy that Astro-Top? Even 4 years ago after I joined this board, it was widespread knowledge. The search function brings it all to light. Check the archives.....It is indeed a drag to have spent upwards of $500 on product that totally lets you down.

I'm sure you can very easliy sell your nitrous kit and get something out of it. No biggie there.

Exhaust? I'm 44 and love the loudness. Well most of the time, heh heh. There are moments during the cold winter where the decibles can bellow in the rear chamber. The manual tranny really helps. But still, I can appreciate it now more than when I was 18. Then again, I've always liked my music loud. Now the music and pipes are loud. However I get some reprieve because I never went for true duals (mainly a state inspection issue for me), and I do have a single hi-flow cat. So its not so loud as some others, but still appreciably louder than stock (which is horrible for any sports/muscle car).

Yea, that SMFW gig is for the birds. For a daily street driven ZF anyway.

:withstupid: Led Zep has to be loud to be fully apreciated mate, its not the same otherwize is it... :lol:

That's O.K., I won't charge extra!!!!!!!

Most people are like me. They've never driven a Corvette and don't know the C4's limitations. I won't tell -- if you don't! :D

Even the ones that have driven both (like my next door neighbor) are still impressed. He has a G35 -- with 250+ HP. But, the torque behind our vettes still wins....

Let's get back to reputation though. With your stock looking car or even my "poser", drivers that THINK they're faster will wonder if they can beat you. I can get satisfaction from teasing them at the lights, then watching them grab their balls and letting it go. If you don't go for it, they can easily assume your too confident or simply don't need to win. For them, that can be a frustrating as a loss. And, that's a win!

As the commericial said... "Confidence is sexy"....

Cars have options you can order from the factory. As you point out, having the new interior with the older body style was "available" in 1990. The newer and older bumpers are pretty much a bolt-on item. Actually, most potential buyers of the C4 prefer the newer bumpers. Not sure if it's outright looks or because it looked like the early ZR1 bumpers -- making it a poser.....

In either case, it's what the factory chose to bolt on. When I bolted different bumpers on my car, I considered it a factory change -- but one I personally did. :D (Actually, I wanted an LT1 but did not feel like dishing out $20K at the time. I thought I'd upgrade someday -- but the option to do it to my 89 became more appealing -- especially after the hood got crunched).

I also stuck with factory wheels (chrome) and side pipes -- which probably would have been offered if not for emissions issues....

My hood... well, it empasizes what's good about the factory hood. It doesn't attempt to make it look like something other than Corvette.

My wing is the only thing out-of-place, but there's a story behind that too. (the antenna hole)....

Posing? Is it posing when your about style/confidence? If so, owning a vette is posing.... It's a thin line....

That sucks. It makes you wonder if the extra fun is really worth the expense. I'd have to be really well off to consider spending $30-$40k for a C6. I doubt that'll happen. Also, there are other cars I'd like better -- like a Prowler even though it's a Chrysler product.... Also, since I like the newer C4 bumpers better (like most), I don't like the C6's appearance. Just don't. If Chevy did their homework and knew this, I'm surprised they chance making it look like the older version.... Maybe that's why there's talk of a C7 already?

I think the difference is this... We both like style and performance. I like style more than performance. You like performance more than style. "More filling, tastes great"!

If you don't do your own engine work, this is definitely a good way to go!

I understand, though you are still awfully close to wanting the thrill of racing. In fact, I submit you want it.

As for wanting that power, you have to understand it will never be for anyone else but you. There are many reasons for this. For someone who doesn't own your car, they can't let themselves be too envious -- or it will hurt. Some aren't even comfortable with speed. Within the next ten years, scientists say the carbon threat (from our cars, etc...) could bring an irreversible damage to the environment. How proud can we be in investing against that possibility?

I think the next enviable speedster will be based on another energy source. Hope Chevy keeps that in mind. (I can appreciate a 450HP electric car -- but only if they put a 1500 watt stereo in it that projects the roar of a gasoline car. ;) )

And, spending a truck load of money on a C6 does cost more money than it's actual purchase price. It takes away from future savings, costs a b@tt load in taxes, etc... They are damn expensive. I'm 50 this year, and I'll never think spending over $20K on any car is a smart choice. (Yeah, I'm doing it on my vette, but I hope to get half -- or more -- of that back someday. This would never be true of any dd).

Speed is a selfish thing. You are really the only person who will enjoy the money you spend to get it. Looks/style may be more than that. You still are the only one who will really enjoy the car, but looks can create longing, envy, and even suspense....

And, that's my $.04. (I have to raise my rates.... to pay for my upgrades!!!! :rofl:

Hey Greg, good post, thanks. I really enjoy your sense of humor too :lol: :cheers:

right now it is removing the mufflers. it sounds really good but is just to loud, with my 3.75 gears on decel it pops in the exhaust. sorta sound like a truck with duals. not the sound I am going for :ack: so I guess the magnaflows ar going back on for now. I need to find something in between the magnaflows and just pipes. :cheers:

I had flowmaster 40 series and I loved them at first. I am putting my stock exhaust back on this weekend.