So whens it gonna be? Turns out I wont be running at this months Drift Session, just couldnt get the special length/rate springs delivered in time. But guarantee I'm gonna be at the next one. I'll probably go this time to watch. Maybe I'll bring an extra set of tires to do burnouts or something? Is anyone else gonna come? I know a few guys said they would. Or maybe if its not a good weekend, we can plan for another week? We gotta all get together somewhere and take some nice pictures, have a 3rd gen cruze or something.

 

We need people's input about which days and times they are available to cruise and a selection of destinations.

As for me, any Sat or Sun a.m. is nice for a drive ... well, except next Sat 'cause Scott and I will be taking out the differential in my son's '92 Z28.

How about doing a poll?

 

Do you have a list of dates for the drift sessions?

 

April 16
May 14
June 11
July 9
August 6
September 10
October 8
November 12
December 3

 

hmm cant do anything after august, probably not gonna be here (college), that means no more thirdgen for me until i come back, or unless i get another one where I end up goin hehe...

but yeah, next ds or the one after that would be great, or any saturday or sunday.

 

Dude ... sent you a PM....

 

Sounds sweet. I'm getting my car all regested and legal by Fri or Sat. Finally, I just got insurance today. So now I gotta go to the dmv and get it legal. So I would be down to go for a cruise.

 

Soon sounds good to me.

Anytime on weekends are easiest for me. Otherwise in the evenings until this semester ends.

Maybe a trip to the dragstrip one weekend night? I'd be down for sure.

Scott

 

soon is good indeed. evenings are usually good for me if it's a weekday... or pretty much netime on the weekend as long as i'm not working.

 

Saturday's are ideal for me. Except this one. Work.

 

I'm probably not going to be at the Drift Session tomorrow. Not even to watch. I'm gonna go do burnouts somewhere for fun (and for free!)

 

you had be all geared to ride shotgun with you...

 

Yeah sorry about that. Next month Rob, I'm gonna have 3 sets of 17's to burn up. We'll have a blast. I heard someone flipped their car at the Drift Session today. That sucks.

 

Flipped? too much traction...

I'll be free next driftsession... (I hope)

 

Ross flipped his car in the sweeper. I don't know who his passenger was but I heard that he knocked out for a little while. We had the whole Firetruck,Ambulance,Police car action for this crash. The car is totalled & the passenger went to the hospital to get checked out just to be safe. I think he was ok though. There were a couple other bad crashes in the sweeper also....can't remember who they were though.

It was pretty nutz!!!! Kinda dangerous cause there were alot of cars & everybody was pounding them like there was no tomorrow. Seemed kinda slippery too. But all in all, it was awesome!!!!!

 

seeing as I'm not much into the whole driftsession thing, I dont know the players...

Who's Ross?

 

Goodnight! I ended up not working, but I had to get my wife's car form the shop. See the Coolant Woes thread for the update I posted. I should be down for the next one, expect to see two Trans Am's showing up. Yeah, the wife will probably be driving the nicer one. She thinks the worn-out suspension on the GTA is causing her back pains. She drove the TTA, no back pain. They have the same seat design, only one is cloth and one is leather. Looks like I'm going to get some new springs and stuff for the GTA.

 

So, what days are y'all headin' to the convention center this weekend?

I'm probably goin' friday or saturday night.

 

Ross is Ross Petty, one of the better drifters here in Hawaii. He was able to qualify for the USA D1GP, the professional drifting series from Japan, events usually held at Irwindale Speedway in Cali. He's really good at drifting, real high speed, and long slides (but there are other local drivers in his league too). Sad to hear his car flipped, thats some tough luck. That was his 350Z blue Nissan 240sx right?

I'm not gonna be going to the Convention Center this weekend, but I'm sure we can still meet up and Cruze. Maybe we can set something up where we meet near the Convention Center in the afternoon on Saturday and Cruze from there to some photoshoot type background area, maybe Tantalus? I know a really good food place near the Convention Center, called "U Hungry?" right across the street by 7-11. They got some insane Steak. And Tantalus would probably be a good place to snap some pics, good scenery, and fairly close to the Convention Center. We can all line up at the Lookout on the Manoa side and take a group shot with Diamond Head in the background ...

 

That hill is a great spot for photos. How many of us would be able to cruise within the next few weeks?

I will be, as soon as my new reg comes in the mail.

Hey Shawn I saw you the other morning in your green car. I woulda said something but you were on your phone and I was in my dad's Jag anyway.

Scott

 

I'm down to cruze. Damn sorry didnt know that was you. I remember seeing the Jag. Wish I knew, I would have smoked em for ya! hehehe

 

Next time I guess. He never punches it anyway... unless he's late and has to cut someone/everyone off.

Hey Anthony, how long 'til you're up and running?

Keola, how's you car runnin'?

I know Ian wants to show off his new pontiac.

 

My car is down till summer, sorry But I can be the camera man if I can make it. Hey Shawn, maybe I can do some mini burnouts & drifting with my truck again yeah. hehe.

 

I got the flu (sucks) so I don't know if I could make it to the car show or anything. Scott, you hear the news from GM? THey mihgt be killing a division, and the rumor gong around is that it's Pontiac or Buick that might get the axe.

 

im down for anything lol

 

so when is this happening? a group pic would be a nice addition to my Camaro collage

 

A weekend this month would be good.

Meeting at the dragstrip still has my vote, but anywhere scenic is fine.

Ian, GM has no reason (nor plans) to kill a division. Lutz just says weird things sometimes. I have been hearing about GM NA dropping the Zeta platform. So, no new GTO and no new large RWD Chevy (Chevelle?) or Buick (Velite). Looks like either a cheap Sigma or a lengthened Kappa will be the foundation for the "5th gen." Legal issues won't allow the name 'Camaro,' so we'll see some other name from Chevy's past. Maybe even the name 'Panther,' because any GM guy knows exactly what that refers to.

 

Yeah, I like the dragstip too, great opportunity to "fly the F-body flag" while other cars buzz around...

 

So, we have dragstrip, drift session (same place, though) and maybe an eatery of some sort. We've done pictures off of Lagoon Drive once, and I'm sure everyone knows where that's at. Nice view, too, if you get over the noise.

 

Scott, I'm only repeating what the rumor-mill has generated about a press release he said. He never mentioned any specific division, only that talks of a cut had taken place, and that hopefully it wouldn't happen. Something about dismal sales figures, but they've sunk a lot of money into Pontiac and Buick as of late, so it wouldn't make much sense to kill them beore they can see if that money will pay off. I had heard the opposite about the next Camaro, though, that they were going to make one for '07 (or so) and it was going to be called Camaro. Time will tell, in any case, I won't believe it until I see pictures of it in a showroom floor. However, Pontiac is lips-tight about the Firebird, either they aren't going to do one, or they're better at controlling leaks. 2007 would be a good year to bring the Camaro back, though, 40th year anniversary and all that jazz.

 

If ya'll are interested, I think I'll be going to the tracks either this friday or saturday night. Just finished installing the new cam and the TC went in a couple weeks earlier so I'm eager to see what kinda improvements there'll be. So far the car made a best of 12.61 @ 102.6 mph... we've since passed the traps at 106.1, but haven't gotten the ET's any lower with the old cam and old converter, so I'm hoping for a low 12 and maaaayyybe a high 11 if the weather is good.
pretty much any weekend this month should be okay for me though.

 

If you go Saturday, let me know about what time and I'll try to get out there with my son and take some photos.

 

I'm down to meet up this weekend, but no racing for me. Green car is down getting suspension installed, and Orange car tranny is gonna break if I punch it. I'll just be there to cruze ...

 

lol i was probably headed to the tracks this weekend too, my friend wanted to see what his 99 Z28 runs, and I wanted to clock my 92Z28 to see where im at. Although now I have a hole in my muffler (its cracked), so im not sure how that will affect things.

 

looks like i'll be going down on saturday n' not friday. Shawn, if you can make it, i can return your PP2 now that I'm done with it Thanks!

 

Turns out that the stuntfest is gonna be on saturday night, so there won't be any car racing this weekend I'll probably go down next saturday... the anxiety is killing me

 

I'll be at the Drift Session next week Sat, the 16th. You guys are welcome to come down and check it out. Bring a helmet and you can ride along. Unfortunately GC sent me the wrong front springs (4th gen springs) so I'll still have the dopey stock suspension. Doh!

 

Hole in the muffler? Ha, I only wish my exhaust problems were like that - my stupid behind didn't take the time to do my Edelbrock cat-back correctly the FIRST time, so now I have no intermediate pipe leading from the convertor to the over-axle pipe - I removed it as the joint just wasn't holding with mere clamps, and a coat hanger as a secondary brace (Ghetto Alert!) didn't do squat. The pipe is sitting in the hatch area now. To say that the car is "Loud" would qualify for The Understatement of the Year award... I'll be taking it to ESH so they can actually weld the offensive joint properly, when I get paid again.

 

Drift Session was alot of fun. This time we had two 3rd gens out there, my 89 IROC and my friends 91 Z28. I was sporting my newly painted glass hood that still wont close right hahaha. Kinda tripped me out, the SMC hood actually made a difference, car did not understeer as much as it used to. Unfortunately my cooling issues came back to haunt me, car kept getting to the 220-240 range and I had to end my runs early. This really pissed me off because I thought I had those issues solved. I put in the fan switch and last Drift Session it was a constant 180. Gotta figgure that one out. And now it sounds like I got some knocking in the engine, not too bad, maybe a rod or something. Maybe whatevers wrong with the engine was causing the cooling issues. Sucks.

Hey next Drift Session is gonna be good fun, should have three 3rd gens out there. (me, chris, and J)

 

Cool. I'll definately be there for the next one. What day is it?

I was planning to go yesterday but I completely forgot that it was saturday until 2:30 pm.

So... any other days set for a cruise?

I'll be fixing my steering and alignment this week on my 'bird.

Scott

 

Sorry I didn't make it to drift session Shawn. I neeeeeeed more video of you drifting so I can work on a camaro video. I'm definetely gonna make it next time & it's cool that there will be 3 of you this time!!!!! And did I read right......Chris is gonna be there. It's been a while since he last went. In fact, my very first ride on my first trip to drift session was in his car with him adjusting to the new motor. It was awesome! Can't wait till next drift session to see three domestics in action!!!!
Laterz, Anthony

 

This is a long shot, but maybe your fans are slowly dying & are intermittently not running when the car is moving. Just a thought

Also, about the fan switch. Did you put in a manual switch, or do you mean the one that kicks the fan on earlier.

 

Next Drift Session will be May 14. Yeah it should be alot of fun I cant wait. I should have some of my suspension stuff installed by then, but I'm worried about the engine. Weird knocking sounds make me want to take the engine out. But today I start it up and no knocking sounds. Who knows. You're probably right about the fans. I was checking them when the car was stopped @ idle and they were on, but something wasnt working right when I was out on the track drifting. It was getting really hot really fast (240 by the second lap). Its the fan switch that turns em both on at 180, and I'm running the 180 thermostat. I'm thinking about new aftermarket fans and changing it to a manual switch for the fan so I can cool down after running without having to leave the motor running. Good thing I dont drive this car to work anymore, this thing needs some work!!

 

You gonna do a spal fan upgrade or something else. Hmmmm....with the engine finally acting funny, oh damn, guess it's time for a new crate motor with a HSR setup huh? lol!

 

Given the severe conditions the engine operates in during drifting, it's likely the radiator has only enough thermal capacity to sufficiently cool the engine when all of the component parts work correctly.

Thus, any little thing, such as water pump cavitation, collapsing lower hose, fans not on, changes in ignition timing ... would push the cooling system into collapse.

Free or cheap fixes -- manual fan switchs, install separate trans cooler [unloads radiator] install accessory oil cooler in front of radiator [no AC, right?] connect plumping from heater core so coolent circulates.

Not so cheap additional fixes -- in addition to above, aftermarket radiator with three cores of big tubes, single large electric fan with a decent shroud [like ripped from another car], high-capacity aluminum water pump.

 

Drifting is tough on cooling systems for sure. Air is flowing through the radiator at a low speed while the engine is being pushed hard, not a good combo. Manual switch to get the jump on temps might help. Given the temps around here you really don't have a need to worry about antifreeze. Running straight distilled water with a little Redline water wetter would be a cheap way to increase your cooling efficiency. If your radiator is a little older, cleaning out the fins with a feeler guage can do wonders, same for a little degreaser and a bath. It's amazing how much road grime kills efficiency. Had real bad over heating on the highway in the past with a Supra and replaced everything...still overheated. Ended up being the A/C condesor in front was clogged , used the feelers to clean out the fins and no more overheating You can also remove the rubber seal at the back of the hood to help heat escape. I'm sure you're on top of the problems, just thought I bring up a few cheap or free improvements.

 

Thanks for the tips guys! The current setup is a semi-new "performance" (lol) aluminum radiator, stock dual fans w/ shroud, stock waterpump, 180 fan switch and 180 stat. I run a mix of 80% water, 10% coolant (for lubrication), and 10% water wetter. I heard Rons has some pretty mean dual fans for under $200 so I'm thinking about checking em out. But before I spend that much I'll probably replace the stock fan motors, like $30 each. You know me I'm a cheapazz.

I'm getting ready to put together a motor, hope this current one lasts another month or two. Gonna use the L98 block I have, some aluminum L98 heads from a vette, the HSR, cam that'll rev to 6k, and all new gaskets from the head up. High compression high revving drift motor!! If it puts down 300rwhp I'll be really happy.

 

High compression makes lots of heat. But you can get a big *** radiator by the time you swap engines.

Try a high volume pump and stronger fan (or new motors like ya' said). That might make enough difference for now.

How hard do your fans blow? My firebird's fan is a weak piece of crap compared to my truck's clutch fan.

Maybe replace one motor and see if there is a difference between how hard either fan blows. At low road speeds you need them pulling massive amounts of air to keep up. Is your radiator larger than stock? The factory coolers are so small.

You can route some coolant through your condenser if you have one. Either as a trans cooler if you have an auto and don't have an auxiliary cooler, or in series with the radiator. (I believe that'll be fine, though you could double check with someone that knows better than me.) Anyway to add volume to the cooling system will help.

Scott

 

I'd suggest just getting the aftermarket fan setup...I have the dual fans and I don't like them. Well...though I don't have a shroud haha. I'm guessing they wouldn't be so bad if I had one. But still though get some aftermarket fans, lower temp thermo, etc. I'm gonna put in that 160 thermostat I had sitting in my glove box for the last 5 months.

 

Any new plans?