It was groundhog day yesterday.
Roll the car into the garage, pop the hood, start the pedestal fan, and put it up on blocks. Slide back under the car the remove the splash shield, unbolt header/overpipe and drop it all out. Rinse and repeat.
I wanted to buy some of the Remflex gaskets to fix my header leak(s), but don't want to wait a couple days to get them in. I have time now to fix it, but in a couple days that's just not possible. I don't want to wait until next week either. For now, and possibly as long as it seals, I put a thin layer of copper RTV sealant on flange surfaces and sammiched the Grimmspeed gaskets betwix it. The recommended cure time is 24 hours, so of course I waited 12 because nobody tells me what to do.
This morning when I rolled out of the garage it was whisper quiet, and from what I can tell the exhaust leak(s) are gone. I even popped the hood in disbelief to make sure it just wasn't a quiet leak. It's pretty neat.
After two days with the factory catback bolted in place, I can honestly say it was the right choice. The surge of sound from the header is loud enough for me, and I no longer broadcast my arrival to all the fine law enforcement in the area.
Unfortunately when I put the car back on the blocks I noticed my tire wear was getting a bit thin on the innards. I'm pretty sure I noticed this at the time of purchase, but just ignored it. Obviously the logical thing to do at this point is buy a new pair of shoes and show them off to all my friends. I price shopped for weeks preparing for this moment and settled on the Azenis rt615k+. What's on the car is the older rt615k which from what I understand is the lesser tire. I'm not displeased with the current tire, but it's not exactly grip heavy. The + is supposed to be slightly under the pointy end of the 200tw field, but still have some longer life for track days. The 18" wheel size is killing me on price, but I just don't care enough to change. Anyway, TireRack says they will be here monday. I have autocross this Sunday with the Z club, so I'll find out the 18th or 19th with the Vette club how well they do. I'm not expecting a7 grip, but something better than what I got now would be sufficient.
Untitled by hatchethairy, on Flickr