Norb's BMW/Audi Double Garage

[nsogiba]

E39 M5 wheels on C5. offset means no go. Otherwise looked nice, minus the ratty finish.

image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

C6 wheels
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Quick test fit. They really modernize the look of the car, the champagne/pewter color of the magnesium wheels is period correct but hasn't aged well...
image by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Plan on starting to plumb up the cutouts tonight. Grabbed a few Ford EGR vacuum solenoids over the weekend at the JY.

 

[bonecrrusher]

Those wheels will look good!

A buddy of mine has those in Comp Grey on his C5.

 

[nsogiba]

nice, any pics?

 

[HemiRamOn22s]

The C6 wheels look better!

 

[bonecrrusher]

Not sure if this works:

https://scontent-atl3-1.**.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/419042_2909270163509_1782760032_n.jpg?oh=32028ee1746172c31c60a4ff880a9b10&oe=57ACAA66

 

[bnr32jason]

I'm curious about your lift placement. Did you place it so far towards the wall just so you could fit another car on the left side? Or were there other reasons? Seems like wheel/suspension work on the side nearest the wall would be really tight. Do you find any issues with it?

Reason I'm asking is because I've got a 22x18 2-car garage and my idea was to basically forget having two cars side by side and just putting the lift dead center so I've got plenty of room on both sides. Just wondering why you didn't do that.

Awesome garage by the way!

 

[nsogiba]

I purposely jammed the lift over the right as far as possible because I wanted my wife to be able to park her car in the warm garage over the winter. I considered placing the lift in the center, but sometimes I will have an immobile car on there for weeks at a time, so that would have forced her to park outside during that time. She's never had the luxury of parking in a garage, and in our Buffalo winters it's truly a luxury to wake up to a warm car that doesn't need to be scraped clean, so I felt I couldn't deny her that.

The space on the right hand side "can" be tight, but generally if I'm doing brake or suspension work, I sit on a small rolling stool and my knees stick out into the space underneath the car. The only time when it's a pain is when I'm swapping a summer set of wheels for a winter set of wheels - I run out of space quickly.

The other downside of having a lift in a 2 car garage is that I placed the columns closer together than most people do - this means I generally can't open the doors fully when the car is between the columns. I have the get the car close, leave it in neutral, get out, and roll it into position. This isn't really that much of a pain because you have to get out anyways to see if you need to move the car forward or back to line up with the lift arms.

I knew there were compromises with this setup going into it but I'm still very happy with how everything turned out. I think it's the best setup for my particular layout and lifestyle.

 

[nsogiba]

got that sweet bumper mod going


photo by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Coworker was waiting to leave the parking lot onto the street, when a kid on a bike comes whizzing down the sidewalk. Coworker decides to back up to let the kid pass in front of him. Coworker doesn't see my low car and crunches up and over my front bumper.

I hope the bumper can be saved, if not, oh well. This is why we have insurance. If I can buy a used cover I'll toss that on and use the rest of the dough for new tires

I think it's time to get those cutouts finished up so people know where I am, even if they can't see me!

 

[Power Sedan]

Ouch! Right at the start of spring weather too. Hopefully it'll be patched up like nothing every happened, and back on the streets shortly.

 

[GDPossehl]

That bumper mod *****, but that's what the daily grind can stick you with. I have some front bumper blemishes (and zip ties) on mine that I'm holding out for someone else's insurance to fix if that should inevitably happen.

Have you thought about going with more of a stock spec'd cam like a GM Hot Cam? Only slightly more lift (.025), +20 degrees of duration and a 112 LSA. Easy on the valve springs, lopey, and can provide 30-50 more hp.

 

[nsogiba]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm

maybe a winter project?

Reliability is a priority for me ever since my 6.0 BMW splattered its brains out due to a broken valve spring

 

[GDPossehl]

Considering the Hot Cam is LS6 spring friendly (most come with them), I'd say it's pretty dependable. Lift is the valve spring killer, especially when coupled with stiff springs. I did a quick search for "LS1 hot cam broken spring" and didn't see any reports. However, Comp's springs seem to have several failures.

 

[bonecrrusher]

LS6 cams + ebay China turbo = stupid power in the small 5.3 and 4.8 motors!

 

[GDPossehl]

LS6 cams + ebay China turbo = stupid power in the small 5.3 and 4.8 motors!

Until the turbo starts to bleed oil and eats the bearing and then you end up buying the quality part you should have in the first place, haha.

 

[nsogiba]

No turbos. I want OEM reliability. Thinking about 4.10 gears, though.

Been driving this thing a ton, trying not to work on it too much, it has needed nothing other than whatever I decide to tinker with for fun.

IMG_1653[1] by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1655[1] by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1681[1] by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1682[1] by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Front camber/toe wear finally ruined my front tires

IMG_1666[1] by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1667[1] by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

So I picked up a new set of Hankook Ventus V12 Evo2, had them on my old BMW and liked them. They are 18/19 compared to the old 17/18, but the overall circumference is the same and will keep the active handling happy.

IMG_1695[1] by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I also ordered some Corvette wall art for the garage and an OEM GM tail light lense to replace the one aftermarket one that was a slightly different shade of red than the other 3.

Next up - figuring out how to plumb the vacuum. Been playing with some EGR solenoids. More to come. Also need to pick up a new bumper.

 

[nsogiba]

Got the new front bumper on, looks good. Whole car needs a paint correction bad, I'll tackle that in the next couple weeks. Need to stick on a new front emblem, too. I did my wife's black A4 a few months ago and hers was in far worse shape to begin with, but turned out nicely - so I have hope for this one.

Threw in a new wheel bearing in the right rear, ahhhhhh, nice and quiet now.

Finally had enough of the stock seats, picked these up on Ebay. Removed from an '02 S2000. All leather, all manual, I will probably clean up the leather with some Leatherique and/or redye the bolsters.

 

[Mr. Roboto]

I just got through reading your thread...love it! Great work. I feel your pain on having to pour a new slab for the lift, I had to do the same in my garage for my baseplate lift. I like the anchor plates you made up as well, really slick. That's such a nice benefit of the maxjack, you can just unbolt and and move it out of the way if you need the space, or if you ever move.

Love the C5 as well. I've been searching for one (albeit not too seriously for the time being) for my next toy. The bang for the buck on those is pretty hard to beat. Bummer about the accident though! Glad to hear you got a new bumper on already. The C6 wheels are a great touch as well, they do wonders to modernize the look.

Keep it up!

 

[CombatNinja]

Finally had enough of the stock seats, picked these up on Ebay. Removed from an '02 S2000. All leather, all manual, I will probably clean up the leather with some Leatherique and/or redye the bolsters.

Lots of those seats are "removed" from S2000s. Along with the headlights and wheels. Usually while the owner is at dinner or the movies. At night. Ask me how I know...

In case anyone was wondering, I was the "removee", not the "remover".

 

[nsogiba]

I just got through reading your thread...love it! Great work. I feel your pain on having to pour a new slab for the lift, I had to do the same in my garage for my baseplate lift. I like the anchor plates you made up as well, really slick. That's such a nice benefit of the maxjack, you can just unbolt and and move it out of the way if you need the space, or if you ever move.

Love the C5 as well. I've been searching for one (albeit not too seriously for the time being) for my next toy. The bang for the buck on those is pretty hard to beat. Bummer about the accident though! Glad to hear you got a new bumper on already. The C6 wheels are a great touch as well, they do wonders to modernize the look.

Keep it up!

Thank you for your compliments. I love the lift, easily the best tool I've ever owned. Not only for its ability to work underneath a car comfortably, but sometimes you need to do work on top simultaneously with work underneath - so I just send the car up and down at the push of a button. That was a major hassle on jackstands.

C5 is great! I just finished plumbing my vacuum cutouts last night. They work great. I am really happy with how they turned out. Wheels turned out great too. I just need an alignment now.

Lots of those seats are "removed" from S2000s. Along with the headlights and wheels. Usually while the owner is at dinner or the movies. At night. Ask me how I know...

In case anyone was wondering, I was the "removee", not the "remover".

Yeah, I remember that being the case for a lot of guys. This is a verified seller on ebay, so I'm not worried.

 

[Clemson13]

S2000 seats in yet? I am interested in how that project goes.

I too have been looking at getting a C5, I just want a sporty second car that does not have to be practical for less than $15k. I have taken one out for a test drive and it seemed to be nice. However, in the corners I couldnt stand it because it felt like I was squirming around. After thinking about it that is probably due to the seat (rocked, too soft, no support etc.) The seat being terrible and the car feeling huge (fast, quick but huge) are my concerns about buying one. If the S2000 swap goes well that may be a fix for the seat.

 

[nsogiba]

S2000 seats in yet? I am interested in how that project goes.

I too have been looking at getting a C5, I just want a sporty second car that does not have to be practical for less than $15k. I have taken one out for a test drive and it seemed to be nice. However, in the corners I couldnt stand it because it felt like I was squirming around. After thinking about it that is probably due to the seat (rocked, too soft, no support etc.) The seat being terrible and the car feeling huge (fast, quick but huge) are my concerns about buying one. If the S2000 swap goes well that may be a fix for the seat.

Don't let the seat ruin the experience of the car - there are a couple small things that the C5 gets knocked for that are easily fixable (seats, CAGS, crappy OEM runflat tires). I say go for it, they are fast, fun, reliable cars.

Seats aren't in yet. I just finished up my vacuum cutout project which turned out great. Quick video of a rigged setup, using vacuum from the engine and power from a 12V adapter plugged into the wall. Just testing operation here.

I ran the wiring inside the car and tapped into the fused switched power and kept blowing fuses - took the console back apart on Memorial Day and found 2 spots where the console had pinched the power wire, which broke the insulation and grounded it to the metal chassis tunnel. Replaced that section of wire, and got the whole interior finally back together. Test drive went great, works exactly as expected, the nice part is how quickly the cutouts close when you want them off. The spring snaps them shut in about half a second. In car videos to come.


Next up, full clay bar and paint correction/wax on the C5, followed by S2000 seats.

 

[artie325]

Nice garage and cars! It is nice to see another WNY garage on here to give me some inspiration for mine. My garage is about the same size and is a work in progress. How warm does it get in the winter with that heater you installed?

 

[nsogiba]

Warm enough to where I can work comfortably in a t-shirt and shorts, barefoot, in the dead of winter. The heater is probably far oversized for my space but it was the right price, and heats up the garage from 35* to 75* in just 5 minutes. The heat and the lift are easily the best tools in my garage. Just goes to show how important comfort is in the grand scheme of things.

 

[artie325]

That is great to hear how well the heater works. I have used a propane torpedo heater in the past which is noisy and this year I used my patio heater in the garage that is fully enclosed which heated up my garage fairly well, but took about 20 min to get to the temp I wanted. I think this year's garage purchase may be the permanent heater.

 

[nsogiba]

The C5 seats are garbage, I don't care how much you refinish or replace foam, they have poor control and really make the aggressive driving experience terrible. I have not yet autocrossed or road raced my 2000 FRC, only street driven so far. And yet on every highway on/off ramp that I take, I slide either into the center tunnel or smash against the door panel hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life. The C5 chassis is capable of far more - it's an absolute shame the stock seats hold it back so much.

The C5 chassis is supported by a huge aftermarket following, with no lack of gorgeous seating options with bolt-in brackets available. However, I decided not to go with the typical aftermarket options for the following reasons:

-I'm not a millionaire and don't want to spend thousands of dollars on seats and brackets
-I know my way around a wrench and enjoy fabrication projects
-All the aftermarket options I found looked very "boy racer" to me.
- I wanted to keep the "OEM+" look that only factory seats can achieve.
-Had to keep the leather theme - no cheesy aftermarket black foamy cloth with gaudy embroidered lettering for me

As part of the planning phase of the project, I had no intention of keeping the heavy C5 power seat adjustments and adapting the S2000 seat to the C5 rails, so I decided to keep the S2000 seat attached to the Honda rails and adapt them to a bracket, which would be bolted to the stock C5 floor studs. I also did not want to modify the C5 seats or floor mounting points in any way as it would devalue the originality of the chassis.

I did not get any pics of this process, but I simply removed the 4x nuts holding the C5 seat in place and immediately realized that the floor is recessed around the mounting studs. As such I wasn't able to bolt a flat ]rail directly to the floor; it needed to come up at least an inch or more. I bought some hex couplers, washers, and bolts that all matched the factory C5 M10x1.5 studs. The hex couplers threaded onto the studs and provided a raised platform to which I could bolt the new adapter bracket.

In the fall of '14 I installed a unit heater in my garage and mounted it to the joists in the ceiling using a long stick of zinc-plated Unistrut.

_DSC5115 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I think the stick was at least 12' long, I only used about 20" of it for the heater install. The remainer collected dust in the corner of the garage for a couple of years until today.

_DSC5118 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I chopped them to 23" lengths and mounted to the tops of the hex adapters lengthwise in the car. One end of each rail needed to have the slot slightly enlarged to allow it to fit. No pics, will get them next time I take the seat out of the car.

These will get a coat of black paint before final installation and should blend in with the floor nicely.

_DSC5119 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The S2000 floor mounting points are NOTHING like the C5 so I cut the mounting tabs off the S2000 rails right away. They are riveted AND spot welded to the rails, so some quality time with the cutoff wheel needs to be spent. I tend to enjoy grinding as I can throw in headphones, turn up the tunes, and go to town.

Note 4 shiny corners where brackets are gone.
_DSC5120 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

S2000 mounting tabs cut off.
_DSC5120 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

So now that the unistrut rails were firmly bolted in place, and the S2000 seat had a nice flat bottom to work with, it was time to put the seat in the car and see where I had fitment issues.

These things looks awesome.
_DSC5123 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5124 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

However, note how far forward the seat sits in relation to the C5 passenger seat - there is a lot of contact between the S2000 reclining handle cover and the lower C5 seatbelt cover - as well as between the the S2000 seat belt buckle and the center tunnel. To be continued in next post...




The S2000 reclining mechanism and handle cover have serious contact with the C5 lower seatbelt reel cover.

_DSC5125 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

and the S2000 seat belt receptacle is pushed up against the tunnel.
_DSC5126 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

In this position the seat is WAY too far forward (I'm 5'8") and needs to come back.

The S2000 seat came out of the car and onto the bench to have some stuff taken off it. First came the seatbelt buckle
_DSC5128 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

...along with the related Z-shaped harness. I won't need this as it doesn't interface with the C5 seatbelt OR the C5 electrical seat harness.
_DSC5129 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr


You're now looking at the rear of the S2000 seat, driver's side, reclining mechanism plastic cover. It sticks out WAY past the rail, which is already far wide than the C5 bolt spacing. It will have to go.
_DSC5130 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Firmly pull on the cool looking reclining handle to remove it
_DSC5131 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

now that the 2 items that were in the way are now gone, I stuck the seat back in the car to see what it looked like. The good news is that the seat can now slide all the way back. This keeps with the OEM+ theme, keeping full functionality of adjustment. Note the absolute lack of shoulder bolsters on the C5 seat, compared to the S2000. I still can't get over how much better these seats look than the stockers.

_DSC5132 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The bad news is that the reclining mechanism is now exposed and sticks out like a sore thumb. I'll have to come up with something to fix this.

_DSC5133 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Now we can see just how close that mechanism is to the C5 seatbelt retractor
_DSC5134 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr


_DSC5135 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5136 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

18mm thin nut and a connector, and the buckle comes out
_DSC5138 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Here's where I left off for the night. S2000 buckle on bottom with goofy Z offset, C5 on top with straight shot
_DSC5140 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

 

[GDPossehl]

Saw this on youtube and thought of your new purchase:

"The C5 is a flavored condom on wheels and the flavor is DENVER OMELET, but at the end of the day, you still got laid." LOL

 

[nsogiba]

Saw this on youtube and thought of your new purchase:

"The C5 is a flavored condom on wheels and the flavor is DENVER OMELET, but at the end of the day, you still got laid." LOL

Not sure if that's a compliment or not...

 

[apexit1]

Nice work, don't drop anything in between the seat and the tunnel lol

 

[HiWind]

thanks for the great read and especially the systematic and detailed approach to the steel plate/concrete prep for the car hoist posts ... very cool! Especially the jib to get it nice and level.

Hope you continue to enjoy your space and keep the 'posts' rolling.

 

[N.Quigs]

Man, those S2000 seats in a C5 look freaking awesome. I love what you're doing to the Corvette...I've been considering looking for a C5 for a while now and you're making me want to get on it haha. I might need to clean the stable out a bit first though, I think my wife would kill me if I added anything on!

Awesome progress so far, I'm looking forward to more updates.

 

[nsogiba]

Nice work, don't drop anything in between the seat and the tunnel lol

thanks for the great read and especially the systematic and detailed approach to the steel plate/concrete prep for the car hoist posts ... very cool! Especially the jib to get it nice and level.

Hope you continue to enjoy your space and keep the 'posts' rolling.

I've been slacking lately - lots of pictures collecting dust on the camera, no time to upload. The lift has been working out well, I love having it.

Man, those S2000 seats in a C5 look freaking awesome. I love what you're doing to the Corvette...I've been considering looking for a C5 for a while now and you're making me want to get on it haha. I might need to clean the stable out a bit first though, I think my wife would kill me if I added anything on!

Awesome progress so far, I'm looking forward to more updates.

They are great cars, made even sweeter by the low cost of entry. Anytime you spend more on go fast parts than on maintenance, you know you picked the right one.

I have been chasing a noise in the front end for a few weeks now - a creaking/clunking at slow speeds when turning, loading and unloading the suspension in the front right. Already changed the front sway bar end links and made sure all control arm bolts were tight, and it persists, so I placed an order for some polyurethane Energy Suspension front sway bar bushings, C6 Z06 shocks for all 4 corners, and some new drive belts just for good measure. Will document my install.

 

[hnsy]

I went back and read most of this thread and really enjoyed it. I no longer own my BMW but when I had it I managed to snag a dealership sign from the guy that had replaced it in the town I went to college in. I'll try to add a pic, but I'm new to GJ and I'm not great at posting.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[nsogiba]

^ nice sign!!!

Been busy the last couple weeks, getting ready for my trip down to Tail of the Dragon, Nashville, National Corvette Musuem.

C6 wheels in the rear always looked sunk in due to offset, so I grabbed some 1” hubcentric spacers and got them bolted up.

_DSC5142 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5143 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr


The unthreaded bullnose tips on the factory studs needed to be trimmed as they were interfering with the insides of the wheels. Sick colors bro

_DSC5147 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Got everything all bolted up, no vibrations, rode perfect. Squeezed in an oil change too, 2nd one since buying the car.

_DSC5144 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Next day at work - kid in a Buick sideswiped me as I was leaving work. Right as I had got the front bumper fixed, too.

Luckily, the damage was fairly superficial…we settled without a claim, as I was confident I could get it looking exactly as before, if not better. BEFORE:

_DSC5150 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5151 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5153 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5154 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5155 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5156 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr











I did not want to alter the factory paint work if I didn’t need to, so out came the wet sanding supplies, clay, compound, and polish…

Popped the headphones in, cracked a fine cold PBR, and GOT TO IT

_DSC5158 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5160 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Nice and glassy!

_DSC5162 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

So with the exterior looking better again, I turned to this annoying clunk in the front end that had been bothering me. It occurred when the wheel was turned - and with the suspension getting loaded/unloaded.

I had already replaced the sway bar end links front and rear, so the search continued. Found that the sway bar bracket bushings were looking sorry and original

_DSC5164 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5166 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5168 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

New parts - polyurethane Energy Suspension pieces - teflon tape to prevent squeaks

_DSC5170 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5172 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The new bushings fit great and compressed nicely with the bracket torqued down. I also added the supplied grease to make sure things were lubed up.

_DSC5171 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

 

[nsogiba]

Still no dice on the noise - so the list of “while I’m in there” continued. C6 Z06 shocks at all 4 corners. Definitely necessary since the old shocks were 16 years old, 110K on them. The shock mounts themselves were also worn, and included with the new stuff. At just $250 for all 4 new shocks, why not? I also dusted off my old “nifty fifty” 50mm 1.8 fixed lens!

_DSC5187 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Old units out, front mounts.

_DSC5173 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5181 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Oddly enough the C6 top mounts were different, slightly angled, and they didn’t fit the C5 chassis, so I swapped the C5 mounts over onto the C6Z shocks.

_DSC5188 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Rest of the shock install went quick and easy. Next up, while looking over the front suspension, I had noticed the belts were looking sad. Out they came

_DSC5184 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

New parts. I used Goodyear Gatorback belts on my 6.0 LS BMW with great luck, but I couldn’t find them for a C5 application on any website. Some closer looks on Rockauto revealed that Continental listed some belts that had that telltalle cross hatch pattern on the belt ribs. Decided to pull the trigger

_DSC5198 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5193 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I wasn’t expecting to have to replace the idler and tensioner pulleys but they were worn - and the bearings were noisy. Quick trip to the store for some new parts:

_DSC5200 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

After allllll that stuff, I finally tested out a theory - that the fiberglass front spring was binding on the aluminum control arm after the front leaf spring bolts had been removed. An old tire sacrificed its life and offered some insulating material. Cutoff wheel + tire means ultimate smokeshow!

_DSC5194 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

So I compressed the spring on each side, greased up the side that contacted the spring, and slid it in. SUCCESS! Noise fixed. The spring now moves freely with no binding against the control arms.

Next up: passenger window regulator, LMC5 install, and S2000 seat mounting revision.

 

[nsogiba]

Took a trip

map1 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Planned stops included Tail of the Dragon (Deal's Gap), Cherohala Skyway, Nashville and its various attractions, Corvette Museum, and Corvette Motorsports Park in Bowling Green. The rest was just "play it by ear".

Wednesday July 6th:

Left work at noon, picked up the wife from her job downtown Buffalo, and we hit the road. Honestly, the trip down to Knoxville was fairly uneventful - the further south we got, the more speeds picked up and the better the scenery got.

We stopped for lunch at the famous Chik Fil A chain of restaurants. I wasn't expecting much from a fast food joint, but I was pleasantly surprised at the friendly service, delicious food, and nice atmosphere. Somewhere near the PA/Ohio Border:

photo 1 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The rest of the trip down to Knoxville went quickly. Kentucky was a blast - long, rolling hills, and cruising at 90-100mph with many other cars for hours at a time. By the time the sun set we were into Tennessee and it had started to rain. Finally arrived to our hotel in Knoxville and passed out.

Thursday July 7th:

The next morning I woke up very disappointed to find that it had rained hard all night. However, I decided to try my luck on the Dragon anyways, so I left Active Handling on and had a quick drive over to the beginning of Deal's Gap/Tail of the Dragon.

Pulled over for some pics by the dam:

_DSC5207 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5208 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5209 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I guess that's why they call them the Smokey Mountains.
_DSC5210 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Stopped at the first overlook:

_DSC5211 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5213 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5212 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5214 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5215 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The scenery was amazing out here. And so quiet, too

_DSC5216 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Elevation change from the dam we just saw

_DSC5217 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5218 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Getting a better view.
_DSC5219 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5220 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Some local culture.



_DSC5222 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

From there I fired up the GoPro, strapped in, and did the Dragon loop. Great drive, the C5 handled it well. Chassis felt smooth and balanced. Despite keeping it generally under 50mph due to the rain, I was still hit with a great sensation of speed through the turns. The switchbacks and huge elevation changes in the middle of the turn were the most entertaining.
I have the gopro video file on my other computer, will need to post it up here.

Pulled over again for pictures at the TN/NC border.

_DSC5230 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Entering NC

_DSC5228 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5223 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Wife enjoyed the ride, for the most part.
_DSC5226 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Down at the other end of the loop, at the "touristy" section

_DSC5234 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5235 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5236 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5237 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5233 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr


Throughout my drive on the Dragon I saw mostly Harleys and cruisers. No sportbikes, probably due to the weather. Two wackjobs in stickered up Mini Coopers hauling *** going the other way, and the occasional minivan. The crappy weather worked well in that I was never held up by a slower vehicle in front of me.

A few cars passing us on their way to start a run:

_DSC5239 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5241 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5246 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Someone else has good taste! Black C5

_DSC5249 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Getting ready to hit the road again

_DSC5247 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

 

[nsogiba]

Finally at the bottom of the hill in Robbinsville, took some time to relax, pull footage off the GoPro to make room on the SD card, and eat something

_DSC5250 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Nice and filthy. Eat that, show and shine guys

_DSC5251 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Turned the GoPro back on and finally hit Cherohala Skyway. Much higher speeds, bigger overall elevation changes, and better views! We ran from Robbinsville to Tellico Plains.

_DSC5252 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5253 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5254 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5255 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5256 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5257 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5258 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5261 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5262 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5263 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Hit a solid 70-80 mph on some longer straights, loved the tight sweeping turns.

_DSC5264 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5265 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

 

[nsogiba]

Another pull off

_DSC5266 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5267 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5268 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5269 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5270 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

By now we were really climbing in elevation, and the microclimate changed - tons of fog! These pictures were taken just 2 minutes after the ones above.

_DSC5271 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5274 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5276 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

We started our descent out of the clouds and promptly got stuck behind a sightseeing F150. I took it as a hint to back off and let the brakes cool off and I'd occasionally get a whiff during a slower hairpin. Overall, a very involved, fun, higher speed road. Very few other enthusiast cars, but I was grateful for this. I will have to get the video uploaded soon (more gopro footage).

After realizing that Tellico Plains didn't have much to offer in the way of lunch, we hit the road right away westbound towards Nashville.

_DSC5277 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

More gas. 28.5 mpg on the highway, average speeds 80-90 mph.

_DSC5278 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

More filth accumulating on the car.
_DSC5279 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

We arrived in Nashville and checked into our hotel, which had an attached parking garage - not cheap at $27 a night, but well worth the peace of mind. I was able to secure a nice corner spot and let the car cool off for the evening. It had seen a hell of a workout all day and had not yet skipped a beat.

photo 4 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Wife and I went to the Peg Leg Porker for dinner and walked around town to stretch our legs after sitting in the car nonstop for 2 days. On our travels we encountered a small foreign car shop that had some nice machinery outside. As a former BMW owner and still an enthusiast, these two caught my eye:

Technoviolet E36 M3 with LTW spoiler

photo 2 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

E39 540i M-Sport (rare car). I owned an LS powered E39 540i, so these will always have a special place with me.

photo 3 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Finally we settled down at a couple bars and saw some fantastic live music, enjoyed some good drinks, and called it a night. I was too exhausted to document any of the nightlife and just enjoyed the sights and sounds, followed by a great night's sleep.

 

[nsogiba]

The next morning we hit the road early to get to Bowling Green about an hour north of Nashville.

The weather was gorgeous and after some minor rush hour traffic in downtown Nashville, we were blasting up I-65.

_DSC5280 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

After a bit I noticed a late model Camaro that I thought wanted to play on the highway a bit - nope, just a middle aged woman chatting with her girlfriends in the car at a cool 90 mph cruising speed (note speed on HUD)

_DSC5281 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I settled in behind her and she began to pull away - I gladly let her be the bait for any bored trooper up ahead.

_DSC5282 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Before we knew it we were getting close
_DSC5284 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5285 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Parked in the Corvette only zone. Note the crappy weather again
_DSC5288 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Figured I'd wash the car for its trip back to where it was born
_DSC5286 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5289 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5292 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Once inside we began the self guided tour, which started with early generations of Corvettes and progressed through the decades. Anything older than a C4 doesn't really do it for me, but I couldn't help but appreciate the attention to detail in the period-correct scenes put together.

_DSC5293 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5294 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5295 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5296 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

_DSC5297 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Tribute to the ever-present UAW union worker.

_DSC5298 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I don't know if the time on the punch clock was coincidental, or an inside joke poking fun at the timeliness of union employees
_DSC5299 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

 

[KissMyWhiteSS]

I'm digging the C5 and your attention to detail. I've always enjoyed the C5 corvettes, especially FRCs. Keep it up!

 

[ryanp77]

Nice trip, will make it to the tail of the dragon someday, but have done several trackdays at NCM that place is awesome!