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I picked up my Z from Marc Haibeck a couple days ago. My car is already equipped w/ his chip, Corsa exhaust & 4:10 gears. I was thinking of upgrading to c6z06 brakes and wheels but decided to stay w/ the stock set up. I switched to Ceramic pads & flushed all the fluids and now they feel great. I also had Marc do an engine refinish since the original finish was all worn and stained.
I wanted the original color/finish but Marc said GM didn’t make the color any more. Most of the 80 or so motors he’s done were in a bright silver finish other custom colors. Since GM didn’t make the paint Marc was able to locate the paint Lingenfelter used which he said was the same but it was in a spray can. He laid out test sample on a spare piece of intake and sent it to a paint shop nearby and they were able to match it and it was finished in a satin clear. I changed the lettering to red and had Marc polish all the fuel lines and misc tubing & I used polished bolts vs the stock black ones.
The motor looks more bright with the fluorescent lights on it so I tried to take pics from different angles so you can see the satin finish and the contrast w/ the polished pieces. I love it! It looks great!!
Now I have to find some more bling w/ the oil filler cap and a few other misc pieces while I’m at it..
I saw your engine the other day when I was down for my monthly lunch with Marc. It looks very stock (except for the polished bolts of course). The color is an excellent match with the original stock engine color and as you noted he used a satin clear coat to achieve the less shiny finish that matches the original finish. I liked the Fine Silver finish he did on my '95 which at the time was the closest he could get to stock, but if I were to do it over I would go for this finish. I kept the stock bolts and black paint to make it seem more like stock and I thought it looked great, but this paint is really the icing on the cake for making a 510 engine look perfectly normal and original. And of course I had one of LGAFF's MAP sensor covers for it!--Bob
I saw your engine the other day when I was down for my monthly lunch with Marc. It looks very stock (except for the polished bolts of course). The color is an excellent match with the original stock engine color and as you noted he used a satin clear coat to achieve the less shiny finish that matches the original finish. I liked the Fine Silver finish he did on my '95 which at the time was the closest he could get to stock, but if I were to do it over I would go for this finish. I kept the stock bolts and black paint to make it seem more like stock and I thought it looked great, but this paint is really the icing on the cake for making a 510 engine look perfectly normal and original. And of course I had one of LGAFF's MAP sensor covers for it!--Bob
Thanks Bob! I really went round and round w/ the paint color..cant tell you how many times I changed my mind. Marc had the motor apart and the old finish was stripped when he finally said "times up, what color did you choose" It was at the last minute when I decided to do as close to stock w/ some minor changes...I thought that was the safest choice... Didn't want to have buyers remorse! Marc did mention the Silver finish he used but I thought the polished bolts and fuel lines would be details that would kind of get lost . I wanted a bit of contrast to go with with a slightly darker shade of color and satin finish. I'm VERY happy with the way it turned out!!
It really is! I found this about 4-5 yrs ago w/ only 23k milles on it (about 29500 now) I found it on Long Island and drove it back to Chicago. (rained the whole way...no leaks!). I had Marc give it a once over when I got it back. He gave me the thumbs up and said it was a nice car. (whew!!) The guy I bought it from owed it for 9 yrs or so and rarely drove it. The car was super clean under the hood (except for the original discolored engine paint) and underneath the car too. I am going to have the front and rear bumpers resprayed because the original pant is peeling in a few small areas.
06-16-2019, 10:01 PM
My LT5 Engine is now refinished
