My '90 ZR-1 project update thread - Page 9 - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

rudolph schenker · 12-20-2010

Wow! Awesome progress!

ZZZZZR1 · 12-20-2010

Unbelievable work!

That interior looks "new"!

I need to redo my rear speaker covers as well. Gives anyone inspiration!!!!!

bdw18_123 · 01-23-2011

Finally some progress on the engine side of this project!

Back a little over a month ago, I brought both the heads from my LT5 to a friend of Evan's that owns/runs a machine shop. I just got them back today and man they look good! I got a very good deal on the work too, nearly 50% off the normal price they charge since Evan knows the guy well.

Here's what they used to look like:

bdw18_123 · 01-23-2011

Here's what was done at the machine shop:

-Thoroughly cleaned both heads
-Removed 2 stuck cut-off cam cover bolts in the passenger side head that I couldn't get out.
-Complete multi-angle valve job.
-Machined the exhaust valve guides to accept valve seals.
-Checked spring tension of all valve springs.
-Installed the full set of new valve seals I bought from Jerry.
-Installed the 6 used valves that I bought from Polo-1 to replace the bent ones in the driver's head.
-Resurfaced the head-gasket side of both heads.
-Replaced one of the small freeze plugs in one of the heads that was found to be leaking.

So now they look like this :

Once I finish with the interior, I'm going to start on getting the engine back together. I now have most of the replacement parts I need, though there are still a few miscellaneous things I need to get.

I'm hoping to get my Z drivable in time for Pete's (PLRX over at CF) March Bomber Run. We'll see how things go.

-=Jeff=- · 01-23-2011

Cool!!! glad to see progress.. What did you do about the hole in the Cam cover?

bdw18_123 · 01-23-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Jeff=-

Cool!!! glad to see progress.. What did you do about the hole in the Cam cover?

That hasn't been fixed yet. It will be soon though, Evan's got another friend that can probably do it. It's nice to have hookups!

tomtom72 · 01-23-2011

Those pictures are worth a thousand words! Sweeeet work & sweeet results!

I admire your work and it's results. Man that car is gonna look brand spanking new when you're all dunn! Simply an amazing transformation!

Tom

bdw18_123 · 02-16-2011

Got my console lid done.

It had the usual vinyl delamination/warping on the back & front edges. I disassembled the lid to get better access.

I repaired it using small 4-40, countersunk machine screws to reattach the vinyl to the plastic underneath. Worked out well, screws are hidden when the lid is back together.

Cleaned, detailed and reinstalled the lid.

Also did a little repair work to my engine mount covers. They were still in ok shape, so I decided to try patching them up with some of that aluminum tape.

Cleaned them up, applied the aluminum tape where necessary and installed the covers on the replacement engine mounts I bought. Turned out pretty nice.

I'm now working on getting the replacement stock leather seat covers installed that came with the car. They are actually the '91-'93 style which has required some modifications to put them on '90 seat foams which I will go into in my next update once I'm finished with the seats.

VetteMed · 02-16-2011

Lookin' good!

bdw18_123 · 02-23-2011

Before I get on with this update, I just wanted to say thanks for all the compliments everyone has been posting, I really appreciate it!

Now for the update, it's a long one this time...

As I mentioned in the previous update, I've been working on the seats lately. When I bought the car, it came with another set of red stock sport seat covers that the previous owner had apparently acquired but never got around to installing. Which is a good thing, because judging by the work he did do on this car, his DIY skills leave a LOT to be desired.

He did attempt to put the replacement driver's side seat bottom cover on, but did a really half-a** job of it. He had also gotten it pretty dirty. I was able to get it cleaned up nicely though. Here's a pic from earlier in this thread that show the seats before I worked on them, the driver's seat is the right hand one in the picture.

The "new" seat covers after closer inspection, are from a '91 Corvette I believe. They are in very good condition with only a couple minor flaws here and there. After a good cleaning with some leather cleaner/conditioner, they look even better. Here is another previously posted pic.

During the course of installing these replacement covers, I discovered that the front, side bolsters in the seat bottoms on the '90 cars are significantly taller & shaped a bit differently than the '91-'93 cars. I had to cut a lot of the foam off the bolsters on my '90 seat foams to get the '91 style seat bottom covers to fit right. I also had to add a bit of extra foam here and there to areas which were a bit loose.

The other thing I did was to use zip-ties to hold the seat covers to the foam rather than those horrible hog ring things (which are a major PITA to work with). The zip-ties work just as well and are way, way easier to work with. The only tough part is getting the zip-tie through the foam, but using a small straight, pointy, awl-type tool to guide it through makes it doable.

12-20-2010	#81
rudolph schenker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: utah Posts: 128	Re: My '90 ZR-1 project update thread Wow! Awesome progress! __________________ 1994 ZR-1 Admiral blue/beige #67

12-20-2010	#82
ZZZZZR1 Banned BANNED Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MD Posts: 3,690	Re: My '90 ZR-1 project update thread Unbelievable work! That interior looks "new"! I need to redo my rear speaker covers as well. Gives anyone inspiration!!!!!

01-23-2011	#83
bdw18_123 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Prather, CA Posts: 809	Update... Finally some progress on the engine side of this project! Back a little over a month ago, I brought both the heads from my LT5 to a friend of Evan's that owns/runs a machine shop. I just got them back today and man they look good! I got a very good deal on the work too, nearly 50% off the normal price they charge since Evan knows the guy well. Here's what they used to look like: __________________ [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_zr1netforumsigphoto.jpg[/IMG][B] 1990 Corvette ZR-1 [/B][I] White/Flame Red, #2299, mostly stock, 144K miles.[/I] -Cams timed to the '93-'95 405HP LT5 stock timing. -IAT sensor relocated to below front bumper. -Haibeck hoops installed in airduct. -OBX cat-back exhaust. [COLOR=DarkRed][B](SOLD - December 2012 [/B][/COLOR][COLOR=DarkRed][B]:hello:)[/B][/COLOR] 1993 Corvette Coupe Black/Black, 6-speed (SOLD - October 2009 :hello:)

01-23-2011	#84
bdw18_123 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Prather, CA Posts: 809	Re: My '90 ZR-1 project update thread Here's what was done at the machine shop: -Thoroughly cleaned both heads -Removed 2 stuck cut-off cam cover bolts in the passenger side head that I couldn't get out. -Complete multi-angle valve job. -Machined the exhaust valve guides to accept valve seals. -Checked spring tension of all valve springs. -Installed the full set of new valve seals I bought from Jerry. -Installed the 6 used valves that I bought from Polo-1 to replace the bent ones in the driver's head. -Resurfaced the head-gasket side of both heads. -Replaced one of the small freeze plugs in one of the heads that was found to be leaking. So now they look like this : Once I finish with the interior, I'm going to start on getting the engine back together. I now have most of the replacement parts I need, though there are still a few miscellaneous things I need to get. I'm hoping to get my Z drivable in time for Pete's (PLRX over at CF) March Bomber Run. We'll see how things go. __________________ [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_zr1netforumsigphoto.jpg[/IMG][B] 1990 Corvette ZR-1 [/B][I] White/Flame Red, #2299, mostly stock, 144K miles.[/I] -Cams timed to the '93-'95 405HP LT5 stock timing. -IAT sensor relocated to below front bumper. -Haibeck hoops installed in airduct. -OBX cat-back exhaust. [COLOR=DarkRed][B](SOLD - December 2012 [/B][/COLOR][COLOR=DarkRed][B]:hello:)[/B][/COLOR] 1993 Corvette Coupe Black/Black, 6-speed (SOLD - October 2009 :hello:) Last edited by bdw18_123; 01-23-2011 at 01:43 AM.

01-23-2011	#85
-=Jeff=- Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bartlett, IL Posts: 7,169	Re: My '90 ZR-1 project update thread Cool!!! glad to see progress.. What did you do about the hole in the Cam cover? __________________ 1990 Corvette ZR-1 #1051 Watson Headers (2" Primary) - Flowmaster Cats - Borla Catback Late Model IH - Plenum Coilovers - 4.10s Custom Interior NCM Lifetime Member #978

01-23-2011	#87
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,645	Re: My '90 ZR-1 project update thread Those pictures are worth a thousand words! Sweeeet work & sweeet results! I admire your work and it's results. Man that car is gonna look brand spanking new when you're all dunn! Simply an amazing transformation! Tom __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member

02-16-2011	#88
bdw18_123 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Prather, CA Posts: 809	Small update - 2/16/11 Got my console lid done. It had the usual vinyl delamination/warping on the back & front edges. I disassembled the lid to get better access. I repaired it using small 4-40, countersunk machine screws to reattach the vinyl to the plastic underneath. Worked out well, screws are hidden when the lid is back together. Cleaned, detailed and reinstalled the lid. Also did a little repair work to my engine mount covers. They were still in ok shape, so I decided to try patching them up with some of that aluminum tape. Cleaned them up, applied the aluminum tape where necessary and installed the covers on the replacement engine mounts I bought. Turned out pretty nice. I'm now working on getting the replacement stock leather seat covers installed that came with the car. They are actually the '91-'93 style which has required some modifications to put them on '90 seat foams which I will go into in my next update once I'm finished with the seats. __________________ [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_zr1netforumsigphoto.jpg[/IMG][B] 1990 Corvette ZR-1 [/B][I] White/Flame Red, #2299, mostly stock, 144K miles.[/I] -Cams timed to the '93-'95 405HP LT5 stock timing. -IAT sensor relocated to below front bumper. -Haibeck hoops installed in airduct. -OBX cat-back exhaust. [COLOR=DarkRed][B](SOLD - December 2012 [/B][/COLOR][COLOR=DarkRed][B]:hello:)[/B][/COLOR] 1993 Corvette Coupe Black/Black, 6-speed (SOLD - October 2009 :hello:)

02-16-2011	#89
VetteMed Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,828	Re: My '90 ZR-1 project update thread Lookin' good!

02-23-2011	#90
bdw18_123 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Prather, CA Posts: 809	Update - 2/23/11 Before I get on with this update, I just wanted to say thanks for all the compliments everyone has been posting, I really appreciate it! Now for the update, it's a long one this time... As I mentioned in the previous update, I've been working on the seats lately. When I bought the car, it came with another set of red stock sport seat covers that the previous owner had apparently acquired but never got around to installing. Which is a good thing, because judging by the work he did do on this car, his DIY skills leave a LOT to be desired. He did attempt to put the replacement driver's side seat bottom cover on, but did a really half-a** job of it. He had also gotten it pretty dirty. I was able to get it cleaned up nicely though. Here's a pic from earlier in this thread that show the seats before I worked on them, the driver's seat is the right hand one in the picture. The "new" seat covers after closer inspection, are from a '91 Corvette I believe. They are in very good condition with only a couple minor flaws here and there. After a good cleaning with some leather cleaner/conditioner, they look even better. Here is another previously posted pic. During the course of installing these replacement covers, I discovered that the front, side bolsters in the seat bottoms on the '90 cars are significantly taller & shaped a bit differently than the '91-'93 cars. I had to cut a lot of the foam off the bolsters on my '90 seat foams to get the '91 style seat bottom covers to fit right. I also had to add a bit of extra foam here and there to areas which were a bit loose. The other thing I did was to use zip-ties to hold the seat covers to the foam rather than those horrible hog ring things (which are a major PITA to work with). The zip-ties work just as well and are way, way easier to work with. The only tough part is getting the zip-tie through the foam, but using a small straight, pointy, awl-type tool to guide it through makes it doable. __________________ [IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a292/bdw18_123/_zr1netforumsigphoto.jpg[/IMG][B] 1990 Corvette ZR-1 [/B][I] White/Flame Red, #2299, mostly stock, 144K miles.[/I] -Cams timed to the '93-'95 405HP LT5 stock timing. -IAT sensor relocated to below front bumper. -Haibeck hoops installed in airduct. -OBX cat-back exhaust. [COLOR=DarkRed][B](SOLD - December 2012 [/B][/COLOR][COLOR=DarkRed][B]:hello:)[/B][/COLOR] 1993 Corvette Coupe Black/Black, 6-speed (SOLD - October 2009 :hello:) Last edited by bdw18_123; 02-23-2011 at 10:06 PM.