Y2K5SRT
Enthusiast
There were so many titles I contemplated for this long-awaited (by me) post. Grab a comfy seat and a cold one if you are interested in this story of one family and their beloved Viper. I'll throw in a few pictures and even some titles and subtitles. I thought about starting with...
2007: A Boost Odyssey
Chapter 1 - Meet Me in St. Louis
The Viper world is blessed with some incredible tuners and has been for many years. Good guys and bad guys, some still around while others simply disappeared. I have had the pleasure of meeting just about all of them at one point in time another - Roe, Hennessey, Heffner, Cashiola, Welch, Maxwell, and many more. But at VOI 6 in St. Louis back in 2000 I met one that made a lasting impression: Doug Levin from Doug Levin Motorsports (DLM). As one of the first in the Viper tuning business, he was practically swarmed by Viper owners from all over the country. I stood in line to chat with him and, being a new Viper owner myself, expected the quick handshake and brush-off for the more important (and more monied) owners waiting to chat with him. To my surprise he took time to chat with me even though I told him right up front that I was a long ways from ever being able to afford something like he offered. Heck, I couldn't even afford a K&N intake back then. Didn't stop him from explaining to me how the supercharger systems worked and how his shop turned out the final product. He even suggested I stop by his race trailer at the drag strip later - where he gave me one of the few embroidered polo shirts he brought with him from Florida. And all for a guy that he knew couldn't afford what he was selling and who was just another wide-eyed Viper owner.
Chapter 2 - All Quiet on the Midwestern Front
The years passed and I stayed in contact with Doug on a regular basis. When I became a regional treasurer I asked him if he would be interested in sponsoring our annual Dyno Day with some small trophies. He was delighted to help and even sent along some T-shirts for the participants, many of which you will still see at the occasional Kansas City Viper event. I think that was back in 2002 and he has sponsored them ever since, despite not even having a DLM car in the local club for many of those years. And of course I was still unable to afford doing anything with my car and it just didn't matter to him - he was delighted to make friends whether they were customers or not. I was always impressed that he, and others like him in the Viper community, would take the time to chat with folks that clearly wouldn't be customers soon - if ever. My 2000 GTS went to a new home in Georgia. My 2003 SRT-10 went to a new home less than a mile away. And none got more than K&N filters.
Chapter 3 - Blazing Vipers
In 2004 the Viper Club of America announced its first ever Limited Edition: A factory produced SRT10 Roadster in Viper Yellow with black wheels and hood stripe. Having never owned a Viper that wasn't black, the bride suggested we try an actual color and submit our name for consideration. Lo and behold, our names were among the lucky 50 that were drawn for that special car. We then traveled to Dallas for VOI 8 in September of that same year and took delivery of our new yellow beast. After getting used to those bright yellow fenders in the windshield, we couldn't have been happier. Well, the bride anyway - Yours Truly still wanted to make just a little more power. But it would have to wait.
Chapter 4 - The Perfect Storm
So 2004 came and went, as did 2005. We enjoyed our extended Viper-driving season and kept busy with a huge Zone Rendezvous here in Kansas City. Numerous Vipers and their owners came from around the country to visit our fair city. We even had some vendors display their wares, including RSI and Woodhouse - both showing off their latest supercharger and turbo packages for the SRT. Boost envy was definitely the feeling that summer. Later that fall things clicked in the business and we had a few extra pennies to spare. Making the very biggest puppy dog eyes possible, I asked my bride if we could chat with Doug on a more formal basis. The eyes had it. But with the understanding that we needed to try to be frugal even with such a purchase. Apparently she wasn't impressed with the blow-dryer I had attached to our intake, but maybe because it was pink. Go figure. So I made the fateful call and introduced myself to Doug as Chris, the customer. I had wanted to say that for the longest time.
Chapter 5 - Independence Day
So we talked. And talked. And talked some more. We finally made a deal in early 2006 which of course was totally confidential, but I can tell you this much: DLM was plenty busy and had lots of cars being done at the time. So I suggested that he take his time with mine and work on it when possible. Maybe during a lunch hour or a bathroom break at one of the all-night poker parties at the shop (okay, I made that last part up). But seriously, he had as long as he wanted with the car with no limits and no pressures to get it back to me. In turn he offered to give me a small discount on the work - enough to supersize my extra value meals for a year. Which I did, of course.
Chapter 6 - Sleepless in Kansas City
So the car was shipped to Miami and arrived safely. I quickly learned that Doug had a great sense of humor, announcing that only one door was missing when it arrived. As promised, I didn't call him or bug him at all. He would call with the occasional updates, but as expected his shop was very busy and my car was progressing slowly. Now it didn't bother me much at all. Was kinda hoping it would be back for VOI 9, but he had plenty of customers that couldn't afford those supersized meals and wanted the same thing. They were first in line and that was fine with me. But a strange thing started happening: While Mary and I slept soundly, our fellow local Viper owners were getting antsy. "Got your car yet?" was the rally cry more often than not. We just shrugged and said, "it's coming - have patience." We were busy stuffing our faces with Big Macs and large fries (okay, that was just me). And not worried in the slightest. That came in November.
Chapter 7 - Houston, We Have a Problem
The car was largely finished around Thanksgiving. Everything put back together and the car running almost perfectly. Almost . Seems it was burning a little oil and fouling one of the plugs consistently. Undaunted, the DLM team scrambled to replace valve guides, seals, and everything else to try and fix what they hoped was a problem with the heads and not the block. Now some may recall that in late 2005 I started bargain shopping for parts - headers, heads, etc. The idea being to send them with the car to be installed by DLM. Some said that was ill-advised, as you get what you pay for. Undaunted, I found a very reasonable set of heads that had been ported and polished with upgraded rockers. I bought them sight unseen and sent them with the car to Miami. DLM decided that the port/polish job was okay at best and sent them to a local shop to be worked before putting them on the car. This was long before the oil problem. So early this year the heads were pulled and sent back to the same local shop. Seems that they had missed something rather critical: The heads had been welded at some point and those welds (on the runners) weren't holding. Terrible news on one hand, but good news in that the block was fine.
Chapter 8 - Go Ahead, Make My Day
So now what? Should they send my original take-off heads to another shop and start all over again? Well, Doug came through personally this time: He had a previous set of ported/polished heads from his personal SRT10. After carefully measuring the chambers of each they determined they could match the defective set with some slight milling. Sure enough, a perfect match! Now about this time (by now late March) I was in Orlando on unrelated business. I decided to speed down to Miami and take a quick peek at our car. And sure enough, it was right there and being worked on with a couple celebrity-owned cars nearby. Good colors too!
Chapter 9 - Rush Hour
A few weeks beforehand I had asked Doug if he would mind sponsoring the Kansas City Dyno Day again. And of course he was delighted to do it, despite the fact that there would again likely be no DLM car there. Or would there? Now the heads were matched up but if you know DLM you know they don't take shortcuts: They decided that since the "bad" heads were on the car when the engine was broken in they would re-ring the pistons and basically start from scratch. In addition, the shiny bits on the motor had a few scuffs from all the overwork on the car and Doug wanted those looking great before the car would be released. With just two short weeks before the Kansas City Dyno Day, Doug announced he would do his absolute best to have our car done beforehand. Neither of us knew just how close we would be cutting it: After everything was put back together the car was fired up and ran beautifully. No oil burning, no fouled plugs - the end was in sight. Until the belt moved a notch. Oh, they used a ten rib belt for this install and it probably wouldn't have bothered most, but again it was completely unacceptable to DLM. So they pulled a late nighter to finally figure out what was wrong - and fixed it. The car ran great, everything in order, and Doug pronounced it good to go on the morning of Thursday, April 12th. Dyno Day was only three days away.
Chapter 10 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
So both Doug and I frantically start calling different carriers and transport companies to see if they had a trailer in the area that could be in the Midwest by Sunday. Nope. Pacing the floor around lunch time, I made my decision: I would fly down to Miami and drive it home - some 1500 miles, seven states, mountains, and who-knows-what kind of weather. One problem: Every airline was sold out from Kansas City to Miami. Finally, at 3:00 PM I found a single seat on an Air Trans flight leaving at 4:15 PM. And I live about 45 minutes from the airport. At 3:20 I was packed up and my bride back from picking our son up from school. We race to the airport. I make the flight.
Now as all this is happening in Kansas City, something else is unfolding in Miami: The NOPI drifting series and car show is coming to Miami for four days, starting Thursday and running through Sunday. One of the Mopar drivers? Nick Hogan - a DLM customer. So who do they ask to help support the team while they are in town? You already know that answer. So now Doug is working to get me into town and to the shop, all while at the track working with the drift team to keep their cars up to *****. I was starting to think I should return a couple of those extra value meals.
So I fly in and all is well. Doug can't meet me at the shop as he has to head for the track at 6:00 AM. Needless to say, I was delighted for him and understood 110%. Those types of opportunities only come once (watch for him on Hogan Knows Best). So at 6:30 on Friday morning I took a $40 cab ride to DLM. Oh yeah, and that was out of the $72 I "borrowed" from my kid as I had no cash when I left for the airport in such a rush. The Florida turnpike tolls and occasional soda would consume the rest. I met with John, one of DLM's premiere craftsmen. He went over the car in detail, explaining every little thing and answering even the goofiest questions I had (what should I use to polish the intake?). I felt terrible, because I normally try to tip those that help me and I literally had just toll money and spare change in my pocket. Needless to say, John should be watching the mail.
And with that, off I went on my 1500 mile journey home in a car I hadn't driven in a long time and with who knows what kind of horsepower under the hood.
Well, those 1500 miles had one HUGE surprise in store for me: Not a single solitary problem with the car. Oh I had heard for years that the DLM cars were pretty much bulletproof, and John just laughed when I asked if he was sure it would make it all the way back. But I had seen the car in pieces just a short time ago and had a hard time wrapping my head around it. I called Doug for one minor "scare", in that it seemed like it might have a battery problem - when I would start the car it would crank a little slowly before lighting up. Doug explained that with all that new hardware up front the starter would have to work a little harder. He also mentioned he put in a brand new battery for me before I arrived. It didn't seem like the old one was bad, but he wanted to make sure everything was covered. Another 70 McDonalds upgrades for me, as he didn't even charge me for it. Once explained, that was it for the rest of the trip. A few highlights:
Florida is very flat and has some nice roads. Nuff said:
Leaving Atlanta I pick up a posse - a six ****** Mustang and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. We traded spots along the way and managed some very spirited driving. The Mustang peeled off but the Eclipse would stay with me until just north of Nashville - at one point with the passenger putting up a handwritten sign that said, "I have to ***!" So we stopped for gas and the aforementioned *** and I met the driver, a very excited teenage kid that had never been close to a Viper before. By the time that stop was over I learned that he was totally clueless about cars but as enthusiastic as they come. I also learned his radio had stopped working and he was bummed. I then taught him about fuse boxes and what to look for. And that is what it was. The gas, the *** stop for his girlfriend and her sister, and the automotive lessons cost us a half hour. But it was one of the highlights of the trip.
Soon after that I hit rain - LOTS of rain. Now all during this drive I was having another DLM-related issue: Doug kept calling me to make sure I was doing okay! Mind you, he is being filmed and interviewed at the track, but he wants to make sure I am not too tired and that I am thrilled with the car. I asked if rain would be an issue given the way my intake was set up, and he said, "of course not." And it wasn't. At times I could barely see 50 feet in front of me and had to slow to a crawl to keep those Michelins from becoming water skis. At 1:30 AM my bride called to let me know it was SNOWING in Kansas City and sticking to the roads. So much for making the trip straight through. So I finally found a hotel that wasn't sold out on a Friday night. A few drunks in the side parking lot and still pouring down rain. Crap, I really don't want to leave the car parked out for either condition. The front desk clerk saw my dilemma (and loved the car) and suggested I park it under the canopy. So I did.
I then got up four hours later to move it as the drunks were gone, the rain had slowed, and a decent parking spot had opened up within view of my room. Didn't want everybody to be leaving in the morning and see the idiot that parked right under the canopy. Rest assured that if Viper owners ever get a bad rap it won't be from me...
So I stuck around the hotel for a while to wait for the Kansas City snowfall to melt with about five hours of driving left. Managed to answer some e-mails and fix a few account settings on the forums. And then off I went, back into the rain...
But look, St. Louis! Only one more state to get across safely, and that would be Missouri.
And there it is in the distance - Kansas City! Lucky they put that sunshine there to guide me to it...
And finally, Home Sweet Home on Saturday, April 14th at 5:15 PM. And you bet your butt we washed it first to get rid of 1500 miles of road grime:
Chapter 11 - The Telltale Heart
Okay, 1500 hundred miles later (with about 600 of those in cold, hard rain) and a semi-decent amount of sleep, it was time to go to the dyno. Oh, not for the yellow car - a friend had asked that I take his '03 SRT10 for him as he was traveling and was pretty sure mine wouldn't be back in time. Unfortunately, when I got to his garage I found that he had left his key in the ignition - and switched to "on". Yep, battery as dead as a doornail. Finally got a jump after borrowing his neighbor's jumper cables and away I went to the dyno. Waited two hours to get a run and did a respectable 462 rwhp. Remember, this was a friend's car - not mine. So then went and dropped his off and picked ours up. Of course there were a few folks that had waited around to see the car after being gone for so long. Nobody was disappointed.
And mind you, we didn't have time to detail it even a little bit - just wipe down some of the water spots that had appeared from all the rain.
Of course everybody was curious as to how this car would do on the dyno. Scratch that, they were just dying to know what those many months had yielded. After a minor hiccup (slight belt slipping from 1500 miles of loosening), we tightened the custom tensioner (so easy a kid could do it blindfolded) and finished off with this little run:
Not too shabby on pump gas with a short 1500 mile drive to the dyno, eh? Note that there was a small "gap" on the dyno graph from about 3900- 4250 RPM's - figuring a loose connector on the dyno clamp (obviously the engine didn't disappear during that time). I connected the lines in green just so you would know. You might also note that the dyno operator shut down at 5700 RPM - it was pretty obvious from the "trajectory" that had he stayed in it until 6100 RPM's or so it would have easily eclipsed 900 RWHP. Amusingly enough, Doug was on the phone with me for practically the entire dyno session just to make sure things went as he just knew they would. Hard to imagine even the Maytag man could be more dependable. He pointed out that the car still had the stock mufflers, crossovers, and 2.5" exhaust outlets. Not to mention a conservative tune and non-aggressive pulley...
And one very last important note to ANYBODY that is considering the Paxton or other supercharger options: Like most have said, the daily driving characteristics are largely unchanged. Even with a few other tweaks on mine the only thing noticeable was the sound (headers) and the lope of the cam (the famous 708). Otherwise the car drives just as it always has without so much as a hiccup. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere, be it a grocery run or a trip cross-country. It's that good.
Acknowledgments
First off, a very heartfelt thanks to Doug Levin, John, Frankie, and the rest of the crew at Doug Levin Motorsports. On those rare occasions when I was getting worried (bad heads) they never hesitated to take my call or call me right back. They were always 100% up front when it came to costs and where they were with the work. The car came back to me without a single blem on it - which actually surprised me a little, given the amount of work that was done - twice. And of course the work itself was absolutely first class all the way. Even our most mechanically astute member (Ferrari mechanic, etc.) said that the "install looked fantastic" and how smooth it was on the dyno - no cutting or popping as some high-HP cars can do on a WOT run.
I also want to thank the folks at Paxton for an awesome supercharger and the work that obviously goes into these units. One of my absolute favorite things is that whistle/whine that just lights up the front of the car. I can't tell you how many "challengers" caught up to me when the pavement was dry, only to pull next to me and hear the supercharger. Then it was a meek "thumbs up" and they either faded back or casually pulled away.
Speaking of sounds, another big thanks to Lou Belanger and Belanger Exhaust for producing these great headers. While the wife is still a bit suspect of the loudness, I made sure to rev that exhaust under every large overpass or tunnel on the way home from Miami - sounds incredible and undoubtedly helped that horsepower significantly.
Whew! That's all for now. I hope this wasn't too terribly boring to read, but we are very stoked to not only have the Viper in the garage, but to have such an incredible work of art in that engine while producing an incredible amount of power. Indeed, assuming a 13% driveline loss, that 870 rwhp just happens to equal 1000 flywheel horsepower on the dot (870/.87). And I wouldn't even be mildly surprised if Doug planned it that way.
2007: A Boost Odyssey
Chapter 1 - Meet Me in St. Louis
The Viper world is blessed with some incredible tuners and has been for many years. Good guys and bad guys, some still around while others simply disappeared. I have had the pleasure of meeting just about all of them at one point in time another - Roe, Hennessey, Heffner, Cashiola, Welch, Maxwell, and many more. But at VOI 6 in St. Louis back in 2000 I met one that made a lasting impression: Doug Levin from Doug Levin Motorsports (DLM). As one of the first in the Viper tuning business, he was practically swarmed by Viper owners from all over the country. I stood in line to chat with him and, being a new Viper owner myself, expected the quick handshake and brush-off for the more important (and more monied) owners waiting to chat with him. To my surprise he took time to chat with me even though I told him right up front that I was a long ways from ever being able to afford something like he offered. Heck, I couldn't even afford a K&N intake back then. Didn't stop him from explaining to me how the supercharger systems worked and how his shop turned out the final product. He even suggested I stop by his race trailer at the drag strip later - where he gave me one of the few embroidered polo shirts he brought with him from Florida. And all for a guy that he knew couldn't afford what he was selling and who was just another wide-eyed Viper owner.
Chapter 2 - All Quiet on the Midwestern Front
The years passed and I stayed in contact with Doug on a regular basis. When I became a regional treasurer I asked him if he would be interested in sponsoring our annual Dyno Day with some small trophies. He was delighted to help and even sent along some T-shirts for the participants, many of which you will still see at the occasional Kansas City Viper event. I think that was back in 2002 and he has sponsored them ever since, despite not even having a DLM car in the local club for many of those years. And of course I was still unable to afford doing anything with my car and it just didn't matter to him - he was delighted to make friends whether they were customers or not. I was always impressed that he, and others like him in the Viper community, would take the time to chat with folks that clearly wouldn't be customers soon - if ever. My 2000 GTS went to a new home in Georgia. My 2003 SRT-10 went to a new home less than a mile away. And none got more than K&N filters.
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Chapter 3 - Blazing Vipers
In 2004 the Viper Club of America announced its first ever Limited Edition: A factory produced SRT10 Roadster in Viper Yellow with black wheels and hood stripe. Having never owned a Viper that wasn't black, the bride suggested we try an actual color and submit our name for consideration. Lo and behold, our names were among the lucky 50 that were drawn for that special car. We then traveled to Dallas for VOI 8 in September of that same year and took delivery of our new yellow beast. After getting used to those bright yellow fenders in the windshield, we couldn't have been happier. Well, the bride anyway - Yours Truly still wanted to make just a little more power. But it would have to wait.
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Chapter 4 - The Perfect Storm
So 2004 came and went, as did 2005. We enjoyed our extended Viper-driving season and kept busy with a huge Zone Rendezvous here in Kansas City. Numerous Vipers and their owners came from around the country to visit our fair city. We even had some vendors display their wares, including RSI and Woodhouse - both showing off their latest supercharger and turbo packages for the SRT. Boost envy was definitely the feeling that summer. Later that fall things clicked in the business and we had a few extra pennies to spare. Making the very biggest puppy dog eyes possible, I asked my bride if we could chat with Doug on a more formal basis. The eyes had it. But with the understanding that we needed to try to be frugal even with such a purchase. Apparently she wasn't impressed with the blow-dryer I had attached to our intake, but maybe because it was pink. Go figure. So I made the fateful call and introduced myself to Doug as Chris, the customer. I had wanted to say that for the longest time.
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Chapter 5 - Independence Day
So we talked. And talked. And talked some more. We finally made a deal in early 2006 which of course was totally confidential, but I can tell you this much: DLM was plenty busy and had lots of cars being done at the time. So I suggested that he take his time with mine and work on it when possible. Maybe during a lunch hour or a bathroom break at one of the all-night poker parties at the shop (okay, I made that last part up). But seriously, he had as long as he wanted with the car with no limits and no pressures to get it back to me. In turn he offered to give me a small discount on the work - enough to supersize my extra value meals for a year. Which I did, of course.
Chapter 6 - Sleepless in Kansas City
So the car was shipped to Miami and arrived safely. I quickly learned that Doug had a great sense of humor, announcing that only one door was missing when it arrived. As promised, I didn't call him or bug him at all. He would call with the occasional updates, but as expected his shop was very busy and my car was progressing slowly. Now it didn't bother me much at all. Was kinda hoping it would be back for VOI 9, but he had plenty of customers that couldn't afford those supersized meals and wanted the same thing. They were first in line and that was fine with me. But a strange thing started happening: While Mary and I slept soundly, our fellow local Viper owners were getting antsy. "Got your car yet?" was the rally cry more often than not. We just shrugged and said, "it's coming - have patience." We were busy stuffing our faces with Big Macs and large fries (okay, that was just me). And not worried in the slightest. That came in November.
Chapter 7 - Houston, We Have a Problem
The car was largely finished around Thanksgiving. Everything put back together and the car running almost perfectly. Almost . Seems it was burning a little oil and fouling one of the plugs consistently. Undaunted, the DLM team scrambled to replace valve guides, seals, and everything else to try and fix what they hoped was a problem with the heads and not the block. Now some may recall that in late 2005 I started bargain shopping for parts - headers, heads, etc. The idea being to send them with the car to be installed by DLM. Some said that was ill-advised, as you get what you pay for. Undaunted, I found a very reasonable set of heads that had been ported and polished with upgraded rockers. I bought them sight unseen and sent them with the car to Miami. DLM decided that the port/polish job was okay at best and sent them to a local shop to be worked before putting them on the car. This was long before the oil problem. So early this year the heads were pulled and sent back to the same local shop. Seems that they had missed something rather critical: The heads had been welded at some point and those welds (on the runners) weren't holding. Terrible news on one hand, but good news in that the block was fine.
Chapter 8 - Go Ahead, Make My Day
So now what? Should they send my original take-off heads to another shop and start all over again? Well, Doug came through personally this time: He had a previous set of ported/polished heads from his personal SRT10. After carefully measuring the chambers of each they determined they could match the defective set with some slight milling. Sure enough, a perfect match! Now about this time (by now late March) I was in Orlando on unrelated business. I decided to speed down to Miami and take a quick peek at our car. And sure enough, it was right there and being worked on with a couple celebrity-owned cars nearby. Good colors too!
Chapter 9 - Rush Hour
A few weeks beforehand I had asked Doug if he would mind sponsoring the Kansas City Dyno Day again. And of course he was delighted to do it, despite the fact that there would again likely be no DLM car there. Or would there? Now the heads were matched up but if you know DLM you know they don't take shortcuts: They decided that since the "bad" heads were on the car when the engine was broken in they would re-ring the pistons and basically start from scratch. In addition, the shiny bits on the motor had a few scuffs from all the overwork on the car and Doug wanted those looking great before the car would be released. With just two short weeks before the Kansas City Dyno Day, Doug announced he would do his absolute best to have our car done beforehand. Neither of us knew just how close we would be cutting it: After everything was put back together the car was fired up and ran beautifully. No oil burning, no fouled plugs - the end was in sight. Until the belt moved a notch. Oh, they used a ten rib belt for this install and it probably wouldn't have bothered most, but again it was completely unacceptable to DLM. So they pulled a late nighter to finally figure out what was wrong - and fixed it. The car ran great, everything in order, and Doug pronounced it good to go on the morning of Thursday, April 12th. Dyno Day was only three days away.
Chapter 10 - Something Wicked This Way Comes
So both Doug and I frantically start calling different carriers and transport companies to see if they had a trailer in the area that could be in the Midwest by Sunday. Nope. Pacing the floor around lunch time, I made my decision: I would fly down to Miami and drive it home - some 1500 miles, seven states, mountains, and who-knows-what kind of weather. One problem: Every airline was sold out from Kansas City to Miami. Finally, at 3:00 PM I found a single seat on an Air Trans flight leaving at 4:15 PM. And I live about 45 minutes from the airport. At 3:20 I was packed up and my bride back from picking our son up from school. We race to the airport. I make the flight.
Now as all this is happening in Kansas City, something else is unfolding in Miami: The NOPI drifting series and car show is coming to Miami for four days, starting Thursday and running through Sunday. One of the Mopar drivers? Nick Hogan - a DLM customer. So who do they ask to help support the team while they are in town? You already know that answer. So now Doug is working to get me into town and to the shop, all while at the track working with the drift team to keep their cars up to *****. I was starting to think I should return a couple of those extra value meals.
So I fly in and all is well. Doug can't meet me at the shop as he has to head for the track at 6:00 AM. Needless to say, I was delighted for him and understood 110%. Those types of opportunities only come once (watch for him on Hogan Knows Best). So at 6:30 on Friday morning I took a $40 cab ride to DLM. Oh yeah, and that was out of the $72 I "borrowed" from my kid as I had no cash when I left for the airport in such a rush. The Florida turnpike tolls and occasional soda would consume the rest. I met with John, one of DLM's premiere craftsmen. He went over the car in detail, explaining every little thing and answering even the goofiest questions I had (what should I use to polish the intake?). I felt terrible, because I normally try to tip those that help me and I literally had just toll money and spare change in my pocket. Needless to say, John should be watching the mail.
And with that, off I went on my 1500 mile journey home in a car I hadn't driven in a long time and with who knows what kind of horsepower under the hood.
Well, those 1500 miles had one HUGE surprise in store for me: Not a single solitary problem with the car. Oh I had heard for years that the DLM cars were pretty much bulletproof, and John just laughed when I asked if he was sure it would make it all the way back. But I had seen the car in pieces just a short time ago and had a hard time wrapping my head around it. I called Doug for one minor "scare", in that it seemed like it might have a battery problem - when I would start the car it would crank a little slowly before lighting up. Doug explained that with all that new hardware up front the starter would have to work a little harder. He also mentioned he put in a brand new battery for me before I arrived. It didn't seem like the old one was bad, but he wanted to make sure everything was covered. Another 70 McDonalds upgrades for me, as he didn't even charge me for it. Once explained, that was it for the rest of the trip. A few highlights:
Florida is very flat and has some nice roads. Nuff said:
Leaving Atlanta I pick up a posse - a six ****** Mustang and a Mitsubishi Eclipse. We traded spots along the way and managed some very spirited driving. The Mustang peeled off but the Eclipse would stay with me until just north of Nashville - at one point with the passenger putting up a handwritten sign that said, "I have to ***!" So we stopped for gas and the aforementioned *** and I met the driver, a very excited teenage kid that had never been close to a Viper before. By the time that stop was over I learned that he was totally clueless about cars but as enthusiastic as they come. I also learned his radio had stopped working and he was bummed. I then taught him about fuse boxes and what to look for. And that is what it was. The gas, the *** stop for his girlfriend and her sister, and the automotive lessons cost us a half hour. But it was one of the highlights of the trip.
Soon after that I hit rain - LOTS of rain. Now all during this drive I was having another DLM-related issue: Doug kept calling me to make sure I was doing okay! Mind you, he is being filmed and interviewed at the track, but he wants to make sure I am not too tired and that I am thrilled with the car. I asked if rain would be an issue given the way my intake was set up, and he said, "of course not." And it wasn't. At times I could barely see 50 feet in front of me and had to slow to a crawl to keep those Michelins from becoming water skis. At 1:30 AM my bride called to let me know it was SNOWING in Kansas City and sticking to the roads. So much for making the trip straight through. So I finally found a hotel that wasn't sold out on a Friday night. A few drunks in the side parking lot and still pouring down rain. Crap, I really don't want to leave the car parked out for either condition. The front desk clerk saw my dilemma (and loved the car) and suggested I park it under the canopy. So I did.
I then got up four hours later to move it as the drunks were gone, the rain had slowed, and a decent parking spot had opened up within view of my room. Didn't want everybody to be leaving in the morning and see the idiot that parked right under the canopy. Rest assured that if Viper owners ever get a bad rap it won't be from me...
So I stuck around the hotel for a while to wait for the Kansas City snowfall to melt with about five hours of driving left. Managed to answer some e-mails and fix a few account settings on the forums. And then off I went, back into the rain...
But look, St. Louis! Only one more state to get across safely, and that would be Missouri.
And there it is in the distance - Kansas City! Lucky they put that sunshine there to guide me to it...
And finally, Home Sweet Home on Saturday, April 14th at 5:15 PM. And you bet your butt we washed it first to get rid of 1500 miles of road grime:
Chapter 11 - The Telltale Heart
Okay, 1500 hundred miles later (with about 600 of those in cold, hard rain) and a semi-decent amount of sleep, it was time to go to the dyno. Oh, not for the yellow car - a friend had asked that I take his '03 SRT10 for him as he was traveling and was pretty sure mine wouldn't be back in time. Unfortunately, when I got to his garage I found that he had left his key in the ignition - and switched to "on". Yep, battery as dead as a doornail. Finally got a jump after borrowing his neighbor's jumper cables and away I went to the dyno. Waited two hours to get a run and did a respectable 462 rwhp. Remember, this was a friend's car - not mine. So then went and dropped his off and picked ours up. Of course there were a few folks that had waited around to see the car after being gone for so long. Nobody was disappointed.
And mind you, we didn't have time to detail it even a little bit - just wipe down some of the water spots that had appeared from all the rain.
Of course everybody was curious as to how this car would do on the dyno. Scratch that, they were just dying to know what those many months had yielded. After a minor hiccup (slight belt slipping from 1500 miles of loosening), we tightened the custom tensioner (so easy a kid could do it blindfolded) and finished off with this little run:
Not too shabby on pump gas with a short 1500 mile drive to the dyno, eh? Note that there was a small "gap" on the dyno graph from about 3900- 4250 RPM's - figuring a loose connector on the dyno clamp (obviously the engine didn't disappear during that time). I connected the lines in green just so you would know.
You might also note that the dyno operator shut down at 5700 RPM - it was pretty obvious from the "trajectory" that had he stayed in it until 6100 RPM's or so it would have easily eclipsed 900 RWHP. Amusingly enough, Doug was on the phone with me for practically the entire dyno session just to make sure things went as he just knew they would. Hard to imagine even the Maytag man could be more dependable. He pointed out that the car still had the stock mufflers, crossovers, and 2.5" exhaust outlets. Not to mention a conservative tune and non-aggressive pulley...And one very last important note to ANYBODY that is considering the Paxton or other supercharger options: Like most have said, the daily driving characteristics are largely unchanged. Even with a few other tweaks on mine the only thing noticeable was the sound (headers) and the lope of the cam (the famous 708). Otherwise the car drives just as it always has without so much as a hiccup. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere, be it a grocery run or a trip cross-country. It's that good.
Acknowledgments
First off, a very heartfelt thanks to Doug Levin, John, Frankie, and the rest of the crew at Doug Levin Motorsports. On those rare occasions when I was getting worried (bad heads) they never hesitated to take my call or call me right back. They were always 100% up front when it came to costs and where they were with the work. The car came back to me without a single blem on it - which actually surprised me a little, given the amount of work that was done - twice. And of course the work itself was absolutely first class all the way. Even our most mechanically astute member (Ferrari mechanic, etc.) said that the "install looked fantastic" and how smooth it was on the dyno - no cutting or popping as some high-HP cars can do on a WOT run.
I also want to thank the folks at Paxton for an awesome supercharger and the work that obviously goes into these units. One of my absolute favorite things is that whistle/whine that just lights up the front of the car. I can't tell you how many "challengers" caught up to me when the pavement was dry, only to pull next to me and hear the supercharger. Then it was a meek "thumbs up" and they either faded back or casually pulled away.
Speaking of sounds, another big thanks to Lou Belanger and Belanger Exhaust for producing these great headers. While the wife is still a bit suspect of the loudness, I made sure to rev that exhaust under every large overpass or tunnel on the way home from Miami - sounds incredible and undoubtedly helped that horsepower significantly.
Whew! That's all for now. I hope this wasn't too terribly boring to read, but we are very stoked to not only have the Viper in the garage, but to have such an incredible work of art in that engine while producing an incredible amount of power. Indeed, assuming a 13% driveline loss, that 870 rwhp just happens to equal 1000 flywheel horsepower on the dot (870/.87). And I wouldn't even be mildly surprised if Doug planned it that way.
in Kansas. Bob
