86 with original tires

[Glen C.]

A friend of mine is buying an 86 Corvette coupe, not running, 20k miles, original tires. After he gets the car he will be replacing the original tires. Are the old tires worth saving for someones trailer queen top flight car?

[Paul O.]

Re: 86 with original tires

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! As long they are still in usable condition for judging only.

[William C.]

Re: 86 with original tires

I have the originals of my '89, on the original wheels in the barn just in case I ever trailer the car to a show again. For Driving I use another set of wheels and new tires...

[Glen C.]

Re: 86 with original tires

Thanks for the input, I thought they might be keepers! I'm not familiar with C-4s, What kind/type of spare did they use?

[Paul O.]

Re: 86 with original tires

Glen

The spare was a compact size spare tire check the Judging Guide for the normal requirements if memory serve me some of the spare rims were yellow painted others were a gloss black.

[John D.]

Re: 86 with original tires

I have a set of the original tires from my May 83 Corvette. Trouble is the car was stolen by the ex. Been thinking of taking the tires to Carlisle but no room.
83-84 tires are one of a kind Goodyears you know. The letters are sunk in and not embossed like 85 up.

[Stephen B.]

Re: 86 with original tires

Definitely yes. I even have the original wiper refills and battery stored away.

[Patrick H.]

Re: 86 with original tires

I'd just remove the wheels and tires as a set and keep them that way. No damage done to the rims, and then you can use whatever rim/tire combination you want.

[Glen C.]

Re: 86 with original tires

Good Idea! I'll pass that along to him. A little bit of bad news on the car. The wiring harness in front of the drivers side tire is almost completely chewed through. Any idea of the cost and difficulty of replacement?

[Terry M.]

Re: 86 with original tires

For an original car, I personally would repair it in place. You're going to molest the crap out of it to R&R the entire harness. It can be done in a way that it is undetectable once covered with new loom. Might not be a task that just anybody would attempt or be able to pull off, but its actually a very straight-forward repair. I'd use uninsulated butt splices, soldered, and heat shrink. Stagger the splices so it doesn't get bulky. Head to the pull-a-part and cut some sections of GM Car front wiring harnesses out so you can use the correct color wire. I know I could do it so that the C4 Chassis judges would never find it. I know what they look for .

Knowing what the judges look for is one of the major advantages of joining a judging team either as an OJ and eventually as part of the team. You can not beat being where the "rubber meets the road" for a learning experience.

[Glen C.]

Re: 86 with original tires

Thank You Dave & Terry, So far I've only seen the wire damage from, not very clear, emailed pictures. However, I have made many wire repairs on both of my mid years, and have used procedures similar to those that you have recommended. I haven't done any judging since I was associated with the Michigan NCRS almost 20 years ago, when Bill Nichols was their President. I've requested better pictures of the wiring damage. I'll post an update when I receive them.