WikedZR1

Does anyone know of any good ZR1 mechanics /shops in Southern California? Specifically the Orange County area?

I've checked with Corvette Mikes in Anaheim, but the don't seem to have much experience with ZR1s.

My car dosen't need anything major, but there seems to be a rattle under the car / in the exhaust system. I've had 2 muffler shops check it out and they think it could be the catalytic converter on the drivers side. The car runs fine, but the rattle comes and goes, so I would like to get it fixed.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

cv67

What area are you in? I'm not an expert but I bet we could find that rattle

cv67

I have a muffler guy who is a straight shooter if your'e ever out this way. He'll treat your LT5 with TLC-pm me if you want his #

Zrxmax

It seems any "good" exhaust shop should be able to help you here... If you were to take it to Murrieta you could have Charlies Corvette look into it for you. Charlie has fixed ZR-1s before and takes good care of his customers...
If your catalyst is broken, then you will need another header cat, or somebody who can replace the catalyst and weld it back up.
Has anybody you talked to mentioned having the ability to do a repair like that ?

Remember, if a cat gets plugged it could be a hot problem leading to more problems...

RedRiderZR1

Corvette mikes looks at you funny if you bring a ZR1 in there. They wont touch it. There was a certified ZR1 mechanic at Selman Chevrolet in the City of Orange. Had some work done there in the past (actually did a good job). Might try there for future repairs in the Orange County area.
As far as your muffler problem, if you have a CAT gone put it on a lift and tap the CATS to see if you hear the rattle. I lost my passenger side CAT a few months ago (rattled like crazy).
So where in Orange County are you located?

Greg

95ZR1

Might be a little far away for you, but Dick Guldstrand's shop in Burbank
knows ZR1's and has LT5 mechanics. They are especially big on suspension Mods. Another issue is that they are not cheap.
Good luck!
Ted Feder
SFV CA

WikedZR1

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I did buy some very low mileage used cats, just in case thats the problem. However, since the rattle comes and goes, I'm just not sure. I have an appointment with C. Mike on Tuesday. I've talked with the head mechanic and he does seem to have some experience with ZR1s. I'll see what he says and then go from there.

BTW, I'm located in Tustin. Are there any car shows in this area?

geekZ

Dick Guldstrand knows a lot about these cars, and you can usually call them up and talk about problems you're having over the phone. They've helped me diagnose vacuum leaks, clutch replacement and sensor issues without ever setting foot in their shop. They have a passion about our cars, it is the only shop that I think I'd trust their mechanics to turn a wrench on my Z.

http://www.guldstrand.com/

knightsm

I can vouch for a guy called Lawton Ferreira from Top Flight Corvette, San Diego, he can be reached on 8583620102 or www.topflightcorvette.com, he hooked me up with a coil-over kit for our 91 + 4.10s, he has owned a Z and at least one of his customers regularly brings his in 'cos we were there. He seemed to know about and more importantly be willing to work on the "King".
I hope this helps

WikedZR1

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

I did take my car into C. Mikes and the driver side cat was definitely bad. The mechanic was actually shocked because there wasn't really anything left of the cat itself. When you look into the end of the cat pipe, the entire honeycomb itself is gone!!! The rattling I was hearing was actually the chunks of cat material being blown out the exhaust.

When the mechanic changed everything, he shook the exhaust pipes and more converter material fell out!!

Anyways, they did a great job and the car runs and sounds like it used to. I'm just amazed that the converter material actually broke up and went out the tail pipe like that. Has anyone ever heard of this happening?

cv67

I've also heard Guldstrand was top notch. I know of one guy locally here who has killer GM diagnostic skills and works on lots of vettes but he doesn't seem to do much of his own work anymore. Not to sure about his experience with LT5's.

415LT5-badZR-1

Not that unusual actually - you must have a few miles on the car - 60k? Worse than this is that it is very possible for the LT5 to suck small pieces of the cat back up into the cylinder through the exhaust valve, and grenade the motor!!!! Always get it checked immediately when you suspect a bad cat on an LT5.

93RubyZ

Are there any other places to take a ZR-1 in the area besides the two mentioned here? I'm considering getting a Z, and realize you can't take them just anywhere. I'm up in the Antelope Valley, which is about an hour away from Burbank. I'd guess there aren't any in this immediate area and Burbank may be the closest.