When I had my C4, I was never able to figure out the windshield fog. Just put the defrost on and that took care of it. That and a wash cloth next to me.
When I had my C4, I was never able to figure out the windshield fog. Just put the defrost on and that took care of it. That and a wash cloth next to me.
Rain X On the Inside as well as the Outside. Done
Tip well taken. Thanks.
Remember it has to be really Clean Like Windex W/ Amonia clean and really DRY.
Roger that. And never clean your windows in the sun. Causes streaks.
In a last-minute decision I took the Vette to its(and my) first autox since the Challenge today. It was 45-miles from home, so I drove it there - by far the longest drive I've taken it on.
The drive over was uneventful. The site is an asphalt oval track, and I mistakenly presumed we'd be using the paved infield, but it was grass. So the site was actually the paddock/parking lot - which had the tech shed right in the middle of it. Despite the tiny lot, it ended up being a great course, with a great crew running it. Oh, and the track was used for hot/cold grids, which was different.
Here's a pic of the track.
And here's res the course map & a vid to show the scope of things.
We we were split into 3-groups, with 4-runs each, and two heats each. So I ran 1st group, worked 2nd, sat out 3rd, then repeated the cycle. Unfortunately as I crossed the finish for my 3rd run I popped off the top radiator hose & sprayed down the stop area...better than on course though. I decided to set out the rest of my runs just to make sure I made it home, which I did without incident.
The car ran great on course, has decent power, and felt balanced with no ill traits. On my 2nd run the back stepped out coming backwards through the first sweeper, and I was able to ride out the drift all the way around. I need some more negative camber in front to help with understeer on tight corners, but really the biggest problem is a severe lack of overall grip. For a 3000lb car with 275 200tw tires, it doesn't have much bite.
Im actually pondering selling it though. While it's fun to autox, it's not very useful as a car(to me anyway) nor particularly comfortable(especially ingress/egress and the rear hatch). So I'm not sure what's next.
In reply to Pete Gossett :
Sounds like you had a great time, and the course was interesting.
I don't think that any 2 seater is useful... except for AUTOX, lol.
Build it into something...more.
In reply to a_florida_man :
Surprisingly I found my Miata to be much more practical, though I didn't really care much for autocrossing it.
My biggest concern with the Vette is how deep down the rabbit hole do I want to go vs. my capacity to get in very deep. At the very least it needs a suspension refresh, which of course means having it torn apart for a while. Unfortunately I don't have the free time that I did last year when I took it on, and that ultimately I'd rather be racing than wrenching.
In reply to Pete Gossett :
I know how you feel. The reason I sold my Vette, were more or less the same. Was not really enjoying the car. I opted out and bought a just as fun, for me, car. A Volvo with a turbo. Newer, more refined, and now my wife will ride with me. Now, if I can get my act together, I'll learn to autocross it.
In reply to Pete Gossett :
Understood.
I think I've passed the rabbit so don't take my advice, for sure.
We also have a Z3. It's a lot of fun, and they are getting cheap.
If you consider it, look to avoid 4 cyls and all automatics.
Also try to buy after the major design change around 2001 or so.
Sounds like the 2018 Challenge C4 paddock might be shrinking, lol.
In reply to a_florida_man :
The plan is to bring Jim's car back this year, though I've not spent a dime on mine since the Challenge so it's still under budget for now.
Final results were posted here today. I beat all but 2 novices on raw time, and even managed to beat 3 non-novices! lol
I won't say I'm happy with my times, but all-3 runs were clean and getting progressively quicker: 42.553 -> 42.173 -> 41.104 I'm thinking maybe I just need to learn to drive this POS like a CP car - tires spinning & tail-out all the time?
What is the date code on your tires? As tires age the rubber gets harder and has less grip. It's a four digit number that tells the week and year of manufacture. 0414 would mean 4th week of 2014. When I was working in the tire plant at first it would be on the backside near the bead, after the Ford Explorer fiasco they started putting it on both sides. Ford did an excellent job of shifting the blame for all of that to Firestone. I saw a copy of the NHST report that showed Ford recommended 26 pounds of air pressure in the front tires to slow steering response so that their top heavy vehicle wouldn't roll over in a sudden lane change like the Suzuki Samurai . That wasn't the bad. The bad was that they recommended the same in the back tires of a vehicle that might get heavily loaded from time to time. A side note was that The NHST does other tests as well when they did a J or bootlegger turn both front tires debeaded which means the tires pulled loose from the rim and went flat. When it was all over Ford sent out new door stickers telling everyone to put 26 in the front and 30 in the back. They still said it was Firestones fault.
In reply to Miller Lake Monster :
They were purchased new for the 2016 Challenge, so they're about 1.5 years old now. They're NT05's so they're not the most competitive tire anyway. And they're undersized at a 275-width. And the shocks are likely original to the car...and and and...
The tires I had on my V8 Firefly last fall were 2006. No sticky-sticky, but man could it haze the tires.....
In reply to SkinnyG :
That sounds like a handful!
It was the open diff that saved me.
I sent the Vette down the road to its new owner last night, so it’s time to wrap this one up.
Ignoring the challenges of resurrecting a 30+ year old derelict car, I’d sum up my thoughts on this experience as follows:
In the end, it was a car I really admired - seriously, there were times I’d just look at it in the garage. The interior was a nice place to be too. However, ingress/egress sucks due to the deep & wide sills, parking sucks due to the 8’ of hood+windshield in front of you, and driving in traffic sucks...because it’s a car that needs to stretch its legs. Those issues might be worth tolerating for something more exotic, but not a C4.
Then there’s the stigma around Corvette owners, and truthfully reality is way more weird than the stereotype. I’ve never met a creepier group of “car people”. Though there are definitely enthusiasts within the mix.
Did you tell the new owner about this thread?
It'd be neat if they continued the story. It was nice following a build thread that wasn't just another boring miata.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
No, I didn’t. Quite honestly I was a bit concerned when he told me he’s not very mechanically inclined. He also indicated he was just looking for a cruiser & it came down to the Vette or a fox body Mustang for the same price, and he liked the Vette better because it was an automatic.
I gave him my # though and told him to contact me if he has questions.
In reply to AClockworkGarage :
His Next Project is another Boring Miata
GTXVette said:In reply to AClockworkGarage :
His Next Project is another Boring Miata
Awwww...
In case anyone really hates themselves, my old car is up for sale again.
kinda funny, didn't read the ad. wonder why, really.
Pete Gossett said:In case anyone really hates themselves, my old car is up for sale again.
Well.....that didn't take long.
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