Not long after I got my Sebring vert, I ran across a bargain on a set of Stern ST-1 wheels at an eBay store called maxspeed performance. I grabbeda whole set of 18x7.5 powdercoated black spoke/polished rims for $300.

Proof that lightining can strike twice, I found these Stern ST-7 rims at the same eBay store...


I posted a"best offer" of $325 and the seller agreed! The wheels arrived Thursday, and Friday morning I did a dry-fit.
The chrome rims are 18x8.5 38mm offset, and it looks like no clearance problems!


I love the small dish over the factory "sawblade" wheels which are flat faced, and it looks like a 235/50/18 will be the tire of choice. 245/50s are too tall, and 255/45s are too short. leaving a huge fender gap. The 235/50 is only 2mm taller than my stock 235/55/17.


We arent sticking out past the fender-line which is perfect.


Hopefully I'll get these on soon, along with my drilled/slotted rotors and painted calipers.

Those look really really nice. I like it a lot.

New rims and brakes are on

Fronts


Rear


At the airport (nice backdrop)


Near the hangars

*wolf...call!!!*

that's one sexy beast, Tim! Perhaps light tinting to the tune of 45% or so and she'd be about done! Too bad you couldnt get a thin white wall for that ride, man. Nice backdrop, as well. I have a certain...appreciation for aviation. And such slick, sleek lines like GhostHawk almost seem to belong at an airfield.

Love it!

Bonnie has always struck me as kind of the automotive equivalent of a Lear Jet, sleek, comfy and swift (maybe not fighter jet swift, but enough to get the job done)

I keep considering tint, but I have to check the VA laws on the level allowed. I dont want anything really dark but something close to what the T-Bat had would be sweet.

Exhaust tips and engine mods are on deck.

In most states, 35% is max legal. 45% would be little more than a thin film to try and mask the features of whoever is inside and to also filter out most of the sun's rays. The stuff that looks like a black paint...that stuff is normally 20-10%. I've been in a few cars that had it down to 5% and that was prohibitively dark...in the middle of a hot Southern day.

Which tips are you gnawing on right now? I'm still partial to the non-resonated slash-cut dual/duals.

here ya go tim! btw, the bonne is looking pretty good!

http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/VA/

So 50% or more in VA...that sounds about right. I'd want something light anyway.

The tips are in the garage, which are these

And a set of Thrush Turbos

Looking Great TBat!!!

I wish I had a few extra $$s for stuff, but as is I'm still waiting for the beloved 454 to get back from the shop. When it's done y'all will be sure to have a video and pics of the install and running. Dual exhaust with rusty cherry bombs ought to be loud enough. lol

Looks really nice. Always been a fan of the Bonnies.

I have 35% on my Grand Prix, and I'd never go lighter. It's almost perfect for visibility threshold at night too. My 'Bu has 20-15%, somewhere in there. It's REALLY nice during the day, love it. During the night it can be a pain though. You can't see out it all unless there is a decent light source. Luckily my 'Bu has headlights for reverse lights, so it's not a big issue, but side visibility at night is bleh.

When I take possession of my Camaro, 35% is going on it too.

im pretty sure if you do around 30% you wont get hasseled, due to the fact that your car doesnt "look" suspicious...

Yo, Rook, what FBod are you getting? I was thinking of getting something like 25% slapped on Shianne sometime soon-ish (prolly about tax-return season).

And TBat: would those large of tips create too little backpressure? I'd think that the L36 would need something like 1.5-1.75" I.D. to keep a good flow. THOSE are the ones I'm wanting for Colleen, but I'm afraid of the flow and tone change due to the large outs.

There is absolutely no chance that the tips will have anything to do with it.

I was originally looking at a '97 Z28 that needed a lot of front end parts (it'd been wrecked). However, the same guy recently acquired a '00 Camaro with 3800 and an M5. We've already agreed on me taking possession of it, but he has to find a replacement ride before I can. So it's a waiting game until he finds another vehicle (he's got a couple deals on 240sx's hes trying to buy).

It's got 175k miles and needs a lot of interior work. Rear left quarter is a bit banged. I drove it and it appears to be mechanically sound, just needs some TLC. The manual transmission and 3800 sold me on it. I've missed banging gears ever since I totaled my Stratus.

New project car cometh. I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up buying an L67 or L32 for it, strip the block down and use it as a basis for a turbo build. That's a long time off though. Right now I'm just focusing on getting the interior restored, rear quarter fixed, and removing all the christmas lights off the dash. If I'm not mistaken I can tune it with my PowrTuner too.

Thanks, Corey! $120 for tips? sweeeet...

Yes, you can, Rook. I've read DTCs, cleared DTCs, done a few scans. If you need, I have the OE .bin for the 4.1 FBod L36/MM5.

Unless I'm mistaken, the 00 had the Borg-Warner M49 tranny, right? My 98 MM5 is a M49. Eventually I plan on using a T56 with a (presumably) one-off bellhousing.

What christmas lights are you talking about? Are there that many idiot lights goin ape on ya?

What you'll find, also, with these cars is that the two-piece driveshaft is GARBAGE. Get a 44" (or was it 48"?) driveshaft. Also look for poly mounts for the engine (two each) and for the tranny (one each. it's going to take a bit of fabrication to fit right. ask and I'll get you a pic), and make DARN sure the rubber bushings for the forward end of the torque arm is there. There's the requisite checks to be made for the L36 that are common to the GTs here.

Ask and I'll blast all the links I have for Shianne. Biggest clearing house, though? LS1Tech.com . Register. Yeah, it's not nearly as friendly there as it is here, but they KNOW their stuff. Granted, not nearly as much about the L36 as we do here, but the rest of car...there's not much of anything they haven't done. And they're sponsored by some BIG industry names.

Otherwise, I SURE enjoy driving this car, regardless of my messed up line-of-sight due to my height. It's a fun car with TONS of potential. OH! and I also knock down at least 20mpg in town. With tons of issues with the engine, I was able to get 24mpg going from here to the other side of Nashville and back. Most of that was taking it easy (as I would on a long roadtrip), but the last 25% was done at an aggressive 80mph (my daughter's school had an emergency early-release...and I had her booster seat!). What's my current highway mpg? No clue, but it has GOT to be at least 27mpg.

I don't want to thread hijack so I'll leave it after this...

From what I understood its a T5 tranny. M49 a derivative or another model altogether? Also, I think this one has a one-piece driveshaft, they apparently did away with 2-piece in the last few years. I KNOW for a fact the tranny mount is gone (shoulda seen the gearshift bobbing when I test drove it). It's one of the first things on my to-do list. The A/C works though!

As far as christmas lights... I noticed ABS Inop, Check Engine, and Check Gauges light... I have yet to understand what check gauges might be coming on for, except the fuel hand doesn't want to work. Anyway, it runs and I'm getting it for almost nothing on my part. The GP will probably evolve into my DD and I'll get rid of my Malibu.

Rick... Just buckle down and put a few phone books on the seat... :P