My name is David Bigelow and I am 39.

I currently have a 20 yr daughter Amber from my first marriage and a new grandson JW just born in December. I have been with my current wife Angela since 1990 and have been married since 1994. We have two sons, Tyler 15 and Hunter 8. Angela does not share my enthusiasm of cars and refers to my plastic garage ornament as a 'TOY' which really bugs me. BTW, it is my daily driver from April to October.

I have lived here is south-west Michigan all my life, but I am really getting tired of the snow thing since I got my vette.

I currently have a 07 Malibu, 90 Jetta, 87 Jeep Comanche (my winter beater), and a 92 Corvette coupe. I have been a gearhead all my life and wanted a Corvette ever since I saw "Corvette Summer" in the 70's. Finally got it in 2007 and it is better than I thought it would be, if that is possible. Other than my vette the only other cool car I have owned was a 1969 Pontiac GTO Pro Streeted, god what monster. Messy divorce took care of that.

Hobbies, outside of cars, would be photography (Canon AE1, yeah someday I'll get a new digital), play(ed) the great highland bagpipes...I got bell's palsy and have not fully recovered, that's were I got the name Skirlin (skirl of the pipes).

Politics can be fun, I love conspiracy theories. I would describe myself as a conservative Republican but I seem to have mellowed with age because I don't get too worked up over things like I used to. My grandfather, who is an old school Democrat, and I really like to mix it up. We usually end our 'discussions' with a laugh, fun.

When I got my Corvette it created quite a stir in my family. My sister thought it was great, my parents were surprised I could talk my wife into it, and my grandfather just got a big grin, he's in his 80's and said do it now because 'someday' may never come.

Is gitmo a military base? I thought these bases on foreign soil are considered still part of the US like an embassy and the constitutional rights would pertain. However, I do agree with wesmigletz. Find em guilty and execute or set them free.

We have used Taxslayer in the past with good results. For a small fee ($19.99) you can efile and have it direct deposited into your account, usually had the money back within two weeks.

Thanks Brian, that was very informative. It has been my experience that spring has always followed winter and a bull market will always follow a bear market. Patience and a cool head will go a long way. I think it is like any survival situation that you can't panic, stop and think and ask yourself "what's next".

Congratulations, gotta feel great . BTW I understand paying off the loan adds 30hp and 5 mpg. :thumbright:

I never thought I'd see the day Clarkson would ever like a Corvette but the ZR1 is a no brainer. I thought the R/T sounded great but they should have got a manual instead of an auto, still cool though. LMAO when they revved their engines and set off the car alarms, then stopped by the cop. Fun videos.

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"...but I like it" says it all and that is all that matters. Buy, build, and run what makes you smile because if you don't enjoy it, why do it. I had a 1969 GTO Pro Streeted with 5.38 gears, spool, NOS, etc....and four wheel drum brakes (because I didn't want to spend the money there, I'll say it...STUPID ). It was crazy fast and rarely driven because of it's lack of manners on the street and it didn't stop well, cool car but in the end I didn't cry when I sold it. I have since learned to care less about what others are doing and not let it affect what will make me happy. If the pros out weigh the cons and you can live with it, go for it whatever level of performance that may be:thumbleft:.

Man, I don't know if I should feel young or old. I am 39 and all four of my cars are FI but I have no real experience working on them(fuel systems that is), everything up until now has been carburated. I have ran mostly Pontiacs using the Tri-power and dual quads and it did take some work to make them run well. I have been reading up on fuel injection so I can work on my 92 but at the moment I have no hands on experience. No answer needed now but I am clueless when everyone talks about 32# vs 36# injectors but by paying attention to the threads and reading a few books I'll get it. I think forums online will keep the knowledge alive.

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OH OH OH, Tommy that sounds like a PLAN . Wow, traditional is good but I would like to do something different and that sounds great. BBQ, mmmmmmm.

I have my sister and father over tonight for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. I have the beer chilling in a snow drift just outside on the deck. After all the snow it is now raining lightly, I really hope it doesn't freeze.

Well, I have a lot to do before everyone arrives so everyone have a safe evening and a Merry Christmas. Dave.

"Now we have 325 million people in this country. All the kids we stopped having were made up for by people of all backgrounds crashing our borders or the leg spreading underpriviliged bored stiff tweeners who couldn't afford video games so instead played bury the joystick."

LOL, so you know my brother-in-law. the tweener that is.

Holy ice sickles batman, it be cold. Good day everyone,what a weekend. 40 mph wind gusts, 10-20 bellow zero wind chills, brrrrr, I am very thankful I have a snow blower this year, it has been getting a lot of use lately.

Oh well, gotta work today and tomorrow then I am off until January 5th. I have always wanted to try snow skiing and this may be the year, we have had some poor weather the last few years.

Well I gotta go, the youngin's need to be fed. See ya.

That was a fun episode. He made the same comment I have "how hard could it be?", clueless about says it all. I had no idea how much it takes to drive one. Respect.

Man I love these videos, I would love to do this one year. This is a long video but decent.



Has anyone here done this?

Yeah, California tunes.



Not a huge David Lee Roth fan but I do like the video.

Good afternoon, it is cold but not snowing. It has been an interesting day so far. We refinanced our 07 Malibu at our credit union with much better terms however today I was contacted by my loan officer that the dealership put the wrong financial institution on the title. Citicorp financed it but the title shows 5/3 Bank???. 5/3 are being "difficult" and won't release the lean that they do not have. I'll have to go to the dealership and have them correct the error. It seems to me rather funny, if I default 5/3 won't care cause they don't hold the paper and Citicorp can't repo it because their name isn't on the title. LOL, alas I won't be testing that situation although my company says in January we may be going to 3 day work weeks. Downside, hurts the pocketbook, upside, January is my start point for repairs and upgrades on the 92 and that will give me plenty of time to do it.

Old blue eyes said it best...



Have a good day.

Great thread, first time I've heard "Copperhead Road", I like it.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiOvK4xwr2U
Hillbilly Deluxe.

A few of my favorites.

Good morning, It is a balmy 28, sunny clear skies. The children had a two hour delay for school, roads were not nice last night. Normal drive home takes 35 minutes, took 55 minutes. Almost added a bambi hood ornament to my jeep, awwww ain't they pretty...and tasty too. Not much else, gonna try and get the rest of the Christmas decor up before this weekend. Stay cool.

Hey Tommy, If they actually do a good job and you are happy then that's all that matters. I like working on mine and really like having the satisfaction of doing the work myself and, yes, not paying the labor costs for some else to do what I can do myself. In the end if your ride is looking good, running good, and your happy....then life is good. :thumbright:

Oh yeah, "Plastic garage ornament". IIIIII like it! I will be ordering a vanity plate, still knocking around ideas but I have until March.

My grandfather is alive and well, he served in the Army European theatre (France then Germany). I have all of his patches that were on his uniform. 3rd Infantry and 10th Armored division. I have seen the movie Saving Private Ryan and I can understand why he has never talked about it except for a very few humorous moments. I have always respected his privacy. To me it means a day that changed everyones life.

Wow, that is impressive. I wonder how much it would cost to build one? Pick up a $2,500 C4 and have some alternative fun. I don't think I could give up my gas burner but that would be a fun side project. I saw an electric Cobra on Supercars Exposed and that one really moved out, but cost like 150K. Neat video.

Good evening, got a lot of lake effect snow here, 18 degrees with windchill about 7. Mail box is still not replaced, still sick and home another day . I am 39, I have a 20 yr old daughter and 15 and 8 year old sons, and this morning I got the call.....I am a grandpa. A grandson, born at 10:52am yesterday December 4. My daughter lives just outside of Nashville TN. OMG I am somebody's grandfather . But a cool grandpa with a Corvette.

I don't have a picture today, sorry, but the ones posted are hot. Spam? :sign4: LOL, had spam and velvetta sandwiches grilled when I was younger, good eats.

Take care, Dave.

I agree with you about the father. I shot myself in the neck with a .22 when I was in the fourth grade, long story with me being the dumbass. However, I did learn a lesson in proper handling of a loaded firearm. My son(15 yr) got to fire his grandfather's .357 and 9mm earlier this year and handled himself well. He loved them both but got a big grin when he fired the shotgun. As for not being for hunting, a large capacity magazine with a fully automatic rifle is the only way I would stand a chance of hitting a deer while hunting. My father on the other hand bought a 30.06 and a box of rounds and without sighting it in got a buck on opening day, one shot one kill. Respect. As for youngin's, I keep mine locked up. Giving a loaded weapon to an 8 year old was foolish and just plain stupid. The result would be hard to live with.

Good afternoon all, wow Dale that sucks. I am glad when I bought mine last month the roof and well had both been done in the last five years, both of which are necessary and expensive to do.

Well I just called into work sick. I started the week off sick but had to go to work so I did not loose my holiday pay but by Tuesday I was feeling better. Then yesterday I guess it was time for round two. What also didn't help yesterday was ten minutes before leaving for work an orange Aztec took out my neighbors and my mail box. Even though it was a hit and run he left parts of the car behind thus leaving clues to the vehicle identity. Oh, and a witness stopped and said the impact was rather impressive to watch. My 6 month old jumbo mail box exploded into pieces. The mount was a piece of 1/4" thick angle iron welded to a 3" square tubing buried 3 feet into the ground. He bent the tubing to the ground and ripped off the angle iron. I now have a new urgent project to get done in low 30 temps in snow while sick. Hooyah.

Eggs, over medium with bacon and side of grits.

Speaking of eggs:

PREGNANT TURKEY STORY One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my
sister's
house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my
mom
decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something
from
the store. When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven,
removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the
turkey,
and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the
oven.
When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven
and
proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something,
she
reached in and pulled out the little bird. With a look of total shock on
her
face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!."
At
the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry. It took
the
family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!
Yep.................SHE'S BLONDE!

I'm gonna take some meds and climb back into bed, have a great day y'all. Dave.

Matthew, love the daily chat . I always look forward to it and the daily subjects. Keep up the good work, hope to see ya post later this morning. :thumbright:

Wow, what a subject. She hates it. Well, maybe hate is too strong, how about not very enthusiastic. My wife has only rode in it twice and both times I drove like a perfect gentlemen. She does not appreciate the Corvette experience. We have been together for 18 years and she knew I was a gearhead from day one. I finally could afford to buy one and she said I could if she could have a new car. Three days later she was driving a new Malibu and tried to back out of the deal . NOT! I think she is jealous of a car? Every conversation about spending money on it always ends in an argument . All in all I have zero regrets about buying it and would do it again.

LMAO. Happydad, that is some funny stuff.

Yes. It was my first Corvette related purchase after I bought my 92. After losing too many bids on ebay I just broke down and ordered them from Helms. My wife had a few words about the price but they have paid for themselves.

I agree they can be a little hard to navigate but there is a lot more year specific info than the Haynes manuals. Most thread responses at DC (also suggested C4guru.com) and here always made references to the FSM and strongly suggested to invest in a set, so I did.

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600 HP....yeah, I'm so there. I'm goin out to get it right now. Come on Summer.

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These photos remind me of an Opal. The above pic of the 1953 C5 I think looks rather elegant. I wouldn't mind one. I picked my 92 because of the lines, however I love all the years of Corvette for various reasons. I bought my C4 while on the hunt for a C3. Go figure.

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It will last until middle of next summer, when we saw the petrol prices dropping towards September we thought the gas would too. Not.

Central....Rosie O'donnell???

OH man, I still got today and tomorrow working for the bos man. Cold and snowy here, lookin' alot like Christmas.

My wife and I decided to wait to fill our 500 gallon propane tank until prices came down to what they are now. Seemed like a good plan, called the gas company and found out the going rate is 3.29 gal!!!!! Since you only fill the tank to 80% that comes to about $1,316 plus delivery fee, HASmat fee, and fuel surcharge. Aaaahhhhhhh ....need to get some nitro pills and a defibulator quick. I wassss going to get my new wheels for the 92 but that will have to wait until February. :sad3:

Sorry, don't have an answer to today's trivia question since I did not watch the AMAs, come to think about it I've never watched them. I'm not much of a TV guy, except for HorsepowerTV or TopGear.

Have a good one, Dave.

My son found this on youtube.com. Wow, this is some fancy driving. I would not do this in a Corvette, but with a car like this I would.

Good morning everyone. Gas is down here to $1.76 gallon, nice. It is currently sunny and cold with a windchill in the teens, brrrr. Had a hearty protein shake this morning for breakfast, yumm . Here are some season correct pics .

[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/275309_max.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/20071221_01l.jpg[/IMG]

I took a vacation day for today, my wife is having a minor out-patient surgery and needs a driver, so I get a three day weekend followed next week by a four day weekend, sweet.

See ya, Dave.

Ha, got ya beat. October 30th on 105.7 WLHT here started playing Christmas music, non stop until Christmas. That is just wrong. That should wait until the day after Thanksgiving.

Good morning, brrrrr...it be cold. Hmmmm.....Papa Bear? Man with the tan? "The One"? God 2.0? OK, I admit I'm clueless on this one.

Matthew, do you switch to winter tires this time of the year? I have summer tires on mine and when it gets bellow 40 degrees they get almost no traction, kinda like being on ice all the time. :shaking:

Never thought I would get nervous about the gas prices getting too low, just hit bellow $2.00 gallon here. Wow, it's been awhile. My 92 is up on jack stands for the winter and in it's tank is $4.59 gallon premium....I wonder how long before the tide turns?

Well, on a different note, we are closing on our house (buying) this morning at 10 am. Finally going to be a home owner instead of just a renter although I would be less nervous if the economy was more stable. The house we are buying appraised three years ago at $30K more than we are buying it for today but I think today's prices are more in line with reality instead of the inflated craziness of the earlier market. They got a little above what they owed and we got a 30yr fixed at a decent rate, comes out to $70 a month more than what we pay in rent now.

Well, gotta go now and help the economy. Dave.

Good Morning, ha, finally know that one. Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Peirce Brosnan. As for weekend projects, I replaced the front brakes on my jeep. This is the first time I have ever had to pack bearings since all my previous cars were either front wheel drive or sealed units. Kinda messy but had to be done. Works well, even flushed the old brake fluid out. It's cold here as well with some snow on the ground. Not much else, have a great day. Dave.

Good afternoon, wow....guns, cars, hot women, and beautiful armed women....God Bless America.
Bill, sounds like your livin' the dream.
Brian, what a video. :tongue:
Matthew, saaalute.
It is 59 and sunny here, farmers are harvesting the corn next door, I'm in a great mood so life is good.

Peace. Dave.

Good afternoon all, beautiful day here in SW Michigan, temps in the lower 60's and sunny. I've seen several hot cars today, a prostreet Camaro, an early 70's Challenger, and several vettes. One last go before a long winters nap.
:thumbright:

[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/halloween2.jpg[/IMG]

Oh my, oh my.

Biggrizzly, that joke is a keeper. My grandfather and I used to have some heated political debates but as I've grown older I find I agree with him more and more. I'm gonna print that one for him.

Since the cold weather has hit it's time to spend the weekends doing home improvement projects, at least until January, then its project vette time. Work hard, spend some money to make my wife happy, then when it comes time to buy parts its become less of a fight.

Well, have a great day eveyone, Dave.

Hey Andy, could you post a picture of your doors so we can see exactly your speaker placement, thanks.

Terrorist have increased their efforts lately to include unconventional tactics.

[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/funnypic-21.jpg[/IMG]

And our response....

[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/funnypic-16.jpg[/IMG]

Terrorists beware.

Good morning everyone, it's cold and dreary here in SW Michigan this fine morning. No great plans for the weekend.

Matthew, excellent pics today, especially the young lady nude behind the Ferrari. :thumbright:

Pianoguy, hope you feel better soon, glad to see your sense of humor is not affected.....got a mental picture of her with legs in air and flowers, well, very funny.

Here's mine:

[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/IMG_0593.jpg[/IMG]

Have a good day everyone. Dave.

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LOL

Matthew, the trivia answer is....Oh, I think I was absent that day. Tough one today.

I still haven't received my appraisal, seems the appraiser is having a difficult time with the 'comparables' since most homes are either not selling or in foreclosure. Eeek.

Finally saw gas prices for regular hit $2.99 a galllon, at least one thing is going in a favorable direction.
:thumbright:

Have a good day, Dave.

WOW. looks like you made a 'Swwweeet' batch of lemonade out of that situation. Good call on the high rise hood and the stripes fit well. New wheels would finish it off nicely. What you did with the top really got my attention because mine is scuffed and has what looks like water spots etched into the finish and everyone knows the cost of replacement. I am going to give this a try since your happy with the results.

Blade_1 about that cyanoacrylate, where can I get some and how is it used? Thanks

Thanks Jeffvette. I usually only see 90-91 for sale. I wonder why they didn't do the 1996 model being it was the end of the C4 generation. Maybe that is why we got the Grand Sport.

I am interested in what years the ZR1 was available for the C4. I went to the gurudictionary and there were only four entries and ZR1 was not there.

Hi all, it is cool, rainy, and early in the morning (for me). I am waiting for the appraisal on my house to be finished, tic toc tic toc. HMMMM. As for the trivia question, Willie Nelson? Have a good day.

Warning:
[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/untitled.jpg[/IMG]

Enjoy Oktoberfest responsibly.

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Would this get rid of the chassis flex and make a good mounting location for a harness?
[IMG]http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm183/skirlin/bar2001gary.jpg[/IMG]

...providing the correct seats are used?

I arrived at work yesterday and sitting in the parking lot was a "Real" ZR1, wow what a difference. Bright red, license plate inserts ( per bogus), top mount brake light, and those huge 315's (Goodyear F1's) on Sawblades, neatly tucked up in the fender wells. I work for a rather large company here (over 700 employees on all three shifts) so it may take some time to find the owner. I am guessing the fake is one of the maintenance guys and the real one is a suit. I have not seen the fake since I posted this thread, hmmm.

The answer is obvious, I need to buy a polo shirt and trade up to a ZR1.