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VikingTrad3r's 1987 restomod thread with $$ amounts
This thread is going to be a place where I can document how I "overhauled" or "rebuilt" or "restored" or "modded" my 87 z52. I will do my best to keep a running organized account of this adventure for others to read, on the first three posts. To save time. If you want to enjoy this journey with me, subscribe to the thread and see what happens.
Project is currently in:
Repair as I drive it phase. <<<------begin apr 2017
Clean and observe phase <<-------------begin Sept 2016. end march 2017.
Background:
Having completed the red 1985 z51 last winter which looks and runs amazing, I am now planning on doing the black 1987 z52. On the 85 I spent $1551 on to get it running great, did all the work myself with the guidance of members of this forum. There was a recent poll asking how much was spent on the c4 purchase right after buying it. I participated and the thing is, I spent 3x as much as I needed to because it was my first time and i combined many whoop ups which inflated my cash outlay such as: 1. buying parts from the local store who are 3x the price as online (rock auto) 2. buying things twice due to botched install attempts, 3. breaking other things while trying to fix something else, and then 4. in the start i was just a parts swapper and have about $350 in parts that didn't need to be purchased.
So, that gave me the idea of making a restomod thread here where i documented the issue, the fix, and the amount spent. Might help others who are looking to buy an older slightly worn out c4 to enjoy driving while also tinkering away on it.
I will be coming back to update this first post as the money is spent.
Financials:
$4000 cad $3038 usd ----- acquire with 187K klms / 111K miles
$215 cad $163 usd ----- running total of repairs and parts
-----------------------
$4215 cad $3202 usd ----- cumulative running total since purchase
--------------------
cad, totals converted to usd above, delivered prices, including taxes
$75 ----- r. wheelhubs both
$65 ----- pass side half shaft ujoints
$75 ----- heater core
$40 ----- muffler welded back on
$750 replacement bilstein shocks. $750 cad.
----- wires and plugs
----- carpet kit
----- engine gasket kit
----- partial weather seal replace (doors and rear hatch)
----- loose window syndrome...(not sure what to expect here)
----- driver side window intermittent inoperable
----- driver side seat is loose, and will not move forward
----- stereo repair
----- coolant system flush
----- brake system flush
----- rear diff fluid w/friction additive
----- dash panel replacement screw kit
----- repainting valve covers
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----- hood paint damage right at emblem needs to be sanded/and repainted/ and cleared. not sure if this will blend in or not!
-----
-----
here is the red 85 vs the black 87. i'll keep updating this as i go forward. including undercarriage shots and interior shots.
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 04-20-2017 at 01:22 AM.
Reason: updating
Clean and Observe what seals need to be replaced underneath (engine is getting the full enchilada:
Cleaning engine: wd-40 engine shampoo and garden hose, This is to get all the "chunky bits" out. The years of grime that PO's just left on the car. Reasoning is that you don't want this stuff loose and getting into open electrical plugs, into hoses, into the cylinders. We are not planning on pulling any pistons out so we want to keep it clean like a surgeons table. My inlaw family is in the aircraft business and i have learned a lot about how they keep a shop spic and span so no particle of sand gets into the engine during an overhaul. I am treating this like an overhaul sans, hopefully, piston removal. I've never done it and I don't want to.
Cleaning undercarriage: for this, I use bottles of purple cleaner, and a scrub brush. these engines are usually leaking and they spray all the crud back and you dont' know exactly what is leaking and what isn't. That is why step one on these jobs is to clean them, and then observe what needs to be replaced. i used the garden hose but this time i bought a pressure washer. so i suppose i'll be buying a pressure washer wand and bending it into and L so I can get underneath it.
Cleaning Interior: My interior is allready very clean. Its worn out but clean.
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 09-28-2016 at 10:08 PM.
Reason: updating
ill be adding them slowly as i go. cheers. im really hoping this turns out to be more of a resto than a mod. iow, id like the compression test to come out good! i do know that it belches a huuuge cloud of smoke on startup though. im assuming its the valve seals for now.
My plan after selling my 87 is to find a manual early c4 and do the very same swap you are doing. That will be commencing in about a year or possibly sooner if i can find a cheapie c4 over the winter.
I am dreaming of bombing down the castrol raceway but i am very nervous about the 700r4 i would prefer to run a manual trans. Totally fine with a 4+3 in fact i want one (crazy i know). i own a 2006 yukon xl denali as my wifes family mover. It has 350000klm on it and is going strong but my plan was when we upgrade family movers over the next year i will yoink the lq9 and use that as a base for a ls swap. i cannot say enough great things about the ls engines. only downside is getting the damn pan to seal up. though i think that would be easier on a stand!
ive just ordered my max jax, got the forum discount, and CANNOT WAIT. Im putting two pilings into my deiveway so that i can roll the max jax out pressure wash te UNDER side of the vehicle. (i have a gravel driveway so a bit of hydrocarbons will keep the weeds down lol).
I dont know about you but i spent SO MUCH TIME on my back when i overhauled my 85 ...wasted more time getting up and down looking for the right sized socket...man it was such a productivity killer.
so i justified it by saying that i saved more than double the cost of the lift on shop bills doing it myself that i should splirge.
anyway, if you want to hook up for a beer let me know. id be interested in seeing what your build plans are for the swap.
Cool, buddy I thought I saw your name prior. That is Alex's thread, he is the guy that did the lq4 6.0 and a supercharger into a 87 c4 convertible.
Lots of cheap 4.8 and 5.3 on kijji. Even saw a 84 C4 for $2500 a little while back. Its really not that difficult of a swap as far as swaps go.
I use permtex "the right stuff" when I installed my low clearance holley oil pan onto my LQ9. I'm not worried cause I just want to see how everything will work first off. I didn't want to change too much stuff on the car right off the bat. My transmission guy told me he can get a 700R hold 1200HP. 700R have been used in big block cars for years. The worst thing is adjusting the TV cable. When I got my 85 veto, it was lose and I couldn't even feel 1st gear. I pull the cable tight and now I can hold first gear till 5500 rpm The old TPI engine really screams at 5500rpm. The engine seems just to be free wheeling after 4500rpm.
As for stopping by for a beverage, by all means. I have three/four engine builds on the go. Two 5.9/6.7 cummins and one dmax in my garage. In the corner is my pretty blingy LQ9 engine (I put some chrome and fancy power coating on it)
Last edited by Mike Holmen; 09-29-2016 at 02:16 PM.
well i was going to try and cram all of this into the first 3 posts. not sure im going to be able to do that just takes too much time to stay organized rather than just posting chronologically.
I got this car 2 years ago. i've driven it hard but havn't beat on it and i am religious about my oil changes.
that said, its has seriously degraded in the two years i have driven it.
here are pictures of the engine bay, showcasing oil and coolant sitting in the intake valley. then some underside shots showing the coolant has worked its way down the back of the engine and onto my floor where i park.
i was talking earlier about how these cars are smeared in different fluids after you buy one like this, neglected maintainence...it actually doesn't look like i have an oil leak. just a coolant leak and i know that is coming from the intake gasket. possibly the "steam tube" above cyl 8. either way, the engine is disgusting, needs to be cleaned, and resealed at the minimum the intake gaskets and the valve stem seals. so might as well remove the heads, do the gasket, and mill the heads while i am at it.
pics:
tstat housing leaking
tired worn out and dirty looking
coolant above cyl 4 intake valley
layers of dirt soaking up coolant
dissaster zone
zoom in you can see layers of slime like algae
oil pan is getting coolant from above
its being blown back onto the passenger side storage compartment
and getting blow back to the passenger exhaust
looks like i'll be doing the half shaft and input shaft oil seals on the diff. fun stuff!
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 09-30-2016 at 01:20 AM.
The plan is to hook my pressure washer up to my hot water tank and put the vehicle up on the lift and have at it.
i'd like to soak it in degreaser though to start with. the purple cleaner i used from the local auto store was underwhelming.
any recommendations on STRONG INDUSTRIAL degreaser that will not damage aluminum? i will be rinsing it off right away (pressure washing it off) so if it damages aluminum after being on for too long that is OK. it won't be.
Looks to be in similar shape to my car. Just about any degreaser will work, just wear gloves and goggles. I would just hand spray down the car, prior to pressure washing. Let sit for 10-15mins, the oil/coolant comes off pretty easy. You may need a half face mask if you get some real aggressive stuff.
My car goes thru a litre of oil in 1000km, so the car does its own oil change.
I put 5000km's on my ride this year, but I'm getting kean to rip out the L98 and install the LQ9. I picked up that engine for $1200 last year. It was cheaper than upgrading/rebuilding the L98 and fighting with the stock vette computer. You have to flash a prom(chip) in these old girls. I was told that there was very little adjustments available in the 85 computer.
My plan for the LQ9 is cnc LS3 heads, 2013 vette intake, 40lbs ev6 injectors, mild comp cam, holley cast headers. Hoping for low to mid 400hp levels and still use my 2.73 gears in my rear. Sure beat the 230HP the car came with from chevy
Last edited by Mike Holmen; 09-30-2016 at 09:29 AM.
My car goes thru a litre of oil in 1000km, so the car does its own oil change.
My plan for the LQ9 is cnc LS3 heads, 2013 vette intake, 40lbs ev6 injectors, mild comp cam, holley cast headers. Hoping for low to mid 400hp levels and still use my 2.73 gears in my rear. Sure beat the 230HP the car came with from chevy
mine isn't that bad on oil consumption and its a combonation of dripping and valve stem seals.
mine isn't that bad on oil consumption and its a combonation of dripping and valve stem seals.
how much money will that recipe for the lq9 cost?
Hah, not sure. I'm more driven by smile factor than money. I have parts you don't need other than bling. I might be around the $5-6k mark when you add up all the small bits. I'm hoping on reusing my front rad. I have also picked up a LS9 cam, but there is no cam lobe on it. You can reuse the stock lifter but I like new parts vs. old stuff. The roller rockers is optional but I want 1.8 ratio and running pac springs.
Cheap skate way is just find a rebuilt 355in SBC. They work decently. Remove all that emission junk, its doesn't work. I have removed most of mine.
I also planning on removing the read end and rebuilding, may upgrade to a D44.
My brother just bought a 2015 corvette 3lt with Z51 suspension. Very nice car but way too much electronic stuff for me
Last edited by Mike Holmen; 09-30-2016 at 12:49 PM.
In your first post you said "I spent 3x more then I had too" because you messed up learning stuff and so on, DO NOT look at it that way, it was probably still cheaper then bringing it to a shop and now you know how to do it consider it money well spent, and you still have the car!
In your first post you said "I spent 3x more then I had too" because you messed up learning stuff and so on, DO NOT look at it that way, it was probably still cheaper then bringing it to a shop and now you know how to do it consider it money well spent, and you still have the car!
no doubt you are correct.
So, turns out that i actually HAVE all of the seals with the exception of the rear diff seals which i think i am going to need. i must have been buying everything for the 87 everytime i went into autovalue knowing i would be doing it after the 85. dang. that means much of what i have purchased will be at an elevated cost level compared to rock auto.
i can buy the entire engine seal kit for 120$ delivered in cad. whereas when i buy from the local store, my oil pan gasket by itself is $80!!! screw them!
i have the receipts and im going to see if i can return some of this stuff and just buy it all through rock auto.
So, turns out that i actually HAVE all of the seals with the exception of the rear diff seals which i think i am going to need. i must have been buying everything for the 87 everytime i went into autovalue knowing i would be doing it after the 85. dang. that means much of what i have purchased will be at an elevated cost level compared to rock auto.
i can buy the entire engine seal kit for 120$ delivered in cad. whereas when i buy from the local store, my oil pan gasket by itself is $80!!! screw them!
i have the receipts and im going to see if i can return some of this stuff and just buy it all through rock auto.
Love love LOVE rockauto, bought about 350+ dollars worth of stuff for about 120 for shipping, they were having an 84 corvette whole sale, picked up things ling windshield wipers, oil filters, spark plugs for UNDER TWO DOLLARS EACH, and they weren't even bad brands! Good brands like AC Delco and Trico for the windshield wipers, can not beat there prices even with shipping. Going to be ordering some stuff for my truck from them shortly, if you got the time to wait, can't beat it.
Last edited by BrandensBeast; 09-30-2016 at 05:07 PM.
09-25-2016, 06:00 PM
VikingTrad3r's 1987 restomod thread with $$ amounts
The old TPI engine really screams at 5500rpm. The engine seems just to be free wheeling after 4500rpm.
I was told that there was very little adjustments available in the 85 computer.
