anyone here have a c2, c3, c4 corvette?

[acannell]

I dont say c5 and c6 because I'm pretty sure the LS1, LS2, LS3, etc.. have massive aftermarket support for pretty much anything imaginable.

I'm wondering if the C4 or older have any missing products like intake manifolds or headers?

[contraption22]

Anything C4 and older has a good ol small block or big block chevy. No lack of aftermarket support there. The 1992-1996 C4's vettes has the GenIII small block LT1/LT4 engines which were a bit unique, with the troublesome Optispark distributor and reverse flow cooling, but even those have a good bit of stuff from Edelbrock and other manufacturers.

[Vigo]

I think the main things the c3 and c4 need are to be 'less junky' and 'less ergonomically retarded' and i dont know how you really fix that.

[acannell]

I think the main things the c3 and c4 need are to be 'less junky' and 'less ergonomically retarded' and i dont know how you really fix that.

as long as you never have a passenger or your passenger has no legs everything is great

although I will say the 96 C4 I sat in a few years ago was NICE and very neat-o..I think they fixed most of the passenger footwell stuff by then too

[ForzaV12]

I think the main things the c3 and c4 need are to be 'less junky' and 'less ergonomically retarded' and i dont know how you really fix that.

By not being a little girl. I have seven C3s, I'm 6'2" and fit just fine. One of the world's greatest shifters and engine, an adjustable wheel that is in the right place,etc. Nothing junky about any of mine.
I also have two C2s-again, great cars. Everything falls "readily to hand" as the saying goes. C4s are great handling bargains and can be made to go as fast your checkbook will allow. Offered a sport seat that was very good and easily adjust seat and wheel-a great sportscar if you can deal with the digital dash.
Couple pics of mine

[acannell]

By not being a little girl. I have seven C3s, I'm 6'2" and fit just fine. One of the world's greatest shifters and engine, an adjustable wheel that is in the right place,etc. Nothing junky about any of mine.
I also have two C2s-again, great cars. Everything falls "readily to hand" as the saying goes. C4s are great handling bargains and can be made to go as fast your checkbook will allow. Offered a sport seat that was very good and easily adjust seat and wheel-a great sportscar if you can deal with the digital dash.
Couple pics of mine

WHERE ARE ATTACHMENTS ARGG!!

Yes besides the passenger footwell I didnt see anything wrong with the C4 I sat in. It was actually really awesome and everything felt like it was where it should be, and besides just being perhaps a bit smaller and "thinner" than say a car made in the 2000's, it had all the bells and whistles of a Corvette. And the prices are very nice. I would prefer a C4 to a C5 for sure just based on aesthetics. In fact I would prefer the older C4 before the update..I think 93 and earlier?

[marc]

Had 1980 Corvette with a GMPP 385 fastburn crate engine. Theirs little hood clearance for a air filter with those cars so I had to tweak a drop base air filter to get it to fit under the hood. Other than that, the gen1 sbc has got to be the most aftermarket supported engine ever. Hundreds headers to fit those Vette too. But one thing I would have bought in a heart beat would have been a cast iron exhaust manifold to fit the D-port head. There may be a market for something like that. 18 Gage Super comp Hooker headers was the only thing available. You want to talk about drone!

[acannell]

Had 1980 Corvette with a GMPP 385 fastburn crate engine. Theirs little hood clearance for a air filter with those cars so I had to tweak a drop base air filter to get it to fit under the hood. Other than that, the gen1 sbc has got to be the most aftermarket supported engine ever. Hundreds headers to fit those Vette too. But one thing I would have bought in a heart beat would have been a cast iron exhaust manifold to fit the D-port head. There may be a market for something like that. 18 Gage Super comp Hooker headers was the only thing available. You want to talk about drone!

what about corvette-specific gen1 SBC stuff? Stuff that will fit under the corvette hood in other words

[marc]

what about corvette-specific gen1 SBC stuff? Stuff that will fit under the corvette hood in other words

Corvette is just like any other chevy. The exhaust is a little different, They use a "Ramhorn" type manifold like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dorman-674-5...16.m2516.l5255

[marc]

I think the main things the c3 and c4 need are to be 'less junky' and 'less ergonomically retarded' and i dont know how you really fix that.

You hit the right on the head.
That's why I still have my under rated Daytona and got rid of that over rated plastic fantastic.

[85boostbox]

Acannell I'm sure there is not a lot of aftermarket parts for the DOHC SBC of that era

[contraption22]

Acannell I'm sure there is not a lot of aftermarket parts for the DOHC SBC of that era

That was a lotus designed v8 manufactured by Mercury Marine. No SBC parts fit it.

[Vigo]

That's why I still have my under rated Daytona and got rid of that over rated plastic fantastic.

I think the c4 is a fantastic bargain for a track/race car. They are NOT converted economy family cars and you can't replicate that for the money they sell for.

BUT, they are ergonomically stupid. They have a retarded high sill, the way the hatch opens (or doesnt) is stupid, the dash/console is ugly, not easy to get luggage in/out of, etc.

Im sure it seemed like a perfectly good Corvette until the c5 came out. Now if you have any kind of budget above 10k i couldnt honestly recommend a c4 to anyone over a c5. The c4 to me is relegated to people who are either A: looking for a cheap race car, or B: cant afford a 'good' corvette. Ive driven and worked on several of them and just don't think of them as well-rounded enough to make good street cars. By comparison, when i was doing major work to a c5 a few months back i had a very positive impression of not only its performance capabilities but also its design as a highly usable street car.

Just yesterday i surfed a few local CL ads for c4s ranging from $2500-3400 (running but with issues) but i keep coming to the same conclusion that as a non-collectible i'd rather own no corvette than own a c4.

c3s are typical 70s car with worse build quality if that says anything. I like them somewhat but they definitely seem kit-car-ish for something that was mass-produced. Id rather have a c3 than a c4 but it would have to be pretty cheap and i'd be tempted to take the v8 out of it.