Monday, August 07, 2006

I've got a couple ideas

The first involves a web-based comic strip. Currently I'm working on characters and background, but the characters themselves are coming together pretty quickly. Most of them will be loosely based on myself, friends, family and the like, but I don't like the idea of making it an autobiographical thing, primarily because I'm just too damn boring to make it viable. lol

I grew up reading and mimicking the artwork in mainstream strips like Mother Goose and Grimm, Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side and the like. At the same time, I was reading comic books by the ton, mostly X-Men, Amazing Spider-man and other Marvel stuff, though Batman was always a favorite from DC and the Aliens series from Dark Horse kicked serious ass. Keep an eye out and when the time comes, please don't be shy about sharing your opinion.

I'm thinking the first comics are at least a couple of weeks out, as I am still working out the look and feel. With any luck it will actually be funny and something people will want to read. At worst, it will be good practice. We'll see how things develop...

Fair warning: If you're not into cars or judgmental of those who are, read no further, because things are about get excruciatingly boring for you. :)

I'm also brainstorming my next car project. The Brothers by Different Mothers have sold me on the idea of doing a carbureted C5 Corvette as my next project car. Started looking around online last night and Bryan turned me on to Scott Shafiroff's motor packages, one of which is a 472 cubic inch small block V8 running 10.5:1, making 635hp on 93 octane pump gas.

Needless to say, that would be more than enough power to reach my goal of building a car that makes over 500hp at the wheels. On top of all that, the motor goes for $11,750 plus options, which is cheap money for something on that power level. Throw in another $900 for the 850/950 Holley carb with it's associated extras and you're talking ~655hp from a NA small block that runs pump petrol!! All of this comes balanced, blueprinted, dynoed and assembled to your door. This particular motor should almost literally plug right into a C5's engine bay. Nothing in the aftermarket is ever plug-n-play, but going with a small block simplifies the install.

Those sorts of numbers from that size motor makes my twig and berries tingle! The car would not be a daily driver, but it would be an occasional commuter and weekend toy. The idea of going carbed-big-displacement-small-block in a fifth gen Vette also strikes me as super cool, because it throws out all of the potential electronic gremlins and incredible expense of an EFI setup, uses the stock mount layout and makes gigantamus power. On top of all that, it would be something of an insult to the Corvette elitists who mistakenly believe their cars are somehow inherently superior or special.

Anyway, it's all pipedreams at this stage. With school starting up, my salary effectively stagnant in real dollars and the unpredictable nature of real life, the next project might have to wait years, but it never hurts to plan ahead. :)

Posted by Erik @ 8/07/2006 10:39:00 PM