Hello everyone! I just picked up my early 03 (03/02 build date) black GT for 400 bucks off a customer at work. Just over 210 on the clock and meticulously maintained. Jumped time at a stop light and we quoted her an engine. Had the head rebuilt and replaced the timing set and so far runs pretty good. I’ve put about 300 miles on it in the week I’ve been driving it. Changed the oil after about 150 miles and there was an awful lot of very fine metal in it. Hoping it’s just residual from the machine work on the head, but suspect a roller rocker isn’t rolling and is wiping the cam. The next oil change will tell though.
Anyway, the car is all black with the paint matched cladding, steel wheels unfortunately (thinking about a set of RPF1’s), 100% stock minus the cats...was planning on keeping them but melted the insides on startup and the sawzaw came out.
Absolutely hate where the clutch grabs, it’s very difficult to shift since it grabs right off the floor and my size 13 steel toes hit the floor before the clutch is all the way down. I know there’s an adjustment on the pedal just haven’t messed with it yet. Hard to tell the condition of the synchros with the clutch not wanting to disengage all the way. It’s ok around town but when it’s in lift it locks me out till the rpms fall to about 5800-6k
Anyway, I’m an auto tech from indiana, usually on the ATLTF.com forum by the same screen name, I like building with metal, and making things that weren’t meant to go fast well...fast. Mowers, cars, etc. currently building a turbo 5.3 c1500, going to 5.0 swap my ranger whenever I can kill that 3.0 (bout 320k on that truck...still kickin), and would like to build a fast awd vibe (my GT is a bit rusty, so it won’t be my current one)
Any questions just fire away!
PS....what’s the record for fastest 1/4 mile vibe...?