My '85 C4 restoration
- Thread starter Skvitt
- Start date
If it was like the PO of my ‘84, her nephew decided to run a switch similar , but on the console as a kill switch. That as you can imagine was the first thing to leave and a complete interior refit / restoration was carried out. Good luck and keep posting your progress
subbed!
Questions / Comments
1. Does the car have emergency hood release cables installed yet? i use aircraft wire and crimps. Have seen others use fishing leaders.
2. Not sure of auto vs manual but if auto one button may be for torque converter lockup.
3. If Auto, (if 4+3, ignore) you *may* want to update the ecu prom chip to the final GM factory update for the 85 model year, called “HLH3200”. There are a few sites in the usa that specialize in vette salvage and there are a couple in ontario. or, its possible to have a custom chip burned for you with the hlh3200 code on it. Furthermore, you may find your chip has a “hyperchip” or some aftermarket chip and that is also better than the 85 gm chips. Solves early tcc lockup which feels like “stack shifting”, smooths idle, turns an 85 into an 87 in terms of running reliably. Took me forever to solve that one.
4. If its possible to save your factory carpet, i would. Easily removeable.
As mentioned in your other thread, your colour is very unique! Ive seem some gorgeous light blue metallics with Amold factory c4 5spokes too.
Questions / Comments
1. Does the car have emergency hood release cables installed yet? i use aircraft wire and crimps. Have seen others use fishing leaders.
2. Not sure of auto vs manual but if auto one button may be for torque converter lockup.
3. If Auto, (if 4+3, ignore) you *may* want to update the ecu prom chip to the final GM factory update for the 85 model year, called “HLH3200”. There are a few sites in the usa that specialize in vette salvage and there are a couple in ontario. or, its possible to have a custom chip burned for you with the hlh3200 code on it. Furthermore, you may find your chip has a “hyperchip” or some aftermarket chip and that is also better than the 85 gm chips. Solves early tcc lockup which feels like “stack shifting”, smooths idle, turns an 85 into an 87 in terms of running reliably. Took me forever to solve that one.
4. If its possible to save your factory carpet, i would. Easily removeable.
As mentioned in your other thread, your colour is very unique! Ive seem some gorgeous light blue metallics with Amold factory c4 5spokes too.
very odd. possible that it was installed outward facing originally and then a subsequent owner removed its use and turned it around?
No idea.
I traced wires down to this relay. Don't have the manual yet, so no idea what that relay is.
Attachments
1- no it doesn't, will upgrade.
2 - 1 button was disconnected, another one was connected to windshield washer, the third hidden one is connected to relay above.
4 - carpet seems OK, just dirty. Will try to save it.
Looks like it is fuel pump relay, but why would he manually override it? And why the button was hidden?
Attachments
Pretty certain now after following this, that the PO installed a kill switch. These were a kind of home made security to prevent someone driving off with the car and were quite popular to install at one time.
I would think so, but it is normally open pushbutton, and it jumps normally open relay contacts, looks like it is there to activate fuel pump, bypassing the relay for whatever reason. And most confusing - why was it hidden inside the panel? I would've never found it if I didn't pull the panel and it was just sitting there inside that pocked, which was manually carved out.
Attachments
Hmmmm, very strange to have a NO push button to a NO relay. I will have to think on this some more. Hopefully someone out there will have a better idea.
Edit: Is the push button a momentary contact?
Edit: Is the push button a momentary contact?
remarkably clean and complete for $2000. other than the bubba wiring the only thing i see is your valve covers on on ghe side.
I believe it is indeed fpr.
connect fuel pressure tester and see what happens to fp when u turn key on engine off. what fp does it get to? how quick does it bleed down? try to get it started. what does fp do while idling. what does it do when u jab throttle.
if u can answer those, we can rule out some things.
all that crap wiring can come out and we can help u get it factory.
start looking for an hlh3200 prom chip
a comment here, maybe it applies to more than old c4’s, but u r likely dealing with layers of bubba here from multiple owners. u may never make sense of it. aim for factory operation
thats under the carpet, under driverside seat. its from improper jacking on a lift. usually. if its a big rock u would see forward damage. lifting damage very common. the pads are to go under the pinch welds, where it is labelled jack point.
if u want, u can remove carpet and use a 4x4 or 2x4 and sledge to press the floor back to semi flat. been there.
as forbthe rust, and rot, i had a c4 like this. it was high mileage and originated from nova scotia. must have been driven year round. if you can get it up high (i had a lift) you can get the worst off then spray with converter and tremclad satin. i think u said u had done frame offs so u likely dont need commentary there.
that is generally the correct brake line routing but i cant tell if it has been replaced and is blatantly below the pinch weld exposed to snags etc.
factory brake line was wrapped in steel coil where it briefly routes under a pinch weld. there will be a second steel line routed parallel to it, this is the vent line from the fuel tank, running from the ds of tank, to front ds corner vapour cannister.
fuel lines run up the ps side.
