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Nice toolbox. Your G8 looks great too. Love the upgrade.
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I am still alive - havent worked on any car projects lately... lol.
I refinished one of my bathrooms - new paint, hardware, faucets, etc... That took up way too much of my time. This weekend I finished upsome projects in garage. First I bought another Gladiator shelving unit from Lowes - they price matched a competitor that had it online -and they beat that price by 10% - saved me $80 bucks off. Also - I went on vacation to Pigeon Forge TN a few weeks back and stopped by some antique stores - and noticed a lot of them had reproduction vintage signs - so I picked up a Texaco one, as well as a cool Pontiac service one. The Chevrolet ones had crappy colors/ I just didn't like them. Third - I picked up an portable AC unit for my garage about a month ago - Newegg.com had them on clearence - so I said what the hell, why not. I tested it out first by opening up the garage door first and letting it run the exhaust tube out to make sure it worked - it cooled off the work area by a few degrees. That made me happy - so I ponied up and got a metal dryer vent off the internet, and got some dryer vent ducting from Lowes, and plenty of caulk - and cut a hole in my house! Now to get to the ducting - I trimmed the think plywood that is up in my garage covering the walls - this lead me to discovering that the entire wall has insulation in it - bonus! I finished up this project tonight and now have the portable ac unit. Fourth - I have had an air compressor sitting in my garage for the last 7 months or so - and my parents where in town visiting on vacation. My father is an electrician/maintenance supervisor in his work life - so I asked him to help me run 220 for the Compressor - and after a few hours, and a few sparks flying - we got the AC compressor fully wired up properly and building pressure! We also ran another 110 outlet on the wall - since my garage only had 2 separate outlets in it! My next project will be to get a retractable air hose reel - and mount that on the back wall. Now for teh pics! http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3392.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3502.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3510.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3509.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3512.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3513.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3522.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3523.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3524.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3525.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3529.jpg |
Been awhile since I've made any updates here.
Life's been busy - between work, car mods, working on the shop, and going to car events - its been a crazy month or too. First - shop updates - I got the air compressor wired up a few weeks back - but I never got a hose reel for it. After a few trips to Harbor Freight/Lowes - I got the fittings all straightened up. I learned that they sell automotive size hose fittings as well as industrial size! This led to more trips that I want to admit to the air hose sections of Lowes and Harbor Freight. I bought/returned so many fittings - male/female adapters - that I actually bought an entire set of wrong size fittings and didn't even realize it. After I finally got all of the fittings straigtened out - I went to Harbor Freight and bought a 50' section of 3/8" air hose reel setup. After talking it over with Eric (woody80z28) above - I got a 2"x10"x8" from Lowes - and cut it the size that I needed. Mounted it to the studs in the wall - then drilled pilot holes into the 2x10 - and into the wall behind behind the board - painted it - then mounted the Air Hose reel with 3"x1/2" lag bolts - getting the holes and everything lined up was a bit tricky - but I got everything mounted: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3985.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4074.jpg Second - Car update. After hearing my GF's father's 07 Z06 with a Corsa Exhaust - I got really jealous of that system. I already own a Corsa exhaust system on my G8 GT - and man I thought that car sounded good, hearing in on that Z06 made me really want to upgrade. So I scoured corvettefourm.com, and ebay for awhile - I found one exhaust kit - but the owner sold it, I found another set on ebay for $550 shipped! Now these exhaust kits retail for $1800+ shipping! So after the SLOWEST shipping ever - the guy shipped it from NYC to Charlotte via USPS snail mail - I received the exhaust 3 weeks after I ordered it! Install pics - then vid: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3992.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG3991.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4077.jpg Third - car events: I have been to a few car events in the Charlotte area in the last couple of weeks. First I went to the Open House up @ DSE on the Friday of Good Guys Charlotte - I saw some very cool projects at there shop and a few cool cars in the parking lot. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...2/IMAG3867.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...2/IMAG3875.jpg Rest of my DSE Shop pics here: http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/n...0House%202012/ Then I went to Good Guys Charlotte on Sunday as part of there Super Sunday package. I saw some friends and some cool cars out on the Autox http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...2/IMAG4022.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...2/IMAG3999.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...2/IMAG4016.jpg Rest of the Good Guys pics Here: http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/n...rlotte%202012/ Last - I participated in the local SCCA autocross event @ Zmax Dragway this past weekend. I saw Mike with his Duster there - he did pretty good as he beat my times. This has been the first time that I autocrossed in over a year - and I have a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cups on the back that are very worn - I was having a hell of a time getting traction out back when I was gassing it through the corners - it basically felt like a drift car and I was steering the car with the throttle. My times dropped throughout the day - and I manged to kill a few cones. I actually finished second in Super Stock - Street Prepared at the event - I supposedly got a trophy but I had to leave when the last group was running due to other plans. Pics and Vids below: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...SC_0192-X3.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...SC_0092-X3.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...SC_0083-X3.jpg Rest of my pics from the Autocross: http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/n...20Zmax%202012/ |
Thanks for sharing the pics :cheers: The Vette sounds scarey gnarly!
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Happy holidays everyone!
I had a great Thanksgiving - and of course did some Black Friday shopping. I think the secret for guys to go shopping on Black Friday.... is to go shopping for tools! There where no lines at Lowes/Home Depot/Harbor Freight - and the Craftsman deep well impact sockets that I ordered - I ordered on line! It made for a very easy BF for me. As part of BF - Charlotte Motor Speedway has a big blowout event selling all the left over Nascar gear. They also offer you to go paced laps around the track. The trick of it is - if you hang back you pretty much can go wide open. I went with my Corvette club again - and went for 2 sessions. The max speed that I got this year was 133 mph that I verified with my GPS. Of course - heres the vid: |
The video below too wayyy to long to figure out how to get working correctly!
Now for the details: I have an OBDII bluetooth scanner that I bought on ebay - it was like 10 bucks shipped from China (of course). I have an Android phone running ICS - there is an app thought I bought on the Play store called Torque - it was 5 bucks. I actually data logged the entire run - and finally got the data to import into video software correctly. I logged the RPM, Speedo, G force, and various other gauges that you want. The app saves it as a .CSV file that you can open up in Excel. I used the pc application Race Render 2 - and it will compile the go pro video - and sync up with the Excel .CSV file - and allow you to throw gauges onto your video. After 2 days of screwing around with the video - I finally got it working! Now for the same video above w/ gauges! |
Still keeping busy around here.
I ended up selling the z06 exhaust mufflers and the wireless vacuum kit I had on the car on Craigslist. I listed them as soon as I put the Corsa's on. I used that money to buy new set of rear tires. The set of Pilot Sport Cups that I had put on previously where used - and well they are down to the wear bars after the Power Tour and a few Autocrosses this year. Tirerack had a deal with these being over half off. Talking about steam rollers - I ended up getting a set of 345x30x19's that will fit onto the stock z06 rear wheels. Pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4243.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4244.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4245.jpg Also another shop update: I ended up needing some more storage in the garage - so I shopped around on Cyber Monday and saw some competing storage units and sizes from Gladiator Garageworks - I ended up shopping at Sears and buying there 30x30x12 units for about $90 a piece. I had to buy some more of there wall track system - but I bought that at Lowe's since they have a cheaper price there. I have probably 3 free feet on the the track system - I might pick up another overhead box - not really sure. I also picked up a beer bottle opener @ Sears when I ordered the shelving units - pic of the first beer opened up w/ it. I also shopped around for a retractable electric cord real - and found this one at Home Depot - well, initially. I had gone to there store to check it out and buy it - but I didnt realize that they only sold it online! Ugh! So I went home and tried to order it - and ended up being out of stock. After a big of shopping using Google - I found it cheaper and w/ free shipping from a hardware store out in Oregon. I ended up attaching it to the wall next to where I had mounted the air hose reel. Now I've got 30' feet of electrical cord as well. Pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4226.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4227.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4228.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4231.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4233.jpg |
Congrats !
The cars, the tires, the garage - all way cool !!! Nothing better than having a great place to work and hang out - and maybe drink a beer or two ! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Continued success ! Jim |
Its been a crazy holiday season - I worked a ton, traveled to Chicago for Christmas - came back to Charlotte and had been slammed ever since.
I got a Porter Cable buffer for Christmas - I will be trying that out on the G8 and the Vette in the spring. A couple weeks before Christmas - I got a line on a Maxjax Lift that was NIB and had never been installed. So through a buddy I contacted the owner and asked more details about it. He had bought the lift - let it sit for a year, and never installed it. He was buying some Forged 360 wheels - and was willing to part with the lift. After negotiating a price. and waiting for my buddy to be free with his pickup - we headed up to the guys house and came home with a lift in the bed. I plan on installing this before spring - right now its stupid cold and I need to figure out where I am going to put the bolting holes in the floor. Some pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psc5921ea8.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps0a40a3e7.jpg |
I have a few updates here - to the shop, the G8, and the Vette!
First of all - the week of Christmas my garage door opener was having some issues - the door would only open about a foot - and would not go any higher. So I called my local garage door company and they where going to send a guy out. The Door tech called me - and since it was a really cold and rainy day - and it was late in the evening he asked me what was going on - told him the problem and he said just turn up the force adjuster knob on the opener to one mark higher. Did that and bam - the door started working again. Since it was crappy weather and late out - the guy didn't want to come out, that saved me the $90 for the service call. A couple weeks later the plastic gear inside the opener ground itself into oblivion and covered the garage in plastic dust - and the garage door stopped opening again. At the point I wasn't comfortable working on openers - I looked up the part - that plastic gear was $30 plus another $90 service call. So at this point I would have been $210 in fixing an old 13 year old crap Craftsman opener - the original one to the house. So I started looking up the Liftmaster 3800 online. I called 2 companies about that model and to see how much it would be installed - cheapest quote I got was $900. I said screw that and started to read the instructions several times and started thinking to myself - hey, I can install that on my own. I first found the opener on Amazon for $350+ shipping - I thought that wasnt a bad deal. Then I checked on Ebay and found it for $270 - and free shipping. I bought it on a Monday - and it arrived here on Thursday from CT - not a bad shipping time at all. So one LONG Saturday with the help of a buddy - we installed the new opener. The opener install itself probably took 30 minutes - the long part was running all new electrical wires for the 2 sensors, the lock that bolts to the track, the opener button on the wall - and for the remote power source kit that they sell. I compared running more conduit, the wire, another electrical box, the outlet itself - and the l brackets and condiut adapters - my price was $40 from the hardware store. I looked up there remote power unit - and got that on ebay for $22 with free shipping. So for around $300 I got the garage door working again - and well just happen to be installing a lift - so I gained another foot in room from the ceiling! I took the old opener down the following weekend - and well you can see my thought there. Now for teh pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4460.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4432.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4436.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4461.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4462.jpg G8 Update - the Doorman TPMS sensors that I ordered and installed just over a year ago - I had 2 of them crap out on me in one week! They started reading 180psi - or just nothing at all! RockAuto had a limited lifetime warranty on them - and I contacted the manufacturer about them - I unfortunately couldn't get them refunded - just a replacment unit - I wasnt going to put there crap product on my car since its $32 to dismount each tire - I just had Discount Tire replace them with there units. So yeah - I do not reccomend Dorman TPMS units... Pic: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...T/IMAG4466.jpg Corvette update - when I attended the Run thru the Hills event 2 years ago - I promised myself that I was going to buy new rear tires, and new swaybars - well as you can scroll back I already got the tires. I almost bought these on Black Friday - they where $150 off retail price - well I am glad that I didnt since I used that money for the purchase of the lift. I just happened to look on Ebay for these Pfadt heavy duty racing swaybars - I found them for $300 cheaper then that Black Friday deal! Yes they are used - but they are in great shape! These have 3 levels of adjustablity per swaybar - and have those splined Nascar ends that DSE uses. I plan on installing these after the lift. Pic: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/IMAG4471.jpg |
After having the lift for about 2 months - I finally got time to install it!
I started at about noon yesterday - and finished up after midnight last night. I didn't run into any huge issues - after drilling out one of the holes - I found that my pad was on average 5-5.5" thick which was one of the reasons I wasn't rushing to install the lift - I had no idea how thick the pad as. The instructions say you need 4" minimum. After drilling out the holes, I hammered in the Wej-it anchors - they give you a sacrifical bolt - and boy did it get sacrified. After hammering in about half of the anchors - I needed to go to Lowes and buy another threaded bolt to put into the the remaining anchors. After I got the columns in place - I had to finish setting up the hoses and hydraulic fittings. After bleeding the hydraulic system once - I tested out the lift a few times - I have yet to lift the Vette yet, I am going to wait till Wednsday - I need to tighten up one of the hoses, as well as find some hockey pucks or cut up some wood to put under the car. Now for teh pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps02b936e2.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps8b207237.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps3925d3fd.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps3aff641e.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps6f30aea0.jpg |
:thumbsup: How hi will style of unit rise.
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I got the fittings straightened out, found some hockey pucks - which BTW is a total pain in the a## to find in the south! Its February and the NHL is in season! Ugh. I had to go to 4 stores including an ice rink just to find some!
Yesterday i got the Vette lifted up with no issues, and had my first customer - buddy came by and changed his oil. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psc133bf53.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps0efa1c91.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps33d6d8c2.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psdae33eaa.jpg |
Quote:
Plus the nice thing is it is moveable - take the bolts out, take the arms off, and wheel the columns to the corners. Plus my ceiling height is about 8'5" and doesnt allow a full sized lift in there - this is a nice alternative to lying on my back doing car work... |
Very nice :thumbsup: , we just received the same lift. We be ding the install soon.
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This lift is getting some use!
I got the Pfadt adjustable swaybars installed over the weekend. They went in with no real huge issue. I had to grind out the holes on the front swaybar as they would not fit the new endlink bolts - not a big deal. I also changed the oil in the Vette last night - I wish I had a lift years ago - I got the oil change done in about 20 minutes, no more laying on my back under my car for me! Now for the pics! http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps85e5f55d.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pscf722abf.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psbf274b47.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps13aa7e67.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pse0377ed2.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps9f38c4c5.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps40b512ad.jpg |
nice lift!
are the pfadt arms really broached on an angle like that? Is that normal for them on these newer platforms? Jason |
Jason if you are talking about the angle of the arm coming off of the threaded main bar - then yes that is how they are designed by Pfadt.
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Thursday night I spent removing the front swaybar, and then re-adjusting the endlinks - as I was heaving some nasty binding in the bars driving around and turning at lower speeds.
I have resolved the noise issues with the front bar - but I have not resolved the rear. There is still a bit of what sounds like is binding when I go over bumps. I adjusted the rear endlinks 3 times and fixed a good bit of the sounds - but its still there. I think I am going to take the rear bar off and move the orange arms more inward - and see what that does. Since I got the car driveable - I went to a test and tune here @ Zmax Dragway. This is the first time that I have run down the 1/4 mile in over 7 years - and first time in a RWD car, and only the second time I have ever drag raced a manual trans car. My best past of the night was a 13.8 @ 104 mph - needless to say I was less then impressed, haha. The rear Pilot Sport Cup tires would not hook at all - they just spun through first and second and into third gear. These tires are shot - and I have a set of 345 30 19 tires to go on, plus the 45* temperatures outside probably didn't help either. I didn't break anything - so thats always a bonus, lol. Now for the pics and videos! Pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps7b10e90c.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps805f90f2.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psb87fd8fe.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps20130a28.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psbb2ace5b.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps37b3e518.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps5bcea8da.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps1e327f3d.jpg |
Got the gauges figured out - so same vids as above - but now w/ gauge data. |
Time for some updates to this thread - its been a crazy couple of weeks.
This past weekend I particpated with my local SCCA club - and autocrossed @ Zmax dragway again. I got 4 runs in on Saturday - and my first run was an 84.xx, and my last run was a 76.xx - not a bad way to drop almost 10 seconds. I do not think there where any photographers there - but I got a couple pics - and vids. Run 1: Run 2: Run 3: Run 4: Some pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pse6e8f6d5.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps170ee58e.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps66452e65.jpg Second update - since I have the Hot Rod Power Tour coming up - and I am long hauling to Dallas TX and back to Charlotte - I have decided to rebuild the seats in the Vette. They only have 40k miles on them - but after 5 Power Tours - they are showing there age and trust me after 8 hours the padding starts to suck horribly and gets uncomfortable. So I ordered new 2013 seat leather skins, and foam from GM. I also ordered a seat rebuild foam kit that I am going to put in that adds a bit more padding as well. The seat skins are black leather with Alacanta black suede inserts - also these have titanium stitching to match the rest of the interior - and have the C6 flags on them. Pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps4bbd58d7.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps72c1087b.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psb7cb7f0c.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps7079b587.jpg Third update - I have decided that this car will not be see boost in the immediate future - those Edelbrock blowers are in no way affordable - and are too rich for my blood. So I am going to build up the LS2 that I have with the following: CNC ported L92 heads. LS9 camshaft. GM LS3 intake manifold. Lunati upgraded trunion bearings on brand new LS3 intake/exhaust rockers - on order. LS3 intake valves - still need to order these. The intake just came in - I ended up ordering it from Amazon - and got it for about 200 to my door. More pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps90dabfd6.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps4bd12795.jpg I also ordered this - not sure where I will use it - but this is the new Chevrolet Performance badge that comes on the new 2013 Camaro ZL1. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psac19ce00.jpg |
It has been a very very BUSY spring!
I actually found a guy that took some pics of the Auto-x @ Zmax Dragway: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps2bb8a0ba.jpg A few weeks back was the Food Lion Autofair @ Charlotte Motor Speedway - its a huge car show that encompasses the entire speedway. I entered my car with the Corvette club that I am in - and brought home some bling. A few select pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps6d69d016.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps166e5209.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psfbffcb34.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps4fbd0f6c.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps290fe235.jpg Link to the rest of my pics: http://s305.photobucket.com/user/bon...ir Spring 2013 I also went to the Detroit Speed Southern Slam last week - and talked to a number of folks on here at the event. I had a blast hanging out with everyone and seeing all of the cars hit the road course. Some select pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps340913a1.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psa3a23ae7.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psb5932ad2.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psf9e06034.jpg Rest of my pics are here: http://s305.photobucket.com/user/bon...ern Slam 2013/ As for the Vette - the interior is currently in pieces. I am 50% done with the seat swap - and doing upholstry work is a total PITA! Between the airbags, the heated seat element, lumbar support - these seats are stupid complicated - and it doesnt help that I am putting in upgrade/rebuild kit all in at the same time making it even more complex. I am probably 40% done on the second seat - but I am going to have to take a break for awhile as I am going out of town this weekend and headed up to Nashville TN for some vacation time. Seat pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psc6b9594e.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps6a246db3.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psd1abda1e.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps54a2ff07.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps74b13c2b.jpg |
So after starting on this seat project for what seems to have been a month ago - I finally got the last seat installed tonight.
I picked up some 3M 90 adhesive from my local Lowes to glue the seat heating elements to the new foam. I also used it to glue the fabric and new extra cushion pads to the bottom of the seat foam as well. Overall I would rate this project an 8 just because I have never torn apart seats before - and getting everything back together was kind of a pain. Now for teh pics! http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps11db47aa.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps634a31ff.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps73d97f30.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps044ee453.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps4127f7a9.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psa138f640.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps02e46f4f.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psf85ecc23.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps1d1b139f.jpg |
Very nice. New seats look killer!
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Nice upgrade
You will be riding in style on the power tour.
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Very nice job on the seats. Seems to be an excellent upgrade.
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Thanks guys!
The seats are a ton more comfortable! I actually look forward to driving the Tour in them! Another update for the Tour - I finally got those 345's mounted last night. I'll tell you what - these tires are much beefier then even the 325's and not having bald a## tires is nice! Now for the pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps32d0f964.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psa2326d4b.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps27a925b1.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psf2c2107a.jpg |
A few updates here - I was in Austin TX a few weeks back for the V8 Supercar race.
It was pretty cool seeing the Holden race cars drive around the track. COTA is a real nice facility - only problem was the heat - the weekend we went to Austin it was the first weekend it got hot and it was 100+ degrees the entire weekend. Here are a few pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps6c5a591a.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psdec6745e.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pse75993ce.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pse1c3dbac.jpg One video that I shot: Rest of my pics are here: http://s305.photobucket.com/user/bon...?sort=3&page=1 Last week they had a festival in uptown Charlotte called 'Speed Street' its to celebrate Nascar and all that jazz - they had a new Chevy SS in person, and the 2014 new Silverado. Here are a few pics: http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps533091c5.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps084843e7.jpg http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pscc635929.jpg Rest of the pics: http://s305.photobucket.com/user/bon...eedstreet 2013 Car updates: The roller rockers that I ordered like 2 months ago FINALLY arrived! These are LS3 units that I need with the new CNC ported L92 heads that I have. They are have the upgraded trunion bearings since I have seen multiple posts with messed up rockers. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pse29b0c25.jpg I had the car re-aligned and man was that thing off - took them over an hour to get it corrected. The swaybar install might have had something to do with that. Also I leave for the Power Tour in the morning - so look for updates and pics next week! |
Power Tour update....
Power Tour was awesome - had a great time - lots of miles, lots of beers, lots of rain, and lots of cars! We drove out to Dallas TX - and back to Charlotte where it ended. I had no breakdowns - but my buddy Matt ended up with a steel lag bolt in the back tire of his grand sport - after some real redneck patching at a near by service station - we got back on the road to Birmingham AL. Overall it was a good time. Now for teh pics: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5512/9...0c7556f7_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3756/9...b425f651_b.jpg http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2874/9...fa2fa5f5_b.jpg [img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/9113747912_892e0aea25_b.jpg/img] http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/9...e36d123f_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7319/9...443b2898_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7418/9...347b6796_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5445/9...da82d852_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5475/9...22df4d52_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/9...2e0aea25_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/9...1db1fc65_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7363/9...389c167c_b.jpg Link to the rest: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9790342...7634277187722/ Vids from my runs @ Zmax Dragway - no times as the timing system was f'd. |
Not really much of a car update - I really haven't had the time to drive the car. I have been swamped with work and I am regularly pulling 80 hour weeks here the last few months. I won't be making the RTTH's event this year - as I will be working all that weekend. Which really sucks - I wanted to go back up to the dragon and drink some apple pie. I am glad that I made it out to the DSE event down at Carolina Motorsports Park at least this year.
Time for a shop update - I have been looking for an oil can catcher that would work with my mid rise 2 post Max Jax lift. I picked up this unit for 50 bucks @ Harbor Freight - pretty cheap - but I know what I paid for - the construction honestly isn't all that great - but I will have no problems cutting this thing down since my lift only goes up to 44" or so in height and the lowest setting of this thing is around 38" - I will adapt it to fit my needs. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7375/9...41d8f317_h.jpg This is only my second time uploading pic's to Flickr - let me know if you think its too big. I am on dual 24" monitors at home so its not all that huge for me. I used to use Photobucket - but after 5 years of taking pics - I hit their storage limit - and I refuse to pay those morons for cropped pics and degraded resolution. The one thing i will say about PB is that there sharing is super simple - flickr - not so much - but I work in technology so its no big deal for me to figure it out. |
Not much of an update around here - went to the Fall Autofair event here at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Saw some cool stuff - including a new C7 - about time I saw that car! One of the vendors selling parts at the show was Kooks Long Tube Headers - they are pretty well known in the Vette community. They had a 30% discount on there long tubes/X-pipes if you bought them at the show. After thinking about it for a night - I went back to there trailer on Sunday and decided to buy a set. Unfortunately they didn't have a set on there trailer - but that didn't bother me. They are based here in Statesville NC which is about 40 mins north of Charlotte. So on Tuesday this week - they called me back and said they had a set in stock - so I headed up there after work. There shop is bigger then I thought it would be - I didn't really get a chance to get to tour there shop - but I know they are working on a set of Long Tubes for the new C7 - they where supposed to get it in this week. That car should be done for SEMA in a few weeks. I really wasn't in the market for a set of these - but with the discount they gave me - I saved almost $500 off there list price. Plus this will help me with my power goals when I tear into the LS2 this fall/winter. These are stainless steel, American made - and most importantly they are a local business - so I am more then happy with this purchase. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/9...9d07d6cc_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7358/9...bcf04830_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/9...8e312cd6_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5345/9...a25682ab_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/9...d852b247_b.jpg You wont see me online for a few weeks as I fly across the pond for a well deserved vacation - so if I don't reply here - track my shenanigans on FB. Thanks. |
Nice units. You can't go wrong with Kooks. Great quality products. I wish I could afford a set. And supporting a local business is always a good thing!
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Well, I am home back from my 10 day trip across the pond.
I started off my trip off my trip by flying to Frankfurt - renting an Opel Insignia (Buick Regal Turbo) - and driving out to Nurburg. I rented a race car RSR - it was pretty pricey - but I paid for 4 laps around the 'Ring - and man that track is scarey as hell. My best session was my third lap - I passed 3 cars, and held off an e36 3 series Bimmer. We then went to Stuttgart and went on a tour of the 911 plant - man those Germans know how to engineer a car and assemble it. We saw the engine shop, the interior shop, and final assembly - there plant was spotless and pretty nice. It was a 2+ hour tour - and cost was best of all... Free. We then went to Munich and had a number of Liters @ Oktoberfest, then to Salzburg for some back packing in the Alps, and then ended our trip in Prague. No videos from the 'ring as video cameras are banned. No pics from Porsche factory as they collected and held onto our phones/cameras. My GF did capture a couple in car shots, and found some exterior - as well as picked up a new flag for my shop: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/1...254e95d0_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7383/1...076b7bd3_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/1...f6f41e89_b.jpg http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2821/1...58a5e350_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3735/1...7574d1b9_b.jpg |
Very cool
Europe is something everyone should try for. Congrats.
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Shop update time...
I happened to get an email from Home Depot telling me they where starting to carry the Gladiator Garageworks brand. I looked at what they had and liked there dual wall units that come in a kit. There price was 30% off which wasn't bad - but being the thrifty guy that I am - I took the part number and cross shopped on Ebay, Google Shopping, Craigslist. I happened to find a Sears outlet selling a set on Craiglist locally - which I'm not sure if its against Sears corporate policy to be posting on there - so I kind of questioned the whole deal. I drove up there and sure enough - the dual unit was on the floor - marked down to what the Craiglist ad had said. So I bought the set - and came back home. I assembled them on Thursday and hung them up on the wall. I also hung a Gladiator shelf unit that my GF had bought me for my birthday (which was back in Februrary and yeah I've been procrastinating a bit) - LOL. Now for teh pics: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/1...bc627cf8_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5505/1...95e3b8e1_b.jpg My other update.... So I've been looking for a vehicle that I can tool around in towing stuff, throw stuff in the back - and not worry about screwing up my leather seats. I had to borrow 6 trucks last year on separate occasions - so I started searching for a good affordable rig. I started off looking at 2000+ Silverado/Sierras with the 4.8L V8 and 5 speed/4WD combo - but after talking to my friends with trucks the group consensus was to get something bigger as that 5 speed trans is pretty damn weak, and the 4.8L would struggle carrying anything including the Vette. So I started looking at 2500 HD Silverado/Sierras. I wasn't sure if I wanted the 6.0L V8 Gas burner, or the Duramax. I ended up finding a 2005 Sierra 2500 HD SLT here in Charlotte not far from my house at a GMC dealership. We negotiated the price down - and I drove it home the next day. So welcome my newest edition to the fleet..... http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2888/1...0d0fdb50_o.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3821/1...5c9da8c6_o.jpg |
It has been a long time since I've had an update.
First update - the G8 had a bad clunk in the front suspension - I ended up finding that I had a bad lower front control arm on the passenger side. The balljoint was loose and clunking when hitting bumps on the road - this is a well known issue with the G8/Caprice PPV. So after a bit or research I ordered a new control arm set for the front. If you order the 1 GM part number - you get all 4 front control arms and all the hardware for about $240 shipped. So I setup the Maxjax - took the wheels off, tore into the front suspension and got the control arms out, and put in the new units. After an alignment - the car drives straight and true with no clunks anymore. Lifting up the beast: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5513/1...332fb0a1_b.jpg Second update - Truck updates. I've been driving my truck almost on a daily basis - must be the new vehicle thing. First thing that I did was buy a new leather wrapped steering wheel on ebay for 60 bucks - and swap mine out - as mine had a nasty tear in the leather. I also bought all new switches from Dorman as mine all had missing paint/blown out bulbs as well. Old wheel: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5504/1...584847b2_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/1...532f6d62_b.jpg New wheel: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5527/1...c957c9e1_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5519/1...d85c7085_b.jpg Another project that I've added to the truck is a factory overhead console with Homelink installed. My GMC did not come with the option - you had to order a sunroof in the 2500 to get that option. I looked on Ebay and found a seller that had a tan interior overhead console for a Suburban/Tahoe with Homelink on it. The seller had it listed for $40 - I offered $30 shipped and they took it. Now the Suburban/Tahoe overhead console have a rear hvac controller for the middle seats - and well my Sierra doesn't have that option - so a bit of surgery is required. I drilled out the plastic spot welds holding the hvac controller in - and did the same to the cubby hole in my console - I swapped them over and used small screws to attach cubby hole into the console. I tied into the ground harness for the Homelink, and ran 2 wires for the Homelink switched power, and the other for the lights to glow at night when I have the headlights on. Now I have factory installed Homelink - all for $30 bucks. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/1...d1ecc312_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5486/1...10bb6380_b.jpg Update #3 - shop updates! I've been wanting a real workbench for a while now, and while I had the Gladiator composite top holding my rolling storage units together - it was not sturdy enough to do any work on it, and I couldn't attach a vise to it. So after waiting/searching for Black Friday - I found that sears had a Gladiator 6' adjustable height maple top work bench for half off. So while I was in Detroit for the holiday - I ordered it online, and picked it up in the local NC store on Saturday after I flew back home. Assembly took an hour or so - and I highly recommend you have a buddy to help you offload it from your truck, and lift it up when you are ready to flip it upright. I adjusted the height to be 1 notch above my rolling storage units and now I have a good work surface finally. I know the wall decorations are behind the bench, that will be dealt with later, haha. Bench: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/1...6a3f8c82_b.jpg http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/1...80eeb1a9_b.jpg Last update - I also picked up a new set of jackstands for the truck, as the 2 ton jack stands I have now will barely reach the frame. HF had there aluminum 3 ton jack-stands marked down to $39 instead of $50, I used there 25% Cyber Monday coupon on the stands and got them for $29 - can't complain about that. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5517/1...cc75f34c_b.jpg |
It's been awhile since I've posted an update here.
Back in November I was laid off from my job - so all of my car projects came to a halt. I was out of work for 6 weeks - but I was getting paid as part of my severance package. I found a new job here in Charlotte with the same company - so I can't complain - the 18% raise in my base pay doesn't hurt either. So about half way into my "paid vacation" I had run out of things to do on the truck, G8, and around the house. So I made the decision to buy the last parts that I needed for my LS2 build up. I only had to spend a few hundred bucks to get the gaskets, timing chain, and other parts to finish up my parts list for the motor project. The good/bad thing is that all my parts finally arrived - just in time for me to start my new job - so all my free time has disappeared and this will be a night and weekend kind of project. As a project refresh - several years ago I had bought a set of CNC machined L92 heads from GM. When I had received the heads - one of them was not properly packaged and had been dropped - it dinged up the edges of the mounting surface that bolts to the block. I tried to file a claim with paypal but the guy disappeared from the forum that I bought them from and got stuck with 1 jacked up head. After reading some forums - and having no money for a machine shop - I decided to get some files, file down the part was dinged and get some sand paper and WD40. I used the file to flatten the one corner and used sand paper to take out the grooves in the gasket surface - after a few hours of work I fixed the head - I have checked with a straight edge and the head is straight as can be. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/1...998206d2_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/1...488f7738_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/1...d9317e58_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/1...ee633141_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7354/1...70972d16_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3781/1...0c0bb8d3_b.jpg My next project was to swap out the L92 intake valves for a set of LS3 intake valves - the LS3 intake valves are several grams lighter per valve - I don't have the exact number - but you can feel the difference holding the valves up next to each other. After a few hours of work - the cylinder heads are now ready to be swapped onto the car. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/1...1281e65c_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/1...21ec5aa5_b.jpg So now I am in the middle of tearing down the Corvette - I have gotten the intake, the exhaust off the car, and thats when I hit a snag. I got the manifold bolts out of the heads with no problem but one of the bolts holding the manifold to the cat/collector pipe rounded off last night. So that ended my night as I didn't have the proper size Bolt Out tool. I went to Sears tonight and got the whole set - so I should get that manifold off tonight. I plan on pulling the radiator and the front end of the motor off this weekend. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7324/1...b7c064fc_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7413/1...3ac1282e_b.jpg |
Congratulations on the new job.
Glad to hear things turned out so well for you. Enjoy the cars.
Jon |
This is a great thread. I'm enjoying the projects that you take on with the 'Vette. Keep up the good work!
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Another Vette LSx Update....
After working on the car on and off for the last couple of weeks - I finally got all the crap out of the engine bay that allows you to get to the block and start pulling parts off of it! I pulled the radiator, the shroud, the fans, the steering rack, the water pump, the crank pulley, and all the other misc crap from the front end there. They truely do stick 10 pounds of crap in a 5 lb bag on this car. Now for some misc pics: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/1...b0d2008d_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7311/1...0be209cb_b.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/1...b985eb58_b.jpg I also did some shopping last weekend and picked up some supplies. That crank bolt torques down to 240 ft/lbs - my cheap $9 1/2" torque wrench from HF only goes to 150 ft/lbs - so I picked upa new one from Lowes. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3749/1...448394a9_b.jpg And here is what I am left with - the cam is out, the heads are off, and the lifters are out too: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3827/1...b790b46c_b.jpg Boy what a pain in the ass this project has been - I see why shops charge so much to do these. Right now I am waiting for parts - I ordered a set of LS7 lifters as I dropped one of the LS2 lifters on the concrete floor - and lets say the roller looks like crap now. I decided to replace them all - because I am this far tore down, I might as well. Hopefully by next week I will be starting to put everything back together. |
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