Mikelly Posted December 6, 2004 Share Posted December 6, 2004 So lately there have been some folks dicsussing building a Z, going 3.1 turbo, or V8, auto or manual, LS1 or traditional V8, Ford or Chevy? So many choices and so few Zs... One thing that I've learned over the years, and re-experienced on Jim McNemar's project is planning. You must look at every aspect of a project and what areas each mod will effect. Jim's car started out as a "My car brakes and handles horribly so lets fix it" project and has ended up with the following: Modern Motorsports Differential, axles, Extreme Brakes, Coil overs on Sectioned struts, Custom Koni Racing inserts, Heavy bushings, HEAVY springs, Custom CCW wheels w/ Michelin Cup tires, and custom five lug conversion with aluminum hubs, and custom control arms and TC Rods... All in a relatively short turn-around, Minus a few bumps, a few assumptions, and a few calls to Ross... We were done with phase 1... But now we had other issues... All this suspension and brakes would beat up the Uni-body pretty good and Jim's 4 point bar wouldn't hold the car together... AND Jim had some serious underbody rust issues... Phase 2, the JTR conversion and tranny upgrade would have to be pushed back... We sent the car to a shop around the corner from me for a new set of floor pans, frame rails, removal of the rear storage boxes, and a custom multi-point Chromemoly roll cage. Four weeks later, they have JUST completed the floor pans and frame rails, and rear strut bar. There was lots of tar and Zbart like stuff on the underside of the car, and removing that and getting the pans and rails correct took some time... Plus other customer cars took some time. So On Saturday Jim, Dan (Owner of the shop), John (Lead fabricator for the shop) and I sat down to lay out a NEW plan for completion of this car. We had decided to go ahead and pull the motor, since it was obvious we had a leaky rear main, and it wouldn't hurt to take a peek in the pan... We found some things that ended up requiring a tear down of the motor and some unforunate findings... So now this "My car brakes and handles horribly so lets fix it" project has turned into a FULL rebuild to include a new motor, and an addition of a fuel cell, custom dual exhaust, relocation of the battery to the rear, prep and paint of the newly welded in metal and cage, and we're going to install a Carbon Fiber or Fiberglass dash (I'll be contacting the vendors here!!!!) to the project... Now go back and look at this project and see how this project has escallated in short order... This is a HUGE build.. Jim is going to get custom FI on his small block, and we will be doing a few other neat tricks, including building a nice forged lower end, and picking some nice heads, and other choice bits... But this project has now increased by a large magnatude from just a "Suspension and brakes/ JTR and tranny update". Plan for the unforseen and do your homework. These projects, as Grumpy stated earlier, are supposed to be fun... Set realistice budgets and guidelines, and make sure to consult both vendors and manufacturers for your parts selections before you spend a dime. I'll add more to this later, but I really want to stress that you guys set realistic goals... We're fortunate that Jim wants the exact car we're building and he has the means to afford the escallation. But this could have become a real source of headaches, given the surprise we found in the engine bay... another "Custom" built motor, with less than honest backing has really taken this project to a new direction! And for the record, this has been a very rewarding experience, in many ways... Most of all, I've been happy to get to know Jim a lot better, and fortunate to have friends who have come to my aid, as well as gained some respect from a local fabrication shop within 3 miles of my house... I also have some new found respect for the parts making process! Mike 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VRJoe Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 Mike, You're making another great point. Planning is critical, it can help you avoid the dreaded "While I'm here" syndrome. That's one of the best things about HybridZ, you can learn from other peoples mistakes and experiences. It really helps with the planning. As a case in point, I was setting my battery box in the rear hatch area on the passenger side. My friend (who is a safety expert) pointed out that it was next to the fill neck and vent tank. With all the hoses that tie the Z fuel system together he didn't consider it a safe place to put the battery. It may seem a little nit-picky, but he's right. I'm now putting the battery behind the passenger seat, a much safer spot. Check your plans with others, they may see things you don't. Oh, he's also a Master Mechanic, great friend to have on a project like this, well actually a great friend to have period. - Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ON3GO Posted December 7, 2004 Share Posted December 7, 2004 Plan for the unforseen and do your homework. OMG yes! i know that one big time.. These projects' date=' as Grumpy stated earlier, are supposed to be fun... [/quote'] thats one i havent found yet Set realistice budgets and guidelines' date=' and make sure to consult both vendors and manufacturers for your parts selections before you spend a dime.[/quote'] i know that one but dont know whats "realistic" lol but great thead! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 Planning is great, and planning for the unforeseen is even better, but there are situations where no amount of planning can adequately prepare one to address the unforeseen! Taking Mikelly’s example, suppose that one finds that a “custom engine†built by a “custom builder†to actually be a pile of mismatched, cheap hodgepodge with a wiped cam, oil-puking rings and knocking bearings? Unforeseen indeed! But it’s SUPPOSED to be built by a pro, and it cost a pretty penny! Well, if one has the financial resources, and the contacts with machine shops, etc., then this “unforeseen†can be successfully solved. But lacking the spare $8K and the Rolodex full of business cards, the unforeseen becomes a showstopper. The real cost of these projects isn’t buying the parts or the tools, or even paying a pro to do the job right the first time. The real cost is paying for one’s mistakes, and sometimes for the mistakes of others. The time that is takes to complete the project isn’t the time necessary to do the job right, at a relaxed and measured pace; then most projects would get done in a year or two! No, the reason that these projects take multiple decades is that minor, entirely innocent mistakes or defects become intractable nightmares. Like that small spot of rust that turns out to be a structurally unsound frame rail. Or the momentary loss of oil pressure in that fresh, high-dollar engine, which wipes a crank bearing and back to the machine shop you go! In hindsight, I did learn one thing: considering my investment in money, let alone time, it would have been cheaper to buy a new Z06, and be done with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 The first rule of project planning: There is never time to do it right in the first place, but always time to do it over. Another Will Roger quote: Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferd/289 Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Amen..like they said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 I don't even remember what my original plan for my car was anymore, all I know is that it's changed alot since then. I think i wanted to go 3.1l at first, I got to the n/a stage, and now I want an LS1... I would say not planning very much to begin with has caused the "while I'm here syndrome" and I know it happened to mike. (on3go) Blew the headgasket and (while i'm here) ended up rebuilding the whole engine... lol! -Oliver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Took me five years to decide what color to paint the car and what aero kit I wanted to put on it. It took me another five years to decide what drivetrain upgrade to do. I got better, though. It only took me a year to decide what I wanted to do for new brakes. Now I've been about 8 months in planning for new interior and sound system - all rain delayed because the %*&^(*^* car leaks like a sieve and I haven't yet found for sure where it's coming in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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