Well I havent fallen off the planet - just been busy with life and what not.
I finally have a few minutes to throw some pics up on showing the updates around here.
First - the Corvette is currently at the body shop getting the rear end and the doors painted - so no more 2 tone rolling bruise for me!
In preperations of sending the Vette off to paint jail - I removed the rear GM 'chicklet' badges that the black z06 fenders had on them - they are not going back on the car.
Obligatory pics:
Second - since the Vette is in paint jail - I have one open bay in the shop and figured it would be a good time to start to fix up the ceiling in the shop without having to deal with 2 cars.
I bought 4 48" T8 recessed lighting from Home Depot well over a year ago. They've been sitting on the shop floor taking up space and collecting dust.
The only lights I had in the garage where two CFL bulbs - needless to say the lighting was pretty piss poor.
Since its been 10 years since I last worked on any house electrical - I took this very slowly and had to figure it out on the fly as I was not familiar with how the builders ran the electrical wires in the ceiling above my garage. So I cut out the drywall around the socket - turned off the breaker of course - and eventually cut a 4' x 12" hole in the cieling to hang the light in.
What I didn't know at the time - was that the studs above the garage where 22.5" on center - so the plan to hang the lights using the legs that kick out went out the door and I had to re-engineer how I was going to mount the lights.
So I bought some 2x1 in 8' lengths from Lowes and cut them to fit between the studs. I then screwed them into the studs and used these as the mounting points for the lights.
I put in a junction box for the lights on each side and ran new electrical cable to the other end of the garage for the second set of lights to work.
After I got the first light done - the overall time to hang the lights dropped dramatically.
I have hung the lights, patched the drywall - and I am currently doing the mud and sanding.
I have patched up all the holes in the cieling and where they used drywall screws and finished the sanding up for that.
I am currently working on the seams - the builders did a rushed/piss poor job on the seams so its going to be a lot of work - but my plan is to get those smooth and eventually paint the ceiling white.
Now for the pics:
Before:
Third - my Girlfriends father bought a new air compressor so he ended up selling me his old one - now since I do not own a truck I ended borrowing a co-workers '99 7.4L Big Block dualie and trailer to get it home. I'm lucky if I got 10 mpg in this beast.
So now I've got a 80 gallon 5 hp air compressor - I need to run the 220 wire for it - but thats a project for a later date.
I finally finished up sanding all of the seams in the garage.
I am very close to finishing this project - I can almost taste it!
I picked up a 5 gallon bucket of Drywall primer/sealer - and got one full coat on.
I will finish up the spots I couldnt get with a roller, and put one more coat on - then I will decide to paint it or not.
Pics:
Also - I picked this up today - it was gone for just over a month. I guess thats what I get for saying no rush.
I am glad that it took that long - it gave me time to get motivated and do this ceiling project. I look forward to not working on the ceiling for 3-4 hrs every night after I work a 10 our day. Seriously - the ceiling project felt like a part time job that I wasn't getting paid for.
My painter did an awesome job on the car like always - it is very weird having a single color car. The Vette was 2 colors for damn near 10 months. Seeing it all blue really changed the car - for the better I think.
I'll probably do the front end next winter - its car show/autocross season!
I read through this whole thread today for the first time and really enjoyed seeing everything you've done to and with your car. Were I in any position to do so, I'd probably follow in your footsteps.
Thanks for posting and I look forward to more great pictures and info (on both cars; would love to have a G8 GT/GXP as well)!
So down here in Charlotte - there is the Food Lion Autofair car show that occurred this weekend.
I got the car back from the body shop about 2 weeks ago and got the new rear tires mounted.
So I spend the last week getting the car all cleaned up - wash/wax/full detail/etc.
I wanted to make the car stand out - so I ended up making a display for it.
After shopping around on the internet - I wasn't going to sped 200 bucks for a flimsy piece of crap plastic unit that wouldn't fit my needs.
I wanted something that I could mount my 10" Motorola Xoom tablet too. I created a video with some of the screen caps of my build - and some of the videos that I've shot with the GoPro over the last couple of years.
So after some thought an design - I tracked down some diamond plate sheet @ Lowe's.
I picked up a jig saw, some metal cutting blades, some aluminum c-channel, and some cap screws and got to work:
Not shown in the pics is the 2x4 that I mounted in the middle of the back of the display to reinforce it.
Sad thing is that I took so much time cleaning up the car and taking pictures of other peoples cars - that I never got a picture of it @ the show this weekend!
Heres the link to the rest of my pics, and a select few chosen pics:
I've traveled to Chicago, I just got back from the Hot Rod Power Tour - and life/work has been crazy.
A few weeks back I started on an upgrade project on the Vette - and boy did that snowball.
Every time I get into the Vette - it really pissed me off that I didn't have steering wheel controls - I have them on the G8 - and I use them daily.
So I've been shopping around for steering wheels for awhile now, and found a user selling a 2008 C6 Z06 steering wheel for $100 shipped - so I bought it.
Next I was looking around for the proper airbag- and I have seen some sell on ebay for like 400 plus - I refused to pay that. I found one of the vendors selling new airbags from GM for $180 shipped - so I bought one of those.
Now the airbag and 2007+ steering wheel bolt right to my 05, just I needed to swap out the steering wheel clock spring - and the steering column harness with units out of a newer Corvette.
I again shopped around - and bought both the clock spring and the harness from GM for the best price I found them.
Everything is plug and play with this swap - except for the radio control signals themselves. I pulled the 3 wires out of the steering column to firewall connector and put in a new connector so the steering column harness can still be removed like stock. I chose a weatherpack connector for this, so I had to buy a crimper and wire kit - I actually found a good deal on ebay. Then I ran some 18 gauge wire through the dashboard and over into the radio bay.
2 of the connectors go into the back of the radio, and the other line goes to a dash indicator line - I tied into the hazard switch which is right above the radio - so the steering wheel controls glow at night.
I put everything back together and went for a test drive - and you'd think I'd be done at this point - but no.
The steering wheels controlled the radio just fine, and even light up... the problem was that I was hearing a binding/grinding noise when I turned the wheel.
At this point I think its the clock spring - so I tore everything apart (again) and find the clock spring is sitting just fine - I position it a bit differently and put everything back together, go for a test drive - and still binding!
So I tear it apart again - to discover that the plastic shroud that goes between the steering wheel and the dash board - it surrounds the turn signal stalk and what not, was not perfectly circular - it was kind of oval shaped. I end up hitting it a few times with angry fists, put the wheel back on, and everything else back together - and what do you know, it works!
So I take it for a test drive and everything is fine and dandy - then I notice that the Nav system is not getting a GPS signal, I'm like WTF. I am out in the middle of the road - no trees/tall buildings/mountain valleys to block the signal.
So I tear the center console, the arm rest, and then the radio out - and find out I didn't push the GPS connector in the back of radio all the way in - damnit!
I put it all back together and everything works - luckily I got everything fixed up and working the weekend before I left on the HRPT.
Here are some pics - I didn't take many as I was diagnosing the stupid grinding noise. I have wayyy too many hours into this project then I want to admit that I have in it...
As I mentioned that I was on the HRPT - I did not long haul this one. There is no way in hell I am driving back from Texas to NC - and then go back to work on Monday. So I did the Detroit, Muskegon, and Champaign IL stops. Since I was only 3 hrs from my parents house - I drove up to Chicago and spent the night and saw the family.
Here is my video from the Milford Road Course where they tested out the ZL1 - sorry there is no sound GoPro didn't record any (damnit):
The front brakes have been squeaking on the G8 for awhile now - and I know the pads are shot, and the front rotors are bedded in pretty deeply.
I have been mulling over what to do about these for a few weeks - I priced out upgrading the pads, and getting some DBA rotors - vs getting some upgraded GM rotors.
The pads are about the same cost - but the GM rotors are cheaper.
Now this is where this brake job cost jumps:
This is a Brembo 2009+ CTS-V 6 piston front brake caliper.
I already have the V-wheels on the car so I know that they will fit. I said to hell with it - I found everything on line and saved myself $400 over what I had priced out earlier this year.
So I'll be upgrading the G8 to these:
2009+ CTS-V Brembo 6 piston calipers
2009+ CTS-V dual cast 15" front rotors
Hawk HPS pads
So I got that project to finish up in a few weeks.
Just wanted to get your thoughts on the Milford Road Course. I had worked at Milford in 2001. I was at the Heavy Truck Garage right at GM road and Hickory Ridge Rd. I had no idea the exit would be on the Road course. I too have shots from Warren. I used to work next to the 8 story tower at the Tech Center. The tower is called the VEC Tower and the building I was in was the VEC Podium. VEC= Vehicle Engineering Center. I was born 1 mile away from the Tech Center. 3rd Generation of the family to work in the same building at the Tech Center. I grew up 9 miles north of the Tech center.
The Road course didnt exsist back in 2001. It was called the Truck Loop. What did you think of the high-bank Loop after the North South Straight away? Had I known you would be there I would have looked you up and said Hello.
BY The Way...Love the Vette and the G8. A friend of mine is a Clay Sculptor at GM Design Staff and took his 1965 Malibu SS from Detroit to Champaign. He also has a C-5 with the Wheel To Wheel TigerShark Body Package.
Anyway. Great work; keep it up. I always look forward to your updates. In case you were wondering I was with a group of cars that featured Cauley Performance Automotive decals..... 2008 Shelby GT 500, 2010 Group 6 C6, 2011 Camaro SS with updated ZL1 fascia, FIREBREATHER 2010 Camaro converted to T/A for upcoming movie JINN and last but not least the car I rode in ...1970 GTO 455 painted 1996 Corvette Grandsport Blue.
Being as I flew in for the tour my car (1987 Caprice Classic due to get some P/T upgrades) stayed home in Ocala, FL.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
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