My 2003 Z06 Build
#64
Racer
Subscribed because of this BADASS HUD mod!
#66
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Thanks guys! It's a fun project to work on. I am out visiting family for a few weeks so I won't be able to get back to it all until mid-January. I've ordered a new screen though that should be better than the one I currently have. I've also been sketching some ideas for different modes. Can't wait to get it all installed.
#67
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Roadtrip Update
So when my family decided to do Christmas in Florida this year with my grandparents, I knew it'd be the perfect opportunity to take the vette on a trip. Usually we go home to Pennsylvania so even when we decide to drive instead of fly, we end up taking a different car due to the snow. This time I knew there'd be no snow and my wife was on board so the vette was going on a trip!
I was a little reluctant at first due to not having a spare tire but I picked up some tire plugs and a portable inflater just in case. I also packed plenty of tools incase something were to happen on the road.
The start of the trip was... rough. It is ~1060 miles each way from Fort Worth to Jacksonville. This is what we saw for 900 of the 1060:
Attachment 48374219
Rain, rain and more rain. In fact we got torrential downpour for almost the entire ride. On the flip side, the car did great! That is with the exception of one thing. Apparently I have a leak. Not a small leak either. My passenger side floor was completely soaked the entire time. I know the udders and AC are clear (I checked before I left and after I arrived). I'll need to figure out how to seal the windshield at some point. I also lost the driver's side headlight. I found a downside to upgrading headlights: you can't just go to AutoZone to get a replacement ballast or bulb. I contacted the vendor explaining my situation (1000 miles away from home and all) and their response was just "please call customer support". Great. Thanks, that's helpful.
So once we arrived, I had a blast driving around my dad. He'd never seen the car before and he taught me everything I know. Him and I used to work on cars together growing up and he'd never been in a car like this. I had him drive it first and he really babied it. Shifted right at 2000rpm. Was very careful. Once we got back from his drive, I told him to hold on and let me drive for a minute. Then I showed him what a z06 is really capable of. Once he stopped laughing, we went for a highway cruise and he was surprised by how comfortable it can be on the highway. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
After spending a week with my family, everyone left and we headed a little further south to visit some friends. The car was nice and washed by this point.
We also visited a nice little racetrack :]
After a fun New Years party, it was time to head back. I had heard rumors that on the way back was a certain park with a certain plane that I happened to like. Turns out the rumors were true.
The SR-71 is one of the most amazing pieces of machinery that I think we've ever created. I was super excited to be able to see one on the way back.
In total we did 2608.9 miles and averaged 25mpg with the AC blowing the entire trip. Despite the rain for most of the way to Florida and half of the way back to Texas, the car did an amazing job and I'm really happy I took it. Tomorrow will be an all day detail followed by some research on how to seal the windshield. Maybe I can find the actual leak spot. My wife reached behind the glove compartment and said it was soaked, so I'll start there. I also need to order some extra headlights and will need to remember to take some with me next time I go on a roadtrip.
Oh and one last thing! I participated in an online Secret Santa on reddit again this year. I've been doing these since 2009 and I always get something neat. This year didn't fail to deliver.
That's going to look awesome in my garage
So when my family decided to do Christmas in Florida this year with my grandparents, I knew it'd be the perfect opportunity to take the vette on a trip. Usually we go home to Pennsylvania so even when we decide to drive instead of fly, we end up taking a different car due to the snow. This time I knew there'd be no snow and my wife was on board so the vette was going on a trip!
I was a little reluctant at first due to not having a spare tire but I picked up some tire plugs and a portable inflater just in case. I also packed plenty of tools incase something were to happen on the road.
The start of the trip was... rough. It is ~1060 miles each way from Fort Worth to Jacksonville. This is what we saw for 900 of the 1060:
Attachment 48374219
Rain, rain and more rain. In fact we got torrential downpour for almost the entire ride. On the flip side, the car did great! That is with the exception of one thing. Apparently I have a leak. Not a small leak either. My passenger side floor was completely soaked the entire time. I know the udders and AC are clear (I checked before I left and after I arrived). I'll need to figure out how to seal the windshield at some point. I also lost the driver's side headlight. I found a downside to upgrading headlights: you can't just go to AutoZone to get a replacement ballast or bulb. I contacted the vendor explaining my situation (1000 miles away from home and all) and their response was just "please call customer support". Great. Thanks, that's helpful.
So once we arrived, I had a blast driving around my dad. He'd never seen the car before and he taught me everything I know. Him and I used to work on cars together growing up and he'd never been in a car like this. I had him drive it first and he really babied it. Shifted right at 2000rpm. Was very careful. Once we got back from his drive, I told him to hold on and let me drive for a minute. Then I showed him what a z06 is really capable of. Once he stopped laughing, we went for a highway cruise and he was surprised by how comfortable it can be on the highway. That was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
After spending a week with my family, everyone left and we headed a little further south to visit some friends. The car was nice and washed by this point.
We also visited a nice little racetrack :]
After a fun New Years party, it was time to head back. I had heard rumors that on the way back was a certain park with a certain plane that I happened to like. Turns out the rumors were true.
The SR-71 is one of the most amazing pieces of machinery that I think we've ever created. I was super excited to be able to see one on the way back.
In total we did 2608.9 miles and averaged 25mpg with the AC blowing the entire trip. Despite the rain for most of the way to Florida and half of the way back to Texas, the car did an amazing job and I'm really happy I took it. Tomorrow will be an all day detail followed by some research on how to seal the windshield. Maybe I can find the actual leak spot. My wife reached behind the glove compartment and said it was soaked, so I'll start there. I also need to order some extra headlights and will need to remember to take some with me next time I go on a roadtrip.
Oh and one last thing! I participated in an online Secret Santa on reddit again this year. I've been doing these since 2009 and I always get something neat. This year didn't fail to deliver.
That's going to look awesome in my garage
#68
Drifting
Very cool, love that sign
The car is looking great and sounds like you enjoyed the Holidays despite the bad weather, luckily these cars are meant to be driven and don't melt in the rain!
Happy New Year and keep us updated!
The car is looking great and sounds like you enjoyed the Holidays despite the bad weather, luckily these cars are meant to be driven and don't melt in the rain!
Happy New Year and keep us updated!
#69
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
I put a set of DRM stainless steel brake lines on the car. I had also purchased calipers from a local guy that already had SS pistons installed, so I put the new calipers on too. I used the guide from toque's site on how to do it all. The only issues I had were that the stock clip was too small for the DRM lines. I had to shave it and make the hole wider in order to fit them. I also had some leaking issues. I ended up pulling everything off and putting it back on, just slower. Once I did that, all my leaks went away. I also flushed the system with Motul RBF600 in anticipation of my track day coming up at the beginning of June. The car is currently up on stands so I can check back in a few hours to see if there are any leaks.
Car's been great so far though. No major issues. Just looking forward to my track day :]
Car's been great so far though. No major issues. Just looking forward to my track day :]
#71
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Had an excellent track weekend! No official pictures but here are the ones I've randomly found on the internet:
Here's a video from my favorite session:
The new brake setup was amazing. Once they got warmed up, the braked hard every single time I got on them. I had absolutely no braking issues whatsoever this whole weekend. The extra confidence in the car got me promoted from green group to blue group
I had an absolute blast. Some left over issues from the track session are seats and an oil cooler. I only had one time where the check engine light came on. Once the car cooled down, I stopped getting the light. I definitely need an oil cooler.
Overall, if it's not obvious already, I'm extremely happy with the setup. Hopefully I can fit another session in before the end of the year. I'm hoping to at least get my oil cooler before then and if I'm lucky, seats also. There isn't much else that I want honestly. The suspension was perfectly fine. The power is excellent. Maybe a set of headers for ***** and giggles, but overall this car is an amazing track machine.
Here's a video from my favorite session:
The new brake setup was amazing. Once they got warmed up, the braked hard every single time I got on them. I had absolutely no braking issues whatsoever this whole weekend. The extra confidence in the car got me promoted from green group to blue group
I had an absolute blast. Some left over issues from the track session are seats and an oil cooler. I only had one time where the check engine light came on. Once the car cooled down, I stopped getting the light. I definitely need an oil cooler.
Overall, if it's not obvious already, I'm extremely happy with the setup. Hopefully I can fit another session in before the end of the year. I'm hoping to at least get my oil cooler before then and if I'm lucky, seats also. There isn't much else that I want honestly. The suspension was perfectly fine. The power is excellent. Maybe a set of headers for ***** and giggles, but overall this car is an amazing track machine.
#72
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Goodbye to my awesome little vette. It's been a blast, but I will probably be done with vettes for a few years. I needed and wanted something with 4 doors and don't have the garage space for 2 vehicles and my bike, so I traded it in for a different kind of 6 speed.
2014 JKU Freedom Edition. It's a ton of fun and my wife is a huge fan, so it's win-win. When I have more garage space, I'll start saving up for my next z06.
Thank you everyone for the great advice and good luck to the next owner. You're going to get a hell of a vehicle. ~
2014 JKU Freedom Edition. It's a ton of fun and my wife is a huge fan, so it's win-win. When I have more garage space, I'll start saving up for my next z06.
Thank you everyone for the great advice and good luck to the next owner. You're going to get a hell of a vehicle. ~
#73
Burning Brakes
I have to say, this was my first time seeing this thread. I was excited to see some of the innovative things you were trying with the HUD. It's too bad that's over, but for understandable reasons. Enjoy the Jeep and hopefully you'll be back before you know it!
#74
Pro
Good luck to you.
#75
Racer
Dangerz just finished his Masters Degree in software engineering among other things. Just wait! He'll have that Jeep flying soon and, upon the push of a button, it will transform into a Z06. Best of both worlds! Glad that you found a killer Jeep!
#76
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Thank you for the kind words gentlemen I will be back in a Corvette one day and rejoin your ranks.
Thanks Joe! Man we have to hang out again soon, it has been way too long. I hope all is well with you!
Thanks Joe! Man we have to hang out again soon, it has been way too long. I hope all is well with you!
#77
Cool pics, great stuff, glad I checked this out.
Love the SR-71
The C5 ZO6 is still one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
I gotta ask: did you waste the GT500 at the track? (it looked like it might be pushing like a pig)
Love the SR-71
The C5 ZO6 is still one of the most beautiful cars ever made.
I gotta ask: did you waste the GT500 at the track? (it looked like it might be pushing like a pig)