Tech/Horsepower

It was -12 this morning in Columbus. The kind of cold that humans, let alone machinery and engines, enjoy operating in. Every winter morning, I scamper out and start my Chevy Trailblazer. By the time I did today, it was up to a balmy -10 degrees. It usually makes not-so-wonderful sounds when starting up under 40′ish degrees, but this morning of course was much worse. The alternator SSSQQQUUUEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLSSS and the power steering pump WWWHHHHIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSS and GGGGRRRIIINNNNDDDSSS. Everything is fine, it’s just noisy. After some warm up time they mostly go away.

Later in the morning I get an email from a friend in Toledo. He had a similar experience with his 2003 Chevy Avalanche – an entirely different vehicle on a different platform. I type to him in reply “Yea, typical GM” – then I did a double take. I know GM has a perception problem from years of subpar vehicles. But I always told myself that they would pull out of it, people would take notice of their new offerings and quality and migrate back to them. Will they? A GM fan and car guy like me, knowing GM vehicles as in-depth as I do, still has faith lost at times like these. It makes me wonder if those owners of the new “quality” offerings such as the Chevy’s Malibu and Traverse (and their various platform twins) have changed perceptions or do their vehicles squeal and whir too?

What about Honda owners?

Toyota?

Bottom line on this category: Drag racing, modifications, random automotive discussion.

This may be my least discussed topic, but it’s passion #3. I’m a car guy. I love all things that make horsepower. Here’s what I own:

• 1986 Ford Mustang SVO Competition Prep – one of the rarest Mustang’s ever built, a 2.3l 4 cylinder (that thinks it a V8) road racer. A lot of fun.
• 2002 Trailblazer LTZ – daily driver and old reliable, I don’t plan to talk about it much but worth mentioning.
• 2004 Saturn Ion Coupe – wife’s daily driver, affectionately referred to as “Plastic” or “Tupperware”.

I have spent a great deal of the past six years working on and racing GM 3800 Series II V6 engines, known as L67/L32 and most commonly installed in late model Pontiac Grand Prix GTP’s. I currently have a joint drag racing project with a friend from Toledo and his 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP converted to a 67mm turbo. Though I believe we’ll be retiring it in favor of a Pontiac Firebird with either a turbo 3800 or a V8 (LS1). I’ll know more this weekend when I go up for the North American International Auto Show.

My best friend (an extremely talented mechanic and performance engineer) is working on a NHRA Division III dragster project with a local race team. Can’t wait to hang with him this summer!

Also, I co-run the largest local automotive community in Columbus with my brother, who is a horsepower guy as well. I’ll probably be racing and tuning his supercharged 1998 Pontiac Firebird Formula some this year.