40th Anniversary My plan of action to turn a ratty looking 40th Anniversary into a daily driver

[Newbie1966]

I was looking for a used car under 10000 and I came across a 1993 Vette offered for sale at 4500. Thinking what could I buy for 4500 ? A honda with 150-200,00 miles ? A used up Toyota with 200,000 miles ? A VW that has seen it's better days ? There are not many fun to drive cars in this price range . Maybe a Miata , ? The only one I could find was totally rusted out. So, I went and checked out this Vette. It looked a little ratty on the inside but the outside looked ok. It ran strong, Transmission shifted smooth, and it made me smile when I gave it some gas and it forced me into the back of the seat. Even though the engine has 150,000 miles it runs strong. It has issues though, the transmission fluid is brown tinged (Well over due a change), No Horn, No bright lights, No wipers, Right wheel bearing whine, makes a clunking sound from right rear when in reverse, brakes work but they feel hard, Small transmission line leak (I think at the radiator), Wrong rims it has c5 18 inch rims, new tires on rear 285/35/18, bald tires on front 275/35/18. AC panel lights up, but no fan turns on. Previous owner claims he put a new exhaust in, sounds good at slow speed, but it is way too loud when you give it some gas. It needs all new weather stripping,needs seats and carpet. Power mirrors don't work. I bought it from a mid 20's guy (that can't afford new tires or maintenance) Got this baby for 3000 dollars, and it has an amplifier and is wired for a big speaker system in the back. I intend on turning this beat up vette into a daily driver, then I plan to upgrade it week by week. Happily to say I'm a now proud owner of a 93, Ruby Red 40th anniversary Vette, ...

I've rebuilt Jeep Wranglers in the past, so I'm OK with a wrench.. But most of the work will be done by others as I have two trusted mechanics I use. My best mechanic only charges 50 per hour and he is Awesome, he's a 65 year old man with over 45 years experience. My other mechanic is good but he is young, he's is way cheaper (charges me 20 per hour), he's good at doing the work but not as good at doing the diagnostics. I'm lucky to know these guys.. And honestly I would rather work overtime, and keep my hands clean, to pay these experts for the majority of repairs.

Here's my plan of attack:
1) To the transmission shop for a flush, filter change and new transmission fluid. And a change of differential fluid. and a diagnostic check of transmission.
2) To my old mechanic , check bearings, cv joints etc, and to look over the engine. New hoses lines etc. New brakes etc.,
3) fix transmission first, engine second, and suspension and wheel bearings third
4) electronic issues that don't work, wipers , bright lights, AC fan etc.
5) interior
6) body work, and new Targa top (saw a glass one for less than a grand)
7) If I make it this far, this is the time for upgrades

This is my plan, have i overlooked something ? I'll attach a picture of my new car. It's in a trailer park. I own my house but it's in front of my girlfriend's trailer ( what cab I say, I like trailer park girls

 

[catbert]

Sounds like you have the plan. Make certain the shop flushes the transmission, and doesn't just "drain" it. If there is anything else that needs attention, it should be found during all the other work you have planned. You got a great deal, and can afford to baby that little purple jewel. If the motor has been cared for, it should be good for many more (s)miles.

 

[6 Shooter]

May the force be with you...

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[silverstreek]

I know this thread is several months old. So, if you haven't looked at this yet, you might want to consider doing it? I'm in the process of working on a recently purchased 93 Corvette myself. To make sure I didn't break down to some unknown problem, I started checking the typical things that might lead to a breakdown. Because I noticed the engine acting like it was starving for fuel? I did a fuel pressure test and found hardly no fuel pressure. I immediately replaced the fuel filter, and found I couldn't blow through the old one at all! And the crap that literally fell out of the old filter made me sick to think this problem may be much larger than I originally thought.

After replacing the fuel filter, I again ran a fuel pressure test. Although I could hear the fuel pump running. Fuel pressure was still non-existent. Because the fuel gauge didn't work, along with no fuel pressure, the next step was removing the entire fuel pump assembly from the tank. After removing the fuel pump assembly, what I found was shocking to say the least! Every piece of exposed metal associated with the fuel pump assembly was nothing but a pile of rust! The only saving grace was the fuel tank had some kind of protective coating, so I wasn't going to have to replace it. The tank itself was great, but there was a ton of crap and loose rust at the bottom I needed to figure out a way to remove it.

While I had the fuel pump assembly ordered I decided to add new O-rings to the injectors and check out the fuel rail. I found the same funk inside of the fuel rail, and fuel lines from the tank to the rail. I thoroughly cleaned the fuel lines, fuel rail and added a new O-ring kit. I also completely drained the fuel tank, and used new clean rags I sprayed upholstery glue on in order to pick up the small pieces of rust at the bottom of the fuel tank. You may ask why I cleaned the tank out this way? If you read about how much labor and time was involved in pulling the fuel tank? I'm sure anyone would try to find another way to clean the inside of it out like I did. :eyerole

After $400.00 in new parts and materials, the engine now runs the way it should. And, the fuel gauge works!

I hope this helps some?
Silverstreek