'92 DRM 600 with "Minor Engine Problems" FS on the Bay

[tccrab]

Originally Posted by Zr1 Destroyer

It prolly just dropped a valve....pull motor out and replace piston and fix the head....hopefully that is all that is wrong with it, but my guess is it's not that bad if he shut it down right away.

A good idea, but my gut feeling is that it's not going to be quite that easy.
Something was moving around under the cam cover enough to bulge and crack it.
At the very least it's gonna need a new head on that side.
I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened under there if a camshaft snapped at 7000+ rpms. No way to know for sure until you go in there and look around.
Also, it's a 385 stoker right?
Doesn't that mean aftermarket rods, liners & pistons?
Don't you have to buy that stuff in "sets"?
Replacing a piston turns into an expensive project.

The owner's asking $17.5k for a car that cost $150k+ by the time all the mods were done.
That little fact alone speaks volumes.

TomC
"Crabs"

[Zr1 Destroyer]

Originally Posted by tccrab

A good idea, but my gut feeling is that it's not going to be quite that easy.
Something was moving around under the cam cover enough to bulge and crack it.
At the very least it's gonna need a new head on that side.
I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened under there if a camshaft snapped at 7000+ rpms. No way to know for sure until you go in there and look around.
Also, it's a 385 stoker right?
Doesn't that mean aftermarket rods, liners & pistons?
Don't you have to buy that stuff in "sets"?
Replacing a piston turns into an expensive project.

The owner's asking $17.5k for a car that cost $150k+ by the time all the mods were done.
That little fact alone speaks volumes.

TomC
"Crabs"

You can buy pistons/rods/liners all seperate...it just costs a little more...no biggie.

New head? As long as the lifter bore(s) are okay I'd say tig up what needs to be fixed and run it! If the end of the cam snapped off it prolly just popped a cam retainer up......weld it and re-tap it. I'd also just fix the bulged/cracked cam cover and run it aswell......it really doesn't sound that bad.

The seat area on the head may be beat up pretty bad, but that can also be fixed.

I hope somebody gets this and puts her back on the road.......prolly not too bad for an Lt5 do it yourselfer!

Auction closed at 5,600. Not looking good.

[Polo-1]

Sure now that the word is out it has a bad head.

1. Head $1500-2300
2. Cams $300-600 regrind of your stocker (hope to match the other side)
3. 4 pistons $900 (je from my price on the 402 project)
4. Gasket kit $1000
5. Porting new head to match $500 +
6. someones time to pull and rebuild/ reinstall ??
7. hope it did not snap a chain or do block damage?? $$$$

[Aurora40]

Originally Posted by Polo-1

Sure now that the word is out it has a bad head.

Presumably if the owner thinks the "word" is overexaggerating the damage, he could set the record straight by fixing it and selling a car that works properly.

[Chris_32212]

i agree... if it sounds too good to be true, IT IS!!! i wouldn't touch a car that wasn't running unless i had a firm and reliable diagnoses on the issue and knew how much the repair costs were going to be. even then i would it would have to be a steal. The owner needs to suck it up and fix it and then sell it as a running ZR-1.

Chris

[Polo-1]

If fixed by someone other than DRM is it still a DRM 600 ?

Thanks for the picture Johnny

[jerrydirks]

Well guys...I am the owner of the broken ZR1 Widow Maker Ser #1. I was not aware of all this gossip until today. I can't believe all the BS in this string of messages. How disappointing for fellow Vette lovers to trash my car with no facts!

Here are the facts on the car. I have ALL the original documents.

Built in 1996 for a total cost of car purchase and mods of $110K.
Widow Maker#001 was built for a NY owner, whose name I will withhold. He was a ZR1 Registry Charter member. Car has window stickers for the early years including the Charter Member sticker.

The entire build was documented in the ZR1 Registry newsletters,November 96 and April 97. Does anyone have copies of these....I have many years which will go with the car including the whole story of this special build.

Vette Doctors did the work in NY. DRM did the engine only.

I have personally confirmed the build sheet signature with Doug, he confirmed it is his sig.

The car was stored, little used from 1997 through October 2007 when I purchased the car in Minneapolis.

We all know the challenges of putting a car back on the road. I have personally invested over $35K in the past year. The engine failure was a heartbreaker for me.

I did remove an aftermarket security system. Not several, everything works great...except the motor. No wiring problems!

I showed the car once this summer, Doug saw the car then. He stated that he put many of the LeMans engine mods in this engine.

The engine failed shifting well under 7K rpms, I was out for a fall color cruise with my wife, not racing or the like.

If I had the cash I would repair the engine. I have found the mechanic that actually turned the wrenches on this engine.

To date I have not put a wrench on the engine. I do not believe the bottom end went at all. But I do not know. No knocks were heard, oil pan is fine. No leaks! Just stopped running. If I had a shop....I definately would be attempting to fix this engine.

This car is real, nice shape and my responses are HONEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to the many of you that posted factual logical messages.

Others, if you are trying to drive down the value of my car......well it is what it is.

Send me a personal message and I will honestly answer all questions.

But please stop the speculation! This was a DRM special build, and believed to be the ONLY documented Widow Maker. Has anyone else seen a documented DRM Widow Maker build sheet? I would be interested to know.

Thanks!
Jerry Dirks

[Chris_32212]

IMHO, Any documentation or work done to this engine is worthless since the motore doesn't run. Paticularly because nobody, including the owner knows the extent of the damage or how much the repairs will cost. so your right, it is what it is - a ZR-1 minus a running engine and nothing more. Im not "trying to drive down the price" of your car. your car is only worth what someone is willing pay and i cant imagine anyone that wouldn't have major reservations about buying a car that didn't run and without knowing the extent of the damage. if you dont have the money to fix the car, perhaps you should at least get a reputable mechanic to diagnose the problem and have them ensure there is no bottom end damage. Once the diagnoses is complete, you wouldn't even have to put it back together since the new buyer would just have to tear it down anyway. You could pull the heads, package them and leave them off the block. Seal the block with tape and sell the car with a firm and reliable diagnoses as to the extent of the engine damage and how much the repair costs should be. Just trying to help...

Chris

[69bb]

I would like to know how many people own Drm 600 cars that were shipped to drm from the dealer? I know that this car is not the first Drm 600.