First Time Viper Owner- Hennessey 500
- Thread starter heath1225
- Start date
speedracervr4
Enthusiast
Create a Photobucket account and post the IMG link.
http://s1313.photobucket.com/user/echafin12/library/?sort=3&page=1
Here are a few pics of the car when the shipper dropped it off and of it in my garage. I provided the best pic of the headers I could get, which still isnt very good, and a pic of the "Venom Power" engraving.
Here are a few pics of the car when the shipper dropped it off and of it in my garage. I provided the best pic of the headers I could get, which still isnt very good, and a pic of the "Venom Power" engraving.
speedracervr4
Enthusiast
Nice man, looks great. Have you checked the date code on the tires? Might be something to think about. You can post the pictures by copying the IMG code in the response block.
speedracervr4
Enthusiast
No they look fine, it's just something new owners tend to overlook because the tread wear is fine. Tires will rot from the inside out and should be changed around the six year mark. There are a lot of garage queens with unsafe tires being sold. Search "tires" and I'm sure you'll find plenty of threads about it.
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eucharistos
Enthusiast
wow 
she's a beauty
you did good
she's a beauty
you did good
Darth Menace
Enthusiast
if you dont mind my asking what was the coin this cost?
Car looks awesome. Congrats!.... Glad everything finally worked out.
On the tires.... I second the comments.... Make sure they are good. Better safe than sorry. Here is a link to check the age of the tires assuming they are post 2000....
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
Worth checking it out
On the tires.... I second the comments.... Make sure they are good. Better safe than sorry. Here is a link to check the age of the tires assuming they are post 2000....
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
Worth checking it out
heath1225,
First of all, congrats on a beautiful Viper. Second of all, ignore hiss highness as he has no personal experience with Mr. Hennessey. Unfortunately, he is just a camp follower of Hennessey bashers. Most of them are just jealous.
I had John do the Venom 500 package in early 2001 on my RED 1998 GTS purchased new. BTW, red GTS's weren't produced with factory white stripes until the 2002 FE GTS. Your stripes are obviously added and look great in my opinion. If they are painted you got a hell of a deal. If they are high quality vinyl you still got a hell of a deal. I have added dual 8" flat black vinyl(high quality sourced from Porsche supplier) stripes to my GTS also thru the license plate area and they cost me $800. If yours are vinyl you could remove the gold stripes if you want to look more like original stock stripes.
Back to Hennessey and the 500 package. You have as advertised. Your headers look like mine and I also retained the stock shields for heat protection. IMO, it's stupid not to retain the heat protection provided by the shields. No need to visibly display the headers. The exhaust sound and HP gains verify you have them. Your exhaust tips are also Hennessey so I'm sure you got the full 3" stainless steel exhaust from Hennessey contrary to hiss highness BS about having to remove the side sills to verify. What a poor jealous individual he is. Sad he has to bad mouth other people's prized Hennessey Venoms to try to make himself feel better about his apparently sub-par performance in life. If you remove your valve covers I'm sure you'll find 1.7" T&D shaft mounted roller rockers. In addition, I see you have the same upgraded red Magnacor plug wires that I have. As far as your missing external badging, you can call John and he can send you the white vinyl Venom 500 stickers that go underneath the Viper GTS logos on both sides and on the rear bumper. You should also have a white Hennessey sticker that goes underneath the DODGE logo on the rear bumper. You have to be careful when washing the car not to knock these off. Probably what happened on the previous owner's car.
I live in the DFW, TX area. When I had my 500 package done I drove my car down to John's original HANGER shop in Houston and was there for the entire install. January 2, 2002 I drove my car down to John again and had the VENOM 650R package installed. I was there in the shop the entire week for the install because I enjoy participating and observing the mods being installed and learning about them. John and Jason did an excellent job on my Viper. A few years ago, I added a Roe Racing VEC 2 and had a 40 run dyno tune performed and I'm currently running 573 RWHP and 578 RWTQ. I also upgraded to the 10 qt. oil pan w/ race baffles and an ACR oil adapter. I have never had any issues with the work performed by John. My car runs extremely strong and is bulletproof. 40 runs to redline on the dyno in an 8 hour period of time during the middle of summer heat in TX pretty much proved the reliability of the motor to me. In addition, I've run to 202 MPH verified by GPS.
Bottom line, enjoy your VENOM 500. If you need any help contacting John for your Venom 500 stickers let me know back on PM. BTW, don't ever sell your GEN II GTS. You can never beat an original with an unsurpassed international race record, exclusive production numbers and a timeless design. To this day I have never had my GTS out that I did not receive OMG comments and have it's picture taken several times. In addition, I get to drive this BEAST!
First of all, congrats on a beautiful Viper. Second of all, ignore hiss highness as he has no personal experience with Mr. Hennessey. Unfortunately, he is just a camp follower of Hennessey bashers. Most of them are just jealous.
I had John do the Venom 500 package in early 2001 on my RED 1998 GTS purchased new. BTW, red GTS's weren't produced with factory white stripes until the 2002 FE GTS. Your stripes are obviously added and look great in my opinion. If they are painted you got a hell of a deal. If they are high quality vinyl you still got a hell of a deal. I have added dual 8" flat black vinyl(high quality sourced from Porsche supplier) stripes to my GTS also thru the license plate area and they cost me $800. If yours are vinyl you could remove the gold stripes if you want to look more like original stock stripes.
Back to Hennessey and the 500 package. You have as advertised. Your headers look like mine and I also retained the stock shields for heat protection. IMO, it's stupid not to retain the heat protection provided by the shields. No need to visibly display the headers. The exhaust sound and HP gains verify you have them. Your exhaust tips are also Hennessey so I'm sure you got the full 3" stainless steel exhaust from Hennessey contrary to hiss highness BS about having to remove the side sills to verify. What a poor jealous individual he is. Sad he has to bad mouth other people's prized Hennessey Venoms to try to make himself feel better about his apparently sub-par performance in life. If you remove your valve covers I'm sure you'll find 1.7" T&D shaft mounted roller rockers. In addition, I see you have the same upgraded red Magnacor plug wires that I have. As far as your missing external badging, you can call John and he can send you the white vinyl Venom 500 stickers that go underneath the Viper GTS logos on both sides and on the rear bumper. You should also have a white Hennessey sticker that goes underneath the DODGE logo on the rear bumper. You have to be careful when washing the car not to knock these off. Probably what happened on the previous owner's car.
I live in the DFW, TX area. When I had my 500 package done I drove my car down to John's original HANGER shop in Houston and was there for the entire install. January 2, 2002 I drove my car down to John again and had the VENOM 650R package installed. I was there in the shop the entire week for the install because I enjoy participating and observing the mods being installed and learning about them. John and Jason did an excellent job on my Viper. A few years ago, I added a Roe Racing VEC 2 and had a 40 run dyno tune performed and I'm currently running 573 RWHP and 578 RWTQ. I also upgraded to the 10 qt. oil pan w/ race baffles and an ACR oil adapter. I have never had any issues with the work performed by John. My car runs extremely strong and is bulletproof. 40 runs to redline on the dyno in an 8 hour period of time during the middle of summer heat in TX pretty much proved the reliability of the motor to me. In addition, I've run to 202 MPH verified by GPS.
Bottom line, enjoy your VENOM 500.
If you need any help contacting John for your Venom 500 stickers let me know back on PM. BTW, don't ever sell your GEN II GTS. You can never beat an original with an unsurpassed international race record, exclusive production numbers and a timeless design. To this day I have never had my GTS out that I did not receive OMG comments and have it's picture taken several times. In addition, I get to drive this BEAST!
Last edited:
REDBLACK-
Thanks for the compliments and assurances. Hiss Highness and I have talked via private message and I dont think any harm was intended. He just wanted me to be sure to look and see what I actually had. I am glad it panned out. It definitely has the power and sound of aftermarket exhaust. This thing can absolutely move and is much more than I ever imagined. I love it.
In general, I must say that there can be no car in the world that gets more looks, stares, and compliments than a Viper. Everywhere I drive or park I have people driving or walking close by to look or talk. Many have told me it is the most beautiful car they have ever seen. I am in a small town in rural Kentucky, but there is a lot of money in this area due to coal, oil, and natural gas. There are a ton of fast Vettes, Porsches, Merecedes, and even a handful of Ferraris. But there are only a few Vipers and they turn heads like no other.
Thanks for the compliments and assurances. Hiss Highness and I have talked via private message and I dont think any harm was intended. He just wanted me to be sure to look and see what I actually had. I am glad it panned out. It definitely has the power and sound of aftermarket exhaust. This thing can absolutely move and is much more than I ever imagined. I love it.
In general, I must say that there can be no car in the world that gets more looks, stares, and compliments than a Viper. Everywhere I drive or park I have people driving or walking close by to look or talk. Many have told me it is the most beautiful car they have ever seen. I am in a small town in rural Kentucky, but there is a lot of money in this area due to coal, oil, and natural gas. There are a ton of fast Vettes, Porsches, Merecedes, and even a handful of Ferraris. But there are only a few Vipers and they turn heads like no other.
You're welcome. Some great curvy and hilly roads with nice scenery in a mild climate to enjoy in rural Kentucky. I miss that in straight and flat, hot, hot, hot north central TX. Used to live in VA and NC. Miss those roads. As others have stated, make SURE you've got good sticky tires and don't punch it unless you're pointed straight ahead. The non-computer nanny Vipers will bite you bad. Sad to say, way too many owners have found that out by dying. Stay smart and safe!
mattdillon
Enthusiast
Heath, Beautiful Car My Friend! ENJOY Her & Like Someone Else Said, Make Sure the Tires Aren't Too Old! If they are, New Tires Make ALL the Difference in the World! Stay Safe! Also, WELCOME to the Great Viper Community!
speedracervr4
Enthusiast
I would caution of the side of error and buy new ones if you can. If not I wouldn't push the limits of the car on the street. I guess it comes down to driving styles as well.
mattdillon
Enthusiast
Everybody's Opinion Varies, But To ME 6 Years Is Pushing it! When I Bought My Car they Didn't Even Have 8k Miles On Them & Looked Brand New, But They Were Like Driving on Ice! jmo!
speedracervr4
Enthusiast
I could be wrong, but I thought they discontinued those in the Viper size. I know a few people who liked there Kumhos. I have PS2s, but I'm not really sure there worth the extra money over the Nitto Invo considering my street use.
VPA does have some good prices on tires.
speedracervr4
Enthusiast
Yea I see Summit has them. I guess I remember this thread from awhile back http://forums.viperclub.org/threads...35-35-17-tires-Will-they-EVER-make-them-again
Sorry not quite "neighbors". I'm in Walton.
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