'00 FRC Hardtop - moar LS/Murica/long distance high speed cruising

[white out]

Try as I might, when the car gets wet, I'm just not able to get the vehicle to melt into nothingness...

[nsogiba]

I had a thread on there, not that many guys posted. But, I think this was moreso because they were too disgusted to, lol.

Try as I might, when the car gets wet, I'm just not able to get the vehicle to melt into nothingness...

[white out]

That partition is nice. So is the chassis bar behind the seats.

Welcome to the C5 trailer hitch club. Those pictures with the sled look great, should be enough to make 90% of corvetteforum lose their shit.

[nsogiba]

I built a cabin partition that separates the passenger area from the "trunk" out of MDF and covered it in carpet material. It stops all my stuff from flying around and also reduces the noise from the exhaust/rear tire wells.

_DSC7581 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC7582 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC7586 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Installed a trailer hitch I had bought over the summer

1125162001 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

and had to make sure it worked correctly.

1126161540 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

1126161540b by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I am planning on some upgrades to the rear diff over the winter and might change up the exhaust as well. Still keeping the cutouts, might try a new location for them to reduce drone when they're open. We shall see.

[nsogiba]

found some pics on my camera from a month or two ago...

Original tail light lenses had seen much wear.

_DSC7559 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

So out they came for some TLC with the polisher.

_DSC7561 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC7562 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC7588 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I swear this stuff is magical, here are some befores and afters.

_DSC7573 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC7575 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC7578 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Gave it a whirl on the LED 3rd brake light too.

_DSC7572 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

[nsogiba]

Given my fairly limited modifications I couldn't justify a full dyno tune, which is much more expensive than a mail order tune. Not only that, but the closest LS specialty shop is over an hour away. They tuned my old BMW LS a couple times and I was not thrilled with the quality of the driveability of the tune.

I installed the newly tuned Vette PCM last night and it runs nicely. Haven't driven it enough to really feel changes.

[LCG]

No shops around to take the car for a custom tune?

[nsogiba]

Quick update

Took a ride out to Rochester to pick up two 16" Firebird ABS wheels. I really don't plan on taking this car to the drag strip - but I guess if I ever get serious I can stick a drag radial on them.

1003162108 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

They fit without any modification - extremely close on the spindle but doesn't touch. The ball joint dust caps also cleared. Miles of room on the calipers. They look goofy.

1004161855 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Tiny sized tire (225/60/16) makes for a fun time on the street.
received_10103371545198348 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Installed these as a track-only option - and bedded in on the street.


Amazing braking force when warmed up. but have pretty disappointing cold initial bite. They make a LOT of dust! This is just a few short drives on the street with some aggressive stops/bedding in.

0923161626 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

0925161846 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Took apart the passenger wheel well
1009161148 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

So I could ship this guy out for a tune over at ECS in NJ.
1009161149 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Been running on the stock tune this whole season despite having longtubes, LS6 intake, catless x-pipe, Z06 Ti's, zip tie modded intake, etc. So, hopefully the car shows some gains as a result of the tuning.

[cult45]

No mattes, looks cheap to me.

Red corvettes are too common and boring.

This. I like your taste

[Earl]

I'm sure whatever you choose will be great=)

However, you state mattes look cheap but vinyl in general looks cheap due to the orange peel look and the lack of depth that paint has. I have yet to see a full wrap that actually looks near as good as paint.

Have you looked into Autoflex Coating? It's a peelable paint, similar to Plastidip, but it actually looks just like paint instead of a crappy coat of rubber lol

http://www.autoflexcoatings.com/highgloss/

[nsogiba]

No mattes, looks cheap to me.

Red corvettes are too common and boring.

[C2_mad]

going to wrap it? what about a candy apple red? or if you want grey, how about the frozen grey that or on some of the new mercs

[nsogiba]

My buddy came over with his recently turbocharged, all original (and definitely patina'd) '92 SE-R for some work. This thing is super cool and spins the fronts pretty well on 7lbs. Trying to convince him to come out to the road course with me.

1472608344587 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

1472606411497 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Speaking of road course, it was definitely time to replace the brake fluid that was probably original.

1472078975613 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

New Motul RBF600 ready to go in.
1471911273260 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

1472073583611 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Lastly I ordered up some vinyl test samples to try out. Was thinking the Nardo Gray but it just doesn't work. I may stick to something gray, but with much more metallic in it.

0821162103 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

0821162101b by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

0821162101a by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

0821162101 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

[nsogiba]

I guess I can scrape something together. Not really been doing much

Been driving it around a bunch. The front ride height is a bit "high" for my taste due to the thick piece of rubber I put between the spring and the control arm to prevent contact. I can probably replace it with something thinner but just as durable to drop it another 1/4" or so.

0819161725 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

1472409268907 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The cutout butterfly valves have started rattling ever so slightly at a certain RPM (around 1000) on warmup, which is annoying, so I removed them to inspect and figure out how to fix it. It will probably involve a bit more fab so I may leave that to a winter project.

1471655753617 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

If you recall these were V-Banded to the exhaust midpipes, so with those off the car there was a big gaping hole in each pipe. I still wanted to drive the car while the cutouts were removed so I ordered up some flat 1/8" thick, 3" diameter round plates and welded those to some v-band rings to make blockoff plates. Welds aren't pretty but are getting better and don't leak.

1472685638458 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I painted the "X" in the LSX of the plate frame to give it a bit more contrast.

_DSC5513 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5515 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5520 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

and gave the stainless frame a quick wipedown to bring some shine back.
_DSC5528 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5523 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5534 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5535 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

[C2_mad]

updates?