Corvette Goes World Class
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- By 1982 Corvettes were fat, lazy and dated. But GM made amends with the highly advanced 1984 C4 Corvette despite Big Brother Washington’s anti-performance laws. Here, Steve explores the main detail that sets the debut-year 1984 C4 from later examples, PLUS a look at how GM tricked the Spy Photographers.
Few years back i scored a 95 ZR-1. What a hell of a car! The LT-5 engine steals the show. It truly is the forgotten king.
I didn't have much respect for the c4 corvette until recently, one month ago I purchased a 1993 base coupe in excellent condition artic white and black leather interior with 69,001 miles on it.
It handles great and feels like a lot more than 300 hp.
An absolute pleasure to drive.
Went cross country in a silver C4 in 1985 (PA to NV) and you would have thought we were driving a space ship...it was soooo exotic back then. Lots of "thumbs up" on the trip. And we carved the Rockies in it...spectacular!
NV isn't California bro. Not cross country
C4 dominated so much in SCCA that they had to make their own C4 only race, the Corvette Challenge.
2 must-have books for the Corvette fan: "All Corvettes Are Red" by James Schefter; about the design and building of the C5, including a deep dive into the internal clashes and politics within a monster hierarchy like General Motors. And the other, of course, is "Corvette From The Inside" by Corvette Chief Engineer Dave McLellan. And yes, the C4 was and still remains, a landmark engineering achievement. It's great to see the C4's finally getting the respect that they always deserved!
Also add to the C4 reading list "The Heart of the Beast" for the history of the LT-5 engine and the ZR-1 Corvette.
Rewatching the older ones. Big changes came in 85 with revised suspension and engine. What a great start to a long run for the C4.
Prayers Mr Magnante ~ Chuck
C4s take a lot of guff these days, but I recently owned an ‘89 coupe and loved it. Looked & sounded great, handled well, reliable, fast enough to be fun, good MPG. And cheap! I need to find another one. Thanks, Steve!
Back in the day Car & Driver toured a bunch of GT cars for a road trip, RX7, 911, C4 Vette etc and the Vette cleaned up on MPG by quite a margin. With the largest engine, too.
Those Vettes were decent cars, but their looks just weren't as inspiring, to me, as other generations.
@@rotaxtwin Yep. A big, torquey V8 in a lightweight, aerodynamic car with relatively high gears is still plenty quick and barely above idle when cruising.
I had a 1996 manual trans coupe for a while, I thought it was an absolutely great car. It handled as well as anything I've ever driven aside maybe from my current 2.5-swapped NC Miata, but it's fairly modified and the Vette was essentially stock aside from Bilsteins and C5 Z06 wheels. It was pretty genuinely fast, also fairly stock in that regard (standard stuff, intake, headers, exhaust, underdrive pulleys, tuning, etc., no serious parts), and I could get mighty close to 30 mpg on a road trip.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, I was 19 when these cars came out. I was working at Russell-Harrington Cutlery in Southbridge MA. I was making $4.35 an hour. The general manager bought a bright red 84 corvette, I saw that car and promised myself i would buy one some day. Well 38 yrs later I have 7 C4s, a 1984 Z51, 2 1985s, a 1986 yellow pscecar, a 1993 30th anniversary Z07, a 2008 pacecar, and a 1991 ZR-1.
People don't understand how hot these cars were when they came out. Great videos rhat you are making. You hit on my all time favorite car the C4. PS when im driving ny 84 i feel im 19 again.... Thanks
Oh yes I remember the roofs well. When I worked at a Chevy dealer in 1987/1988 it was my job to take care of those cars. When a salesman would show a customer just how easy it was to remove the top then go on a test drive without bolting it back down, the roof then flew off. When the car came with 2 roofs, the clear one was installed and the colored roof was in the back. When the roof flew off it crashed on the ground destroying it. You can't just order a complete roof from GM, you have to order each piece and put together the jigsaw puzzle. I can't remember how many pieces the roof had but it was up over 3 digits if I remember correctly.
Wow...I did not realize that. Thank You for that.
I have a 90 with over 238,000 miles on it, I have no handling problems with the Targa Top off, I enjoy driving it when ever I can and it spends most its time on twisty back mountain roads and long trips.
I bought a 1990 ZR-1 with 74k miles for 5k bucks in May 2018. It had been sitting for many years so i had much maintenance work to do. Fast forward to May of 2020 , tags , insurance and 7k miles later , she is a Beast. I feel honored to be the care taker of this excellently engineered machine.
Still
KING OF THE HILL
You are the king of the junk yard! I (we) love these videos and thank you for all your hard work and extensive research it takes to make these!!
I really was never a Corvette person, I grew up in a family that built street rods and muscle cars, but never cared much for the Corvette. I found a tired white with tan interior 1996 Corvette for a very very good price that I originally thought I would use a parts car to make something else until I got it home. It needed restored but it wasn't in bad enough shape to ruin. 4 years later and thousands of dollars more than its actually worth, I have it. It is a blast to drive. It aint stock no more, I have always been a resto/mod type of person. It looks like a typical 1996 Vette outside, but it is stupid fast, turns on a dime and looks pretty good doing it considering I haven't done any paint work to it, yet. I never grew out of the 80s either so that's my biggest attachment to it. Thanks for the great info Steve, i really enjoy your knowledge on all that is auto.
I pulled an 84 corvette from the junk yard last year. With little work I got it going again. Love the targa! Fun to drive. Needs paint but people still look! I really want to find one with standard transmission.
Remember when Face from The A Team had one lol. His hair was always perfect when driving.
About five or six years ago a buddy of mine bought an 86 Corvette for $2,500!! It had 80,000 original miles on it and a rebuilt automatic transmission. It was white with a red interior and it was in really good shape for the price. Believe it or not that little tuned port injected 350 pulled like a freight train! I don't know how the engineers pulled that off!
As an owner - I love this video! Thanks!!
I have a 1971 C3 Roadster and a few years ago picked up a 1991C4 ZR-1. The difference in technology is mind boggling and world class for it's time...
Seems like a lot of people try to bash the C4. The fact that you owned an early C4 (1985), you appreciate what a game changer the C4 was.
I bought a 1996 LT-1 C4 and absolutely love it .
Another great video Steve.
Take care
Those people generally have next to no knowledge of the car. They've assumed they all have 200hp or less, sit on truck suspension and so on and absolutely refuse to be corrected. They're the same way towards 3rd gen F bodies but assume they only make about 150hp and that they're body-on-frame and all had drum brakes.
I can remember the first one I saw in person. It had to have been early 93 and it was owned by the owner's son of the Cadillac dealership I was working at. It was way cooler than almost anything else at that time but I do remember hearing complaints about the stiff, bone jarring suspension. Of coarse I was working for Cadillac, which was the pinnacle of comfort at GM, so comfort was something we all kind of took for granted and a Corvette like the early C4 definitely was at the opposite end of the plush suspension spectrum. In retrospect, nice cars and I kind of wish I had one.
I was in USAF tech school when Chevy put out a magazine ad that was a three or four page fold out poster of the C4. I had it on the wall of my dorm room. First Corvette that I thought was cool.
The Cross Fire FI had a bad reputation. I love how someone put the lug nuts back on the studs after taking the wheels. No motor, or much else, but got the lug nuts...lol.
It was World Class. Australian Girlock/ PBR brakes under Dimitri Kaplan, our ex Australian Brake Engineer who left for the US in 1982. Mibrook GM guys did all the brake experiments, via it's connection with Holden, who also supplied the BTR Borg Warner 9 bolt G52 code F body axle. The 1983 HDT VH and VK Commodore used pre delivery Corvette calipers in race cars. The fibreglass springing going to the front after the rest C3 spring, and I bought my first Cross Fire intake in 1996...no one who imported it quite know what it was.
My understanding was that the car was delayed to the 84 model year because the production was moving from Detroit to Bowling Green KY and the plant wasn’t ready.
There were actually a small amount of ‘83 Corvettes produced. Almost all of them are gone. Only one remains in the National Corvette museum in Bowling Green.
Chevrolet made ONE 1983 Corvette, and it's currently on display at The National Corvette Museum in Bolling Green, Ky
Man I remember when that corvette was announced to be released in 84! It was a huge deal for Chevy! A game changer! Then I remember going to the Chicago auto show and seeing it for the first time! At that time it looked so futuristic and ahead of any other sports cars at the time! Amazing how times changes in almost 40 years! Great video and story Steve!👌😎👍
I have my little red corvette! I love my ‘89 Vette! I have a fleet of show cars and I even sold one of my beauties to Jeff Dunham, Jay Leno’s friend. I sold him my ‘89 IROC Camaro. I love the 80s cars. G-bodies, Camaro/trans-ams and even the full size station wagons! Me and you are the same age so we grew up with wonderful cars in our lives! Love your channel and a subscriber of course!
The '84 Corvette was an example of the fact that GM can do good things when they actually let car guys make most of the decisions instead of the accounting department.
In 1984 I had a driving job out here in LA delivering auto parts 4 a Delco parts wharehouse and I delivered some parts 2 a Chevy dealership and they had a new 84 Corvette on the showroom floor. It was blue on blue and I sat inside of it.This is when they first came out and we're hardly any in the road.
I inherited my Father’s C4, a 95. I don’t know if it is considered a classic or revolutionary, but I love it.
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon
Thank you Steve I have been an Auto Technician (as we call ourselves now days) for 51 really enjoy your channel.
Afternoon Steve, I worked for GM at the Milford Proving Grounds 2003-2008, I worked in the Crashworthyness Lab, the "bone yard" you spoke of was still there then, but I do remember they had a car crusher onsite....I also remember cars parked along the road trying to catch a glimpse of cars on the test road...
Straight out of my GM History book that was given to us as employees is the explanation of why there were no 1983 Corvettes. GM was busy on getting the release of the C4 so the 1982 Corvettes carried over for the year 1983.
My dad was corvette auto body specialist from 1957 to 1976 at cooly chevrolet in new haven ct! All he did was corvettes and when the 68 came out they had problems with cracks between the headlight openings and hood opening and he was involved in making a brace to prevent it from cracking and in 1969 the corvettes had his brace on them. It was a beam that went under the edge of the hood opening with a rod that went down to the bottom of the radiator support with a rubber mount
I first fell in love with the C4 Corvettes when I first visited the The National Corvette Museum in 1996 . They had a brand new one on loan from the factory across the road that you could sit in. I was well familiar with C3's and C2's and was impressed on how once you figured out how to get in how comfortable it was. Latter on I found out how much fun it was to drive as well when I bought one. I have a convertible version ( it has an X brace bolted to the bottom of the car to stiffen it ) with the six speed ZF manual transmission. I still get complements on the car just about every where I go when I take it out with the top down.
I have a '95 LT1 auto, I picked up last year. It's a fun car, but I spun it on a back road... Now well in the process of getting it back in shape (I was very fortunate in that all the damage was on the rear bumper).
I missed out on getting to enjoy my 'Vette throughout the summer this year, though.
All the way from Tasmania Australia 🦘❤️🇦🇺
This show rocks 🤘
On the rear window speak about the 64 65 Barracuda rear window Steve
The crossfire injection engine was used for 2 model years 82 & 84 Corvette as well as 82 & 83 Z28 & Trans-Am
Rear window was the largest piece of glass without a frame. ‘96 lt4 only available with a manual trans was an absolute beast, last year of the c4! Great video Steve!
friend of mine has a 96 lt4 6 speed. first c4 i had real seat time in. she is definitely fast
That seems wrong to me. The 3rd gen F bodies had that distinction when they came out and I don't think the vette's rear window was any larger.
@@lb9gta307 Beat me to it. The 1982 F-car had the largest piece of glass put in production at that time. The rear hatch glass had to be thickend up as in early production cars the rear hatch glass would shatter.
Something that probably should have been mentioned was the unusual and exotic lightweight material used to stiffen the C-4's floor: a thin sheet of balsa wood! Yep, the same fragile stuff from the model airplanes many of us have built. On it's own it is definitely fragile, but when impregnated with epoxy resin it becomes very strong, and a better material for the car's floor than traditional fiberglass like the car's other panels. I found this interesting factoid while reading "All Corvettes Are Red" shortly after the debut of the C-4 back in the midday of 1983.
That book is about the C5 and so is the balsa wood floor structure.
True story: In May of 1983 I was on a school trip to Moscow, USSR. On 2 separate occasions while in our tour bus I saw a brand new C4 Corvette. One time it was parked along a busy street and Muscovites were stacked 5 deep trying to get a look at it. On the other it drove by us in traffic. It was medium metallic blue and wore red and white CD (diplomatic) license plates. I figure it was part of a "hearts and minds" operation with GM and the State Department to show off American knowhow with an early production car. I'm not wrong, I was a car guy then too, and know what I saw. Really wish I had pictures to back it up.
It was groundbreaking in N America I thought. In USSR it might as well have been a space ship.
@@rotaxtwin My thought exactly!
There are no 1983 Corvettes.
@@lesismotors There is one single example. But there were multiple back in 1983 before they were destroyed.
I know leaving a comment helps pump the algorithm and show more of Steve's videos to more people, so here's a comment! Wish ya well Steve!
I’m loving how a corvette changed your life Steve!
My son bought a 84 C4 last summer, and we both love the car. Super good choice for an inexpensive but amazing car. I was wondering; I thought the crossfire was in some of the 82 C3’s as well, and was a holdover to the 84?
Crossfire was used in the 82's as well.
It was in 82s not in 85s. 85 had tpi.
My buddy got the wheels off of that car for his third gen Camaro. We nicknamed the vette Ruby because of the crazy flake in the paint. Thought about picking it up to make a Gambler 500 car.
As a kid I was really into Corvettes and as an adult I still love the older gens of Corvette. I can remember when these cars were introduced into the market and they looked so futuristic and streamlined. I always thought the styling was like they took a C3 and flattened it into a Lemans style of race car but that is just me. This gen hasn't yet recieved the adoration of the earlier gens but they will. Everything old becomes cool at some time and these C4 Corvettes will have their day.
It's been almost 50 years and they are still dime a dozen rotten in people's backyards it didn't take nearly as long for the muscle cars of the 50s 60s and 70s to reach their iconic status I think times are just different now and the love of classic cars as we know it will die altogether because cars are increasingly becoming appliances and that's all the generation coming up sees them as
@@Jag-leaper Well said sir!!!!
I had a Black LT1...it hit a small puddle on the Motorway and Aquaplaned into the Crash Barrier.They have to be driven very carefully in the wet!
I have a 93, love it, one year only speed density injection lt1
Doing satellite dish maintenance work for EDS back in the 90s saw us taking a trip to Bowling Green to upgrade the system at the plant during a shutdown period. Bonus: we got a free plant tour (cars were left on the line in various stages of assembly).
I recommend the latest C4 you can find.95 or 96 for reasons you will find out if you research. I couldn't afford one back then ,mortgage ,son, divorce. But when I retired and got son out of college I searched a while and found a nice lo mile LT4 in Florida. Flew down and bought it, drove 850 miles home. Lots of fun to drive. Its in the garage now.
I'd recommend an 89-91 because you could get them with the ZF and they didn't have an Opti
In 1972 I had an opportunity to buy a 1953 Corvette in great condition. I passed, why? It had a six cylinder engine. I've regretted being so dumb every time the subject of Corvettes come up. My personal favorite is the 69 L88 Corvette.
And why didn't the 53 have a standard trans? Just a iron Powerglide? Not real sporty there.
@@suzi_mai Because it was an imitation "sports car" for the American market made for US hi-ways & boulevards.
Americans were never really into sports cars. I don't know why GM even bothered.
FoMoCos. 2-seater version, the T-Bird, was even less sporty, and evolved into the uniquely American "personal car".
Honestly I'm surprised Corvette didn't follow the same path.
I love the input on this car I had an 1985 78,000 MI with a full ProCharger superchargers are a little over 400 horse 373 about 170 top speed I wish I still had it
I'm currently tuning my 96 with Jet DST Tuner Cat software. You would be surprised how much hidden HP and Torque the 96 has once you've tuned the timing, fuel tables, fuel enrichment and most importantly, the transmission pressure via force motor tables and shift points. The torque for this car is all in the transmission. There's a table that GM uses for torque management that once you pull out 75%?? It becomes a torque monster!! WOT tuning was done for me by Garrett Tuning out of Ohio which got me started and on my way. If you own a 96 OBD2 C4, I highly suggest tuning the car because you will get so much more HP and Torque, it's crazy compared to stock. GM bogged these cars down with allot of spark retard tables and torque management via the transmission. Tuning the car turns it into a BEAST!!
I had a '93, and yes the car flexed with the top off. I found a company in Miami that made a brace that bolted in and made the car rock solid with the top off.
Meh... it's a full frame car, let the body flex, it might feel weird but it won't really hurt anything.
@@livewire2759 It just felt really weird as you're driving it and you could feel the steering column moving around. No longer own it have a C6 convertible now. Yes it is night and day different but I still miss the C4, it was a "raw" drive. Bought it used in 2002 and had it for 18 years. It was also one of the first 250 '93's built as such it had a cloth interior. As you can tell I miss that car.
Have had a 95 C4 convertible, 6spd, for 10 years. Love the styling and improvements over early C4's. The LT1 is a bullet proof engine. Changing the heater core was the worst diy project I have ever done. Actually cracked a rib leaning on the huge frame rails. Plan to sell it soon. The convert has almost zero storage space and of course no back seat for the grandkids. Got a 2004 BMW 330ci for taking them for convertible rides
The Lt1 & the 04 ci were pretty cool cars.The M3 from that time was a favorite of mine.
that front susp. would be great for another project
I thought the 65 Barracuda got title for the largest piece of glass for the back window.
Steve will exaggerate anything for views....
Very interesting as usual. Thanks Steve & get well my friend.
eairly C4 vettes, the underhood lamp cover was glass, later ones had plastic, So if you love a c4, find those glass covers! seeing this makes all the memories of the one i had come back... man i want another C4
younger viewers who weren't around at the time won't appreciate what a huge deal the debut of the C4 was. Dealers were charging way over SRP and any C4 at a 'show and shine' event really drew the attention. Fast forward to now worn out 1984 corvettes are a dime a dozen.
Cuz it was the first "modern" Corvette I find out with most modern cars that are Classics now they're just not as sought after as their counterparts from decades prior
I was 2 when this thing came out....only thing I appreciated was my mothers milk 🍼 👶🏼
Bookmark that comment and come back to it in a few years when all the dime a dozen wreckers have cleared out and we're all bemoaning not buying them when they were cheap (see also 3rd gen Firebirds and Camaros).
@@smithp573 In the 70's and 80's engines, trans, and most ANY parts you wanted were available at junkyards cheap. Look at what Mopars and parts are now. C4 finally getting respect. A lot of parts cars are $2500
Steve its time for a Bernardston Auto Wrecking & Steve Magnate pocket tee. "where we can talk about our junk"...ha!
love the shows
I had an ‘89 6 speed. Fun car! But I bought a C5 (6 speed) and it’s a WHOLE different animal. An incredible machine.
Love the Corvette video Steve! As I thought tough to see it in the junk yard but luv the information as well. Keep it up.
Thanks! Will do!
A c4 zr1 lt5 car is still on my bucket list . Sooo much cool stuff in there even if they are a little old now
Thst Car & Driver cover looked like a cross between a Delorean and an Escort EXP…
'84 was the only year the Crossfire Injection was used on a C4, but that engine actually debuted in '82 in the C3.
100% correct, it was a carryover from the 1982 model.
It was also available in F-bodies in 1982.
Such an awesome mill: Crossram TBI!
@@MikeBrown-ii3pt As well as 1983 F bodies as well. VIN code "7" for 1982 and VIN code "S" for 1983.
Yes you’re right! But being a brand new corvette from the ground up! It debuted on the c4. Then 85 came and tune port injection came along and replaced it.
1984 c4 with the z51 package really handled. Kind stiff bud with modern tech shocks really makes the livable
Growing up, two of my neighbors each bought brand new 1984 Corvettes. Black & red.
Hanks black version was the cooler one with more options, Dusty Sr.'s was the one we would eventually see put to the "test".
Test of teen ageer beat downs & retirement, all the way to faded paint & I believe it finally ended up in the scrap yard.
The C4 generation is a great way to get into Vettes on the cheap if 1 wants a reliable car.
I sold these new at a Toronto dealership, got the ERTL model and a special book, we were very excited to get these.
Glad you're getting better Steve and can't wait until January to get back to crawling in the junkyard again
There is 1 in a u pull it near me...that had the no fire set up on it
Specifically talking about the C4 Corvettes, yes, the crossfire injection was a one year only offer, but it was also used in the '82 Corvettes AND it was an option in '82 to '84 Camaros.
On the Camaro/Firebird it was a Crossfire 305.
Wrong. The LU5 was in fact an option in the Camaro/Trans Am, but only in 1982-1983. The L69 was introduced in March 1983 to replace the LU5. In 1984, the only engines in a Z28 or Trans Am were the LG4, with the L69 as an option.
Ah. The good ol Cease Fire Injection.
I worked on an '82 Corvette with the Crossfire. It was such a cool looking system with such disappointing performance. Given the tiny runners in the intake manifold it was almost like they wanted it to fail.
There were rumours that the 350 was to be phased out for the 305 so perhaps the smaller cross section runners were part of that. I heard the TPI was engineered around the 305. I've never seen a crossfire setup but sounds like I'm not missing out.
@@rotaxtwin It probably wasn't so restrictive on the smaller 305. Back in about 2000 I had a friend who had come across a really nice '84 Corvette for almost nothing. His wife loved it but he hated the total lack of power. So he pulled the engine, sent the intake manifold off to one of those outfits that media ports stuff. It is aluminum so this is an option. He also built the engine into a 383. The dual throttle bodies were about 350cfm a piece according to him. Once the engine was back together he ran it at the track and it was knocking out low 13's and was very smooth across the entire rpm range again, according to him. I wish he had dynoed it before and and after and the 383 conversion was responsible for a lot of it, but he said stock 4500 rpms and it was out of breath but after the intake work it would pull nicely to 6000.
An easy upgrade is to use a traditional 4bbl. intake, a tbi adapter, and a 350 truck tbi throttle body. It bypasses all the restrictive intake nonsense.
@@mcqueenfanman Edelbrock makes a TBI Performer that would work without an adapter and the 454 TBI is larger at about 700 cfm. But the "Crossfire" is really cool looking. I was 14 when it came out in '82 and everyone that was a car nut had images of the '69 Z28 with a crossfire 302 and 2X4bbls. Just the fact that it can be made to work is kind of cool in my book, but you are right, there are a lot easier alternatives.
A couple stories exist as to why the intake runners were "restricted" in the 84 CrossFire. One is that the runners were decreased in size to increase low-end torque and HP, which they most likely did. With all the smog restrictions of the era, the Vette team had to do whatever they could to work around the wheezingly-low output of those engines. The second story is that Chevrolet and the Vette team knew that the TPI engine was in the works, and that they wanted the 85 Vette with the TPI to have a much greater HP and torque output than the 84's CrossFire setup. I actually believe BOTH stories, LOL! I have an 84 Vette with 74k miles on it, and it still has the CrossFire setup, which works just fine. Often times, folks would start "adjusting" things on the CrossFire in an attempt to either get more power or to "correct" some perceived problem, and royally screw up the entire system. They are finnicky, but when maintained/repaired properly, and not screwed with, they work great. A couple easy tricks to get the CrossFire to perform better....install an 85 fuel pump, kick the ignition timing up to 10 degrees advanced at idle, and remove the cap that hides the fuel pressure regulator adjusting screw and turn the fuel pressure up to 14-15 PSI. A bit more involved mod is to remove the intake and port the runners to match the head intake ports. I have done all of these except adjust the fuel pressure regulator (which I will do soon), and my 84 Vette does indeed have a bit more grunt. These cars were built to accentuate handing and braking performance, and they definitely corner like crazy, even if they feel a bit too "jittery" on uneven surfaces, especially the Z51-equipped cars. Mine is not a Z51, but the handling is definitely on-point. And the braking is excellent. For the day, the 84 Vette was a world-class sport/touring car, for sure.
I had a baby blue 72 pinto hatch back 4 spd. Wish I still had it 😪
As a kid growing up in the 70’s, I recall most were that blue color. I even think it was mandatory for The Price is Right to only give away the blue ones!
While I think aesthetics peaked for the C5, the C4 was a big tech leap from the tired platform before it. GM desperately needed to put the chubby Coke-bottle curves of the C3 on a diet by the 1980s. Even in a bad way in a junkyard, the sleekness of this C4 body, and the emphasis on weight savings GM rolled out in these cars, took the 'Vette to the next level.
No mention of the 4+3 (I think that's what they were called) manual transmission that some C4s had? Didn't they make you skip from first to fourth gear under light throttle (or something like that)?
My GF had a 91 and that’s the way it shifted. If your just cruising it’d take you straight to 4th. If you were getting into it you got to shift all 6 gears. The car wasn’t much to speak of
skip shift was on later ZF trans. The 4+3 was an earlier less desirable box. If you run it up to about 3k rpm you can shift to second, but if you shift without enough 1st gear rpm it will not let you go to second, but on over to fourth. Easily bypassed .
I had a 85. It wasn’t a cross fire engine. It had the 4 plus 3 trans. Good car for it’s time.
I remember when these first came out and I've always loved the C4 design.
New sub,Steve I'm still trying to picture you in a Pinto!Lol!.I wasnt super impressed w/ the 84 when it came out,but liked them better after about 89 as they upgraded wheel options.I do like the clamshell hood exposing everything!
Still a Fan of the C4 and contemplated picking one up a while ago but the IROC Z28 kinda wins for availability here......
Interesting piece Steve, Thanks.
Steve....I was surprised to see that cross-fire motor not in its place.....who would want that paper weight? TPI and LT1 maybe, but the cross-fire?
My supercharged C5 is fun, and yes, a cool car will change your life!
Thanks again for the fantastic videos.
Under that Crossfire intake in the C4 is a 350 Chevy. It just unbolts and you're left with one of the best supported engines of the performance aftermarket.
@@lb9gta307 true, but it is still a very low compression engine. Was that a 4 bolt main block?
@@formula112967 the compression ratio is changable for reletively little money. I wouldn't worry too much about it. As for the mains, I honestly don't know. But with main girdles being as cheap as $130 or so that's even less of a concern IMO.
The C4 was really advanced when it came out. I remember at 7 years old seeing that all digital dash and thinking it was made by NASA.
I was working as a cooperative education college student at Delco Electronics in Kokomo, IN where we made the digital dash clusters for those cars. They were so electrostatic-sensitive that some of them didn't even survive the trip from Kokomo to Bowling Green! We also visited the Bowling Green assembly plant in the summer of 1984 on a field trip (they were shut down for the summer break but had just started production and there were cars on the line). I remember they passed around one of the rear transverse composite leaf springs and we were all amazed at how light it was - something like 11 pounds IIRC.
Always thought it was funny Prince little red Corvette was released the only year they DIDN'T make a Corvette 🤣
I had a new 87 Vette, when I took the top off and went about 70 the car would shake so bad it scared me. Luckily it got stolen in Detroit in 88 it was recovered in California in a high speed chase.
Steve, unless I missed it, no mention of the Doug Nash 4 + 3 manual trans? I was over in Germany at the time and one of my coworkers ordered a new 1984 Corvette and had to wait almost an extra year to get the manual transmission. he was not happy but when it came in he stopped complaining. ;-)
Steve you are such an incredible connoisseur man.👍👽
Back in late 1984 my Uncle ran a Chevrolet dealership and my mom and I were visiting him when a guy came in from a test drive on a brand new 84 Corvette. It was parked 3 vehicles away from us away from us and the car literally burst into flames. Found out it was that crossfire injection that ignited
Lucky it was under warranty.
Aside from special editions, these cars are cheap to buy and extremely fun to drive. Btw, I have an 85. They have the Tuned Port Injection engine, not the crossfire.
Yes, your 85 was the intro to TPI, the 84 as the 82 was crossfire.
I have an 85 as well. It's awesome
Like the man said, “84 was the only year for crossfire injection”
That's what Steve said. 85's went to TPI. Pay attention.
@@truthserum5310 ha, comment reminds me when boss in 1991 said if he wasn't driving his 85 he wouldn't be around because he wasn't paying attention and had to instantly maneuver out of a sharp turn.
I was never a c4 fan but aftet watching this I have alot of respect for it. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
My favorite Chevrolet, Corvette. I prefer 57-58, 63-67 Stingray like the one they used on some TV show. My next favorite is the new mid engine ones, though truth be told the more I see them the more I dislike the rear. Looks like it was borrowed from the previous body style Corvette. Curious did you at least keep the fire extinguisher that came with the Pinto 😀 I once met MR Duntov at Malcolm Conner Chevrolet in Paramus, NJ. He was wheel chair bound at the time but he did recognize an experimental Corvette that never made it into production. Believe it was mid engine
I always warmed up to the new Corvettes 3 yrs into a run.They were always a visual letdown from the last model to me.I now see some C8 s w/ nice wheel options & aero pkgs that really impress!
I’m sure someone will save that vette. When I was a teen there was a shop not far from the house and the owner would but wrecked corvettes and make them like new and sell them. He got in what I recall was a 1962 convertible with a hard and canvas top. In 1967 I could have gotten in for $1200.00. Parents wouldn’t let me have it. I forgave them,,, eventually lol
I had an 89 convertible. Absolutely loved that car. Now my ex-wife has that car. 😞
There was 1 1983 Corvette made that was in the Corvette museum when the sinkhole happened.
I like that gen 'Vette. I would change the instruments and do some engine mods. BTW, in 1982-1983, I had a chance to buy a 63 split-window for $2,500 or $3,500--I forget. Well, as a college kid, who supported his mom, I had no such money!
The splitties Ive passed on in the 90’s would have made me a pretty penny today
@@briandonovan5434 Yep, I do have a reasonably modified 1968 GT350 (Fastback), but I am tempted to sell it and buy a Factory Five Type 65 (Daytona Coupe replica). I am sure you know that Pete Brock was involved in the design of both the Daytona and the 63 'Vette.
Yeah, my 74’ Pinto didn’t do much for me either. Learned how to drive a stick though.
I had a 84 and 87 I loved the car