Welcome to my CarDomain page!
What you're looking at is a '92 Black on black six speed C4 Vette. 1992 was a very important year in the Corvette's history as it marked the introduction of the all new LT1 engine. Gone were the days of 4500rpm redline's and acceleration that would completely die off at the top of second gear. Problems that plagued the earlier TPI models.
The all new, aluminum headed LT1, would pull all the way to 5700rpm and not only make 50 more horsepower than the previous L98's they replaced, but do so while still making every bit as much torque as the earlier TPI's at 330 lbs at 4000rpm.
With the increased output offered by the all new LT1 engine, the Corvette's were transformed into entirely different animals in terms of their straight line performance. It was now common place for 6-speed Vette's to run mid-low 13's right off the showroom floor and many owners were even able to dip into the high 12's with nothing more than a pair of drag radials and an exhaust upgrade.
No doubt, the all new LT1 had proved itself to be a worthy replacement to the venerable TPI motor. With its larger cam, more efficient cylinder heads, higher compression ratio, and vastly improved intake manifold design, the LT1 allowed the C4's to run 1/4 mile times faster than any previous TPI Vette that ever rolled off GM's assembly line.
I've always loved the design of the C4 Vette's, especially the later model LT1's. In my opinion, they're one of the nicest Vette's GM ever produced and the C4 is, 'till this very day, the first car I think of, when someone utters the name "Corvette".
The car you see before you, as mentioned earlier, is a black on black 6 speed. A particularly rare combination. It's not very often you see a C4 on the roads these days. But a black on black C4 with a 6 speed? It's definitely one the rarest and most sought after combinations you can get on these cars.
This model is fully loaded with every available power option. It has inflatable lumbar controls, a 3 way "selective ride control" for the suspension, 3:45 rear gears, Bose sound system, leather seats and a factory tinted removable glass top.
The wheels as you can see, aren't factory issue. At least, not for this model anyway. They're 17" chrome ZR1 wheels off of a ZR1.
The dimensions are 17x9.5 up front and 17x11 for the rear. The wheels are mounted on 275's up front and massive 315's out back. There's no need for any inner fendor work to get the rear tires to fit the car properly as there's more than enough space for them to tuck right into the rear fender wells without sticking out .
I'm not too sure what my plans are for this car yet, but more than likely I'll be dumping money hand over fist into it to increase its performence just as I did with the two previous F-bodies I owned before it.
As far as the suspension is concerned, there really isn't much to upgrade, as this is by far the best handling vehicle I've ever owned or even driven. I'd never be able to push this car anywhere near it's limits on a racetrack much less out on the streets so upgrading anything is kind of pointless.
I'll be lowering the rear end of the car about an 1.5" inch so it evens out with the front. Possibly replace the bushing all around but that's as far as I'll go. The car already handles like go-cart.
Anyways, here are some pictures I took not too long after I got the car. They were taken right after installing the exhaust.
Feel free to leave comments and or suggestions you might want to make in regards to what modifications (if any) I should make.
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The photo's below are that of the new exhaust that was installed on the car shortly after purchasing it.. I decided to go with Corsa, based on many of the recommendations made over on the Corvette Forums by its members.
Although the Corsa brand is the most expensive exhaust on the market for these cars, it's also the best built, highest quality and easiest to install of all the systems available. Just as importantly, it's the only exhaust on the market that virtually eliminates the "drone" that commonly occurs when aftermarket exhaust systems are installed. All those features comes at a pretty hefty price as far as exhaust systems go, but as the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for".
Much to my delight, after the Corsa system was installed , there was a noticible increase in power throughout the entire RPM range. Not that the factory exhaust was terribly restrictive to begin with mind you, but the Corsa definitely free'd up some power over the stock exhaust. Enough to make the increased perfomance quite obviouse the first time I hit the gas pedal after the install. Better still, the Corsa system sounds absolutely phenominal. Far and away the best sounding LT1 exhaust in my opinion and that alone is reason enough to spend so much for this system.
Driving around town and out on the freeway, there's literally NO drone/ressonance inside the car - regardless of what RPM the engine's spinning at. No other exhaust I've ever owned or heard on other people's cars ha been able to accomplish that. Even the factory mufflers produced an annoying drone inside the car on the freeway....
As far as wide open throttle in concerned, the Corsa's definitely much louder than stock, but not "obnoxiously" loud like you get with so many of the aftermarket systems available today.
The Corsa's exhaust note has character. A rich and full sounding tone with no raspiness to it at all. It really is the best of both worlds. When you hit the gas and that LT1 starts spinning up and beyond 5 grand, it sounds exactly like a old vintage Nascar stocker. It's an absolute joy to listen to and "popping" sounds it makes upon de-acceleration, judt sounds so awesome. Love it. On top of that, it's quite enough inside the car to hear a mouse fart when I'm just taking it easy on the gas pedal. I can actually have a conversation with the passenger next to me or listen to the stereo without having to crank up the volume full bast.
The Corsa was definitely money well spent.
Stay tuned for more pictures. Some video clips. and more updates to the car as I do them.
Thanks again for visiting my page.
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09/13/08
The following photo's were taken the other day by the docks early Saturday morning around 3:00am. Some buddies and I hang out Friday nights and go cruising around with our cars. We checked out the docks and thought it would be a good location to snap off a few photo's.
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01/14/09
The following photo's are of the new EM long tube headers and extension's I recently purchased for the 'Vette. They are full length headers with 1 3/4" primaries and both the headers and extensions are ceramic coated inside and out. Since I will no longer be running either the A.I.R. or EGR systems after the install, the headers were ordered without provisions for either. I went this route not because I thought ditching the emissions would make more power (I know it won't) but to remove some of the clutter in the engine compartment and make working on the engine itself, a lot easier.
The extenions will allow for the installation of the headers with no cutting/welding of the Corsa exhaust to get it to line up with the headers. 3" band clamps will secure the extensions to the header collectors and the band clamps that came with the Corsa system will secure it to the other end of the extensions.
The quality of the EM's is fantastic. As good as any other header I've seen and certainly (in my opinion anyway) the very best headers available for the C4 'Vettes. Very high quality piece's. Pricey, but worth it if you want the highest quality...
Since the EGR and A.I.R. were being deleted, I purchased a set of block off plates from TPIS for both. I also ordering a custom prom that has had all emissions peramiters removed so I won't get any error codes after deleting all the emissions equiptment. The car should also pick up a few horse power as well since it's been programmed to take into consideration the new headers and exhaust. I've had great success with PCMforless in the past with my two previous F-bodies (both OBD1 as well) so I wen't with them again for the 'Vette.
Breslin locking header bolt's and Felpro 1406 gaskets should eliminate any possibility of header leaks and new Delco/Bosch 02 sensors should keep the car running properly. I debated on whether or not I should switch over to 4-wire heated 02's but decided to try it out with the factory single wire set-up at first. I never ran into any problems with falling in and out of closed-loop operation after installing headers on my other car's while retaining the single wire 02's so I don't forsee any problems doing the same with the Vette.
Stay tuned for more pic's as I begin the installation just as soon as the weather outside warms up a bit more. I hate working out in the cold.
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07-26-2009
The car developed a bit of a stumble at low RPM a few weeks back so I took the oppertunity to replace the factory fuel injectors and filter in hopes that the new combination would solve the issue. I'd already checked the ignition components and couldn't find anything wrong with any of them. I also looked for any kind of vacumme leaks and confirmed those weren't the cause of the stumble either.
Being that the injectors were now 17 years old, I figured there was a pretty good chance they were either clogged up or simply worn out. Ditto for the filter as well.
I picked up a set of Bosch III injectors with an identical 22# flow rating to the stockers as well as a new fuel filter and I'm glad I did. The stock filter on the car was probably the original and it was completely clogged. I was surprised the car was even able to run at all considering how little fuel was actually able to pass through...
The entire swap took no more than 45 minutes to an hour and that included taking time to photograph everything.
The car runs a lot smoother now than before. I'm getting better fuel economy and the car pulls a lot harder, especially at higher RPM's. Unfortunately, the stumble still remains. As before, it's only momentary and only at start up. It lasts a few seconds then disappears completely. It's still an anoyance more than anything but I still plan on hunting down the problem and resolving the issue.
I guess I'll check the vacumme lines one more time...
Anyway, here are some pic's of the new Bosh III's and the old Multech's.
