OrangeVert!

[Orange Krate]

Originally Posted by Orange Krate

Paul and Geri,
I am sure you will be the "talk o' the town" with that beautiful IOM OrangeVert Camaro. It is a true classic. It is quite obvious you both have a very contagious case of Permagrin that comes issued with the DNA of the car. May you both enjoy and be safe for many years to come. I know Becky is pleased to see your satisfaction and don't forget to help her and Chevrolet out by completing the survey when it arrives. Enjoy the heck out your new vehicle and try the Elvis Channel on that XM radio! But you can leave the blue suede shoes at home. HA HA

Jim (and Erica) and Orange Krate too!

Convertible Camaros run great topless!

[DerbyChamp06]

Congratulations! Have a great time with Orange Vert!

[OrangeVert]

Here's a pic of my VIN for troubleshooting purposes:

[Orange Krate]

Originally Posted by OrangeVert

Here's a pic of my VIN for troubleshooting purposes:

Attachment 254006

Peekaboo! I see you.

[OrangeVert]

Hi Orange Krate,

Right - couldn't get out of the way looking through the view finder!

Not sure why I posted that pic here. Iirc, Jeff Morris was checking if I was included on the A/C recall and couldn't find my VIN, and I was not. Anyway, it makes a nice pic!

[OrangeVert]

Miles 220 to 220: Oshawa, Ontario (rented a Nissan Versa for the trip).

Had a great time at the Camaro homecoming! The factory tour was INCREDIBLE!! I got to meet some of the people who actually built OrangeVert! And GM Oshawa let us TAKE PICTURES!! OMG OMG OMG!! The next day (Sat) we went to Martinrea chassis assembly, and again - amazing! What good people & what serious work!

Three weeks later I still ask myself if it was a dream. It was better than being Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! Spent all day there, the second time the Oshawa folks let me take my engine cover in and I had it signed by many of the workers - what GREAT people!!

People lining up for the tour:



A really nice worker took my picture near the end of the line:



The banquet was awesome! I got lost on my way over and arrived late but Linda & Gilles, Hylton, Dave, Scott, and Theresa let me sit at their table. And the next day I got to meet many of the GM reps from the US and Canada.

What a weekend, like I died and went to heaven - but better 'cause I'm still here!

Already looking forward to next year’s homecoming. I’ll probably stay at the host hotel, as driving 110 km to stay in Belleville was too far. Need to find out the dates ASAP so I can put in for vacation from work. Also hope to bring my wife Geri if she can get time away from school!

[OrangeVert]

Miles 318 to 480: Cumberland Rhode Island – Diamond Hill State Park & RICOA Show

This was our first car show, and what a great time! Geri and I met up with Tim, Nick, Nick, and others at the Hopkinton DD rally point, then headed for the open road and the Emerald Square Mall. This was Catharine’s first trip on the open road, and gosh did she run great. You can tell she was made to run! Also her big debut: first car show! Thanks for Tim for snapping this pic, and the video of our highway "parade"!



We had no idea what was going on at the mall, since I had not looked at the New England pages in a few weeks. But after we parked where we were told and climbed up the parking garage, we got a big, and I mean big, surprise!



The ride to the park was awesome – Tim, thanks for the escort! Almost 50 5th gen Camaros in a row – earning us the coveted participation award for our efforts and success!



Tim it was great meeting you and seeing your beautiful orange ride. And oh, what a sound it makes!!!



The after party at Havocs was great too! There were even enough brownies left for everyone, though Geri had been giving them away at the show! And you can’t outdo Mrs. Havoc’s pulled pork – delicious!! Thanks Havoc, and Mr. & Mrs. Havoc, for opening your home to us!

What a great time it was. We headed for home as the next day was Monday, and back to work. We’re really looking forward to more shows this year! Update: Found some orange and black folding chairs at Wally World that match you-know-who's interior! If you want to match your IOM interior, check them out!

[OrangeVert]

Hi all, sorry for the long absence!

Long story short - lots of places to go, things to see, no time to post an update. Also changed employers to a job that will eliminate the headaches and off-hours worry. So more time to spend with Catharine!

Yes, a year after I placed her order (today I think), I'm just as glad I did it. That's coming from a real cheapskate Yankee who has issues parting with $1 USD, never mind $42,000+ of them. But no regrets - if you're considering an SS or ZL1 vert, I doubt you'll be disappointed!

I put Catharine into hibernation back in December, turned the collision insurance back on today and took her out for a spin - woot woot!

It was 75F+ in Nashua, NH today so I put the top down. Forgot how fast the SS was, Yikes! Didn't run stabilizer over the winter - just started every 3 to 4 weeks and ran to operating temp. Topped off the gas tank with 5 gallons today. Zoom zoom!

No apearance of the dreaded rub marks @ 1,988 miles. Will see what the summer brings, not expecting to put tons of miles on it except for a trip to BBOMG4 in August and the St. Catharine's engine plant.

Next maintenance item will be an oil & filter change.

[OrangeVert]

Ok, I decided on DIY for my first oil change, so I could document the process and check for the presence of metal shavings. On 31-Mar-12, OV had 2,022 miles on the odometer and 78% oil life left - and although I considered waiting longer, thought after 10 months and winter's short runs, I should change it "just in case" it mattered. Little did I know ... :( At first all seemed normal, somewhat dirty oil drained:



Went to Advance Auto and bought a AC-Delco PF-48 oil filter, which made me feel good - like I was working on one of my old GM V8s back in the day. Saw Mobil 1 there for $36 for 5 quarts, thought that was kind of pricey, so headed to WalMart and bought 2 jugs there for $26.48 each, Score!



Got home and drained the oil. Felt some grit on my fingers from the drain plug - not great, but a tiny bit of metal was to be expected.



Went to take off the oil filter, and then realized I didn't have a filter wrench! And of course it was 8:55pm, so too late to go to an auto parts store. Well, I have strong hands, so gave it all I could - and got the thing off! It took about 15 minutes of trying, a couple of millimeters at a time. But I got it, not bad for 50-year old hands!



After draining the filter oil, I checked the drained oil for metal particles. Well, I could not beleive my eyes when I poured the oil into another container for examination - metal pieces and shavings in the bottom of the container:



So glad I did not wait another mile to change the oil. Also plan to cut the oil filter open and check for metal particles it may have trapped. Might be interesting to bring it to BBOMG4 in St. Catharines this summer to show the powertrain folks.
:5thgenvert:

Lesson learned: I will always change the oil in a new car after the first few hundred miles, no matter what the factory or oil monitors recommend, and no matter how much technology "improves." Imho the owners manual should inform people about this, so those who care will know. I believe it recommends the first oil change to be done when the oil life indicator says it's needed. In my case, at 78% left, that would have meant a lot longer driving around with lots of metal shavings and grit in the crankcase. Although I realize most of it would be trapped by the pickup screen and/or the oil filter, it can't be too good for the engine.

I also filled the oil filter full of oil before reinstallng, the result was absolutely no knock upon engine restart. Also, this is how much oil is left in the second Mobil 1 container after filling the crankcase to full:



Will do another oil change this summer, hope to see only a minimal amount of grit and metal pieces.

[Orange Krate]

Hi Paul! Good documentation on the Orange Vert oil change. There is always a great possibility that small metal fragments will be in the pan after assembly, especially with a cast pan such as these. If you have any concern at all you can go to a Caterpillar or "John Deere" store and go to their parts counter and procure an oil sampling kit. I did it and it cost me about 20.00 to send in the transmission oil sample. They will email you back the test results of the oil assay. It will tell you exactly what it is you are looking at. It is cheap insurance and a great tool for discovering early engine wear.

I had a brand new Ford E-350 ambulance with a 7.2 diesel making abnormal valvetrain noise and as it turned out the cam had gone flat and the cam followers/roller tappets were flattened out and shaving steel bits into the engine. Ford warranted the $10,000 engine without any cost to me. So needless to say I am a huge supporter of oil assays for engines, transmissions (stick and auto) and Rear differentials.

I just did a couple of mods on Orange Krate that I did DIY's on and I am going to do another real soon for a throttle body install.

I wish you and your wife a wonderful fun filled spring full of many rides of leisure! Be safe!

Jim E.
Simi Valley, CA

[OrangeVert]

Awesome idea, thanks Jim!

That makes a lot of sense, would be interesting to see what the oil quality is like as time and miles progress. So glad your engine was covered! I was thinking more about this last night, and bits in the oil pan are probably not an issue until they clog the pickup screen or filter, and oil can't get through to the splash on the main bearing. Therefore it looks and feels a whole lot worse than it is.

A year later and I still love OrangeVert !! Plus I have a new job teaching for a different computer company - waaaaay less stress. Took several months to find, hence my absence here. Also get to travel now to varying locations. So if I get any where near So. Cal., will let you know!

Would be awesome to meet you and OrangeKrate in person. Maybe I'd be fortunate enough that there would be a show that weekend. Any chance you'd be driving the 2,576 miles to Niagara Falls this August for BBOMG4? Geri and I will be there with OrangeVert, "only" 502 miles for us.

Best to you and your wife, Jim. And of course OrangeKrate too!

[OrangeVert]

Quick February Friday morning update while she "sleeps"... Catharine has been hibernating since January 6th.

It's Feb 2014. 3 months shy of our third anniversary - 6,250 miles. Only mods so far are the license plate bolts through the lower grille, and orange SS kick panels to prevent any more door scratches. Finally temps are in the 30's again, and every day I plan on taking off the cover to reveal orange. But every day there is more snow, and I end up shoveling the driveway, walkways, back of the house, etc. again. This morning, nothing but freezing rain. Hope to pull off the cover tomorrow (Saturday, 2/22) and give OrangeVert her mid-winter start/run.

Pics to follow, have to run to work now ...