Ozruss61

New to the C4 forum. Been on the C1 forum for some time as I currently own a 1961. I'm thinking of adding another vette to the garage, and after attending the National Corvette Convention here in Oz, I fell in love with the early 90s ZR-1. It was that quad cam 32 valve engine and the Lotus story behind it that got me hooked. Not to mention the HP advantage it has. Here in Victoria Australia we can register a car on a restricted license if it is 25 years or older, otherwise we have to have it converted to right hand drive. So given that, I can import a 91 and register it now. Is there any pros and cons you guys can help me with in my search for a ZR-1.

Z51JEFF

Welcome to the madness. The pros far outweigh the cons so to speak. The LT5 is about as bulletproof as they come, if taken care of meaning oil changed regularly and tune ups these motors will go well beyond 100,000 miles. The negative about the early 90-92 the injectectors are junk and will need to be replaced do to the alcohol content in modern fuels but not sure about over there. All the rest that fails is just normal C4 stuff. Parts are getting a little hard to find but thanks to shops like JERRYS GASKETS parts are being reproduced. I've had my 91 going on 10 years now and couldn't imagine anything else sitting in my garage. If you can work on your own car you can work on a ZR-1,LT5. Good luck on your search and any and all questions you might have somebody will have an answer 99% of the time. You might want to check out the ZR-1 Registry site,after navigating through all the different sections there is a for sale section based on all years 90-95 and last I checked you don't have to be a paid member to pull up that page. Welcome once again!

FASTAZU

Ozruss61

Thanks for the reply and thanks for the info provided. You know, I would never had considered a C4 before seeing a ZR-1 at this show and seeing that lotus engine. I gotta have one now. Just got to convince the minister of finance (wife ) that we need one. Superannuation I call it.

Dynomite

Welcome to the "Club"

I have five ZR-1s (one 1991, three 1990s, and one 1995) and mostly because of the LT5 which is soooooo much fun to work on. Yes....All kinds of Parts are available on Ebay and Jerry has ALL the gaskets and SS Bolts you ever need including new rubber moldings for the PCV system which everyone should invest in.

Any ZR-1 usually requires a Plenum Removal to clean up the "Valley" and "Valley Drain" that has not been touched in 20+ years. When I am there I Block TB Coolant, Recondition the Starter, Replace some vacuum lines (Jerry has a super complete New Original Vacuum System for the 93' - 95'), Degrease, Pressure Wash, and Replace All bolts with SS and often Replacing Injectors and "O" rings. It is a three day easy job with 10 min Plenum Removal, TB Blocking and Clean Up, the first day including changing out ALL fluids which takes maybe three hours, Thinking the second day, and the third day (the fun part) putting it all back together which takes maybe another three hours taking photos along the way. This includes installing Differential Drain Plug and some other modifications

And after that the LT5 runs forever

Oh....and I remove, wire brush the base, and replace both accelerometer sensors for the INFL REST putting to "Rest" that infamous INFL REST warning on the dash.....

And for the fun of it I replace water pump pulley and Power Steering Pulley with Billet Aluminum Pulleys. I also install a New Billet Aluminum Belt Tensioner Pulley and recondition the Alternator when I am at it as well as "Carter Bling"...and some other stuff

Arctic91

Too bad that you were not in the market a couple of years ago... I had my '91 with me in Alice Springs for three years and was interested in selling as I was returning to the states (still have the NT plates in the garage!). From what I could gather there were only around a dozen C4 ZR-1s that had made their way into Australia at the time, so you'll most likely not find one local to you. I only was able to make contact with one other owner during my time there - I believe his name was Ernie (uses the name Ernbuild), lives in Queensland, and also had a white ZR-1. You are in the right place here (and with the ZR-1 Net Registry) if you want to find a solid car and link up with a great group of owners. Best of luck in your search!

Scott

Ozruss61

Thanks Scott. NT laws must be different to Victoria, can't drive a left hooker on full rego unless it's 30 years old. Less than 30 years old has to be converted to right hand drive. Even so, white is not on my shopping list. Has to be red or maybe black. I'm sure something will come up.
Cheers Russell

Ozruss61

Thanks for the reinforcement of the car and the engine. Just two questions though, what are you referring to when you say " block the TB coolant" and what is the INFL REST warning light all about?
Cheers, Russell

Dynomite

I Block TB Coolant to eliminate the need to drain any Coolant when removing the Plenum after the first removal. You do NOT need TB Coolant unless you drive the ZR-1 when it is less than 20 deg F Outside Air Temp. With TB Coolant Blocked there is NO coolant interface between the Plenum and Injector Housing making it very easy to install the Plenum without concern for Coolant Leaks.

I clean up ALL grounding especially the two sensors (accelerometers) that sense a collision and deploy Air Bags (one each side of chassis under the hood as described). A grounding failure deploys a constant warning light on the panel.

Blocking TB Coolant

INFL REST grounds and Alternator Connector Boot

rhanselman

I have a 61' as well as two ZR-1's. A 91' and a 93'. I'll entertain selling the 93 to level the playing field between the both of us! Cheers, Ron

Ozruss61

Thanks but no thanks. If I bought a 93 I would have to park it in the shed for 2 years before I can register it. Without doing a left to right hand drive conversion witch I wont do.
Thanks anyway

rhanselman

Well my '91 would be prefect for you however it's probably out of your desired price range and may be out of your desired power requirement. It's a Twin Turbo monster