The fourth generation Corvette or C4 was introduced
in 1984 and over 500,000 examples were built before the last C4 rolled off the
Bowling Green assembly line in 1996. The C4 is an excellent weekend racer. The
car has a race-bred suspension, wide tires and plenty of power. It's great for
local autocrosses or even using your car at one of the competition driving schools
offered in many parts of the country.
One of the easiest ways to pick up some extra horsepower
for "off road use" is to change your exhaust system. The C4 exhaust
system can be removed in less than 2 hours if you have the proper tools and
lifts. Six studs on the engine headers, which are formed from stainless steel,
attach the exhaust system. The studs are mounted on a cast iron mounting flange,
which is tack welded onto a stainless steel flange that is attached to the header.
We recently found out how fragile this setup is and how exhausting it is to
fix it properly.
While
pulling out of our driveway, we heard a loud pop and a increased exhaust noise.
Upon close inspection we discovered the exhaust flange on the driver's side
broke loose from its weld on the header.
After examining the broken part we visited our local
Chevrolet dealer and discovered a new header lists for over $200! Labor to install
the unit was $150, so being budget minded, we decided to repair the broken header
ourselves. We learned that the job was fairly easy and thanks to Doug Tillman
at Vette Brakes and Products, we were able to repair our original unit at a
fraction of the replacement cost. The completed job took about one and half-hours
to reinstall and we saved over $300! In fact we believe the repaired unit is
stronger than the original. A word of caution: If you remove or tighten the
exhaust system, do not over tighten the exhaust header bolts or you to will
also have another exhausting story to tell.
