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LT4 LT4 Collectibility

1996 LT4 Topic
Virtually all collector cars are in the tank - from exotics to most muscle cars. There won't be an improvement until people are feeling rich again according to the experts. :L:L:L We'll see how that turns out.
 
What's your opinion?

I am so close to making the leap but I would enjoy hearing from current (or previous) LT4 owners. I have found a 1 owner LT4 that is in what I consider outstanding shape. The owner has just replaced rotors and pads, all fluids, good interior except for a couple of small dings and then put the car up for sale. My one major concern is the car has 98,000 miles. It runs strong, no smoke, no shimmy, clutch doesn't slip and other than a minor ding on the front left bumper the car look great. Asking price? $11,500. I think this is a great buy on a solid car...care to express an opinion? Thanks!
 
That motor will double that mileage with good care. LT4Man is way over your mileage with his 06, and has only had to deal with maintenance issues and wear items. It's a pretty stout motor. You might want to contact LT4Man for tips/issues.
 
That motor will double that mileage with good care. LT4Man is way over your mileage with his 06, and has only had to deal with maintenance issues and wear items. It's a pretty stout motor. You might want to contact LT4Man for tips/issues.

I believe you meant to type "96". ;)

You are correct, catbert. Only normal wear and tear items and now over 125,000 miles. Driven all over this country, I might add. So, I will. :)

Engine is all original and so is Optispark Distributor. Only a cap & rotor change at about 90,000 miles.

Basically, Corvette told their engine "engineers" to take an LT1 and "hot rod" it. Worth every penny of the $1,450.00 option I paid. :thumb

This is a quick comparison between LT1 and LT4 engines: Corvette Action Center | Model Center | C4 | 1996 Corvette | 1996 Corvette LT1 vs. LT4 Engine Comparison

The Grand Sport Registry has an in-depth explanation of the LT4 engine.

After reading about the LT4 engine, please be sure to SAVE the WAVE! :w
 
Moving Forward...

I believe you meant to type "96". ;)

You are correct, catbert. Only normal wear and tear items and now over 125,000 miles. Driven all over this country, I might add. So, I will. :)

Engine is all original and so is Optispark Distributor. Only a cap & rotor change at about 90,000 miles.

Basically, Corvette told their engine "engineers" to take an LT1 and "hot rod" it. Worth every penny of the $1,450.00 option I paid. :thumb

This is a quick comparison between LT1 and LT4 engines: Corvette Action Center | Model Center | C4 | 1996 Corvette | 1996 Corvette LT1 vs. LT4 Engine Comparison

The Grand Sport Registry has an in-depth explanation of the LT4 engine.

After reading about the LT4 engine, please be sure to SAVE the WAVE! :w

** Thanks for the feedback. I have decided to buy the car...pick it Saturday!! To say I am excited would be a gross understatement. As I grow familiar with the car I'm sure I'll have more questions.
 
Saturday is the big day...

After your feedback I am moving forward with the purchase of a lovely Green/Tan 96 LT4. The transfer will (I hope) take place Saturday 2/4. I am going to insure with American Collector Insurance...anyone have an opinion about them? I'm going to want to replace the exhaust on my car...the system in place is too loud for my taste...any suggestions? Once I get her home I'll post a couple of photos. Looking forward to being a Corvette owner again. (have owned a 66 Coupe Big Block & a 66 Roadster small block) :thumb
 
After your feedback I am moving forward with the purchase of a lovely Green/Tan 96 LT4. The transfer will (I hope) take place Saturday 2/4. I am going to insure with American Collector Insurance...anyone have an opinion about them? I'm going to want to replace the exhaust on my car...the system in place is too loud for my taste...any suggestions? Once I get her home I'll post a couple of photos. Looking forward to being a Corvette owner again. (have owned a 66 Coupe Big Block & a 66 Roadster small block) :thumb

Congrats!!! :thumb




Post pictures! :D
 
1997 camaro ss convertible slp cert. Lt4 engine value

I have a 1997 30th Anniversary Edition Camaro SS Convertible SLP with LT4 engine, great condition and 6,400 miles. Do you have nay idea what the value is?


Once Exclusive to 96 Corvettes, the LT4 Makes a Final Curtain Call in the 97 Camaro SS
(108 Camaro SS LT4's were produced: 100 US, 6 Canadian & 2 Prototypes)

A Hurst short-throw shifter is again optional on "regular" Camaro SS models, and it&8217s standard on the LT4 cars.

Since 1993, the Camaro has been the best bang-for-the-buck American-made performance car on the market. Even the base V-6 versions are decent performers in their own right. But the Z28 is the big favorite with most enthusiasts. Combined with the exceptional LT1 engine, it provides one of the best platforms going on which to build a killer modern-tech street machine.

As the fourth generation of the Camaro enters its fifth year, a strong historical perspective already exists that includes the 275hp LT1 getting a jump in its rating to 285 hp for 1996. Also new for 1996 was the SS package that included several tricks--most notable being a cold-air-induction system, 17-inch wheels and tires, a Hurst shifter, and an optional Torsen limited-slip differential.

While the 305hp Camaro SS built by Street Legal Performance (SLP) Engineering is likely the most potent Camaro ever built, there will now forever be a small asterisk to that statement in the form of the Camaro LT4.

After all the rumors and speculation about the LT4 finding its way into the Camaro, the fact is now a done deal, and the lucky souls who somehow got their mitts on one of these cars have themselves nothing less than the most awesome factory-built Camaro we've seen. The engineers at Chevrolet and SLP started with a 30th-anniversary Camaro Z28 SS, swapped out the LT1 for the 330hp LT4, and--presto!--the cat was out of the bag.

Although we extensively covered the LT4 engine in our Oct. '95 issue, a few basics on the engine easily explain its upgrades over the LT1. Much of the short-block remains similar to the LT1 except for the LT4 crank's undercut and rolled journal fillets. The crank is balanced for the LT4's slightly heavier pistons, which have reduced valve notches (3 cc's smaller) to bump the LT4's compression to 10.8:1 from the LT1's 10.5:1. The biggest changes were in the cylinder heads, where the LT4 has wider and shallower combustion chambers.

Lighter hollow-stemmed valves are bigger, too, with 2.00/1.55-inch sizes in the LT4 compared to the 1.94/1.50s in the LT1. Combine this with larger ports on the LT4 intake and a little bit more cam (LT4: 0.476/0.480-inch lift, 203/210-degree duration at 0.050-inch tappet lift, LT1: 0.447/0.449-inch lift), and the LT4's 330 hp comes up at 5,800 rpm--800 rpm higher than the LT1's 300 hp. Torque for both engines is 340 lb-ft, coming in at 4,500 rpm for the LT4 and 4,000 rpm for the LT1.

While the LT4 is a bit more high-strung, you can use every last bit of it, because the redline is now 6,300 rpm as compared to the LT1's 5,800 rpm. In fact, fuel cutoff doesn't occur until 6,400 rpm, which by then, you'd swear there was a DOHC LT5 underhood that was zinging to the moon. Combine all the attributes of the LT4 with the competent chassis of the current F-car body style, and the result is the best all-around performing factory supercar ever to come from the joint GM/SLP manufacturing program.

The car itself has all the standard updates of the SS package, and several options are standard with the LT4. These include a Torsen rearend, stainless exhaust manifolds, a Hurst shifter, and a Level II Bilstein suspension package that includes Bilstein shocks and progressive-rate springs. All LT4 SS cars have the 30th-anniversary package, which includes the orange stripes, white wheels, and 30th-anniversary interior appointments. The only SS LT4 options are a Level III Bilstein suspension package and BFG Comp T/A R1 tires, which are designed mainly for track use. Whether the standard Comp T/As or R1s are specified, they remain a P275/40ZR17 size all around.

Our time in the car was painfully brief as we wheeled around the area of SLP's Detroit offices. Putting the performance of the LT4 SS in terms we can all understand, SLP coins it "Viper territory for tens of thousands less." While track testing was definitely something we wanted to do, Detroit-area weather just wouldn't allow it. But the low-13-second numbers that SLP has generated are easily believable after having had a chance to feel the LT4's urgent power delivery on the street.

Unfortunately, there is a number that pertains to the LT4 SS that we are sad to report. It is, of course, 100--the scant number of cars that have been built and already sold. We have, however, settled on the fact that at least in today's times, we're all lucky enough to see this kind of outrageous factory performance being offered at all.

Article
 
Resale Value of LT4

I dont know if anyone regularily reads "Corvette Magazine" but they write a separate article each issue about a different generation of Vette on an annual or so basis. They do a great job of market evaluation and overview from year to year. The July issue focus's on C4 and they speculate that the market is seeing a general decline of 20% in value including the Z cars except for the 92-93 MY. To be more specific on the 96 MY and LT4's, the CE is down 20%, and even the GS is falling!
Any way they are saying that since the GS is basically worth twice the value of a standard LT4, that the LT4 is better bargain and should only show to increase. I used this article to help me with my search in a recent purchase of an LT4 for under 10k when market is saying they are valued around 11,400 for an "average" unit vs 17k for a "good" car. FYI the 96 Coupe is down 7% from last year.
The recommended "to buy list" cars are;
1 - 86 coupe
2 - 89 coupe
3 - 92 LT1 ragtop
4 - 90-92 ZR-1
5 - 96 LT4 coupe ( the rag is way down and not apreciating)

Good magazine, check it out.

Cheers, :beer
 
The more I look into this the better (or worse) it's getting. There is not a single LT4 for sale of any description in the western part of my country (BC Canada). I have yet to look into Washington, Oregeon or Idaho but these cars are getting scarce. Of the remaining C4's out there, sellers are looking for 3k+ more than what I paid for my LT4, for LT1 and L98 cars with substantially higher mileage, and automatics! Mind you there are some nice examples and a few rag tops and CE (LT1) and definitely no GS. I feel like I got in just in time. Even the Vette club I am attending has no LT4 cars out of around 120 members. The more I look the more I like my baby!

Cheers,
:beer


IMG_00000109.jpg
 
Rarest LT4

What about the rarest of 96 LT4's!! Chevrolet only painted 60 1996 LT4's Bright Aqua Metallic!!! And I have a well optioned one with 68,000 original miles!!!!! Hehehe
 
Dude, No Photo's???

What about the rarest of 96 LT4's!! Chevrolet only painted 60 1996 LT4's Bright Aqua Metallic!!! And I have a well optioned one with 68,000 original miles!!!!! Hehehe



You have to post a photo or two, would love to see the color!

Cheers,
:beer
 
I would love to post pics but have no clue how!!!!!
Hi Bigwes and :welcome

If you've got some photos of your C4 to share we'd love to see them! We promise not to drool on it. :L

For help with photos, re-sizing them, posting them, linking them, avatars, etc. . . take a look at the threads in the Site Help forum here:

Site Help & Feedback

Scan through the threads marked "Notice" for the topic you're interested in.
This thread is a step-by-step tutorial for uploading photos:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com.../128319-how-do-i-include-photos-my-posts.html

If you run into problems or don't find the answer to your question in those threads, post a "help" thread in that forum and someone will be along shortly to try and assist you. :thumb

Enjoy!
(And thanks 6 Shooter for the heads-up.)
:wJane Ann
 

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