5
 
 
  
12:51 PM, Tuesday, March 7th, 2017:
 
Well if the last episode was a tease, this is just overload. Not only do you get to see the engine start - you get to see it actually DRIVE. I never thought that would all happen in the same 24-hour period. Pretty impressive, Kenneth:
 
 
Wow, wow, wow. Now, there was a delay in the coil overs (the suspension) so they won't get here until Friday so that driving was pretty symbolic. Kenny said it was an absolute clusterfuck of poor alignment, awful shocks and impossible to drive safely. You'd hit the gas it would squat and leap left, you hit the breaks and it would slam to the right. So unfortunately the 200 miles of break-in time is going to need to be next week and of course that's when I get to Columbus. So, we're cutting it close - but there are other things that can be worked on. Looks like I'll be there live for the dyno (horsepower & torque record) read which is pretty awesome. It's all coming together. And of course, there is a teeeeeeeny bit of controversy between us (about time, really):
 
That metal sound which Kenny swears is just air whistling past the closed throttle body syncs PERFECTLY to the serpentine belt. Even changes pitch as the belt stops. Watch the video at :23 when the very first attempt stalls. It reacts and sounds exactly like my circulaw saw wouldwhen you turn it off if it's in the middle of a piece of wood. Now I'm not saying there isn't also a whistling sound because of the air, but if you notice even when he has the filters in and the hood closed as he's backing out it's barely muffled. I think it's a combination of both: the whistling and something connected to the belt is scraping something. Maybe it's just that lttle pulley on the right, maybe the water pump or crank shaft in the middle is too tight? But it's very very hard to watch the video of that belt stopping at :23 and not think it's related.
 
Kenny of course all but told me to go fuck myself, that it's the air intake which he can lessen a bit but not completely get rid of. I can't imagine living with that sound or ever turning the engine without cringing. I guess will see what it's like when he's finished but I've never heard muscle cars at idle sound like that and if it really has nothing to do with what's attached to that belt and it is the throttle body I guess I have to take that apart and have someone make me a new one once I get it back to LA because that's about the least acceptable sound I've ever heard. That's like fingers on the chalkboard. So, yeah, we're at kind of a touchy point between us and I'm just hoping it gets fixed as he said with proper tuning and with him opening the throttle a bit during idle. I also hope that if it is actually something grinding that it isn't a costly issue. I have actually heard belts on my car make noises before and it honestly could just be a lack of lubrication on that pulley we had to fabricate to make the serpintine belt go up on the right side. That would be simple. Of course Kenny refusing to communicate about it makes things a little difficult.
 
The brother in me is sad about this, the producer in me is sayind: STOP TEXTING GET THIS ON TAPE SO WE CAN ALL SEE IT and my wallet is trying to process how much more it's going to cost me to rebuild that intake when he tells me again that's what it is and that nothing can be done about it.
 
Fuck.
 
However, maybe this will all work out by next week.
 
BUT THE CAR IS RUNNING LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! THE CAR IS RUNNING!
 
Adam