My ZR-1 Revival Thread

[LGAFF]

I think I know this car, was owned by a guy that lived on Rte 176 near the Fox River.

[XfireZ51]

Originally Posted by LGAFF

I think I know this car, was owned by a guy that lived on Rte 176 near the Fox River.

Lee,

Is that the guy you and I met one year at a car show in Cary?

[LGAFF]

No I ran into this guy in Crystal Lake, and then would see the car parked on 176.... I think he was a retired cop.

[willseph]

Originally Posted by LGAFF

I think I know this car, was owned by a guy that lived on Rte 176 near the Fox River.

You're correct, he owned the car for 20 some odd years. I don't remember seeing it around before I owned it but I've only been in the Crystal Lake area for 10 years or so.

[willseph]

Time for an unfortunate update. After many months of life getting in the way of progress, I was able to buckle down and assess the car (more accurately have a professional assess the car) and the findings weren't great.

Long story short, the kink in the frame in the front is fixable without engine removal. But there is an issue in the rear that is not entirely clear what is going on. When the car is on the rack, the rear passenger wheel sits significantly higher (approx 4") than the driver's side. They loaded the suspension on each side and had similar rebound, so I think we can rule out a blown shock or something simple. They believe there is a significant twist in the frame that could really only be validated by tearing the car apart. There's also a sizeable puncture in the fiberglass tub in the rear, this guy must have been motoring when he hit whatever he hit.

Unfortunately, I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze from a dollars standpoint. I think my path here will be to strip and part out what is still good on the car, scrap the rest, and put that money toward a decent driver. It makes me sad to see any ZR-1 be put down, but I don't think this car will be safe without a new frame. Curious to hear your thoughts.

[XfireZ51]

Been there done that. Its better to move on.

[-=Jeff=-]

That is a bummer. If you decide to part it please let me know. I am somewhat local

[owwdee]

Dang. Tough call. Maybe find another C4 frame and put the LT5 in it? I have 91 #31 that I can?t bring myself to part out yet, I?m leaning towards swapping the LT5 into another C4 chassis.

Looks like there are a lot of good parts that I?m sure many could benefit from.

[-=Jeff=-]

Brett has a ZR-1 convertible body that would make for a good project

[willseph]

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

Brett has a ZR-1 convertible body that would make for a good project

That would be a pretty sweet build.