Corvette of the Week: ’86 4+3 Project

A forum member picks up a clean, well-optioned ’86 as a project.

Corvette Forum member Dave (mazdaverx7) from northeast Ohio has just picked up a new project, and we’re very excited to share it as our Corvette of the Week. It’s exactly the sort of project we’d like to have in our garages at home.

Dave is no stranger to sports cars or Corvettes, with a Torch Red ’94 in his garage already, as well as a Porsche 944 and a Mazda RX-7 in his current fleet. He set out recently to find a new project, something that was overall in good shape, but could use a little updating and tender, loving care to become a solid daily driver.

With prices of early C4s dropping ever lower, it’s easy to find an inexpensive project car. But finding one worth saving is another matter altogether. Sadly, many have been abused, and need more work than they are worth.

After looking at two cars, Dave chose this 1986 with the Doug Nash 4+3 transmission. He drove it home from Michigan with no issues. However, the dreaded SES light illuminated, and it’s clear that the car needs tires and alignment.

CHECK OUT: What Forum Members Are Saying About This Potentially Awesome C4

Worse yet, the overdrive unit does not seem to be working, but Dave thinks it’s a result of a bad coolant temp sensor. He plans on giving the car a thorough once-over, cleaning it up and replacing fluids and consumables before diving deeper into the other issues.

Given the overall condition of the car, it definitely seems like a worthwhile investment of time and money, especially since Dave only paid $3,600 for the car. That seems like a great deal to us, all things considered.

After running the RPO codes, Dave discovered that the car has aluminum heads and is loaded with other options. It will be exciting to see how this project progresses! So make sure to follow along!