8-15-03
- New Star Spec Stage 3 Clutch

This being my first time changing a
clutch in a RWD car, surprisingly the only real trouble I had was with the clutch fork. A quick call to a friend saved the day and I was back in business. The clutch fork appeared to be sliding in it's place for me, but once I pushed on it with my finger, as if I was to try to release the clutch, it would fall down and the end of the clutch fork would be sitting against the bellhousing. I put it together that way initially, and thought that maybe everything would just 'pop' in place, but once I pushed the clutch pedal in, I could tell it wasn't to be that way. Took the slave cylinder back out and had to pry the fork out with a couple screwdrivers because it had bound itself against the bellhousing. With a little finesse got the fork in place where it should be.

Would like to provide some FYI for those who don't know about Star clutches. The pressure plate is a Valeo plate just like the stocker. The part #'s even matched up perfectly.

The only difference between the two pressure plates I saw was:

- the stock plate has a circled, stamped "M" after the part # (?)
- the new plate has a circled, stamped "P" after the part # (?)
- the stock plate's fingers were slightly thinner than the new ones, although there were the same # of fingers on each, and had a bubbled ridge stamped down the center of each finger, while the new one's fingers were flat.

That's the only real difference between the two [physically] that I could find. Other than that, the clutch pedal pressure still feels the same under my foot as the old one.

The disk is incredibly grabby. I have driven it more than 15,000 miles now. The best launch RPM I've found is ~1,800 RPM for "normal", "smooth" clutch engagement.

A few people I've talked to over the 'net also say that theirs has gotten smoother with miles, and mine has as well. The only thing that sucks is trying to use reverse because the disk is so grabby. You'll figure it out after driving on it.

11-24-03
- Comp Pro Mag 1.6 Roller Rockers

I was really afraid to do this by myself since I've never messed with V8 internals before. But I got tired of waiting and trying to get someone with good knowledge to help me and dove in with both feet. I asked LOTS of questions and read the manual many times.

Found out there are actually 3 methods to adjusting rockers. I used the cylinder-to-cylinder method, and adjusted the intake/exhaust valves on each individual cylinder at the same time, following the firing order (1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2). I know there's probably an easier way, but since I was also replacing the springs, I felt this would be the best way to do it since I stood a chance of dropping a valve in a cylinder otherwise.

FYI Many people have asked and wondered, and I'm here to tell... On LATE model Chevy engines (i.e. LT1/LS1), if you've got the cylinder at TDC, you WILL NOT drop the valve in the cylinder if you remove the springs on it. The valve only drops about 1/2" before it hits the piston. Therefore I didn't use air or anything to keep the valves up.

Once I started getting deep into the job, I eventually found 7 bent pushrods. They weren't in-yer-face bent, but only a slight hairline wobble when rolled across a countertop. So I replaced them with some Speed Pro parts.

Here's the results on the dyno:

I'm not surprised, but overall I'm satisfied. Had a best of 294 hp and peaked @ 323 in the torque dept. An overall gain of 7 horsepower and 2 lb-ft of torque.

02/03/04
- Starter Rebuild

After almost 80,000 miles, my starter finally began to act up on me this morning. Lights, fuel pump comes on, etc. but nothing, not even a click. Solenoid's had it, so I finally removed it, took it down to a local place and had it rebuilt for $125. This is the cheapest deal I found, and got a lifetime warranty to boot.

03/12/04
CSI Electric Water Pump Install

Pump itself was easy to install. Do NOT let anyone tell you that you can just file off the 'ears' on the pump to make it fit in the pump housing though. I did that, got a leak, and ruined the pump. CSI will NOT warrant the pump if you file the 'ears' off! I ended up turning this into over a $300 project because of it! Also do yourself a favor and buy a relay harness prebuilt.

My overall impression? The pump works GREAT for drag racing applications. I can cool the motor off completely in about 15 minutes between runs with the key on and fans running. I installed a 160 thermostat and a bottle of Water Wetter to assist in running cooler.

09/17/04
Dyno at Altitude

Went to the Dyno Edge here in Albuquerque, NM. to get a baseline before the Hotcam install. My, the altitude really puts the hurtin' on N/A cars around here. Lost 54hp and 64tq at the wheels. So THAT's where my 1.2 seconds went out the door on my E.T.'s GRRRRRR

Corrected ..................Uncorrected

Oh yeah, I like to polish aluminum. Here's a couple pics of the thermostat housing I busted out over a couple hours one night. The pics don't really do it much justice, it's much shinier in person.

14 December 2004
New Hifonics ZEUS ZX8000 5-channel amp

Got this amp in the mail from http://www.onlinecarstereo.com. It's a 50x4 & 200x1 @ 4 ohms. It works great for what I'm looking to get out of it.

I also got a 17' 8 gauge Rockford Fosgate power cable w/ a fatty fuse in it. Here you can also see where I ran the ground cable:

Here's the 4 RCA's (Monster Cable) that are run from my deck:

And here's a JL Audio ported sub box with a JL Audio 10" sub I acquired for free. Pays to be in the right place at the right time.. :)