by It’s amazing what can be found in an old yard, and Dalton from the Pole Barn Garage YouTube channel managed to stumble upon a hidden treasure trove of classic machinery. He managed to find an abandoned Chevrolet Corvette C4 as part of a package deal when buying the contents of an old car lot.
It also included a 1968 Oldsmobile Cutlass and a 1971 Pontiac Le Mans. Dalton’s challenge was to get the Corvette fired up over 20 years since it had been parked and left to rot, though it would prove to be trickier than he first anticipated.
$500 Corvette C4 Planned For ‘Vettekart’ Project
Dalton opens the video by introducing the barn find Corvette in all its tired glory. He explained that he had purchased the car as part of a deal made up of three barn finds, adding that he had paid just $500 for the trio.
Due to being a 1989 model, the Corvette featured General Motors’ 350 ci L98 V8 motor, which when new produced around 245 hp. This C4 came with a four-speed automatic gearbox and had covered 106,000 miles in its first 13 years on the road.
Having been off the road since 2002, Dalton observed several key issues with the vehicle. The plastic roof had completely caved in, the blue paint was peeling badly, and a seemingly unique ecosystem had started developing throughout the interior.
The steering wheel was also missing, and the fuel line had been disconnected and left hanging underneath the vehicle. He shared that he wasn’t looking to restore the Chevrolet Corvette C4 to its original condition, and that instead he was looking to build a stripped-out ‘Vettekart’ anyway, so most of the vehicle had to be thrown out.
Tuned Port Injection System Replaced With Old School Tech
With the Corvette unsurprisingly refusing to start initially, Dalton’s first task to get it going again involved replacing its Tuned Port Injection system with a carburetor. He wanted to make the change as he preferred the more mechanical carb compared to the TPI, which works using electronics.
Removing the TPI parts proved trickier than he had hoped, mainly as the engine bay was cramped. He had to machine off the end of a bolt that was pinning down the valve cover, though eventually got it off and uninstalled the standard intake and distributor cap. Vacuuming the remainder of the engine to get rid of any remaining debris, Dalton then treated the venerable Corvette C4’s V8 to a selection of new parts he had found around his yard.
New Parts Installed To Refresh Corvette’s Motor
New valve cover gasket
Replacement thermostat and water neck
Longer radiator hose to fit the new system
600 Holley carburetor
Having got the new kit fitted, Dalton wired up a temporary fuel tank replacement rather than cleaning out the old one, so he could try and get the vehicle started. The Corvette refused to fire however, so he had to go back in to try and diagnose the issue.
Although we’re impressed by the Raptor R’s insane straight-line acceleration, it’s the C4 Corvette ZR-1 that left us in awe.
Corvette V8 Finally Bursts Into Life After Some Coaxing
Having reasoned that the fuel pump wasn’t the issue after wiring up the replacement tank, Dalton reckoned that the problem could lie with the Corvette’s starter motor. He needed to find the connection between the starter and the solenoid so that he could restore some power to it.
He eventually found it underneath the car, so he quickly wired up a jumper so that he could attach a battery to the connection. His method looked to have succeeded as the engine cranked when he tried once again, so he filled the tank with gas to see whether the V8 would start.
It stuttered a couple of times, though it subsequently fired up and ran for the first time in 21 years. Dalton noted it was running a little rough, so he tweaked the timing slightly to get it going smoother. There was still work to do to get it moving reliably though, as he noticed the water pump was leaking badly.
1989 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Specs
Specs
Drivetrain
350 ci V8, four-speed automatic gearbox
Power/Torque
245 hp/340 lb-ft
0-60 mph
6.1 seconds
Top Speed
157 mph
Weight
3,223 lbs
Source (Chevrolet)
Corvette Moves, Though Only In One Direction
YouTube @ Pole Barn Garage
With the V8 now purring, albeit with a sicker tone than is ideal, Dalton moved on to see whether the Corvette would move under its power. He first pumped up the ancient tires and fitted a random steering wheel he found so that he could control it.
He found that the easy-to-use auto transmission shifted into drive and moved the vehicle forward, though ran into problems as he tried to back the car up. He tried multiple times to get the gearbox to shift into reverse but was unsuccessful.
Having found that there was enough transmission fluid and that the shifter was moving the linkage sufficiently, Dalton concluded that there was perhaps a sticky solenoid as the car was driving forward just being put into gear without the throttle being engaged. He decided to drive the Corvette into his workshop, where he would then perform a transmission service to see if he could breathe some life into the tired unit.
Old Auto Transmission Left In Terrible Condition
Dalton got the underrated C4 Corvette onto some jack stands so that he could perform some much-needed maintenance on its problematic gearbox. He quickly noticed that only one of the car’s catalytic converters was left, as one had been stolen and the other was nearly completely cut through.
Corvette Stripped Ready To Pound The Open Road
YouTube @ Pole Barn Garage
Dalton found that the engine and gearbox ran pretty well, though the Corvette was suffering from a distinct lack of grip due to its worn tires. To try and improve this, Dalton returned to the workshop to strip some weight from the machine.
He removed most of the body panels, the remnants of the roof, and all the needed interior trim to turn the vehicle into the ‘Vettekart’ he had envisioned at the start of the video. His second drive nearly ended in disaster after he ran into a battery issue that very nearly left him and his son stranded in the countryside as the sky darkened.
Fortunately, Dalton was able to fashion a quick fix and guide the vehicle safely back to his yard. He ended the video by promising he would soon be doing more work on the Vettekart to get it running reliably and quickly.
While many Corvette fans may be disappointed that the sports car wasn’t restored to its former glory, it will be interesting to see what Dalton can cook up when his project is finished. However it ends up, it’s tough to imagine a better way of having fun for just $500.
Sources: YouTube @ Pole Barn Garage, automobile-catalog,
