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2009 Corvette ZR-1 Article |
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2009 Corvette ZR-1 Article |
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The Texas Classic Car Show (TCCS) is a charity event that
is 100% dedicated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of
Central and South Texas.
Jason Carter's 2009 Corvette ZR-1 is registered as a Wishmaker at the 2008 Texas Classic Car Show.
See article below and come to the show to see the ZR-1:
I arrived at the Bowling Green plant at 6:45am today (8/20/08) and met with my personal tour guide, Barry Smith, who is a retired plant employee of 27+ years. He gave me a very informative and technical tour of the entire plant. I was told that I was the first ZR1 owner to do the buyer's tour. At about 9:30am we went to find my ZR1 (#49). We found it going into the trim stage. At that stage the car is just a frame with a floor pan. At the trim stage all the back quarter panels were put on then the rear fascia followed by carpet, doors, back glass, windshield, console, door pads, radiator, coolers, steering wheel, and front shocks. That took about four hours. Next we went to find the engine. We found an LS9 with my job # on it. I got to follow the engine as they were bolting up parts to it all the way to where it was bolted up to the chassis. They let me personally stamp the VIN onto the engine block. Over in the suspension area we located my components as they were being assembled into a chassis. They let me sign and date some of my parts that will be visible underneath the vehicle. I also got to sign my name on the inside of the door striker as well. We finished the day where the engine was mated to the chassis which was the torque tube and driveline. The assembly plant closed down for the day at 2:42pm. Tomorrow (8/21/08) we will pick it back up at 6:12am and follow the car to where the frame/body is mated to the chassis. One thing I have to mention, I had an absolutely wonderful experience meeting every person that assembled something on my car. They were very happy to meet the owner of the car they were building it for and every one of them thanked me for buying the vehicle, you can tell they love their job and take great pride in what they do. I highly encourage any potential corvette owner to purchase the buyer's tour, not the standard buyer's tour, but the "trim on" buyer's tour. You will see and learn so much more. You have to request this over the phone with Lori at the Corvette Museum. It's $500 instead of the standard $350. It's worth every penny.
At 6am we joined back up with my car right where the line stopped the previous day at 2:42pm, which was when the LS9 engine was mated to the chassis. At 6:12am the bell rings and the line starts up. Off we go at a snail's pace following my engine and chassis. Not much was going to go on with it anymore until it married up with the frame/body. So we decided to go find the car. When we found it, it was meeting up with the engine chassis for marriage. That went in very smooth. Next they hooked up the wiring harness and all that other good stuff. Then the crossover exhaust pipes were installed. Following that, they did a static test of the entire electrical system. The fenders and hood where to follow. I was always wondering what was up with the skull on the air snorkel connected to the air cleaner and throttle body. I was told that the skull has a name, his name is Jake. And it is carried over from the C6R. Very interesting. They let me install the corvette emblems, very cool. The last thing to go on were the wheels and tires. Man those shoes are big. 335's in the rear. After that the car's fluids where injected and the supercharger's after cooler was purged of air and filled with coolant. Finally, I was invited to start the car and give life to the LS9 for the first time. What an experience, it reminded me of the day, 9 months ago, when my son was born. So cool, so cool. The car then entered the final inspection area. The paint inspectors checked it over and did some buffing in some areas and then was ok'd. And then for a second time, I got to start the car at the end of the line and rev the engine and let the mufflers open up to wide open. It sure did good to hear that engine rev up to 6000 rpms and watch the 20+ people on the normal plant tour watch and drool from a distance. I was handed an official birth certificate of the car too. The car rolled off and went to the "roll box". The car is hooked up to a computer and run up to 85mph. Unfortunately my car did not pass the test. It had a "reverse lockout solenoid" error. What happened is someone forgot to plug the wire in all the way on the tranny. That got fixed right away. The car was fired up again and I got into the passenger's side and I was taken outside, where I was told that I was not supposed to be in the car outside. However, the driver obliged to show me the mighty power of the LS9. We did two long burn outs in the parking lot behind the building. That was amazing. Then we took the car in to run the final test again on the roll box. It passed! One thing I did notice is all the ZR1s that were in front of my car failed the test for some reasons. I did notice the serial numbers on the cars. So if you have one below #49, contact me and I might know what's up with our car. I do know now why the ZR1 weighs more that the Z06. The power steering pump on ZR1 weighs 25lbs compared to the 5lb pump for the Z06. The half shafts are also very much larger and heavier as well. Also the torsion bars are considerably larger too. I hope you enjoyed my experience through my writings and my eyes. Again I highly recommend the "trim-on" tour.
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