Opinions please....

Black1

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I am looking at another Vette. What do you guys know about the ZR-1. :D

I found a couple of 1990 ZR-1s on EBay. One has just 9000miles, and the price is right. (I've got them down to about $20K) ... all books and records, both tops, etc.

My old boss had one (years ago). I used to drive it quite a bit, and I gotta tell ya... it would walk away from 1st gen Vipers. :burnout:

I heard the '90 is the one to buy, as the HP "number" Chevy assigned them were actually MUCH lower than they were putting out. (375hp says Chevy. Some say they were over 420.)

They were much more car for the money back then too. You could drive them at 120 with your pinky finger. :rock:

Anyone here had/have one? :dontknow: I know the repair costs on that LT5 is a little scary... But they say they are fairly easy to work-on DIY. And I am no stranger to the garage... The trucks wont fit in the garage, so I have an empty space! :p
 
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I think they still have the best seats ever produced in a road car.

Ext5.jpg


I3.jpg


Eng2.jpg
 
From the information I have gathered, the later ones were more refined and more reliable. There were some issues with the 1st ones.

But they are a great car. FWIW, you might want to consider a early-01/02 Z06. Better car yet.
 
SLORam said:
From the information I have gathered, the later ones were more refined and more reliable. There were some issues with the 1st ones.

But they are a great car. FWIW, you might want to consider a early-01/02 Z06. Better car yet.

Thanks for that info! Yeah, I looked at a few early z06 cars... I just can't stand they way they look. :dontknow: :( Inside and outside. I know they are a good car tho, and you can get some KILLER deals on them too. But, these things... Sitting in them was like sitting in a jet cockpit! Lights and buttons everywhere, digital readouts, SWEET seats... late 80's opulence at it's best. :D ;)
 
Black1 said:
... Sitting in them was like sitting in a jet cockpit! Lights and buttons everywhere, digital readouts, SWEET seats... late 80's opulence at it's best. :D ;)


Also more to go wrong....


Looking again at the last pic, there is starting to be some funny wear on the tire. Looks like it might have suspension issues.. JMHO
 
Go for it bro!

the only major issues I dealt with was a few water leaks on the intake. easily fixed with updated gskets.

The "only" real pain is if the starter goes out, hell just learn to park on a hill.

Other than that they were alll basically the same , just air intake and exhaust changess, and I think the cam at one time or another, but everything else in the engine stayed identacle.

Just checkthe coolant, some of the guys that let theirs sit, the inner tubs of the radiator ate out, so be careful of that.

Other than that, slap a couple turbos on there and there will be nothing to touch ya:rock:
 
ntw0rk said:
Also more to go wrong....


Looking again at the last pic, there is starting to be some funny wear on the tire. Looks like it might have suspension issues.. JMHO

I just noticed that a little bit ago too... Looks like its cupped, doesn't it? :confused:
 
Stinker said:
Go for it bro!

the only major issues I dealt with was a few water leaks on the intake. easily fixed with updated gskets.

The "only" real pain is if the starter goes out, hell just learn to park on a hill.

Other than that they were alll basically the same , just air intake and exhaust changess, and I think the cam at one time or another, but everything else in the engine stayed identacle.

Just checkthe coolant, some of the guys that let theirs sit, the inner tubs of the radiator ate out, so be careful of that.

Other than that, slap a couple turbos on there and there will be nothing to touch ya:rock:

Thanks for the info Stink! :rock: So you owned one? What year? How long did you have it? :dontknow: :D
 
I have always wanted one of those. I love vettes, be hard pressed to find one I don't like, but the ZR1's are right up there on my list. Get it and loan it to me LOL
 
Jake, When the throttle bodies get some miles on them the shafts wear out the housing. When this happens you cannot get the idle to come down to the correct speed.

They can be saved for about 800.00 in reconstruction if the throttle blade has not eaten into the housing too badly. Last one I had to buy new from chevrolet in 1998-99 was 1300.00. Probably twice that now if still available.

Really cool cars though. I wanted one so bad for many years. Then I got to work on them, and they are still very cool but they do not fit my fat body very well.
 
ntw0rk said:
Also more to go wrong....


Looking again at the last pic, there is starting to be some funny wear on the tire. Looks like it might have suspension issues.. JMHO

Good eye NT... :hmmmm2:
 
FSTJACK said:
Jake, When the throttle bodies get some miles on them the shafts wear out the housing. When this happens you cannot get the idle to come down to the correct speed.

They can be saved for about 800.00 in reconstruction if the throttle blade has not eaten into the housing too badly. Last one I had to buy new from chevrolet in 1998-99 was 1300.00. Probably twice that now if still available.

Really cool cars though. I wanted one so bad for many years. Then I got to work on them, and they are still very cool but they do not fit my fat body very well.

I remembered that I read something on that a while ago... I happened to find it agian:

"LT5 owners should be aware that the throttle body can be damaged if the
secondary throttle bores are cleaned with a solvent. Rochester used a
carbon based sealer called "dag" around the secondary throttle plates.
On a new throttle body the dag looks like a ring of thick black paint.
On a used throttle body the dag looks like a ring of carbon. Indeed,
carbon deposits from operation build up on top of the dag. When cleaning
the secondary throttle bore the dag needs to be taken into
consideration. The bores need to be cleaned with care to avoid removing
the dag. I recommend gently wiping the bore with a dry cloth. Most
solvents will soften the dag. When proper cleaning is finished the
throttle bores will have thin black flakes around the throttle plates.
That's the dag. Cleaning the bores shiny with solvent will usually
subtract 10 IAC counts. If your IAC count is normal at 10, removing the
dag will take the count to about 0. At 0 IAC counts the idle speed will
start to increase. Generally I don't clean the secondary throttle bores.
Note that they operate as either open or closed. They are not used to
control the idle. Light deposits around the secondary throttle plates
will actually help them to seal better. This is good as long as the
deposits are not making the throttle stick."

Is that what you mean? :dontknow:
 
Thats it bro, man things are commin back!

You shouldnt have a problem with this unless someone has allreaady cleaned them.

Basically I seen this happen more than once at a dealership when someone was replacing intake gaskets. they would clean them not thinking

basically drive the car, it should rattle:D all of them did,:D make sure the shifting is ok and the engine sounds funny under light acceleration, you'll hear what I mean, they sounded totally different , and thats good.
Check all the fluids and for body damage to the underside, other than that bro, you should be good to go:D
 

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