Since my daily driver pooped out on my the other day I have been forced to drive my 95 C4 for a few days in northern Minnesota. Last night the temp was -24 without wind chill. I turned the ignition key and everything lit up like normal but when I turned the key to put juice to the starter everything went dead. No lights anywhere, no dash, no interior lights etc. I just put a new battery in it two days ago and started it earlier in the day just fine. 

My first thought is a bad battery connection since I neglected to clean the battery terminals when I changed the battery. I was in a hurry because I was changing the battery in an unheated garage with no gloves on. My bad.

Is there any other possible scenario that could be going on besides the battery connections like a blown main fuse or fuselink? I have only had this car for six months so I am not familiar with the systems yet. I'm guessing the starter was drawing huge amounts of current when I tried to turn it over because the oil was so thick from being so cold. 

I would start be re-checking the cable connections. Cold oil temps should not keep it from cranking, tho it may crank slower than "normal". Since you say the interior lights were on when you open the door, and then everything went dead when you tried to crank it, my first suspect would be the battery connections.

Another C4 owner from Northern Minnesota!  I live a few miles from Grand Rapids.  Yes, it is cold up here.  My '86 acted like yours (although not in cold weather) and the problem was the battery connections.
Have fun driving your Corvette in this frigid Minnesota winter.   

Damn that's cold up there. Not surprised that the 'vette is giving grief......

Sounds like battery connections to me also. In that temp it would be very critical.

G/L and let her warm up b4 driving.

Happy New Year,
C.

Strange t 

I would check the STARTER SOLENIOD being "stuck" or frozen.

I live down in Blue Earth about 30 miles nort of the IA border, when we're freezing u guys up there are frozen, stand by for northern minn in the national headlines come monday morning.  Whoooweee gonna be a cold one! I'm glad I got my baby tucked away!

...I think I'd go rent something before exposing my Vette to that kind of cold, I'd be concerned about the 'glass cracking - not to mention the salt/brine mix MnDOT spreads getting into all the spots you can't get it out of. 

I was going to start my 86 on New Years day, made a momentary noise then nothing.  Haven't had that much time with it between buying and putting it to bed for the winter, so figured the battery might be weak or bad (which it looks like it is).  I've got another fully charged battery but it's been too darn cold to get out into the garage and change it out.  I think it was -27 last monday, and I feel like a reptile (colder it gets the less I like going out). Sounds like it's going to be warmer this weekend, if so I may try swapping batteries and run it a little.

|UPDATED|1/11/2014 12:20:41 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

My problem was the battery.  The previous had assembled the side panel wrong so it took a while to get off, but once I did and replaced the battery with a known good one, it fired right up and ran just fine (thankfully)