LT4 Looking at a 96 LT4 ,any advice?

[t-bone]

Been without a vette for 10 years(used to own a 70 L46 T top).I've got the vette itch, so I looked at a LT4 today. It has 80000 miles, appears to be in good condition. Presently setting in showroom . Three inches of snow outside,so did not want to take it for a drive now. Will drive it saturday when snow is gone. Having gathered a wealth of information from this forum, I checked for any visable signs of oil leaks, asked about the water pump and optispark. The dealer had no maintenance records or knowledge of any past repairs. He stated that he has been around corvettes for 30 years and that the water pump failures were uncommon and that GM had put a cover over the optispark to protect it in case the water pump leaked. Is this true? He also offered a limited warranty 4years/48000miles for $650 thru C.A.R.S. Protection PLus. Anyone ever heard of or dealt with this company? Was suprised at the lack of foot room in the 96,but felt good sitting in the vette. Asking price $17900. Info and coments would be greatly appreciated.

 

[alfonsi4]

Not sure if this helps but.......

I just got a 96 Coupe, Targa Top, LT-1 with 93K on it for 14,600. Ebay auction no less. Very clean, just high miles for the year.

I know they changed the Optispark for 96 so it was not as moisture affected, but not sure about the shield. Will have to bow to more knowledge here.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

 

[GusVette]

t-bone,
Welcome aboard!!!!


here is another 96'LT4. I was looking at.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=529036

 

[t-bone]

Thanks for the replies..Nice looking Vette...the one I am looking at is also red.

 

[LT4John]

T-bone, Welcome.

I picked up a LT4 a few months ago for $16K with 75K miles. I know cars but missed a few things on my Vette, I have already replace the rear spring and a rear tie rod.
The best thing to do is take the car to someone you can trust and have them put it up on a lift and check it out. Also take it for a ride on the highway, get it up to 80, it should ride smooth. Also run a Carfax on it.

Good luck, hope it works out, LT4's are a great car.

 

[B17Crew]

Welcome!

t-bone,

Welcome back, ten years is quite awhile.

If you can, take a second set of eyes along with you, preferably, a C4 owner or someone who is familiar with the LT4.

Hopefully that snow will be ending soon so you can put it through its paces!

B17Crew

 

[CELT4]

I would suggest a carfax and a warranty history (through a Chevy dealership).

With that amount of miles, you might consider:
Optispark
Water pump
Intake gasket
Front crank seal
Shocks
Main shaft U-joints
Half shaft U-joints
Brake pads
Spark plugs and wires
Radiator clean and flush
Transmission and differential lube change

BTW - Late model Optisparks were vented, not covered.

 

[Denny Nelson]

Welcome aboard. I searched for 4 months using every avenue. www.cars.com seemed to do the best job for me. They tap into most of the newspaper ads in your area. I just searched zip code 48201 within 250 miles and came up with 17 1996 models ranging from $14,999 to $26,500.[be sure to use the 'advanced' feature] The one that jumped out at me is a red coupe with 48,661 miles for $17,228 at Jack Sweeney Chevrolet. No matter which car you buy, this is an excellent comparison/bargaining tool. Be sure and look at the RPO codes [on a plate under the hatch just behind the passenger seat]. I had my seller take a digital photo and email it to me. Several of the members of this forum then gave me the link to the decoder list. I will try to find my copy and email it to you. I had the Chevy dealer that serviced the car inspect it for me for $175. Good investment. Denny Nelson

 

[t-bone]

denny nelson, thanks for the info!

 

[Edmond]

Wow, asking $17,900 with 80,000 miles is a lot. On top of that, he has no service history.

Can dealers pull up service histories from other dealers?

I'm no expert on LT4's (or Corvette's for that matter), but you're pushing LT5 territory for the money.

 

[wx briefer]

I saw a recent magazine article that dynoed the new Z06 at 338 HP at rear wheels. LT4's dyno at 300 often. You can buy the $17k LT4, add a hot cam and after market exhaust for another $1500 and do the same or maybe better HP than a new Z06 while saving around $35k. Personally, a no brainer for me. It should be considered a bargain even at $30k.

 

[Kens06]

I've got an LT-4, with the GM LT-4 hotcam, 52mm TB, K&N and chambered exhaust. It only pulls 300 rwhp. My stock '01 Z pulled 345 rwhp. You need a tuner that knows his **** with the LT-1 edit. Corvette Fever just did an article about the LT4+ upgrade to an LT1 and they pulled 380 rwhp. It's all in telling the PCM what to do!!
Mine only has 17,500 on it and I can't get anyone interested for 23K with a set of GS wheels and tires on the car and the originals come with the package

 

[wx briefer]

Ken, you may find this link interesting.

http://www.hashmarks.com/dyno_page.htm

 

[froggy47]

Just paid 18 for my LT4 48k miles, very clean, private sale. Had to put a rad in (small leak) the rest minor. That warranty seems cheap but what's the deductible? Is it per repair or per visit (multi repair) Cover everything of just what's on a list. Makes a HUGE difference. Read the fine print & ask the service mgr (not the sales guy) about the warranty.

LT4's rock!

 

[kingman]

Everybody just relax!!!!!!!!!!!

Right now we are in Vette season and the price's are high, and l mean high if you have a low mileage, clean car.

I just paid for a 96LT1 torch red auto with all options except the fx3 option and 44,000 miles which l feel is high mileage. The body had the usual road chips, but l took care of them and the interior is better then good, nobody ever sat in the passenger seat.

Checked out by a dealer and reported nothing, plus carfax showed no accidents.

The reason l mentioned the above is because if you wait you will find what you want. The vette is stupid expensive when it comes to parts, no matter how small and the bucks add up fast.
When you think you are saving $2000, but at the end it probably will cost you twice as much if you are lucky.

Oh! l paid $15,000 because the guy was out of work and l was tired of looking and spring was coming.

Wait until the end of Sept and the price's will fall again.

Do wait for a LT4, the engine is worth $3000 more, but the performance can really only felt under the clock.

My 2 cents.

Humble Me

Alan

p.s. Good luck no matter what you find, but do have it checked out
by a real mechanic. It could save you thousands!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cire96]

LT4 Comments (good ones)

I've had my 96 CE LT4 for a year and a half and still love it. I blught it with 50K on the odometer and it's now at 60K. The engine is a bullet proof design that seems to thrive on running at the red line.

BTW if you replace the intake manifold gasket ( I did) with the GM "off road set", it'll add 15-20 RWHP! It's how GM detuned the car to 330 HP so that it wouldn't overshadow the 345 HP LS1 C5 in 1997. Despite that fact, you'll find that a bone stock LT4 will run with any (non ZO6) C5 up to about 140. At that point, the C5's superior aerodynamics win out!

I agree with the earlier comments re having a competent Corvette Technician to look it over. Repairs aren't cheap and even if you're pretty handy, the major ones will simply exceed your facilities, tools and capabilites. As an example I just had the flywheel, pressure plate, clutch disc, throwout bearing and fork replaced...cost; ~$2,000. The parts were $almost $1,500 of that tab.
Cire 96

 

[froggy47]

Sorry for the hijack, but hey, about that intake manifold gasket! I never heard of that (I'm new to Vettes - had my LT4 a month). Why is it not more widely talked about/recommended by the mod squad?


Is there a restriction in the stock one?

Thanks!

 

[wx briefer]

The better, off road use only gasket, has a part number that ends in four 7's I think. I used it when replacing cam shaft.

 

[Cire96]

Froggy:
The stock (factory) intake gasket protrudes about 1/4 inch into the opening between the cylinder head intake ports and the matching ports in the intake manifold runners.

The "off road" GM gasket have none of that interferencce. One look at the two sets side by side will convince even the most skeptical of the truth of the GM LT4 having detuned the LT4.

BTW, the LT4 still has plenty of go power without this relativily inexpensive fix (~$35 if you do it, ~$225 at the dealer), but if the car has >35,000 miles, it's likely that it's leaking some oil at the back of the engine anyway. It's pretty normal to have to replace thios gasket on Chevy 350's at about five years. I had my '96 Tahoe done about two years ago.

Now go buy that LT4!!!!!
Cire 96

 

[3 Deuce]

If this car was serviced at a GM dealer, then I believe the service will show up on their computers...and if the passenger seat hasn't been used much, and if they're the standard seats and both power, you can swap them right for left since the seat controls are on the center console...I just did it and now have a seat with almost brand new foam, as well as unwrinkled leather for me...don't know about the sport seats with the power lumbar controls, although they may be the same...the first practically free upgrade I've found....