Update on my hi-miler Z project

[tomtom72]

I just have to say Andrew that your interior work is off the hook!

The door panel swap/conversion makes the 90 panels look so out of date! The hatch area & the door jams all look excellent! Kudos!

May I ask your impressions of the aftermarket air dam? I have one as I got tired of spending the $$ on the GM parts. How is the fit and how was it on the install? It looks like OE in the picts, but how does it look in person?
TIA


Tom

[VetteMed]

Originally Posted by tomtom72

=D> I just have to say Andrew that your interior work is off the hook!

The door panel swap/conversion makes the 90 panels look so out of date! The hatch area & the door jams all look excellent! Kudos!

May I ask your impressions of the aftermarket air dam? I have one as I got tired of spending the $$ on the GM parts. How is the fit and how was it on the install? It looks like OE in the picts, but how does it look in person?
TIA


Tom

Thanks, Tom! I had a '94 C4 before I got into the ZR-1s, and since I can't afford a '94-95, this is the next best thing

I had low expectations for the aftermarket air dam, since it's made of more rigid plastic than the stock pieces which are a little more rubbery. it's also more of a grayish color than black, but it looks good once installed. In order to get the side pieces to line up properly, I had to start with the screws in the center(the corner), and then work in either direction. I am happy with the final result.

[-=Jeff=-]

Originally Posted by VetteMed

Need to swap to the 94-96 metal inner door mounting panels, OR, you could probably drill out and re-rivet the L-bracket that holds the screws in the inner door pull area of the doorpanel. The 94-96 also uses a revised lock actuator and actuator mounting position. The lock rod or door open rod is also different, I can't recall which right now. Some hacking of passenger side fiberglass is needed behind window switch for proper fitment.

It's not a terribly tough swap.

the Door Lock rod is changed due to the repositioning of the Door Lock actuator

[VetteMed]

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

the Door Lock rod is changed due to the repositioning of the Door Lock actuator

Thanks for the clarification, Jeff!

[VetteMed]

Update:
My rear differential continues to leak oil from the pinion seal. This is the second seal I've put in, along with a repair sleeve around the yoke sealing surface. I am hoping that I did an inadequate job of cleaning the outer seal bore in the differential housing, or there's a nick that I missed, and perhaps cleaning that up, plus a new seal, and some "the right stuff" around the outer seal bore, might stop the leak. I've also got the kent-moore seal driver tool on the way, since last time I just used a block of wood.

I don't care so much about the leak, but when it drips on the exhaust, it really stinks. Hopefully next time around will seal it up.

Today I think I fixed my persistent FX3 problems. When I first got the car rolling again, I had every code in the book - at least 6 or 7 codes present. Clearing them a few times got rid of all but the Left Rear out of position. I tried swapping the L front actuator on to the L rear shock, for testing, with no change at all. I then returned the LR actuator to the LR shock, and then swapped the entire shock and actuator assembly from LR to RR, and the code disappeared. I can't explain it, but I'm not complaining.

I pulled the plenum yesterday, to re-do the wiring for the AC compressor clutch. When I replaced the wires last year, the replacement pigtail did not have the clamping diode, and so I've been paranoid that I'm going to fry the ECM once I get the AC working again. Eckler's sells the wiring with the diode, so I swapped that in. I never really got a clear answer about whether or not the ZR-1 has that diode elsewhere in the harness, so I figured this was safer than guessing.

I've been a little concerned about a possible engine oil consumption issue. I can't be sure just yet, I need to monitor it a little closer, and there's still some slight seepage from somewhere in the front of the motor, but it seems that the level on the dipstick has dropped faster than I would expect from the amount I find on the garage floor.

[VetteMed]

Originally Posted by Captain A

Be careful about heat build up with the your amp.

Turns out this is very accurate - there's just not enough air space and airflow in the compartment, even with my modified storage compartment cover. I am going to relocate the amp to behind the driver's seat (I'm only 5'9" or so, plenty of room behind the seat).

[tomtom72]

Andrew, this is just a shot in the dark so take it as a fwiw.

I remember reading about an issue that could develop at the trans tail seal if the T/Q on the beam bolts is over the specified value, and ( this is where my memory fails me ) if the C-beam is not centered correctly. Apparently bad alignment and or T/Q on the beam bolts distorts the tail housing causing a leak.

Okay, here goes my screw ball reasoning! If that can happen at the trans end of the beam, why can't it happen at the pinion end of the beam.

I do believe I read this in the Q & A section over at Bill's site, zfdoc.com.
http://zfdoc.com/

I wish I had better command of this subject to give you some better thoughts to help solve this issue.


Tom

[VetteMed]

Originally Posted by tomtom72

Andrew, this is just a shot in the dark so take it as a fwiw.

I remember reading about an issue that could develop at the trans tail seal if the T/Q on the beam bolts is over the specified value, and ( this is where my memory fails me ) if the C-beam is not centered correctly. Apparently bad alignment and or T/Q on the beam bolts distorts the tail housing causing a leak.

Okay, here goes my screw ball reasoning! If that can happen at the trans end of the beam, why can't it happen at the pinion end of the beam.

I do believe I read this in the Q & A section over at Bill's site, zfdoc.com.
http://zfdoc.com/

I wish I had better command of this subject to give you some better thoughts to help solve this issue.


Tom

Tom, that's a good thought. I am using the Beam Plates from Bill B., and I followed the FSM torque specs, so I don't know what else to try in the quest to do the job properly. I'll double-check my torque specs with a new torque wrench I just bought, next time around.

On another note, my Service Ride Control light came back on during the drive home from work today. Guess I didn't fully eradicate the gremlins. Gonna pull the codes in a few minutes.

Andrew

[VetteMed]

Well, the SRC light went off the next time I started the engine. The codes pulled were:

13
22
21
33

So I'm confused... This points to LR and RR, and LF issues. Since I've swapped the LR assembly with the RR assembly, it seems to me that perhaps this could be related to the controller or wiring. However, since the light went off, and I know some folks have had success just clearing the codes over and over again, perhaps that will be effective in my case.

[tomtom72]

Andrew,

I had the same issues when I did my new shock install. It drove me crazy for almost two months.

Not to sound smug but I was sure I had the mechanical steps correct, gear depth & T/Q and even the reuse of the top bushings I marked them for position. The one thing I didn't do was use contact cleaner on all the plugs before doing the dielectric. I have since used it on the fronts and those codes stopped, the rears are a different story. I still get the odd code & it's 3 yrs down the road.

As usual this is just a fwiw.


Tom