#2299 Journal
About a month ago I picked up a 1990 #2299 from a fellow member. Flew out to Durango CO and drove ~500 miles back to Phoenix all in a days work. Aside from no AC, the drive was rather smooth.
- 150,200 on the clock.
- Engine rebuilt across 2010-2011 @ 140K - Well documented HERE
I am going to use this thread to continue to document the labor and love that I put into it.
I'll replace this photo at some point once I have it back together...I got the car back home and immediately started digging into it!
AC was throwing a code 9 for low refrigerant. Noticeable leaks around low pressure / high pressure switches and the high pressure service port. Removed and replaced all seals across the AC lines.
Pulled the condenser and looks like it has taken a beating though I couldn't tell if it had been a leak point. Saw that it was a tube & fin design...with me being in Phoenix, AZ ...I'll take all the help I can get to cool the interior by switching to a parallel flow. Car currently has the heater core bypass and i'm not certain of the history of that but i'm used to driving my '89 convertible, top down in 50* January mornings. I won't miss it.
Installing a Cooler Classics AC2603.
Last edited by ramahon; Yesterday at 02:23 PM.
Has the Haibeck chip for fans coming on at 205 / off at 200. I haven't had issues with cooling in my short ownership, although I haven't driven it in peak heat given the lack of AC. Coolant water was dirty but not oily. Radiator was OEM style with the plastic tanks but was a CarQuest brand. Found (3) dormant mud dauber nests fixed to the inflow side. I would be remiss if I didn't go ahead and swap this while I'm in here. Overflow tank was grimy and despite my best efforts I could not clean it up to the state I wanted it. Replaced with new. All hoses look good and there were no leaks.
Installing a full aluminum fleabay 3-row.
Oil cooler appears OEM and looks good. Heavier than I would imagine new pieces are today but electing to reinstall as is.
Last edited by ramahon; Yesterday at 02:39 PM.
With coolant drained I was ready to start digging into the miss the engine has had + the secondary pump cycling more than it should. For the plenum pull, I watched as many YT videos as I could find to familiarize myself with the process. Bought the video reference guide that Haibeck offers and watched that in depth. Overall much much easier than it first appears though I was overkill in reviewing game tap and maybe I just got lucky given how few miles the car has had since being rebuilt. The plenum lifted easily with very minor gasket sticking near the coolant crossover locations. I have a new gasket from Jerry's that I will use to reinstall.
Last edited by ramahon; Yesterday at 07:16 PM.
Phoenix requires emissions for all cars 1966 and newer, however if you secure classic car insurance, emissions are waived. My main purpose for deleting both SMOG and EVAP was to declutter and eliminate failure points. @Dynomite 's write up was helpful in determining what should be pulled and what should be capped.
SMOG - I have removed all soft plumbing, the crossover line running under the engine, the air diverter and the pump. I have't removed the plumbing directly to the stock manifolds. Likely won't touch it for the immediate future.
EVAP - I removed the charcoal canister, solenoid, sensor and all vacuum lines. Capped the two vacuum sources, one on the driver's side plenum and the other on the underbelly of the airhorn (i've read that the locations may change depending on the year of ZR1). Confirmed with Marc that it will not throw a code. For venting I was able to connect to the vent line right by the tank, routing it straight down behind the license plate, similar to the drain tube for the fuel filler neck. I have a breather filter on order that I will install at the end of the line.
Before
After
Last edited by ramahon; Yesterday at 08:37 PM.
If the car had 50K miles, I'd be all about retaining the originality of the design but my intention is to daily drive this beaut for 8+ months out of the year. Secondary pump primes at start and then cycles on/off every 2-4 seconds. Pinpointed the leak to the vacuum canister under the plenum. One of the two nipples on the canister has a obvious epoxy repair that has begun to disintegrate. My options were 1) Buy a used replacement from Jerry's for $40 + Shipping or 2) Do the EZ delete of secondaries with the help of bracket from Marc + send my chip back to update for the delete.
While it is going to be 6x the cost, the joy of removing more brittle vacuum lines and not having to hear that pump will be worth it
. Shipping the chip out tomorrow and will document the delete when I receive the bracket from Marc.
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
To my surprise, the fuel rail came up out of the housing very easily. Car had some Bosch II's that have been with the car since at least 2010. I may end up sending some out for cleaning and testing to reuse in my '89 L98. New injectors have been installed into the fuel rail, all fuel rail seals have been replaced and the primary seals have been replaced as well. Will reinstall once I finalize the work around the secondaries. I have injector connector gaskets on order from Jerry's.
Installing - Fuel Injector Connection, FICZR19092, Delphi Stainless Steel Injector Set 1990 - 1992
Last edited by ramahon; Today at 11:05 AM.













