My '90 ZR-1 project update thread

[bdw18_123]

Thought I'd start a new thread and post updates and pictures as I progress. Go to this link to for the beginnings of this project:

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8333&highlight=bdw18_123


I'm still in the 'cleaning everything real good' stage, which is turning out to be a very large project just by itself. I just can't stand putting something back together dirty, even if it takes a lot of work to get it clean.

The previous owner replaced the fuel injectors, but I didn't know where he got them from. Then I happened to look in the bag of the old, original injectors and I found these:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70002.jpg

Which was a pleasant surprise as I have heard nothing but glowing reviews about FIC, so I know the injectors are good quality.


Here are a few before and after clean-up pics:

Fuel injector rails & IH's before
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IHs_b4.jpg

Fuel injectors & rails after (also installed the new fuel pressure regulator, which came with the car)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70001.jpg

IH assemblies after
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70003.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70004.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Plenum, throttle body & airhorn before
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/plenum_b4.jpg

Plenum after
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70007.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA700082.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Throttle body & airhorn after
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70005.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70006.jpg

Alternator before
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/alternator_b4.jpg

Alternator after (I painted the aluminum case halves with paint that imitates new cast aluminum look, cleaned interior of alternator also)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70009.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70010.jpg

The plenum, IH's & airhorn/throttle body cleaned up pretty good. There are some stains I can't get out and the top of the throttle body has an area where the coating is missing, but they look much better than before.

That's it for now. :thumbsup:

[jonszr1]

nice work . did you have to put the heads back on it ? wasnt sure of the shape it was in when you got her ???

[bdw18_123]

Jon, go to this link for the whole story from the beginning:

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8333&highlight=bdw18_123

[tccrab]

Ben:

Looks like she's cleaning up really nice.
:-D

One small thing though...
There is a ring of special sealant called "DAG" around the blades of the throttle body that seals the blades and helps with the idle.
Hopefully, you accidentally didn't clean it off too...
http://www.zr1netregistry.com/forum/showpost.php?p=46532&postcount=9


TomC
"Crabs"

[bdw18_123]

Ben:

Looks like she's cleaning up really nice.
:-D

One small thing though...
There is a ring of special sealant called "DAG" around the blades of the throttle body that seals the blades and helps with the idle.
Hopefully, you accidentally didn't clean it off too...
http://www.zr1netregistry.com/forum/showpost.php?p=46532&postcount=9


TomC
"Crabs"

Hmmm... Thanks for the heads up on that, I had no idea about that stuff. There was a line of blackish stuff at the edges where the rod goes through the throttle body, but there wasn't much there. Is it supposed to go on all 3 throttle blades, or just the 2 big ones? Does it go on the blade itself or on the throttle bore walls? Can you still buy this "DAG" stuff somewhere or its equivalent?

[tccrab]

Ben:

I don't think it's something that you can buy at the local parts store, I've never needed it so I've never looked.
If you've cleaned the bores 'till they shine, then it's gone.
My thoughts would be to put it back together and if your idle is *way* high, then think about finding some or have the throttle body serviced by a pro.
I know that Marc Haibec offers a rebuild service, here's a write-up over on his website.
http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/services/throttle%20body.htm

TomC
"Crabs"

[bdw18_123]

Couple more before & after cleanup pics. :thumbsup:

Before:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70011.jpg

After:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70012.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Before (it was actually much more oily/dirty, I wiped the worst off before this pic):
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70015.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70016.jpg

After:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70019.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70020.jpg

[Scrrem]

WOW....Nice Job, parts look like new!!!
Rich

[QB93Z]

Great work! You are welcome to visit my garage anytime. ;)

Jim

[bdw18_123]

Great work! You are welcome to visit my garage anytime. ;)

Jim

:mrgreen:

[Jeffvette]

Looking good. Might pull the fittings out of the oil filter housing and reseal them along with the oil temp sensor.

[bdw18_123]

Looking good. Might pull the fittings out of the oil filter housing and reseal them along with the oil temp sensor.

Yeah, I was thinking about that too. I probably will do that.

[tpepmeie]

The parts look great. What did you clean them with, if I may ask?

[bdw18_123]

I've been using diluted Simple Green, rags & old tooth brushes to get in the tough spots. It is a lot of work, but the results are great if you're willing to put in the time needed. :thumbsup:

[phrogs]

Thats what I did when I cleaned up my first 90 ZR-1, the oil cooler lines had made a mess of everything on that side so I tore it all apart and cleaned everything. even the cam covers I painted them back then but later powdercoated them.

good work get that car back together and have some fun with it.



I've been using diluted Simple Green, rags & old tooth brushes to get in the tough spots. It is a lot of work, but the results are great if you're willing to put in the time needed. :thumbsup:

[bdw18_123]

..., the oil cooler lines had made a mess of everything on that side so I tore it all apart and cleaned everything...

Yup, exactly the same on mine. Everything anywhere near those oil cooler lines was/is covered in oil/dirt. :thumbsdo:

Although, I have found there is an upside to having the parts covered in oil. They clean up to near brand new looking, whereas the parts not covered in oil (esp. the aluminum cast parts) have darkened more and don't look as good. The oil must have protected those parts from corrosion.


...good work get that car back together and have some fun with it.

Can't wait 'till I get to this part!! :mrgreen:

[bdw18_123]

UPDATE:

Thought I'd post a few pictures to show where this project is at since I haven't posted any updates in a long time. It's been slow going as I don't have much extra money right now to start buying everything for it. I've just been slowly buying small things here and there that I need. There is lots and lots of cleaning to do though to keep me busy in the meantime. I did some polishing of the paint with some 3M cutting compound, looks a lot better. Here is an exterior shot:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0062.jpg


I decided to start doing some work on the interior and get the stock Bose system back in and working. I bought a full set of stock speakers/amps a couple months ago since mine had aftermarket speakers installed & I want to put the radio system back to stock. I'm going to do the elmer's woodglue trick to the stock speakers to make them have a more clean, crisp sound. Didn't have to buy the head unit or the CDM though, the originals came with the car.

I tested the head unit in the '93 I had before I sold it and it works fine except for the CD player which doesn't matter much since I don't really use CD's much anymore. Just going to hook my iPod up to it with a cassette adapter. The head unit has that "Delco Loc" feature, but it never had a code programmed in, so I don't have that headache to deal with.

As you can see, I've removed pretty much the entire interior except for the door panels. Going to clean everything really good. I had to take apart the dash to replace the wire harness that goes from the radio head unit to the CDM. The previous owner cut it up when he installed the aftermarket radio. I also had to splice the stock rear speaker connectors back in since he cut those off too. :censored: I wrapped the repairs in electrical tape so you can't see them.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0058.jpg

[bdw18_123]

I have ZR-1 parts all over the place (including in my bedroom) :mrgreen: :
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0059.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0060.jpg


I think something is missing here :icon_scra :mrgreen:...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0061.jpg

[tomtom72]

:jawdrop: That is some major restoration work going on there!

Nice work. That car is going to be right when you're dunn!:worship:

:cheers:
Tom




:o You may want to think about a heater core r&r while the dash is out.:o

[bdw18_123]

:jawdrop: That is some major restoration work going on there!

Nice work. That car is going to be right when you're dunn!:worship:

:cheers:
Tom




:o You may want to think about a heater core r&r while the dash is out.:o

Ya know, I was pondering the same thing. I noticed there is a layer of some type of sponge/foam type material on the interior side of the core. Where do you get that? Is a new heater core very expensive?

[Jeffvette]

New heater core is relatively cheap. The install is what sucks. You still have a lot to remove to get to it.

Keep making progress. Just don't let it go dormant for along period of time.

[JThomas]

That makes my head hurt just looking at all of those parts. I can only offer encouragement. :cheers:

Keep up the good work, there's an end to that project someday. :thumbsup:

[tomtom72]

Ya know, I was pondering the same thing. I noticed there is a layer of some type of sponge/foam type material on the interior side of the core. Where do you get that? Is a new heater core very expensive?

Listen to the words of Jedi-Master Obi-Wan-Jeffvette-Kanobi....:worship:

Oh, yea, the heater core is proly about cost of an oil & filter change plus a bit more. Inexpensive part and the "while we're here" rule is in play now. Just test the damn thing before you install it to check for leaks. The foam could probably be bought at the hardware store in the HVAC section. You know those bootleg foam filter blanks, 2' x1' x 1'' thick stuff they sell it as a sheet and you cut it to fit your needs. Or if it's strips, you can hi-jack the install kit from a sleeve A/C unit. I have to confess that I don't know what the foam looks like. If I could see it I can probably make a determination of where to get some as I'm sure GM don't sell it at the parts department. I'll go look in my 90's FSM and see if I can figure an answer for you.

:cheers:
Tom

[bdw18_123]

Listen to the words of Jedi-Master Obi-Wan-Jeffvette-Kanobi....:worship:

Oh, yea, the heater core is proly about cost of an oil & filter change plus a bit more. Inexpensive part and the "while we're here" rule is in play now. Just test the damn thing before you install it to check for leaks. The foam could probably be bought at the hardware store in the HVAC section. You know those bootleg foam filter blanks, 2' x1' x 1'' thick stuff they sell it as a sheet and you cut it to fit your needs. Or if it's strips, you can hi-jack the install kit from a sleeve A/C unit. I have to confess that I don't know what the foam looks like. If I could see it I can probably make a determination of where to get some as I'm sure GM don't sell it at the parts department. I'll go look in my 90's FSM and see if I can figure an answer for you.

:cheers:
Tom


Here is a close-up picture of the foam on the heater-core, looks like it's approximately 1/4" thick. How would I get the new core pressure tested? Are even new cores bad right out of the box very often?

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0064.jpg (http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/?action=view&current=IMG_0064.jpg)

[tomtom72]

That looks like std A/C bootleg filter material....or I'll bet a UPS store has that 1/4" thick stuff in rolls. I still say that an A/C filter....not the new kind that are framed in plastic, but the really old fashioned stuff that used to just stick to the front of the evaporator grid.

I have seen guys complain about leaking H/cores right out of the box! Remember this stuff is made by people that don't even know what a car is....like the hicks in China who assembled those slave cylinders with the seal on backwards, remember them?

I would think that a hose running slowly, fill the core till it starts to come out and them use your hand to cover the outlet to build some pressure, no....you know what i'm talking about, right? Or I wonder if you can adapt a radiator/cooling system pressure tester to do the job....maybe with some heater hose and some clamps. I doubt that you would need more than a few PSI to detect a leak.

:cheers:
Tom

[Dynomite]

I would think that a hose running slowly, fill the core till it starts to come out and then use your hand to cover the outlet to build some pressure. I doubt that you would need more than a few PSI to detect a leak.

:cheers:
Tom

15 psi radiator and 60 psi - 100 psi garden hose :mrgreen:

[bdw18_123]

That looks like std A/C bootleg filter material....or I'll bet a UPS store has that 1/4" thick stuff in rolls. I still say that an A/C filter....not the new kind that are framed in plastic, but the really old fashioned stuff that used to just stick to the front of the evaporator grid.

I have seen guys complain about leaking H/cores right out of the box! Remember this stuff is made by people that don't even know what a car is....like the hicks in China who assembled those slave cylinders with the seal on backwards, remember them?

I would think that a hose running slowly, fill the core till it starts to come out and them use your hand to cover the outlet to build some pressure, no....you know what i'm talking about, right? Or I wonder if you can adapt a radiator/cooling system pressure tester to do the job....maybe with some heater hose and some clamps. I doubt that you would need more than a few PSI to detect a leak.

:cheers:
Tom

Thanks for the tips Tom! I'll give that garden hose trick a try after I buy the heater core.

GM Parts Direct has the OEM heater core for about $72, but aftermarket would probably be cheaper. Would it be better to get the OEM, or are the aftermarket cores just as good or better?

[tomtom72]

Okay with checking to see if the new core will leak I would either use my pressure test kit or I would use one of my hand vacuum pumps. The vacuum pump would proly be the simplest & fastest way....it either pulls a vacuum or it don't. I hate to say this but I would use plumber's putty to seal up the core in & out so I could pull the vacuum! But I'll bet a couple of wine bottle corks would do the trick also! :sign10:

Cliff is correct:worship: about the PSI in a potable water system. I just figured you could adjust the faucet flow to a reasonable level, fill the core & get thru flowing water and block one of the pipes with the palm of your hand to restrict the flow to put some pressure on the core, but then it is going to leak around your hands.:o

A lot of guys use that guy from e-bay, partsladie. I've used them for some stuff also. Their prices are pretty good and they will not bend you over with shipping charges.....like GM parts direct.

Good luck on your restoration, and may the Force be with You!
:cheers:
Tom

[bdw18_123]

UPDATE:

I've decided that I'm not going to replace the heater core. :jawdrop: I pressure tested the heater core that is in the car and it did not leak, so I think it will work fine. Didn't feel like taking more stuff apart to get to it. I know I'm taking a gamble, but it's a gamble I'm willing to take.

Anyway, I've got the dash vent ducting back in and bolted the dash skeleton back on.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0009.jpg


When I was taking the ducting out and had removed this piece (I put new foam on it, the stock stuff had crumbled away)...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0010.jpg


I found that GM messed up and forgot to completely remove the plug from the hole, so I removed it all the way. That vent sure wouldn't work very good with that plastic in the way! :rolleyes: :mrgreen:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0008.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Gauges have been reinstalled after removing the clear plastic and cleaning both sides with plastic polish. Also cleaned up the dust that had collected below the gauges behind the clear plastic. I also removed all the bulbs in the back one by one and cleaned them since I had found that they were really dusty.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0011.jpg


Dash pad had some issues around the top of the glovebox door...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0013.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0012.jpg


You can tell someone tried to glue it, but obviously that didn't last. I decided to use screws to hold the edges down since those areas are pretty much hidden from view. I drilled pilot holes and put the screws in. It's not perfect, but it looks a lot better. The door will also open and close better now.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0017.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0016.jpg


I've been using Mother's "Back to Black" plastic restorer on all the non-painted plastic and vinyl interior parts. I love this stuff! What a difference it makes! The parts don't have to be black either. It makes the plastic look almost new again, as long as it isn't too oxidized or brittle. It takes away that dull, flat look that old plastic & vinyl has.

Here is an example. In this picture, I have applied "Back to Black" to the glove box door, but not the surrounding dash. You can see that the door is a lot blacker (the flash lightens the black somewhat, it's darker in person).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0015.jpg

[Z51JEFF]

Comin together.I was in Madera not too long ago,I should have got in touch.

[bdw18_123]

Comin together.I was in Madera not too long ago,I should have got in touch.

You were? Ya, you could have stopped by & and seen my Z in pieces all over the place! :mrgreen: Would be cool to meet another ZR-1-oner in person!

Especially if you take your ZR-1, I'd love to see it! I still have never ridden in a drivable ZR-1 yet, or even heard an LT5 running in person! Let me know next time your in the area, we could meet up.

[Z51JEFF]

You were? Ya, you could have stopped by & and seen my Z in pieces all over the place! :mrgreen: Would be cool to meet another ZR-1-oner in person!

Especially if you take your ZR-1, I'd love to see it! I still have never ridden in a drivable ZR-1 yet, or even heard an LT5 running in person! Let me know next time your in the area, we could meet up.

It aint gonna be for a loooooooooooooooong time.My uncle John Wells was the mayor down there for years.If your anywhere near Fremont give me a call.It would be great if somebody put together a Z gathering not too far from me.

[A26B]

:thumbsup:Heck of a job Ben!!

[bdw18_123]

Continued work on the dash pad. Part of the hold down tab above the headlight switch assembly was broken...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0018.jpg


...so I cut out a small piece of thin aluminum sheet metal, drilled pilot holes in the remaining part of the plastic and attached the aluminum with screws (I have scraps of aluminum sheet metal from when I used to work on aircraft).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0023-1.jpg


After I cleaned and detailed the dash pad (including the carpet section) & gauges surround piece, I reinstalled them.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0029.jpg


Windshield interior pieces have also been cleaned & detailed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0028.jpg


Cleaned and reinstalled DIC & A/C control head.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0033-1.jpg


Cleaned and reinstalled headlight switch assembly.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0035-1.jpg

[-=Jeff=-]

what are you using to clean all the interior parts?

[bdw18_123]

what are you using to clean all the interior parts?

For all the plastic and vinyl parts, first I clean them real good with some diluted Simple Green. Then I apply "Back to Black" to take away that old, flat look that old plastic and vinyl gets. Makes a huge difference.

For the carpeting, I'm using Turtle Wax's "Power Out Carpet Cleaner" with the scrub brush cap. It brings back the true color of the carpet and gets smells out, which is good because I could tell the PO smoked in this car. :nono: :thumbsdo:

[todesengel]

well I am another pos that smokes in my car. It is my car, and I will do whatever I please in it. Sorry that offends you =D>For all the plastic and vinyl parts, first I clean them real good with some diluted Simple Green. Then I apply "Back to Black" to take away that old, flat look that old plastic and vinyl gets. Makes a huge difference.

For the carpeting, I'm using Turtle Wax's "Power Out Carpet Cleaner" with the scrub brush cap. It brings back the true color of the carpet and gets smells out, which is good because I could tell the PO smoked in this car. :nono: :thumbsdo:

[-=Jeff=-]

well I am another pos that smokes in my car. It is my car, and I will do whatever I please in it. Sorry that offends you =D>


he said PO = Previous Owner.. he didn't say POS.. :cheers:

[todesengel]

It was meant as a joke, I guess it is hard to interpret over the internet. sorry.he said PO = Previous Owner.. he didn't say POS.. :cheers:

[-=Jeff=-]

It was meant as a joke, I guess it is hard to interpret over the internet. sorry.

No problem.. yes hard to tell when joking or not on the 'net

[bdw18_123]

Got the Bose deck reinstalled and tested. Sounds really good for a 20 year-old sound system! The replacement stock speakers/amps I bought work great, those rear speakers put out a lot of bass for what they are.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0067.jpg


Glovebox, center windshield defrost vent cover, passenger side vents, fusebox cover and plastic cover side-piece above the hood-opening latch have all been cleaned, detailed and reinstalled.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0068.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0069.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0070.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Passenger side kickpanel cleaned & reinstalled.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0071.jpg


Driver's side vents cleaned & reinstalled.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0073-1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0074.jpg

[tomtom72]

Man that car is looking great!=D>

I know it's a lot of work, but man she is going to look great when you're finished.

:cheers:

[bdw18_123]

FX-3/seat controls are cleaned and reinstalled.

They were extremely filthy, had to take them apart to fully clean them. Looked like the PO at some point spilled something all over the center console and down both sides to the carpet below the seats (and didn't bother to wipe it up).

I cleaned the controls with Simple Green, but the top part with the switches got etched by whatever got spilled. So I also polished the top area with clear plastic polish (because the paint and lettering is bonded to the bottom side of the clear plastic). Looks a LOT better.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0080.jpg


Driver's side floor and console side carpet are cleaned and back in. Cleaned and detailed the plastic/vinyl areas.

For the carpet, I first vacuum it real good to remove all the loose stuff. Then I apply the "Turtle Wax Power Out" carpet cleaner with the built-in scrub brush. For the really bad stains, several applications are needed. Do one small area at a time, blotting the area with a clean, dry towel after using the cleaner.

That cleaner works really well, there were some really dark, nasty stains on the carpet. Unless you look really close, you can't hardly tell there were any stains.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0082-1.jpg


Cleaned, detailed and reinstalled the plastic piece to the right of the gas pedal. Also cleaned all the pedals.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0083.jpg


Passenger side floor and console side carpet cleaned and reinstalled. Cleaned and detailed the plastic/vinyl areas.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0084-1.jpg

[Blue Flame Restorations]

Looking very, very good! Can't wait to see it all together again.

Good job:handshak:

[bdw18_123]

Here is a before & after on the carpet cleaning I've been doing. A lot of the carpet I've cleaned so far had lots of similar stains on them, but I have been able to almost completely remove them.

The camera flash makes the stains look lighter than they really are. The carpet in these pictures is the piece that goes behind the seats.

Before...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0085-1.jpg


After.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0086.jpg


And finally, the "behind the seats" carpet reinstalled after finishing the cleaning.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0087.jpg


Next, I decided to start getting the interior door panels cleaned up, starting with the driver's door panel.

Once I got the panel removed from the door, I took apart the panel itself to make it easier to clean and detail. This picture is after I cleaned and detailed everything.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0096.jpg

[bdw18_123]

I also found another plastic mounting tab was broken off. This one looked to be a fairly important mounting tab, since it is the only thing within 5 inches or so of any other bolts holding the top, rear edge of the black armrest piece to the rest of the panel.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0092.jpg


So I cut out another piece from the sheet aluminum, bent it to conform to the mounting area, drilled the holes, and re-mounted the broken off tab with small wood screws into the plastic.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0094.jpg


Then, after all the cleaning and repairs were finished, I remounted the panel to the door.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0099-1.jpg

[phrogs]

have you used Back to Black before??

[phrogs]

have you used Back to Black before??



Oh and if you ever need a heater core I have a used one but you checked yours if it does crap out on you let me know.

[bdw18_123]

have you used Back to Black before??

Before this project? Yes, I have used it on a lot of things before this. I love the stuff, it's amazing how nice it makes the plastic and vinyl look.

Oh and if you ever need a heater core I have a used one but you checked yours if it does crap out on you let me know.

Will do, thanks! :thumbsup:

[tomtom72]

:jawdrop::thumbsup:

Now that is a restoration job very well done!


I may have to buy some of that Back to Black stuff just to try it out myself. I had no idea that it gave results as great as your stuff looks. I mostly never believe the performance claims of a lot of car care products....I guess I don't have faith!

That car is gonna be smookin'!=D>

[bdw18_123]

:jawdrop::thumbsup:

Now that is a restoration job very well done!


I may have to buy some of that Back to Black stuff just to try it out myself. I had no idea that it gave results as great as your stuff looks. I mostly never believe the performance claims of a lot of car care products....I guess I don't have faith!

That car is gonna be smookin'!=D>

Thanks for the kinds words, Tom! (and everyone else who has commented also!)

I don't usually ever believe performance claims either, because most times the product just doesn't do well what they say it is supposed to do. Back to Black does work really well, but if the plastic/vinyl is really badly brittle/oxidized/cracked/etc. it obviously won't fix that kind of stuff. But for plastic/vinyl that is decent condition but just flat/bland/dull looking, it will bring back that fresh, new look.

However, I have found that the "Mother's" brand line of car care products (that's who makes the Back to Black stuff) are very good and do well what they claim the product does. "Turtle Wax" is another good brand.

Sometimes you just have to try several different brands until you find something that works good.

[HIZNHRZ]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0094.jpg

Man you do nice work!

[bdw18_123]

Passenger door panel is done.

It had a couple of issues that needed attention. One issue was that the edges of the vinyl part of the armrest were pulling away from the plastic (very common issue with C4 interiors).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0101.jpg


So I pulled the edges of the vinyl back down, drilling pilot holes and installing small counter-sunk screws into the edge of the plastic. The edge of the plastic isn't very wide, so I had to be careful to keep the hole centered on the edge. I had to heat up some areas of the vinyl with a hairdryer to aid in pulling the edge back over the plastic.

Repairs like this won't win you any NCRS awards (:mrgreen:), but they are perfect for a driver car that you don't want to buy a whole new panel for. And it does look lots better than it did.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0104.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0106-1.jpg


The other issue was with the important mounting tab at the top, rear of the armrest (same area as the one I did on the driver's door). It too had broken off.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0102.jpg

[bdw18_123]

So, I cut out another piece of sheet aluminum, bent it, smoothed the edges, drilled the holes and installed it with small screws.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0134.jpg


Then I cleaned and detailed all the parts of the door panel (the one carpeted piece is not in this pic).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0133.jpg


Door panel installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0136.jpg

[tccrab]

Ben:

It's gonna look like a new car when you're done!

When can I bring over mine so you can give it the same treatment?
:-D:cheers:

TomC
'Crabs

[bdw18_123]

Started working on my Z again, still working on the interior.


Got both carpeted door sill/front speaker covers cleaned and installed. I also cleaned the seat belts and detailed the plastic pieces.

I filled the sink with water then dumped in a good amount of concentrated Simple Green (I've got a big, plastic sink in the garage, very handy). I let the belts soak in this mixture for a good 20 minutes (after pulling the belt out all the way and jamming it with a screw driver so it would stay out). I then scrubbed the full length of each belt on both sides with a plastic scrub brush.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0150.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0152.jpg


Both side cargo carpet pieces cleaned and installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0153.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0151.jpg

[bdw18_123]

The carpet in the rear cargo area was just absolutely filthy, it was probably the dirtiest place in the whole interior. I don't know how someone can let their car get this dirty, but the previous owner apparently didn't care! :ack:

Here is a before picture (took these 2 pics with a different camera which is why the red has a different hue than the other pics). That one white stain was a mass of some kind of sticky, gooey substance. I sprayed some of that electronic contact cleaner to loosen it up, combed it out with one of those small flea combs for animals, then vacuumed the area. Repeated that process several times, then finished off with the carpet cleaner. I'm surprised I was able to remove it! The rest of the carpet I just vacuumed, then used the carpet cleaner.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70047-1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70046-2.jpg


And here is the after pic, rear carpet installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0154.jpg

[-=Jeff=-]

HOLY ****!!!

That is some AWESOME Work!!

[LGAFF]

"That one white stain was a mass of some kind of sticky, gooey substance" -bdw18_123


1)Did you check it with a blue light?

2)Did you wear gloves?

3)Did you check to make sure the car was never registered to Ron Jeremy?

4)Did it have a cassette tape with heavy base music stuck in the player?

5)When the prior owner said he blew the motor, did you get specifics?

[-=Jeff=-]

"That one white stain was a mass of some kind of sticky, gooey substance" -bdw18_123


1)Did you check it with a blue light?

2)Did you wear gloves?

3)Did you check to make sure the car was never registered to Ron Jeremy?

4)Did it have a cassette tape with heavy base music stuck in the player?

5)When the prior owner said he blew the motor, did you get specifics?

:sign10:

[bdw18_123]

"That one white stain was a mass of some kind of sticky, gooey substance" -bdw18_123


1)Did you check it with a blue light?

2)Did you wear gloves?

3)Did you check to make sure the car was never registered to Ron Jeremy?

4)Did it have a cassette tape with heavy base music stuck in the player?

5)When the prior owner said he blew the motor, did you get specifics?

LOL! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Someone's got their mind in the gutter! I didn't think of it that way when I wrote that, but now that I re-read it, it does sound funny! And I think you meant to say "black light". :-D

[sammy]

man thats some funny stuff ,might i ad were their any little golden wrapped with trojan on them . sorry couldnt help my self . by the way great job of getting her clean . she will be one fine ride when you get her done

[4DSZR1]

HOLY schtzeke that is great work!!!!

[tccrab]

"That one white stain was a mass of some kind of sticky, gooey substance" -bdw18_123

3)Did you check to make sure the car was never registered to Ron Jeremy?

4)Did it have a cassette tape with heavy base music stuck in the player?

5)When the prior owner said he blew the motor, did you get specifics?

:cokespew!!!

Darn, now I gotta clean my keyboard.

You do mighty good work Ben.

TomC
"Crabs

[Z51JEFF]

Car looks great.Any idea when it will make some noise?

[bdw18_123]

Car looks great.Any idea when it will make some noise?

Hopefully in the next couple months. I just got a new job, so I should be making pretty good money in the next month or so. Once I got some extra to spend, progress will be faster.

[Dynomite]

Just tell me exaclty what carpet cleaner you used (picture would be nice) :thumbsup:
Exactly how did you use the carpet cleaner and what kind of brush/process did you use? How much time did you spend on that rear carpet to get it back to mint condition?

It appears most of those spots are oil spots? Did you use SIMPLE GREEN on those spots following up with carpet cleaner?

Very impressive........put these pictures back in your response and I shall reference that single response post as a "how to clean Z carpet" ;)

Your work is better than "Very Impressive" .....your work is PERFECTION :cheers:


The carpet in the rear cargo area was just absolutely filthy, it was probably the dirtiest place in the whole interior. I don't know how someone can let their car get this dirty, but the previous owner apparently didn't care! :ack:

Here is a before picture (took these 2 pics with a different camera which is why the red has a different hue than the other pics). That one white stain was a mass of some kind of sticky, gooey substance. I sprayed some of that electronic contact cleaner to loosen it up, combed it out with one of those small flea combs for animals, then vacuumed the area. Repeated that process several times, then finished off with the carpet cleaner. I'm surprised I was able to remove it! The rest of the carpet I just vacuumed, then used the carpet cleaner.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70047-1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70046-2.jpg


And here is the after pic, rear carpet installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0154.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Just tell me exactly what carpet cleaner you used (picture would be nice) :thumbsup:
Exactly how did you use the carpet cleaner and what kind of brush/process did you use? How much time did you spend on that rear carpet to get it back to mint condition?

It appears most of those spots are oil spots? Did you use SIMPLE GREEN on those spots following up with carpet cleaner?
...


This is the carpet cleaner I used. The can on the left I bought 2-3 months ago, it is 22oz. I used 2 of those cans for all the carpet (including the doors) starting from the carpet behind the seats, forward. But the brush kept coming off when trying to scrub, that was the only issue with this design.

The can on the right is the new, redesigned one (as of 8/24/2010). Unfortunately, it is now only 18oz for the same price :thumbsdo:. But the brush is designed better and does not come off when scrubbing. I went through almost 2 and a half cans of the these for all the carpet in the cargo area. Granted, the stains were heavier so I probably used more.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0156.jpg


I did not use any Simple Green on the carpet, not even on the cargo area carpet. Most of the lighter stains I think were maybe some type of soda beverage or something similar. The darker ones were definitely oil, as the PO had put some oily engine components in the cargo area.

Another good thing about the carpet cleaner I used is that it has odor remover in it. When I first got the Z, it had the dreaded "old cigarette" smell to it. Now that all the carpet is cleaned & plastic/vinyl stuff is cleaned and detailed, it smells much better and the cigarette smell seems to be gone.

First, I vacuumed the whole carpet really good to get rid of all the loose stuff. Not with a floor vacuum, but the hose-type shop-vac.

Second, I scrubbed the carpet using the brush on the can vigorously side-to-side then up-&-down (not in a circular motion, doesn't work well) after applying the carpet cleaner, in approximately 6-inch square increments until clean.

Finally, using an old, clean rag (make sure it won't leave lint pieces behind) blot or press down on the cleaned area to soak up the excess cleaner. This also helps to remove some of the dirt/oil/etc. that will be suspended in the cleaner. You can also vacuum the cleaned area again (says to on the can), but I didn't.


If the stain is really heavy, you will have to repeat the 2nd & 3rd steps several times. Also (I didn't think of doing this until just now), immediately after cleaning the carpet with the cleaner, you could spray the carpet with a pressure washer to get all the dirt that is deep at the bottom out.

Some areas in my carpet are slightly darker (they don't really show up in the pics) because some of the stain is still under the fibers. I'm sure if I soaked these areas in carpet cleaner (or even Simple Green might work, though I haven't tried it) and then pressure washed the whole thing, these darker areas would probably be removed.


Before:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70047-1.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70046-2.jpg

After:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0154.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Made a little more progress on my ZR-1.

Cargo area of the interior is all back together now. Just have the seats and console lid to do and the interior will be pretty much done. Here is a before and after of the rear speaker grills.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0155-1.jpg


And the completed cargo area.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0168.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0167.jpg


I've also pressure washed the LT5 and ZF6, turned out pretty good. Some more before & after pics.

Before:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0163.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0162.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0161.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0166.jpg


After:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71218.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71216.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71219.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71217.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71220.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71221.jpg

[Jagdpanzer]

Great results especially on the LT5 and ZF clean up.
What prep did you do before using the power washer?
And did you use just water with the power washer or with a cleaner solution?

[bdw18_123]

Great results especially on the LT5 and ZF clean up.
What prep did you do before using the power washer?
And did you use just water with the power washer or with a cleaner solution?

Before powerwashing I taped up/plugged every opening that I didn't want water getting into (cylinders, oil passages, etc.). I used some tape called 'Gorilla Tape', it looks like black "duck/duct" tape but is stickier and stronger. I also remove most of the remaining sensors.

I then soaked all the oily/dirty areas with engine degreaser to loosen the grime. For some of the heaviest soiled areas, I had to spray degreaser then powerwash several times. I just sprayed the degreaser separately then used the pressure washer with just water, I didn't spray a mixture of water/cleaner.

[LGAFF]

Car is looking great....keep up the good work!

[todesengel]

Last time I cleaned the carpet in my car really well my wife got the grand idea that I could do the carpeting in the house as well. Needless to say we now have hardwood throughout.

Car looks great man, lot's of hard work, but looks like great rewards as well :cheers:

[rudolph schenker]

Wow! Awesome progress! :cheers:

[ZZZZZR1]

Unbelievable work!


That interior looks "new"!


I need to redo my rear speaker covers as well. Gives anyone inspiration!!!!! :cool:

[bdw18_123]

Finally some progress on the engine side of this project!

Back a little over a month ago, I brought both the heads from my LT5 to a friend of Evan's that owns/runs a machine shop. I just got them back today and man they look good! I got a very good deal on the work too, nearly 50% off the normal price they charge since Evan knows the guy well.

Here's what they used to look like:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71207a.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71207.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71200.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Here's what was done at the machine shop:

-Thoroughly cleaned both heads
-Removed 2 stuck cut-off cam cover bolts in the passenger side head that I couldn't get out.
-Complete multi-angle valve job.
-Machined the exhaust valve guides to accept valve seals.
-Checked spring tension of all valve springs.
-Installed the full set of new valve seals I bought from Jerry.
-Installed the 6 used valves that I bought from Polo-1 to replace the bent ones in the driver's head.
-Resurfaced the head-gasket side of both heads.
-Replaced one of the small freeze plugs in one of the heads that was found to be leaking.

So now they look like this :

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71251.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71254.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71253.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71255.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71256.jpg


Once I finish with the interior, I'm going to start on getting the engine back together. I now have most of the replacement parts I need, though there are still a few miscellaneous things I need to get.

I'm hoping to get my Z drivable in time for Pete's (PLRX over at CF) March Bomber Run. We'll see how things go.

[-=Jeff=-]

Cool!!! glad to see progress.. What did you do about the hole in the Cam cover?

[bdw18_123]

Cool!!! glad to see progress.. What did you do about the hole in the Cam cover?

That hasn't been fixed yet. It will be soon though, Evan's got another friend that can probably do it. It's nice to have hookups! :mrgreen:

[tomtom72]

Those pictures are worth a thousand words! Sweeeet work & sweeet results! :fahne:

I admire your work and it's results. Man that car is gonna look brand spanking new when you're all dunn! Simply an amazing transformation!


:cheers:
Tom

[bdw18_123]

Got my console lid done.

It had the usual vinyl delamination/warping on the back & front edges. I disassembled the lid to get better access.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71262a.jpg


I repaired it using small 4-40, countersunk machine screws to reattach the vinyl to the plastic underneath. Worked out well, screws are hidden when the lid is back together.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71263.jpg


Cleaned, detailed and reinstalled the lid.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71264.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71265.jpg


Also did a little repair work to my engine mount covers. They were still in ok shape, so I decided to try patching them up with some of that aluminum tape.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71262.jpg


Cleaned them up, applied the aluminum tape where necessary and installed the covers on the replacement engine mounts I bought. Turned out pretty nice.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71273.jpg


I'm now working on getting the replacement stock leather seat covers installed that came with the car. They are actually the '91-'93 style which has required some modifications to put them on '90 seat foams which I will go into in my next update once I'm finished with the seats.

[VetteMed]

Lookin' good!

[bdw18_123]

Before I get on with this update, I just wanted to say thanks for all the compliments everyone has been posting, I really appreciate it! :thumbsup:


Now for the update, it's a long one this time...

As I mentioned in the previous update, I've been working on the seats lately. When I bought the car, it came with another set of red stock sport seat covers that the previous owner had apparently acquired but never got around to installing. Which is a good thing, because judging by the work he did do on this car, his DIY skills leave a LOT to be desired. :thumbsdo:

He did attempt to put the replacement driver's side seat bottom cover on, but did a really half-a** job of it. He had also gotten it pretty dirty. I was able to get it cleaned up nicely though. Here's a pic from earlier in this thread that show the seats before I worked on them, the driver's seat is the right hand one in the picture.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_IMG_0060.jpg


The "new" seat covers after closer inspection, are from a '91 Corvette I believe. They are in very good condition with only a couple minor flaws here and there. After a good cleaning with some leather cleaner/conditioner, they look even better. Here is another previously posted pic.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71170.jpg


During the course of installing these replacement covers, I discovered that the front, side bolsters in the seat bottoms on the '90 cars are significantly taller & shaped a bit differently than the '91-'93 cars. I had to cut a lot of the foam off the bolsters on my '90 seat foams to get the '91 style seat bottom covers to fit right. I also had to add a bit of extra foam here and there to areas which were a bit loose.

The other thing I did was to use zip-ties to hold the seat covers to the foam rather than those horrible hog ring things (which are a major PITA to work with). The zip-ties work just as well and are way, way easier to work with. The only tough part is getting the zip-tie through the foam, but using a small straight, pointy, awl-type tool to guide it through makes it doable.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71332.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71337.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Also, because the '91-'93 style sport seat only has a seat control on one side, I had to cut a hole in the other side since the '90 sport seat has two controls, one in each bolster. I just copied the way GM cut the hole.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71334.jpg


Then I removed the black, plastic holder things from the old seat cover and attached them to the leather with some heavy-duty staples. I had to put in the staples by hand because the staple gun I have wouldn't make the staple go through the plastic.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71335.jpg


The bladders in the seats were actually still intact except for right at the spot where the tubes plug into them, where they were cracked and disintegrating. I decided to try to repair them with some of "The Right Stuff" RTV. Worked out pretty well and they hold air now.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71336.jpg


With the driver's side seat bottom and back covers installed, I got to work on the rest of the seat assembly. Removed the old bolster covers and installed the "new" ones. Then cleaned up the plastic seat back, bottom and seat track.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71351.jpg


Before I put the seat back together, I temporarily hooked up all the plugs in the seat and hooked a battery to the power supply connector of the seat so I could test all the functions. Surprisingly, all the functions worked, even the air pump. The only thing I had to do was clean and lubricate the power seat recliner at the worm gear assembly, it was a little gummed up and the motor was having a hard time moving the seat back.

With that done, I reassembled the seat, then installed the driver's seat track in the car. I found it is better to install the seat track separately from the rest of the seat; it's easier to get to the mounting bolts that way.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71352.jpg


Driver's seat finished and installed in the car.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71354.jpg

[bdw18_123]

A couple days earlier, the steering wheel cover I ordered came in and I decided to switch gears for a bit and work on getting that installed before continuing work on the passenger seat. I got tired of looking at that ugly steering wheel. :mrgreen:

This is the cover I installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71355.jpg


Installing the cover was fairly straight forward, the instructions were pretty easy to follow. Except for the part where it said it would take about an hour to install. Wrong! It took me maybe 3 or 4 hours to finish. This was my first time installing a cover like this though and I was taking my time so that I'd get it right.

I was also having fun sitting there and blasting the stereo in the Z with my iPod hooked up which is probably part of why it took that long to install the cover. Some people say the Bose system in these cars suck, but mine sure doesn't. For a 20 year old system, I'm surprised at how good it sounds. You could hear the bass clear into the house and that's with the car's doors closed.

The only things I did was install speakers and amps from a '93 stock Bose/Gold system (because my stock ones were all missing except for one of the fronts, but the amp was missing) and do the mod to the speaker cones where you coat them with a couple layers of a mixture of wood glue and water to make the sound crisper.

Anyway, back on topic. Here is a before and after of the steering wheel. What a difference!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71356.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71359.jpg

[Blue Flame Restorations]

Looks great!!!!

[tomtom72]

:worship: :jawdrop:

Holy smokes the work you are doing is looking soooo sweeeet! What a restoration! That car is going to be slick!

I never would have thought to use zip ties! :thumbsup:

:cheers:
Tom

[bdw18_123]

The interior is done now except for the shifter console which won't go back in until the transmission and engine are back in and the driver's side under-dash panel which I want to leave off for now because I need to troubleshoot why my 3rd brake light doesn't work.

Passenger seat is in.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0177.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0176.jpg


And now, I can really get to work on the heart of this beast!

First thing I did was drop the oil pan.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71378.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71377.jpg


Also finished cleaning the carbon deposits off of all the pistons. First I scraped off the worst of the deposits with a plastic scraper tool. Then I used a 3M "Roloc Bristle Disc" (the plastic/rubber version of a wire cleaning wheel) that I attached to my drill to get the piston nice and clean. I also used a shop-vac periodically during that process to get the removed deposits out.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71375.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71376.jpg

[bdw18_123]

The next task was to get the one cylinder liner replaced that had some chips in the Nikasil lining. This is the #3 cylinder on the driver's side that looks like it had coolant in it for awhile. The lack of lubricant caused by the coolant is probably how those chips got there as all the other liners are fine. Here is a picture of the driver's side pistons from before I cleaned them.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71199.jpg


Unbolted the rod cap of the #3 piston and removed the piston. I forgot to take a pic of this piston before I cleaned it, but the sides of it were pretty gummed up with carbon/rust from the coolant sitting on the rings. The rings were stuck to the piston so bad that they came off in lots of pieces.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0172.jpg


Once I got the old rings completely off, I cleaned up the piston and the ring grooves with some carb cleaner and a scotch brite pad. I also used a piece of the broken rings initially, to help clean the worst of the crud out of the ring grooves.

Then I got to wondering where I was going to find some stock rings and of course, thought of Jerry first thing. He does have some NOS original LT5 rings for $75 per piston, but I'm on a really tight budget right now so I contacted him and asked if he had any good condition, used rings laying around that he could sell me. Turns out, he did have some and gave me two sets of rings for free! www.jerrysgaskets.com will always be the first place I go when I need LT5 gaskets and parts for sure! Highly recommended! Of course, most of you here already know that.

Once I got the replacement used rings in the mail, I installed them on the piston very carefully with just my hands. It actually wasn't that hard, you just have to be careful to only spread the ring apart the bare minimum needed to get it installed and to twist it as little as possible. Before I installed them, I did check the end gap of the rings and they are all within spec. I also made sure the ring gaps were positioned correctly as well.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0171.jpg


The rod bearings and crankshaft surface actually look very nice for having 140K on them. Looks like the one thing the previous owner did do right was getting the oil changed frequently enough.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0173.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0174.jpg


Then I got to work removing the old cylinder liner. Since I don't have the special cylinder liner removal tool and because the liner was toast anyway, I decided to try removing it with two large vise grips. Just as a warning, removing a liner this way WILL damage the Nikasil coating, so only do it if the liner you are removing is already damaged.

I clamped one vise grip onto the edge of the liner and clamped the other one onto the handle of the first one, at a 90 degree angle to it. I then used a hammer to carefully hit the handle of the second vise grip to get the liner out. After 10-15 or so whacks with the hammer, the liner came out.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71379.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71380.jpg


With the liner out, I cleaned all the old glue off of the block. The replacement liner I have is one I got from Jerry awhile back. It is used, but it looks more new than used. Per the service manual, I checked the "step" area on the outside of the liner for burrs and glue remains. This is very important to do because the height of the liner relative to the block and relative to the other liners is very critical. It must be within .001-.003 thousandths of an inch. There was a few areas that needed attention, so I cleaned off all the old glue and carefully filed down any tiny imperfections/burrs.

With both the liner and the area on the block where the liner seats clean, I applied the Loctite 565 sealer to the liner in the amount specified by the service manual. Then I carefully slid the liner into place. I don't have the special temporary liner hold downs so I came up with my own using 4 large sockets on the original head bolts. I only tightened them just enough to hold the liner in place until I am ready to install the heads.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0170.jpg


The piston is now ready to be reinstalled. Being that I also don't have a ring compressor, I made my own using two good sized hose clamps and a piece of sheet aluminum. I oiled up the liner, piston and my home-made ring compressor with some special piston/ring/cylinder oil meant specifically to be used in the piston/ring/cylinder area, it's designed to burn clean. I also made sure the arrow on the top of the piston pointed towards the front of the engine.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0175.jpg


Piston #3 is now reinstalled and ready to go.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0181.jpg

[A26B]

Ben, you,ve done an excellent job and been very innovative with your work-around special tools. Piston tops look outstanding.

Good luck with the rest of the job.

[VetteMed]

Looking great! Thanks for the pics!

[DaveK]

If you have access to a machine shop you can get the inside of the old liner taper machined to make yourself an excellent ring compressor. We did that back when I was racing Jag V12s - worked well.

Great job you're doing on the rebuild here! :handshak:

[Brillo1990]

Hey nice work on the whole car, it looks great! If you find out what is wrong with that 3rd brake light let me know mine isn't working either. If I do find out what is wrong with mine I'll send you a PM.

[-=Jeff=-]

did you check the 3rd brake light Switch? it may not be making contact at the pedal.

There is a connector in the pass foot well area then another in the right halo near the Cargo light before the final connector up by the hatch passthru for the wiring

[Brillo1990]

Thanks Jeff it sounds like overkill on GM's part on the switches to me. I'll have a look and see what I come up with.

[-=Jeff=-]

Thanks Jeff it sounds like overkill on GM's part on the switches to me. I'll have a look and see what I come up with.

Remember the CHMSL was an Add on during the C4 run.

even my 92 Firebird had a separate switch for the CHMSL

I think the reason was it is just a stop light and not a turn or hazzard.

[Brillo1990]

OK you lost me with CHMSL, I'm new to this stuff so you have to explain. I'll give it a shot.... Corvette High Mount Signal Light? LOL

[VetteMed]

Center High Mount Stop Lamp

[bdw18_123]

Now look what you guys did, cluttered up my thread! :mrgreen: :sign10:

Maybe Z Factor can move your posts about the 3rd brake light to a separate thread? Not a huge deal though.

[bdw18_123]

With the liner and piston ring issues taken care of, I moved on to getting the heads installed.

Before doing that though, I decided to remove the crankcase breather cover, remove the old gasket and get the gasket surface cleaned up. There was oil in a lot of the screw holes, which had to be cleaned out so that the loctite would be able to seal properly. I just turned the engine upside down and sprayed out the holes with carb cleaner (because I already had a can of it).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0182.jpg


Now, on to the head installation.

First thing I did was get the head gasket surface area of the block cleaned up really good. I used a plastic scraper first to get the worse of the old gasket material off. Then I used some carb cleaner on a rag to scrub the surface. After that I used some scotch-brite to get the rest of the stubborn areas that didn't want to come off. I finished off with another wipe-down of the surface with the carb cleaner.

For the tops of the liners, I only used the carb cleaner and the plastic scraper. I used the scotch brite lightly on a few small areas between the liners where a tiny bit of corrosion had started.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0183.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0184.jpg


The head gaskets I have are new OEM ones that I bought from Jerry awhile back. This was before he had his own head gaskets manufactured. I didn't know how long that would take and didn't want to be hung up on head gasket availability. Jerry at the time had 2 right hand GM head gaskets left and since you can use the right hand one on the left side, I bought his last two RH OEM ones which he gave to me for the RH & LH set price.

Here you can see the extra part of the RH gasket that has to be cut off when used on the LH side.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0186.jpg


Gasket in place on LH side; the extra part is cut off.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0187.jpg


With the gasket in place, I set the LH head in place. The dowel/sleeves are pretty tight fitting so it takes a bit of effort to get it lined up & in place, especially with how heavy the heads are.

I then just followed the procedure in the service manual. Put engine oil on the head bolt threads and washers, then torque them in three stages to the values specified and following the proper tightening sequence each time.

LH head installed and torqued down.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0188.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0189.jpg


Nothing needed to be done to the other RH gasket, so I just set it in place.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0190.jpg


And then the same procedure for the RH head as the LH head. RH head installed and torqued down. With both heads back on, it's starting to look like an LT5 again!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0191.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0192.jpg

[Brillo1990]

Looks sweet! I like all the good pics you're posting with your build. :thumbsup:

[Hog]

There was a GM bulletin that went around to dealerships stating that GM would not warranty engines in which Scotchbright pads were used.

Obviously not an issue if the engines is washed well after use.

Thanks for posting all the pics, good work.

peace
Hog

[sammy]

are you going to time the cams yourself?????

[billybaloneey]

are you going to time the cams yourself?????

If you do the cam timing yourself, please take a video of it and post a link to it. There are countless articles and countless people that say how easy it is, but nothing can beat a visual of actually how it is done.

Thanks,

[FU]

Great idea Clint.

[bdw18_123]

are you going to time the cams yourself?????

Yes, I'm going to do it myself. I would never have even attempted a project like this if I thought I couldn't do at least 90% or more of the work; would be too expensive otherwise. I've done a fair amount of reading on the subject of timing the LT5 and while it is a complicated job, it doesn't scare me. I know I can get it done. I'm going to use Marc Haibeck's writeup on the subject, it's pretty thorough. The factory timing method apparently isn't very accurate, which I think is one of the reasons why the power output of these engines varied when they dyno'd them.

In Haibeck's timing article (and I'm sure most of you already read it), he mentions that when he checked the timing of his stock '93 LT5 with 33K miles, 3 of the cams' timing were retarded by about 4 degrees (because of timing chain & guide wear). But his left exhaust cam was timed right on, apparently that cam was installed 4 degrees out of phase compared with the other 3 when the engine was assembled. By re-timing his LT5 correctly, he gained 10 torque and 8 horsepower. The torque and horspower improvements also span the entire 4000RPM before the 6300RPM point. He said in the article that he is constantly aware of the improvement when driving his Z.


If you do the cam timing yourself, please take a video of it and post a link to it. There are countless articles and countless people that say how easy it is, but nothing can beat a visual of actually how it is done.

Thanks,

Interesting thought, I'll see if I can put something together. I'm a visual person myself, so I know how much of a help pictures and video can be. If a picture is worth a 1000 words, a video must be worth a million! :mrgreen:

[LGAFF]

Clint its in the videos I sent you copies of

[bdw18_123]

Up next is getting the timing guides, chains, gears & cams in place.

First I installed all the secondary chain guides. I cleaned the bolt threads and bolt holes so the loctite would be able to grip. As for the 'bolt hole is larger than the bolt' issue with the top of the two fixed guides, according to Jerry, there are no bushings for those two holes. They are supposed to be larger like that. So I just put them in and let the guides rest on the bolts.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0193.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0194.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0196.jpg


Next, I put the idler gear and the passenger side secondary chain in (the shorter secondary chain). The idler gear has a pin on the back that goes into a hole where the gear mounts. This keeps the gear centered on the mounting area, but also holds it in place while you put the chains on without having the bolts in. I first put the chain around the gear, put the gear in place and then fed the chain up through the head and held the chain in place with my "special J tools" (screwdriver handles - LOL)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0197.jpg


To get the longer, driver's side chain in, you have to pull the gear forward to be able to get the chain around the gear as shown in this picture.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0198.jpg


Once I got the chain around the idler gear, I fed the chain up between the guides and through the drivers head. I had to bunch up the chain between the guides first to get it up through the head because of it's length. Once I got the chain up through the head, I held it in place with two more screwdriver handles.


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0199.jpg

[bdw18_123]

To get the primary chain on, I pulled the idler gear forward again and let the secondary chains hold it. I found you have to put the primary chain on the idler gear first and then put it around the crank gear. Then, while keeping the chain meshed onto the bottom of the crank gear with one hand, I put the idler gear back in place with the other.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0200.jpg


I then installed the idler gear bolts with red loctite and torqued to spec. The primary chain guide/tensioner went in next. The service manual says to only use finger pressure to tension the guide against the primary chain and remove the slack in the chain while tightening the adjusting bolt.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0201.jpg


The lifters went in next. I cleaned and applied special assembly lube to them before setting them in place. I numbered all the lifters and took pictures before I originally removed them so that each one would go back to the same spot it came out of.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0203.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0204.jpg


Time for the cams and cams gears to be put into place. The manual says to install the cams in a neutral position so that they won't be opening any of the valves (this is only for installation; they won't stay in that position for timing part). At first glance, it almost looks like the cams don't have a neutral spot, but they do. According to the manual, first you put the cam gear in place under the chain, then while holding the gear under the chain, slide the cam into the gear and set the cam in place onto the head. The flat side of the cam gear must face the camshaft.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0206.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0207.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Time now to get ready for the biggest job with regards to rebuilding an LT5 - the timing process. First I had to make several special tools that are needed for the timing the LT5. So far, I have been able to find work-arounds for every special tool called out in the manual. I am going to be timing my LT5 as described in Mark Haibeck's LT5 timing tech article (available on his website - www.zr1specialist.com) and in conjunction with the GM LT5 Service Manual Supplement.

First, I came up with a way to temporarily modify the stock cam retainers to make them hold the cams as tightly as the cam cover does since I don't have those special tight-fitting hold down clamps. I happened to have some special plasticy anti-scuff tape stuff (you can see the roll in on of the pictures below). I don't even know what it's called, but it was perfect for what I needed it for. I set one of the rear retainers on top of one of the bearing surfaces of one of the cam covers so I could see what the difference in size was. As you can see in the following picture, there is quite a bit of difference in size between the cam cover bearing surface and the retainer.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0211.jpg


So all I did was to apply layers of that special plastic tape stuff to the retainer until it was the same as the cam cover bearing surface, which ended up being 3 layers of the tape. I did this to all of the cam retainers. In Haibeck's LT5 timing article, he says the difference is around .010, but I found that it is actually closer to .020.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0210.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0212.jpg


Next, I fabricated a couple of manual cam chain tensioners out of some aluminum L-stock I had and a couple of long bolts.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0214.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0215.jpg


I also made a timing wheel and a positive piston stop tool.

For the timing wheel, I printed one out (from a file I have, can't remember where I got it), glued it to some thin cardboard with a gluestick and applied some clear packing tape to provide a protective layer.

For the piston stop tool, I made one similar to the one pictured in Haibeck's LT5 timing article out of an old spark plug and a phenolic/fiberglass rod. I tried to drill a hole through the spark plug, but couldn't, so I just cut a slot in the side with a cut-off wheel on an angle grinder to provide an air hole. I filed all the sharp edges down around where I cut so that the spark plug hole in the head would not get damaged.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0218.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0220.jpg


My next update will be on the actual timing process.

[bdw18_123]

(I tried to post this update yesterday at the same time I posted on the "other" forum, but couldn't get this forum to load)

Time to get this beast timed!

I used Marc Haibeck's LT5 timing article and also Dynomite's write up on timing his LT5 (links to both below for reference).

http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/articles/timing_camshafts.htm

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?p=87524&post87524


Before moving on to the timing process, I installed the 2 new ARP rod bolts I ordered from Haibeck for that one piston I had to remove. I weighed both the ARP bolts and the original bolts and they are all the same (1.3oz IIRC), so the balance of the rotating mass won't be compromised.

I used the GM torquing procedure since I don't have one of those fancy bolt stretch gauges. Marc lists the GM procedure as an "alternate" procedure for torquing the ARP rod bolts.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0232.jpg


Now on to the timing.

First I mounted my timing wheel to the front of the crank snout. I made a pointer out of a metal hanger and bolted it to one of the front cover holes.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0243.jpg


I installed the positive piston stop tool that I made in cylinder #1 so I could locate TDC (Top Dead Center). To get the timing wheel lined up with the exact TDC, turn the engine crank one direction till it stops and make a mark on the timing wheel where the pointer is at. Then turn the crank the other way until it stops and make another mark at the pointer. Then count the degrees in between and find the exact center. This is where the exact TDC of cylinder #1 is.

An alternate method of locating TDC without the piston stop tool would be to get the center of the deep notch on the crank lined up with the exact center of the crank sensor (or use the deep notch locating tool if you have it and your oil pan is still on). The crank is now located at 51 degrees BTDC (Before TDC). You can then set your timing wheel at the pointer to 51 degrees BTDC. Now when you turn the crank to the TDC mark (0 degrees) on the timing wheel, you will be at TDC on cylinder #1.

The best way to start is to first follow the factory method of timing the LT5. This way you know the cams are in the correct positions in relation to the crankshaft and are not going to cause valves to hit the pistons. From there you can fine tune the cam positions.

Now, I did not have the tight-fitting hold down caps. So far I've been getting by without having any of the LT5 Kent Moore tools, but those hold down caps are something that you really can't get away with not having if you want to get your cams timed accurately. I made do with putting some special tape on the stock cam retainers to make up for the gap (the details are in the previous update). While I did manage to make this work, I found I had to keep replacing the tape because after more than a couple back-and-forth rotations of the crank, the 3 tape layers would start to crumple and come off. And I even put grease between the tape and the cams. If I have to ever do this again, I will be getting the proper hold-down clamps, they will make the timing process much easier.

The next thing to do was to get my dial indicator mounted. I started with the driver's side intake cam. I happened to have a piece of 1/4" steel plate with a couple of holes and a small bent over section also with a hole in it. This was an ideal way to provide a magnetic mounting surface for my dial indicator holder. I also made an offset tip for the dial indicator with a section of a large cotter pin bent into shape, the part that would be contacting the lifter rounded off with a file and mounted to the dial indicator with zipties.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0244.jpg


Since my LT5 is completely stock, I timed my cams according to Haibeck's recommendation which is 114 Deg ATDC for the intake cams and 110 Deg BTDC for the exhaust cams. He says this will give you a nice broad range of power and torque (3-7K RPM) which is a really good setting for drivability. This also happens to be the stock timing settings for the 405HP LT5's. The 375HP LT5's were timed to 114 Deg for both the intake and exhaust cams. I guess Lotus figured out that changing the exhaust cams to 110 BTDC setting gave better power. Although like Marc reports in his article, due to the lack of accuracy of the factory timing method, the timing of each cam can be off by as much as 4 degrees or so either way. So it is worth it to properly set the timing even on a stock LT5.

With the dial indicator mounted to the driver's side intake cam (primary lobe, the one with a 'pointier' tip), I turned the crankshaft to put the cam in a position where cylinder #1 was not depressing the intake valves. I then zeroed the dial indicator. I used the original cam bolts during timing setting process so I wouldn't mess up the ARP cam bolts. Since they wouldn't be tightened fully, they would work fine for just snugging the bolt to check the timing.

With the cam bolt snugged down, now I could check the timing of the driver's intake cam. Normal engine rotation is clockwise when facing the front cover of the engine and this is the direction you want to turn the crank when checking the timing. I used Marc's suggestion of .010" either side of max lift. So first I turned the crank clockwise until I found the max lift indicated on the dial indicator. Then I turned the crank until I reached .010" before max lift, recorded the degrees at the pointer on the timing wheel, turned the crank until .010" after max lift and recorded the degrees at the pointer again. So if the max lift was .389", you would go to .379" on either side of that max lift and record the degrees from the timing wheel on the crank.

With the degree readings recorded, I just added them together and divided the result by 2. So if you got readings of 131 Deg and 95 Deg you would add those together to get 226. Divide that number by 2 and you get 113 Deg. This is the degrees that the center-line of the lobe on the cam you are checking is timed to in relation to the crankshaft.

I found it is helpful to make marks with a fine-tipped Sharpie on the back of the cam sprocket where the cam meets it like in the picture below. That way when you have to readjust the cam, you can see where you started from and what degrees the cam was set to at that point. You can then start to get a feel for how much you have to turn the cam to get the setting you are aiming for. Which, it turns out is a very, very small amount once you are within several degrees of the setting you are aiming for.

So I just continued re-adjusting and re-checking the cam until I got it to where I wanted it.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0253.jpg


Once I got the driver's side intake cam set to the 114 Deg ATDC (actually I set the intake cams to 113 Deg ATDC & 111 Deg BTDC for the exhaust cams to account for continued timing chain wear as suggested by Marc in his timing article), I removed the old cam bolt, coated the washer with clean engine oil, put loctite 262 on the new ARP cam bolt and torqued it according to the factory procedure.

For the final torquing, I found a way to hold the other end of the cam so that it would not move at all during the tightening procedure. This method also allows you to final tighten the cam bolts without having to have another person to help you. The pictures below show what I did. For the passenger side, I had to turn the engine sideways to use this method because the tightening direction is the opposite way on that side.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0249.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0254.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Just before I tightened the new cam bolts for the final time I made more marks as shown in the picture below (red arrows are pointing to the marks, they are a bit hard to see) on the back of the cam sprockets/cams so that I could tell if the cam moved at all after the final tightening was done.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0248.jpg


I then repeated that whole, long process I just described above for the other 3 camshafts. For the passenger side, I mounted the dial indicator to cylinder #6 as Marc describes in his timing article. Since this cylinder is one cycle behind cylinder #1, you can time the passenger cams off of it as if it was cylinder #1.

Here are some pictures showing how I mounted the dial indicator to measure the driver's side and passenger's side exhaust cam. I forgot to take a picture of how I mounted the dial indicator to the passenger's side intake cam.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0246.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0252.jpg


Driver's side cams timed and final torqued.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0250.jpg


Passenger's side cams timed and final torqued.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0255.jpg


With that timing business finished and out of the way, I continued with assembling the rest of the engine.

Next, I worked on getting the crankcase breather cover and baffle back in place. Baffle in place, loctite 262 applied and torqued down.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0259.jpg

[bdw18_123]

For the crankcase breather cover, for some reason, the service manual doesn't say to put any loctite on those bolts. But since the bolts in that cover have a reputation for becoming loose and making a big mess in the valley of the LT5, I decided to put some loctite 262 on them anyway to make sure they would stay tight. Since I had the heads already on, I had to temporarily remove the secondary linkage covers and the rods that link all the secondary plates together to get the cover to fit through to install it.

Cover installed with new gasket (from Jerry, of course) and torqued down.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0260.jpg


Starter went in next. I took the cover off of the back of the solenoid (the gold-colored one with the 3 small bolts) on the starter to check the contacts. They looked pretty good, but they need a little cleaning, so I cleaned them with some fine sandpaper and electro-contact cleaner and then put the cover back on. I then checked for proper operation by applying 12 volts to both the large bolt-terminal and the smaller connector to activate the starter.

Starter installed and torqued down.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0261.jpg

[bdw18_123]

I decided to move on to the oil pan next.

First, I removed the baffle tray and the oil suction tube assembly. There was some nasty, sludgy stuff in the bottom of the pan.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0263.jpg


I also found some other "goodies" clustered underneath the oil suction tube. The screen on it prevented the pieces from being sucked up to the top of the engine. The "goodies" turned out to be more bits of broken chain rollers and a couple pieces of the plastic wear strip.

I think the big plastic piece on the left in the picture may be the actual cause of the chain breaking. It looks like a piece of the cam cover wear strip that went between the chain and one of the sprockets (either the cam sprockets or the idler sprocket) when the engine was running. It may have even stayed on the sprocket it was on for several revolutions which would have put a lot of extra stress on the chain in that one spot, causing it to weaken and break.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0342.jpg


Oil pan, baffle tray and oil suction tube cleaned up and ready to be re-assembled. Note that the style of oil suction tube shown here is only on the '90-'92 375HP LT5's. The '93-'95 405HP LT5's have a different style of oil suction tube. Apparently the earlier cars don't have an oil level sensor on the oil pan either. That may have started with the 405HP LT5's but I'm not sure.

Interestingly, that red, thin LT5 supplement service manual that says "90-93" (because technically, there are no '94 or '95 LT5's. Mercury Marine built the '94-'95 LT5's ahead of time in '93) only shows the later style of oil pick up tube. I had to go to my '90 service manual to find the assembly instructions for the earlier style.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0302.jpg


Oil suction tube re-attached to oil pan.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0313.jpg


The o-ring for the top of the oil suction tube that you get from Jerry is thicker than the GM o-ring to provide a better seal, shown in the picture below. More info about this can be found at his website, linked below.

http://jerrysgaskets.com/store2/root/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=29

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0314.jpg


When installing the oil pan gasket, note that it can only go on one way. If you have it on upside-down, two of the holes will not line up, shown in the picture below.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0316.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Baffle tray installed & oil pan gasket and suction tube o-ring in place.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0315.jpg


Oil pan installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0318.jpg


Secondary actuators went on next. I cleaned them up a bit with some Simple Green and and then a scotch brite pad.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0324.jpg


Apparently, there are a lot of ZR-1's out there with the secondary actuators installed upside-down (180 degrees out) from the factory. I found that mine were indeed in upside-down. I've heard this can cause the actuators to bind and possibly not open all the way. The picture below shows the correct orientation of the actuators. The bent over part of the metal arm that is attached to the rubber should be pointing to the center of the engine.

Now, I did test my actuators several times with a hand-operated vacuum pump with the actuators upside-down and they seemed to open fine with out binding, so maybe the upside-down actuator thing isn't as big a deal after all. Because if so many Z's were not making full power because of the secondaries not opening all the way, I would think that issue would have been caught a long time ago.

But I installed mine in the correct orientation anyway.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0325.jpg


Time to install the timing chain tensioners next. The instructions I followed for resetting mine are at the following link (also linked in Dynomite's "Solutions" thread sticky):

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14693

Tensioners cleaned up, reset and ready to be reinstalled.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0337.jpg


Driver's side tensioner installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0338.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Passenger side tensioner installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0339.jpg


Before putting the front cover on, I put the red assembly grease I've been using on all the chains and sprockets so they won't be dry for the initial start-up.

Front cover and water pump installed. Yes, I know there is a bolt missing from the water pump in the picture. I'm missing one of the T-40 bolts and all four of the bolts for the water pump pulley. They are on the way from Jerry.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0340.jpg


That's it for this update!

[VetteMed]

Great pics, great progress!

BTW, the oil level sensor issue -- just as a data point, my early 1991 (#302) has one. Not sure when that started.

[A26B]

Ben,
Very good photographs and excellent narrative. Thanks for sharing your project with us!

[bdw18_123]

Great pics, great progress!

BTW, the oil level sensor issue -- just as a data point, my early 1991 (#302) has one. Not sure when that started.

Hmmm, interesting. Maybe it is only the '90 cars that don't have an oil level sensor.

[bdw18_123]

It's been awhile since my last update. I have been working on my Z, but I just haven't had the time to post detailed updates as often as I used to.

I'm getting very close to being able to try firing this beast up (possibly today, we will have to see how things go). But let's continue where my last update left off...


With the front end back together, I then got the cam position sensor installed. I painted the bracket and put new convo-tubing (the good kind with the gray stripe) on the wiring harness.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0345.jpg


It was then time to move on to getting the top end components ready for painting. I had looked into getting the damaged driver's cam cover and coolant tube welded, but the guy I talked to said they couldn't be welded because they were cast pieces. Well, I didn't want to spend more time looking for someone who could weld them or sending them somewhere, so I just decided to go ahead and repair them with JB-Weld. I have repaired many things with this stuff and it always works well. It is temp rated to 600 degrees and is really tough stuff; I know it isn't ideal, but I think it will work just fine.

Pics of the repairs. First though, a pic of the damaged coolant tube before, it is kind of fuzzy, but it is the only picture I have of that coolant tube before.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA70008-2.jpg


I had to re-form the missing chunk of the coolant tube after the JB-Weld dried; I used the other coolant tube to go by to re-form that part, turned out pretty good.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0355.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0356.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0354.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0353.jpg

[bdw18_123]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0358.jpg


With the repairs done, I sanded everything down and then painted them. I wanted a more of a unique color for my LT5 that I hadn't seen done before so I picked a color of VHT paint called "Titanium Silver Blue". It is a little bit similar to the color steel blue, but a different shade. I did the lettering by hand with a small paint brush right after I finished laying down the color coats. I also put on a red "ZR-1" script sticker on the air horn on top of the color coats. I then laid down several coats of clear coat on all the pieces. It actually turned out really nice for being just a home paint job out of aerosol cans.

I didn't take any pictures of the actual sanding or painting process, but you will see the finished top end items in the rest of the pictures.

With the painting done, it was time for the cam covers to go on. I used Loctite 518 for the covers and 565 for the end plugs. It is very important to follow the tightening sequence shown in the manual and to repeat that 3 times like it says.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0542.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0543.jpg


Here is where I got a little ahead of myself with regards to how many things to put back on the engine before putting it in the car. After two years, it is easy to forget stuff like that.

So, I put on the injector headers (you can also see the oil filter, it is a Fram TG3985 that I painted semi-gloss black)...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0544.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0545.jpg


And the fuel rails...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0546.jpg

[bdw18_123]

At this point, I put on the lifting straps and took the engine off the stand and set it down on some small, old golfcart tires covered with a towel (with the lift strap still attached to the lift) to be able to get to the back of the engine.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0548.jpg


Got the old rear main seal out and installed the new seal (I found that the top of the old liner I removed was the perfect size for driving the new seal in) and then installed the rear main seal housing assembly with new gasket

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0547.jpg


Installed the DM flywheel and torqued the bolts to spec. The DM flywheel looks like it doesn't have very many miles on it, I can still see some of the machine marks through the clutch wear marks. Looks like the entire flywheel and clutch assembly was replaced not long before I got the car from the PO.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0552.jpg


So then I was ready to proceed to try to put the engine back in the car ('try' being the operative word here :rolleyes: ...)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0555.jpg

[bdw18_123]

Only to find out that it was not going to fit in that configuration (I had the harmonic balancer already installed at this point, no way was I going to try to put that thing on with the engine in the car).

So back on the tires it went and I removed the fuel rails, thinking that would do the trick. 2nd attempt at stabbing the engine in, nope, still no go.

I removed the IH's next, I thought for sure that would do the trick, because if not, I was running out of options. I can see why GM bottom loads these things, holy crap, what a tight fit! My LT1 engine was way easier to put in from the top by comparison (I didn't even have to remove the ZF6 from that car to get the engine in/out) By this time I was looking like this - :mad: & this - :-x, and lots of 4-letter words were flying out of my mouth. :mrgreen:

Nope, still the damn thing wouldn't fit in (though it was getting closer to fitting in), that stupid balancer still needed another 1/4" before clearing that cross-beam. It was hot in the garage, I was tired and as you can imagine, really, really not happy at that point. I was getting really close to throwing the towel in and forgetting this damn car for awhile.

As I was standing there, trying to figure out what to do next, I noticed that the wiper motor was sticking out in the way of the driver's side head and preventing the engine from going back any further. I didn't have much hope at that point, but I figured, "what the heck, I'll try removing the wiper motor. If that doesn't work, I don't know what I'm gonna do." So, I got that removed, tried move the engine into place again and VOILA! to my utter relief, the balancer FINALLY cleared that stupid cross-brace (really GM, you couldn't have mounted that damn thing even 1-inch farther forward?!) & the LT5 slid into place onto the mount pads on the frame.

So, the secret to getting an LT5 top loaded with the harmonic balancer installed is to not have anything installed on the engine from the IH's and up and to have the windshield wiper motor removed. Bell housing and transmission also must be removed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0556.jpg


Wow, what an ordeal that was! With that major issue solved, I decided to move on to getting the stuff under the car back in (exhaust manifolds, ZF6, driveline, c-beam, etc). I cut a piece of wood a certain length and used that to hold up the back of the engine.

Exhaust manifolds back in (couldn't get a very good pic with them installed).

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0562.jpg


Clutch disc and pressure plate went on next. Lined up the yellow indicator marks on the DM flywheel and pressure plate and with the clutch alignment tool in place, bolted down the pressure plate following the procedure & sequence in the manual.

I then went to put on the bellhousing. At first I thought I F'd up again; it looked like it couldn't go on with the exhaust manifolds installed. But if you remove the little bolt/stud on the side that holds the passenger side cat heat shield to the engine and turn the bellhousing just right when installing it, it will go on. Torqued the bellhousing bolts to spec. Sorry, no pics of any of that part.

I was then ready to get the transmission in, which turned out to be a bit of an ordeal itself. The ZF6 is no lightweight, that's for sure! I used a low-profile atv/motorcycle jack and found that the input shaft has to go into the bell housing before the shifter, or the shifter won't clear the back of the shifter hole in the body. Then I lifted the ZF6 into place, while at the same time, guiding the input shaft into the clutch and the shifter up through the hole in the body. Then some wiggling and jiggling of the transmission and it slid into place. Torqued the ZF6 bolts to spec.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0563.jpg

[bdw18_123]

C-beam and driveline installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0564.jpg


Exhaust system installed. I painted the mufflers and tips silver, so they would at least look decent.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0642.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0641.jpg


With the underside pretty much done (other than the "K"-members/engine mount bolts), I moved back to the engine compartment.

Injector headers & fuel rails reinstalled.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0561.jpg


Coil pack assembly, spark plugs and plug wires routed & installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0628.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0629.jpg

[bdw18_123]

A/C compressor, alternator and all the other pulleys installed, belt installed at this point also. Under-plenum vacuum system rebuilt. I had to replace both check valves and the secondary actuator solenoid, as they all leaked. I tested my vacuum pump, it seems to still be in functional condition.

I found this post by Kurt White, where he said to order GM part #:1997225 as, according to him, that is the closest thing to the OEM #1997222 secondary solenoid available:

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showpost.php?p=116172&postcount=16

It is essentially the same thing, just the bracket is different. It is also the '90 style solenoid with the flat filter, but would work on other years too. I transferred the old bracket to the new soleniod, but I put the new filter on the old bracket. Similar to what is described in this post (except for the replacement part number described, that isn't the one I ordered, but apparently, it will work also):

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showpost.php?p=100540&postcount=10

I ordered mine from Autozone, here:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/EGR-Vacuum-Solenoid/_/N-93y0s?filterByKeyWord=1997225&fromString=search&fromType=oem

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0630.jpg


Radiator and all coolant hoses/pipe installed. I installed the correct thermostat from Jerry with the notches. I found an incorrect one installed that didn't have the notches. I also installed all of the A/C lines along with a new accumulator and a new variable orifice valve to replace the stock fixed R12 orifice valve, as I am converting my system to R134a refrigerant.

A/C evaporator, oil cooler, shroud, fans & air filter assembly also installed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0636.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0637.jpg


For the oil cooler lines, I took them to a local place that makes hydraulic lines. They cut the old lines off and fabbed up some new ones and attached them using #10 AN fittings at the oil filter adapter side. I also had to get some new adapter fittings for the oil filter adapter (3/4" pipe thread to #10 AN male fitting), as the large #12 AN fittings that the earlier Z's have are unnecessary. The cost? Much cheaper than the usual $160-180 or so that replacement oil cooler lines usually cost!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0644.jpg


And now, after over two years of being separate from the engine, it's time for one of the most recognizable parts of the LT5 to go back on. Drum roll, please...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0640.jpg


Getting close now!! :dancing

[bdw18_123]

I bought a used ECM wire cover for $15 that the later ZR-1's have, the '90 version is hard to find and expensive when you do. I had to make a cut out on the bottom side to allow the cover to slide on completely, due to how the '90 ECM wire harness is routed. I like the look of the later style cover better anyway.


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0645.jpg


Console cover, shifter boot & knob installed. I cleaned the leather boot with leather cleaner, and it actually still looks pretty decent considering it is the original one and has 140K of shifting on it! I also polished the exposed part of the metal shifter rod that the reverse lockout ring rides on. I thought about painting it, but decided against it as the lockout ring would rub the paint off eventually. The cupholder cover is a little scratched up, but that is a project for another day. I just want to get this car running!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0643.jpg


Well, that's it for now, I'm going to spend the rest of the day working on this project. Hopefully my next update will headline with this: "The Beast Lives!!"

[-=Jeff=-]

I like the color you picked for the motor parts

[LGAFF]

Is that titanium blue?

[LGAFF]

Guess I need to read.....I almost bought that, it looks close to the OEM color on the cap if it were flatter, alittle bluer than I imagined

[bdw18_123]

Guess I need to read.....I almost bought that, it looks close to the OEM color on the cap if it were flatter, alittle bluer than I imagined

Yeah, it is an interesting color, it kind of flip flops between looking more blueish and more silverish depending on the type of lighting.

[tccrab]

Ben:

What a wonderful job you've done on your car.
I admire your patience and determination on this project.
Can't wait for the "Gentlemen, START your engines!!!!"

TomC
'Crabs

[Z51JEFF]

Ive got the correct ECM cover that Ill sell you for $40 and Ive got some interior paint I had mixed up for an interior project,if you send me that ash try door Ill paint that..............FOR FREE!

[tomtom72]

Ben:

What a wonderful job you've done on your car.
I admire your patience and determination on this project.
Can't wait for the "Gentlemen, START your engines!!!!"

TomC
'Crabs

Absolutely amazing transformation! :thumbsup:

Way to be Ben!

:cheers:
Tom

[bdw18_123]

Before I get on to this update...

Ive got the correct ECM cover that Ill sell you for $40 and Ive got some interior paint I had mixed up for an interior project,if you send me that ash try door Ill paint that..............FOR FREE!

Jeff, thanks for the offer on the ECM cover, but I think I'm going pass on it and just stick with the one I've got. I've spent too much money already and I still have to get my A/C system recharged.

As for the ashtray door, that is really nice of you to offer to paint it for me for free. But to be honest, I just don't want to mess with it right now. After over two years of my Z sitting in my garage and me working on it off and on, I just want to drive the damn thing and forget fixing things on it for good while! The radio bezel is already all chopped up anyway around the radio hole, so it's not like everywhere else is immaculate in that immediate area anyway. But again, thanks for the offer, I do appreciate it!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, on to the one update I've been wanting to post ever since I started posting here! The one you all have been waiting for...

After over two years in pieces all over my garage and in my bedroom (and that is just the time I've had it), 1990 Corvette ZR-1 #2299 is finally alive and kickin'!! I even took a short video of the engine running which is posted at the end of this update. I'll get one posted of an actual drive soon. So, on to the update.


I decided to do the IAT sensor relocation mod. I chose the location based on the picture Marc Haibeck has on his site where he describes this mod (here: http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/products/air%20sensor.htm). Rather than make a bracket like is shown in the picture on that link, I just mounted mine in the lower part of the radiator shroud on the passenger side.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0647.jpg


Then I spliced in wire extensions that would reach the sensor in it's new location after cutting off the connector. I removed the pins from the connector and soldered the new wires to the pins and reinserted the pins into the connector. I routed the new wires alongside the vacuum pump line and then over to the sensor & put convo-tubing over both the new wires and the vacuum line where they both ran together.

I also got a black plug to seal up the old sensor hole in the airhorn.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0646.jpg


This next part is a lot of text with no pictures, sorry. :mrgreen:

All the wheelwell plastics I removed went back on next and also the spare tire, jack & tire bag. The battery & mounting tray I installed a couple of days ago. Now all that was left was to put the fluids in and try starting it. Put in the power steering fluid, coolant/antifreeze+distilled water+ 1 bottle of redline water wetter & the oil. Then I went and filled two 5-gallon gas jugs with gas, got a bottle of seafoam and dumped all that in the fuel tank.

Hooked up the battery, turned the key for the first time and the engine did crank over (nice, no DNS issues!) and sorta tried to start (couple of sputters), but didn't. Darn! Well, back to basics. It obviously had spark since it tried to start, so i figured I check fuel first. My first instinct was to look at the fuel pumps, because I realized I didn't hear them turn on when I turned the key. Put 12V to that fuel pump test connector, didn't hear anything. So I went to the back of the car, removed the fuel cap cover assembly, got to the plug to the pumps, disconnected it and tried activating the pumps directly. Primary pump sounded like it was trying to run, but didn't sound very good at all. Secondary pump was completely dead. I figured they probably were the originals (turns out, they were) Well, at least I found the problem.

A quick trip to my local Autozone and close to $200 later, got back home with two new fuel pumps and two new strainers. Got the pump assembly out, which was a bit tricky, you have to turn it in certain ways to get it out. GM apparently just HAD to make that hole as small as possible. :rolleyes: Replaced the pumps and the strainers (Those pumps are held in with zip-ties? Didn't know that...) and reinstalled the whole assembly.

Got in and turned the key and this time heard the sweet sound of both pumps running! I turned the key on and off several times to get the fuel pressure built up. Cranked the engine over and this time I could tell it was going to start. When it finally started, it was idling really high, around 2000 rpm sometimes close to 3000. It would try to go down, but then would go back up again. Tried revving it a bit, but that made it sputter and die if the pedal was pushed past a certain point. Just great, another friggin problem?

I remembered the '93 LT1 Corvette I used to have had a sort of similar issue at one point that turned out to be the TPS sensor. So I checked it and sure enough, with the throttle completely closed, voltage read about .86 volts, too high. There's my problem! The manual says it needs to be between .46 & .62 volts, but elsewhere in the same manual it says it should be .54 + or - .08 volts. So I set it to .55 volts and tightened it down. Fired up the LT5 again and this time it settled in to a nice idle right around 600 rpm (at least according to the tach, don't know how accurate it is). Sweet!

It was getting late by this point, but there was no way I wasn't going to drive it right then! So, I went and had myself my first ever drive of a ZR-1. :thumbsup: I didn't push it too hard, but enough to get a feel for it. I also could definitely feel those secondaries kicking in, so I knew those were working. It was a short drive, but I could feel the perma-grin coming on already! Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel!


There are still a couple of issues to iron out. The low coolant light and the infl rest light are both on. I cleaned the ground on the driver's side SIR sensor ground but didn't clean the passenger side one as it looked clean, but I'll have to try cleaning it anyway and go from there. I still have about 3/4 of a gallon of coolant I need to put in to reach the listed capacity of the ZR-1's cooling system, but I can't put any more in, as the fluid is at the neck already. Must still be some air in there that needs to be gotten out somehow, so maybe that is why the light is on. I guess the sensor could be bad too.

The other issue is with the ZF6. It shifts fine in all gears except for between 1st & 2nd. The synchro must be shot between those two because it always grinds between them, though I can get it to go in. If I come to a complete stop, it doesn't grind going from 2nd to 1st. I did drain it and put in fresh Castrol TWS 10w60 from the BMW dealer, so I know the fluid isn't the problem. I really don't have the money to either repair this transmission or get another one, so I'm just going to have to live with it for now. Maybe shift from 1st to 3rd when I'm not driving it hard.

There are also other things to do like repainting a couple of areas, put on the replacement front spoiler, clean & polish the rims, repaint and install the lugnut covers and a few other things. But I'm a bit burned out with fixing & restoring things for now. So before I do any of that, I want to just enjoy driving it for awhile.

[bdw18_123]

Now for some before and after pics that I have been wanting to post for a long time!

First the interior.

The day after I brought it home:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71161.jpg


After many, many hours disassembling the interior and cleaning everything:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0176.jpg


Now for the LT5.

Also the day after I brought the car home and the only picture I have of how the engine looked in the car before I pulled it out:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/STA71169-1.jpg


And after even more hours cleaning, repairing, painting & assembling; the heart of the ZR-1:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0653.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0652.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/IMG_0654.jpg

[bdw18_123]

And here is that video clip I promised at the beginning of this update. It cuts off abruptly at the end because my memory card got full. The fans are running in this clip (I had just gotten back from driving it) so there is a lot of noise in addition to the engine noise.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/th_MVI_0655.jpg (http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/?action=view&current=MVI_0655.mp4)


I am now finally ready to rack up miles of perma-grins in my Z! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: ...

[tomtom72]

:worship::thumbsup::jawdrop:

Way to go Ben!


just an amazing transformation, you be proud Brother!......now go waste some gas!

:cheers:
Tom

[tccrab]

Ben:

GREAT JOB!!!

TomC
'Crabs

[A26B]

Congratulations Ben, for an outstanding job. Your project displayed great ingenuity and covered an incredible spectrum of skills. Sharing it with us, step by step with excellent photos was also a task to be sure, one that is appreciated now and will be for a long time to come.

[Ccmano]

Fantastic Job Ben way to go!:dancing

The best way to burp to cooloing system is to use to Haibeck method, jack up the passenger side of the car as high as you can with the coolant cap off. You can even run the engine, it's amazing how much air comes out.

Haibeck has it written up on his site.
http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/articles/filling%20coolant.htm

The ash try cover is an easy fix with the paint from Mid-America, a perfect match, just sand down and paint. Did mine and it matched the surrounding original areas perfectly.

H
:cheers:

[VetteMed]

Awesome job, Ben! Congratulations!

[rhipsher]

Wow Ben! That is a whole lot of work you've done. You've just about restored that entire car. Man you certainly have my respect. I Always have way more respect and admiration for the guys that do there own work than the waxers that don’t. And you are an inspiration to all of the do it yourselfers here. Just wonderful.=D>

[HAWAIIZR-1]

Great job and one heck of a transformation and project.

Gee......for some reason I started having flashbacks. I can appreciate all that you have done for sure with all those man hours you put in.

Take care and enjoy!!!!

Craig

[bdw18_123]

Thanks for all the comments guys, I really appreciate it! :cheers:

[rudolph schenker]

Very nice!! Great work!!!:cheers: