Cruisin'

I waxed the car last night for the first time since getting it back from the paint shop a few months ago. It came out pretty good for the short time I had in it. (I'm going to ask the glass guy to add some more sealant around the front and rear glass to stop some small leaks.) Took it out today for a cruise since the weather was so nice. It's enjoyable even though I'm thinking of the small 'nits that get on my nerves as I drive down the road--the passenger brake light/turn signal that's out (gotta fix/replace the turn signal switch again); the clutch pedal doesn't return all the way (gotta ask the exhaust guy to get more clearance between the header and the z-bar), and of course when I back in the garage, the car promptly pukes a couple cups of coolant on the floor from the overflow (gotta buy a catch tank and fresh radiator cap). Ah, the good life! :-)

AC/DC

I bought a new 95 amp 3G alternator, along with a fused power cable and a stock wiring kit with modified voltage regulator, from PA-Performance. This will replace the 65 amp 1G unit on there now, which really can't keep up with the electric fan. Actually the fan only uses 10 amps, but at idle the alternator probably doesn't put out more than 15 amps. Along with the MSD igntion system and the relayed Halogen headlights, I'm getting about 13.1v at idle. The new alternator should put out about 60 amps at idle to maintain 14.5v. Someday, I actually might get around to installing this thing.

Brand New Repro Parts: Adventures in Head-Scratching

After I figured out my brand-new repro fuel sender float had a pinhole in it (after I installed it of course), and then replaced that, I could check out the electrical issue with the front parking lamps, which double as turn signals. To make a long story short, I was given some good advice on the forums that sent me checking the wiring behind the parking lamps. I found that the blue and brown wires were reversed on both brand-new reproduction assemblies. Un-freakin-believable. Oh well, I guess the moral is don't assume a replacement part is not defective out of the box...

The Monster Mile!

My brother, Jeff, is reporting on location in Delaware for this blog update (I should point out that my brother is the Jeff on the right below):










“It was the Dover International Speedway ('The Monster Mile') in Dover, Delaware. We got pit passes, so we were allowed
to go on the track when they were introducing all the drivers and everyone was getting into their cars, plus throughout the race, we were allowed on 'pit row' which is the area right behind all the pit crew stations."






" I was standing about five feet away when Jeff Gordon climbed into his car and his crew was getting him ready for the race. There were more than 100,000 fans in the stands. It was so incredibly LOUD, I couldn't believe it--thankfully, I had bought earplugs outside...”

I've never even been to a NASCAR race. Maybe someday I'll go... Nah.

The $9500 2009 Corvette...

Ok, my buddy Bryan paid more for his 2009 Corvette than simply the $9500 check he handed over to GM. In fact he also traded in a 2005 Corvette with 12k miles. In case you are wondering, that's a smokin' deal. He was the original owner of the 2005 and it was in the shop about 20 times for all sorts of problems. So he returned it—under his state Lemon Law. Woo hoo! Here's the 2005:





And here's his new 2009:





The hood ornament on the 2009 is actually his uncle who went along to pick up the new car at the National Corvette Museum. Props to Bryan for returning a turd (and to GM for taking it back.)

Uptown Package Tray

I bought some extra vinyl, like the kind and color used for the seats, and covered the package tray. The tray is just a pressed board of some sort, not fancy at all. Trimmed it and tucked it under the rear window seal for a tight fit. I actually do have a couple speakers back there, not sure how they'll sound, but I may not even install a stereo anyway...