Sad story but I like the car. I've always liked C4's no matter what other people may say about them.
Sad story but I like the car. I've always liked C4's no matter what other people may say about them.
In reply to racerdave600:
I always laughed off C4s, especially the early ones, as being an overweight, underpowered, old-man's boulevard cruiser. I'm old enough to live up to the stereotype, but after poking around this car for a couple days I'm really starting to see how serious of a machine this was for its day. As an example - the passenger seat I removed & disassembled last night probably weighs 25lbs for a 6-way power-adjustable seat. Then there's the aluminum control arms & all the goodies the Z51 package includes.
petegossett wrote: In reply to Apexcarver: A C4 is a bit like a Locost, only the engineering is already done, and it has the comforts of a real car.
That's what I was gonna say. C4 pretty much equals locost that is already complete. Subtract as much body as you like.
Day-2(1-hour): Nothing pic-worthy since I only had an hour in the garage, but I managed to get the pivots for the passenger seat freed. Being the Sport seats with power-tilt adjustment(seriously, who needs that?) I had to unbolt the rod that actuates the pivot mechanism, then bolt the seat back in & work it free.
I also got the forward-tilt latch to release...unfortunately that was after I'd already pulled the seat back out, and the pivot point for it is still frozen. Luckily the seat is light, so I'll bolt it back in tomorrow & see if I can get it freed up too. 
Robbie wrote:petegossett wrote: In reply to Apexcarver: A C4 is a bit like a Locost, only the engineering is already done, and it has the comforts of a real car.That's what I was gonna say. C4 pretty much equals locost that is already complete. Subtract as much body as you like.
only problem, locost target is competitive DM autocross...
Plus, we are talking a car sitting in a field... It doesnt even currently run. It begs for vette kart treatment, but I'm not the one to do it.
Day-3(2-hours): And we have pics!
Just because I wanted a better before/after pic of the cleaning process, cleaned off the passenger's side of the dash. I also cleaned the crash pad and the center console, but no pic of it.
Then I scooped & vacuumed all the broken glass, pine cones, and twigs from the rear hatch. No pic of the result because the carpet is beyond nasty, but I did find a Beach Boys cassette buried under it all.
"Introducing the new 1985 Corvette - now with dual koi ponds!"
"But wait, there's more!"
All told between what I poured out of the top containers and vacuumed out of the bottom, there was 15-gallons of water. 
Fortunately it was all pretty recent and fresh, at least.
Oh, and I found the targa top tool as well as an impact socket.
Time to pick up some Evap-o-rust and see if I can free either of them up.
I also spent some money and ordered a set of hood and hatch struts($34.89), and AC Delco fuel pump & sock($33.00).
My plan is to work on the driver's seat & side of the interior this week, then tackle the tank & fuel pump over the weekend.
Go man, go!
Keep up the good work. I like this.
After reading the start of the story, when you get the car cleaned up you might want to send a picture to the woman you bought it from and tell her that the car is in good shape again.
Nice score, btw.
Thanks everyone! And Brett, I'll be doing that as well as contacting her for her late son's name(it was somewhat unique and the spelling wasn't obvious) to have a plaque made for the dash.
petegossett wrote: Thanks everyone! And Brett, I'll be doing that as well as contacting her for her late son's name(it was somewhat unique and the spelling wasn't obvious) to have a plaque made for the dash.
Very cool!
Day-4(2-hours): I removed the driver's seat, vacuumed up the remaining mess, and cleaned the dash/cluster/column/door panel on that side.
The driver's door panel is in worse condition than the passenger's but it cleaned up ok and is functional enough for now.
I also freed the seat pivots before removing the seat. 
Although I'm having the same difficulty on this side with the forward-tilt not moving even though the latch is releasing. That won't be a big problem after the hatch glass is bolted in & the new lift-struts are installed, so I can worry about it when I put the seats in.
Speaking of that, the driver's seat is identical to the passenger's, and it too has a "Driver" sticker on the bottom. Since it has slightly more wear than the passenger's, I'm planning on switching sides when I reinstall them.
With the interior basically done for now I took the shop-vac to the engine bay. I'm glad I did - I'm afraid the engine heat would have ignited a small brush-fire up there. Most of the debris was deep down where I couldn't get a good pic, but here's a before/after shot of the cowl.
Do you need a hatch glass? Not going to use mine. Lost track of which one of yours was broken,Got door glass too.
In reply to GTXVette:
Thanks for the offer! I have a good hatch(as long as I don't break it while installing it), though at some point I may take you up on the offer - I'd like to cast a mold from a good hatch & try to make one from a lighter material, and I'm sure it would be much easier to do off the car.
Cool car, very sad story. I bet the car is happy that you're giving it another life.
Brett_Murphy wrote: After reading the start of the story, when you get the car cleaned up you might want to send a picture to the woman you bought it from and tell her that the car is in good shape again. Nice score, btw.
Yes, do this.
petegossett said: All told between what I poured out of the top containers and vacuumed out of the bottom, there was 15-gallons of water.
Maybe I should have left that bucket at your house.
In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:
Haha! Thankfully my new Harbor Freight 5-gallon shop-vac(purchased with a 25%-off coupon!) was up to the task.
them places on mine had the bottoms knocked out,No water= no mold or carpet,Lol
In reply to GTXVette:
I knew there were plugs down there, but there was sediment covering the bottoms inside & I didn't want to try popping them out from underneath.
Day-5(1.5-hours): I removed the battery, which took a bit to find & figure out the "hidden" bolt on the bottom of the side cover. Most tutorials mention loosening this bolt then sliding the lower-fender completely off, but mine wouldn't come free. After getting it as loose as I could I realized my lower tab isn't open at the end, and some further searching seems to indicate my car isn't the only one like this.
On the back of the battery was a pouch with a couple receipts stapled together. They were all from Walmart stores in Hammond & Slidell, LA. The first(I presume for the initial purchase) was from '02, and another from '04 when it was apparently exchanged under warranty...I don't suppose that warranty is valid now though! 
After I removed the battery I discovered a ground connection on the frame rail, so I figured it would be wise to clean it now. It definitely looked crusty.
Lastly, I wanted to turn it around in preparation for working on the fuel tank & pump. So I jacked it up & set the dollies underneath - and let me say it takes a lot more effort to move this around than it did the Europa I bought them for!
I saw a C4 yesterday the same color combo and my first thought was your build instead of my usual first thought of fat middle aged man with a gold chain. You're changing the world's view of Corvettes.
In reply to Stampie:
Oh I've asked the kids to get me gold chains for Xmas - real or fake, I'm not picky. 
Though I'm trying to avoid the "fat"...
Day-6(3-hours): The real work begins!
First I pulled the fuel pump - I wish all vehicles were this easy! 4-screws and the fuel filler door assembly comes off the rear deck, remove the rubber boot, unhook 3 fuel lines, & the 10mm bolts, then the pump slides right out the top.
Of course it still had plenty of old gas in it. It wasn't so old it smelled like varnish, but it's definitely a bit stale. Here's the hi-tech siphon system in action.
All told there was a bit more than 3.5-gallons in it.
While the fuel was draining I pulled the spark plug wires & hit the plugs with Freeze-Off just to be safe. I also removed the air filter & opened up the intake tract, and was shocked to not find a single mud wasp nest nor any other obstruction!
Lastly, I spent some money at the parts store tonight. Advance Auto is closest to home, so I hit their website this afternoon to check out battery options. I was greeted with a popup coupon for 15%-off $50 or more - score! So in addition to the battery I also picked up a set of plugs & wires, and a pack of speed-nuts to replace one that snapped under the fuel filler lid. All totaled it was $147.79.
I still need to wipe out the tank tomorrow, install the battery, then pull the spark plugs & soak the cylinders with Freeze-Off. After that I'll see if it'll crank over dry.
I find myself coming to the build section each evening looking for your update and now I'm excited because I feel the rumble of a V8 will be happening soon.
In reply to Stampie:
Thanks Stampie!
The fuel pump won't be here until next week, so it'll be a couple more days at the soonest - assuming the engine is free and the electronics function at least enough to run it.
Even once it's running, it'll be a while before it's driving. The master cylinder is dry, so I'll be going through the entire brake system & likely replacing the rubber parts at a minimum. There's also a clunk when turning the steering wheel, so I'll be checking the ball joints & tie rod ends, as well as all the bushings. Then I need to pony up ~$600 for tires/shipping/mounting/balancing. Oh, and plates/insurance. So it'll be after the holidays at the earliest before I can start shaking it down, and that's if everything goes well - we all know that'll never happen!
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