X2


Big picture: get the ZR1



Btw... Tom, the old C3 did absolutely wonderful on both PIR days! Thanks again!


Andy

 

Tom,

I would look at it as what will benefit you and your business the most.

The ZR1 is marketable or the WOW factor for getting people to come look at it and the word of mouth that you have one. Will there be much of a customer base for this car and will they want to mod it? The two I have seen in Oregon are bone stock and the owners said they are not going to do any modifications; something about going to be a collector’s car someday. If you plan to aggressively mod the ZR1 and really showcase it then it’s possibly worth it.

The C6 ZO6 is a much larger customer base and your build will show case your work. So I would stay on track as it’s much more marketable in my eyes and the demand is certainly there.

That’s the business side of me talking and for the other side that I usually listen too says you only have one life to live so get the ZR1 if its within reach….lol.

Either way you go is really a win win in my eyes.

 

Hey Allen.... Glad to see you made it over here to CF. I heard you bought Jessie's Vette. Great choice!

Patrick

 

While I completely agree with you on that, if we are talking about benefiting him and his business most. I think a 1000,whp TTI forged 430 that Tom did all the work on, installed, and tuned, shows what he can do more then buying a more expensive car and going with basics..

 

Hey Tommy, come back to Bowling Green with us and get your ZR1 and drive it back! That would make it really special! I wonder if they are still offering ones that you can watch being built? If you are going to spend that kind of money GO ALL OUT!!

 

Oh I can assure you that if I do this, it won't be basic for long


I would love to go with you guys but my work load is such that I can hardly get time to sleep right now. I have one Z in the shop with a scattered engine that wasn't scheduled to come in, another old school ZR1 that is here for drivability issues that wasn't really scheduled either is here, plus the Z that is coming in for its TTiX build will be here next week for me to get started on. Then on top of all that, I have to swap head gaskets on my old C4 before the new owner comes to get it, that has to be done if I am considering the ZR1 deal at all, otherwise it can't happen. I have always wanted to go to one of these Bowling Green events. Perhaps someday I will get some time to get there.

 

I figured it wouldnt. But why spend THAT much more cash to tear about the LS9 and upgrade your blower? Specially after what you have into your engine.


thats just my .02

 

I knew that ZR-1 was going to eat at you. Here's the real dilemma. If you buy the ZR-1 you know you're going to mod it as well. So there's the rub.

 

It wouldn't be just a blower upgrade. I have or will have in soon a complete all forged LS7 430 CID short block built to take 1000+hp couple that with a "blower upgrade" and it will be a pretty nasty ZR1, maybe not as nasty as the original plan with the TTiX kit because of the extra parasitic losses from the blower. But heck anything past 750 or 800 at the wheels is basically useless anyway Time will tell, its just in the thinking and what if stages right now. I still have to get the C4 into the shop, clean it up fix a couple gaskets before the new owner will come and get it, and if the deal falls apart so does the ZR1 dream, which means its back to the original plan. Either way for me its good thing, one better than the other seeing how if the deal falls apart, I won't have to explain a new ZR1 in the garage

I know, I just can't leave anything alone.

 

Thomas..... trust me...its not going to fall apart. If you do manage to have the C4 ready next weekend... I will be there with my trailer on Monday morning. You can take this to the bank. The local dealership will arrange the brokerage,etc on receipt of the paperwork.

Now... back to the dream...... hehehehe

For my .02... I would like to see you finish the TTix project... maybe down the road I would like to buy this one from you! ( selfish intent )

Terry

 

You're pretty well known in the area for the quality of work that you do on many generations of vettes. From what I see you dont' seem to be hurting for work. From a business market perspective do need a built ZR1 in your showroom in order to draw in work?

From a business financial standpoint do you want the additional debt that you yourself already recognize will be incurred from wraping up the C6 project to run out and mod the hell out of a ZR1? Is this really a necessary investment for the sucess of the business....... ?

Or is it all just for fun

After all ...... your going to sell that C4 and it is a heck of a hot car

Put the dough away in a college fund for your son and his future siblings. Paying your kids way through school so that they don't have to come out and start life with a mountain of school loan debt is a great gift these days. Keep the C6 and get back to the grindstone and stop trying to have so much fun all the time

 

Hi Patrick

 

Just like the rest of us! Get the car. Life's too short. As long as your wife and Arkus and clothed, fed, and have a dry place to sleep, GO FOR IT!

bb

 

I think Arkus likes it already :

 

I would get the ZR1 because it will be a collectible really soon. You will not be AS upside down in that car as you may think. The rumor has it that 2010 is it and I happen to believe it. Its not like the prices are dropping on them because there are not many on the used car lots anyway. I see this car being like the L88's which were basically ignored by the masses because they wanted the 435hp tripower with a radio and heater. Now look at them. The ZR1 has a lot more in it than the Z06 (like the brakes and magnetic ride) which makes it a very special vette. You know as well as anyone that you can make a turd faster than anything but its still a turd. The more money you put into it the more expensive the turd becomes (I AM NOT SAYING YOUR CAR IS A TURD BEFORE ANYONE JUMPS UP MY ***). I see it as a complete package and I think you do too (must be because we are both electrical engineers). Plus anyone that thinks the LS9 (or LT5) is not special is dead wrong. GM will never offer another engine that will top that in our lifetime.

 

I saw that ZR1 out there and it is purdy! That is a pretty tough call. I was glad when you decided to go ahead with the Turbo install. I would really like to see what you would end up with on your TTi project.
Brian

 

Keep the Z!

 

I knew it Tom. I could see it in your eyes that day. It was love at first sight.
I think the ZR1 would be a nice car, if you kept it stock. But if you want to mod something, use your Z06. Or maybe get a cheaper C6 and build a mega HP car, and keep your Z06 the way it is...... dependable.
As you already know, once you start making around 1000 RWH, then you will start to find all of your weak links.
Hey, why not keep the Z06, AND ....... get the ZR1. It's only money.

 

He's got the right idea. If you get the ZR1 it is probably a good attraction even if kept stock, which will mean it will be a very valuable collectible.

Since everyone knows your skill/talent in making Zuper Vettes, you should continue with the Z and showcase it too.

Afterall, it only $$$$

Good luck on your decision.

 

I think I am probably going to keep my Z. I got a rude awakening to reality this last week. My wife was diagnosed with Lupus about three years go before we got married. Last Friday (unknown to us) she started the beginings of a Lupus flare. On friday she had a slight fever and chills, saturday she ached all over, had swollen lymph nodes and a slight fever, all indications of maybe the flu so I thought. Sunday comes and the headache started up, and nausea starts. Last March on our B-day no less she had a nasty headache, and vomiting that ended up with us going to the ER which ended in a 5 night stay at hotel Providence Hospital with what was later determined (well they think) was aseptic meningitis. That week scared the P out of me. This time, becauase we were aware of the symptons, I got her to ER on monday where they ran all the usual blood work and P tests, of course if it was what I had thought was going on, all the tests would show negative for any viral or bacterial infections. Well, when the results came in they were all negative....The didn't want to give her a spinal tap to verify meningitis again as the symptoms (thank god) were no where near as severe as last year. So they sent us home, ( I knew they would) with a script for pain and nausea. last year she was so out of it she didn't even remember that they gave her a spinal tap.

We went to see her rheumatologist the day after, of course he examines her, can't really find anything external wrong ,figures its another flare similar with what happened last year and gives her a script for prednisone (a steroid) which helped a lot last year and sends us home. After a couple days she feels fair to OK, today was the best day so far, but the damn prednisone is a nasty steroid, and if taken in the quantities that the doc prescribed it makes her mind race, and she can't sleep, cat naps during the day, very restless at night, keeps me up with her flopping around like a fish out of the water next to me, so I am not sleeping well either. Lupus SUCKS to say the least. She is OK tonight, she dropped the dosage down on her own, (she's a pharmacist) and knows the side effects of prednisone, so she only wants to take enough to help her to avoid any of the bad side effects. For once it was good the have the mother in law around to help to take care of Arkus at night and during the day when I am at the shop.

It would be cool to have it, and mod it cuz I know I would anyway But sometimes other things are more important. I have my old C4 in the shop now, I have the engine partially disassembled to take care of a minor head gasket issue before the new owner takes delivery. When driving it on Friday, I was thinking how sad it will be to let her go, I got a lot of work and thought that went into that car, its not a money thing, but just a lot of my personal handy work that went into that car. Funny how we get attached to things, I still love the C4 body lines, I think its one of the best designs in the Corvette line up.

Forgot to mention.....the TTiX build is going on now. My short block is at the machine shop now. It should be completed by the end of this week or early next week. I need to take the new clutch and balancer to the machinist for final balancing. My heads will be off to LPE for porting and assembly which will take a week or so. The first TTiX car is in my shop now and disassembled, its block is stripped and will leave for SoCal to get Darton sleeves installed before machining and assembly starts. I will have my engine complete before the turbo kit is actually delivered, installation probably won't happen until this late fall or winter when things slow down.