Changing Early ZR-1 Instrument Panel to Late One

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Originally Posted by Erik

Marty, I'm guessing you are trying to be helpful, but you are coming incredibly close to sounding really condescending.

This might amaze you, but this is not my first car, my first performance car, my first Corvette or my first C4. I'm driving it daily right now, in New Brunswick, in December, to learn and connect with the car while I can before the snow hits. I'm looking for flaws, weaknesses and things to be corrected over the winter. There are actually very few things about it from a design perspective that bother me. But yes, the instrument panel colour choices are just plain stupid and don't work. You know who agrees with me? The Corvette team at GM. They walked this colour combo back almost immediately and stopped tinkering once they got it properly sorted, in white on black. Not coincidentally, the same colour combo used in every other serious performance car. Why? Because it works. It's quick and easy to read at a glance. Which is the goal of any instrument panel, especially in a car you are driving fast. Plus, that grey plastic just looks cheap.

I've never been a NCRS kind of guy, so I'll never take it for judging. If I can do some minor tweaks to make it work better for me, then I will. And yes, popping out the gauge cluster from and earlier C4 and popping one in from a later one is not a major mod. It will look factory, because it is factory. I've been looking at pricing already, and it won't be expensive. So I get to tinker with my car, I get to do it pretty inexpensively, and I get a car that works better for me. How is this a bad thing?

And the shift knob? I'm undecided on that. I'm just enjoying the wonderfully mechanical feel of operating the transmission right now.

How about you do what you consider to be fun and worthwhile with your car, and I'll do what I find to be fun and worthwhile with mine. And I promise, I wont pop by your threads a tell you why what your doing is wrong.

Well, thank you very much for your kind comments.

However, if you have issues over the coming years, I will still do my best to help you should you ask.

Likely you never drove one with an improved shifter, correct?

Get you car running correctly, then fuss with whatever.

I am not amazed, and you may recall or perhaps re-read and see that YOU did ask for the suggestions, which I politely offered.

Have a better day.

Marty