Mikelly

Also, Be aware that the Vette guys are getting better results running a 60/40 mix of dexcool to water and adding a bottle of Water Wetter. Mike

Yup, Sounds like an airpocket. Also, Don't be affraid if the motor gets up above 220 degrees... My motor hits 230 Degrees regularly in rush hour traffic. These motors are notorious for that. Mike 8)

It is the SAME as a Chevy TURBO400 Auto trans Yoke...Any Driveshaft shop should know that one... Mike 8)

That is gonna ne killer when it is done man! Congrats! Mike

Grumpy, This is the same thing I ran into. I did most of the job myself when I built my garage, sub-ing out only the concrete, insulation, roof and shingles. What Mark and others are saying is correct. THere is a LOT of overhead to cover all the associated costs of being a "LEGAL" business owner with employees! You can save a LOT of money by being the GC yourself. If you have the time to run to the county and deal with permits, and engineering drawings (I had issues with my footers that required a certified engineers drawing!), then you can save a bundle. That is EXACTLY what I'll do when I build the next garage. I won't be picking up the tools as much as the phone next time, thats for sure! Mike 8)

Bill, This is only a bad thing if you walk away thinking it was everyone elses fault but yours (My older Brother's favorite trick years ago! ). Take your licks, gather yourself back up and get the legal situation straightened out, and hopefully they will allow you to keep your license... Here's the sad part of it all... Think about all that money that won't go into your Z now... THAT SUX! Take care and good luck... 8) Mike

Yea, another advantage they have... GRIP! 305-30-18s bolt right up on all four corners for track days... Can't imagine the size of slicks they are cramming under those fenders for 1/4 mile duty! 2Kewl4Skewl! Mike 8)

Take a quick look over on: http://www.zo6vette.com or http://www.corvetteforum.com and you'll find out how easy and inexpensive it is to modify these cars to get even MORE HP... So, while we're discussing what we need to do to MODIFY our Zs to run down bone stock C5s and Z06s, know that a LOT of those guys modifying them. And with the new C6 slatted for release, these cars will get more and more modifications. Finding bone stock C5s for less than $20K is common now... I can't imagine how cheap they will become once the new model is on showroom floors! I know of several relatively stock Z06s that are running 11s on drag radials and very minor bolt ons with some LS1 Edit software tuning! Mike

David, Dale and Mike, Sounds like you guys could form a bit of a support group. Depression is a serious problem that should never be overlooked. In 1998 I suffered a severe head injury that fractured my skull and caused swelling on the brain. For 21 days I woke up everyday, not knowing if it would be my last. I survived, and the swelling, and related blood clot eventually passed, but the damage and cranial shift of the brain within the skull remained, putting additional tension on my spinal cord. There is no fix... But guess what a side effect of the impact to the damaged region of the brain was? I'd hear a song on the radio and start crying. Someone would say the wrong thing and I'd be mad, hurt or just sad. I too had to go see a specialist for depression, and for three years after the incident I had to see a neurologyst. Do not be affraid to seek help, and don't think you will get it right with the first Dr. Depression and its treatment is case by case, and each Dr. has their own style that "Fits" or doesn't. You've all three got a large extended family here, so don't hesitate to reach out to others on the board. Mike 8)

Grieving is a natural proc... Ah Horsecrap. Grieving sux. There is nothing worse than the thought of losing someone you care for. Hell, we all get choked up over it. What will get you through this Mike, Is to remember all of the positive aspects this man brought about in his daily life. There is nothing wrong with admiting you have this empty hole in your heart, where this relative/ friend once was. But you have to confront the pain and loss, deal with, cope with it, accept it, and move on in life, knowing that your uncle would want you to live as much and as full a life as you can. You need to also be there for your mother. She is your best friend by your own admission. She'll need you most now. And remember, you have your extended family here on Hybrid, Don't hesitate to ask for an ear or a shoulder. Mike 8)

Yup, In the Vette I can run the LS1 down low, less than 1000 RPMS lugging along just fine in 6th gear. I'll be interested in seeing how the 383 in the Z does with the new G-force though... The T56 is HEAVY!!!! Mike

The T56 is a stout unit. I had one backing my 383 stroker. As long as you aren't launching on slicks, you should be fine with it. My only big problem was due to the cam selection or the possible internal engine failure that was looming. I could not use 6th gear unless I was pulling 1800RPM or more... Car would lug and surge otherwise. I'll likely end up with a G-Force trans in my new Zcar project, and their stuff is pricey, but worth it. 8) In this particular case, you get what you pay for! Mike

John Coffey, You sir, are a twisted and sick man... I LIKE YOU! That was the best one I've heard to date! Mike

Look guys, My advice is to let those who have legal recourse with this guy to take him to court. He will get his due justice in the end, but I don't want to have this thread be anything more than informational to HELP those who have been wronged to get justice. Based on the level of effort this guy went through to cover his tracks, he is likely a career criminal and will end up in jail, if he hasn't been picked up yet. Mike 8)

Possibly a flood damagecar. Mike

Actually YES you can. I have a number of times, especially when they are calling for hail. Most twin post lifts have saftey locks to guarantee they won't go down under presure... Mike

Mr. Mortensen, I'm with YOU! Mike 8)

I'd like to comment on this one... Pete Paraska hammered home a very good lesson (Actually he cemented what I always knew), when he started driving his $30K+ v8 Z down to my house, and to Alabama, and to last years ZCCA Convention, and wherever the hell he pleases. That car is one of a handful of Zs I've seen in my life that qualifies for trailer queen status, hand he would have NONE of it. $10K+ worth of paint and body work be damned! I get crap all the time from Vette snobs because my C5 has 102K miles on it, and has been airborne at 70mph. The point here is not to whip out the peepee and say "See how bad my car is??? " We build these cars, often taking valuable time away from those we love, spending extra money we shouldn't spend, and over-doing it on every aspect of these cars. What a shame that we would make our loved ones sacrefice so much, for so little use. If you build it, and you don't enjoy it, then why bother? Why not start building for others and at least get PAID for your families sacrefices? This is directed at no one in specific and I certainly don't mean to offend... But how it makes you feel when you are rolling down the road or when you are showing it off, that is what it is all about, right? The ONLY thing that keeps me hanging on to the dream of finishing this Z is the feeling it gave me when I rolled into a car cruise, or spanked a sport bike, or some kid in a clapped out civic, or some old guy on a ZR1... PRICELESS... Mike 8)

I've used their par5ts in the past for building L6 motors. Not sure who their suppliers are now, but call them up and talk to a tech... I can't imagine they would carry crappy internals... Mike 8)

Bill, Shocker, but I've suffered that exact injury from a little stub of a stump catching my front tire on a night MTB ride... THought I had broken yet another (7 Ribs total to date) Rib or two, thanks to my love of cycling offroad. Dr. advised me that tearing the soft tissue is MUCH more painful than the bone breaking that could have happened... All those little nerves are now good and angry for their little trial seperation! There is absolutely nothing you can do but sit and take it easy. Soaking in a hot tub and gulping lots of adult beverages took the edge off! Take a break and take it easy! Mike 8)

Dave Williams sent me a note today. The balancing work has been done on the forged assembly, and now he is moving onto the heads. We will be ordering larger valves tomorrow, but we'll likely duplicate the setup of the Thunder Racing Stage 2 head setup. We're using the same cam selection that they used with those heads to lay 443WHP and 421#ft. torque in a 1998 6speed camaro. So my expectations are atleast hitting 400HP at the wheels... I'm guessing with the new headers, new hi-flow cats and exhaust work, we'll be making in the same range, but I'll be happy if we hit 400HP... In a stock body, leather interior, full STOCK C5. This thing is GONNA ROCK! I'm currently scheduled for Summit point on September 10 and October 1st, if anyone in the region wants to come play at a FATT! Mike

I've posted my confirmed numbers several times... But bottom line is it takes a LOT of HP to get ANY car up in the 150MPH + range... We had the aid of a troopers stalker radar gun and able to hit in the 168mph range in a 3.70 geared, NISSAN COMP 5 speed L6 car with some significant mods to the body and the motor. Motor had made 246hp on an engine dyno. We used the aid of headlite covers, side skirts, large air dam and large california Whaletail. THe car was pretty much a full interior 260 body car, no bumpers (Had the MSA bodykit) and a high compression motor. The T56/ 383 stroker car with the same gear LSD rear ran much quicker to the 150+mph mark, and I backed out of it after about 60 seconds... THat car was ROCK solid and pulling in 6th gear at 3900 RPMs. Mike

Yup! Ours was 5/8th, but not swagged. It was 7/8th thick drilled to 5/8th bore. I have since upgraded the design, using 3/4 inch heims and 1inch .132 thick steel tubing. The stuff is VERY durable. Mike

And as we found with Steve and Ian's car, Aluminum tubing on the TC ROd is a B-A-D idea. We were using some VERY THICK aluminum... Stick with steel tubing for that, because the TC rod takes a beating. Mike

No. One thing you need to understand is that there are different grades of oil, just like there are different grades of fuel... The AMSOIL 2000 series oil is a grade 4/5 oil, where as most of your generic off the shelf autoparts store chain stuff is grade three... AMSOIL makes that stuff to, in the 1700 series product line. However, as Doug mentioned that you could go to the link on his signature to his website, and from there go to AMSOILs website... Interesting comparison between AMSOIL and MOBIL1. Here is the other thing to look at... You hear these car makers all the time claim that their vehicles can go XXXX miles between oil changes. That is simply not the case with grade three oils of any kind, due to the inability to stave off contaminates. The grade three oils might be able to fight off molecular breakdown, but the contaminates will get the best of the internals... It is a two fronted attack. Grade 4/5 oils are TRUE 7500-15000 mile oils. THAT is the payoff in a $7 quart of oil. I'm paying $4-5 for a quart of Mobil1 oil. I change the Mobil1 every 3000 miles regardless. I will change the 2000 series AMSOIL at 7,500-10,000 mile intervals. That extra $1-2 will pay for itself in the oil change interval increases. When you think about AMSOIL 2000 series, think of it in the same class (And some would argue better than) Royal Purple, Silcolyne, and Redline when it comes to motor oil. I'll let you guys know how it goes, but bottom line is these cars we build are a huge investment, and often take our "play money" or investment money... Why not invest in YOUR investment? Mike