The GMMG Registry Forum

Hot Rod Edition #2000 History

Every car has a history & story that should be told (good or bad). Tell it like it is & don't 'sugar-coat' it! It is what it is & full disclosure is needed for any car.

Here’s HRE #2000’s story……………

I purchased the car from the original owner in May 2014 & took it on the Power Tour.

There were many good qualities & some bad things about the car.

THE GOOD:

It was owned by a body shop owner so it was always detailed & clean & in a climate controlled environment. Over the years I attended a number of events including a couple of Power Tours with the owner. Many car shows were attended.
When you look at the car there is something subtle & special about it. The Navy Blue Metallic paint with the red stripe is stunning. Then you look a little more & see the dark tinted glass, badging (Hot Rod Edition, Berger & GMMG) & realize it’s one of the 36 Hot Rod Edition built & the ONLY NBM/Red one.

The Fiske wheels (like the ones on the wide body Dick Harrell’s) make the car pop & the custom made Hot Rod Edition Center Caps are only on HRE 2000. The car just looks good!

It’s a Phase II/435 hp with electronic exhaust cut out, line lock, 4.10 gears, 6 speed & T-Tops. The HRE floor mats & car cover & all the documentation is with the car. The HRE Red & Black interior looks great.
THE BAD:

When I got the car the clutch needed replacement so I took it to my pal at the Chevy Garage & they installed a new GMHP clutch disc, pressure plate & flywheel & I left for the Power Tour.

HRE 2000 had a hard life with high RPM’s & burnouts. I don’t think I’ll ever light the tires & will never use the line lock. If you drive hard enough the car will eventually break.
The engine didn't want to run between 1500 – 1900 RPM & was a handful to drive. On the way to Charlotte the Exhaust cut motor fell off near Rockford, IL. The problems were just starting & it tripped engine codes all the way. I monitored them, cleared them & made some phone calls to see it was OK to run the car @ Z-Max. The consensus was yes – OK. Huge mistake – the car shut down @ ½ track on the 4th run. Plenty of smoke & a bad knock. You’d think that after 70 years I’d know better than to run the car. I nursed the car back to the Power Tour Mash Van & Charley & Jim Holloway from Mothers helped me arrange transport with Pilot. The car made the Long Haul but no one saw it because it was in the Pilot car hauler.

Pilot dropped the car in Atlanta with the guy that build the motor & it sat for 2 months with no work – no phone calls & nothing scheduled. I was not happy!

The story gets better………

The original owner said he’d pick up the car & take it to Jim Park’s in Madison, WI (GMMG owner I’ve known for a long time).

THE FIX:

Anyone that knows me already knows I will fix it right or not at all & spend whatever it takes to make it right.

When the motor was torn down it was a mess inside…. Bent rod, blown piston, broken rings, bent valve. It was determined the computer (with an original old tune) make Bank 2 go lean & the motor broke.

The right fix was a brand new LS1 block from GM. The motor was put back together with new parts & reinstalled in the car. It was fired up & no oil pressure. WHAT? The motor came back out & the problem was found…. Oil pump was stuck open – no oil pressure. Maybe the motor broke because it was a combination of oil pump & lean Bank 2 or maybe not BUT at least the problem was found.
The injectors were removed, tested, cleaned & replaced as needed. New pistons, rings, rods, new intake & a lot more.......... Then the battery was dead so a new Delco was installed, the front end was aligned & the car was running. The special GMMG heads were OK, re-used & roller rockers were added.

Jim took the car to Stefano Bimbi @ NicKey- Chicago. The computer software needed updating, reprogrammed & the DYNO was used. I wanted a great ‘street’ motor with about the same horsepower & that’s just what I got. The numbers are very close to the original GMMG numbers.

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@ NicKey
Four months later & with over $15,000 in receipts for the engine, clutch, brakes, battery & shipping the car was ready BUT I had many reservations about the motor. I thought the best thing to do was go to NicKey & drive the car home to put some test miles on it. On October 21, 2014 I drove the car home with no problems; no codes & it ran so smooth in the 1500-1900 RPM range. YEA, the car was finally right & I put on about 500 test miles & feel very comfortable with the motor thanks to Jim Park’s, his engine builder Warren & Stefano @ NicKey. The car now has 37,050 miles with a fresh/new LS1 motor & is tucked away for the winter. I don’t know what I could do to make it any better at this point in time. HRE #2000 is stunning & a real head turner. That’s why I bought in the first place.
If you own a GMMG 435hp or above or a GMMG with headers & you drive it I’d have the computer software upgraded by someone who knows about the GMMG motors. Mike @ Vengeance or Stefano @ NicKey. These motors are NOT your typical LS1’s & need some TLC.

Hopefully others will learn from my misfortunes.

Fun costs money! (but shouldn't cost this much!)

Drive fast until you see the face of GOD, then brake & ask him how much!



To bed for the winter. Let it snow!

1 HRP under it's belt in the shadows, needs another in the light. Glad it's back on line.

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