Blk98Bird

Well, unfortunately the trans am in my sig is going to be declared a total loss very soon. I was out at night on a dark road and we were distracted by an animal but did not see the right angle turn ahead and went straight into a corn field.

I had that car almost 6 years and had become very attached to it despite its problems, so now is the time to find a silver lining so to speak. I basically had been thinking of getting a vette for 2-3 years but did not have the heart to sell the t/a.

Now i'm considering holding my settlement check for a few months and picking up a vette some time around February or so. The way I figure it, it'll be 08 so prices will come down slightly, that should be a lot of time to set money aside, and it will probably be easier to nail some good deals in the heart of Chicago winter.

I guess I mostly am just curious about the differences between modding a C5 and an LS1 trans am. I can only assume that MOST aftermarket parts such as cam, heads, etc. are fine for either car but things like headers, catback, etc. are much different. Can I expect the corvette to be generally just "better" overall in build quality, etc. than my t/a was?

Also, how is the rear in the corvette? Is it more durable than the f-body? How are the M6s geared? Are f-body gears compatible with the corvette rear (if it's different i'm assuming not)?

I know I most likely won't have to deal with the suspension like I did with the t/a as the corvette handles MUCH better and I've been told it can be lowered further just by adjusting the stock bolts in the front/rear.

My old car probably ran mid to high 12's or so with the mods in my sig, so I'd like to destroy that by building the vette into an 11 second or so street car that could out-handle the hell out of my f-body. I think that would help me get over my loss a little easier .

Thanks in advance for enduring my broad questions!

marlowchris

WOW lots of questions. You need to do a lot of reading and research before buying a Vette. That will help you fin d the right car for your needs. I'll try to answer a few of your questions.

Headers and cat-backs are different and get ready for the Corvette tax.

The Vette has an indepent rear, so nothing in interchangeable with the F-bodys. If drag racing you should look at a stronger rear and changing ratios.

Yes the stock Vette can be easily lowered, try to get the Z51 suspension and you are good to go.

A mildly modded Vette can reach the 11s. Probably take about 385 rwhp and drag radials for the average driver.

Happy shopping

b.lee

iTrader: (6)

a total loss from driving into a corn field?
what happened, jump a ditch and twist the frame?
any pics?

Blk98Bird

The corn got underneath the fenders somehow and tore off most of the bumper, tore off the front fenders, cracked and spiderwebbed the entire front windshield, scratched the hell out of all the paint, etc. It was pretty bad but the air bags didn't even pop.

My friend has pics on his camera phone but I refused to take any. To be honest, that car meant a lot to me and I'd rather not have a reminder of all the damage.

Blk98Bird

Thanks for all the info, I've been spending a lot of time lurking/reading on corvetteforum which is helping a lot. Luckily I don't plan to buy for half a year give or take still so I have a while to gather info.

I've seen what you mean about the headers and catback but it also looks like some less expensive options are starting to crop up. People seem very pleased with the $400 headers that the forum members helped tweak and I also saw that the granatelli catback is about $400 (also getting good reviews). I figured even if I lose a little power, it's more money to put into heads/cam to make up the difference .

I've seen that gear swaps with the IRS essentially replace the differential; is this true? I'm seeing prices around 1200 or so but I'm not sure what to look for exactly so maybe I'm missing the less expensive options. I had 4.10s in the t/a and it was fun to drive but I'd almost like to build this car around a cam instead and only gear up if I have to. 4.10s just seemed like too much a lot of the time and were only worth it when I really wanted to get on the car from a dig.

How durable is the rear on the vette in comparison to the f-body? In 5-6 years my t/a never saw the track, but it did see a lot of spirited street driving. I'd assume about the same for the vette or maybe a track visit here and there at best.

Good to hear that it doesn't take much to hit 11s. I'm sure my plans of full exhaust, heads and cam with an ls6 intake will be plenty then .

99C5JA

The IRS in the C5 is much more durable than the 10 bolt in the F-body. Hardened output shafts, a strengthened differential and braces are necessary for serious power, but the stock setup will take a surprising amount of power for occasional track use. Gear swaps are pricey and I would wait until you decide where you are going with the car before purchasing them.

For headers I would look at the Texas Speed package. They look like really nice headers for the price. Catbacks don't really make any power on a C5. Just buy the one that sounds the best to you and doesn't have interior drone.

I'd look for a nice used coupe with a 6spd and Z51 or an FRC (which already has those options). The '99-00 cars are priced cheaply and can be had with active handling and a HUD if those options are important to you. The 01+ cars have a host of minor improvements and are worth picking up if you can afford them. Another thing to consider is a Z06 if you can afford it. It doesn't look like you did any internal mods on your T/A and if you aren't planning on any internal mods for your Vette the Z06 package is hard to beat. Unfortunately most Z06's are currently priced too high IMO, though you can find a few reasonably priced examples out there.

Blk98Bird

I definitely plan on building the vette by going mostly motor this time around. I actually wanted to do the same with the t/a, but most of the time I had it I was either a senior in high school or in college so I was just starting to think about more major mods after graduating last year. Like I mentioned, I'd probably go 11s on motor with MAYBE 10s on the juice if I wanted more. 11s would hold me for quite a while though based on what I was used to with my old car. Does that sound like it would be mild enough for the rear to last if i'm not hitting the track?

I like the looks of the FRC (especially z06) but I think I would miss the open roof that I had with my t-tops far too much, so I've narrowed it down to a black/black 6 speed coupe for sure. I LOVE detailing black cars because I find them to be the most work but also the most rewarding by far. I also always wished I had a black interior in my trans am instead of charcoal. I don't think I want a vert really because they're a bit heavy and I also like having the partial roof vs. the fully open roof so that made it a lot easier.

I think something in the 224/224 - 228/228 range would be good for my cam choice but to tell you the truth, I still wasn't even totally decided on one for the t/a even. I had planned on pairing these with a set of patriot 5.3 heads most likely and a thinner gasket to help boost compression slightly. I'm wondering now if I can get away with a 228/228 on the street if I only have the stock 3.42s or if that'll be too much cam and necessitate a gear swap to really use it. To give some info, the car is about 70/30 or 60/40 highway miles to local miles so I don't mind having a little bias towards top-end. I'm going to have to look around for dyno graphs to make this call most likely, because I want to see where the power is coming on and dropping off.

My old car was a 98 with 106k on the odo, so I think the 98-00 range is about right for me (maybe even the right 97?). Pretty much anything will be a bit of a step up if I get one with reasonable miles TBH. I've had HUD in another car and thought it was "cool" but not necessary by any means.

Stock tire sizes are 18/17 right? How do nittos change the handling characteristics of the car? Even with a built suspension, my trans am handled a bit like a boat and I always wondered if the nittos were partially responsible. That being said, I got used to them hooking up every time and would ideally like to use them on the vette, especially since the rear can take more beating.

This time around i'm making the car a second vehicle so it'll take a lot less abuse than my poor t/a did. Now that i'm out of school and into a career it's a little easier to make that happen.

Thanks again for all the helpful info so far guys .

99C5JA

Sounds like you are zeroing in on what you want. I would try to move up to at least a '99. The 97-98 PCM's won't accept the programming for a larger MAF, which you may need down the road. The 97-98 cars also have the perimeter bolt heads which will be a bit of a pain to swap out later. Active Handling (AH) is a nice option to have. It's the C5's version of stability control and it works very well. Since you are going the heads/cam route and you want a removable roof the Z06 will be out of the running. Though one common misconception is that the C5 vert weighs significantly more than the other variants. It doesn't. The C5, because it was designed as a convertible, does not have any of the frame bracing common on other convertibles.

11's will be possible on the stock IRS. If you are looking for something stickier than drag radials then it may be time to start worrying. A 224 or 228 cam will run fine with a 3.42 rear. My car is running a 230/232 cam just fine on the stock gearing. I'd think a 228 cam with .580+ lift should make ~430rwhp on those Patriot heads. A very stout combo.

Handling wise you want to make sure you find a car with the Z51 package. Ditch the runflats asap and lower the car some (3/4-1") and then realign it to Z06 specs. I'd also replace the swaybar endlinks with steel pieces. Nitto R2's on that setup should handle like it's on rails.

Cole Train

iTrader: (30)

i bought my '98 for $10k but it was bumped in the back and needed a bumper, 1/4 and some other small stuff. Clean title and all and after i sold my Camaro i only have 5k in the Vette. Definatly look into getting a 99+. Because if you ever decide you WANT stuff like HUD it's MUCH cheaper to install if the car doesn't already have it. Like for my car it's $650 to install it because i have to buy a $300 guage cluster The Vette will EASILY outhandle the T/A as mine would destroy my Camaro in the twisties. You'll love a good Z51 because the suspension is a much better sport ride. Also if you do want at least good gears to start with, look for one with the 3.42 rear end. It'll say it right on the outside of the case in yellow ink or in the option RPO codes.

Blk98Bird

That's good to know about the PCM and bolt heads; I think the same was true of my t/a but I had totally forgotten. I'll look into 99s then as long as it doesn't become cost prohibitive (or I may just delay the purchase a little longer to get the newer car). I've heard the active handling works quite well and is much better than the standard "traction control" I had. It also looks like there's a competition mode that turns off traction but leaves on active handling which I think is pretty neat. Interesting point about the vert, I looked into it and it appears to only be about 200 pounds or so difference (by GM specs, who knows how accurate). Either way though, I always liked the partial roof so I think i'll stick with targa for now unless something changes my mind.

I should be happy with the DRs to be honest. I had 16" nittos on the trans am and liked them, so I'm sure i'll love 18" nittos on the corvette. 430 is about what i'm hearing, so it's good to see that you confirm those numbers. I did a lot of digging around before deciding on that combo and I think it'll suit what I want quite well.

Can't wait to start test driving these eventually, I'm really excited to see how different the handling is in a car like the corvette vs. my old car. Everyone tells me there are just worlds of difference between the two!

Blk98Bird

That's another option I'm thinking of for two reasons.

- A family friend used to buy beat up vettes and have them repainted for cheap to make extra cash on the side during summers. He knows exactly where to find the deals still I think, so he'd be a good person to talk to.

- I have a painter who does EXCELLENT work who would probably do the entire car for me at a very very cheap price because he does the work on the side. I'd end up with (or close to) a show-car quality job on my new vette instead of stock paint with that option.

My only worry, is that if the car has neglected paint then what else was neglected? I'd want to have a mechanic go over the car for sure to look for things I may miss.

I always wanted to do a repaint on the trans am though so it's perfect and making the corvette a weekend/warm weather car would only make it that much easier to keep it that way.

Blk98Bird

Looks like prices are starting to come down more now that the summer is nearing the end around Chicago.

That being said, i'm starting to think seriously about an 00 or even 01 car around December, then garaging it until the weather is warm in march or april. I'm seeing quite a few cars below the $23k mark, even with mileage under 40k. This surprised me and I'm sure I can bargain down further by another 1-2k or so if I don't mind going back and forth a little bit.

Beyond the ls6 intake (which can be had for around 350 or so) would there be any other major advantages to picking up an 01 vs. the 00? Right now, the only things i'm looking for are black/black coupe with a 6 speed and z51 package. Other than that i'm pretty open to be honest.

I'll add that I still plan on going heads/cam with the car down the road if that makes a difference. I'll probably drive it for a year or so to get a good feel for how the vette differs from my t/a, then do a buildup next winter when the car has down time (unless I get impatient! ).