I Gambled on a Project Corvette and Rolled a Winning Seven

Kyle Smith

Buying any project car is a gamble. The reason we buy derelict or needy modes of transportation is the foolish belief that we can return a broken hulk to a functional object. When the first step is buying something broken, the odds are not in our favor that simple solutions will prevail. Problems will compound and appear mercilessly with no regard for calendar or bank account. It requires fortitude to march on through the project-car slog. Though I have marched that path many times, the day I towed home my latest four-wheeled bad idea was joyous. I was still optimistic that getting this Corvette running might be a series of easy fixes.

Could the project be so simple?

I purchased this 1985 Corvette on a lark, without diagnosing it properly. The previous owner had admitted to installing a new battery but had also stated the car had zero power—turn the ignition key, and nothing would happen. Even before sending my offer to buy the car, I had my suspicions as to what the cause of the no-start might be, but since the diagnosis was not going to affect my decision to purchase the car, I spent no time looking at that problem when first inspecting it.

Standing in the driveway at home, the real games began. First thing was to disconnect the battery and inspect the terminals, which revealed a loose connection on the positive side. Side-post batteries solve some problems, but it sure would be nice if we could figure out reliable connections on these things. The battery came in at just 9 volts on a multimeter test, so the culprit was likely a dead cell. Before heading to the parts store, I figured it was worth connecting a charger and waiting to see what happened.

A Battery Tender connected overnight brought voltage up enough that some of the car came to life. The digital dash lit up when I turned the key and I could hear the fuel pump cycling when the rest of the car powered up. I did a quick check of the oil to make sure I wasn’t going to try to start a dry engine and end up with a pile of scrap metal from my own stupidity. Oil was ugly but present, so I turned the key and . . .

The engine fired right up. I was so taken aback that I shut the key right back off. I was not prepared for this situation. Could life be so easy?

In short, yes. Even over the non-factory exhaust I could hear the root of the dead battery problem. The power antenna mast had broken and the motor was endlessly spinning in its attempt to put up and take down the aerial when the car powered up and down. Further investigation revealed that said motor could be unplugged easily at a connection near the latch for the rear hatch, another thing that now worked since the car could power up.

What does one do with a newly running car? If you answered, “Pause and properly investigate the other systems before attempting a drive through the neighborhood,” I have a lot of respect for you. We all know that’s what we should do, but I couldn’t resist. I slid behind the wheel so fast and let out the clutch so slow.

Both the clutch fluid and the brake fluid had revealed differing shades of mud, so I knew pedal feel would be terrible, but pushing on the brake pedal had brought the car to a stop when rolling off the trailer. If I stuck to similar speeds, I should be okay. The dash was lit up in the most exciting and also the most frustrating way: All the quadrants of the very 1980s digital dash were alive, and most were giving some version of a warning or alert. The charging system was now overcharging, fuel was on reserve, and oil pressure was spiking for seemingly no reason.

Kyle Smith

In my excitement to buy the car, I never asked the seller how long it had been sitting. Only now was it sinking into my brain that I hadn’t bought a driving project which only recently had an issue but rather a poorly stored car that had been parked with some issues and then surrendered recently after only weak attempts at revival. I still took the Corvette for a drive around the neighborhood, and I was not surprised when the temp gauge read 235 degrees after the engine had only run for a few minutes. It was stumbling, and just about everything with a pivot had some resistance to motion beyond what any engineer would ever tolerate.

Over the next few days, each time I started the engine, drove up and down the driveway, or even dared a lap of the neighborhood, some component or system would work correctly again. Even when I installed a new battery, alternator, and water pump, I took extra steps to leave well enough alone. What would fail? More importantly, what would be the last thing to come back to life? My fingers are crossed that the overdrive—that quirky “+3” portion of the Doug Nash 4+3 transmission in this Corvette—will return. The seller had told me straight that it no longer worked, which was unsurprising if mildly disappointing. However, he had also said the car was dead and might not be worth saving. I knew he meant no malice, but perhaps he wasn’t as trustworthy as I had initially thought. Because this car absolutely is not dead.

In order to really see if the overdrive might come back to life, I need to put more miles on this car, and a smart man fixes the brakes before doing such a thing. A quick pull of all four calipers to grease the slide pins and inspect the pads helped, but flushing the fluid and replacing it with fresh DOT3 made the whole system feel new again. It is amazing how the slow degradation of things like brake fluid lure drivers into neglecting service even longer. The brakes still worked with the mud in the lines, and if one only drove this car, and only a couple times a year in the nice weather, they might chalk the sad performance up to age. “That’s just how old cars drive” is often used as a cover-up for poor maintenance.

I’ve learned a few workarounds for the Corvette that are fun, like leaving the air conditioning on to trick the ECU into running the auxiliary cooling fan and thus help to control underhood temps. Those tricks remind me that it’s been a while since I brought home a project that I researched this lightly. The car and I are both getting up to speed together. Ours is sort of a symbiotic relationship, unlike the other projects I tend to buy. When I’m done with my attempts at reviving machines, they usually resemble Frankenstein’s monsters.

As a final update, I snagged a set of fifth-generation Corvette “wagon wheels” from Facebook Marketplace and four tires from Tire Rack to round out the safety refresh of the car. Now I think I’m just going to drive it for a bit and see what happens. This is no Cobra, but I am already finding myself recalling lines from Tom Cotter’s book, The Cobra in the Barn, regarding how it might feel if or when the engine stops smoking on startup.

What if this turns out to be the best (or is it the worst?) project car ever? Charging the battery, unplugging something, and flushing the brakes isn’t exactly heavy lifting for me, but that might be OK. I’m enjoying driving this stock Corvette for the time being, though I don’t think I’ll leave it that way for long. And I do want to see if the overdrive system starts working.

Really, I feel as though I’m gambling on house money now, because this running and driving car owes me nothing.

Read next Up next: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: Ford’s Bronco Mid-Cycle Refresh
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Comments

    Deals like this are more common than you think.

    My buddy bought a 8k mile 65 Corvair parked since 1967. We got it running after getting the engine to roll over and rebuilt two carbs.

    Victories like this must be remembered when you lose one too.

    Might make sure to fix the air dam before warm weather. That is needed to make sure you get the air needed to cool the engine. Many times broken ones will cause over heating in summer.

    Also clean out the radiator as they will suck up grass and leaf’s into the radiator.

    The splitter is on the shortlist. You are the second or third person to warn me about that airflow. I’m surprised how easy to find the replacement air dam is, relatively affordable too!

    Yes they are a popular item as so many are destroyed.

    In fact on my C5 in the owners manual it is termed a wearable item and you should not be surprised you may need to replace it.

    They did help the C5 a bit as mine is spring loaded to flex.

    Looks like your car is not really that bad and it should fix up well.

    Corvette need care and feeding and so many never get the care. Owners too often never wrench and often simple issues can lead to a good buy for someone that does wrench.

    My 91 ZR-1 always overheated until someone suggested to check the radiator. C4 Corvettes are bottom feeders and so suck up anything and everything. My ZR-1 one had an oil cooler as well as the A/C radiator, so with the 3, there was a ton of crap between them all as well as in the radiator. After cleaning, it no longer overheated. One suggestion, add a piece of screen in the air intake to keep leaves etc. out of the radiator.

    I agree, fix the splitter and make sure radiator is free of debris. Flush the cooling system, (replacing a clogged or rotted heater core is not a fun weekend project). Get one of those headlight gearbox repair kits, the originals will turn to powder at some point. Make sure the injectors are in good shape, if they go bad, will cause all sorts of strange symptoms. Nice car, looks good, and if you want to go really fast, it’s a Chevy Small Block, the sky’s the limit. (Owned a C4 for 25 years)

    I know exactly how you feel, I bought a 88 4+3 that had been sitting for 10 years, a little over a year ago, but luckily inside a shop. Battery, flushing fuel system, brake, and cooling system to just get it to run and stop, but neither very well. I got out a pad of paper and spent a good hour writing down a plus 40 item “to-do” list. After a year or so of weekend wrenching and a 2 inch thick receipt folder, I got the car almost sorted out. These old GM/Bosch OBD1 electronics can be finicky and some parts aren’t easy to find or are just ridiculously over priced. Still can’t beat a Chevy 350 with a 4 speed in a car that handles and drives as well as they do, especially for the price. As much as it rattles and vibrates, it always puts a smile on my face.

    Good on you for getting that going and saving a manual C4! I dont think those C5 wheels work visually though. They didn’t even look particularly good on C5s.

    I’ll add to the chorus about the front spoiler – actually more of an “air guide” than a splitter, and critical to cooling on that era’s Corvettes, Camaros, & Firebirds. (I guess styling and maybe the replacement parts divisions won that bit over the engineers.)
    Oil smoke on start-up that then clears out ? Likely the valve seals are harder than my ex’s heart.
    Sounds like a good score, an easy project, and a fun experience !

    Bought one out of state and my state won’t give me a title it’s crazy cuz they like money but they don’t want mine so it just sits in the garage probably end up parting it out.

    Need help for my aluminum alloy wheels. I have a 2014 Ford Edge with aluminum alloy wheels the problem is the tires keep losing air. I had it to a tire store and they cleaned the inside of the rim’s with a wire brush, but 5 or 6 months later its doing it again. Any suggestions to stop this.

    put some “tire sealer” in through the air valve (once you take the stem out). It is yellow or green and usually referred to as “slime”
    Tire shops hate the stuff cause they have to clean it out if you want the tire wheel combo to balance after but it does stop small leaks

    A good tire shop would use “bead sealer”. It’s a black butyl rubber “paint that is brushed on the bead section of the wheel. The tire is remounted and it seals up 99.99 percent of the time. No need for Slime or the equivalent. Don’t piss off your tire guys….

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