Whatever happened to Jim LaBreck AKA JIMLAB

He ever get his RX7 running, havent seen or heard for awhile now.


David

Every now and then you see him selling parts(like thats something new). But what did happen to him?.

He went to take a **** and the hogs ate him.

Sorry, I don't have time to play with the hogs any more so you'll have to slop them yourself Ace. ;)

I got tired of reading the same questions over and over again, tired of being nickled and dimed to death by poor F-body owners on the parts I didn't need, and there wasn't anything left to learn here, so I stopped posting.

I ditched my 396 LT1 in favor of an LS7 build-up to save a hundred pounds and make the same power levels with a hydraulic cam, but got sidetracked by building a new house, a dedicated home theater, and working on shipping a couple software products some of you might have heard of.

Sorry, I don't have time to play with the hogs any more so you'll have to slop them yourself Ace. ;)

I got tired of reading the same questions over and over again, tired of being nickled and dimed to death by poor F-body owners on the parts I didn't need, and there wasn't anything left to learn here, so I stopped posting.

I ditched my 396 LT1 in favor of an LS7 build-up to save a hundred pounds and make the same power levels with a hydraulic cam, but got sidetracked by building a new house, a dedicated home theater, and working on shipping a couple software products some of you might have heard of.


Is the 396 sold, gone?


David

I got tired of reading the same questions over and over again, tired of being nickled and dimed to death by poor F-body owners on the parts I didn't need, and there wasn't anything left to learn here, so I stopped posting.


Sorry to hear that Jim. Now your destiny is clear though....you must start your own forum and share your wisdom with the ignorant masses!;)

I got tired of reading the same questions over and over again, tired of being nickled and dimed to death by poor F-body owners on the parts I didn't need, and there wasn't anything left to learn here, so I stopped posting.


:bow: :lol: :bow:

Funny how once you start buying stuff that you actually use (house, home audio, etc) the car deal feels like a wasteland. Especially when the people giving you advice are internet bad boys ;). When you have more money tied up in tuning software and AN fittings than most people spent on their wholecare, you're hanging out in the wrong place...

I'm in a similar position. Check sig :D.

Good luck, Jim.
Ryan

ryan,

The sad thing is you come back too it after a while. Trust me there is that middle aged gap in customers, and if they are in that gap have the money to play, but the guys younger and older than that are usually the two big markets.

Bret

Getting married, owning a house, etc.. doesn't mean you have to get rid of the project car. ;)

I got married, bought a house, hang with my friends, have an unhealthy jet ski habit, and still have my project car...

It runs though, so that helps keep it around ;)

I dunno, I feel your pain Jim. Married, 2 kids, house, mortgage, college savings plan, car sitting in garage waiting for me to change the fuel filter... which is sitting next to the car.. Priorities take over, it's more improtant to sit with my 6 year old and read and do homework than it is to work on the car, more important to sit with my 2 year old on my lap than it is to race the car, you get the picture..

I've been scrambling to get my project done....when the baby gets here in a few weeks there won't be much wrench turning going on for a few months.

Getting married and buying a house just adds to your to do list....you will be left with at least 30 mins of free time if you can sneak away from the wife before she notices you're gone. :)

Is the 396 sold, gone?Yep.

I tore it down to replace the valvesprings and cam, and while I had the heads off, I realized that since there was really nothing LT1-specific left about the engine, I might as well just get a Motown Lite block and save some weight and get another half liter of displacement, and have my AFR 215 heads converted "back" to standard coolant flow. So I sold the short block and bought a Callies Dragonslayer and a few other parts, and ordered a Motown Lite block.

After waiting 6 months for World Products to deliver with nothing to show for it, I was helping a friend out by fabricating a new LSx engine cradle design because the only other options have clearance issues or potential weld problems. So I bought a P-Ayr LS1 foam mock-up block and a set of JTR 1 7/8" headers, an LS7 intake, and a few other parts for mock-up, and at that point thought... why am I messing around with SBC stuff anyway? So I sold the AFR heads and Hogan's intake.

The release of the LS7 as a crate engine sort of sealed the deal, although I'm holding off buying because 1) GM has a history of improving on 1st gen. products and leaving early adopters holding the bag, 2) GM has a history of longevity issues with 1st gen. products, and 3) the car isn't hurting anything just sitting while I focus on other things.

Bret is right, I'll probably come back to it eventually, but right now I have no interest in the car or competing and nowhere to really use it if I did care enough to finish it. It's exactly what I wanted... about 8 years ago. :)

Getting married and buying a house just adds to your to do list....you will be left with at least 30 mins of free time if you can sneak away from the wife before she notices you're gone. :)

That's why you find a cool wife like mine ;)

Getting married, owning a house, etc.. doesn't mean you have to get rid of the project car. ;)No one said anything about getting rid of the car; it'll just remain in suspended animation awhile longer. :D

Maybe I'll dust it off and finish it when there are only 1,000 or so left on the road. At that current rate of attrition, that's only a few years off. Sooner if the prices keep falling and they keep making more Fast and Furious franchise movies. :)

ryan,

The sad thing is you come back too it after a while. Trust me there is that middle aged gap in customers, and if they are in that gap have the money to play, but the guys younger and older than that are usually the two big markets.

Bret

Bret,

I'm definitely not out of, just found a place that better suits me: actually driving :). I'm not worried about going faster, or getting 5 more hp at 2500rpm anymore - I'm beating on the car pass after pass :). I have more passes on my C5 (20) in two visits than I had on my camaro over 7 years. I hotlap over and over, turn the a/c on, and then I go home.

I lost a big chunk of money selling my car, and I couldn't have made a better choice. Go figure :).

Ryan

Unfortunately even some of us youngsters are feeling the sharp tug of responsibility:(

I'm only 20, and plan on having a good bit of time before I get married, but buying a house right now has superceded the importance of getting my car running again.

I never thought I would see the day:cry:

Wow a thread I can really relate to. I started modifying the car when I "thought" the kids should have started leaving the house. They didn't, one disaster after another, wife lost job,... and the car sits in pieces for years waiting for the funds to put it all back together (of course faster). Now that time has passed one does consider plunking a LS7 in there instead of modifying the LT1.

Just wanted to say thanks to people like Jim and Ryan for what we all learned from their projects, and their frequent presence on the board is missed but I understand the priorities. Good Luck,
Tim

Just wanted to say thanks to people like Jim and Ryan for what we all learned from their projects, and their frequent presence on the board is missed but I understand the priorities. Good Luck,
Tim


What he said. Thanks guys!:)

Hey Jim good to see you! We will have to go have a beer and shoot the breaze ;)

I dunno, I feel your pain Jim. Married, 2 kids, house, mortgage, college savings plan, car sitting in garage waiting for me to change the fuel filter... which is sitting next to the car.. Priorities take over, it's more improtant to sit with my 6 year old and read and do homework than it is to work on the car, more important to sit with my 2 year old on my lap than it is to race the car, you get the picture..


Thats when you say when y'all get your homework done you can come help daddy with the car. ;) Thats what my dad did with me.

P