I retired and bought myself a car.

maschinenbau said:

Is the blank off panel big enough for a cup holder? Could be a fun 3d printer project.

I'm afraid 3D printing is well outside of my current skillset. This was just ABS sheet and Bondene model cement to weld it all together. The car does currently have two cupholders beneath the door to the right of the shifter. 

First Happy New Year!!!!   What truly amazes me with everything you do no matter the palate you chose ......is the subtlety with which you execute and the results speak volumes when one steps back and admires......yu da man CuzzinE!!!......oh oh oh Do not EVEN think a'bout an under hood merul K???......peace out late

This weekend's project is to replace the shock absorbers all around, front sway bar bushings, and wiper blades. 

The overriding goal here is to remove the non functioning electronic adjustable shock absorbers. They are the factory Bilsteins that have a servo motor on top of them that controls adjustment. The KYBs I am replacing them with are obviously just basic nonadjustable units. 
 

As a preemptive strike before anyone mentions it, I know full well the hierarchy of shock absorbers and I know KYBs are somewhere down there mid pack on quality. I have always liked KYBs and as a retired guy I just didn't feel fuzzy about buying 400 dollars worth of replacement Bilsteins. 

This weekends project was to replace the brake hoses and do a good thorough flush of the system. 
 

I know this isn't exotic or groundbreaking stuff here. I'm just plugging away at it one little project at a time. I really like these Russell hoses and have used them on pretty much all of my cars in the last ten years or so. This set fit perfectly. Brake fluid is just generic Autozone Dot 3 fluid. I ran nearly a quart through the system to get all the old stuff out. The old fluid was pretty ugly looking. 
 

Great progress all in the right direction, looking forward to updates 

In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :

Those actuators are worth big bucks.  Hang onto them.  I had to get one when restoring my ZR-1s adjustable ride control.  

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

This weekends project was to replace the brake hoses and do a good thorough flush of the system. 

i love you.

You're doing a great job on this Vette.  Quick question.  After 5 months of ownership, how do feel about the fall in crawl out aspect of the car?  When I owned my C4, it grew tiresome.  Then again, Im a little older.

Dirtydog (Forum Supporter) said:

You're doing a great job on this Vette.  Quick question.  After 5 months of ownership, how do feel about the fall in crawl out aspect of the car?  When I owned my C4, it grew tiresome.  Then again, Im a little older.

I do not like it. I'm a big dude, about 6'3" and 240 pounds. I fit in this car in exactly one position. It doesn't offer me the room to sit in various positions. 

I wanted a C4 since it was my high-school dream car. Now I have one, and frankly, it's a big letdown. When I got this car I was also cross shopping for a third gen F body. Looking back I wish I had gone that direction instead. I believe I would have enjoyed it immensely more. I like working on stuff and projects. This car is more of a clean it and polish it car. 

I've said on this very forum that nothing will cure of wanting a C4 like owning a C4, but no one really listens to me.  I'm sorry to hear your experience was similar to mine but different.

I see a few neglected 3rd gens and a few loved ones daily on my commute.  They hold some appeal for me too,  

Bringing this thread back up.

I still have the car and I have renewed my efforts on it recently.

First issue that I addressed, and this was a big one. The steering column. Apparently the previous owner was a larger fellow and he used the steering wheel to push himself up and out of the car. It's a common C4 issue. This causes a lot of slop between 12 o'clock and 7 o'clock over time. Super annoying to drive with the shaking and slop. So I dug into the column and replaced the tilt pins with oversize pins which removed the slop. It was plenty annoying but the end result was way worth it. I took no pictures of the process. Two stars, not recommended to do column work on a C4. 

Second, I used a cheap Metra stereo install kit from Amazon and some ABS sheet material to make a stereo block off plate. I have removed all of the stereo equipment from the car. Speakers and everything. It's a loud car so the radio isn't really a priority. I do like ruining this car.

And finally, since the smog pump had left the premises awhile back I went ahead and finished the deal by removing the AIR injection tubes from the exhaust manifolds. I had previously just installed caps on them where the old check valves had lived. But removing the whole deals and welding up the manifolds offers way more access to the sides of the engine and a much simpler appearance. I just pinched them off with a pair of handheld bolt cutters then welded the remaining stubs closed. Not beautiful but easy and quick.

I have parts on order right now to convert the front of the car to coilovers. Then I can lower it down to a level that looks good to me.

Jegs delivered the goods for the front end

With no sense of scale they look very short. No doubt they'll be nice - do they still allow for good travel?

In reply to classicJackets (FS) :

I think they will work okay. I'm following the path blazed by other guys.

DIY Corvette Coilovers

Although I did substitute some Jegs branded springs for the Eibachs that the other guys used.