History C4 1984

Did I Miss MY 1983?

The new generation began with MY 1984, not MY 1983 as expected.  Meeting all 1984 Federal requirements early in the calendar year, Chevrolet decided to skip the 1983 Model Year.   Except for California, Corvettes went on sale in March, 1983.  Sales in California began in April, 1983.  The result was a very long production run and second highest production volume in Corvette's history - 51,547 with a base price of $21,800. There were about 70 1983's built; however, none were released for sale to the public.

The new Corvette was designed without fiberglass seams on exposed panels to eliminate factory finishing. The exterior seams were under the rub strip extending around the entire body.

For the first time since 1963, the Corvette enjoyed an all-new chassis.  At this point in automobile history, the Corvette was capable of more lateral acceleration than any other production car in history...as much as 1.9 g with minimal suspension tweaks.

Increased rigidity, precision-tuned suspension components and ultra-wide Goodyears, but it was also partially due to racecar-stiff springs and shocks.  Single transverse plastic leaf springs were used front and rear.   Sacrificing comfort for impressive road-test numbers...even the base model's ride was harsh.  The Z-51 suspension appeared on about one-half of the Corvettes ordered, increasing the harshness of the ride and producing squeaks and rattles.

Disc brakes continued but new components were used including aluminum calipers supplied by Girlock of Australia.

The radiator was a new design using aluminum for the cooling fins and plastic for the reservoirs. A thermostatically controlled electric fan operates only when needed and only under 35mph.

The 1984 Corvette was designed with a pad protruding from the passenger side of the dash. This was part of a passive restraint system conceived when it was assumed the federal regulation would require such restraints. The Reagan Administration dropped the restraint proposals, but the Corvette's pad remained.

To achieve more interior room and increase ground clearance, but decrease overall height, Corvette engineers routed the exhaust system through the center tunnel.  The engine options continued almost unchanged from MY 1982.  The output of the engine was 205 horsepower.

The Doug Nash 4+3 manual gearbox was a weak point with the units being continually upgraded.  DIfferentials also suffered through their own set of problems.  Only about 12% of Corvettes were equipped with the 4 speed transmission.  LCD displays didn't hold up quite as well as those from later years.

The new Corvettes included one-piece, lift-off roof panels and rear hatch windows.   At the time, the rear window glass was the largest compound glass ever installed in an American automobile while the front windshield was raked at the greatest angle, 64 degrees.

Electronic instrumentation was standard and included digital readouts for engine monitoring and liquid crystal graphic displays for speed and engine revolutions. Analog instrumentation was unavailable.

Chevrolet built specially modified 1984 Corvettes for the export markets of European, Middle East, Japanese, and Latin American countries. Changes included different license plate provisions, leaded fuell capability, and electrical, glass, lighting and mirror modifications.

Serial Numbers:

Body & Chasis 1G1AY0781E510001 - 1G1AYO781E5151547