Now I'm having second thoughts!
12-08-2007, 01:20 PM
#1
Melting Slicks
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Member Since: Sep 2000
Location: Taildragers rule! USA1
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Now I'm having second thoughts!
Kurt's windshield and install kit came a couple of days ago, all in one piece!
But........my ZR1 windshield is not that bad, Worse looking from the outside. From the inside the delamination is barely visible. I've already totally hacked up the car by replacing the crummy nonworking Bose system with a Pioneer AVID, so Nascar or whoever the purists call themselves would give it a big "0." I retained the Corvette speaker enclosures.
Maybe I should wait for a big rock chip. Will my already drastically reduced valued ZR1 go to zero with the KW windshield? Do I care?
Maybe I should just go flying and forget cars......I don't collect Corvettes. I just buy them because I like them and never sell them!!!
Best
But........my ZR1 windshield is not that bad, Worse looking from the outside. From the inside the delamination is barely visible. I've already totally hacked up the car by replacing the crummy nonworking Bose system with a Pioneer AVID, so Nascar or whoever the purists call themselves would give it a big "0." I retained the Corvette speaker enclosures.
Maybe I should wait for a big rock chip. Will my already drastically reduced valued ZR1 go to zero with the KW windshield? Do I care?
Maybe I should just go flying and forget cars......I don't collect Corvettes. I just buy them because I like them and never sell them!!!
Best
12-08-2007, 02:23 PM
#4
Racer
Sounds to me that you've come to terms with the fact that it will never be right from a purists perspective... that's a good start. Since you're not planning on taking to NCRS standards, I'd follow Jeffvette's recomendation and just drive it!! So your car has a common problem to the breed - who really cares? It's part of the story and history of the car. In your situation, I wouldn't sweat the originality.
No doubt about it - I would catch a rock within a week of replacing the windshield, so I'd just leave it alone and keep the replacement for a time when I really needed it.
On the other hand - if you cringe everytime that you see the delam, then swap it out. Do what will make you happy, not what will/will not make the judges happy (if it ever gets judged). You'r the one who sees it everyday...
No doubt about it - I would catch a rock within a week of replacing the windshield, so I'd just leave it alone and keep the replacement for a time when I really needed it.
On the other hand - if you cringe everytime that you see the delam, then swap it out. Do what will make you happy, not what will/will not make the judges happy (if it ever gets judged). You'r the one who sees it everyday...
12-08-2007, 03:03 PM
#5
NCM Lifetime # 982
Drive the wheels off the car. Or you can save the car for the next guy 
I would catch a rock within a week of replacing the windshield also.
12-08-2007, 03:21 PM
#6
I have my new KW windsheild tucked away for the day I catch a rock on my stock delam one. i have low miles but that it because of lack of time not desire. When the boys get older me and the new 25yr old stepmom will have time drive the Z 
NCRS guys can't give me back lost time of enjoyment. 
NCRS guys can't give me back lost time of enjoyment.
12-08-2007, 04:26 PM
#8
Drifting
A few years ago I had two ZR1's. The game I was supposed to be playing is I had one to race and one to show (and leave stock). The truth is I couldn't leave either alone so they were both "modified" and therefore not worthy of the true Corvette Show Car Zeolots.
I took the show car to a car show that happened to be after drag racing at a local track. The Z that I usually raced was not running well (mostly from non-use). I ran a few times (broke 13 sec each run), cleaned it up, and stayed for the show. The cars were setup by year. I won my class and a runnerup best in show. A Viper TT took best in show, grrrrr.
I was driving home on the local interstate, A/C on, cruise set at 55 and probably 10 car lengths away from the closest car; pretty much loving life. I see an 18 wheeler in my rear view mirror and don't think anything of it. A bit later he passes me on the left, cuts into my lane and somewhere along the way he launches a rock (or something) that is a direct hit into my windshield. Scared the you know what out of me and sounds like I got hit with a brick. I never did see anything and it never hit the paint, or if it did it never left a mark. All I know is I now had a chip in the windshield, about the size of a dime; drivers side at eye level. So much for my show car.
I paid $5K for a repalcement windshield. Yes $5K. This included installation, all trim and as many windshields as it took to get one that was perfect. The $5K price tag was supposed to be a guarantee that we would find a "perfect" one. Six windshields and about 5 months later I gave up and had a non ZR1 windshield installed.
When I got the car back, my wife and I drove it to Carisle (2002) and won celebrity pick from Dave Bright. You know, as bad as it seemed when I made the decision, it really wasn't so bad. I could have save a lot of money by just making the decision to put in a non ZR1 windshield sooner.
A few years later I sold the car. It was basically a cosmetically perfect 91 ZR1 with an aftermarket exhaust, grand sport calipers, drilled and plated rotors, a clear coated engine, 95 a-molds, and all the documentation anyone would want. It had also just turned 20K miles. Did I tell you it had a non-ZR1 windshield?
I told the guy who bought it about the non ZR1 windshield and he did try to get me to take a $1K off the asking price. He paid $29K for the car (this was early in 2005) when the market was not great. (Sold it on ZR1.net in about 4 months). Had he not bought it I certainly had enough other people interested to think I would have sold it to someone else. You know what? He got a beautiful well cared for ZR1, I got a good price, and we were both happy.
The heck with the OE windshields, the NCCC judges (half who would know a ZR1 windshield if one were shoved it up their...), and nothing against Kurt or anyone else - but the heck with originals and aftermarket copies.
Yes I was stupid for paying $5,000 for the $%&!#@! non ZR1 windshield. Life is too short and it would have cost another fortune to fight it. The deal I was offered did not include any limit on the number of times they could try to find a "perfect" one. I was the one who quit.
If I were you, I'd learn from my expensive mistake, sell the Kurt White copy, and enjoy your car.
I took the show car to a car show that happened to be after drag racing at a local track. The Z that I usually raced was not running well (mostly from non-use). I ran a few times (broke 13 sec each run), cleaned it up, and stayed for the show. The cars were setup by year. I won my class and a runnerup best in show. A Viper TT took best in show, grrrrr.
I was driving home on the local interstate, A/C on, cruise set at 55 and probably 10 car lengths away from the closest car; pretty much loving life. I see an 18 wheeler in my rear view mirror and don't think anything of it. A bit later he passes me on the left, cuts into my lane and somewhere along the way he launches a rock (or something) that is a direct hit into my windshield. Scared the you know what out of me and sounds like I got hit with a brick. I never did see anything and it never hit the paint, or if it did it never left a mark. All I know is I now had a chip in the windshield, about the size of a dime; drivers side at eye level. So much for my show car.
I paid $5K for a repalcement windshield. Yes $5K. This included installation, all trim and as many windshields as it took to get one that was perfect. The $5K price tag was supposed to be a guarantee that we would find a "perfect" one. Six windshields and about 5 months later I gave up and had a non ZR1 windshield installed.
When I got the car back, my wife and I drove it to Carisle (2002) and won celebrity pick from Dave Bright. You know, as bad as it seemed when I made the decision, it really wasn't so bad. I could have save a lot of money by just making the decision to put in a non ZR1 windshield sooner.
A few years later I sold the car. It was basically a cosmetically perfect 91 ZR1 with an aftermarket exhaust, grand sport calipers, drilled and plated rotors, a clear coated engine, 95 a-molds, and all the documentation anyone would want. It had also just turned 20K miles. Did I tell you it had a non-ZR1 windshield?
I told the guy who bought it about the non ZR1 windshield and he did try to get me to take a $1K off the asking price. He paid $29K for the car (this was early in 2005) when the market was not great. (Sold it on ZR1.net in about 4 months). Had he not bought it I certainly had enough other people interested to think I would have sold it to someone else. You know what? He got a beautiful well cared for ZR1, I got a good price, and we were both happy.
The heck with the OE windshields, the NCCC judges (half who would know a ZR1 windshield if one were shoved it up their...), and nothing against Kurt or anyone else - but the heck with originals and aftermarket copies.
Yes I was stupid for paying $5,000 for the $%&!#@! non ZR1 windshield. Life is too short and it would have cost another fortune to fight it. The deal I was offered did not include any limit on the number of times they could try to find a "perfect" one. I was the one who quit.
If I were you, I'd learn from my expensive mistake, sell the Kurt White copy, and enjoy your car.
Last edited by hiznhrz; 12-08-2007 at 04:31 PM.
12-08-2007, 06:24 PM
#11
Team Owner
As particular as I am, I have never cared one way or another about the windshield. Mine is laminating from the outside in, so it is not bad, but when it gets too bad...I am putting a normal C4 windshield in.
12-08-2007, 08:29 PM
#12
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Member Since: Sep 2000
Location: Taildragers rule! USA1
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Thanks for all the consultation guys. Kurt has two installation kits. One was the basic kit, which I have. It seems to be a complete surround weather strip in a hermetically sealed aluminum bag. There is a more costly kit that has something more.
I was out at the hangar today. Suzi and I flew over the flood damage and ended up at the Hoquiam Airport for lunch. The ZR1 sure looked lonely sitting there. But, it sure was shiny. Beautiful!
Thanks
I was out at the hangar today. Suzi and I flew over the flood damage and ended up at the Hoquiam Airport for lunch. The ZR1 sure looked lonely sitting there. But, it sure was shiny. Beautiful!
Thanks
12-09-2007, 08:31 PM
#13
Melting Slicks
