F-Body Europe

Alright,

As some of you know I'm a died in the wool ford fan and I love my stangs. I've had about 4 GM products in my past with my last one being a 4.3 which the block cracked on in a 02 Chevy Blazer. Regardless, I've found myself looking at 98-04 vette's as of late an wondering what your take is on them? i know i love the LS1's but is it worth it to drop 4-6 thousand more for a Z06? Won't be buying right away obviously but probably by the end of the year 08 or spring of 09. My divorce is finalizing and I'm buying a place when I get back stateside this summer, but other than that I should be bill free or relatively close to it soon. I have joint custody of my children but will have a Jeep for hauling them around. My only note will be house, insurances and car. My stang will be paid off fairly soon due to some money I'm coming into late this fall if everything goes as planned and I don't owe much on it right now anyway.

Well, break them down, I know I like the versions with the shorter rear glass and more trunk space, what identifies those models as different? I really didn't know there was 4 differnet models until recently. By four I mean = Base, shorter rear glass version, Vert, and Z06. Is that all, I know there are different handling packs and whatever I get will be used for autocross and occasional drag racing, but mainly autocross. Just point me in the right direction and I'll research the crap out of them. IE, what are the name of the handleing packs, ZL1? etc.. I have a pretty good grasp on the LT1 based and L88's etc.. but i have no clue on C-5's and C-6's? i realistically don't want to spend more than 25-28k when I go to buy, just don't want a note that high you know...

It depends on what you really want. Z06's are natural born autox'ers. Stick a good set of meats on it and you will be good to go. If you want a targa top or convertible, the only way to go is a non-Z06. It isn't too tough to upgrade a non-Z06 into Z0 territory. Intake and exhaust will almost do it powerwise.

I stopped looking at them so I am not up to speed on the suspension packages. I am sure there are others to give you more insight.

GL

I'm keeping my saleen clone and it's got almost everything you can throw at it and soon will be a built bottom end with a 4v worked over and about 20+ PSI so it'll be my play car, Jeep will be daily driver, and I don't want a vert. I didn't want a vert in my current car either but for the deal I couldn't pass it up and I love it now:) With the Vette i would want all around, some days take it to the track ie... Sebring, and other days run in stock class and get my butt handed to me in autocross by more experienced autocrossers, or get better. Whatever I get will be modified, but it would be a while before it was modded, tires would be the first thing as these autocross tires that I have on the front of my car have me completely believing in the power of grip:) Thanks for the feedback and I'm just asking to see on the Z06 stuff, I'm not against a non z06 and building it, I would like to play around with the chevy some and see how I could do with it:)

If you want to AutoX in the US the SCCA puts all C5s in the same class, and most clubs use the SCCA classes, so if you run Super Stock (SS) in a coupe, you've got to compete against Z06s with 50hp less, 1" narrower tires and more weight. A Street Prepped (ASP) is a little better, you can put an LS6 crate motor in a coupe or FRC or update your LS1 with LS6 parts just nothing aftermarket, run any size tires, and upgrade the suspension (but you have to keep the leaf-springs), so the only disadvantage there is the weight of the coupe. An FRC built to the limit of AP rules would be identical to a Z06. The only way to really equalize the Coupe with the Z06 is to go to Street Modified 2 (SM2) or X prepped (XP) which are wide open. In SM2 you have to keep the interior, but you can replace things (lighter seats, carbon fiber everything), any suspension using the OEM mounting points, any brake system (must have a functional parking brake), any GM made engine block with anything done to it, and add big wings and spliters. Min. weight is based on displacement. XP is a Stripped down race car that's not street legal or even streetable if built to the limits of the rules. That said, if you're looking to just have some fun with local clubs, a coupe is fine and at the local level, driver ability is more of a factor than the car.

You can get the SCCA rule book here http://scca.com/contentpage.aspx?content=61
If you have any plans for competition, I'd suggest planning your mods around the rule book of whatever class you want to run or you end up like me with an SM2 car with a stock engine and suspension (i.e. going to get my ass handed to me, and I like to win)

basic choices
Coupe - 1997-2004 fast back design with a removable targa top (my car). LS1 engine, 345hp from 97-00, 350 hp 01-04. I can't remember the torque #s. Mid 2001 vettes started getting LS6 blocks, intake manifolds, exhaust manifold, and a few other parts from the LS6.

Convertible - 98-04. same as the coupe

FRC - Fixed Roof Coupe - 99-00 - This what the Z06 started out as, the original idea was a "poor man's vette" with no electronics, cloth seats, ect. The problem came when they realized it would be cheaper and faster than the F-body, so all the junk got put back in and it sold for about $1K less than the coupes. Automatic trans was not available on either the FRC or Z06

Z06 - 01 - 04 - When the FRC didn't sell well, GM turned switched it from the cheapest, to the most expensive model. Upgraded suspension, Wider wheels, better tires, extra power, less weight. 01s had 385hp, 02-04 had 405hp and had a few extra options (the HUD is the big one that I can think of now). An over simplified way to describe the LS6 is an LS1 with a mild head/cam package.

Suspension:
Base, to soft unless you 50 years old and want to cruise around town slowly so everyone can see you and you can think that they think your cool
Z51, this is the sport suspension for the Coupe & vert and was standard on the FRC. Bigger sway-bars, stiffer springs, different shock valving, and it also included a power steering cooler which is needed on track days
F45, variable suspension with 2 settings for comfort (close to the base suspension) or sport (close to the Z51)
F55, replaced F45 in 2003 same idea, but has magnetic shocks. Something about using magnetic fields to control how the shock responds. As the cars are starting to age and people start to replace the shocks, a lot of guys are finding out how expensive F45 and F55 shocks are and installing normal shocks which also requires a plug to keep the computer happy. I've never been impressed with either and would suggest the Z51 suspension if you get a coupe.
FE1, the Z06 suspension, pretty much just an upgraded version of the Z51, 1 of the springs and 1 of the sway-bars is actually the same as on the Z51 cars. 2004 also saw an improvement in the shocks that many people are using as a nice OEM upgrade.

There's some debate on which transmission is better for road racing. The M12 (Z06 trans) gears are lower for better acceleration, but there a big jump between 3 and 4, where the MN6 is spaced pretty even. Don't bother with the A4, it's a sports car and needs the 6-speed.

Best bet is to get a 2002 or newer. All of the major updates that GM did to the C5 were done by then and they fixed all the issues they were going to fix (many 2001s burned oil and the column lock never worked right even after recalling the recall of the recall, get a bypass and be done with it, they're cheap)

That pretty much covers the basics. Do some reading on the Corvette forum http://www.forums.corvetteforum.com (I'd suggest taking C5 Gen with a grain of salt and sticking with C5 Tech and the AutoX/RR sections for good advice)

Wow,

I was hoping you would chime in, you were the Lt with the Red one on Ramstein right, I met you about a year or two ago and commented to you on the tires and brakes, told you it was nice to see a vette owner who actually drove it like it was intended, don't know if you remember me or not. We also talked about the red one on base with the Zoomie who had the big spoiler on the back, any of this ringing a bell? Is that you?

Regardless, thanks for all the info, as of right now,I want a FRC with the Z51 unless a Z06 falls in my lap:) Sounds like an 02 up is the way to go as well, just signed up on the corvette forum as well:)

Oh, as well, a auto is/never will be an option in a sports car, auto's are for people who can't drive;) Unless your running consistent 9's in the quarter, you don't need it, or a truck maybe:)

or you have a wife who cant drive a stick and has to drive your sports car

That's a way to keep her from driving it

you still married her? That's #3 on my list of requirements, right behind a nice rack and cooking/cleaning ability.

My wife had all the above, we're still getting a divorce...

bahn...

are you back in the hood?? you still on AufDurPick?
You know I have a guy at work thats sonn to be in teh selling market for his Vette. its aplain C-6 if i'm not mistaking, white, M6....I could get better details if wanted.

Also I think you knew another guy I work with Puagh (i think thats how he spells it, still learning names/faces my shift is so damned big new people show up every day)

Anyways let me know and I could connest you with the Vette

98blkbrd

98BLKBRD
Are you drinkering and typering?

Nope,

I'm in SWA till May, rolled back through for about 3 weeks from leave until I left, but as you can imagine I was busy as all hell.