Third Stage of my G8
I've waited all year to write this!
On Thursday November 1st I got home from my return journey from Missouri City, Texas. After dreaming for 8 months, saving money diligently and planning every last detail for another 9 months, driving a 4,800 mile round trip over 8 days and painfully waiting for 5 weeks, at the end was the outcome I was hoping for: my G8 GT re-modded from the inside out.
Living in the Oregon, choices of reliable shops are far and few between. I had a hard time justifying the cost and effort when I didn't have 110% peace of mind that it was going to be done right.
By January of this year it dawned on me that - as crazy as it sounded, if I wanted to get my mods installed right, I was going to drive my car to Texas (the G8 center of the universe?) and visit Charlie. We agreed on a schedule of late September.
From January through September, I researched, planned and purchased parts. This is where special thanks goes to a LOT of people. There's Greg from Pace Performance, from whom I sourced most of my GM parts from. There's Crazy Paul, from whom I purchased all my Holden interior parts that resulted in the 'Vader' onyx interior mod.
I also want to thank Brett from Landspeed Development who gave me a great deal on Stage II cylinder heads and gave them a lot of extra TLC in the porting process. The extra time was worth the wait. I must also give credit to Brett for recommending his engine builder Rick, the owner of Precision Engine and Machine, who built my LS3 stroker motor.
Rick hand built the motor and made sure important things like pushrod length, P-to-V clearance and other important tolerances were good to go. He also provided invaluable advice on engine parts that resulted in upgrades like tie bar lifters. Brett and Rick worked together to make sure the final compression ratio (10.94 : 1 CR) was where I wanted it too.
And what's a perfect install without the perfect tunes? It was a dream come true to have Patrick G dyno tune my car in person, who remotely tuning (and saved) my cammed 6.0 motor over two years ago. Patrick G also provided an awesome camshaft recommendation for the stroker motor.
There's Louie, aka '20lbbooster' who selflessly and generously - without even knowing me beforehand, offered to get me to the airport and back after I arrived in Houston. Likewise when I arrived back in Houston five weeks later. There's something to be said about southern hospitality... I consider Louie to be a new friend and I hope to return his hospitality whenever I can.
Special thanks also goes out to Chris from Circle D Specialties who at the last minute built another converter for me when he suspected the first one might have been built with possibly faulty parts. And Casey from GForce Engineering for configuring my 750hp axles correctly to fit my G8 using a Camaro rear differential. And Mike the Powder Coater who received brand new stock calipers from Greg and did his magic.
Last but not least there is Charlie the GRRRR8, the owner of this forum - who I first met virtually on G8Board over four years ago. I chose him and his shop because he's a perfectionist at what he does and also has the most specific experience with our G8s.
His school of thought on customer service is unrivaled, his attention to detail is impeccable and he shares valuable car knowledge without expecting anything in return. Charlie is also a new friend as a result of this project and I'm so glad to have finally met him in person.
At the risk of sounding dramatic, it's the human connection with all these folks that makes this project a life changing journey, and not just conducting business with reputable vendors.
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Originally Posted by RichsGreyGT
2009 MGM G8 GT