State College to Beaver Springs Drag Strip to Centralia Cruise (5/4/13)

*UPDATE*
We have recently found out that the original date that was planned happens to fall on Blue & White weekend which would rule out any chance of meeting near Beaver Stadium. Beaver Springs is not holding Test & Tune day the following week so we are moving the date forward 2 weeks to 5/4.


*UPDATE*
We have recently found out that the original date that was planned happens to fall on Blue & White weekend which would rule out any chance of meeting near Beaver Stadium. Also, may people would rather attend the game and traffic in and out of town would be a nightmare. We are moving the date forward 1 week to 4/27.

Warm weather is almost here, finally. I just installed some flex fuel wires and spent my first born on new rims and tires. Still need to fit the intercooler, wheels, and cut a diode for isolated boost control firmware but she's getting close to being ready for the Spring.

We're planning a cruise to the old coal mining town of Centralia that's been on fire since 1963. It's my friends idea and it sounds like it's going to be a blast.

We are going to meet up near the Penn State football stadium for some pictures and BS then we're taking some winding back roads to Beaver Springs Drag Way for a test-and-tune session. It's $40 a car to run and I think it's free to spectate. We'll have to check to be sure.

Here's the meeting spot, marked in yellow, across from Beaver Stadium.

This shows 1 of 2 possible meeting spots in State College and then the ensuing route to Beaver Springs.


View Coal Town route - part 1 to Beaver Springs in a larger map

2014 C7 Corvette Stingray - First Thoughts and Specs

Thus far in our blog experiment we've focused on what interests us personally. Personally I own a tuned BMW 135i. Pretty much the best bang for the buck, in my opinion, of any car on the planet. I can pretty much guarantee that this post will quickly top, in page views, any post we've made regarding any bad ass Bimmerfest car show, engine swap fun, or even our best exhaust of 2012 nominee. Why? Because we've added a link to a video showing the new C7 Corvette!

At first glance you'll notice the same overall dimensions of the outgoing C6. The body looks as though it has been reworked around the same structure almost as though Chevrolet put the new design into the hands of an aftermarket tuner. But keep watching. If you pay close attention to the video as the car rotates behind Mr. Jeuchter it slowly becomes apparent, at least to me, that this not merely a refresh of an old design but a whole new take on the Corvette. The way the hood recesses next to the headlights then bulges around the engine. The way the roof is subtly chiseled, and the way the ZL1ish rear spoiler picks up the lines from the roof and accentuates the angry taillights with menacing black gills. The overall look is growing on me quickly. It's as if they've started with a Ferrari California and stuffed a new Camaro and a last year C6 Corvette inside. If they have finally fixed the Jeremy Clarkson rear bumper flexing issues then I'm sold. Surely out of my budget, but still...I'm sold.

Specs as of 1-19-2013
Engine: LT1 6.2L V8 w/ direct fuel injection and variable valve timing
Compression Ratio: 11.5:1
Transmission: 7 Speed manual w/ active rev matching OR 6 Speed paddle shift
Horsepower: 450+hp
Torque: 450lbs/ft
Fuel Economy: 26+ MPG highway
Weight distribution: 50/50
Chassis: Magnetic selective ride
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport ZP Run Flat (BIG THUMBS DOWN)
Wheels: 18in front, 19in rear / 19in front, 20in rear w/ Z51 package
Roof: Visible carbon fiber, painted carbon fiber, or transparent
Wheelbase: 106.7in
Overall Length: 177in
Overall width: 73.9in
Overall Height: 48.6in
Track: 62.8in front, 61.6in rear
Brake diameter: 12.6in (13.6in Z51) front, 13.3in rear

BMW 135i N54 vs. BMW 135i N55: Round 2

I feel as though this debate will rage on with 1 and 3 series owners for years to come. N54 vs. N55. In a previous post 2009 BMW 135i N54 vs. 2011 BMW 135i N55: Round 1 I gave some background and showed a dyno comparison plus a first blood street race result. The information I'm about to spew forth muddies the waters just a tad.

Cavalier 2.4 LD9 Boosted!

Some fun time pictures of the recent weekend adventure!

Untouched by man until recently.

Dude, the engine is to the left a little more.

Giving it the finger for good measure.

I have a few more pictures but I guess I reached my limit for the day.  Enjoy the fat!

I really need to be doing something else....PSYCHE! IT'S EPIC BLOG TIME!

I'm just kidding, there isn't anything epic about having to change intake manifold gaskets but I took a couple pictures along the way to maybe help you guys out.  This is on my '96 S10 2wd.  The engine is actually from a '99 Blazer but the procedure is identical.  I'm going to be lazy and post the pictures and just put my comments in under the pictures.  Torque everything to manufacturers specs and enjoy!

This is prior to starting any major work.  The intake tubing has been removed and  that's about it.  The fan belt needs to be removed as well as the idler pulley near the EGR which is the pulley pictured above.  I have an electric fan (trick of course) but you might have the stock mechanical clutch fan on your S10 which may be in the way so you might think about removing that too.  Also think about replacing the little crossover hose that runs into the front of the intake manifold because it's going to be a lot easier to do now instead of alongside the road in the future.  That little sucker hose is about $15 though!

This pays dividends!  Instead of removing the power steering/ ac compressor mount I simply notched the ac mount to gain access to this bolt which holds the intake manifold in place.  My professional opinion is that this notch doesn't compromise the structural integrity of the mount at all.  Word of advice is to measure twice and cut once but if tape measures confuse you than use a sharpie to outline where you want to cut. 

More after the jump

Cavalier engine removal reality

Andreé has a new project and I decided to play photographer while I wasn't wrenching. He bought a 2000 Cavalier, factory supercharged, for 500 bucks. The motor doesn't stay running. It sounds like a rod is shot or something along those lines. He's probably going to sell off the speed parts then get a salvage yard engine. In the mean time the supercharger is going to get sold to recoup the vehicle cost. Not a bad winter beater to use so that the BMW doesn't get ruined by the nasty PA winters. I took some decent pictures and videos of the engine getting pulled out. This goes to show it isn't as easy as it looks sometimes to get an engine out of a car. Hit the jump for more pictures and a video.

The 1 is hibernating for winter (Sweet pic of it in storage)

It's a sad day. The car is officially put away for winter. I have shop rags stuffed in the tail pipes and the battery is in the house. I went to PepBoys (who I tend to stay away from usually) and purchased a California Car Duster. Not a bad product. I'll probably come out once every couple weeks to dust off the paint and roll the car forward or back a couple feet to prevent flat spots. Now I just need to figure out how to open the trunk without electric power before Spring comes.

I decided to play around with my camera tonight and I got a really cool picture of it as it sits in the garage (seen above). It's nothing special, a Canon SD1300 IS but it can take some excellent pictures if you play with the settings. It was really dark in the garage. The lighting is poor to begin with plus the florescent bulb above the car is burned out. I used a shovel as a tripod :-p.

P.S. After looking at this picture I really need to find a new place for that precarious ladder.