Corvette forum, parts and facts
 

C4 Corvette Forum, Restoration Information, Parts Deals, Links, and Facts Resource.

Last content update: 24 Dec 2005
 Hit Counter visitors since 19 Apr 2003

 C4 Corvette front viewC4 Corvette side viewC4 Corvette rear view
C4 Corvette forum discussion
C4 Corvette Forum
 C4 Corvette forum information and discussion		 C4 Corvette parts deals found by other C4 owners
Corvette Parts
 C4 Corvette parts deals found by C4 owners		 C4 Corvette repair tasks and instruction with photos
Corvette Repair and Restoration Information
 C4 Corvette repair information, links and photos		 C4 Corvette factoid facts
Corvette information
 Informatrion about all Corvettes and all things Corvette

Corvette Factoid - Facts about Corvettes.

Facts by generation:

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/generations/articles/100444/article.html?tid

http://www.idavette.net/trivia.htm

http://www.magneticred.com/faq/

C4 Technology Evolution: 1984 to 1996:
 Compiled by Tibor Magyar:  http://vette.hu/198397.html.

C4 Corvette Facts 1984-1996
 http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/4310/vetfacts.htm

Specific C4 Cross Fire (1984 Corvette) facts:
 Author unknown--if you know the author of this information, please contact us so we can attribute it properly!

  • VIN Ranges: 1G1AY0782E5100001 thru 1G1AY0782E5151547

  • Production: 51,547 coupes

  • The 1984 Corvette was a complete redesign in almost every aspect. Handling considerations dominated and the result was praised by the motoring press as the world's best cornering automobile.

  • The 1984 Corvette was introduced in March 1983. Because it met all 1984 federal requirements, Chevrolet decided to skip the 1983 model designation. The result was a very long production run and the second highest model year volume in the Corvette's history. 1983 Corvettes were built, serial numbered, and tested by both Chevrolet and the motoring press at the "long lead" preview at Riverside Raceway in December 1982. But 1983 Corvettes were not released for public sale.

  • Design criteria specified that the 1984 Corvette have more ground clearance and more interior room, but less overall height. In order to achieve it, engineers routed the exhaust system through the central tunnel.

  • A "4+3", 4-speed manual transmission, built by Doug Nash, had overdrives in the top three gears for improved fuel economy.

  • All 1984 Corvettes were designed with one-piece, lift-off roof panels and rear hatch windows. At the time, the rear window glass was the largest compound glass ever installed in an American automobile. The front windshield was raked at the greatest angle, 64%.

  • Brakes remained disc at all four wheels, but components were new and included aluminum calipers supplied by Girlock of Australia.

  • Electronic instrumentation was standard and included digital readouts for engine monitoring and liquid crystal graphic displays for speed and engine revolutions. Analog instrumentation was not available.

  • The 1984 Corvette was designed with a pad protruding from the passenger side of the dash. This was part of a passive restraint system conceived when it was assumed the federal regulation would require such restraints. The Reagan Administration dropped the restraint proposals, but the Corvette's pad remained.

  • The 1984 Corvette was designed without fiberglass seams on exposed panels to eliminate factory finishing. The exterior seams were under the rub strip extending around the entire body.

  • The radiator was a new design using aluminum for the cooling fins and plastic for the reservoirs. A thermostatically controlled electric fan operates only when needed and only under 35mph. The fan cut in when engine coolant temperatures reached approx 227-228 degrees F (110 deg Celcius).

  • Chevrolet built specially modified 1984 Corvettes for the export markets of European, Middle East, Japanese, and Latin American countries. Changes included different license plate provisions, leaded fuel capability, and electrical, glass, lighting and mirror modifications.

  • Single transverse plastic leaf springs were used front and rear.

  • A 350ci, 205hp engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, removable body-color roof panel, and cloth seats were included in the base price.

  • Optional leather seats were the same design as the base cloth style. Sport seats were available in cloth (different material than base) and featured inflatable lumbar support and power-adjusted side bolsters.

  • The RPO QZD 16-inch tire and wheel package, initially intended to be included as part of the Z51 option, and as a separate option for base models, was required for all 1984 Corvettes sold. The scheduled standard 15-inch alloy wheels and P215/65R15 tires were not used.

  • RPO Z51 included heavy-duty front and rear springs, shock absorbers, stabilizer bars and bushings, fast steering ratio, engine oil cooler, extra radiator fan (pusher), P255/50VR16 tires and directional alloy wheels, 16x8.5-inch front,16x9.5-inch rear.

  • All wheels were alloy with similar exterior appearance. Base models had all 16x8.5-inch. Z51 models had 16x8.5-inch front, 16x9.5-inch rear.

  • Road & Track magazine tested the 1984 Corvette to a best time of 7.1 seconds 0-60mph, 15.5 sec @ 88.0 mph 1/4, and a top speed of 137 mph. Braking from 60-0 mph was 112ft.

'84 Clarification from Geeky_Bill at http://www.crossfire.homeip.net/
CFI = Cross Fire Injection
TBI = Throttle Body Injection
TPI = Tuned Port Injection

CFI is based on the old 69 (I think) Z28 302 Cross-Ram design, where there were two diagonally-opposed carbs feeding the opposite side of the engine. CFI uses two TBIs instead of carbs...and has much smaller intake runners. CFI was only used on 82 and 84 Vettes and 82-84(?) F-bodies (camaros/firebirds). A TBI setup is similar to a carb, except that instead of a "nozzle" or "jet" you have an electronic computer-controlled injector. After CFI came TPI. TPI is a "dry manifold" (no fuel flows through the intake manifold) setup, using an injector-per-cylinder setup.

Corvette Forum link that explains the different engine nomenclature
 http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=728037

What the critics had to say about the C4 Cross Fire:
 Author unknown--if you know the author of this information, please contact us so we can attribute it properly!

"To amplify on these cold objective numbers, we can report that the Corvette's handling is a delight! Gone is the previous version's overshoot steering that caused you to uncrank some lock as the car took its set. You point this new Corvette and it goes." -- Road and Track Magazine, March, 1983.

"Steering quickness is the most noticeable of the Corvette's handling traits when you get off the Interstate and onto the twisty stuff. After the other three cars, the steering feels almost too quick and darty, but once you get used to it, the quickness works well with the basic point-and-squirt driving style needed to get the big car through tight corners. With its special and very wide Goodyear Eagle VR50s, the Corvette provides excellent adhesion and good cornering balance at all speeds, and recorded the highest skidpad figure of the four cars. On a fast, smooth track like Willow Springs, that cornering power makes the Corvette the easiest and most effortless car to drive fast, and at least one driver reached his quickest and most consistent lap times of the day in the Corvette." -- Road and Track Magazine, August, 1983. (comparison test including Ferrari 308 and Porsche 928)

"All but one driver placed the Corvette last in the cost-is-no-object rating. The car was well liked for its driver comfort and great torquey acceleration in traffic (driver quote:  'The best thing about the Corvette is putting down your right foot and throwing great big clouds of Corvette dust on all the other traffic'). The new Corvette is much improved over the old, but still lacks the finesses of the other cars in the test. Most complaints centered on excess rather than shortcomings; 'too big and bulky,' 'overdone instrumentation' and so on. Poor ride and body rattles also made the Corvette the least pleasant to drive on an extended 3-day road trip. Make no mistake--the Corvette is an excellent car, among the best in the world, but again the cars in this test it lost several small battles of degree." -- Road and Track Magazine, August, 1983. (comparison test including Ferrari 308 and Porsche 928)

 

Corvette Forum thread, "Is the '84 really the best handling Vette?"
 Author: vetnutjim, alfordjim@aol.com, Columbus Georgia, http://www.geocities.com/csgcorvetteclub/

"I have one each:

84 Z51 Vette
91 Coupe
02 Z06

The 84 is DEFINITELY the best handling/driving Corvette in my stable.
I DON'T mean by just a little bit either.

It handles and drives about 10 times better than my 91.
It handles and drives about 2 times better than my Z06.

It is a little down on power but it drives like a large size go cart.
It is rough on bumps but it handles turns...well...like it was made to.
The 84 is in it's own element going through hard turns.

It steers quicker than the 91 or the Z06.
It turns in quicker and sticks better than the 91 or the Z06.
Feels like it has glue on the tires. Gives plenty of warning when it's getting close to the adhesion limit.

The 84 Vette comes a LOT closer to 'reading my mind' than the 91 or the Z06.

I've just got to get some more horsies in it to be the perfect Vette for me.

The 84 is a DRIVERS car.
It's a smart car too...knows what I want to do and just does it.

Don't get me wrong. The Z06 is F-A-S-T. The 91 is more powerful.
Both are more 'refined'.

But I'd rather drive the 84 than either one of the two others.
I'd have a hard time letting go of the 84 simply for the reasons listed above.
It's just plain more fun!!!

I'll say this:
If your L98 or LT1 Vette isn't tuned up just right, I'll hand you an empty lunch plate with my old Crossfire 84.

I ain't taking on any LS1 cars, now. They're quite a bit too much in the power department. (I KNOW, I've got one..98 LS1 Z28)

The 84 Vette.....It's rough, it's tough, it's raw around the gills and it rides like a truck. But it HANDLES like a WET DREAM. I LOVE mine.
Or can't you tell?"
 

There is NOTHING for sale on this web site!  Author gets NO monetary compensation whatsoever from any seller or part mentioned or referred to on this web site! This web site is an attempt to get sellers to compete for your business, hence driving DOWN the price of your restoration parts. That said, author WILL place advertising banners on this web site if the business is known to be reputable by author and/or a Forum consensus that the advertiser/advertiser's inventory is reputable.  Contact Author to become a candidate for advertising here.  Author will ensure that this web site remains a GREAT resource for you, the C4 owner--no more searching endlessly for the best deal on the parts you're looking for, or risking the purchase of expensive parts from an unknown seller.  The research is already done by the author and other C4 owners!  YOU can contribute to this resource as well by contacting us about the great deals YOU'VE found on parts for YOUR C4! Disclaimer: All information on this website and forum are used by the recipient with the inherent risks involved and C4Restore is not liable for any damage that may result from their use. If you are not comfortable doing anything stated, consult a professional. Copyright © 2003 C4 Restore. ©CORVETTE is a Trademark of General Motors Corporation. All GM Trademarks are used under written agreement with GM/Chevrolet/EMI. Any use of the Corvette name at this site is used only as a point of reference to automobiles or automotive products line of the same name. This web site is independently operated as a free informational service for the benefit of Corvette owners and other interested parties. Neither the Chevrolet Motor Division nor any other segment of General Motors or it's affiliates or subsidiaries shall bear any responsibility what so ever for content. No copyright infringement is intended for various articles taken from unknown sources.
  Thanks for visiting C4 Restore--the BEST 4th generation Corvette resource on the Internet!  

C4 Corvette ForumC4 Forum Restoration PartsParts Deals Repair InformationRepair Tasks 1984 Corvette InfoC4 Factoid Contact C4 RestoreContact 1984 CorvetteAuthor's '84 Ford!Superior Rival!

© 20031984 Corvette Restoration Information