New owner, 12,800 miles '91 (long) - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

ram_g · 06-28-2020

Hi everyone,

Thrilled to be here with my "new" ZR-1. I bought this car "sight unseen" a week ago:
https://nostalgicmotoringltd.com/veh...rolet-corvette
...and Reliable Carriers delivered it from Michigan to Texas in just a few days. So much so that it's my garage now but I've only driven it around the block a couple of times - the paperwork to register it in Texas is not all ready yet, and the new tires that I've ordered will only be here on Wednesday.

The purchase experience was quite satisfactory - the dealer, Mark Lieberman, represented the car quite truthfully and we agreed on a price that I felt was quite reasonable - several thousand less than a '93 with similar miles that was just sold on BAT. I hired an inspector to check out the car and Reliable to truck it down - all went ok. The car history indicates that it's had 2 owners, each about 14-15 years. Although a bit murky, I suspect that most of the miles were put on by the first owner, and the car has mostly sat unused the last several years.

The good: The car is genuinely in great cosmetic shape. Just about zero scratches, very slight interior wear, and everything seems to work. Engine oil, brake fluid, and coolant have all been replaced recently. Mechanically it's mostly ok, with just a few issues. The rear tires are the original ~30 year old tires that came with the car, and the fronts are ~16 years old. So clearly new tires are the first order of business. That said, does anybody have any use for the old tires, including the original rears?

The not so good: I have not yet driven the car fast, so I can't say if everything works as it should relative to secondaries, etc. I have no reason to think they wouldn't, as the vacuum pump comes on briefly and shuts off, indicating that the vacuum system is ok. There were a couple of issues (sticky handbrake, intermittent "service ride control" light) that seem to have resolved with just a bit of use.

My biggest concern currently is that there is a slight coolant leak from where the plenum meets the injector housing on the driver side - some coolant puddles in the valley there. One of the proximate plenum bolts was simply missing, and I found that the others were all randomly loose. I found and installed a generic hex head M8x1.25 bolt in the missing location and tightened all down to 20 ft-lb - the leak is slowed but seems to be there still. For now, I'm only going to monitor.

Also - this was pointed out to me by the inspector - the reverse lights don't work. I've already sourced the switch from Eckler's and will be looking to replace this sometime soon, along with a change of the 6-speed fluid. And, I need to get used to the noises that the car makes - some strange intermittent mechanical rattling, but too early to be concerned. The original R12 AC system still seems to cool, which is rather surprising - hopefully that carries on for a while and I can delay the inevitable switch to R134a.

I've joined the ZR-1 Net Registry as a member and acquired Marc Haibeck's plenum removal DVD - I love how he sits on the engine to remove the stuff behind the plenum! That said, I hope I don't have to change the injectors any time soon - I have found a source of non-ethanol 92 octane and will try to use that exclusively - hopefully staving off injector damage.

Sorry for the length of this post! Thanks in advance for any advice and pointers on what else I should be checking out on this awesome car!

06-28-2020	#1
ram_g Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 183	New owner, 12,800 miles '91 (long) Hi everyone, Thrilled to be here with my "new" ZR-1. I bought this car "sight unseen" a week ago: https://nostalgicmotoringltd.com/veh...rolet-corvette ...and Reliable Carriers delivered it from Michigan to Texas in just a few days. So much so that it's my garage now but I've only driven it around the block a couple of times - the paperwork to register it in Texas is not all ready yet, and the new tires that I've ordered will only be here on Wednesday. The purchase experience was quite satisfactory - the dealer, Mark Lieberman, represented the car quite truthfully and we agreed on a price that I felt was quite reasonable - several thousand less than a '93 with similar miles that was just sold on BAT. I hired an inspector to check out the car and Reliable to truck it down - all went ok. The car history indicates that it's had 2 owners, each about 14-15 years. Although a bit murky, I suspect that most of the miles were put on by the first owner, and the car has mostly sat unused the last several years. The good: The car is genuinely in great cosmetic shape. Just about zero scratches, very slight interior wear, and everything seems to work. Engine oil, brake fluid, and coolant have all been replaced recently. Mechanically it's mostly ok, with just a few issues. The rear tires are the original ~30 year old tires that came with the car, and the fronts are ~16 years old. So clearly new tires are the first order of business. That said, does anybody have any use for the old tires, including the original rears? The not so good: I have not yet driven the car fast, so I can't say if everything works as it should relative to secondaries, etc. I have no reason to think they wouldn't, as the vacuum pump comes on briefly and shuts off, indicating that the vacuum system is ok. There were a couple of issues (sticky handbrake, intermittent "service ride control" light) that seem to have resolved with just a bit of use. My biggest concern currently is that there is a slight coolant leak from where the plenum meets the injector housing on the driver side - some coolant puddles in the valley there. One of the proximate plenum bolts was simply missing, and I found that the others were all randomly loose. I found and installed a generic hex head M8x1.25 bolt in the missing location and tightened all down to 20 ft-lb - the leak is slowed but seems to be there still. For now, I'm only going to monitor. Also - this was pointed out to me by the inspector - the reverse lights don't work. I've already sourced the switch from Eckler's and will be looking to replace this sometime soon, along with a change of the 6-speed fluid. And, I need to get used to the noises that the car makes - some strange intermittent mechanical rattling, but too early to be concerned. The original R12 AC system still seems to cool, which is rather surprising - hopefully that carries on for a while and I can delay the inevitable switch to R134a. I've joined the ZR-1 Net Registry as a member and acquired Marc Haibeck's plenum removal DVD - I love how he sits on the engine to remove the stuff behind the plenum! That said, I hope I don't have to change the injectors any time soon - I have found a source of non-ethanol 92 octane and will try to use that exclusively - hopefully staving off injector damage. Sorry for the length of this post! Thanks in advance for any advice and pointers on what else I should be checking out on this awesome car!