Mikelly

Gee, another IDIOT behind the wheel... Guy should have kept his foot in it instead of lifting and then panicing...As it snapped loose to the right he lifted because he thought he was going into the guardrail and looks like he locked the brakes... Dumb ass who owns a fast car, but didn't learn how to drive it fast... These things can step out VERY easily and you have to pay attention because the speed sensative steering gives you a false sense that the car is coming back in controllably... then it steps the other direction quickly... As this clown demonstratied! I got my Z06 Sway bars in... Just waiting on the Shocks to arrive and the Borla tail pipes... Then I'll be done with mods for a bit... Mike

I'd take speedracer's recommendation unless you are 100% sure you know the story on that motor. If not, I'd plan to go in and rering it and rebearing it... Then you are talking about more expense AND you would still have issues with the tranny/ gear ratio... Mike 8)

I'm gonna run the Rewarder 1 3/4 or the Sanderson 1 3/4 cast manafold... Just another option... I didn't think the S&S header would give me enough ground clearance, so I plan to go with the block huggers and my existing pipe setup... Mike

I've heard everything from Viper to Acura... I personally like the car... I Love the headlights, and I like the fact that the car is physically smaller... I don't like the fact that the targa takes up all the hatch space, as mine leaves room for some cargo, but that is the price paid for the smaller platform. What this will do is make an affordable supercar (The C5) even more affordable... Having owned one of these cars now, If I had to pick only one car to live with... Well, you guys don't want to hear this, but my current Vette would get my pick hands down. Mike

I probably shouldn't mention the fact that I've JUST PURCHASED a COMPLETE Z06 Suspension to swap into this car then, should I??? Should be here next week! $390 for everything. Now if I could find a deal on a decent Super Charger kit for this beast! Mike

Well my wife had it in her head to buy him what he wanted within reason. So... I went along with it... I mean, it is a toyota and how much work should be required, right? The timing belt needs done... Did I mention doing it requires the motor and trans to be dropped? YUCK! It does handle well, and we just installed some Tien springs and new brake pads in the back, although the new struts will have to wait until we can buy the stupid specialty tool to extract the inserts... But I wouldn't buy it again... I'd do something else as a first car for him! Mike

I'd not recommend the 240SX unless he plans to ditch the motor... The car is pretty heavy and that motor is a slug... And I would NOT get an MR2... We have one... Nice little car... PAIN IN THE A$$ to work on and NOTHING is cheap for them... NOTHING... Honestly, for a fun daily driver with intention of maybe the occassional autocross, I'd get a little late 80s or ealry 90s Civic hatchback and throw some springs and struts on it... They are slow, but handle pretty darned well. I love mine as a daily commutor at 38-40 MPG. Then he could scout his next project car while he has something to beat around in, saving money FOR his project car parts, in the guise of excellent fuel mileage! Mike

Well, I for one have to disagree... On other sites I've had people who own Z28 Camaros mistake my project when I mention putting a 383 stroker and 6 speed in it. And lately, since I've been trolling some of the Vette sites, I've seen CONSTANT reference to the Zo6 as plain "Z". Good example is Moridin's link to a cornercarver thread about a guy in a Z... Turns out after reading a bit further, he is referencing his Yellow Z06. There used to be this stereotype about owning a Vette or Mustang... And since I now own both, Guess I fit into that catagory... Is that What I'm hearing here? My kid referes to his MR2 as "MR" or simply "2"... By your own examples, I guess I should chastize him for that as well... This "Stereotype" is no different than assuming a (insert your race/ creed/ color Here!) is guilty of a crime because he/ she is of that color or race... Gee, glad to hear we are tolerant of others interest in varying types of cars... So much for the word "Enthusiast"! I'm more than just a bit disapointed... Mike

Brad-man you just stole my thunder! And besides... It is a LETTER in the alphabet. Why in GODS NAME would you care who uses it in reference to THEIR car... Especially when it is IN THE NAME of the MODEL of the CAR!! Come on Mike... Be pationate about your car, but this is a bit much... Mike

Well ya know, I will need to move th motor once it is out... Not sure what an LS1 is going for these days... But I bet I could find out! Mike

Matt, thee is no way you could deny her as your sister... You two have so many of the same facial features! Happy new year! 8) Mike

Well everyone keeps mentioning how reliable the ATI is... Not 100% sure yet, but it will have an aftercooler if it is a Vortech. Mike

I've been telling everyone who would listen that this Vette is a PIG at 3700#s... Seems I was mis-informed... It weighs 3200#! Now I feel much better about spending money to make it go faster... Oh, motor plans have changed... We are now looking at building a BLOWER motor instead of N/A... Seems that we'll be able to build a better and stronger powerbase for less, and then SC it! This is gonna be cool... But there goes my 28MPG on the highway! 8) Mike

Well we sent 2003 out in grand fashion. We were at dinner with some friends when Donna started feeling sick.. Everyone was gonna go back to our place and ring in the new year, and I'd emptied out the local liquor store. However, My lovely wife now has the flu bug and I'm not far behind... Figures that with the sickness and injury the last half of the year produced, We'd end up with the CRUD that has been ravaging the rest of the country! This year was one of the better years I can think of in my life... Finally got a job with a company that takes care of the employee and pays GREAT, got most of the honey doos done, and I got my other dream car. This coming year, I hope things are better, as I'd like to keep the rest of my arteries connected... Happy new years guys and I hope everyone has the success and dreams come true that they wish for! Mike 8)

Moridin, I think the problem with the cobra setup is the pad, not the caliper... The Vette is 3200# and I could get the stock pads to fade after about 15 hard 80-0 stops. We used some Hawk performance pads on our 95 Mustang GT (Cobra R brake kit on the front from http://www.discbrakesRus.com) and it was a night and day difference. The brakes don't fade now at all. I got that tip on Corral.net about 16 months ago, so you guys might want to try that with your mom's cobra... Mike

I just put new pads and rotors on the Vette this afternoon and these PBR calipers that come on the Vette are the same caliper that comes on the Mustang Cobra... It seems to me that this caliper setup could be adapted for use on the Zcar... The rotors on the Vette are massive. 13 inch up front and 12 inch in the back vented... AND the E-brake assembly runs on the inside of the rear rotor... Slick design. I had $300 SHIPPED in a new set of AC Delco rotors and performance Friction Carbon Metalic pads. Mike

Well I'm a fan of the deep metalic Pewter that is on my corvette... Very sophisticated and great on vehicles with curves and drastic lines. But I'm biased! Mike 8)

Yo, by that defenition, You won't have a "Daily" driver... Driving it around once in a while on the street squarly puts ANY car into the "Hobbie car" catagory. So what will it be? TRUE daily driver, or Hobbie car? This type of wording keeps me in constant battle with my kids EVERY TIME they get a new car magazine and read about some HOT import "Daily driver" that runs 9s in the 1/4... Never mind the lexan windows, full tube chassis and NO wipers... Or the fact that it can't idle in traffic in 95 degree 100% humidity summertime weather! My defenition of daily driver is any vehicle I can jump in and drive from my home in Fredericksburg Va. to Miami Florida or Lost Angels California and back in on a minutes notice. Mike

I dont' honestly think you will get a Talon to be an 11 second daily driver and be dependable... The AWD bits and tranny are the weak links... I'd keep the Z, pocket the money and be happy... Uh, keep in mind I say this with a FLEET of back up cars... My current "backup" car is a 1990 civic HF hatchback with a Civic DX motor and 5speed in it... I'd NEVER have JUST a Zcar (Or any sports car) as a primary vehicle, although I DID from 1988 until 1995. Mike 8)

Couple of things to remember with my setup on the Z... I have a pretty high lift cam for the T56, and my car was never optimally tuned. The carb I was using had issues with the motor and 6th was useless below 2000RPMs... Others have NOT experienced that. In the Corvette I'm running 3:42s and I can pull 1200 rpms with NO PROBLEM at all in 6th gear. That is how to knock down 28mpg. I think Jamie's setup would be fine in the Z, and I'd run as steep a gear you can find Jamie! Mike

Well I've wanted one since the new C5 was released in 1997. I was NEVER a fan of any other Corvette. So, when I got this new job and huge pay raise, and then refinanced my home and got out from under a TON of debt, I figured I would shop. IF you can afford $30,000 then you might get an 02-03 Targa or FRC model. IF you MUST HAVE a convertible, you might be able to get an 01. What I found was unless you can afford to buy an 02 model, ANY of the 97-01 models is a pretty wide open choice. Some changes took place in 2001, but by far the biggest happened with the 02 model year. I like the car spec'ed the way it is with the HUD, AHS, TCS, Memory package, Twilight and remote packages... But I would NOT recommend the Bose stereo and if you find a car spec'ed with everything you like except the bose stereo, Get it! Bottom line is I had planned on a $30000 budget... $20000 for a car and $10000 in mods. I wanted a 400whp car that had brakes and handling on par with a Z06... I'm close... And I'm $7000 ahead of schedule... Remember what I've repeatedly told a number of you guys with regards to your projects... Get a plan together, Stick to it, and be happy while you are driving it. Mods to date are limited to the intake and shifter, as well as the tint... But I've got Z06 sway bars that were shipped today, new brake rotors and performance pads that were shipped last week, new heads at my builders shop, and an XR1 exhaust in my garage. Now that my county is going to start doing emissions testing, my motor build will be more sedate. However, I'll still expect to get 390+ whp when we are done... These cars are VERY conservatively rated... The claim was 345 SAE HP at the flywheel... But most guys are experiencing 315-320 at the wheels... So increasing that to 400 at the wheels should be do-able without making the emissions police come running! Shop Shop Shop, and if you plan to modify it, don't worry about the miles! I absolutely LOVE this car. Mike

Took me about two days to get used to the tint... It was a pain... Virginia will only allow 50% on the side windows and 35% on the back window... The reason it looks darker is there is a cargo cover in the back of the car, which is black and aids in covering it up... Overall, I'm pleased. I need a front air dam... and I might lower the car about 3/4 inch... Not sure yet! Mike

New pics being added as I type... Tinted windows and the new ram air... Mike

Well if you kept the overfenders black, and put on a black front spoiler, It might look pretty cool... JamieT's Z looked good with the gold paint and black overfenders/ airdam! Mike

Phailure, Tip on the SP135, I've got it and love it... Make sure you run 75/25 argon in it and run .025 wire. .030 is nice for super thick stuff, but I've gone to using .025 in it because it works well with most anything from 20guage sheet metal, to exhaust pipe and 1/8th inch steel. It is by far the nicest CHEAP welder you can get. Mike