Mikelly

I love new carparts, even if they are for a motor I won't build for another oh 6 months or so... Mike

Not in the least! There is a very well sorted LS1 powered 944 running around the region that I'd buy if I had space to garage it. Mike

"GOOD" pics or it didn't happen.

Get the MERC... Mike

Managed to redo the Vband flange on the passenger exhaust today and now have lots of clearance for the frame rail and bellhousing:

The elbow is stil giving me fits, so I took the last two days off... Since I don't want to watch the pomp and circumstance that's going to flood the airwaves today, I hope to get back in the shop and address some of those issues mentioned above. Mike

THIS... Is what makes HybridZ rock! Mike

I mounted the "fuseBox" under the driver's side dash, and mounted some relays on the passenger side end cap for the dash. PCM and MSD are mounted where the console/centerstack would be traditionally:

KMJ has impressed me bigtime with their parts. That oilpan I got from them is damned impressive. Mike

Somewhere in my build thread under the old configuration with the big wing and TRW wheels, the car scaled at 48.5front and 51.5 rear. It came in at 2709. I was expecting FAR less, with a car that is essentially a caged shell. Now the car is in the low 2600# range with the lighter wheels/tires, lighter dash, revamped minimal wiring, improved fuel delivery system, smaler batter, no passenger seat/mounts/harness, no wiper assembly, and a few carbon bits. The LS1 will get the car down into the less than 2500 pound range, which is where I would expect the car to be. Most guys get a shock when their Z gets weighed. Unless you plan out every piece of the build, you end up with a much heavier car than you planned for. Mike

C5 is such a great platform to compete with too... Looks nice. I really like how it turned out! Mike

It all boils down to how aerodynamically kooky you want to go. Based on the yarn tests in some key areas, un-sealed fender openings will benefit. If you have the OEM factory inner fender liners, I would LOVE to have them. They help a lot. Roddy Suggs car had sheetmetal fender closeouts and I believe the results were impressive. The John Washington scoops were intended for the hood, but can be bolted elsewhere. I'm going to use them as side fender treatments to help extract air collected in those huge pockets aft of the wheels. Mike

Got the minor issue with the distributor/wires resoved and the motor is running properly. I have a hadfull of things left to resolve other than the list of improvements above. I'm registered for a single day event at nccar in March. I hope to have a day or two in before that so I can get more driving in before April. Mike

I'm seriously contemplating one of those Ford 8.8 IRS conversions... Mike

It's a balancing act really... I like the looks of my large ZG flares with the big tires on it, but any bigger and I think it would look wrong. Your setup is very close to mine... Mike

Assuming all is now well with the 383 stroker, here is the short list of things I'll try to accomplish over the spring: Instal carbon louvered vents in the hood and top of fenders. Install John Washington's Scoops in the fenders trailing the front wheels. Cut and reweld extra set of strut housings we have so I can get the nose on the ground. Install the Cool Suit Box. Relocate the Battery to the passenger front footwell. Install the fire System. We also may weld in some Dzeus Fasteners and make some lower skirts that can be easily removed for jacking the car up. There are other things I'm kicking around but so far this is the "short list". Mike

Clip of the start up from two nights ago. I still need to check a few things and start sorting out the rest of the issues, but hey I'm stoked to have it actually start up again. Not to get it to move under its own power! https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10200403175982373&set=vb.567239713292457&type=2&theater Mike

Really digging this cheap pan and how it "works with the mixture of parts... And I'm ONLY down 1/2 quart in total capacity. You don't need the additional trap doors on more sexy pans because you don't have the "kickout". 2 trap doors, a windage tray and 7 1/8 deep. Couple things about this pan that are worth really mentioning... It claimed to be 5 quarts and a cheater IMCA model. It also claimed to be a 7 inch deep pan. I measured 6 quarts, and it measured 7 1/8 from the top of the rails on the pan to the floor of the pan internally. This is the pan I bought... Very impressed with it, especially for $59. I'd have paid $250. http://www.kmjent.com/cart/sbc-small-block-chevy-imca-racing-cheater-oil-pan-pickup.html As you can see, it clears the exhaust nicely and allows you to get to bits undercar. I'll be running 6.5 quarts with the cooler and relocated filter/lines. I'll add the 2 quart accusump. So that'll give 8.5 quarts instead of 9 quarts with the other system and the kickouts on the champ pan.

Wish I had time to play tennis. I'd play tennis before I'd play golf. Motor started tonight and ran. A little rough I might add. LIttle popping, little cracking... I suspect I may have the timing off, even though the distributor sync'ed up. Guess it may be on the exhaust stroke. Ran, though, so we're getting there... Posted a video clip on facbook at my "Mike's Hobby Shop" page... Check it out! Mike

Tennis Elbow... Killing me... Ugh.

Made a little bit of progress this evening... Gear oil (mostly in the car, some on the floor) - Check Oil in the crank case - Check Oil filter pre-lubed and installed - check Radiator topped off - check Oil pump primed - Check Elbow onfire - You betcha! So if I get off work on time tomorrow (I think I'll be working late) I'll get the oil pump primed once more, set the distributor to 50 degrees before top dead center, confirm cam sync, set to 60 degrees, confirm crank sync (this is all for the XFi) install plugs, cap and wires and fire it up. Mike

Five Dolla Five Dolla, Make you holla... Oh... To soon? Mike

I have this setup in my Zcar setup. You do need to flip the cages to gain additional clearance. My car is lowered with GCcoilovers and it's a real chore to get them in place. Flipping the cages allows you the additional space. If you have the MML setup you should have the "stops" endcaps that will allow the Axles to have less travel. This would stop them from slamming into each end cap. Also, Just an FYI but you want to use the OEM factory CV boots. The aftermarket stuff is just to thin and comes appart in a VERY short period of time. My build thread has the part numbers for the OEM units. Mike

Dealing with a wicked case of tennis elbow, which has slowed my progress. I did manage to get the radiator in and hoses connected, 2 gallons in the system. Will need another to top it off. And I got in some much needed "therapy" today of the other kind. As you can see, her office is rather small... Wise beyond her years though, in dishing out her wisdom... Hard to believe I'm a grandfather! More on the car later this week. Should be running shortly... Mike