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1984 -1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 - Generation-Four Spotter's Guide

Things You Can And Can't See In '84-'96 Corvettes
By Randy Bolig
Photography by Harry Toche
Chevrolet Corvette C4 Front Left View
1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Engine View
What You See: The first obvious... 
   
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1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Engine View
What You See:
The first obvious item is the carryover of the Cross-Fire engine. GM realized that performance and fuel economy meant having fuel control. Cross-Fire was an early attempt at controlling the V-8's fuel diet and, while it helped, it still didn't give enough control since there were two injectors for eight cylinders.
1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Foundation
What You Don't See: In an... 
   
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1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Foundation
What You Don't See:
In an attempt to provide fuel mileage that met government standards and performance that met buyers' standards, GM also carried over the 700-R4 automatic from the '82 Corvette. New was the 4+3 manual transmission. Calling it a manual transmission is a bit of a misnomer because the front portion is basically a four-speed transmission with an overdrive unit mounted behind it that operated on the top three gears. GM was on the verge of losing its production source for transmissions, so joining with Doug Nash on these overdriven standard transmissions bridged the gap until something better was designed. These transmissions can be found in any standard-equipped Corvette from '84-'88.
1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Top View
1983 This is where it all... 
   
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1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Top View
1983
This is where it all started. While you can forget about ever owning one, you can see a real '83 Corvette at the National Corvette Museum (www.corvettemuseum.com). This is the only '83 known to exist today. It is the foundation that all other C4s were built upon.
1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Engine View
What You Don't See: Along... 
   
  read full caption
1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Engine View
What You Don't See:
Along with added control of the fuel, the '85 Corvette's computer was upgraded to better control engine performance. The suspension harshness issue was addressed, netting a better ride.
1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Right Front View
1986 What You See: Convertibles... 
   
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1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Right Front View
1986
What You See:

Convertibles were back! Corvette was pacing the Indy 500, so what kind of pace car would it be if it weren't a convertible? Also, with the introduction of the convertible came aluminum heads for Corvette. Originally, only the convertibles had them but it wouldn't be long before all Corvettes became light-headed.
What You Don't See:
Another advancement for the C4 was the introduction of ABS (antilock braking system), making the car significantly safer. This was also the first year for VATS (vehicle anti-theft system). Note the little pellet on the stem of your ignition key. It's actually a resistor that makes contact inside the ignition to let the computer know it's OK to start the car. Also, the caster was changed in the front-end alignment from 3.8 to 6 degrees. This helps keep the car more stable straight-line and prevents wander while driving.

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1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Engine View 1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Meter
1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Left Side View 1984 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Spotters Guide Left View
 
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