Mikelly

ABsolutely... THe most fluid time of my life was my 20s... I raced cars, Bikes, bicycles, had three different supposed careers, and 10 different girls... The ONLY consistant thing in my life was THE ZCAR I owned, so what should that tell you... I grew long hair and owned a recording studio, played drums in a number of rock bands, and dated more women than I car to mention.... Mike, you are in the prime of your life and you need to: A:: Ditch bud light and find real beer* ( when I'm not sucking down Jack Daniels, it is Guiness or Dominion Lager) B: Find and fornicate with a number of HOT women... Put her behind you! Enjoy the ride... I believe that is the Nissan saying... Mike 8)

The C5? Couldn't tell you ... Makes about 310HP at the wheels is a good guess... We turned 296HP on a dyno with 6 cracked plugs, so I'm guessing with the new plugs and colder air (Garage had a pathetic little fan deep in a bay) I'm probably low 13s. However, I've got a new set of LGM longtubes, a Z06 upper induction setup, and a NEW 400+ wheel HP motor on the way... That, the new eradispeed rotors, the Z06 wheels and Hoosiers, and the Z06 suspension bits I bolted on last year will make this car a blast to drive... I expect low 12s to high 11s in the new configuration... and I'm thinking about some 4:11 gears... 8) The ZX9R... Well lets just say I Don't launch it... Anymore... Stood it up and almost dumped it at 7K RPMS stretched over the tank... So now I'm carve corners... Today, for instance, I ground down half a new set of Teknics pucks... I'm sliding on the street a LOT on this bike... I LOVE THIS BIKE! Mike

OK OK... enough busting my chops... Pics can be seen in my gallery... Also can see a pic of my ZX9R Ninja... Mike 8)

...My wife called a paving company to get an estimate on paving the auxilery driveway that runs behind the house to the garage... I assumed that because it was so big, we were gonna me looking at about $4000-5000 to get it done... So while I was wiring the upstairs outlets in the garage, this old timer shows up. He can't read, barely can write, and is super nice, and super impressed with the garage... We get to chatting, and he takes his measuring wheel out and runs it all around the areas we wanted to have paved... He comes back and says "Normally it would be $2800-3000, but I owned a Datsun 280Z like the one sitting there many years ago..." Turns out he was a fan of the cars... And we signed a contract... About 2200 Square feet to be paved before Xmas for $2250! No more gravel boys! Mike 8)

Got one of my own as well! You'll notice the rach marks on it... This ZX9R has been worked over well for suspension, brakes, and tuning and puts 131HP to the rear wheel... Previous owner let a guy "TEST RIDE" it and the bike was dumped at low speed (About 10mph) in gravel when the tool was making a u-turn... I bought the bike for $3700 out of pocket and fixed the rashed panels with lesser rashed panels off ebay... The bike weighs 422pounds soaking wet and full of gas... Mike

I have those headers, and I've had to deal with LMG in the past for tech info and parts... unless you deal direct with Lou, forget it... most of the folks he employes are without clue. And Lou is NOT there much between February and October, since he races most of the year. He also has a real bad rep for getting into heated confrontations on corvetteforum, as he does NOT like competition in his parts business... I've been trying to get a 2.5 inch band clamp from him for over 6 months! Fast car though, none the less! Mike

Between getting my hands on a set of eradispeed 14 inch rotors, and the Z06 rear brake ducts, and my motor being done, My C5 will be an AWESOME 500 crank HP daily driver... Based on some of the local successes with LS1 edit tuning, we hope to still manage 27mpg... These Corvettes are SOOOOO Easy to tune! Lets see, Z06 Clutch kit, Mesh Driving light grills modified w/ holesaw , Shocks, swaybars, front spring, intake, TB, injectors, and AFM... AND wheels... Hmmm... Pretty soon I'll have a targa Z06! Love those cars man! Mike

Mike and anyone else interested... Contact me offline and I can direct you to an expert in sbc turbo setups. He is currently manufacturing a new line of SBC turbo manifolds... I can send you pics... Send me an e-mail. Mike

Mike, No picture is needed... Some of us have dated women who have been in film or on TV, and I've personally dated a couple of girls who were runway models... Hot chicks are a dime a dozen and most of the time the maintenance "FEE" isn't worth the admission into their soul. I know you young guys might find it hard to believe, but us older dudes walked down the same path you are on now. We've been there, made the mistakes, and try to impart our sage wisdom on you guys, in hopes of helping you avoid those pitfalls... You are in love, therefore pretty much anything we said has fallen on deaf ears... I have been there, and fully understand what you are going through, and can pretty much script what you will go through, but it wouldn't do any good, so I won't bother... You're at that age that you will do what you think is best (And you should, it is afterall, your life), and you will get wrapped in "Drama", since a lot of people in the 16-24 group seem to gravetate to that. Just know that drama causes stress, and can seriously distract you from your goals in life... Don't give away your future for a romp in the hay and a good nap. Have fun and live life! Mike 8)

http://www.kicken.com/funnyfiles2/www.kicken.com-rally.masters.wmv This is some of the most spectacular footage I've seen! Enjoy! mike 8)

Another way to look at it is like this... And all you young guys should take notes here... You get hired or fired because of skills you have, what you can contribute to the workplace and what potential there is. In the same sence lets look at buying a car or truck... How does it best fit your needs... What functions does it serve for you personally... Now lets look at relationships... I hear all the time how women only want guys with money... based on some of your defenitions of "RICH", I've had money for the last 10 years... I've always had a woman or two, so OK I'll agree. But why not? THIS is the same game WE ALL should play. You should find the spouse that BEST compliments you, be it for short or long term purposes... Women are VERY SMART In this area, why shouldn't we be also? WHAT DOES SHE bring to the table? What is her earning potential? What skills outside the bedroom does she have? Is she good with money? Is she responsible and does she pay bills on time? Will she make GOOD sound choices? Will she be someone 15 years down the road that is 200#s heavier and $30,000 in credit card debt? Why shouldn't YOU want the same kind of spring board that every woman I know wants? We all want the beautiful people (Marilyn Manson is ringing throuh my head right now), and why not? Women want guys with money, and we should want them to have a career and skills too! So ask yourself if that little hottie you're gonna bed down tonight is a headboard olympian candidate or a one night hammer head... Bottom line is it is a LOT easier to make these choices now, then two years and 30#s down the road with a little one in the oven and one in the nursery, waking up at 2AM to find out you married an axe murderer... ...And for the educated out there, I bought a couple of books on coping with divorce when I met the woman I describe in my first response above, as she was going through a bad divorce the first time around... I read in BOTH the books I bought that it takes 10 YEARS minimum to fully get that person out of your system...MINIMUM! We take relationships and Marriage much to lightly in this country... A decade to get over someone you honestly at this moment in time can't stand... think about that... Boy I'm glad to be where I am today... Only regret I have is a SON I've never met... One day, One day... Mike 8)

OK, OK... I know you said not to ask... But I gotta... what did your child and the childs spouse do to get incarserated? Glad we are providing your sanety! The bill will be coming shortly... Mike 8)

If what for her??? Just read your response to SUMO... Mike, here is a little tidbit about life... You can't save everyone... What about her? Has she not walked down a path to get where she currently is? Lets look at that for a second... What is SHE doing to correct her situation or better herself in life? What about her... She apparently has some serious psychological issues to deal with... What about her? SOOOO You say you had a physical confrontation with her dad over an abuse claim, yet you believe a guy you know when she claims rape against him? What about her... It is real easy to harbor a bit of malice against the parents of a person you have feelings for, because afterall they are the parents and often times are the ones pulling on the reins... but what about HER? What has she contributed to get herself into and out of these dramas in life? While you chew on that one... A spouse, and I personally classify that as someone you are living with by the way, is someone who is ultimately a BUSINESS partner as well as your deepest confidant. You trust that person with EVERYTHING...When I was 22, I was hard in love with this little 18 year old I'd been dating for two years... we moved in together and things did not go well. We were both just out of the nest, and my mom had taken care of me, as hers did for her... We move in together and cultureshock sets in... one thing lead to another and one night I come home and EVERYTHING is gone... Everything... ALL my stuff, all her stuff... everything. Her mom moved her out in the middle of the afternoon... I was DEVISTATED. So much so that for one week I didn't know if I was coming or going... Until then all the utilities were cut off on the house we were renting. Then the light bulb went on... CHECK YOUR FINANCES... I was BUSTED and my $5000 credit card was MAXED... I'd taken a loan out in my name for her to go to college on, and because I was working shift work at the time, I had her get all our utilities cut on... in her name... with MY money... All total I was over $20 GRAND in debt in ONE WEEK. Had someone told me prior to all this that this little GORGIOUS, FORMER MODEL, CHILD of WEALTHY parents (Family was heavy into SCOTT PAPER INC Stocks... MILLIONS) would have fleaced me like that, I'd have told them to put the crack pipe down and seek therapy. Instead it was I who had to seek therapy... I went from 165# and muscle to 130# of Jack Daniels... for six months I drank and drank, almost lost my job and my clearance, and I was a mess... Took family and friends to get me back on track... and TO THIS DAY I harbor no hard feelings to Dianna... That $20K was an education... One that will NEVER happen again... You can't save the world Mike, and only trust love and those you love to get you so far... Drop your guard at the wrong time, and you could find yourself pennieless or worse... Goodluck... Mike

Women... Can't live with them... can't...Never mind... Mike, I'd be seriously concerned that she claimed to have been raped by a guy you know, and who you trust NOT to have raped her... Maybe it was a cry for attention, maybe it was a cry for help, maybe it was just someone being mean... Who knows... But I'd proceed or not with caution... Confessions of a manwhore... I took the Tim240Z route and dated HEAVILY from the time I was 16 until I was 33 when I met my wife... The whole bootycall/ F'buddies thing is crazy at times, and can be dangerous, but it also puts your emotions, heart, and finances in less jeopardy. You honestly could not fill every seat on a greyhound bus with the women I've dated, and I'm glad they all are now on that bus, and long out of my life... oh but the memories! Your "chemistry" sounds like a situation I found myself in TWICE with a woman when I was in my late 20s/ early 30s... She and I were like fire and ice... When things were good, they were better than I'd ever experienced in a relationship... Problem was when they were bad... I'd find myself appologizing for acid rain and cancer to get her to SHUT THE HELL UP! We dated for a year and broke up... I went over seas, came back, did a BUNCH fo bootycallin' and then she called me up out of the blue and needed help with something... from that point forward for TWO YEARS it was an emotional rollercoaster ride... It took me fracturing my skull in a bad bike accident to COME TO MY SENSES! She contacted me out of the blue TWO DAYS ago... seems her current live in isn't working out... He is #3 since she and I split and I've been married and beyond her and our relationship for 6 years... you can't change a leopard's spots... not without the help Mark mentions... And she would never admit SHE has issues... although her mother & father would! If this sounds familiar, and it probably does, then you have your answer... I'm 5 years into the best and most rewarding relationship of my life, with a woman 2 years older than me and who is wonderful beyond words... And this other person? She STILL is unhappy with HER life... Only SHE can make herself happy, but being happy with yourself is sometimes to hard to see... You two fall into that comfortable familiar "Groove" when you see each other, because it is just that... Don't go down that path... It will lead you to a broken heart and a lot of wasted time... I'd find someone new, put her and your past behind you, shed a few tears, and move on... So many options out there for a young man such as yourself... Stay single and unattached as long as you can... I'm glad I did, and Pete P. and others will tell you that the decision I made is the decision most guys WISH they would have made... Stay single, date until you can date no more, get it out of your system, and then settle down... Gives you time to FULLY mature, and grow into the person you want to be, and to make those future life decisions without the added burden of impacting someone else along the way! My $.02 Mike

Congrats on the new delivery! Where the hell is my cigar? Mike 8)

Jon, I know you didn't intend to offend me... I was just slapped in the face by the comment is all... it was me taking it wrong more so than what you said... But, again, This IS hybridZ where we do recreate the wheel all the time... and your comment about going the extra 10% is where I'd be right now if I had my oxygen bottle filled (Waiting on my supplier who said it would be in today! I'm on an exchange program...)... I drew out an adjustable plate, but have no way to cut it at the moment... On the topic of the spherical ball taking the pivotal steering loads as well as the thrust angle loads of the strut, I have e-mailed and gotten confirmation from several of the vendors of camber plates (Several within the last 10 hours actually) that they don't use a bearing in conjunction with the monoball... This kinda confirms what I thought... Although I know at least one vendor does use needle bearings, my guess is it is overkill... Regardless, ill be using the monoball setup in the rear forsure, and I'm probably gonna use something similar in the front, but maybe with a camber plate... We'll see! Mike 8)

Here is WHY I did this... I can afford camberplates, but some guys can't. I also can DO things in my shop with steel and metal... I figured for $100 I could get ALL FOUR CORNERS done possibly and yea, I have a couple hours in doing it... Beats sitting on my ass and scrolling the computer... I also have a full adjustable front and rear and just wanted to reduce ride height without sectioning the strut. Mike

Michael Michael Michael... You say potato... Mike

If you have a "TOTAL" budget of 4K, buy a driver. Do NOT buy something that is in rough condition as it will soak you for nickles and dimes... these projects take time and money, so I'd tread carefully... Mike 8)

The unit I have is a 3/4 monoball... I've just gotten home and I'll try to get some pics up... Mike 8)

None! Hey I'm here all week, don't forget to tip your bartender and waitress! Mike 8)

Jon, Yup Been there done that... I'm basically making something because I don't need the upper adjustment (Although I suppose it would be nice) since I have adjustable lower units... I may end up with a camber plate in the end anyway! Mike

John I was "ASS"uming the monoball would be sufficient since it is a bearing and seems to rotate just fine with the load... I was thinking of tapping a fitting so I could keep the race greased... Ideas? mike 8)

John John John... And just for ther record... I'm a registered INDEPENDANT! Like I said before... earlier in this election year... WE are not represented in our government... We have a far left, and we have a far right... We do not have moderate representation for democrats or republicans... ...And I TOLD YOU GUYS that Bush should can a few of the top brass... and gee... of the three I named... TWO have announced resignations so far! And what about my claim that Bush should keep Condi Rice? Next SECSTATE! When you're good... MIke 8)

I about wet my pants reading that! Oh boy! mike