My black ’88 C4 Corvette is a muscle car that needs a lot of TLC.
I could write a list of as long as my commute to work (60 miles) of things that it needs to get it to a benchmark standard in driving around town. It’s not my primary driver, just one of my weekend rides I’m lucky to own. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a 20-footer… ha-ha, what’s a 20-footer you ask? Well it’s a car that looks awesome from 20 feet away, but as soon as you start to close in on it, the flaws pop out at you like a jack –in-the-box.

Suddenly that thought of nice car turns to yikes this car needs work.

Most of the list contains cosmetic items. For example, body work, better rims, weather-stripping, wiring (put together with electrical wing nuts), radio antenna, new targa roof, complete interior, alignment of headlight, cleaning of the engine bay, and hood shocks.
When opening the hood it was like lifting an over-weight 3rd grader. In reverse, when shutting the hood it sounded like handgun round had just fired off.
In doing short research online, I ran across the fix. It was on a Corvette forum. Replace the hood support shocks and you’ll be thanking yourself. Because having a 100lb hood fall on you would be a trip to the local hospital. So I saw the investment of $20 bucks for new hood shocks supports a great insurance plan for my future.
The replacement took two people; it’s very simple to replace the shocks. Took a total of 10-minutes to complete. Now the hood can hold up on its own at any angle and needs minimal effort to open and closing.  -JM