Looking inside a $10,000 ZR1 Corvette Engine that was Salt Water Flooded and Sat for Months!

[@williamkelley7654]

You do really deserve a win on this one, you paid your dues with some of the gems you've bought. Good luck!

[@Samcrac]

Fingers crossed!

[@dosgos]

The failures are a lot of fun but a big win is exciting for a change.

[@AdamAus85]

Lol. A bunch of pain before a win. Nice

[@riccochet704]

I can't believe the internals looked that clean. Man, you lucked out BIG TIME.

[@ianmontgomery7534]

lucked out or luck in?

[@ryanwilky]

You ruined it.

[@onlysnaps69]

you ruined it .

[@kimgunn1644]

well these days new lube and oils to ? have water stuff stop even rusting to ? work my Dad engine shop 25 yrs ? i would had change engine oil cause of leak ? BUT the trans rear end ? no way ? as clear i seen salt water to ? TRANS GEAR LUBE & REAR END to ! it takes months or years to RUST GEARS ? cause lube sticks like GLUE ???? and that is why it looked so clean so PRETTY ? LOL ? to

[@robbellanton2076]

Hey same I've got a rare 1991 300zx asure blue needs a little work but runs perfectly it needs a guy like you.. I've actually got 3 to pick from if interested

[@WildDigger]

Out of every KZbinr doing flood car rebuilds it is so nice to see one finally draining all fluids and flushing it out before a first start. Way to go Sam. 👍

[@Samcrac]

Glad you liked it!

[@piperpepper6601]

For reeaal huh lol that decision ought to come natural for any person that drives a vehicle

[@phillcc8524]

and all of those "will it start after 37 years " that throw a battery at it and try to start !

[@gman6861]

Great to see Scott / Ratarossa helping out. Super talented guy.

[@valengreymoon5623]

All those internals look incredibly clean, so no reason it shouldn't run and drive.

[@mattg9971]

As a total lay person. Should I consider "run and drive" to mean: itll be 100% again or?

[@valengreymoon5623]

It may never be 100% again, but that remains to be seen, so just have to see what happens. It would be worth a restoration though.

[@mikedemarchelier9090]

I just like how other car KZbinrs are rallying around their recently divorced brothers! YT is rapidly turning into Mensgroup apparently! Mat Armstrong’s GT3 build is also fun to watch and you can see how therapeutic it is for Tavarish to have another dude in the shop with him! Shmee has been making the rounds also … interesting to see UK guys coming to lend support to their American counterparts! Let’s just hope Tyler’s, Ed’s, Alex’s and Doug’s wives don’t start flipping on them, because then we’d have a real situation on our hands here!

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

I agree a car is just a collection of man-made parts, and if they are clean and not corroded and properly lubricated they will be absolutely fine. The problem with flood cars is people just "get them going and sell them..." without taking the care Sam is taking. Someone will get a bargain with this car.

[@WhittyPics]

Just wait for all the electrical gremlins to pop up

[@christopherhamilton5557]

Loving this collaboration! Samcrac and Ratarossa! And of course, “the Corvette From Hell”, the ZR-1! Bring her back to life guys! You got this!

[@mattmiller8720]

Thanks!

[@Samcrac]

Thanks Matt!

[@koreanyoon]

Wow! I would have never purchased a saltwater-flooded vehicle, but I truly hope that all turns out splendidly! The problem with flooded vehicles is not necessarily the mechanical components, but the elecrical components, I do believe. Good Luck, Sam!!!!!

[@chrislindsay5856]

It was awesome to meet you guys yesterday! Keep the awesome videos coming!

[@Matthew_Finn]

You actually met his brother

[@Samcrac]

Thanks! You too!

[@samrodian919]

@@Matthew_Finn he actually wanted to me Samcracs step mom!!

[@jonathanbishop6126]

I hope the Vette lives again! Great video!

[@Samcrac]

I hope so too!

[@alexm9718]

Hey your samcrac im just watching the video. Alex from the uk

[@larryheagren5171]

Sam, you need to invest in a service manual as the procedures give you step by step instructions and keep you from finding surprise fasteners. The C4 is an incredible chassis for it's time. Mine was a Yellow on Black '96 with a 6 speed. I wish I never sold it. Love watching you work on your LT5 ZR1.

[@_BAD_MERC_]

Sam I think you're gonna be fine here. It doesn't appear to have been run after the flood therefore the film strength of the lubricants was never diluted or washed away. With a manual trans you will be fine. I see no rust or corrosion. I am gonna step up and say this is a WINNER!

[@josephhertzberg2734]

Agree

[@neilbrown82]

Maybe depending on how long it sat there I had a friend who bought a former flood car Challenger had to have the 6-speed rebuilt after while they were pitting on the main shaft

[@benruether8294]

Salt water never lets anything steel off easy. I'm blown away with the lack of corrosion. I work on pumps that do saltwater and everything gets eaten up, even ignition coils on the gasoline engines fall apart just being around the mist. You got super lucky. What a great buy!

[@plektosgaming]

He will need a new exhaust, though. Everything from the headers back once it gets dried out and hot, the residual salt will rust it all out in no time. But if all he needs is a new exhaust and cats, that's cheap considering how bad it could be ( and usually is )

[@camarocraig7060]

It takes oxygen for quick corrosion to occur.....I have "reused" an outboard motor that had been submerged for months. Fill with MMO/diesel mix and let it sit

[@gtoger]

Those LT5 engines in the ZR-1 really are something special. I hope it gets the chance to sing again.

[@AllanAdamson]

these are the best videos b/c it gives you insight you may never experience & if you do, now you know something ahead of time

[@bmwbillr]

Well...I had to write a note telling you about the rear diff...and I'm doing it before I've read all the comments or finishing your video...because you appear to be poised to drop the entire thing out to get the bat wing off. I've had a couple off without dropping the complete diff; you can pull the cover while leaving all the other stuff in the car. If you simply intended on inspecting and changing the fluid...it's doable and very easy. Believe it or not...I used a roll around engine hoist, while up on my lift, to help with removing the leaf spring and then holding the diff up while I had the bat wing out. Worked like a charm. Now I'll see what you did. Yup...you took the diff out. If you had removed the spare tire and cover you would have had easy access to all the rear diff cover bolts. Oh...and I did use a spin jack too...to hold the differential housing up.

[@dwyerpe]

The second most expensive thing on that car is the trans. ~4k for a rebuild. You can get lucky and find them used and in working order but most likely a zf6 from a non Z so you would have to swap over the input shaft. The zf6 is the most rare and expensive thing to worry. There wasn’t too much water so you may get lucky. Run amsoil synchromesh (or penzoil or redline) in it, NOT the bmw engine oil that may come up recommended some places or some generic gear oil. It is a stout trans but expensive to fix/replace. It is stronger than almost any t56 and unmatched in the corvettes until the tr6060. When pulling the diff/trans or whatever it’s easiest and best to completely remove the beam (c-beam) that goes between the trans and diff along with the drive shaft. It is actually very easy to get a wrench on top to capture the nut and you can use vice grips to clamp the wrench to the c-beam if needed. To strengthen the beam and make reinstall much easier order or make some beam plates…they have captured nuts that make things easier and then no reason to contort to get a wrench on top. Also, there is actually an alignment/spacing you need to ensure when reinstalling the c-beam. It is measured between the back of the trans and the tunnel (to the side and above). Warning that the c-beam is what is supporting the trans and engine so you must place a support under the trans or engine if unbolting or removing the c-beam. Otherwise you will crunch the firewall and stuff on the back of the motor when it tilts down. Used lt5 motors should be able to be had for much less than 10k…but it looks like you are fine. Best part about C4s is they are relatively cheap and easy to maintain…even considering the trans (which is the most costly to fix)…the lt5 is an anvil and lasts a very very long time. Honestly it looks like you scored big time. 93 lt1 6 speed owner

[@g6et_wrx177]

Well done Sam! This car will run and drive! Gearbox will be fine with a flush. Clutch may give some trouble though as the pressure plate may have fused to the clutch. If so just crank it in second or third in safe place with hand brake on, foot hard on brake pedal and clutch depressed. Or if you can get it moving and running in you field apply the brakes with the clutch depressed. Good luck.

[@glennbranton623]

After Katrina I bought a Mustang 5.0 coupe that had been similarly flooded. Like yours it had water in the engine, trans and diff. My car immediately needed a starter, wiring harness for the battery and starter and a clutch, flywheel and pressure plate. I changed the fluids a few times and started driving it. I ended up having to rebuild the transmission but the engine and diff were perfect for years, so hopefully you have a similar outcome. Take care and Go Gators!

[@TheOldMachines]

Total win on this one, and saving a valuable historic car is always a good thing!

[@daddyjackbryant5838]

There’s little to-no corrosion because the layer of oil over the saltwater prevented oxygen for reaching the metal, no oxygen - no oxidation. You were smart to fill the engine with diesel after you drained all the water and oil. It looks great!

[@Younotus455]

Take it all apart. And clean it well reassemble with new seals. Should be fine. Make sure you flush it many many times 😅 its not just the water its the sand. Particals can be stuck in bearings, in-between any surface to surface area, down in all the wells inside block..

[@thatjeff7550]

Yeesh! Good luck with that. After thinking about it for a bit, I wonder if the salt water in the oil pan pushed the engine oil to the top, thus protected the engine from the corrosive salt water.

[@muskokamike127]

Yeah he said that in one of the earlier videos...when the cylinders were full of oil.

[@willy3sticks647]

I have a 91 and a 94 ZR1 vettes ,I bought both for cheap after hurricane Katrina We took both cars and dumped them in a fresh water pond for a couple days ,it did a amazing job

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

Love the collaboration videos with Scott. You two are kindred spirits who really have a good chemistry together. Makes for entertaining car education.

[@TheHelado36]

Kind of make sense that the lubricants actually protected the components from salt water ! Love your videos and your tenacity is second to none !

[@geraldsmith9540]

I was utterly shocked on how clean the pistons and cylinder walls were when you dropped the oil pan 😱. Looks like soaking it for a week did the trick. I think you’re going to be able to bring this one back from the dead Sam. I love the color of the car too. Can’t wait to hear it run!!! 👍😁🤞

[@Zyworski]

I would check out Mercury Marine for some of those gasket parts, as I understand it they were part of the original engine production so some of their V8 gaskets may be cross-compatible. A marinized version of the engine was rigged into a 24-foot Baja powerboat painted to match the car, towed on a trailer with Corvette wheels and nicknamed the “Wette Vette.”, so it is possible.

[@gtuttle4]

I'm a Corvette guy, so I love these videos on the ZR1! I own a red '69 Corvette convertible.

[@bnelson313braveheart]

Great salvaging the ZR1. One of corvette’s long history of sports cars.

[@geneard639]

Uh. Yeah. In the Navy, we are taught extensively about emergency reclamation which typically occurs after half the ocean has deluged the item(s). It looks good, that's great but.... I am that person... a fresh water flush of the submerged parts would be my minimum. Yeah. For the Air Navy side, where I lived? 55 gallon drum filled with hot fresh water, next is soapy warm water, next two drums are fresh, dunk what you can and flood what you can't. That removes residual salts and any dirt that may be salt enriched. After that apply anticorrosive compound to every surface. Yes it takes time and money, but doing it that way? I've worked on Navy aircraft that were close to 50 years old.

[@irahkondji4471]

I love that you used YamaBond 4 to seal it up! 👍 Can't wait to see it fire up.

[@h5mind373]

Best. Gasket maker. Ever.

[@markchip1]

To my mind, the only safe-ish way of getting a nice cheap flood car - without risking it being a real lemon - is to try and get one you want just as soon after the flood as possible. That way you minimise the level of corrosion, whether it be in mechanical or electrical parts, or even inside the engine itself!

[@carlinshowalter1806]

I think if you really loved your car you would have at least drained it after the water damage.

[@dannyabreu1090]

I was waiting a week since the last cliffhanger 😂😂 you never disappoint hope it’s up and running soon 💪💪

[@jeremiahrobertson3369]

This is one of the only "builds" on youtube I've been looking forward to. Many years back when I wanted to buy a corvette I did a ton of research on the C4 and C5 and discovering the ZR1s existence with a DOHC V8 was the coolest thing ever, although I still love me a pushrod V8. Can't wait to see it running and driving and for that cheap! Now all of us are going to be a little more vigilant when these come up for auction...

[@Ollie2846]

Really enjoyed this one. You might have lucked out on this time. Bonus having the special helper. I always enjoy when he is in town. Cant wait to see how it turns out.

[@danarbuckle6640]

Great show. I wish the oil filter housing gasket was that easy to change on my 2003 BMW 530I E39.

[@RogerM88]

Try to mix some rice powder in the engine oil. Could make wonders...or more probably a mess.

[@Foxfatherracing]

Where could one find some rice? If only someone had 4000 pounds of it. 😆

[@MarkManson14]

Say hi to your step mom for me, love her work 👍

[@Samcrac]

Thank you, I will

[@E.T.GARAGE]

It's looking really good inside, as long as the electronics did not get affected it should start right, all that oil on the diff is probably the oil being blown back from the leaking engine oil pan.

[@alexwilliams451]

Love that little builder bee nest on the diff at the end!

[@realtrucker9213]

Sam, you might want to drain the gas as well, yes the filler is on the top but you also have vents and fuel filters.

[@MichaelBEarl]

I've taken a lot of those differentials apart. That one is fine. The good news on that ZR1 is that so much is aluminum that the salt water probably did much less damage than it would on most cars. I would have changed the axle seals on the diff before putting it back in - salt on those seals ruins them (I live in New England - road salt kills them here). It would probably have been another 30 minutes of work while the unit was out. Those cars have a very strong 6 speed transmission, I would not expect it to have any issues mechanically after it gets new fluid. The engine internally were surprisingly good. The diesel fuel trick seemed to work. Water over the rear diff will have had it above a bunch of sensors. That is probably going to be the biggest problem.

[@willknight1005]

Sam that's a Gem of a car👍 Saltwater is only a issue with air so filling up the engine with diesel is the best way to protect against corrosion 👍

[@2blkSSs]

Everything really looks good!… I’m honestly impressed how clean everything has been. Good luck! I’m rooting for a win on this one

[@jm361]

Dont forget the key for the dash to activate the "full power mode" GM can get it based upon the vin

[@MM_in_Havasu]

Looks good, the oils protected the innards from any salt water corrosion quite nicely! Look forward to seeing it run with fresh fluids in all the cavities!

[@rickbareman2263]

Lucky roll of the dice at the auction,possibly you got a really good deal,good rescue of and old classic vette👍

[@PhilDagostino]

really enjoying this series! we have a 1991 ZR1 in the family and its cool to watch you working on one!

[@davenobleswimmer7235]

Years ago I was a Boat Dealer. I had a person bring an outboard engine into my shop that had a huge hole in the lower unit. He said he ran the engine for 2 weeks in that condition. I think the water acted as gear lube. If he had brought the engine to us right away we could have saved the gears. However the guy left it sitting for several weeks after last using it and the lower gears rusted beyond repair. Therefore with so much water in the various components the lack of air probably saved them from rusting. The only caution is to run the car enough to keep oil circulating through all the bearings. Then plan to change the fluids several more times until you no longer get oil that looks a peanut butter color. Good Luck you might save this one. I am a 1993 ZR-1 owner.

[@towboatjeff]

This looks like it's gonna be a win. The inside of the engine and diff looked great and not having any water get inside the car is a big win.

[@rubyred93chev]

_Removing the entire tire carrier which takes like 10 seconds(okay, about a minute or two) would have made this job so much easier for you Sam relating to the back end of this '91 Chevy Corvette ZR1. That said, you're a decent mechanic, and a great KZbinr. Welcome to the world of the General's halo car(at the time). I'm here for the start up, good luck for sure._

[@rakeshambaliya558]

Ya i can't believe it's so clean there But see for bearing because bearing first thing have little moving part having more friction and because of sea water it will be rough

[@ksteak27]

12:30 - THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!

[@204514602]

Samcrac’s name must come from how addictive his channel is. 3 weeks without a video from him and I’m having serious withdrawals!!

[@Samcrac]

We'll be back this weekend

[@georgewilkins2845]

Not me looking for any sign from samcrac making another KZbin video

[@matthew6202]

That thing is gonna run and drive like new again it is super clean inside the engine!

[@Chuck_in_CT]

I did a saltwater flooded Toyota pickup... Along with water in the transmission. Every sealed bearing was locked up. Clutch release bearing, belt idlers and melted starter and alternator... Good luck

[@davidhimeback9087]

I would say you got to this drive line before it did it damage... That is a win. What saved the engine I would say was lack of air for the salt water to do anything..

[@geomaz35]

ZF-6 transmission gets motor oil grade, not gear oil. Service interval is every 10,000 miles. I use Amsoil Syncromesh. Capacity is 2.2 quarts. Pretty sure you should inspect the clutch, slave cylinder, throw-out bearing, dual mass flywheel, pilot bearing. Good luck!

[@TheDirtyBirchTrails]

I'm not surprised at how clean everything is. I live in northern Canada and we use a lot of salt on our roads here. In order for corrosion to happen, the metal and salty water has to be exposed to quite a bit of air(oxygen) for good rust to happen. Sealed up inside of those components for a few months with only little air vent tubes allowing air in is what saved most of it !

[@mcbobly]

Crazy seeing all that water in all those places but definitely understandable considering it was near submerged in water for a considerable amount of time. I sure hope cleaned up that rear diff and gave it a nice paint job.

[@jacklittle1624]

So… I got a notification last night that Sam put up a video about selling all his projects and “moving on”. I went to watch it this morning and it is now set to private🤔 Is Sam quitting KZbin? Did anyone catch it before he set it to private??

[@juniortrepanier1936]

Hopefully you will have good news about getting it all drained out on time and if so you got a sick car and a steal of a deal best of luck brother

[@otero3rdRD]

Use a tensioner wrench it's long flat and it will fit in the space for the balancer

[@SyrupCanuck]

What a Badass survivor vette. Bring it back to life and restore it. Beautiful car.

[@CarOpieMods]

Thats why i said change all the fluids. Especially the brake fluid since it absorbs water

[@kevinammann5042]

I do hope you can save this zr1. It's a modern classic and fun fact, even though the heads and internals were lt5 specific, the block literally is your standard 4 bolt main 350 engine block. The oil pan design and gasket are different but the basic design of the block is exactly like the l98 and later lt1 v8s. Lotus helped co design that motor and mercury marine put it together. It's a great motor and extremely underrated too. Lpe back in the day had a small group of upgrades that could easily bump it to nearly 500 crank hp with no changes to the cams. Lots of untapped potential.

[@carlinshowalter1806]

LT5,built with pride in Oklahoma!

[@bobolulu7615]

The engine block has not one bit of resemblance to the usual Chevy small block, block. The only thing that is the same is the bore spacing. I have a ZR1, had it for 15 years, do all my own work on it.

[@seanlusk7054]

My dream car🥰. It's so great to see you fixing this up! Love your work!

[@jimjones1505]

Man I need to fly the Ratirosa to LA,to work on my 360..He is the man.. love his channel… and yours ,of course

[@kevinkohrman1367]

Good snag... Surprised on the water in the trans and diff. All looks great. Filler up and let everything cycle and drain.

[@allefley4628]

Sam please dont quit youtube!!!!!!

[@davidtwittey4613]

I can believe that the internals are so clean. Why? I had a boat inboard engine exhaust fail and the water filled the boat virtually up to the cushions before I got to it. The result was the engine and gearbox both suffered salt water ingress. Of course the starter and alternator were bad. One was renewed the other rebuilt. The engine and gearbox were stripped an found to be good!

[@realbogus]

The ZF will be fine. Just use Amsoil synchro mesh gear oil, 10-30. It's a modified engine oil and works great.

[@DachsAutos]

Looks like she'll be a runner if everything else is that clean! Looking forward to my FL trip to see if I can snatch up some of the leftovers.

[@roadwarrior8213]

You should name this Corvette "Cool Ranch" cause it's salty and comes in blue packaging. Also this thing seems like an absolute winner

[@taxmagician]

Sam I'm sorry to say I haven't watched one of your vidoes for awhile, your are looking good Sam, have your been working out? Running? Looking very healthy keep it up, looking forward to the progress on this project. Best wishes for you and yours. Jeff

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

Man I love these flood cars 🚗

[@bryonfaust5243]

It's a wonder you two didn't get hurt. Good luck Sam, I'm really rooting for you on this one

[@woah3107]

WOOOO SAM POSTED

[@lyf6626]

Loving this project so far. This lift came in handy this time 🙌🏽

[@carlinshowalter1806]

The early ZR1 is my dream car.

[@shootnguns6075]

I’m really digging this car and also you getting it back on the road. Can’t wait for the next video and keeping my fingers crossed everything goes good.

[@jake_of_the_jungle9840]

You are crazy. here in upstate ny I’ve seen clean title c4 zr1s go for 10-20k used not flooded. I still enjoy the c4 content

[@dickeyseamus]

Dry interior and the engine looks great! I'd call this one a winner!

[@bklyn7188]

Live in coney island brooklyn ny and when sandy hit i watched a naborhood Mechanic fix Several cars including a Chevy avalanche so it's not impossible

[@carlos-bc5uo]

That lift might be the best purchase you have ever made

[@robertsomerville320]

Awesome video Sam, I am shocked that there was little to no corrosion in the engine and diff. You bought a diamond at zirconia prices! Can't wait to see what you in store next for the ZR-1.

[@doozowings4672]

I love it whenever I see a new samcrac video.

[@my31and37]

Really surprising how clean the crankshaft and diff were. My results after Hurricane Katrina, when tearing down one of my classic cars was not so fortunate. Sand had also made its way into my engine and muncie 4 speed trans besides all the salt water.

[@eurobo1773]

Genius series doing a flood zr1. I’m dying to hear this thing (hopefully) start.

[@jrifda1]

Almost seems to have been fresh water althogh obviously not the case.. Must have been the oil film on the surfaces that offered such good protection, so cool to see it nearing a start and hopefully a drive

[@robinharrison3907]

GREAT WORK AGAIN SAM 👍👍LOOKING GOOD INSIDE TO SAY ITS BEEN IN WATER 👍👍CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU START IT UP 👍👍ALL THE BEST 😊😊

[@dtfr69]

hey buddy on that VATS system get the vehicle running with it connected. then while it is running disconnect it. doing this tells the computer that it has the right key all the time..i say do this because that module is no longer available at all and they short out easily.

[@strengthaxlesystem]

analog era for the win!

[@WoodStoveEnthusiast]

90's cars has just the right amount of computers.

[@ltv..123]

Nice! Good collab too you guys are one of the few I follow……oils are non-polar solvents whereas salts only desolve in polar solvents (like Water)you need to hose everything out with fresh water then oil……..but then again wtf do I know…………

[@jmqwert]

Hey, congrats with the corvette score! And really nice collab, yet again with Ratarossa. Yeah imagine that getting european second hand cars part cheap and fast from UK, even pays his trip back and forth..😊 As always, enjoys the lightheaded yet thoughtfull approach to wrenching cars! If possible, little longer and more frequent upload?

[@riversharp180]

Should used you bucket to your tractor to drain that fuel from the trans pan

[@shannonmcatee9610]

Looks like a lucky go on the internals.... gonna b another sweet ride

[@mitchgordon8199]

Wow, Ratarosa great collaboration.

[@maxwellbolzman7077]

You should do the half shaft seals while you have the differential out