WMD - Saturday, 19 December 15

[QB93Z]

It was 27 degrees in Westminster on WMD morning. The group arrived promptly and we got some heaters going and the day went well.

The replacement of Charlie's heater core was completed with no issues. We removed the dash pad and all of the other interference listed in the Service Manual and the heater core pulled right out of the firewall.

It took us 12 hours to do the job. Removal of the dash pad is not difficult, there are just a lot of trim pieces to remove to get to the four screws that attach the dash pad.

Thanks to Nelson for his expertise on dash pad removal: "Just yank on it!"

The most important part of the job is to have a good "bag man" to put all the screws and bolts in labeled zip-lock bags. It makes reassembly much easier.

Thanks to Charlie for feeding all of us lunch. His pulled pork was excellent.

Jim

[dredgeguy]

Well Wazoo, another mission accomplished and thanks to all for diving in on this project. Not for the faint of heart but something that had to be done. Now I understand why the dealer would charge over $1000 in labor to do this. I know others have said this can be done going through the glove box but I just do not see how this can be done but kudos to those who do it.
Thanks to Jim for hosting us and to Jim and Yun for 12 hours of labor. Nelson and Phil for their guidance and the rest of Wazoo for spending the time giving us moral support. Just a great fun day to spend with the group. Matt came by with his two sons who we are sure will keep the Legend Alive for years to come. I am putting up some photos for your viewing pleasure.
First photo you can see where the coolant was dripping under the passenger dash. I had Enfast's laminated poster at cars and coffee and it worked out to save the carpet from getting soaked.
Jim is all smiles with the passenger seat out giving more room to move around.
Phil's car next to mine..two red Z's back to back
Yun gets another section out
Success getting out the heater core box
more to come

[dredgeguy]

Nelson said to just pull it off and that is exactly what he and Yun did to the dash
Yeah, I have faith in my Wazoo brothers....talk about pucker factor!! This is not for the faint of heart.
Yun, Jim and Phil working out the next step
You can see that the passenger side padding was soaked with coolant. The bagging system worked well.
The heater core was shot for sure.

Great way to spend 12 hours with a great bunch of guys. Still nuts that a $23 replacement part would take so many labor hours to replace.

Dempsey came by and discussed his plans for working on our cars full time, exciting times in Wazoo land for sure.

Wishing all of the brotherhood a healthy and safe Merry Christmas and drive it like you stole it in 2016.

[secondchance]

A piece of rice cake!

[dredgeguy]

Just went out for a nice drive, runs great, no rattles or noise so looks like everything was buttoned up perfectly. Thanks again guys, smiling again......

[ZZZZZR1]

Congrats Charlie!

Sounds like a great day with awesome food! 👍👍

Cheers

David

[HIZNHRZ]

Originally Posted by dredgeguy

...talk about pucker factor!! This is not for the faint of heart...the heater core was shot for sure.

Pucker factor doesn't begin to describe changing a heater core in a C4 ZR-1; worst job ever. I'd sell the car before doing in again. Not sure why it would fail in a low mileage car in the first place. Car was started regularly, stored in a heater/AC garage, and had the coolant changed regularly. Only explanation I can come up with is galvanic corrosion caused by an electrochemical process where one metal corrodes preferentially to another (dissimilar metal) resulting from both being in electrical contact with an electrolyte ?

[secondchance]

Originally Posted by HIZNHRZ

Pucker factor doesn't begin to describe changing a heater core in a C4 ZR-1; worst job ever. I'd sell the car before doing in again. Not sure why it would fail in a low mileage car in the first place. Car was started regularly, stored in a heater/AC garage, and had the coolant changed regularly. Only explanation I can come up with is galvanic corrosion caused by ean lectrochemical process where one metal corrodes preferentially to another (dissimilar metal) resulting from both being in electrical contact with an electrolyte ?

I agree - galvanic corrosion. Replacement being aluminum, hopefully resolves this. Hey, look at the bright side, now we know we can service anything, including HVAC unit under the dash. Anyone up for reupholstering the dash in fine Scadinavic leather?

[HIZNHRZ]

Originally Posted by secondchance

I agree - galvanic corrosion. Replacement being aluminum, hopefully resolves this. Hey, look at the bright side, now we know we can service anything, including HVAC unit under the dash. Anyone up for reupholstering the dash in fine Scadinavic leather?

I agree which is why I was happy to find the replacment was aluminum. The leather dash would be a nice touch but to be honest, I like my ZR-1 pretty much just the way it is now. Having spent 18 years maintaining it for "the next owner", I just want to enjoy it!

My finishing touch is I just sent the C6 Z06 calipers and rotors I bought two years ago to be powder coated. I think I'll get to the fronts this winter. The rears and the cost of the Street Shop rear conversion kit may have to wait a while longer.

Best regards.

[secondchance]

Originally Posted by HIZNHRZ

My finishing touch is I just sent the C6 Z06 calipers and rotors I bought two years ago to be powder coated. I think I'll get to the fronts this winter. The rears and the cost of the Street Shop rear conversion kit may have to wait a while longer.

Best regards.

Glad to see you moving forward with the next logical mod - brakes!