'92 ZR-1 Repair & Restoration

[bdw18_123]

7/23/10:

I've started helping out my buddy Evan (eguyett1985 on CF) with the repair and restoration of the 43K mile '92 red/black ZR-1 he bought. He decided to let me do the thread posting and updating on this project.

So now I've got 2 ZR-1 projects to work on! :thumbsup:

Here is the link to the initial thread that he posted on CF telling how he acquired this ZR-1:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-zr-1-discussion/2584104-92-zr1-value-needing-some-opinions.html

But here is a partial quote of his initial post on CF if you don't want to or can't view the link for some reason:

eguyett1985:
"... The car is Red/Black, 1 owner, both tops, window sticker, etc. Now here's the problem; the car had a minor electrical fire underneath in the trans tunnel, the reverse light switch shorted causing the harness to catch fire briefly which scorched the LH side of the floor next to the transmission and the area of the firewall below the wiper motor. The owner opened the hood right away and put the fire out; the underside of the hood is completely undamaged as is the engine and the interior. The car was fully insured and the body shop and the insurance company were unable to locate a replacement harness over the past year and the car has sat in my friend's shop with a pending lien sale against it until last week when the body shop got title to the car. Unfortunately, the owner sent the insurance company the title he had in his possession 2 weeks earlier and accepted a payout on the car. So now, I have been offered the car with the necessary minor floorpan repair made and the engine and trans on a pallet at a great price; I have located a perfect replacement harness and can put the car back together in short order. ..."

We are not sure exactly how the fire started. Evan mentions in his post in the link above about the reverse light switch causing it (not sure where he got that info), but we are thinking now that it may have started around the VSS sensor since it seems like the fire would have traveled up towards the engine, not back towards the rear (though I guess it could have traveled back along the wire harness a little way). If the fire had started at the reverse switch, I think the shifter/VSS sensor area would not have gotten burned as bad as it did. There was also a patch of something melted onto one of the exhaust pipes near the front by the transmission, so it's also possible that the fire started as a result of the wire harness touching the exhaust.

Now for some pictures!

(The pictures in this post are a bit slow loading, so they may not show up at first. Just be patient, they will load.)

First, a couple of shots of the exterior. Engine bay area has already been degreased and pressure washed(no pics of
that area yet), exterior has also had a quick wash. Overall, this car is in very good condition (other than the dust,
dirt & fire-damaged areas :mrgreen:)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart1_zpse7b12e47.png~original


Here are some pictures of the repaired fiberglass area on the driver's side of the transmission tunnel. Evan's body shop
friend did the repair (same guy he bought the car from). The fiberglass didn't completely burn through, it was just
brittle and weak from the fire.

The repaired section is going to be sanded down so it is smoother, then a quick spray of red paint so it blends better
with the surrounding area.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart2_zps8837b604.png~original

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart3_zps24d10959.png~original

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart4_zpsa690bdee.png~original

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http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart6_zps09df8dba.png~original

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart7_zps00b997c3.png~original

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart8_zpsf50a47ef.png~original


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart9_zpsa755ae96.png~original

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart10_zpsbac0bd81.png~origina l

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart11_zpsb931bfdc.png~origina l

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart12_zps4f3b7f7c.png~origina l

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart13_zps794876a2.png~origina l

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart14_zpse025758a.png~origina l

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/Evans92ZR1threadpicsPart15_zps1a0bfb16.png~origina l

[bdw18_123]

Coil pack mounting plate with new coil pack connector-base and new AC-Delco coil packs.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3295a_zps388c634d.jpg


Update - 11/24/13

Injector housings installed with new gaskets, PCV system hoses & grommets installed and also the two coolant temp sensors with thread sealant into the driver side IH. The FSM says to tighten the bolts to the specified torque value starting from the center and working your way outward.

One thing to remember is that the bolt closest to the front of the car in the passenger IH also holds the bracket for the cam cover vent tube on that side and the small bracket that bolts to the rear of the alternator. They need to be in place under that bolt before you put on the fuel rails because that bolt won't come out fully with the rails bolted down. Also, I waited to torque that bolt until I was ready to install the alternator so I could make sure that the bracket would be in the right place to line up with the bolt hole in the alternator.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3298a_zps12ccdac7.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3299a_zpsd4611e9a.jpg


Fuel rails assembled with new fuel injectors. The primary and secondary injectors had o-rings on them, but they weren't the brown Viton ones like Evan had already bought from Jerry, so I removed the black ones and installed the Viton ones.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3301a_zps9dcfb555.jpg


Fuel rail/injectors assembly installed on engine.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3302a_zps6c2a5339.jpg


Under-plenum vacuum system installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3306a_zps98deff52.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Power steering reservoir & pump assembly installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3307a_zps6e32057b.jpg


This is a picture showing the routing of the wire harness that goes down the passenger side of the engine. There are two metal tabs that hold the harness, the L-shaped one goes on the outboard bolt on the oil filter adapter assembly (there is a thick washer that has to be under this tab so it can be put in the right position) and the lower, flat one goes on a bolt on the front cover (second from bottom on passenger side). There are diagrams in the FSM that show how this and many other wire harnesses are supposed to be routed.

The O2 sensor harness connector on the passenger side of the engine is very, very difficult to get to if you put the connector in the factory location behind that little metal bracket that is bolted to the front, passenger side of the oil pan (can be partially seen in the below pic). I'm going to leave the O2 sensor connector sitting on the other side of that bracket next to the motor mount (like how it is sitting in the pic) so it will be a little bit easier to get to if needed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3308a_zpsd1b12b32.jpg


New AC-Delco spark plug wires and new NGK spark plugs installed. There is also a diagram in the FSM to show how the plug wires route to the coils under the plenum.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3310a_zps4fcf1278.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3311a_zps513d3bf3.jpg


Alternator & A/C compressor installed. I replaced all the o-rings on the A/C compressor.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3318a_zpscb822dc8.jpg


A/C & oil cooler lines installed with new o-rings.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3312a_zpsa6388273.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Fuel lines bolted to the rails with new o-rings and stainless hardware (for some reason, these 3 bolts are not included in the stainless hardware kit from Jerry).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3314a_zps6344eb1d.jpg


New F-tube assembly (looks just like the original GM versions) and new PCV valves from Jerry's Gaskets installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3313a_zps15c2c0a0.jpg


As I was about to install the big lower coolant hose from the thermostat assembly to the water pump, I noticed that it had somehow gotten a big cut in it. It didn't go all the way through, but obviously had to be replaced anyway.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3316a_zpsa844bb8f.jpg


Evan got the new Goodyear replacement hose (part number: 66057) that surprisingly is still available from various places online and as a special order from some auto parts stores. It comes with the protective cover on the outside, but not the spring on the inside, so you have to use the one from the original hose. The spring is a little hard to install in the new hose, you have to keep twisting it (in the direction that would tighten the coils of the spring) and pushing it until it is centered in the hose.

New hose installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_3317a_zpse0768bff.jpg


End of update!

[bdw18_123]

Time to finish off this thread.

The car is pretty much done now, runs and drives excellently. The only things left to do is get the engine lettering airbrushed on & install the new front spoiler. I'll add new pictures of the engine once the lettering is done.

Paint has been polished. The paint is original except for the hood & top of the front bumper, which have been professionally repainted to eliminate scratches/paint chips/etc. The two 'ZR-1' emblems on the hood were also replaced with genuine GM OEM NOS versions because the originals were destroyed during removal to repaint the hood.

The windshield also had to be replaced with a regular C4 version due to very bad delamination across the whole thing. Probably the worst cast of delam I've ever seen, not sure how it got so bad.

Tires are brand new, they are Sumitomo's.


Also, this ZR-1 is up for sale. Evan is going to do a 'for sale' post soon with all the relevant details (which I will re-post here from CF for him).


Now for the pictures:


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0006_zps18fe3343.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_DSCN3894_zps0d1d3e38.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0020_zpsb5583893.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0016_zpsd22b4dbc.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0027_zps9fd2c2f8.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0024_zps4b74a674.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0053_zpsc5c9bff6.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0054_zpsc94ace81.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0055_zpscd6f1fa1.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0063_zps0cb7a674.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0064_zps534c04fd.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0070_zps421d6b22.jpg


Engine lettering is done (reposted pics from Evan's post on CF):

http://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.corvetteforum.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/80-dscn3939_cced6f20aadbecff9d9e78ceeb8ccef944262a73. jpg

http://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.corvetteforum.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/80-dscn3941_598cc23af1aee7fa76a3615a82c13dca817fceae. jpg[/QUOTE]

[phrogs]

I don't know why you haven't contacted me for parts yet!!haha

I have the harness parts but not sure if they are the same for a 92, the engine harness looks like its different than a 90-91 but that should be easy to find or maybe a 93 would work not sure!

platstic parts dash skeleton, center console im sure I have that and so on hit me up for what you need Ill give you a better deal than anyone else.

If that fiberglass work was done with glass mat and not done with a SMC type fiberglass resin it will come right off.

But if it was done right you can sand it down smooth then paint it.

Looks like an easy project.

[bdw18_123]

Update posted.

[HIZNHRZ]

It's starting to look the way a ZR-1 should be cared for. Nice job.

[LGAFF]

Does the car smell like smoke, that is the biggest challenge is getting the smoke smell out of the interior, and honestly why some of these get totalled, not the amount of direct damage but the residual.

[bdw18_123]

Does the car smell like smoke, that is the biggest challenge is getting the smoke smell out of the interior, and honestly why some of these get totalled, not the amount of direct damage but the residual.

Honestly, not really - at least not like you'd think. I don't think that much smoke (if any) got into the cabin, the previous owner got the fire put out pretty quickly (he apparently had one of those "Big Gulp" drinks at the time, he put the fire out with it!). It does have a little smell, but not bad. I think most of the smell is in the carpets. The door panel carpets I cleaned with carpet cleaner that has odor remover in it and they smell good now. I think once I get the whole interior done and cleaned, there will be no more bad smell.

My '90 Z was the same way, but for a different reason. It had an "old cigarette" smell to it (PO smoked in it) But now that the front part of the interior has been cleaned with that same carpet cleaner with the odor remover (turtle wax), it smells good now with no trace of the cigarette smell that I can detect.

[bdw18_123]

Update posted, engine is clean now!

[tomtom72]

Holy smokes Cliff! ( no pun intended ) that job on the door panel is out of sight! What did you use?

:thumbsup:

[Ccmano]

Looks like your doing a nice job. Can't wait to see the final product. Question.... how hard was it to pull the engine and transmission as one unit?
H

[bdw18_123]

Holy smokes Cliff! ( no pun intended ) that job on the door panel is out of sight! What did you use?

:thumbsup:

Cleaned it first with simple green, then rubbed in lots of "back to black" (by Mother's). I disassembled everything and cleaned/detailed all the individual parts though.

That's all I did! :thumbsup:


Looks like your doing a nice job. Can't wait to see the final product. Question.... how hard was it to pull the engine and transmission as one unit?
H

Actually me and Evan weren't the ones that pulled the engine, the body shop guy that Evan bought the car from did it. But the method used to pull it can only be done if you have a hoist. He just unbolted the whole front suspension carrier (after removing the front tires & upper a-arms) and lifted the car off of the engine, tranny & front suspension. I'm not sure of exactly how everything was supported etc during the process as I didn't witness the removal.

We are planning on re-installing it the same way since Evan also has a 2-post hoist at his shop. I think that is also the same way GM installed the engines when the cars were first built.

[phrogs]

if your using a 2 post lift what you need to do it drop the front engine cradle just like it was when it was built at the factory.

Take off the tires.
remove the upper a arm bolts and nuts shims.
remove brake line conection.
and then unbolt the k-frame thats what the motor bolts to.
then you should be able to lift the car and leave the k frame in place.

now you need to bring the k frame to the motor and trans and bolt them up.

best way I have seen for install is to put engine and cradle on jackstands under the car and then lower the car to them

or you could use a pallet or something like that.

[bdw18_123]

Update posted.

[Blue Flame Restorations]

I really love seeing this kind of restoration. There's nothing like seein gthe before and after pics.

Outstanding job, guys!!!

[bdw18_123]

WOW!!!
:thumbsup:

I see transmission connected to bell housing......I assume you did not remove it that way?

Actually, it was removed that way. See my previous post in this thread here:

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showpost.php?p=94962&postcount=20


I really love seeing this kind of restoration. There's nothing like seein gthe before and after pics.

Outstanding job, guys!!!

Thanks Blue Flame! Yeah, I love before & after pics too, that's why I post them!

[bdw18_123]

Small update posted.

[tomtom72]

Okay, I have a Q....how did you get the cam cover emblem off?

TIA

Man you guys are amazing! Both of those cars are going to be stellar when finished! :thumbsup:

[bdw18_123]

Okay, I have a Q....how did you get the cam cover emblem off?

I just carefully pried up on the underside of the edges of the emblem. Worked my way around the edges until it came loose. Most of the old adhesive pad was left on the cover. It actually wasn't that hard.

[todesengel]

Nice work, it looks like you pay attention to the details. Cannot wait to see it completed

[VetteVet]

I know that I can't be the first one who's pulled the engine and transmission from above. I pulled them with a cherry picker type hoist and load leveler with the car on jackstands and hood still installed, so I know that it's possible. It was tight, but not that difficult. Shifter was still installed as well.

Jep

[bdw18_123]

Update posted.


I've run out of reserved spots for updates (If we didn't have that stupid 6 picture limit it wouldn't be a problem). Who do I talk to about getting some more blank posts with my ID inserted, or is that even possible?

[bdw18_123]

New update posted.


According to Z Factor, there really isn't any way of inserting posts in the middle of an existing thread. The forum software automatically arranges all posts according to the time-stamp of when they were first posted. I then asked him if the 6-picture limit (which is, of course, the source of this whole problem) could be either removed entirely or just increased to around say 15 or 20 pictures, but I got no response. I guess that means "no" to both suggestions.

So I came up with a creative way to free up some of my posts at the beginning of this thread to make space for more updates. All the pictures in the first post are actually only 3 separate, very long pictures. :mrgreen: They are a bit slow loading because the file host I am using for them isn't very fast. There are not many free hosting services that allow direct linking and all the normal photo hosting services have limits on picture size.

[bdw18_123]

I can't believe it's been over 2 and a half years since I last posted an update on this project. It got put on the back burner and Evan was too busy to deal with it. But now, he is wanting that space in his shop back for paying projects instead of personal ones.

So, this Z is back on track to being brought back to life. I'm going to start posting updates on this project again with pictures like I've been doing in this thread and with the '90 Z I used to have. Since I no longer own a ZR-1 (or any Corvette for that matter), it's nice to have one to work on.

I posted a short update, but no pics yet.

[bdw18_123]

Update posted!

[Dynomite]

Update posted!

Where is update and exactly what does Update posted mean?
Is this a duplicate of CF posting (where you can have many photos for each post) ?

Thanks ;)

[Schrade]

If you have any smoke smell residual, find an ozone generator to rent. Try an independent equipment rental, or disaster resto [local] company.

Seal the cabin as best as you can, and generate!

Great work. Love seeing others' resto work...

[bdw18_123]

Where is update and exactly what does Update posted mean?
Is this a duplicate of CF posting (where you can have many photos for each post) ?

Thanks ;)

It's on the first page, I reserved posts so I could keep the updates all together. I post an 'update posted' post so that it brings the thread back to the top since just editing a post won't.

And there isn't any smoke smell that I can detect, I don't think the smoke got into the cabin really, the fire got put out pretty quick luckily. Plus, I cleaned the carpets with odor-eliminating carpet cleaner.

:-D

[bdw18_123]

Update posted! (see first page)

[Schrade]

Looks good http://www.zr1.net/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif

[bdw18_123]

Small update posted! (see first page)

[bdw18_123]

Update posted! (see first page)

And thanks for the comments guys, I appreciate it! :thumbsup:

[bdw18_123]

Update posted! (see first page)

[bdw18_123]

Update posted! (see first page)

[bdw18_123]

Final update posted! (see first page)

:dancing

[bdw18_123]

Engine lettering is done, posted updated pics in final update on first page.

[Blue Flame Restorations]

Outstanding job!!

[Dynomite]

Engine lettering is done, posted updated pics in final update on first page.

Superb :thumbsup: :thumbsup::thumbsup:

43K Mile 1992 red/black ZR-1 Restored by bdw18_123 and Others

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0006_zps18fe3343.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0016_zpsd22b4dbc.jpg
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll142/dynomite007/A%20Babes/5eecfc07-303a-47f3-a3e0-64fc5de09cd4.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Just to let everyone know, I've hit the 10GB/mo limit on my free Photobucket account. The bandwidth limit will reset on the 17th of this month (and every month), then the pictures will be back.

I do not plan on upgrading to a paid account.


And just as a note with regards to Cliff's comment above on the '92 Z restoration, to be fair, I did not do all the work on the car. Evan owns the car, and he had his body shop friend (who he bought the car from) do the repaint of the hood/engine and the repair to the fiberglass in the transmission tunnel and another guy did the polishing of the paint. And Evan did a few things here and there. But I did do pretty much everything else.