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Help! Brand New Corvette Owner

RMitchell

New member
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
3
Location
United States
Corvette
1994 Admiral Blue Coupe
Hello Everyone!

Two weeks ago my family purchased our first Corvette. A 1994 Admiral Blue Automatic Coupe. It is all base, as we wanted less electronics for easier fixes. It is a slight fixer upper, which we also wanted so my Dad and I can work on it together. However, we need some help regarding maintenance and the best places to look for parts.

First, we are looking for a service manual. What would be the best one to purchase for everyday usage?

We also need to replace the weather stripping. Is there a good brand that will last long without costing an arm and a leg?

Regarding brakes, is there a good brand that works well with a 'Vette? Are there any tricks for changing them? Ours are old and need to be replaced ASAP.

The antenna motor is also problematic. When you turn the radio on, the motor runs, and will push the antenna up 2 inches, and then the antenna stops, but the motor runs as if the antenna is still ascending. It will not retract the antenna. Do we have to replace the entire motor unit, or is there a quick and easy fix that can solve the problem?

Also, as our car is base, it only has a tape player. I want to put in a good radio that can play an iPod or through AUX or Bluetooth. However, I still want the radio to fit in with the rest of the car. I would like a full infotainment touchscreen interface; is it even possible to wire it into the rest of the car? If so, is there a good and inexpensive system? Is it more intelligent to simply put in a basic radio?

These are our main issues. The car runs like new, and has no mechanical issues in the engine or transmission. As I said above, my family is new to Corvette ownership. I am extremely grateful for any advice that I can get. I understand that my questions are very vague and encompassing, and I thank you in advance for any information.

Thank you, excited to get to work on our new baby!
-Randall Mitchell
 
Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to CAC. I'm sure someone will come along with answers to your questions but maybe I can help with a few.

As for service manuals I purchased mine off of eBay. Be careful of some of those advertised as being on CDs. A lot of times these are generic and not specific to Corvettes. The old paper copies are what I got.

As for your antenna problem, mine did the same thing and I replaced just the antenna mast. You can find replacements at most of the Corvette part places. I got mine from Mid America Design and it took maybe 5 minutes to replace.

For your radio, if you have the standard Bose system, you can easily replace it with almost anything you want. I just upgraded mine to a JVC unit so I can play my iPod through the USB connection. Crutchfield has all kinds of radios. One thing to remember, if you have the stock Bose you will need to replace all your speakers. Each speaker has it's own amp which is different than most cars. I'm not sure if the wiring needs to be changed since mine already had an aftermarket radio in it when I bought it.

There are a lot more people on here smarter about Vettes than me so hopefully they can answer your other questions.

Ron
"Baldie88"
 
Welcome to the CAC....enjoy your car and working on it with your Dad.....I love that color, post up some pics of it when you get a chance.......
 
Welcome to CAC!!!!:thumb:thumb
Enjoy!!!!
 
Welcome to the CAC! Make sure you purchase the RED service manuals from eBay and not the white books. The white books are pre-publish books that are not the official GM manuals.
 
Welcome to the CAC! :w

The best place to start, as has been mentioned is by purchasing the factory service manual. These manuals are the real deal and are what is used by technicians.

Other than being old, any issues with the brakes?
 
Welcome to the CAC! :w

The best place to start, as has been mentioned is by purchasing the factory service manual. These manuals are the real deal and are what is used by technicians.

Other than being old, any issues with the brakes?

No, we replaced them and changed the fluid, and we have had no issues. Mechanically the car is perfect, just the small issues that I want to fix that I mentioned above!

Thanks,
-RMitchell
 

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