[Tyler Townsley]

Second Drivetrain

In late 1998 GM decided to commission a LT-5 powered street rod for the Oakland Roadster Show in California. They farmed the build out to California Street Rods (CSR). The car was to be painted purple and be powered by an LT-5. A 1989 Pilot ZR-1 pilot was also painted the same color and to be shown with the roadster.(This ZR-1was sold at BJ by GM and is currently owned by Eric Jackson.) Since this was early in the production cycle there was no spare drivetrain so GM sent a ‘roller’, which comprised of a tub with drivetrain. The drivetrain from this car was used to mock up the engine and transmission mounting points on the roadster, which was to receive a production drivetrain when available. The roller was EX5010 sans bodywork but with a phase 2 engine and early transmission. When CSR received the production drivetrain they swapped out the engine but not the transmission. Fast forward to 2011, CSR has vendor spaces at Carlisle and has an engine for sale labeled prototype LT-5 engine. I was there with Queenie for a display and a friend came and tipped me off so I went to see just what they had. Their sign was ½ right, CSR had put production heads and plenum on a Phase 2 engine and had some unknowing individual bought the setup it would have never run. I asked where they had gotten the motor and they told me the above story and they still had the original heads and six speed but did not know the vin of the car and the tub had long since destroyed. We had negoated a price when I noticed a set of 88 ZR-1 wheels and tires with P8Y083 written on them and they confirmed that those had come from same car so I then knew which car the drivetrain came from, EX5010, so I Bought them too. Those will be on the reconstructed EX5023. I later discovered the ZF was built in 1989 and was in a pilot car so the purple roadster wherever it is has the early transmission, if that is you please get in touch with me.
In Sept 2012 I took the engine and Queenie to Geoff for an engine retrofit using the motor from EX5010. He confirmed my suspicions concerning engine wear and using the chains and crank from the earlier motor went through the EX5010 motor and completely rebuilt the motor. This motor and the pilot line ZF are what is installed today hopefully someday the roadster owner will contact me and I can swap out the 1989 pilot ZF for the early ZF in his car which would complete a long journey.