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Corvette
C4 Forum
About 4 weeks in, having some serious thoughts about modifications......
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<blockquote data-quote="Tourmax" data-source="post: 175467" data-attributes="member: 5304"><p>Well, you've probably seen my "sunny days" thread if you frequent the C4 forum.</p><p></p><p>The Vette has needed lots of work to get it up to snuff and it rides wonderfully now. The wife and I are really enjoying taking it on little day trips here and there. I honestly am enjoying the car and that's saying something as I'm a bleed "Ford Blue" guy and have a pretty deep seated dislike of anything the General has ever made. Very few GM products I've ever owned have been good to me. IE: breaking down, blowing up or just generally falling apart because of poor designs. I was fighting a pretty strong urge to walk away from the Vette when we were looking at buying it. But the Vette seems to be an exception to my general GM streak of "bad luck". After I fixed all the P.O. bodges that is.</p><p></p><p>But I'm coming up on a month of ownership and I find myself already thinking about ripping it apart. I'm fighting the urge, but the problem is I'm a gear head from decades back and it isn't long before I'm changing or altering something on a vehicle. Heck, I don't think is was much more than a couple months before I was tearing my new F-150 Lariat apart to add adaptive cruise, lane keeping and "parallel park". Mostly just because i could.....<img src="/styles/smilies-extra/extended-simple/woot.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":Woot:" title="Woot :Woot:" data-shortname=":Woot:" /></p><p></p><p>Now the Vette has developed a bad cat. The RH side is rattling and today, the core must have broken completely loose because as we were driving it sounded like something had come loose and was scraping/metallic ringing/banging on one of the accessory pulleys. But when I checked, sure enough it's coming from the LH cat.</p><p></p><p>Could also explain why the engine likes to run on the hot side: if the cat is bad or the "honeycomb" is plugged up, the engine is going to tend to run hotter since it can't expel the exhaust gases as efficiently as it should.</p><p></p><p>That got me thinking about my options.</p><p></p><p>1. Replace the cat. Not very attractive from a cost POV as the cats are built into the y pipe.</p><p>2. Gut the cat. I'm not adverse to doing that. Pull the shield off, cut open the bottom, gut the catalyst, mig it back together and form the shield back on it. I'd have to do the same to the RH side so LH and RH banks run under the same conditions. Not environmentally friendly, but wallet friendly.</p><p>3. New Y pipe without cats. that's $$$ and probably not much different than just gutting the cats.</p><p>4.Long tube Headers. Does away with the cats and probably increase exhaust flow. Plus; I always love the idea of "improving" any efficiency on the engine. $$$$ though.....</p><p>5. complete exhaust, headers to muffs. Well, certainly attractive option, except......$$$$$!</p><p></p><p>So this weekend I'll gut the cats. That will take care of the immediate problem of the horrible ringing/banging/rattling noise and the possibility of the cat coming completely apart and blocking up the LH exhaust or coming apart and sending shrapnel downstream to clog the"rear"cat. It will also let me drive the Vette until the snow fly's and I can look at doing some serious work.</p><p></p><p>Winter will probably see long tubes. That will mess up a couple different emissions systems. Standard headers will mean loosing the AIR ports as well as the EGR pipe (88 has the egr off the RH rear exhaust header). I <strong><em>COULD </em></strong>get headers that have those provisions, but it just doesn't seem like what I would want to do. So that means the EGR system has to go. Not that big a deal as I'm getting set up to burn my own chips (Probably go with a Moates APU1 setup fro real time tuning capabilities) and I'm looking at dropping the LT1 intake on the L98, which makes the egr either very difficult to keep (distributor issues, porting EG to the intake manifold, etc) or you just chop it all off and blank off the ports. I can "tune out" the need for the EGR system, so not a big deal there, except I understand the how and why of an egr system and I like the idea of not only reducing NOX but being able to help stave off knock. Sure, you are adding inert exhaust gas to the fresh charge, but in delaying knock you can dial in more advance, so it all works out in the end. I'll have to work the calibration for the new intake manifold anyways, so the EGR just may "hit the bin"......</p><p></p><p>The AIR system can probably stay since it would still be able to "feed" the center cat and retain some cat function.</p><p></p><p>But then, my mind starts going "stupid". GMPP aluminum block, 427 CI, turbos, 4L80E, 411 PCM, Paddle shifters, maybe a 6 speed instead of auto, etc. An LSx would be the easiest, most aftermarket supported, way to get more performance, but I'm not an LSx fan. I'm not arguing the valve/performance of the LSx, but I just find them so damned <strong><em>ugly </em></strong>looking.</p><p></p><p>LSx: Functional? Yup, absolutley no arguement there. Good looking when you lift that great big clamshell hood? Nope, not even close. GM built that LSx to a purpose and looks was not one of them. There's a reason GM makes all those big plastic engine covers you see these days when you pop the hood......</p><p></p><p>So I'm fighting my natural tendencies to modify things pretty hard. Thing is; the car is 100% a street cruiser, and it fills that roll well with the L98 and the TPI. Car will never be drag raced, never be autocrossed, never even see a track day. Just sunny day cruising.</p><p></p><p>The exhaust changes are no big deal and won't adversely effect the way the car fills it's "sunny day cruiser" duties.</p><p></p><p>The LT1 intake? Well, that will move the torque curve up the RPM range. That may (or may not) negatively effect the satisfying way the car currently rides. It may not make a difference since the L98 has so much torque down low that I can't hammer the throttle without blowing both rear tires away. Giving up a little bottom end/off idle torque might not be a bad thing.</p><p></p><p>But the car is so satisfying just as it is....as a street cruiser. That just keeps hauling me back from the edge of going absolutely nuts on modifying it.</p><p></p><p>But just as I settle down and think I'm good, I hear that nagging little voice in the back of my head saying: "come on, you know you want to just go all radical on that thing! Let's do it!"</p><p></p><p></p><p>I'm so confused, leave it or go nuts?</p><p></p><p>Do the fiscally smart thing or destroy my visa......again.</p><p></p><p>Ugh.......<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tourmax, post: 175467, member: 5304"] Well, you've probably seen my "sunny days" thread if you frequent the C4 forum. The Vette has needed lots of work to get it up to snuff and it rides wonderfully now. The wife and I are really enjoying taking it on little day trips here and there. I honestly am enjoying the car and that's saying something as I'm a bleed "Ford Blue" guy and have a pretty deep seated dislike of anything the General has ever made. Very few GM products I've ever owned have been good to me. IE: breaking down, blowing up or just generally falling apart because of poor designs. I was fighting a pretty strong urge to walk away from the Vette when we were looking at buying it. But the Vette seems to be an exception to my general GM streak of "bad luck". After I fixed all the P.O. bodges that is. But I'm coming up on a month of ownership and I find myself already thinking about ripping it apart. I'm fighting the urge, but the problem is I'm a gear head from decades back and it isn't long before I'm changing or altering something on a vehicle. Heck, I don't think is was much more than a couple months before I was tearing my new F-150 Lariat apart to add adaptive cruise, lane keeping and "parallel park". Mostly just because i could.....:Woot: Now the Vette has developed a bad cat. The RH side is rattling and today, the core must have broken completely loose because as we were driving it sounded like something had come loose and was scraping/metallic ringing/banging on one of the accessory pulleys. But when I checked, sure enough it's coming from the LH cat. Could also explain why the engine likes to run on the hot side: if the cat is bad or the "honeycomb" is plugged up, the engine is going to tend to run hotter since it can't expel the exhaust gases as efficiently as it should. That got me thinking about my options. 1. Replace the cat. Not very attractive from a cost POV as the cats are built into the y pipe. 2. Gut the cat. I'm not adverse to doing that. Pull the shield off, cut open the bottom, gut the catalyst, mig it back together and form the shield back on it. I'd have to do the same to the RH side so LH and RH banks run under the same conditions. Not environmentally friendly, but wallet friendly. 3. New Y pipe without cats. that's $$$ and probably not much different than just gutting the cats. 4.Long tube Headers. Does away with the cats and probably increase exhaust flow. Plus; I always love the idea of "improving" any efficiency on the engine. $$$$ though..... 5. complete exhaust, headers to muffs. Well, certainly attractive option, except......$$$$$! So this weekend I'll gut the cats. That will take care of the immediate problem of the horrible ringing/banging/rattling noise and the possibility of the cat coming completely apart and blocking up the LH exhaust or coming apart and sending shrapnel downstream to clog the"rear"cat. It will also let me drive the Vette until the snow fly's and I can look at doing some serious work. Winter will probably see long tubes. That will mess up a couple different emissions systems. Standard headers will mean loosing the AIR ports as well as the EGR pipe (88 has the egr off the RH rear exhaust header). I [B][I]COULD [/I][/B]get headers that have those provisions, but it just doesn't seem like what I would want to do. So that means the EGR system has to go. Not that big a deal as I'm getting set up to burn my own chips (Probably go with a Moates APU1 setup fro real time tuning capabilities) and I'm looking at dropping the LT1 intake on the L98, which makes the egr either very difficult to keep (distributor issues, porting EG to the intake manifold, etc) or you just chop it all off and blank off the ports. I can "tune out" the need for the EGR system, so not a big deal there, except I understand the how and why of an egr system and I like the idea of not only reducing NOX but being able to help stave off knock. Sure, you are adding inert exhaust gas to the fresh charge, but in delaying knock you can dial in more advance, so it all works out in the end. I'll have to work the calibration for the new intake manifold anyways, so the EGR just may "hit the bin"...... The AIR system can probably stay since it would still be able to "feed" the center cat and retain some cat function. But then, my mind starts going "stupid". GMPP aluminum block, 427 CI, turbos, 4L80E, 411 PCM, Paddle shifters, maybe a 6 speed instead of auto, etc. An LSx would be the easiest, most aftermarket supported, way to get more performance, but I'm not an LSx fan. I'm not arguing the valve/performance of the LSx, but I just find them so damned [B][I]ugly [/I][/B]looking. LSx: Functional? Yup, absolutley no arguement there. Good looking when you lift that great big clamshell hood? Nope, not even close. GM built that LSx to a purpose and looks was not one of them. There's a reason GM makes all those big plastic engine covers you see these days when you pop the hood...... So I'm fighting my natural tendencies to modify things pretty hard. Thing is; the car is 100% a street cruiser, and it fills that roll well with the L98 and the TPI. Car will never be drag raced, never be autocrossed, never even see a track day. Just sunny day cruising. The exhaust changes are no big deal and won't adversely effect the way the car fills it's "sunny day cruiser" duties. The LT1 intake? Well, that will move the torque curve up the RPM range. That may (or may not) negatively effect the satisfying way the car currently rides. It may not make a difference since the L98 has so much torque down low that I can't hammer the throttle without blowing both rear tires away. Giving up a little bottom end/off idle torque might not be a bad thing. But the car is so satisfying just as it is....as a street cruiser. That just keeps hauling me back from the edge of going absolutely nuts on modifying it. But just as I settle down and think I'm good, I hear that nagging little voice in the back of my head saying: "come on, you know you want to just go all radical on that thing! Let's do it!" I'm so confused, leave it or go nuts? Do the fiscally smart thing or destroy my visa......again. Ugh.......;) [/QUOTE]
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C4 Forum
About 4 weeks in, having some serious thoughts about modifications......
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