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Thread: Picked up my new C4 chassis!

  1. #21
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 55 Rescue Dog View Post
    Sure the components aren't that rare, but finding a complete package from 1 in a 1000 grand sports in this condition is, I think. In addition to the bigger front brakes, they also came standard with the fast steering rack, and a 3:45 gear. The 96 cars also had the softest spring rates, which I will have to try before changing springs.
    The point I made is that none of that is unique to the Grand Sport. There were 1000 Grand Sports made in 96, so they're pretty rare as complete cars, but the suspension parts aren't unique or rare. IMO saying it's from a Grand Sport doesn't really mean anything. The guy who parted it out probably made a big mistake.

    Sounds like you got a nice setup that's in good shape. I've bought several suspensions with only 50K or so miles on them, but the bushings were still somewhat distorted. These cars are 20-30 years old and deteriorate just by sitting. And a lot of the corvette guys went to urethane bushings just to improve handling performance.

    Yes the rear might sit an inch higher, but NO mods needed to the suspension, or floor pan, and will have a very usable ride height.
    I doubt you're only an inch higher than mine, but maybe. I don't think I'd have plenty of toe rod clearance at only an inch higher ride height. Even Newman uses a dropped toe rod to clear the frame...so does SRG and others. You also need to plan on smashing the axle bumper to some extent, probably on the order of half it's height. My standard setup sets the rearend at a 2" suspension drop from stock height and the front at a 3" drop. The batwing is only about 1/8" from the bottom of the frame. To me, lower is better because it lowers the CG and makes a better handling car and most guys want them as low as possible these days. I don't know how far Rick drops the front end, but again lower is better with the high CG of these cars. My frames sit at 4" off the ground at the low point which is comparable to make newer sports cars and is driveable. It will work at a higher ride height but won't be optimal imo.

    Rick's frames are clearly an exact clone of Newman's frames and I'm surprised Newman didn't go after him for some sort of design infringement. One thing I never liked about Newman's crossmembers is that any sizable exhaust tube is going to hang below the frame. The AME center section eliminates that problem, while significantly stiffening the frame. Bolted in crossmembers do little to stiffen a frame either torsionally or longitudinally. The other thing many of my customers didn't like was the inability to use coilover shocks if they wanted to. You're stuck with the Corvette spring offerings because the shock mounts won't accommodate a coilover. If you just want a cruiser, that's probably not an issue, but for best performance picking the right spring rate is important.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  2. #22
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    The brake rotors were really rusty, but after a 2 day soak in a tub of vinegar and water, all the rust was gone. I will hit them with a little paint.

  3. #23
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    The best way to lower the center of gravity without giving up ground clearance or suspension travel on a tri-five, is to eliminate as much weight as possible
    above the frame rails, starting with the engine, and anything else, including the driver. Since, unless I go for a better car, I'm stuck with a rat of a car, and might even eliminate side windows to shave weight, since they are all cracked, and I'll never add AC, or drive it in the rain anyway. Just nice non-operating wiper blades parked on the glass like my other car.
    Last edited by 55 Rescue Dog; 07-11-2016 at 03:56 PM.

  4. #24
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    Yeah, no engine should do it.

  5. #25
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Here's something I just learned today, while I was researching a guy's claim that "J56 C4 rotors" were thicker than J55 Rotors....

    "Corvette Black Book notes that the J55 "big brake" option became standard on all Corvettes in 1995. In 95 and 96, some Corvettes (Pace Car, ZR1, GS, Collectors Edition) got different calipers; but, the 'big' 13 inch rotors were standard and the capacity of the brakes were basically the same for all."

    So my '92 J55 brakes were actually a lot more rare than the '96 J55 brakes . I sold them with another late suspension in favor of my 13" Baer brake setup with 2-piece rotors. There were only 502 ZR1 suspension options sold in '92 and even fewer thereafter (ZR-1 was discontinued in 95). BTW, there's no such thing as a "J56 brake option" for C4s, only for C3 Corvettes.

    The truth is, I have no idea what year my late front end parts actually are. They all used the same a-arms but the spindle design changed in 93 and they take a different hub with a different ABS sensor. The parts I used for the build were from a '92 ZR-1 but when I built the chassis I just picked some good parts out of my stash of loose parts and polished them. I swapped out my '92 Dana 44 case and used a '94 case for my rebuild, then polished a spare batwing I had and picked some nice rear suspension parts for polishing. My front swaybar is a Z51 30mm unit. The actual year means nothing to me.
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  6. #26
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    Stainless 22 gallon by "Ricks tanks". Now I have to look at ways to run the lines. Hope the car needs more rear weight bias, because this heavy gauge tank weighs like 45 pounds MT.
    Last edited by 55 Rescue Dog; 07-12-2016 at 02:29 PM.

  7. #27
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 55 Rescue Dog View Post
    The best way to lower the center of gravity without giving up ground clearance or suspension travel on a tri-five, is to eliminate as much weight as possible above the frame rails,
    I disagree...the best way to lower CG is to lower the weight of the whole car. Ground clearance at 4" isn't really an issue, and a lot of new cars are at that height. New Corvettes are 102mm or right at 4" and they're obviously driveable. And CG doesn't just apply to weight above the frame rails, it includes anything above ground.

    I think my frames sit almost 2" below yours with the suspension in the proper configuration. IMO that's significant. What could you move to drop the CG by 2"? Nothing.

    What is your front end drop?
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  8. #28
    Registered Member chevynut's Avatar
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    $1200 for a new gas tank and no A/C or side windows?
    56 Nomad, Ramjet 502, Viper 6-speed T56, C4 Corvette front and rear suspension


    Other vehicles:

    56 Chevy 2-door BelAir sedan
    56 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    57 Chevy 210 4-door sedan
    1962 327/340HP Corvette
    1961 Willys CJ3B Jeep
    2001 Porsche Boxster S
    2003 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    2019 GMC Sierra Denali Duramax

  9. #29
    Registered Member Maddog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 55 Rescue Dog View Post
    Stainless 22 gallon by "Ricks tanks". Now I have to look at ways to run the lines. Hope the car needs more rear weight bias, because this heavy gauge tank weighs like 45 pounds MT.
    Very nice

  10. #30
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    Here is a good example how to mount the forward dog bone in double shear as they are designed to be. Yes, the OE bolts on the upright are single shear,
    but they are 16mm bolts, not 12mm like the front ones. Yeah, I know the 96 composite arms are not as attractive as the aluminum ones, but they have good rubber bushings, which is much better than poly in 3D movements. I believe the composite arms might be designed to twist a little too.
    Last edited by 55 Rescue Dog; 07-22-2016 at 03:28 PM.

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