nighthawk355x

Just picked up a 92 Z28 1LE, 305, 5sp, 31k miles, white w/grey interior, hardtop, ac delete, and a factory rollbar?! Not too shabby for $5k.

Just wondering how many they made with cages...and where I can find more production info on the 1LE's. Is there anywhere that breaks down the production numbers by options?

If anyone has ANYTHING they think I'd find relevant by all means share! I know a fair amount about 1LE cars but not nearly as much as I'd like to. For example, is it true they were ALL no ac hardtop cars? I heard somewhere they didn't necessarily come with the bigger front brakes, and that it was determined by wether or not you ordered it with ac. True/false?

Thanks in advance!!

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Why do you say "factory rollbar"? Sure it isn't aftermarket?

Only "factory" rollbar cars I know of were the Firehawks & (maybe) ones that went into SCCA racing. But I'm pretty sure the SCCA ones were prepped by the teams, not the factory.

Got pics?

nighthawk355x

Original owner said he got it like that new. That's the only reason. Maybe I'm mistaken, but I've seen one or two other 1LE's with an identical rollbar. No pics yet, just got it on the road today. Have to get a camera that works.

Drew

iTrader: (58)

1LE means aluminum caliper, twin piston brakes on the front. Unless it was ordered as a B4C (police car) it also means no A/C. There's no such thing as a factory installed roll bar or cage. Having a hard steel bar in a car is a bit of a safety risk unless the driver is strapped in with a 5pt harness and protected by a helmet at all times.

scottmoyer

That would negate the whole purpose of the 1LE. The 1LE was the brakes! In 1992, the B4C was the only way to get the 1LE option with AC. If the car is not a B4C,the 1LE will not have AC.

1991_R7U_1LE

Maybe a bad first post without introducing myself. I havenèt checked out this site for a few years. Anyways, check your RPO codes for R7U - that would indicate the factory installed roll cage (as well as other options such as the sumped and baffled fuel tank). It was likely intended for the Players challenge race series in Canada. Is the speedo in Kilometres or milesÉ

I have one with a cage that would have been installed before delivery as well. Does yours run around the perimeter of the door and have a diagonal and horizontal crossbar behind the drivers seatÉ (sorry for the weird punctuation marks - not sure why its doing this). If so, its more than likely a Players Challenge car (quite rare - do some research).

Also check out https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...e-players.html - this member (Mark_ZZ3) has done a ton of work collecting info on these cars.

nighthawk355x

Thanks for the info!! I couldn't find my RPO sticker in the usual locations so apparently it's been removed...bummer. I found some vin lookup that gives you all your RPO codes, if it's accurate then this isn't an R7U.

The cage is odd. It's a 4pt bolt in, or I guess technically 6pt that has the rear bars going into the rear wheel well. You can see the nuts if you look above the rear wheel. It has 2 smaller bars coming off the front at about a 45 degree angle or so going right to where the lower seat belts mount. It appears to have been in there a long time, as everything looks like it's aged with the car. Even has an SCCA & IROC sticker on one side that look to be fairly old.

Probably not factory. Still a nice cage though.

nighthawk355x

Found this in about 6+ different places...

Apparently the brakes weren't on ALL 1LE cars. Which explains why I've seen a few with ac and with factory Z28 4 wheel disc.

And on a side note...the cage thing still has me confused. Everyone's saying they didn't have cages AT ALL from factory, but in my searches for 92 1LE car's I've seen quite a few cars with the IDENTICAL cage, and each owner claiming it was factory. Damned strange coincidence. Not arguing with anyone, just saying...I'd like to know wtf is up with this.

And when I say exact, I mean EXACT. Setup the same exact way, the rear bars routed to the wheel wells, and the install looks extremely clean & almost too similar to be custom.

Apeiron

ALL 1LE cars had the 1LE brakes, absolutely no exceptions. No 1LE brakes in the front, no 1LE.

Ordering G92 got you the KC4 oil cooler, J65 rear disc brake, and N10 dual cat options. What the quote is trying to say is that if you also ordered the C41 conventional heater (no A/C) option, then that automatically triggered the inclusion of the 1LE option, which DOES give you the heavy-duty front brakes.

1991_R7U_1LE

All of the cages were the exact same (e.g. heavy duty bolts in visible places instead of welds, same cuts in to the dash board and floor and the same edging with the riveted thin sheetmetal painted black). Mine is a è91 - I added some foam around mine béc Ièm kinda tall and if I ever braked hard I would slam my head in to the cage - kinda makes for a narrow viewing area through the windshield too. PM me for some pics if you want.

nighthawk355x

Good to know. The wording of that statement is kind of confusing. More confusing is the people who said they had 1LE cars with normal brakes...damned clones.

So the heavy duty front's are standard equipment on ALL 1LE cars?

91interceptorZ

iTrader: (3)

The rollbars that are called 'factory' are a dealer installed item. The B4C police package cars got them, they are a bolt in 4 point cage. That may be what you have. But do check the rpo codes, that would be sweet to have a r7u car.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Yes.

JamesC

norcalz28

iTrader: (13)

Pics already, I've had a hard on for a while now wanting to see pics of this 1LE!

nighthawk355x

That sounds like my cage, but my car's not a B4C. WTF?! Is there any chance a non-B4C 1LE somehow got one?

I sent a message to 1991_R7U_1LE, since he seems to be the leading expert on the subject, and discovered it ISN'T an R7U car. Doesn't bother me one way or the other, only thing I want to do is figure out why it has a cage. The PO is good friends with the original owner and he said it DID come that way when he got it.

nighthawk355x

LOL, sorry, working on it. Now the weather's gone to hell out here so I have to both find a functioning camera AND clean it.

Apeiron

If the car was ordered for racing, then the cage could have been put in by a dealer, or bought OTC and put in later.

91interceptorZ

iTrader: (3)

agreed, the orginal purchaser could of asked the dealer to put the cage in right there....would be hard to tell without a window sticker if it actually was ordered with one..

Apeiron

Wouldn't the window sticker only show factory-installed items? Cages weren't installed at the factory.

91interceptorZ

iTrader: (3)

well I don't know for sure about the older cars....but when I bought my truck new a couple years ago, It had an upgraded stereo, wheels/tires, bedliner, bugshield, etc. etc. and it DID list it on the window sticker as a dealer upgrade (well the sticker that shows the options of the vehicle with the price) Which I think is printed by each dealer depending on the market the vehicle is sent too.....and my truck window sticker stated each dealer installed item and the price of the upgrade.
so I think that it would show that option if installed by dealer on the price window sticker...but maybe not....newer cars yes, but maybe not back in the day??

nighthawk355x

Just took a quick teaser vid, just a short walkaround. Go easy on it...the car's absolutely filthy after all this insane weather. I'll take good pics after it gets nice and I have a chance to clean/wax it. The car looks incredible when it's clean!! The vid doesn't do the car justice in the slightest so you probably won't be too impressed right now. It's just to give you a basic idea...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzLBSxVK33U

Mark_ZZ3

Rollcages were never DOT approved and would not come in a car sold to the "public". Period.

The only cars I know that came with a cage were in 1986 for the Player's series. They were sold to racers, who had to order the cars, have a racer's license, and be registered in the series. Strangely enough, they also had to drive them on the street ... which makes the whole DOT thing weird ... but hey that was in Canada and the world was different in 1986.

Player's cages were 6 point and had door bars as well as halo bars. A pain to get in and out of the car and you'd hit your head on the bars.

Just be glad you have a cage. They are a neat piece. Inspect it closely and see if you can find some sort of marking on it. I have pics of different cages.

Mark.

nighthawk355x

Few more quick pics, again filthy but whatever. Anything that looks like a scratch is just dirt, the paint is mint.

nighthawk355x

Anyone know if the headers are stock? Sure as hell don't look it.

grassyflats

There are also some other interesting parts about your Z as well
in the pics i notice it has the small rear spoiler with the 3rd brake light
as well as the upper rear 3rd brake light in the rear window
i have never ever seen that factory setup
and also factory headers? whats up with that?
i thought all 91 and 92 Z28s came with the high rise ferrari spoiler
so 1LE means more than only just brakes
and one small correction on everyone's info
not all G92s had rear disc brakes cause at one point they ran out
of those rears and installed drum rears instead
i have the car SPID and buildsheet to prove it
all in all you got one real sweet deal on this car
i paid 9 grand for mine with the same mileage same paint
of course it is a B2L 5.7 with HSR MSD and gray leather
over 20 gs plus the upgrades new

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

All 91/92 Z28s did come with the Hi-rise. He had posted earlier that the original owner replaced it with an earlier spoiler with a 3rd brake light.

grassyflats

sorry I did not see that part
and i thought i read everything on this thread
i read it all again and still did not see that post
i figure he had to do some painting and filling also
to make that spoiler mod clean
he must have put on the headers as well

hey nighthawk when you replace those eagles check out
the new BFGoodrich g-force T/A NT "new tread" and low profile too
$176 a piece at discounttiresdirect.com

Apeiron

Headers never came stock on a thirdgen, only cast manifolds.

edpontiac91

iTrader: (2)

Also in the pictures I noticed that there is a support bar that bolts from the firewall to the strut tower area. It looks beefy with a rubber cover on it? Never saw that bar on any Fbody. There was a small bar that ran from the pass. side hood hinge bracket to the firewall, but even then a lot of Fbodys don't have that piece. I would say that the headers were installed at the dealership and if you could track down where the original owner bought the car, there still may be a paper trail in service to tell you what was done to the car. Also a CARFAX may be helpful. Putting the car back as close to stock will increase its value.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

I see the small rod in the pics, but the only rubber I see that you might be referring might be just that.....Rubber. A hose.

What I find interesting is what appears to be an alternator support bar, that is unattached & just sticking up, doing nothing.

JT

iTrader: (1)

This is both braces that is being talked about:


The one in the background appears on some ThirdGens. I cannot recall what triggered it. I know my 1992 TA Convertible has it. Alex's Firehawk has it:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...n-im000672.jpg

The one in the foreground could appear as a rubber hose, but looking more closely, it does appear to be metal and fastened to the cowl and appears to have a small area of rust/discolor.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

I knew what he was reffering to & my 92 has that thin rod in the corner.

As for the other, I just figured the "rusty" spot was just a water residue or something. Never seen any big metal rods there before.

SCCA version of a STB? With the harness bar in the car, a STB would at least be a logical addition, since it was equipped for road racing at some point in its life.

edpontiac91

iTrader: (2)

Yeah the bar in the foreground has the sun shinning on it, so I thought it had rubber sleeve on it so that it would not have any sharp edges. You can see that it is braced on top of the firewall edge. The other small bar is a NO NAME item. I was able to get mine from HAWK's, but only after I described what it was. The passenger hood bracket has a thumb size outcrop of metal with a hole in it and the bar attaches to a hole in the metal lip on the firewall. There are no pictures in the service manual as to what this does. I have also seen a thumb thickness bar(about 6" long)that attaches to the bottom part of the passenger metal(next to strut)and extends down to the frame with a bolt. Not something you could install without taking out the motor. Again not all LATE MODEL 3rd Gens have this.

TOM-1LE

For a stock '92 comparison, here are a couple pictures of my engine bay. Some things to note/compare:

• My car has the small brace in the corner but not the thicker cowl bar, which is an aftermarket piece.
• Stock manifolds (barely visible) and smog tube setup - different than Nighthawk's car.
• My alternator bracket is connected to the alternator (better fix that, Nighthawk!).
• Black valve covers (my car is a late '92 build).
• Nighthawk's car appears to be missing the airbag notice decal on the airbox as well as the serpentine belt routing sticker on the upper radiator shroud. It also appears to have an aftermarket alarm system.

Those are the only inconsistencies that I notice offhand. Nice ride Nighthawk!

nighthawk355x

Great info everybody!! I appreciate it! Still trying to figure out the cage, i don't beleive it's the same as the one's in the R7U player's cars.

Also...had the car up on the lift tonight and noticed something peculiar. First of all, after removing 2 obviously out of place sticker on the rollbar(don't worry, not the SCCA & IROC, those will stay), I noticed the bar had been engraved with "LECA" on it. Then later on 1 spoke of every wheel, same thing. WTF is that?!

This car is an enigma!!!

And to the carfax thing, I checked it before I bought the car, everything was stellar. I'll leave a lot of things alone but I'm definatelty not leaving the car 100% stock. I won't cut it up or rig anything but I figure anything that wasn't part of the 1LE package can & may be modified at some point. I'd like Corbeau racing seats, a grant steering wheel, and an a-pillar pod. Otherwise the interior will stay stock. Performance wise I'll do HSR, ORY, ud pulleys, ported TB, and just about every other bolt-on, then have a chip made. Drivetrain wise I may do LCA's, panhard, tq arm & relocation, then build the T5, get a TA rear girdle, then I'm done.

My catch is for the most part I won't do anything to the car that can't be reversed easily. I even bought a spare a-pillar to mount a pod to. I don't trust the factory gauges in the slightest so i wanted a few autometers. I'll be wiring them in so the wires and everything will just unplug, should I ever want to return it to stock & sell it.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (15)

it sure looks like a metal brace to me too. Never seen that before

nighthawk355x

I have to check these tires out. And yea i think the original owner bought a whole deck lid with the older style spoiler already attached. I'd love to find the original but I think I know why he did it. Just a theory. With the cage the upper 1/3 of your rear view visibility is gone, add the Aero wing to that equation and you might as well paint the rear window.

As for that alternator bracket I was trying to figure that one out myself...it's just THERE.

nighthawk355x

It has that brace on both sides, and a diagonal on the passenger side lower down going from the strut tower to the radiator support i beleive.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (15)

dont see the other upper brace on the driverside int he pics?

there is usually a small brace form the side of the strut tower to the frame rail, haven't seen one to the radiator support

nighthawk355x

Sorry, not the exact same brace. I meant similar. I circled it, you can't make it out well though. I wonder if the car was actually owned by a race team before it was sold to the "1st owner". Definately an intriguing car either way...still has me going. Also has subframe connectors that I originally assumed to be part of the 1LE package. I guess they were added too?

grassyflats

you can read some exact info @
camarosource.ca on 1991 92 Camaros

I have a HSR -there are newer designs out there
and that last bolt on mod you plan costs $4000
the supercharger dude
check out Dan's 92 Z28 @
rogerscorvette.com in Orlando
he has 60 grand in it and can't sell it for even 25 gs

and those tires I am going to mount on Ronal Firehawks
Dan has them on his Z powdercoated white
with custom caps and with Kumhos
mine are silver and brand new so I like the silver
and do not plan on powdercoating cause these wheels are
discontinued and typically unavailable except occasionally here on 3rdgen

I will run 275/45/ZR17s BFG g-force T/A NT
the NT is really important cause they still also come
with the classic tread which does not have the low profile
round edges and discounttiresdirect.com has them but not on a list
so go to BFG to see them

nighthawk355x

I officially hate you now.

God i want those wheels so bad!!! Just don't want to pay $1500 for them. I can't for the life of me understand why no one will make replicas. They'd make a killing!!

edpontiac91

iTrader: (2)

Even the Canadian Players Series 1LE did NOT have subframe connectors. Someone put some really nice stuff into this car. It really would be worth your while to find a paper trail from the dealer that sold it to see what was added and to try to talk to the original owner.

grassyflats

yeah I first thought you really hate me for mounting those tires
on these rims ha! but now i see what you mean

I have been looking at all tires available in this size
and have had some suggestions
but these are the nicest for the price $176

I am not certain how they would look on stock rims
pretty good I guess but they seem to fit better on other wheels

now you are really gonna hate me
I got these wheels for the original price ...one grand
and they still have never seen rubber

-they are from the final batch Ronal did after
they stopped making them the first time
and right after I got back pickin 'em up
I got another set for $1500
but never bought them because the guy backed out of his deal
I bitched a bit about the tires he had on them-ancient GY GSCs
the rims were worth $1250 and another $250 for old rubber
was not too bad considering he wanted $1900
I really didnt give a hoot- I have a set
besides his were from the first batch without OE spacers etc

there is a set in chrome-yuck
posted for sale here on 3rdgen search Ronal
but it took the guy a year and a half to post pics
and still has not listed a price besides
they are not original chrome and not a good job
he said they peeled in a few spots

Hawks has three out of a set of for but they are really expensive
I asked J what the hell am I gonna do with only three wheels for $1200
plus shipping -they are in original non powdercoated silver like mine
originally 899 plus 120 shipping add 400 bucks for powdercoat in
white black and red-yuck
one shop around here will do it for 200 bucks
but since they are extremely rare I will not take any chances with them
gotta watch them curbs!

yer Z looks just like mine arctic white
I have the stock hi rise spoiler of course

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

That alt has a large pulley on it.. def not factory size. = underdrive pulleys! Id bet it has a smaller crank pulley also..
SLP headers and catback.. nice!

Those bay braces or very interesting. Judging by the paint Im wondering if they are very early Kenny Brown parts.

cool car none the less!

nighthawk355x

You can tell that from the pics?! Because that was going to be my next question. I don't know what headers they are and i'm curious. There's no badging or anything on them.

nighthawk355x

Any ideas on this? I've tried to search it every way possible and got bupkis.

87 player bird

Looks like it was a road race car at somepoint in it's life. That extra bar would be for body flex in the corners. Looks like it was lightly modded to run tighter when it was being driven hard. Maybe scca, but probably a local guy who liked to run the track. I know of an 89 ta/ 1le that is for sale, to modded to restore (shame as 1 of 19) It was an old firehawk series car, but almost identical cage to the players cars.

Rumblin70SS

Did anyone ever figure out the brand of header? I have a similar set w/o the air tubes.

I'd say thats a screamin deal for 5k!

nighthawk355x

How do your headers meet at the flange that bolts to the y-pipe? Mine is strange. All 4 tubes go into 2 seperated tubes at the flange, and even the flange itself isn't a typical design. I have a feeling if I never find out what brand they are I'll never be able to get a ORY or anything. Never saw any like that.