blownrunner

Look what the wife got me for Christmas!
1991 ZR1, Red exterior/gray interior, all original except the radio, 28,000 miles

blownrunner

Vette Daddy

You have a very nice wife!!

JimZRyd

Now that's something to be thankful for!

Jim

ScottC95ZR1

Yep, I'd say she's a keeper!

http://www.zr1netregistry.com/
http://www.zr1.net/forum/index.php

blownrunner

The car originally was bought in California in 1992 as I have the original owners registration and insurance card (probably get rid of these), it was then owned by someone in GA, it was traded to a third owner in Ponce Inlet FL (just South of Daytona Beach FL on the ocean) for a 68 Camaro SS convertible, where I bought it, and it now lives in Tampa FL. He had it garaged with a cover, which I also inherited along with the owner manual, window sticker, a digital build sheet kind of thing (I think), unused original floor mats, two full sets of keys, and a brass ZR1 keychain which he said can no longer be purchased. It also has two tops and the owner installed new shoes on all corners.

On the three hour drive home, I found out everything works except the aftermarket Kenwood stereo (the left speaker sounded muddy with lower volume than the right). I was concerned the adjustable suspension wouldn't work or there wouldn't be a power increase with a turn of the center power key, but everything works. He said the original radio was in a box in the hatch, but when I examined it, it was a Pontiac Delco unit with a smaller hide-away unit. I will have to locate one somewhere... The car drives straight and loves the freeway. The wife was driving behind me on the way home and when I accelerated with a lot of skinny pedal she said the exhaust emitted a lot of white smoke, and it had a rough idle. The manual reads to do a fast idle for 2 minutes to clean the O2 sensors, which corrected this. After a min 45, it suddenly settled out and the exhaust stopped making a smoke screen. It still idles a little rougher than I like though.

Gave it a wash seeing it lived on the beach when I got home and there was no corrosion on any of the aluminum suspension, found out the third brake light is burned out and one of the headlights needs the actuator motor gears replaced because it ratchets. The interior is missing a few screws and panels are loose around the speakers probably from the stereo installer shoddy work. Did a quick detail and there are only a few very small road chips on the hood, not bad for a 1991.

Gotta change all the fluids: need to get some ramps and make a call to Amsoil, Maybe new plugs and wires...

BTW, I found a quarter under the drivers seat... the car is starting to pay for itself!

Dynomite

Do NOT wash the engine as the starter is buried under the plenum and can get wet especially if the valley drain is plugged

LT5/ZR-1 Fluids
Lifting the ZR-1

Your wife must know stuff

blownrunner

These pictures are at the previous owners home on the beach. He is retired and moved to Florida, but is moving back up North to be closer to the grandkids. He thought that the ZR1 would be impractical in the snow and cold.

LT5corsa

If you haven't already, check out the website and introduce yourself on the club forum!

Does the previous owner have maintenance records?

Amplifiers are the typical issue with speaker issues (Dr don fixes them for $50 each)

Love the bright red with gray!!!! You don't see many of those color combinations!

Welcome!!!!



David


PS. Have your "worn" your permagrin yet???? Do you know what a permagrin is?

blownrunner

Thanks, dude! What I meant was I washed the exterior and the underside. There was a lot of residual oil on the oil pan exterior, the owner had it serviced and I bet they were careless changing the oil filter not caring where the excess oil came from. There was no oil on the owners garage floor, so I don't think it had any static oil leaks. The engine is a little dirty, which is good indicator that the previous owners(s) didn't like to tinker with it and it shouldn't be messed with.

HammerZR1

Welcome,

I doubt if your third brake light is completely gone. There are several lights and the chances of them all being blown are pretty slim. I believe it is a switch operated by the brake pedal.

Nice car, what number is it (last 4 digits of the VIN).

blownrunner

One more thing to point out how cool the wife is... We have a two car garage, which she parks her 2004 bright yellow Sentra SER, and my weekender/show vehicle/toy: a 2000 4runner 4WD Limited (with supercharger, lift, painted suspension, 3/16" skid plates, off road bumpers, winch, 3,000 watt stereo, modded tranny, beadlock wheels, 4.88 gears, lockers, safari rack, etc). Didn't want my toy left outside and the wife deserves to have her car garaged (now more than ever), but where do I put my future ZR1? The driveway was a terrible option, but our home is a three bedroom with a full den just big enough to put a car...

She used the den for storage and was next to the garage, so she emptied it out, had a contractor bust down a wall, I removed the low hanging ceiling fan so I could park the tricked out, hot-rodded 4runner there, moved a few electrical outlets, and now I also have a 3 car garage! The garage is shaped like a giant 'L' with two vehicles parked end to end, so from the street it looks like a two car garage. Not as nice as a real 3 car garage all side-by-side, but damn close. My two huge Snap-On tool boxes still fit in there too (I am an aircraft mechanic and now build flight simulators so I have tools everywhere). Snap-On boxes look stellar, especially with their stainless tops and gloss finish (which I wax), so she also said I could roll it into the front living room if we ran out of room in the garage and use it kind of like a conversation starting piece of furniture and when I work on the cars an need easier access to it, I could roll it back in (come to think of it, she is being too nice, maybe I should be suspicious). Luckily I made everything fit. We don't really need essentially four bedrooms with only myself, the ultra cool rockin' wife, and my brainiac daughter, but we damn well need (for lack of a better word) a three car garage. I had the house fully tiled years ago so part of the garage is now tiled to boot. If we ever sell, having four bedrooms is preferred over a three car garage so we will turn the room back into a bedroom by adding a closet where the wall once was with no problems. Seriously, this move made sense seeing the expense of buying and selling and then having to sink money into your house to once again get it the way you want. We also live in a HOA type community where you can't just build a detached garage in your backyard. Just finished the garage remodel at midnight the night before I left to buy the ZR1. To boot, I have a week off from work due to holiday closure, oh what to do?

The only thing that I didn't plan on was how long the doors are on the ZR1... on my 4Runner and her Sentra, they both have 4 side doors so they do not require a lot of space to fully open them. It is really difficult to get into the ZR1 when you can only open the doors half way with it parked in the garage.
Myself and the wife were planning this for six months and this was the only oversight.

blownrunner

-I think a full black interior would look better (like the wife has in her car) especially with the red exterior, but the gray interior is a close second.

-The owner doesn't have any maintenance records.

-The previous owner took the car off Craigslist and held the car for me for two weeks until I got a chance to drive back to his place to buy it, so I really couldn't expect the world from him.

-Thanks for the info on the stereo, I assume the dash radio goes to four small amplifiers which then go to the speakers. There is a wrecked 60K mile 1990 ZR1 getting parted out in Sarasota FL on Craigslist right now that the owner says is intact except for the fuel tank and fuel pump, so I could get the original radio from him. Honestly, not really concerned with the stereo as I am letting the car sit until I can get all the preventative maintenance done on it and remove the plenum to do some engine detailing while changing the plugs and wires. Will def be getting it done eventually!

blownrunner

Doing research on oil type, I will contact Amsoil on this and talk to their chemists on API SG oil as per this presentation, the oil service cap, and the owner manual:
http://www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20W...T5%20Today.pdf
Amsoil API SG oil seems to be a motorcycle oil:
http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produc...otorcycle-oil/
Typically what I put in my other cars is the extended drain signature 5W-30, but this type oil is a different API as per this data sheet:
http://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2880.pdf
I just need to make sure as Amsoil is expensive and I plan on keeping this car well after it qualifies for antique license plates. But thank you so much for the links, def good info there!

ZR1North

Suggest you renew your vows! Nice color combo on a really nice find. What's your Serial No - wondering if it's close to my 666.

Dynomite

Amsoil SAE 10W-40 Synthetic Premium Protection Motor Oil



Whch oil do you use

rickyrj1

congrats, welcome to the club.:cheers

LowFlight

Very Nice

LancePearson

The only thing that I didn't plan on was how long the doors are on the ZR1... on my 4Runner and her Sentra, they both have 4 side doors so they do not require a lot of space to fully open them. It is really difficult to get into the ZR1 when you can only open the doors half way with it parked in the garage.


Yep, the doors are long. I have my 76 and my 91 side by side and to get into the 76 I have to move the 91 out into the driveway as the doors are too long to open far enough for me to do the ballet moves it takes to get 6'4" of me in and out.

Lance

ghlkal

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your cool story

I really like the gray interior ... if we were closer I'd swap my black interior with ya