Hi all- Hope all of you are having a good day.

I have a 91 Vette with 45k on it. Most things are working well and most looks nice. I have a few things to repair (drivers seat has some wear at the spot you rub when you get in and out, the power antenna does not work, there is a hum in one of the speakers that is a bit annoying, etc.).

What I'm wondering is what should I do as far as making adjustments to the car. Realizing a 91 is not going to bring the money that a 54 Corvette would, is it a good idea to still stay as original as possible? Or should I upgrade motor performance, seats, etc without worry about future value?

Also, I have some stress cracks in the paint on the back end. Someone once told me that you shouldn't fix something like that because it becomes obvious it isn't original when you do that.

Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Thanks

 

Well, it really depends what you want to do with the car! Some folks like to have a show car they can garage and take out on nice days, and others (like me) love to drive these things every day.

Are you planning on showing the car? Are you planning on using the car as a future investment? If yes to either, then you need to probably keep it totally stock or get ready to drop a lot of coin into her to make her a real showcar stunner.... then you probably don't want to drive it too much.

But, if you're like me, you want to drive her. Every day. In my case, future value is MUCH less important and today's fun is where it's at. We are going to slowly restore our '87 roadster and will use some genuine GM OEM parts and some aftermarket parts, depending on what it is. For example, I would probably stick with the GM alternator, but have no second thoughts at all installing a CAI setup from K&N. We will probably install Bilstein shocks when the time comes. In the next 10-15 years she will need a motor rebuild and we are going to use all proper GM OEM parts for that job. Probably.

What kind of performance improvements are you looking to achieve? There is an unbelievable amount of stuff available for these cars; the 350 is one of the most prolific motors in existance in the world today... you can choose to do some bolt ons, or go all out and get a wicked nasty CRATE motor to drop in there. A stroked 350 ZZ3 stroker comes out at 383 CI and is easily capable of putting out 400+hp at the crank without too many insane parts at all... and it comes with a warranty and will run 500,000 miles if maintained properly.

The world is your oyster!

 

Oh, and regarding the stress cracks... I'd go ahead and get those fixed myself. If the work is done properly by a reputable shop, you shouldn't be able to see it, and cracks do not look good really, so...... yeh, if it were me, I'd fix that without a second thought.

 

Upgrades are DEFINATELY good for an older car like the one you own. My 94 had almost twice as many miles as yours has and its 3 years newer. That might count for quite a bit of wear-n-tear, but I personally would still have some stuff checked out on the car. If you are wanting to boost the horsepower without really sacrificing the "originality" of the car, i would just get your block machined and get your heads upgraded. Get a new cam, among other things, and you could really increase your horsepower drastically. With a storker application, I have been told that you sacrifice quite a bit of drivability. If the car isnt a daily driver, then you have nothing to worry about and I would completely recommend the stroker. If it is a daily driver, i would consider just new heads and a cam and cleaning up your cylinders.

The stress cracks are probably ugly and should be taken care of as soon as you, as the owner, are prepared. I personally wouldve had my car repainted and had a little body work done to it had I had the resources. The interior of a 15 or 16 year old car can be pretty beat up depending on how hard the owner abused it. My interior was remarkably good for the condition of the rest of the vehicle. If it is pretty bad, you can get your seat reupholstered and brand new carpet for the entire car for I BELIEVE around $700-800... I know that the carpet only runs around $300 +or-. Right when i get the money, the exterior of my car is going to be attacked, and then the interior.

Whatever you decide to do, Good Luck and Remember the Wave

 

94blackC4 is bang on the money here with his recommendations. Also, it should be noted that a properly built engine with a machined block and upgraded heads can easily run several hundred thousand miles with just regular maintenance. These things can be built almost bullet-proof, especially if you aren't looking to run over 450hp. Once you start talking strokers and all that, there are other components to consider too... tranny, half shafts, rear gears... etc. etc. there is a magic line that once you cross hp-wise you really need to start beefin' up your other components too, or they will certainly fail.

But a new machined motor with a mild cam can be one of the most reliable things you've ever driven. You can even port and polish the stock heads and get quite the bang for your buck.

The sky is the limit with these babies; it all depends on what your target use is.

 

Thanks for the advice. I will have to look into getting the block machined. The car is really in overall good shape. I purchased it last fall, and the cracks on the paint aren't too bad yet, but I would like to get fixed before they do...I was just afraid that it would take a lot away from the value of the car (especially the future value).
I think the interior should be easy to fix as it is just a rip where you get in and out of it.
Any ideas on where I could get a new power antenna for a reasonable price....Checked with the dealer and they want $300 for it. I got the diagram on how to replace and it looks pretty easy to do.

 

You could probably check Ecklers. I am not sure on the price but they are usually reasonable. Go to www.ecklers.com . they have just about everything you could hope for. Also, check out mid-america at www.madvet.com . Good luck buddy.

 

Good luck indeed, and please keep us posted!