In Chapter 5, I installed new shocks front and rear, but the rest of the suspension was untouched. Since then, I recieved my lowering kit from VB&P. The rear spring connects to the upright with a long bolt, 9 inches to be exact. Increasing the length of this bolt to 10 inches lowers the car one inch. In the front, smaller wedges replace the tall factory ones. Installing the fronts is a several hour chore that involves gluing them to the spring. Thus, I only got the rear spring bolts installed. With them in, the car now sits level. I found a rear spring on ebay to go with the front spring I already had. I found the ever ellusive BMH rear spring. This spring only came on 1984 models, and only cars with the Z51 suspension package. I scored one on ebay for under $100 shipped. This may be too much rear spring, but I am going to give it a try.
Onto the actual track day. The car was much, MUCH easier to drive. Virtually all of the oversteer is gone. I'm not sure if this is due to running on 255/285 420 Treadwear Kumho ASX's instead of 275 dead Nittos, the new shocks, the lower rear end, or the combination of all 3. Either way, the car felt like it expected it to the first time around. This day, the tires were clearly holding me back. In the slow corners, I was really slow, while the tires were howling. In my Firebird, I managed a best time of 2:05.4 on Goodyear GS-CS's. They are a proven road race tire, and provide lots of grip. In the Vette, during my last session, I clicked off several 2:04's, and a 2:03.47. I borrowed a DL1, and hopefully I will be able to post some interesting data from it. My fast lap was also hand timed by Brandon (thanks!), and he recorded a 2:03.44! Pretty good for just his wrist watch.
Here are some pics taken by Jonathan Backof from Turn 10: