cygnusx1

I went to West Palm, FL to visit a friend who moved down there about a year ago. He just bought super clean 2002 C5 Convertible to cruise A1A. Unfortunately, he went with an automatic so his wife could use it if she had to. He let me cruise around in it for about an hour one evening. First off, it is my first time ever in a vette. My first impression, with the top down, is that it is a very comfortable car with great visibility all around. It feels very solidly built. I was only able to "get on it" for short bursts at a time because of all the traffic and police around. It jumped nicely forward and stopped even better in response to the brake pedal. Overall, it felt lighter than I thought it would feel and it felt pretty fast but not quite as fast as my Z. I think the power steering and pretty heavy brake assist make it feel agile compared to a Z at low speeds. I really liked the suspension and ride because of its good street comfort vs. good sportiness. It definitely stayed flat in corners but it pitched and dove more than I would like in brake and acceleration. The stock exhaust was WAY too quiet for my taste and the automatic just does NOT suit my driving style. It would make a real nice daily driver though and with a few mods, I could see it really waking up.

I know that heat is involved. I think it is "printed" onto the glass and then heat baked. It is a conductive "paint". I have no idea what would dissolve it. Scraping it would probably scratch the glass. Experiment carefully with paint remover....no gaurantee.

^I did not know that! Cool. Anyhow, 12psi is what I hear you saying...in reality, I see 18+ in your future...build it for 18+, not 12. Sounds like you already are anyhow.

Chubby? Wow, did your science teacher have to pry you off the skeleton in high school?

A fully stock L28ET motor will run 12psi until the end of time with proper fuel, spark and intercooling. Heck, it will run 18psi all day 24/7 without sweating if you give it the right air/fuel/ign curves. After 18psi I would start thinking about head gasket, and internal bolts. If you are only going to run 12psi, I think you can run almost any part from any motor as long as the compression ratios remain low. All the factory parts are pretty darned durable.

Now I'm totally confused?

I would suggest using scantily clad ladies with lots of soap suds, big puffy mits, and lots of water spray. Take pics please. Suggested Method:

Usually they are not worth much more than the cost of building them. This is not a profitable business....unless you win races for cash

http://carfiche.com/manuals020/cars/ If the one you see is not available, wait an hour and check back.

http://carfiche.com/manuals020/cars/ If the one you see is not available, wait an hour and check back.

Yup, the stock pistons handle 15psi with even occasional light detonation in my experience. BUT, you have the right idea, get strong pistons and head gasket and ARP bolts now while you have it apart. Good Luck!

Austin, just don't follow silly 350Z's into wet tunnels. Congrats on all the hard work.

Nice car but $32K?

...and where can I buy ethanol?

19 at idle and warmed up 500ft elevation and 120K miles.

Uggghhhh. But why?

That has to be making about 225 Horsepower right? .....at idle.

I like the fact that it doesn't have big chrome "bling" exhaust tips. Very tasteful except for the seats. I would go for more traditional mirror locations but hey...it strikes fear nonetheless.

RIP Steve Irwin. He was probably as offensive to some Australians as Hasselhoff in Baywatch is offensive to us Americans. We all have bikini babes running all over the place here in the USA. People here get shocked when a TV celebrity dies because we are conditioned by "fake" reality TV where nothing actually ever happens. Irwin's stuff was apparently, "real".

Rednecks? In a Toyota? Without a shotgun? And a camcorder? I don't think so. I'm no detective but I am quite astute.

How do I wire the radio to turn on whenever my wife starts to complain about me driving too fast...under boost.

The Vildini car was a much better deal at $20K than the ebay deal for $15k.

Hmm is the IRS reading this? J/K....good job. I had my own business for a few years and it started to grow faster and bigger than me...It actually got to be too much work for just me. When my prior employer called me back offering a nice raise, I sold the bizz. It was fun and profitable but it was loads of work. My brother now owns and operates it with the help of his wife. (shameless plug, http://www.hvmp.com) Good luck. It is most rewarding when it works.

I bet somewhere along the line, fossil fuels are used in the battery charging or manufacture of some parts. Energy still has to be consumed.

Meatballs, Volvo's, and Mull. Nice.