Mikelly

Moridin, it isn't as simple as that. Every conflict we've been involved in, we have had to side with one side or the other... Not sure how Clinton should have been put in jail for that, but there are plenty of other reasons to put him under the jail. Unfortunately we often have to side with one of the "CURRENT" lesser evils... Hussein was just an example... You have to remember that we were aligned AGAINST Iran and its dictator leadership. Saddam, at the time, was a lesser evil. So we backed him. At the time his political views were a little more tame than (And more hidden) those of the Iranians. Things change, and a friend quickly can become a foe. The world changes and our list of friends and enemies is as fluid as an Ocean's tide. Pop-in-woods, You wrongfully assume that I'm a republican, based on the comments I've made... I place my faith in our US government based on the work I do, based on the information I have access to, and based on what I know to be true. I do NOT watch political talk shows. Our media reports things with such distortion that getting the facts from them often is an exercise in futility. You keep reading the papers, and buying into their big lie... I'll continue getting up at 4:00AM and driving an hour and ten minutes to work, in a government building, with senior executives from EVERY BRANCH of the government's intelligence community. I get my warm security blanket handed to me through my knowledge of the fact that what is reported by a mostly liberal press is as good a fiction as any Steve King has inked. I get my warm and fuzzy from the horses mouth, and won't play into the media machine that controls and drives popular opinion. Jon, The constitution is a wonderfull document. It was written by people who had a good vision... It was also written by a people who were much different from those in politics today... You seem to forget that those forefathers were GODS of the day. They were at the top of their game in every level of life... Politicians now days go to Washington because they can't cut it in the real world... Private industry would eat most of them alive, so this assumption that those we elect are the cream of the crop is a JOKE. Look at the current democratic primary... Come ON! This is THE BEST they have to offer up against GW???? There is not a single politician in Washington that I would EVER place my faith in. They are politicians who are looking for the easy life in Washington DC, and who will mostly lie and promise you the sun, the moon, the stars, and anything else to get elected.... There is no respect in that work, by and large... and they are not the types of statesmen our forefathers had in mind. GW Bush will go down as a great president for the way he handled himself in the days after 9/11/01. Had those attacks not happened, I have no idea how things would have turned out, but I'm now certain of this... He will go down in history as one of the greatest Presidents ever. Before you get your blood presure up, read what I said... I didn't SAY I THOUGHT GW was anything... You still do NOT know my opinion of him, or my political affiliation... Mike

This is a time of war... And not unlike EVERY MAJOR conflict this country has been involved in, this one will be a long haul exercise as well... Anyone who thinks otherwise is foolish. Further, The president stepped up to the podium and warned us that it would be a long and difficult battle just days after the towers fell... I don't recall a single politician (Other than Dean) who stepped up and said this is wrong... Not a single one. Funny how short our memories have become... Mr. Bin Laddin would be very proud and happy that his preductions of the "Impatient Americans" is coming true... And his organizations WILL strike again... The clock is ticking. Mike 8)

John Coffey for President!!!!! Mike

I stand by my statement with the faith that american citizens will elect and vote in change bringing the pendulum back to the other side, once they decide the good fight against terrorism is won. We have seen this before, and I know through the oversite committees I've seen reporting on this very subject, very few REAL cases are out there where citizens violations can be tracked... Simply put, the Patriot and Patriot 2 Could be very dangerous if left unsupervised. However, The current administration is under no illusion. The slightest hint of abuses and officials are being removed form positions and put on admin investigations... Happening on a regular basis. They are watching this like hawks over on the hill... No, I rest my case... Are your freedoms currently being stepped on? Yes. Are they for the right reasons if used accirding to the design? Yes. I have faith... Mike

Moridin, To seek knowledge is a good thing. To truly understand that knowledge is even better... I applaud you in your quest! You, like my stepsons, are the future. Therefore, I take it as my personal challenge to educate from the fence... I'm the eternal pessemist. Due to my early career and education (I have a degree in criminal justice) in law enforcement, and then spending some 17 years in the federal government's intelligence community, I get a little peeved when comments from the average joe citizen are thrown about with such careless abandon, especially when talk of disarmament of our civilian population comes up... I also get a little sensative to the topics of government mishandling of investigations and civil liberties... If 100 rights are trampled on in order to stave off another 9/11, then lay down my rights and spray paint welcome on them for the Feds to wipe their feet... I'll show my need for change at the next election pole, but will do so while waving the stars and stripes, under a secure nation, protected by those who would give their lives in order to keep us in some semblance of freedom. Mike

Moridin, Uh, No THEY weren't citizens. Also, My finances do get scrutenized once per year by the government... I have to fill out a Financial Disclosure form, and I take a polygraph every five years in order to keep my TS clearance. Also, Your example of the FBI busting a brothel is a JOKE. Sorry, but maybe you don't understand that, not unlike a regular police department, the FBI and every OTHER law enforcement agency in the country has different divisions looking at different types of crime... While these terrorists were learning to fly, the FBI was likely looking for child abductors, bank robbers, counterfeiters, and many other fraud related crimes, as well as working other various task forces within the federal, local, and international law enforcement communities. The quotes from Orwell are almost comical at this point... And those from Mr. Franklin... Well he didn't have the ills of today's society facing his door... I don't recall jumbo jets smashing onto the lawns of Montecello or Philidelphia. Working in the community I'm in, I have a vastly different opinion than many of our members here... Sorry. Mike 8)

So Doug, what you are saying is it is a deffective Valve??? Well atleast it is a hard part that can be swapped out! " Thank you very much, I'm here all week!" I agree that parenting has become a joke. More parents take the easy way out and DON'T provide good examples... Afshin, The Patriot Act is not a bad thing, based on the current world threat to our safety from the attacks of 9/11/01 all the way back to the first attacks on the world trade center in the early 90s. Say what you will, but I don't believe ENOUGH is being done to protect us from illegal immigrants/ alliens coming into the country, obtaining legal documentation, and then traveling within our borders untrace-able, with free reign to do as they will... Nope, I say ratchet down another 12 notches and you will get somewhere closer to where we need to be... Our threat from terrorism comes from within... More gun control... Teach people to hit what they are aiming at! As for the discussions over the problems of turning the corner with inner city youth... Well I worked with the DC youth squad for 6 months. In that short period of time I became so burned out towards the problems, and that is THE problem. Those who work in the trenches day after day take on the problems of inner city youth. After a while the stench of the inner city becomes a funk, like a dirty coat, and you don't even realize you have become a part of it. It consumes and then you are no more effective than the politicians on capital hill. Some would say that the "REAL" problem of inner city youth is that there aren't enough guns on the streets... If so, maybe more of them would remove themselves from the gene pool. Not sure how I feel about that, although the statistics posted about Baltimore, MD. are interesting... Sorry, but walk like a gangster, talk like a gangster, sell dope like a gangster... BOOM. That theory is great, except often innicent people are caught in the cross fire. That is the ONLY unfortunate part of the scenario. Personally I think if you get caught selling dope on our streets, you should be given one of two options... Neither of them would include short stays in the county or state system. We all make decisions everyday... We decide what we will do... You either wake up and say I'm NOT going to do this for a living anymore, and I AM going to become a productive human being, or you continue down the path of destruction, taking others with you. It is THAT simple. Unfortunately, we like to look at other areas to place blame. Quite frankly, it sickens me. Put the blame squarely at the feet of those who actively make the decision to do something illegal. Mike 8)

Uhm... Let's see how I can do this without pissing off those of our breatheren who are of the liberal mindset... Guns, much like hammers, saws, screw drivers, rusty sheet metal (Remember the artery I severed and almost died from??? ) and almost ANY OTHER T-O-O-L in your garage should be viewed as just that... a T-O-O-L. Are you guys with me so far? Now, Not unlike a gun, I can take a screw driver or a hammer, or a sawzall and do creative and good things. I can also take those same impliments and create harm and or death to any living thing, person, or animal... Much like a G-U-N. They are tools. Period. Would you let your child play with a sharp knife, hammer, saw or other dangerous tool? OK, Then HOW IN GODS NAME can we as a society point the blame for gun related deaths on guns and their makers? When will we as a society require US HUMANS to be RESPONSIBLE for OUR actions... No, lets all go out and SUE the gun makers and drive YET ANOTHER manufacturer or business away from american soil so we can pay YET MORE import tax on TOOLS. If we outlaw guns, we will ultimately take them away from LEGAL citizens. We WILL NOT take them away from those whoe illegally own them ANYWAY! New York City and Washington DC are case studies of THIS VERY FACT. ... And before you guys jump on me here or at my inbox, a little back ground... I HAD an FFL license that allowed me to own and sell submachine guns back in 1990. I turned the license in once all the high profile cases with nuts killing children and innicent people broke around the country. I also sold my stash of legal assault rifles. I ALSO cancelled my membership in the NRA. Two reasons... They (The NRA) scared me & the government who was tracking activities within the NRA and its membership scared me. I now hold NO affiliation to any gun related group. I also do NOT own any assault rifles. However, I'm always amazed at how our society is so quick to blame the system, yet so quick to do NOTHING relevant to make society a better and safer, and more accountable place to live. Go on and blame TV, the media, entertainment, hollywood, teachers, hell blame me while you are at it... But god forbid, DO NOT blame the individual who actively decided to take a tool and use it in a manor to prey upon another human being... NO, don't do that. Mike 8)

I'll check with them, But I need 1 3/4 primaries... That will be a deal breaker... Mike

The reason I bought the Painless Wiring kit was the fact that the chassis I bought from Chris was without wiring. I needed to start from ground zero, so I figured I'd spend a few bucks and go ahead and do it right. Mine isn't installed yet, but I did lay it out on the floor and trace all the wiring in the harness kit. Looks pretty straight forward... Just plan to take your time... There is a good 16 hours in wiring the car properly. Mike

Surface Finish is like a mirror! They did excellent work. Mike

Bob, Can you do me a favor and post some other pics of it from the side and front... I'M DYING to see the rest of the car! Mike

Well it looks like I've found a Vendor who sells them for $1490 plus shipping... So far that is the lowest price on new TKOs... Still searching for a deal on a used one... If not, I'll be getting one from them... Mike 8)

Everyone I heard from on the S&S header said it had a ground clearance issue. I know I'm gonna choke the motor a bit with the block huggers, but I'll gain a little bit back by going with the 1 3/4 primary tubes... I do not want to deal with losing any ground clearance. Mike 8)

Nope. I have the Painless kit as well, and I think it is a well done kit. However, you pretty much get a universal kit, which is nice. You can CUT each wire to fit perfectly for your application. However, as My daddy used to say... Measure twice and cut once! High quality kit. Mike

So, other than head gaskets, I need to either buy some rewarder headers or some Sandersons, and I need to pick up another MSD distributor... Still have no clue WHY I sold the one I had... It would work fine with the combo I have... I also need to buy a clutch kit and a slave cylinder. We'll try to get the car ready for undercar paint over the next three weeks... Mike

Now that I've got my heads back and I've found that they have been resurfaced, taking .004 off, which head gaskets should I be looking for... Mike 8)

Mark, I've found them for $1599 plus shipping. I"m not knocking the price of the Gforce, and I know you are a fan of it, I just don't see the need for it. If I was gonna go that route, I'd investigate putting another T56 in, which is in the same price range. I'm trying to get CHEAP on getting a GOOD transmission... $1200 is the ball park I'm shopping for and a good used one would certainly work. Also, the Tremec has a break in period. I used to HATE them, but a couple of minor things you can do to ease the shifting stiffness by swapping shifters and fluid. It does ease up with those two items a about 2000 miles. Another comment about the T5 "Buttery Shifting Trans"... They flex and they flex BAD. The case is the cause of more internal parts failures on T5s than any other cause. So, make sure you go with an upgraded case if you plan to run a T5 Gforce tranny. Mike 8)

Ain't Corvettes Cool! Mike

I'm pretty convinced that a bone stock Tremec TKO, not being used for drag racing, would hold up fine for my particular application. I know of three guys who are running this trans in mustangs ( much heavier cars) making over 550hp at the wheels and the trans holds up fine. Keep in mind, this car will be a street driving track play toy. I think the Gforce is a great trans, but not necessarily warranted unless you are gonna launch on slicks on a regularl basis. Mike

Well Katman, You bring up a few good points, but I'd be interested in hearing WHERE you think the design might fail. We did some VERY serious load and stress analysis on the units I made and none failed... I couldn't say that for the THREE factory rears that SPLIT at various seams... Tim, you might want to have that data handy just to snuff out any concerns from would be buyers, or those just interested in bench racing to failure. Structural data is ALWAYS a good thing to keep around for any suspension parts... Oh, and for what it is worth, NO custom suspension part is techically LEGAL for use on public roads in the US unless it has been DOT certified...Each state handles it differently, So buyer/ user beware... All these parts are experimental and the user of said parts holds a significant portion of liability herein. This goes back to the argument I made on Juan's behalf. If you don't want custom fabricated parts that are of experimental nature, then keep it OEM, including coil overs and aftermarket springs, brakes and motor... They might fail! Might fly too! Mike 8)

Looking for the best deal on a Tremec TKO for Chevy... Anyone know who has the best deal? Mike

So Yesterday I finally picked them up. They have been shaved .004th to true them flat, so now I need to dig out the specs to make sure I get the right head gaskets... We were looking at one in the .021-023 range, but this is gonna impact that. I also need to order some head studs before I bolt it all together. Otherwise they did a verynice job on them... For replacing the springs, checking the seat presure, bead blasting, decking and cleaning up the valves... They told me that beyond the wrong valve springs, the umbrella seals that were used weren't sealing any oil out at all, which was the reason my rings would NEVER seat. And the whole time I thought it was the carb being too rich... Mike

Michael, John (JT1) Bought the white Z with the whale tail and flares... Made room for the Vette... I'll be doing as much as possible to the Vette, while keeping it 100% daily driver and clean. The Zcar will NOT have the luxuries once planned, and will be more track oriented... Mike

Richard, I am in an interesting position on that very subject. I have someone who needs pretty much everything I have on my rolling chassis, and I could make a cool $5000 off it, and keep my motor, wiring harness and computer/ harnesses... However, Completely getting out of Zs just to play with my Vette and bikes is a tough decision... One I lost sleep over... And some of the guys who say "Some guy with lots of Money can buy a vette..." is not really accurate with many of them. These guys modify their Vettes big time, and I will be doing the same. We're already planning either a forced induction (Now we're looking into twin turbo setups!) or all motor build for the vette. There are guys out there with highly modified C5s that are absolutley eating up the competition... 3200# with great aero numbers and the ability to make 500+hp for reasonabe money (Less than $5000) is hard to beat...Especially when you throw in the bells and whistles, excellent brakes and suspension, and the seats and interior... All the stuff we generally want to improve on the Zcar... But I digress... Bottom line is not having a Z is something that I didn't think would bother me so much... But I've still got it, and I'm honestly glad I didn't take the offer. The size of the Zcar is something I considered. It is much smaller in feel than the Vette is. The Vette is a VERY large car from the inside. The Z feels nimble and quick. Also, I've got pretty much everything I need to make this car go and handle as well as any, and it would just be plain FUN to have it back together. So, Tomorrow I'll pay the $405 for the heads I had work done to, and this coming week I'll start buying parts and reassembling the top end of the motor. Mike