Andrew Bayley

Let's just hope this isn't the infamous Michigan Z car woman curse. Here are my tips on enjoying the bar scene a little more drawn from my own personal experiences going through exactly what you previously described: 1) Liquid Dance Enhancer (alcohol). The more you drink, the better you dance (or so you think). If alcohol isn’t your poison, Mtn. Dew works wonders as well (make take twice the dosage though…) 2) Since you are going to bar, no need to smell like one. Leave the jackets in the car. I know exactly how cold it can get, but it's the small price to pay for not having to worry about it. 3) Don't be a baby sitter! Everyone at the bar is an adult, make them accountable. If you leave the table after everyone else has left them, they must not have wanted the table that badly. If they also decide to leave their coats their, again... it was their own choice to do so. 4) If a drunk person at a bar is going to fight, it will be over before you know it began. 90% of the altercations I've seen come from people's "beer muscles" speaking out. The only knock down fights I've ever seen, were over before the two parties even said a word to each other. 5) A bar / club is a place to go for a good time. If your in a crappy mood, your not going to enjoy yourself. It sounds obvious, but it took me forever to figure this out. I had to stop caring about what music they played, the type of people there, the smoky air, etc. If I decided to go there, it was up to me to enjoy myself (sounds hokey, but true). I feel really sorry for you. This road of yours sounds WAY too familiar. I can't help but feel like I shouldn't have copied you on that e-mail a few weeks ago But schit happens and life goes on. Let me know if you need a place to crash in the city. -Andy

I feel your pain Dan! I just closed on my new place a few weeks back... all while going through the very ugly "D" word. The single most stressful time in my life. Thank god I have a Job I can go to to forget my worries. I also got a few more e-mail with quarter mile times update. I'm shock, and somewhat honored, that people still remember that little sight I put together. If anybody wants to take it over for me, please feel free to drop me a line. Counting down the days until it's warm enough to pull the old girl out of storage. I finally got a decent garage to work out of... it only took me three years to get!!! You haven't heard that last of me!!! -Andy

Curtis, Low 12's / High 11's will not destroy an R200. What may potentially break are the half shafts. I've run a handful of 1.60 sixty foot times with 275/50/15 BFG Drag Radials on OEM U-jointed half shafts. The key point to consider is the U-joint angles. If running stock, or lowering springs; the half shafts will be more prone to breaking under heavy loads. A U-joint does not have the "Constant Velocity" that a CV joint has. What this means, is that the further the u-joint is angled, the more velocity differential it experiences. I'm a believer that a U-joint can be stronger than a CV axle. However, keeping the U-joint flat is a problem unto itself. Good luck! -Andy

Jeesh, I still feel like a "new comer" around here. Back in 1994, my friend turned me onto the IZCC mailing list (Internet Z Car Club). I think that was the first place I saw Pete Paraska's name. After I graduated college, I left the IZCC for it's lack of good technical V8Z information. Doug Miller (IdahoZ Car on this site... I think) was the only person I ever paid any attention to. I later stumbled onto this site from an internet search. Life has never been the same since. Anyone else remember the day this site actually registered the name "HybridZ.org" and ditched the old IP address site? -Andy

I did some further investigation... and I'm starting to think that my dumb ass used anti-seize instead of Loc-Tite. Hey, they both come in similar looking containers and they all had dirt and grease smeared over them. But still, I had lock washers on both sides of all the bolts and everything was torqued down to at least 80 ft*lbs. I am suspecious that my welded differential didn't help things out either. There is a lot more stress oin those stub axle's in slow turns then there ever was before. Scotty, if you want to give my adapters a try... go for it! I can even throw in the CV's if you want. The passenger side needs a new backing plate, spring and loc ball... but besides that it looks perfect. I'm just sick of phucking around with it. There is a difference between wanting to work on a car... and having to work on a car. I feel like I'm busting my ass just to get the Z up to the level it once was before. I'm still trying though, and if I recall Lapeer stays open until Thanksgiving!!! Also, do you (Scotty) have any extra half shaft to stub axle bolts? I had to shorten mine for the CV adapters and they will no longer work with the U-Joint shafts. -Andy

It was the Z's axle... I drove it up to my cottege on Labor day weekend (82 miles) without any problems at all. On Sunday, my Dad wasn't feeling good and decided to go home. Since I planned on using his truck to pull the boat into town, he drove my Z home. He made it home without incident. When I got to his place, I made it one block away before the final bolt let loose and tore everything to schit! I loc-tightened those son's of mother f#%kers too! I have given up completely on CV's in the Z. I will be switching to the old stand by U-joint shafts whenever I feel like working on that P.O.S. again. Also, I'm working on the Times Page updates as we speak. -Andy

Hey Scotty, Saw you driving Eastbound on I-69 yesterday. Must have been coming back from the West side. An old friend of mine built up a 92 AWD Plymouth Laser (only year for AWD turbo Laser I'm told) than ran mid 12's. It was actually a pretty simple setup. The biggest improvement was the turbo. He had the 16G turbine with a 20G compressor... similar to a T3/4 hybrid setup. From there, he added a full three inch exhaust from the turbo back with one muffler. The biggest restriction on these motors are the O^2 elbows that come off the turbo's. A good way to determine if someone is serious... is too look for an aftermarket O^2 elbow. Most all of the large downpipes have the O^2 elbow integrated into the pipe. Next, he installed a larger intercooler, but opted for the fenderwell location instead of a front mount ($$$$). Finally, he ran the APEXi fuel controller with a Blitz boost controller. Running 15 - 16 psi, he ran off numerous 12.5 second runs. Pretty conservative launch as well. He was only turning 1.8 sixty footers. He was worried about his S-T-O-C-K clutch giving out and didn't want to launch it too hard. Last I heard, he was looking into building up the drive train to handle full launches. I believe he was shooting for high 11's with this setup. The greatest thing about this car, was the fact that it looked BOX stock with the exception of the three inch pipe coming out back. -Andy P.S. CV axle let loose on my car and wiped out about everything attached to the rear passenger A-arm. To say I'm discouraged is an understatement.

For those who haven't seen it, here is a link to a picture of the "Hulk" (a name my father first coined): HULK Picture Also, you can still see the car number written on the windshield from it's last drag strip outing.

Thanks for the story Rick, Now I know why that car had such an appetite for early model Trans Am's! The first time I ever raced anybody on the street with the "Hulk" was just after I freshened up the motor (0.040" over, new cam, looser converter, yadda yadda yadda). I was the first or second year of the dream cruise and everyone was out in Pontiac "pre-cruising". Well, I lined up against a brand new (back then) C4 convertible Vette. Two you kids (much like myself... at the time) were all excited that finally found someone "dumb" enough to race them. At the time, the "Hulk" still brandished Rick's "custom" bodywork. Well, after the light turned green, I immediately pulled two cars on them then slowly started to walk even further away. I was pumped, they were pissed. Got my very first, of many, angry looks from a race victim. They wouldn't even talk to me when I tried to get them to pull over and talk. I guess their Dad's prediction of his Vette being a 9 second car was a little inflated. The next time I raced it was at Mid Michigan Motorplex after I redid the body ($50 in spray cans). My very first run was a 13.9 at 99 mph. My best of the day was a 13.6 at 101 mph. Thanks for the story. I’ve been getting more and more hyped up about driving my Z again. Went up to the garage this past Tuesday and put about five miles on her. She should be ready to go! -Andy

Damnit Bill, you beat me to it. I'm just glad that someone else remembered that Jesus was an Architect, previous to his career as a profit.

Sounds like your X - dimension might still be a little too low. You got a jack plate on that thing? If so, crank it higher, if not... seriously look into getting one. While not too many, I have talked to a few flat bottom racers before that say to raise the "X" as high as it can possibly go for speed. This way, an over trimmed situation will simply "blow out" the prop rather than shoot for the moon. Besides, you get a realy cool rooster tail when you do this. Also, you might want to look into a prop with a little more stern lift in it. A quick easy way to do this is to have somebody chop about 1/4 - 1/2 inch off the diameter of the prop. Might be worth asking around to see what other people have tried. All this info (which might be crap) is based on larger Offshore style boats. I had a similar situation this weekend. I was going about 60 mph and must have shot at least a five foot air. Of course, this was Lake Erie where the wave heights were equal, or greater to my air height. It was fun the first time, but after the 5,398th time, it was getting a little painful (60 mile leg on a poker run across open water). ALWAYS wear you jackets and lanyards. We've had way too many casualties this year which easily could have been avoided had both (or sometimes even just one) of those item been used. -Andy

Scotty, (yes, I'm still alive) Don't forget that these Z32 people have a lot more going against them in this city, than anywhere else. Anyone remember the 80's? There might have well been a city ordinance in Flint, Michigan (the city that Buick built, busted, then abandoned) to ban all foreign vehicles from the streets. Remember, Detroit is only 100 miles away. A lot of the same attitude carried over into the city. Fortunately for us, the first gen Z's are just now being recognized as a classic car and not so much as "jap crap" anymore. I don't think the Z32 guys are getting the same "love" and are still dealing with a lot of old-school ignorance carried over from the late 70's early 80's. However, that's there problem they need to deal with... not ours. I can totally relate with what you are feeling. I've gone to a few of those meetings before and there were two distinct "cliques" there. Old scholars, and new - scholars. I won't say all, but a lot of the new scholars didn't really care too much for the first gens and I actually overheard one of them say: "Next time, let's just make it 90+ models." I made sure I spanked that guy pretty badly on the freeway later on in the day Honestly, I'm not one to go out and organize something like this. It's all done by the Z32 guys. If they decide to invite first gen Z's, great... I'll see you there. Otherwise, I hope everyone that attends has a good time and let me know how it turns out. Oh yeah, and as for their relevance of what is fast. I totally agree with you. I think the owner of the G-nose (green?) told me a few years back to be careful playing with those Honduhs up the road. A few of them run in the 15's!!! -Andy P.S. Looks like we might just be able to get this on come Labor Day!!!

Oh my... That WAS you who sent me the old pictures of the hulk! I was meaning to send a reply, but lost the message when MSN temporarily shut down my Hotmail account. PLEASE, re-send those pictures. I would be VERY appreciative! Yeah, I've got some rather amusing stories of that car as well. Like when I took her to the track for the first time and had the tech inspector notice the front right wheel push back into the wheel well a good three inches when I put the transmission into gear (rusted out TC rod supports). His exact words: "I'm gonna pretend like I didn't just see that." I ran a 13.4 at 104 mph that day. That car should have never been raced. But alas, I Was 19 years old and didn't know any better. Actually, the guy that bought the "Hulk" from you was my good friend Jeremy. I seem to remember him saying you were in either Middleville or Caladonia... can't remember. All I do remember, was his Dad freaking out and telling him to get rid of it as soon as it got to his place. Talk about being at the right place, at the right time. Thanks for the memories, feel free to drop me a line and B.S. about the old Hulk whenever you want. -Andy P.S. Where did that dash come from? I'm still using it, and it is still in perfect condition... even after a 100 mph roll over!

Nice Improvement. If you don't mind, I would like to add your times to my Datsun Quarter Mile Times Web Page. Not sure how soon it will be before I get to it, but I will get to it. Got another person I need to update (right Nate?) -Andy

I thought your voice mail had a little bit of an up-beat tone to it. Congrat's. Sorry I missed your call. It was a crazy weekend. I spent all day Saturday boating the relatives around Saginaw Bay (poor Bayley, living the tough life) only to the learn that the rubber exhuast boot that runs down to the thru-prop fitting was about ready to come off. The Boot eventually popped off right as I pulled the boat up to the launch ramp. The bilge pumps were NOT keeping up with the inrushing water. Thank God we were able to pull the boat out only a few seconds later. Had it happened fifteen minutes earlier, I don't think I would be in such a good mood today. But it didn't... so I am. So, 12.86 at 109 mph, eh? Pretty sweet times. That mph verse 60' indicates plenty more to be had. I wouldn't be surprised to see mid 12's with the same mph and a better launch. Then if you increase the boost a few psi, low 12's should be obtainable. 11's... you're on your own there... and I'll be following behind unless I ask my little blue buddy for help. I'd love to tell you that I'll be out there soon, but I can't promise much. Going up to Dryden this Thursday to install the new exhaust boot for the bote. If I have any time left over, I might get a chance to fire up the beast. But I'm not going to hold my breath. Oh well, the summers not totally over yet... -Andy

...Family Car. Funny, I never thought I would use that term when I bought mine. I got a 96 Imp SS and think its a great daily driver. Of course, I park it in the winters, but I've still racked up 90K miles on it since I bought it in June of '98 (120K total miles). I've seen a lot of people talk up these cars, to more than what they actually are. Some of these guys are just as bad, if not worse, than your typical ricers. NASCAR style gauges, spoilers, exhaust, even seats!!! For crying out loud people, it's a four door Caprice! To each their own, I guess. Back in the days, I was spraying a buck - fifty on the old LT1 and managed a 13.6 @ 101 mph on a relatively stock setup. I've since hung up "old blue" and am only now running 14.7 - 14.8 Not good, nor bad. It sure beats driving the wife's Econoline. -Andy

Oh man, there's just no stopping you, is there!?! I tell ya, the abuse I get sometimes... All I want to do is updates everyone's 1/4 mile times and instead I have to defend the honor of all us "real motor" Hybrid Z's I've been done that path of "break a new driveline part every week". That was two years ago when I first started making some power. You will soon find out why us real motor guys call these parts "mandatory replacement" and not "optional upgrades". Call me if you need any advice or spiritual guidance. -Andy (Note to others: Please do not take this attitude of mine seriously, Scotty and I have a "virtual grudge match" going and it's all in good fun)

I'm working on it, I'm working on it!!! A TRUE Hybrid has more than a K&N with a 3" fart pipe! This, of course, means more work for those who wish to reap the rewards. -A

Come on, I've been boating in these waters all my life. Don't you trust me?!? Anyone know what that big lighthouse is for, just outside Port Austin Harbor? Seriously though, I saw some guy cut between the lighthouse and the shore with a 50 foot performance cruiser. He was about a mile offshore, but in about a foot of water. Coast Gaurd had to heli-lift all the passengers off the boat before it was "salvaged" for roughly $50K. The guy must have owned an in-liner! John, I like your comment! The word "Boy Scout" comes to mind. -A

Hey, I'm sensing some double teaming going on here!!! Where are my "Detroit Iron" boys to back me up?

Back pedaling!!! Yeah, that's what it's going to look like that old 6 banger will be doing at the lights! Got a four day weekend coming up here. Plenty of time to finialize things. Besides, something about 95 degree air temps (with +80% humidity) and dead calm winds that tend to draw me out onto the lake... rather than into the garage. Set a new speed record (for the boat) ironically on the worse conditional day of the year: 88.1 mph on GPS. The new props really paid off. 90 mph should be no problem with less heat and humidity. -A

I'll be up in C-ville this weekend, most likely will go to Brother's (aka Sportsman) on Saturday night with the old man (it's a tradition for him). Maybe cruise down to Nasty Hatchet for a little cruising afterwards in the Impala. Next weekend will be a stretch, probably more like mid - late July.

I always love it, when I hear people talking about how "old school" push rods and roots-type blowers are. Yet... when I turn on any NHRA event, what do I see? Hmmm. Then I walk down to the lake to watch Offshore boat racing. Again, what do I see? Hmmm. Personally, I'm a little favored towards the old Group 2 Rally cars that were banned because too many people were getting killed per year. Something about a supercharged, turbocharged, four wheel drive 2200 lbs. tube frame driving through the woods that is a little "unsafe". At this day and age, though, anything can be made fast. Look at all these 11 and 12 second (eigth mile) Honduh's. That is truly amazing! It's run what you brung, man! The street knows no handicap's! Who here thinks I can wedge a G.E. Gas Turbine under the hood of a Z? P.S. Scotty is still going down!!!

Hey Scotty, Don't forget that Caseville is only about 30 minutes from Ubly... and Caseville is where I keep my Secret Weapon!!! And if I blow one up, there's always a spare! Of course, the old man won't be happy... but those are all just minor details. P.S. Boat should be done by Friday. So after I'm done whooping your butt at the track, we can finally all go out for a boat ride and find someone else's butt to whoop!

"I bet just one of those motors cost more than my whole car." Shiiiit, one REPAIR alone, costs more than both of our cars combined. That's one thing I'm not looking forward to taking over in that boat (once Pop's retires). [/smack] Seriously speaking here, with your new turbo and fuel setup, it should be a good race against my motor. I'm not happy about this, but it should still be pretty good. I'll hopefully be able to add the Ram Air Box (or something similar, still deciding) before our little outing. Last time I went to Ubly, I was sucking A LOT of heat from under the hood. So, I still think there's more to bad had from the motor, than what I've ran before. [smack] Dude, step off the Econoline, man! That's the old lady's ride. Hell know no fury like a Soccer Mom scorned! Besides, after I'm done handing you your butt, we can watch the video of it in the Van! I've got three EXTRA bottle's of NAAAWS! Want one? Need TWO? -A