Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

~2 hours, not quite like the SnapTite Evos :lol:

I'll make my decision once I have the Delrin ones here and can compare/feel them 1st hand. I tried to get a small discount by having him just not send any bushings but he wasn't having it ;)

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Here's a pic that includes his 3 different bushing choices:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...9fe5205185.jpg

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

3 of these 4 boxes are the solid mount (no bushing) early C6 Z06:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...134afee645.jpg

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Yep, I'd get the poly as well. :D

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I'm still torn on which bushings to use! His Delrin ones fit perfectly and basically snap snug into place. We'll see...

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...816181645b.jpg

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...816181645a.jpg

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0816181645.jpg

I got some nice Mobil 1 grease for the shifter cup and 4 new bolts to connect the 2 shifter halves last night (broke 1 of 4 originals installing my current polyurethane bushings back whenever that was). If I can get out of work at a decent time this afternoon I'll probably do it when I get home.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Here's a copy/paste of my install & review thread over on CorvetteForum: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...nd-review.html

To start, here is the part being discussed: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ter-boxes.html

In stock form I was not happy with the C7's shifter. I liked the throw, knob, and effort, but not the vagueness often associated with a stock overly-rubbered shifter. Back in 2016 I went with Redline D4 ATF fluid and some ZIP Corvette polyurethane bushings, along with a proper shifter alignment to factory spec. These things all helped and I was happy with the overall feel of the shifter. not aftermarket precise, but good none the less for a stock unit. This info is detailed in the threads below:

fluid - https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...d-service.html
bushings - https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...7-shifter.html

Always wanting more/better, I stumbled upon Tom's (TMODcustoms) thread linked to above selling these performance shifter boxes and decided to give one a try since it seems to make good sense in theory. Already having polyurethane bushings I ordered the box with his Delrin bushings so I could compared the differences firsthand for myself.

Everything arrived looking fantastic and nearly new. The Delrin bushings are incredibly rigid basically like a hard plastic and snap right into place. Also note that this sealed billet cap which replaces the stock black plastic cap eliminates the stock shifter alignment pin; the alignment pin hole also doubles as an air vent (more on this in a bit).

Instructions on how to remove the C7's shifter assembly can be found here: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...k-shifter.html

Once my stock box was removed I cleaned the shifter ball & cup and greased it with red Mobil 1 grease and also applied this same grease to the new box's shaft & cup. I then put a thin bead of black silicone around the mating flange of the new box to seal the two halves together. I then did another thin bead of black silicone on the lip of the new box that holds the stock rubber foot, the bead of silicone here will basically glue the rubber foot to the box plus dampen any potential vibration between the pieces once installed.

During install I was having a hell of a time getting things to feel right and kept ending up with a squishy/spongy/springy feeling in the stick. What I ended up doing was reinstalling the performance box with the stock plastic cap and alignment pin so I could measure the exact distance between the box and shaft clamp. This step is very important in my mind and I highly encourage anyone installing this box to first set their factory alignment and measure the gap so you can target it when installing the new box without alignment pin. Instructions on how to perform a factory shifter alignment can be found here:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...procedure.html

Here is a picture of the measured & set gap:
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...818180716b.jpg

Much better...but still a little springy feeling in the stick... With the sealed billet cup and no alignment hole there is no way for any air movement in or out so as the you move the stick forward or back the shaft is either under a vacuum or pressurized. What I did to cure this, much to Tom's dismay I'm sure, was drill a vent hole in the end of the billet cap. The stock alignment hole is 5/32" but I went one size smaller to 1/8", I likely could have gotten away with smaller yet. The smaller the hole the less chance there will be for debris to enter into the greased bearings so if I were to do it over again I'll likely go down by another bit size or two. It is my assumption that this modification will void his lifetime warranty, but I got everything buttoned back up and now love the way it feels! Smooth and precise with nothing weird going on no matter the movement or gear selected.

I was not wild with the way the Delrin bushings were crushing under the torque tube bolts, even with large/fat washers on them, so I ended up retaining my ZIP Corvette polyurethane bushings which reuse the factory metal bushing sleeves. Doing it again, or for anyone else out there thinking about ordering, I'd skip the Delrin and either go with the available polyurethane bushings option or solid metal if you don't care about NVH.

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...818180716a.jpg

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0818180727.jpg

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0818180737.jpg

Now this is how the shifter should have come from the factory! Zero slop, very precise, and only a tiny bit more drivetrain vibration coming through the stick into the knob!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Beyond amazing customer service! After 44 emails in the past week, and my modifications to his billet cap, he's still going to cover it with a lifetime warranty no questions asked.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I decided to drive the car to work today and took a route that I knew would lead to more shifting and I will say how incredibly impressed I am with the precision in the shifter now! Smooth and direct, almost machine-like. No extra effort and a minimal change in vibrations. I am definitely glad I stuck with my polyurethane bushings, definitely helps keep things "streetable" if you will. Money and time well-spent. I wish it would have been a little cooler outside though, was pretty brutal out there in the garage (and is part of the reason I was out there working again @ 6am Saturday morning)!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Glad you got it sorted out!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Thanks! It had me REALLY frustrated on Friday evening, but I'm glad a few things came to me overnight which is part of what got me back out there so early Saturday.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

The hole in the billet cap makes sense since you filled that area with grease so theres no place for air to escape once you shift around. Im assuming instructions dont mention greasing or maybe just a light coating?

Looks like a nice solid kit!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

It didn't include instructions of any type, which hopefully my review/install thread helps others with (I've mentioned to him that a PDF online or a printed sheet included with his part would be very helpful and likely save quite a bit of frustration). He sends it all pre-greased, but after I took it apart and reassembled it a few times with his billet cap and my stock plastic cap, I wiped away the dirty grease and added more fresh stuff. He said once the seals break-in that airlock goes away, but I like my custom tweak of an actual air vent similar to stock rather than forcing the seals to give way to air pressure. It's a near perfect part and I've now found what I consider to be the ideal solution. If you do end up ordering one, get the polyurethane bushings option rather than the Delrin since they also seemed less than ideal in my mind. You could do the metal if you're hardcore, but they seem better suited in an actual track car and not on a street cruiser.

All-in-all, it was a $125 well spent, and doing it all over again I could have spent 1.5-2 hours max on it rather than my combined total of 6 across 2 days! I've heard the C5/6's come apart much quicker than the C7's interior so it's possible you could get it done in only an hour.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

He should use one of these to relieve vacuum/pressure changes while still protecting the cap from dust or particulate intrusion. We use something similar on quite a few of our products.

https://www.valworx.com/product/air-...xoC8sgQAvD_BwE

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Oh wow, this is cool! If I ever take my shifter back out again I will definitely add one. I'll just have to tap the hole I've already drilled. Thanks for posting this.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Update on various aspects of the car after a nice hard 629 miles this weekend, lots of hilly twisties, plenty of flat straights, etc. This weekend was likely the hardest I've ever driven the car in my 4.5 years/42k miles of ownership.


BRAKES: I'm still very happy with the Powerstop Z26 pads. Plenty of braking power when I need it with incredibly low dust levels. Zero noise. The stock Z51 rotors (2016 revised design) and calipers work well. ATE TYP 200 fluid along with these pads show no sign of fade.

SUSPENSION: I absolutely love this Chevy Performance calibration for the magnetic ride (stock for 2019+). The car is much more stable and planted when pushing hard, but also rides smoother and does a better job soaking up the bumps/cracks. Otherwise, the factory Z51 suspension is fantastic and really needs no further upgrades for an aggressively driven street-car.

TRANSMISSION: This performance shifter box is exactly what I've been missing. Shifts were spot-on and precise the entire time, zero slop in the stick, with a nice positive engagement without harshness or excessive effort. Love the Auto Rev Match system for fast/hard downshifts. Redline D4 ATF has great shift quality (I'll continue to change it annually).

ENGINE: The engine continues to run smooth and consistent when driven hard, and pulls plenty hard. Heat management has been perfect with the select few cooling mods I've done. With how balanced the car is, I really see no reason to do any major power-adders beyond the well-rounded bolt-ons I've already done. The exhaust note screams when the NPP valves are open, but remains quiet/tame when shut. I can see myself adding the AFE HFC pipes next spring, but beyond that it just doesn't need anything for how I use the car.

In summary, best car I've ever owned and the longest I've ever owned a car! I see no reason why I'd sell or trade it in anytime soon :D

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Nice review! How often do you change your ATE 200? Mine is past 2 seasons now, probably should flush it next spring. Might try those Z26s too, not a fan of the pads I have now, a bit soft feeling.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

ATE rates it for 3 years in street applications so that is what I'll likely be following. I flushed the factory fluid last year. I think you'll be happy with the Z26 pads; they need just a little heat in them so after the 1st stop of the drive they are ready to rock.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Mmm, C7.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

It's going to be a long winter... Took a final drive before hibernation to the DIY wash bay to rinse it off after sitting 2 weeks in TX before getting transported up.

https://scontent.ffsd1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...98&oe=5C8F2D83

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

transported up? Am I missing something?

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

He moved to South Dakota.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

YUP :lol:

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

More winter storage pics from last night:

https://scontent.ffsd1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...b8&oe=5C9CD352

https://scontent.ffsd1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...69&oe=5C8D2FF4

https://scontent.ffsd1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...85&oe=5CA83E2A

https://scontent.ffsd1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...e7&oe=5C9B34E4

After spraying it off at the carwash yesterday I gave it a spray detailing today so it is fresh & shiny for the car covers arrival (ordered it last night). The battery tender seems to be doing it's job and will just stay plugged in all winter. I also found these floor mats/pads at Menards and figured they'd work well to get the tires off the concrete slightly and potentially limit any flat-spotting.

It's quite warm in the garage too! I have the thermostat set to 45F, but it's been staying in the low-50's out there. Apparently its insulated quite well and is keeping in any heat from the house that's soaking through the walls.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Heated insulated garages are awesome. What size heater u got

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I keep mine at 45 degrees as well and notice that it creeps up to around 50 on these warm days. Even with the insulation, I think the black roof soaks up a lot of heat and takes the load off the heater.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Not a clue, but I'll get a picture and look more closely at it for specs.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I ended up with a 45k which when I first started looking sounded small for 1200sq/ft. But really considering it's really well insulated, I think it ended up being perfect.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I've got a 25k BTU, heats up my 700 sq/ft pretty easily

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Just looked at a house yesterday, 8-car garage, 1500 sq/ft. Mmmm diggity. Might not get that by the wife though.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Seems like it'd be pretty tight squeezing 8 cars into that square footage. Any pics? Ours is just about 1200 and fits 4 nicely, could maybe squeeze 5 if we had small cars and packed em in tight. but then again our arrangement isn't really maximizing the space for amount of cars.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Nighty night vette! Heated garage ftw! Next house will def have that.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Yea, 1500 if optimized could be a 4 wide by 2 deep but not leave a lot of room on the sides. We only have 600 sq ft, and fits our 3 cars decent, I can usually swing the doors fully open and barely not touch the next car. But an extra foot between each one would be nice.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I think I have the same layout as you and mine is about 1100ish but with crap all around the sides etc I can't see fitting 5 even as the layout just isn't setup for more than 4. 4 is easy though.

Regardless, 1500 is a big ass garage!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Mine is shaped kinda like the Tetris piece that looks like an L. Three car garage width, but 1 bay is double deep (more like a 1.5 bay width in that back spot)

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Yep, same. I think when I put up pictures of my garage on the house thread you said you had the same layout. I just need to finish organizing it so I can use the whole garage.

Interestingly enough, my garage right now, near my door to the house, shows 50ish degrees even without my heater installed yet (i have gas line ran and thermostat setup) so my house seems to leak enough to keep the temps in there reasonable already which is cool.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Coming up next we have here some AFE 200-cell HFC pipes! These replace the factory primary cats while my Borla X-pipe deleted the factory secondary cats. Now I just need to find a local high-temp ceramic coater before the install. 50/50 chance of triggering a CEL with these, now that the powertrain warranty is expired I don't mind if my tuner disables that code in the tune and I'm a little less stock tune compliant. I'm expecting about a +10whp gain from these which should basically offset my loss of 93-octane and going to 91 locally here. Should remain a ~450whp car :)

https://afepower.com/afe-power-48-34...nnection-pipes

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0406191623.jpg

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...406191623a.jpg

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...406191623b.jpg

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

How much noise will they add?

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

The added noise will offset his hearing loss he's experienced iin his old age. This mod is all about offsetting.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I've heard the "trimming ear hair" mod fixes that common issue with the older models.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Should be minimal since still catted, which is why I stayed away from catless.