1994 C4 CORVETTE ZR-1 MODS AND REPAIRS PART 1

[@WarriorsPhoto]

Basic maintenance. Best place to start sir. See you in the next one.

[@danielbennett5283]

I like the quality of your camera and the effort you go through to get good camera angles. Nice video and cool car.

[@ReynoldsRides]

Thanks!

[@snafu4696]

It’s such a shame that these elegant machines received the bare minimum in care. So many C4s are poorly neglected and that unfairly contributes to their reputation. At least that keeps them cheap. These are really nice cars when they’re loved. You sir have a real gem.

[@LSxMotorsports2021]

Those are not tires they are steam rollers on the back.Always loved those wheels on those ZR1s.Awesome car man going to enjoy all the future videos on this car.

[@luisbalderrama8145]

Its genuinely astonishing how much of a difference an alignment makes on the C4. A few tenths of a degree in the wrong direction will make the car very twitchy on the fwy. Once its set tho, it drive so much better. Keep up the great content! -Luis

[@Z06RFan]

I worked in the tire business for 4+ years. Corvettes are one of the cars out there that require a "specialty alignment" just more adjustments. Your alignment is fine those measurements get down to splitting hairs, most systems are setup to make sure you are getting good tire wear. Where one can take it to the next level is changing the setup for track use. I would try and order a new filler plug to replace the bad one. Maybe look at your hoses, brake, coolant, and so on. On your brakes probably good to do a complete flush and fill. I think I saw amsoil products in the background they make a great Dot 4. and there are great aftermarket choices now to upgrade your brake system.

[@NightRunner_K5]

The tires on the 85 i bought in late April, had tires from 2011, grabbed a set of 90 model wheels and spacers off ecklers, and a new set of 275's for the wheels, i couldn't be happier with the result, now i just need some coilovers.

[@racer3212]

I just replace all 4 of my tires. The ones I had are from 92’ and 95’ and still had a ton of tread. Just started to split in between treads. Guys at the tire shop had the tire rotation correct but had the rims backwards. I made them fix it before I left. ZR1 is definitely car on my get list.

[@spryfry9367]

NITTO tires seem to be great ones. Im getting those on my 93, same color too! Just picked it up 2 weeks ago

[@ReynoldsRides]

Nice! Enjoy.

[@davedavis775]

Marc recommends Amsoil AMO 10W40 as the best oil for the LT5. It has higher levels of Zinc and Phosphorus than Mobile 1. The LT5 with its flat tappets and 4 cams needs the higher ZDDP package for anti wear. 10W40 won't hurt your engine at all. Marc built the engine in my car and it's what he used . The previous owner had Marc do one of his full engine porting 510 packages at 39 k miles. It made 528 h.p. with the stock cubic inches. The wheel sensors are no longer available from GM. Good working used ones go for a premium. I ended up removing them from my first ZR1 as one kept throwing a fault code. When changing the oil and filter do it after the car has set over night. You won't ever have issues with oil from the filter. Always use a 6 sided socket on the oil drain plug. Don't over tighten the oil plug and use a new gasket if possible. My son was constantly over tightening the oil drain plug on his LS equipped 98 Trans Am. Then he would strip the plug with a 12 sided socket. Pickup a few extra ZF S6-40 transmission plugs. Marc also uses Amsoil for the ZF. We use to get factory fill from BMW but it's changed over the years. Amsoil synchromesh is a great choice. For ZF parts and service check out www.zfdoc.com . Bill knows these transmissions really well and even blue prints them for racing. He has the beam plates and short throw shifters as well.

[@ReynoldsRides]

What year is your Z?

[@dougcoleburn1579]

Have a friend or spouse push the pedal to bleed / fresh fluid flush of the brakes. Made such a difference in my 95. Very nice ZR1

[@ReynoldsRides]

👍👊

[@talktolukek]

Love your ZR1 been my dream car since I was a young lad. Good luck bringing her back.

[@JohnMartin-uk6bi]

Jeff, as I commented on Instagram, I hadn’t attempted to remove the fill plug on my 91 ZR-1, I did so right after. Came out easy as hell. Perhaps you should use my method. Remove the plug while the transmission is out for a clutch replacement. Lol. Great video. I’m amazed at higher mileage that your intake finish is in good shape. I have 32k on mine, and my finish isn’t that clean. Could be I only have 375 Horsepower.

[@E.T.GARAGE]

Good job getting fresh tires, dont let that fill plug get you down.

[@monteman59]

Looks like the caster is off on the left front wheel, it can be changed by shifting the shims , but if it drives straight I would leave it , it doesn’t wear tires , I have done alignments for 44 years, nice Vette

[@ReynoldsRides]

Thanks Pete!

[@pstreetgarage7304]

Nice job. Car is looking better all the time.

[@wernerdanler2742]

Because that Trans filler plug is in such a bad spot, I imagine previous servicers have been careless about putting that alen in square and then rounding it out. You're doing the kind of maintenance that gets neglected on so many cars and then people wonder why they quit running right.

[@houseofno]

For viewing in tight spaces, put your smartphone on video record and slip your phone into the tight space. You can also duct tape it to a coat hanger and work it into a narrow crevice then pull it out and view the video. Alternatively, buy an endoscopic camera with remote smartphone capability and LED lighting for illumination in dark places (they're not that expensive). This will make it easier to view areas in tight spaces. Hope this helps. Usually drainpan plugs require a specific size or sometimes a special drainplug socket.

[@ReynoldsRides]

Great thoughts for filming in tight spaces. The fill and drain plugs in the ZF 6 speed transmission take a 17mm hex socket, which is what I was using.

[@houseofno]

@@ReynoldsRides i own a 1988 750iL with the V12 engine. It must have been installed by some really tiny technicians because there are places on that engine that are nearly impossible to reach. Sparkplug #12 is just a few inches from the firewall. The engine in the engine bay is essentially a ten pound load stuffed into a five pound bag. Only Audi is scarier when it comes to packed engine bays.

[@livefreeordie9519]

Interesting content as always. The first go at repairs is always an adventure. Keep it up, Jeff! 😎👍

[@ReynoldsRides]

Thanks!

[@thomasfarley6052]

Really a great video i enjoyed it very much and what a car corvette power

[@CallforthePriest]

Dude always love your vids!!!!!!!

[@ReynoldsRides]

Thanks man.🙂

[@marke8572]

Nice work. Keep 'em coming. Looking forward to an update on the Cobra too. I bought a 91 ZR1 six years ago. Only issue I have is a small oil leak. It looks like the rear main seal. Curious if you have the same issue with yours and how involved that will be to fix.

[@ReynoldsRides]

I think I have a couple of leaks going on but haven’t pinpointed the source yet.

[@93RubyZR-1]

There are a lot of good stuff here -- thanks! I'd like to know what kind of tires you bought -- brand/model and what the actual width of the rears are -- knowing that not all tires are the same width even though they may identified as the same size.

[@MrZdvy]

I found the light bulbs for the third brake light at a big hardware store.

[@hasbeengood]

Shims are definately the way to go. The alignement shop should carry them! The chassis is infinately adjustable by the shims, camber, castor, name it. If you get them, make sure you have many thicknesses. Good luck. What fluid are you using in the transmission? I personally went with the Amsoil synchromesh. Good stuff. Vette forum approved! Specially made for transmissions. No fancy 10W60 motor oil that you need to add syncro stuff. As for the engine oil, I don't question the "guru" but isn't high mileage oil supposed to swell the seals and everything so that when you revert to "regular mileage oil" it burns some? I'd have a worry there. But hey, he'"s a guru! :-) Nice to see this beauty get the attention it deserves.

[@ReynoldsRides]

I went with the Amsoil synchromesh as well. Seems to be good stuff. I can tell a difference. I also used Amsoil in the diff. Here is Marc’s article on oil in the LT5: www.zr1specialist.com/HAT%20Web/articles/Selecting%20the%20Correct%20Motor%20Oil%20for%20the%20LT5%20Engine.pdf.

[@hasbeengood]

@@ReynoldsRides OK thanks for the reference. I"m still worried about the "high mileage" label and what it is supposed to do to seals and other of the likes. Maybe the Amsoil would get me to sleep better at night! :-) Let us know how you do on the alignement with the proper shims.

[@Michael_Lorenson]

The car has a lot of miles, and hardened old seals. That's what HM oil is for, so you just keep using it from that point forward. There is no downside.

[@EthanCommins888]

Buy a one person brake bleeder bottle or Russle speed bleeders for the calipers to make flushing the brakes and clutch very easy.

[@nomakewan]

Bleeding the clutch on these cars is not easy due to the position of the bleed valve on the slave cylinder. The easiest method on the ZF6 is reverse bleeding with a Phoenix or Mityvac. If you try to bleed traditionally it’ll take forever and a day to get all the air out since the bleeder valve is the lowest point in the system.

[@jukeboxzero1]

Stumbled on your channel about a week ago and binge watched most of your videos. Enjoyed them and have subscribed. I still have the '90 5.7L TA i bought new 31 years ago. My second set of tires (Goodyear GSCs) lasted 18 years and still had good tread before i replaced them. I'm sure they went back on someone's wheels. Can you recommend one (or more) performance/tuning shops in northern Utah that work on 3rd gen F bodies? Thanks.

[@ReynoldsRides]

Thanks! Glad you like the channel. I recommend Premier Performance in Midvale. They do a good job and know their stuff.

[@HoffmansHoopties]

Too little too late - had the tire sensors all removed from my 96 Grand Sport and the error light never turned back on. Awesome buy!

[@ReynoldsRides]

Interesting. I’ve read that the light will stay off if you remove the sensors on like ‘90-‘92 model years but it stays on if you remove the sensors on ‘93-‘96 model years. Glad the light stayed off for you.

[@45auto82]

Nice! Always loved the C4 ZR1’s! I may have missed it, but would you mind staying what you paid and when you bought? Thinking of getting my own Corvette project car and the C4’s and especially ZR1’s are calling me!

[@ZBrink11]

Where are you located? For an alignment, would suggest taking it to a tuner shop that does alignments. They are generally much better at it and worth the cost. In the DC area its about $200 and totally wprth it, especially after installing $1k in tires.

[@hendo337]

I would have hammered the allen head into that filler or tacked something to it the you could get a wrench on to after I got a new one that wasn't buggered up.

[@EthanCommins888]

Shims for the alignment could be used to compensate for worn suspension bushings. Nothing wrong with that.

[@ReynoldsRides]

Makes sense.

[@MT-vg2yj]

You might be able to refill the trans from the top if you remove the shifter? I’ve done this with other cars. Just a suggestion

[@One_Shot_Garage]

That won't work on the ZF6 unfortunately. It has a remote shifter assembly mounted towards the rear of the transmission that is it's own self contained unit.

[@MT-vg2yj]

@@One_Shot_Garage Ah. Not cool. Yeah I was referring to ones like a T5 or T45. That sucks

[@andrewmaclean6144]

Wow thats almost 1MILLION miles

[@southpawacquisitions6667]

I would never take my vette to a alignment shop that doesn’t have basic shims. And tell you to bring in some and we will do it. They aren’t for me. Now the person that wrestled those plugs out for you is definitely my kind of MacGyver

[@svhshshs7567]

Did you let car warm up before you drained the oil / I'd add a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil to the engine oil it'll break up any sludge inside the engine you can run it till next oil change but won't hurt it it's not harsh like an engine flush

[@ReynoldsRides]

It ran for a few minutes while I moved it to the middle of the garage so, yes, I would say it was warm.

[@charlesflanders3734]

hey are you finding gaskets for this?

[@ReynoldsRides]

What kind of gaskets? Jerry’s Gaskets is a common go to website for ZR-1 stuff.

[@charlesflanders3734]

@@ReynoldsRides redline motorsports in Florida cuts them per order. good dude.

[@gillesst-pierre5705]

what happen with that #8 spark plug?

[@ReynoldsRides]

I’m going to replace all of the spark plugs soon and will try and figure out what is going on. I’ll use a borescope to look down into the hole.

[@Michael_Lorenson]

That is easily the scariest issue in this car. There is no harmless reason why a plug should be that far out, but still feel tight. If it's not cross-threaded, I will be amazed. Then the question is whether the threads can be repaired without removing the cylinder head. Seems unlikely to me, but maybe there is a way. The concern is that metal shavings would get into the cylinder.

[@ttspeedster8930]

😎💯👍🏾🔥

[@bartdaw6681]

It will be interesting to see if the Nito tires flat spot. I have Goodrich G Force tires on my Corvette and I drive the car on the weekends and the tires flat spot, it is really annoying.

[@dougcoleburn1579]

I have Nittos on two of my cars. No flat spots from sitting even at a few weeks.

[@bartdaw6681]

@@dougcoleburn1579 I might get other tires and I am thinking Nito will be a good bet.

[@hendo337]

I was under the impression those took 12qts of oil.

[@CaseTheCorvetteMan]

The tyre pressure sensor locations makes no difference. The car won't know where they are. Further, you can open the sensor up and change the jumpers to make it a different corner, so any spare sensor can be adapted to work. To test them, turn key to on, then hold the sensor in your fist, thump the sensor up and down against your other hand for a minute or so, if it sets the low tyre light then the sensor is good.

[@ReynoldsRides]

🤔 You sure? These particular sensors are color coded and designated for specific corners.

[@CaseTheCorvetteMan]

@@ReynoldsRides I am certain, been working on C4s close to 3 decades. I know they are colour coded for each corner, but internally they are all identical, and their location is set using jumpers. You an set those jumpers so the colour coding becomes irrelevant, as long as the 4 sensors on the car are set to 4 different jumper settings. It s quite often just the solder joints that crack, in that case re-soldering them repairs them. Careful with the plastic shell!!

[@CaseTheCorvetteMan]

@@ReynoldsRides There is a chart for jumper settings online somewhere, can't remember where i saw it now but if you google C4 LTPWS repair you should find all the info.

[@CaseTheCorvetteMan]

@@ReynoldsRides the only purpose the colour coded designation serves is for workshop service and ease of replacement, the system can display fault codes and tell you which sensor is faulty, which will be the only good reason to have them on the correct wheels.

[@joenobody2580]

Fk it weld that allen to the fill plug

[@ReynoldsRides]

😉

[@bankerdogloveshoribos8337]

Title is misleading. You completed no “mods”. This is the only reason I viewed this clickbait.

[@ReynoldsRides]

😱

[@bankerdogloveshoribos8337]

@@ReynoldsRides unlike.

[@ReynoldsRides]

The series is called “Mods and Repairs.” As in, throughout the series I will do mods and repairs. Some videos will have mods, some videos will have repairs. Some videos will have both. The privacy cover retainers that I installed in this video are a mod since they are modified/improved/not stock. I understand that it’s a minor mod but, in my book, it’s a mod. Don’t say something is not a mod just because it doesn’t meet your definition or it is not what you expected.

[@bankerdogloveshoribos8337]

@@ReynoldsRides I’m not hear to slam your work. I just was hoping like...air induction. Something more substantial. Your car is awesome. I’m not into Corvettes. But the ZR1. Spectacular. Keep doing you!