No luck getting that new clutch put in yet?
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Got the Contributing Memberships stuff finally worked out and made up a thread as a sort of "How-To" to help people figure out how to participate. So if you need help figuring it out, here's the thread you need to take a look at -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3581 Thank you, everyone! Rich Z.
Carnivorous plants...
- Thread starter Rich Z
- Start date
No luck getting that new clutch put in yet?
85vette
Active member
Yeah, I got it installed on April 19th by Lloyd and Ryan at SS Performance Group. It drives like a different car. Got rid of the dual-mass flywheel so it lost all the chatter when I'm idleing along in traffic now. That GM LS7 flywheel has a little more weight than the Fidanza, so it picked up more torque right off idle. I don't have to rev it when I engage the clutch now. And it engages about an inch from the floor. A big difference from that Fidanza. It was catching at the top. I couldn't drive on the interstate because it would start slipping if I accelerated in sixth gear at speeds over 70 mph. I think part of the problem was the new master cylinder I had put in last November. When they went to bleed the new LS7 slave they noticed the master cylinder return springs weren't allowing the piston to return fully so the clutch wasn't fully engaged. I think that allowed just enough slip to wear those twin disc out. I never noticed it slipping, but I guess it's like riding with your foot on the pedal. Anyway it turned out well. The Chevy dealer I bought the master from last year(Charles Clark Chevy in McAllen, Texas) warranteed it and overnighted it to SS Performance's shop at no charge to me, so it didn't hold them up either. And the labor was less than half what the Cadillac dealer quoted me! Plus they replaced the rear main seal and my oil pressure sensor while they were at it. Now my oil pressure shows 30 lbs at idle and 48 lbs when I'm cruising. Before it was reading 129 lbs all the time. So it's road ready. Just waiting on the love bugs to die off. I hate washing a car/truck everyday but they will destroy the paint if you don't.
Hmm, not really seeing much in the way of love bugs down here quite yet. But have seen some up in Tallahassee when we went up there earlier today. Also noticed some people's vehicles with LB guts plastered across the front, so apparently in some places they are pretty heavy.
If you don't drive over 20 mph the bugs will just bounce off or slide off instead of grenading against the hard surfaces... :hehehe:
If you don't drive over 20 mph the bugs will just bounce off or slide off instead of grenading against the hard surfaces... :hehehe:
Hmm, too bad SS Performance snubbed me when I went to them asking for help with my C5Z a while back. I certainly don't have any good reason to recommend them to anyone myself.
85vette
Active member
I don't understand that. They seem really enthused about their work and are well versed in the LS engines. I know your's isn't an LS but I wouldn't think that would deter them. They were building a turbo system for an older model Camaro from Pennsylvania while my car was in there so I know they work on more than just the newer engines. They do tuning and have a dyno too.:shrug01:
85vette
Active member
As long as we're hijacking this thread,
how bad are the love bugs in central Florida? I'm going down to Hudson tommorrow and wonder if I need to carry an extra gallon or two of water for my windshield washer in my truck.:ack2:
Beats me. I spoke to a Ryan Prentiss once in person, and then sent him several emails in reference to my fuel system. He replied to the first one, saying he was too busy to help me, but hoped to get some in a month or so. Three follow up emails to him over the next month went unanswered.
In any event, yes, my engine is a LS based engine. Based on the LS7, but the block is manufactured by RHS. And at the time, I wasn't even asking Ryan about help with anything related to the engine anyway.
This was back right around when I figured out that I needed to just pull out everything in my fuel system that Chris Harwood had done and start over from scratch. This was right intimidating to me, and I would have been perfectly willing to pay them to do this work for me. But they just flat out blew me off (much like Neal Connell of Competition Racing Engines did when I called him to ask him if he would inspect my engine while Shane was replacing the drivetrain at the dealership), so they can basically pound sand up their butts as far as I am concerned. I wasn't asking for freebies from anyone. I just needed HELP, and as far as I am concerned they just spit in my face.
Yeah, I'm sure my opinion doesn't matter to many people, but facts are facts.
Well, I'm not real crazy about this perlite stuff I'm using with the insectivorous plants in my mini-bog. We got a good amount of rain yesterday, and apparently my drain holes aren't doing the job and the water level got up higher than I had hoped for in the tub. And that darn perlite junk apparently floats to the surface.
So all that while crap got stuck all in the sundew traps and made a heck of a mess of them. Also got some into a few of the venus fly traps. I used a water bottle to try to spray the perlite off of the plants, but only was partially successful. Two of the fly traps shut on the perlite when the water spray evidently triggered them.
Guess I need to change something in the way I am doing this. This evidently isn't working out as well as I had hoped.
So all that while crap got stuck all in the sundew traps and made a heck of a mess of them. Also got some into a few of the venus fly traps. I used a water bottle to try to spray the perlite off of the plants, but only was partially successful. Two of the fly traps shut on the perlite when the water spray evidently triggered them.
Guess I need to change something in the way I am doing this. This evidently isn't working out as well as I had hoped.
Kap142
New member
Hey Rich, just saw this in reference to Yellow (or Deer) flies and thought you might be interested.
Trouble w/ Yellow flies (aka deerflies)? Suspend a flat black bucket from a tree limb so it's 3-5 feet above ground, such that the wind can make it move around. Then coat it w/ STP motor oil. The yellow flies will be the only insects attracted to it. Once they land on it, they can't escape.:shrug01:
Trouble w/ Yellow flies (aka deerflies)? Suspend a flat black bucket from a tree limb so it's 3-5 feet above ground, such that the wind can make it move around. Then coat it w/ STP motor oil. The yellow flies will be the only insects attracted to it. Once they land on it, they can't escape.:shrug01:
Ken, I think we would get a lot of lizards stuck on a contraption like that. We have quite a lot of them running around here.
But thanks for thinking of me.
BTW, today I smacked a couple of yellow flies chewing on my legs and happened to be standing near the venus fly traps. So I fed the fly carcases to the fly traps. :reddevil: Seemed like an appropriate fate for the yellow flies.
But thanks for thinking of me.
BTW, today I smacked a couple of yellow flies chewing on my legs and happened to be standing near the venus fly traps. So I fed the fly carcases to the fly traps. :reddevil: Seemed like an appropriate fate for the yellow flies.
The venus fly traps and sundews I bought a while back seem to be doing real well in the mini bogs we set up, so I decided to buy a few more.
These potted venus fly traps are right colorful, pretty nice sized, and look in excellent shape.
The sundews don't look to shabby neither.
These potted venus fly traps are right colorful, pretty nice sized, and look in excellent shape.
The sundews don't look to shabby neither.
I also bought some bare root fly traps that are smaller, but they should do OK in the little pots I set them up in.
I'm letting them all gradually get acclimated to the sunlight before putting them out in the mini bogs. Don't want to burn them like I did that first batch I got.
I'm letting them all gradually get acclimated to the sunlight before putting them out in the mini bogs. Don't want to burn them like I did that first batch I got.
Well, the mini bogs appear to be coming back nicely this spring. I lost some things because I didn't have the drain holes deep enough to account for the amount of settling the soil would do. So I drilled a few more somewhat deeper, and the soil isn't as mushy as it was before. Also had some varmint root around in one of the bogs and scattered a bunch of the flytraps here and yonder. Perhaps he even ate some of them.
One of the mini bogs has sprouted a whole slew of little yellow flowers on string thin stalks.
Anyway, I took a bunch of photos of the flytraps and sundews....
One of the mini bogs has sprouted a whole slew of little yellow flowers on string thin stalks.
Anyway, I took a bunch of photos of the flytraps and sundews....
