Getting closer........

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

shes beautiful Jim!

and i still gotta throw up those photos on the Streetfighter site!

keep rolling on man!

[Jim Nilsen]

shes beautiful Jim!

and i still gotta throw up those photos on the Streetfighter site!

keep rolling on man!

Now I have to get you some new ones too!

[Jim Nilsen]

The Camaro looks great Jim. The wheels look great! You coming down to RTTH6? I would like to check your Camaro out. I remember Payton letting you drive his yellow Camaro at RTTH5!

I am not sure if I am going to be able to go to RTTH ? I sure want to go but I will just spectate and maybe get in the dragraces? I just don't know if I can get away to do it?

I am looking forward to seeing everyone if I can go !!!

Glad you like the new look.

:cheers:

[Ron S]

Love the new wheels Jim, looks really classy. Ron

[John Wright]

Love the new wheels Jim!

[bonecrrusher]

Have you checked Rockingham Dragway out??

Nope - haven't been out there yet, lol!

Love the new wheels!

[wmhjr]

Car looks great, Jim! The wheels were a good choice.

[Jim Nilsen]

I have been driving around on the new wheels and Kumho tires for a bunch of miles now and am very happy with the way the car handles now. The loss of traction is minimal compared to the 15 yr old Comp T/A's. I got to drive in the rain the other night and was totally amazed at the wet traction !!! The acceleration was at .7 g's and the braking was over .9 g's in the wet.The corners were over .8 and the feel was predictable.

I want to thank Mary Pozzi for posting up the recommendation for the Kumho tires to another member here. It was a hard choice to go with 285 40's all around instead of a staggered set. With all 10" wheels and the same size tires I can rotate them anywhere as the wear progresses.

The look of the wheels makes the car more elegant to some instead of the racing look I had hoped for but now I know what size tires and wheels will fit for certain next time I spend some cash for new ones. The new wheels will be great with some R compound tires someday and will be more than my driving skills will ever be at that point.

I am anxiously waiting to get to a track to see how it handles with the new traction at the limit, the corners are so much different now that I am adjusting to it all. Turn is a bit later and the speed is up. I will have to get to a parking lot to see the new numbers for lateral g's.

I am also going to get some new pics to post up soon .

:cheers:

[Jim Nilsen]

It has been an unbelievable summer and now it's over. I have done just about everything I set out to do this year with the car except making it to Blackhawk Farms Raceway. I still may have that chance?

I am still pinching myself when I look at the new Camaro Performers issue. Thankyou Steve for the pic and kind words. I hope I can find some more issues on the newsstand somewhere.

I have to say that the new tires are awesome. I went to the Good-Guys Joliet event and had a great time seeing everyone from here who attended. The autocross got rained out after 4 runs but I did better each time and was faster than the Flying Turd Vega by just a tad and did better than Jeff VanBuren's Camaro. It could be that I finally am getting better at driving or the car is really good? Both are a good thing. The best time was 29.7 by by chris Jacobs in the Chevelle with most everyone at the top near 30.07 and I was able to get a 31.07 which was a lot better than my 33+ time to start out. I know I could have taken off another .5 seconds with a little more gas since the tires were holding well.

I have gone to a lot of car shows this year and the most memorable comment I hear is " Holy ****" when they see the engine compartment. The visual impact for most keeps going as they look all over the car. Most people never see all of the things that are different.

I really wish I could have been at RTTH6 to see everyone but it just didn't happen because of my new job. After a long time being layed off I finally found something or it found me?

I still haven't unloaded the camera with all of my new pics of the car and the new wheels. I also have a short part of a video from the autocross to post up at youtube.

The Kumho's are really sticky, you can tell because they pick up every bit of sand and rocks and fling them into the wheelwell. I keep trying different tire pressures to find the optimum spot but it seems that it likes it a bit firmer than softer.

With a few more events left I think the fall will be just as fun as summer!

[Bryce]

Congrats Jim, that is the fun part about having these cars. Now whats next on the list of improvements?

[Jim Nilsen]

Congrats Jim, that is the fun part about having these cars. Now whats next on the list of improvements?

The carpet needs to go in and I still have some cosmetic details to finish up all over. The front splitter material is awaiting the saw but I may decide to have it waterjet cut so the edges are smooth and straight with no filing and sanding. I have to put longer wheel studs and some 1/2" spacers on the rear and possibly the front but so far it can wait.

I still keep thinking about a console to hold all of the registration paraphenalia and computer accessories. A laptop holder would be nice too for tuning.

The need for a rear sway bar is still undecided but I think I will put one in and see how it changes things.

That's about it for the future plans, I need to learn the Racepak a lot more and keep working on the tuning.

There is still a bunch of time left to enjoy the car so it will be awhile before I tear it apart. I like driving too much to be in pieces.

:cheers:

[wblanton]

Bonecrusher,
There is a 1/4 mile strip in Fayetteville also, not sure where you are at but I assume NC since Z-max and Rockingham were both mentioned. I havent looked but seems like there would be some up around the Mooresville and Asheboro area also.

[Jim Nilsen]

The weather is still good and I am getting a few drives in still before I put the car away for winter. It's been a good fall so far !

I have a bunch of things I want to get done this winter that I put off because driving is so much more fun !

[John Wright]

I'm glad that you are still out enjoying your car. I know you had some frustrating points along the road to get the car to where it is.....but it looks/runs great now.

[brownz]

Im glad you like them Jim. They look great on the car and happy they worked out for you

[shortrack]

Here are a couple of recent pics I just unloaded from my camera.


Heres proof that it gets driven and cleaned. The front inner fenders are in now and a pic of the hinges if you look, the material is on the table waiting to be milled for the final design. Lots of details to finish but driving it is more fun and keeping me from thinking too much about them,lol.


really nice build but why cant I see half the pictures you post.....like right here there is nothing, not even a deleted photobucket icon. D

[Jim Nilsen]

I use the site attachments for my pics and there is only so much room for pics so I have to decide which ones to delete to make more room which makes them Red X's in a box.

If you would like to see more you can go to my homepage which needs to be updated a lot.

If you want to see or know something about the car just ask and I will try to get you the info.

Thanks for liking the car!

[Jim Nilsen]

I get a lot of compliments on the wheels and they ride perfect, your dad took really good care of them. They are also very strong for the weight , we have some reallt bad roads in places and they have held up to a few surprises during some construction sites.

It will be interesting to see if I make the cut for the Goodguy's coverage in Joliet and the January edition of PHR in the photo contest? There are pics that could show up.

I actually made the cover of Camaro Performers if you look in the group picture from the Motorstate Challenge and then the pics in the event coverage was really nice.

I keep thinking the hightlight of the year was the photoshoot with the Hooters girl but he day on the track at Gingerman and Road America are what it is all about !!!!

[shortrack]

I use the site attachments for my pics and there is only so much room for pics so I have to decide which ones to delete to make more room which makes them Red X's in a box.

If you would like to see more you can go to my homepage which needs to be updated a lot.

If you want to see or know something about the car just ask and I will try to get you the info.

Thanks for liking the car!

Im well over 21 and it was a battle but I learned how to use photobucket....post all the pics you want for free.

[Jim Nilsen]

over 21 , old enough to drink , own firearms, drive fast cars and now I have to put put photobucket on my bucket list,lol.

Your nudging me and I need it , I moved up to putting my own links for youtube to finally give John Wright a break from helping me move up in life, he has always kept me going at times I was standing in my footsteps wondering if I wanted to move forward.

I will have to go find out how to load it all up sooner or later and it seems a lot of people want to see the car more than ever.

[Jim Nilsen]

Thanks for always being there with that big smiley face to keep me going.

The car has turned out to be all I had originally planned and a bit more. I have put 8,000 plus miles on it all together and about 5,000 on the new engine and it is all still together. I have a few things to do this winter to make it better and I am still working on the tuning and think it is as close as I can get it for this year. I stopped tuning for the last few months just to enjoy the car as it is and see. I believe there is another 50 to 75 hp in there ,lol. I know there is some torque being unused in the lower to midrange and I need to get it up to help the cruising in 5th or 6th a bit more mpg.

I keep debating about a rear sway bar? With the new tires up front the understeer is not there as much and the rear is starting to get itchy to go around but stays put.

Definately have to put some carpet and other creature comfort in just to make it complete to most people. I was amazed at how many people told me it didn't need carpet and it would ruin the race look. I just want some cup holders,LOL. I really need a place to put all of the stuff required when you go to an event. The maps,and event schedules and the other couple of items like tire pressure gauges and such need a place handy while stopped at the road side or light and safely put away.

I will be driving for a few more weeks if the weather holds up. The salt is what stops me from going out, the cold isn't too bad without a heater as long as you let it sit and warm up the floor pan and tunnel to get the convectionary heat going. Just give me some sunshine and I'm good to go.

The hardest part is over and it took all of the thoughts and help here from many. I still look back what it was like 2 years ago and had no idea that what was to transpire would be the way it was.

Lets GO RACING

[Jim Nilsen]

Winter is still blocking the door to go for a drive and I am finally ready to start to doing something to the car again after taking a break from it.

The list is longer than I thought and the priority of a few are not so much but then there is the steering wheel that keeps looking back at me and I can't seem to get a vision of what I want it to look like?

I am looking for any suggestions as to what the car may need to make it better for little cost? The carpet is definately going in to make things a bit more comfy inside.

I can hardly wait for the weather to melt the snow and the roads get clear!! More updates to come soon.

[Martin71RS]

I just made my first drive in months (due to winter/salt on the roads) felt great again...so I know what you mean Jim!

[Jim Nilsen]

It's been a long time since I have had any real problems with the car and now it is a week away and the gremlins have showed up. The car has a miss at about 5500 and up and hydraulic throwout bearing started to very slowly loose fluid but still works as long as you fill it, strange but it is frustrating. I was lucky and found a rebuild kit for the bearing at Lefthander Chassis so I can fix it before I go. The miss has me puzzled but I am going to put new plugs in to see if they are the problem, I had just put new ones in 900 miles ago and they Should still be good but ya never know? I am hoping it isn't the ignition or ecu.

I am also thinking about some new front brake pads to help out the semi metallics that work well but surely aren't the best. I don't know what I want to go to and am open to suggestions. Time to change the fluid and see if it will help.

Looking foward to seeing everyone at the Motorstate.

[GregWeld]

Jim --

I'd be pulling the valve covers and checking for a broken valve spring.... a bad plug would be bad at lower rpms as well as higher. I had a BBC with a broken valve spring - it drove me nuts til I found it. Car ran perfect - until higher rpms and then it would start crapping out and sounded horrible... get off
the gas and it ran perfectly again. Was hard to find the crack in the spring but the "oil" around the crack is what made me notice it.

[Jim Nilsen]

Jim --

I'd be pulling the valve covers and checking for a broken valve spring.... a bad plug would be bad at lower rpms as well as higher. I had a BBC with a broken valve spring - it drove me nuts til I found it. Car ran perfect - until higher rpms and then it would start crapping out and sounded horrible... get off
the gas and it ran perfectly again. Was hard to find the crack in the spring but the "oil" around the crack is what made me notice it.

Hi Greg, I have the valve covers on the list of things to check under. I had a backfire the day before it started. The thing that is strange is that the car isn't starting right up like it always has, I have to blip the pedal and it starts right up otherwise it fires and than dies, The IAC seemed to really whistle the next day at start up and I was wondering if the backfire did something to it?
We were talking at the local cuise night at McDonalds and a guy was telling us how he had a rocker stud that backed out and it was doing the same thing. You may be spot on about this. If that is all it is I hope the valve is alright. The car accelerates good otherwise.

So much to do so little time.

[GregWeld]

A good backfire can also bend a pushrod.... and that might cause a cylinder to go lean (not opening the valve enough) causing a lean miss... And yeah -- since the IAC is open to the intake it might have been damaged during this event. Which could explain the hard start.

Got it fixed yet? :slap: :rotfl:

[Jim Nilsen]

A good backfire can also bend a pushrod.... and that might cause a cylinder to go lean (not opening the valve enough) causing a lean miss... And yeah -- since the IAC is open to the intake it might have been damaged during this event. Which could explain the hard start.

Got it fixed yet? :slap: :rotfl: I'm goin out to pull the valve cover in a little while. I too had thought about the pushrod being bent, I don't hear any slack type noises that are unuasual but the cover off will tell the story.

Thanks for bein there and we will keep in touch, Jim

[Jim Nilsen]

Got the covers off and everything looks good for the valvetrain without lossening everything up. pushrods don't hit the guides when rotated.

I keep thinking that thae iac could be the problem since it still stays in play as the accellerstion modifyer all the way thru the rpm range. If it isn't working right on the bottom end it just might affest the top?

Going to go get new plugs and a cap/rotor to have in case and I can always use a spare someday.

I will keep an update as to what is being done.

If anyone has any suggestions I am open to evrything at this moment.
I know it isn't a fuel pressure problem because I have 46 lb consistently. I also have 13.8 to 14 volts so I can't see it as a low voltage problem.

Goin to the Hotrod Shop to get parts and will be back in awhile.

[Jim Nilsen]

Got the car back together with new plugs,cap, and rotor and it runs better but it still starts to break up at 5500 t0 5700 rpm, it does go to more sometimes with jus a few misses but mostly it will flatten out. I still have the startup problem. I am still thinking that the iac/accelleration modifier curcuit is the problem? I will be getting a hold of Mark/ sumpreme efi and see if he has any answers?

The clutch is just a damn simple seap at the outlet of the TOB at the AN fitting and is not the unit itself which is a relief but still a pain.I gues I didn't tighten it enough or get enough thread sealer to hold up to the pressure. I think I can get in with a wrench a tighten it. Its a tough spot to turn a wrench but we will see. If I have to take it all apart. It loses so very little that it is like an inconvenience more than a problem.

I might take this to the emergency room for some answers now that I have things eliminated from the cause.

[Jim Nilsen]

It's down to the last minutes to get it together for the Motorstate. The throwout bearing is now rebuilt and back in, what seemed to be a leaky hose turned out to be a seal. When the damn fluid gets thrown around and you are just looking in a hole it is very decieving. I was a ble to add fluid and pump up the clutch and it would work like normal which also led me to believe it was the hose. Thanks to Allstar for having a seal kit in stock and The Hotrod Shop for being able to get it to me the next day with just regular shipping, it would have been a lot of money to get it from Howe the next day and them might not have made in 1 day so it is a wonderful thing to support our sponsors and get better results for less.

I still have the startup and high rpm issue and Mark Remmel is helping me with that and maybe today I can get it sorted out. I can't thank him enough for his time.

I have a friend coming by today and we are going to go over everything and change the brake fluid so it is ready for the track.

It's going to be a fun weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone there!

[Jim Nilsen]

It's been a good summer with Cormaro, I have been to a bunch of car shows and 3 events driving the wheels off of it and have continually gotten better at driving and the car is responding like no other car I have ever driven. It has taken many miles to get the feel for driving it at speed and on the autocrosses. I never in my wildest dreams thought it would be able to compete with the newer systems being offered by all the vendors that were not around when I started my build.

The Heidt's event was where I finally got to understand how good the car really is. Coming in 13th on the track and 15th on the autox with all of the other cars I was up against really surprised me. I know my driving ability has improved as I learned the way the car hooks but I can actually hang in the corners with the best of the best and that is a dream come true.

This last weekend at the Goodguys Joliet show I was sure I would be down in the middle somewhere like always. It took me a few runs to realize that I was doing better than the expectations I had. I really never pay too much attention to where I am at in the ranking and was surprised when Linda Jacobs told me I was in 5th place. To be in the top 10 would have made me happy but the top 5 is something I thought was unobtainable for a stock C4 suspension and driving skills that to me still have soooooo much room for improvement. With so much more left in the car and myself as a driver I am still pinching myself. Chris Jacobs and his Chevelle won the event with a 35:035 and I was in the 36: 3's with a best on saturday of 36:265 but I hit a cone. then on Sunday when we were running for fun I actually ran a 35:580 on my last run, The in car video shows me starting slow off the line and and a bit more room for more speed in the corners and straight. I just can't believe it happened still.

So with a few more events left this year and the possibilty to maybe get a chance to go to another I may just finally have the confidence needed to apply myself in a way that I didn't think was possible. Now if the gremlins will finally leave and let the Cormaro stretch it'self out and do what it has in it there just might be a smile as big as I have ever had in my life.

I can't wait to see the video from the Heidt's event to see if I looked as good as it felt. It has been a very long time coming for me to feel this way about my car and it is a relief to know that all of the hard work and perservereance paid off.

Thanks to all of you who have given me your support and help getting the Cormaro to the point it is today.

[NOT A TA]

Great to see a dream come true for ya Jim! Have you uploaded the in car video? Got a link?

[Jim Nilsen]

Great to see a dream come true for ya Jim! Have you uploaded the in car video? Got a link?

I have to sign back up at youtube since the google buy and am working on it, Hope to have video's up soon. There should be some video coming out at the Heidt's website soon from the Autobahn event.

[Jim Nilsen]

I finally got the damn youtube and google account linked so i hope the videos post up.

Here is one from the heidt's event, don't fall asleep like Matt would tell you!

9TQdEh-8zQI

[Jim Nilsen]

Here I am following the Red Devil in the parade lap.

y_vZeEErcUU

[Jim Nilsen]

I am hoping to change my getting closer to finally there if all goes well tommorow. I got a code 72 on my ecu tonight that tells me my cam and crank sensor were messing up. The timing was good becuase I had just ordered up a new distributor to see if it would solve my high end miss.

So if it all works out I will have the miss gone on my birthday and finally see 6400 rpm again and hopefully for a very long time.

I have been so happy with the way the car handles and how it has proven to be a contender even with the problems I have had with the igniton. I am still on the praying side of it all but I think it will be solved when the old distributor is on my bench and the new one is in.
I will be all smiles and Putnam park will be sooooo much more fun when I can run like it is supposed to.

Keeping my fingers crossed !!!!!!

[bhcustomdesigns]

Great videos!!! man I cant wait to get my car finished so I can take it out to an event :twothumbs

[Jim Nilsen]

AHHHHH I feel sooooo much better now!!!!

The miss is gone and I don't think I will miss it ever ever again. The first trip out this morning was a big smile and I hit the rev limiter in 1st and it was all good. The difference of those rpm's on top is what makes the car. Anyone who is on the fence about running higher rpm's when you build the engine is missing out on the versatility of what they can do for you.

I have to put new pads on up front and do a few hard stops and go thru the rest of the car for anything loose and then get it cleaned up. It is amazing how much you can find when you clean the car everywhere.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone and have as much fun as you can have with a helmet on.

[Jim Nilsen]

Here is a video from my 2nd session at the Heidt's event. I really started braking later and getting on the gas sooner and it really makes the difference.

Enjoy

pigfJdN4wP8

[Jim Nilsen]

It's been a long time since I have done an update. I got more invloved in just looking and posting in the events section. I have had a few up and downs with the car and those who see me at the events know but I figured I should get an update to those who think I drove off the track.

I have had a blast with the car doing events and haven't done much to the car other than try to keep it going and able to make events.

I did pretty good last year and got 5th place at the Goodguy's Joliet event and also did well at the Heidt's event and the Midwest Musclecar Challenge.

Then came the warmest winter ever and on december 1st I went for a drive with Matt Altamore(Bowtie67) and proceeded to blow the engine up and get put on a flatbed and taken home.

It took me awhile to decide what to do and in Febuary I bought a 383 stroker engine from Mike Redpath at Musclerods.
It then took me 3 months to do the exchange of the engines and get ready for the Motorstate Challenge. I had myself entered in touring class to be on the safe side in case the new engine wasn't tuned well enough or other problems needed to be adressed. Then came the call from Jeff from the SCCA guy in charge of the run groups. He asked me if I really wanted to be in touring class because he could see from my past times at the other Motorstate events that I was a pretty fast guy in his words. So I told him to put me in advanced because the car seemed to be doing well.
I get to the event on saturday and when the list of groups was presented I found myself in group 1. I about got as nervous as a cat in a boat with an island to swim to. I thought holy crap, then asked if it might be able to get moved to another group and the answer was to just see how well I could do.
So I get in line toward the end of the row and thought , Here goes everthing. Once on the track I could feel the new power of the 383 was doing way better than I had expected . I wasn't having to point by anyone for quite awhile until Billy Utley and Danny Popp blew by me. Up came the next session and I ended up going off the track in turn 3 and the water temp gauge went to 260 and I pulled off the track and went to the paddock area to check out the car. It was just the communications cable from the gauge to my Racepack and was fixed by just moving it to a different position.

Then came the next 2 sessions. I was hanging with the Heidt's Camaro driven by Vaughn West and Ron Schwarz's 66 Mustang. They weren't leaving me behind and I wasn't holding anyone up. I really couldn't believe what was happening. I was in group 1 and holding my own. I kept getting better lap by lap and all of a sudden Ron pulls to the side and let's me go by, When I got back to the paddock Vaughn was telling me that I was doing awesome and had him all but 3 of the corners. I was pinching myself trying to make sure it was really happening. The Cormaro had finally reached the goal I had been trying to reach for the last 3 years. I actually ran times within a couple of tenths of Ron and his Mustang and Tom Farringtons 66 Chevelle who are both OUSCI invites.

I have had to look back and realize that it took 2 blown engines and a lot of luck,Thankyou Mike Redpath for the great deal on the engine, to geto where I am now. I had so many hopes to have had the interior completed with better seats and the nomex interor along with a new set of sway bars since I don't even have a rear yet but know I need one.

So there you have it. You can go to the Motorstate Challenge in the racing events section and see the youtube videos of how it went. I want to thank everyone for all the help and encouragement that helped me get to where the car is today, and I hope to be able to actually do something to the car other than just keep up with putting new engines in and general maintenance.

I'll try to post up more as things actually do change on the Cormaro

[MuscleRodz]

Sounds like you had a great time. Been wanting to go since the beginning. We will have a car or two ready for next year so watch out!

[Martin71RS]

It's nice that all the hard work pays off! ;-)

[Jim Nilsen]

Sounds like you had a great time. Been wanting to go since the beginning. We will have a car or two ready for next year so watch out!

Sounds like I better spend all the money you saved me in all the right places, like more seat time on the track!!!! I have a lot more left in the car with all the extra power, if I can just start braking later and get a better exit out of the corners I'll be a lot faster. I bet if you got me a MuscleRods sticker my car could still beat you! LOL.

It will be good to meet you, hope to see you there.

[Jim Nilsen]

It's nice that all the hard work pays off! ;-)

All the hard work pays off but it would be a lot better sometimes if I didn't feel like I was beating myself over the head for not being able to do the things to the car that would give me more confidence behind the wheel. It's amazing how much just believing that you have what you need to better can make you feel more relaxed and let you concentrate on your driving. I knew I had more power and was able to think about the corner speed instead of the straight away speed. It also doesn't hurt when you can follow someone who is faster rather than blocking them. You learn a whole lot more when you can follow someone fast for a whole lap. If I could just get Brian Finch to take his time around the track for a few laps and let me slowly learn more I could probably pick up half of the time from what I can do to what he does and pick up a a couple of seconds easily.

If all goes well this winter I hope to have the things I have wanted to do to the car done that have held me back inside my head and be able to relax about how I feel about the car. When I look at the cars that I want to hang with I always see my car falling short. I need better brakes and a bit more in the suspension department to be able to slow down faster and dial in a lot more cornering speed.

The title of the thread still holds true to what I hope the car and my driving skils can do but the margin is down to tenths of a second instead of laps behind. I do have to admit that one of the bightest moments I have had with the car is when I saw the blue flag at the Autobahn Raceway when I was behind the Ridetech Chevelle and the Hiedt's Camaro and there was noone behind me. To have them have to let me by put a big smile on my face that lasted a good while. usually when I was seeing the blue flag there was a trian of cars behind me.

It's always good to hear from you Martin , thanks for all you support.

[Payton King]

Jim, glad it is all finally coming together for you. It is always a long road getting a car sorted out. Seat time and instruction are the best modifications you can make to your car. People have a tendentcy to chase after the coolest new part to make them go faster when most of the time it is the dude behind the wheel.

Hopefully I will see you at an event soon