maichor Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 :D It has been an awesome day! I have had the car so close to "test ready" for weeks. Today I pulled the jackstands and laid rubber to the pavement. I took my wife on the maiden voyage. We had a short run since I have no lights, signals etc. I had a buddy of mine tail us just in case. All she could say was, "You promised to take it slow." The LS1 ran well but was deafening through open headers. My wife traded seats with my friend Eric (Drives a 400RWHP Vette). I used up the 3 1/2 year old gas on the second ride. I put in a few gallons of fresh juice and had one more run. We went behind the airport on some empty roads WOW! It was night and day. The LS1 pulls big time. Even let Eric drive for comparison to his Vette. He was very complimentary. :flamedevil: Things that have me grinnin': 1) Hits hard and keeps pullin' 2) The car drives very nicely. 3) Easy clutch and brake work. 4) Car gets back in line well after going sideways 5) No leaks, gauges all work 6) Zero wheel hop. Love the R230 VLSD and suspension Things that bother me: 1) Some misfires early on, no more with new gas. Time to chang a filter. 2) Tons of work still to do. Exhaust, all body work, paint, etc. 3) I am not street legal yet so I can't really drive it around. One of the highlights was when Eric said that he had a blast and he thought it was very quick. He wants me to rent a tow dolly and go to the track to run with him! Frankly, I am amazed the car ran so well, straight, smooth, etc. I don't mean to brag, but I am pleased that all the hard work has paid off. 3 and half years worth. Remember, I basically have built the car from scratch. Even the Unibody is totally changed. I have the IRS from a 240SX with 300zxtt diff and brakes in the rear, shortend, custom axles, fabricated tons of stuff for the rear. Driveline is less than one degree off. I am running 275/40/17's in front and 335/35/17's in back. The rest of the mods are tried and true. 4X4 Brakes up front with Z31 5 lugs. G-machine setup for lower control arms etc. Motor is a 2001 LS1/T56 with 10K miles from a WS6 TA and is stock except 1 5/8" headers, cold air intake, LS6 intake (stock in 2001) and an ASP 25% underdrive pulley) and has only 10k miles. I also did the swap the hard way and have new fuel lines, brake lines, radiator, wiring, etc. etc. What a great day! I have some videos but no place to post them. Here are a few pics. My big ol' fat butt. My big ol' fat butt again strapping my wife into the harness. Me getting in for the ride of my life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Olphart Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Way Cool! With this morale boost everything left will go very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Looks great. Ah...The rear-end shot looks almost like it was polished aluminum or chome plated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted October 17, 2004 Author Share Posted October 17, 2004 Nope! Terry that is just black gel coat covered in a thick layer of dust. I took that pick to draw in the exhaust tips to see where I want them. You are the master, any suggestions. I was thinking just inside the wheels but out as wide as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Very exciting! I've been wondering how things are progressing. I'd love to do a LS1/VR some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannji Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Very nice stuff! Did I understand your correctly? You have the complete IRS from a 240SX under there? I was just about to try and search for someone else here who has that swap, forget his name.... could you supply any pics and info into your swap? I have been thinking about this a lot (when your car is not on the road and your garage is limited to standing room only, thinking is about the only option.) I am looking to get any info on this swap, and if it works with the Q45 diff... I will start a thread later, after I do the requesite searching, but any info you could share would be great. Did I mention how much I like your VR?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wagz Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Very cool! Congrats on the maiden voyage. I'm going to have to take some motivation from you getting your VR on the road. Mine's collected a whole lot more dust than yours and is nowhere near test ready. I haven't touched mine in 4-5 months until yesterday. Gonna hafta change that. Keep us posted on further developments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 I took that pick to draw in the exhaust tips to see where I want them. You are the master, any suggestions. I was thinking just inside the wheels but out as wide as possible. Sounds like a good idea. From personal experience I'd say that the most common comment I receive on the BlueOvalZ is about the exhausts. They seem to be a favorite with everybody. The only re-consideration I would have with what I did was going slightly smaller. Currently I'm using 4" SS tips with the rings around them. A 4" tip without the rings looks good, and a 3" (with or without the framing) may even look better. So when you review your options, change the size around (not just the location) a bit. The higher they are, the more effective they seem to be visually as well. I had to stop at the bottom of the boxed lip as far as how high they were. On the 240, the bumper brakets overlaped the holes, thus adding a bit of extra work in cutting the holes, and lastly, take special care in shaping the exhaust holes (if you continue on at the location you mentioned) because the angle and curve of the panel can give it an egg shape when viewed from behind. This "perfect and round" hole was the largest challenge (which was solved with a small filiment light bulb-to minimize distortion-and a round disk template to make the shadow). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mas28O Posted October 17, 2004 Share Posted October 17, 2004 Congrats on the first drive, I know that it feals good. I will have to take a look at your car next time that I am in Brownsville. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted October 17, 2004 Author Share Posted October 17, 2004 Thanks guys. Mas280, sure stop on by. I'm ~20 minutes from Brownsville. P.S. Drive your Z or the RX7. Tannji- I started a thread with an unfinished write-up I was doing. It is in the suspension forum. Terry- I am kind of committed to the tips I got off eBay a while back. They are 6" X 4" ovals with a 3" straight pipe through the middle and a spiral outer chamber. http://www.powereffects.com. What can I do with these? Not the cat, I mean the tips. I thought the large scale would be OK because of the large tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwik240z Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Congrats! It must be great to finally drive the beast. That should be a great motivator to get it all finished. Keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted October 31, 2004 Author Share Posted October 31, 2004 Update on the progress . . .Well, I used Terry's light trick. It worked great. I now have 2.5" from collectors to X-pipe and 3" from there. It sounds soooo good. BUT, I almost killed the car today. Has anybody seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off? http://hybridz.org/nuke/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=285255#285255 Anyway, I am trying to put that behind me. See if you guys can cheer me up with some comments on how it turned out. I myself am pleased but not exstatic. Big photos are here: http://www.theadairvillage.com/isapi.dll/c/content/f/viewproperty/siteid/jNsLAQ/contentclass/PICT/contentid/ZZZZZZSN/propertyname/Original/~/EXHAUST_015.jpg http://www.theadairvillage.com/isapi.dll/c/content/f/viewproperty/siteid/jNsLAQ/contentclass/PICT/contentid/ZZZZZZSO/propertyname/Original/~/EXHAUST_037.jpg http://www.theadairvillage.com/isapi.dll/c/content/f/viewproperty/siteid/jNsLAQ/contentclass/PICT/contentid/ZZZZZZSP/propertyname/Original/~/EXHAUST_036.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 Looks great (on top as well as underneath)! Take another shot higher up (or with the car lower down ). The oval exhaust worked out real well, but I'm partial to the OVAL Must be a cat lover . Who else would put an exhaust tip next to his photogenic cat for a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Juday Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 I'm with Terry, it looks just right. Best exhaust tip solution I've seen on a VR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted November 1, 2004 Author Share Posted November 1, 2004 Thanks guys. Here ya go. Oh, and the cat was my ticket to getting the Z to begin my project. My wife wanted an indoor cat and a treadmill. I wanted a Z. I got a Z and she got two cats and a treadmill. Guess what, she got higher price items there initially. But after nearly 4 years, I am way ahead of her now! P.S. ignore the mess of a garage. Same pics supersized if you care to look: http://www.theadairvillage.com/isapi.dll/c/content/f/viewproperty/siteid/jNsLAQ/contentclass/PICT/contentid/ZZZZZZSL/propertyname/Original/~/Halloween_107.jpg http://www.theadairvillage.com/isapi.dll/c/content/f/viewproperty/siteid/jNsLAQ/contentclass/PICT/contentid/ZZZZZZSM/propertyname/Original/~/Halloween_105.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 83supaZ Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 man... really love that car.. im just getting started on mine... im kind of new to engine and body work so im not doing anything drastic.. but things get bigger as ya learn more so who knows.. might have me a VR one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted January 23, 2005 Author Share Posted January 23, 2005 Made a little progress yesterday. 1950 Pontiac syle taillights by Vintique are right at home. What do you guys think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 What do you guys think. You did a good job of positioning the lights (splitting the difference) above the oval tailpipe. Nice work! The style of light just really does the car justice--good choice there. Davy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueovalz Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 Looks great! Now when is the paint comming? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psykovertible Posted January 24, 2005 Share Posted January 24, 2005 i would like to see several pictures of the rear end gittyup while the deck and floor is out of the car still. the brackets must be pretty straight forward. more info on the years that work best for parts would be schweet as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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