The following is my first gut feelings of both the C5 and the Mallet 435 as to hands on experience from owning/racing several C3s
and C4s including two ZR-1s.
Thus as a first timer behind the wheel of this C5, (now know as the Team ZR-1, Rebel from hel1 :-))
gives a clean look at this type of deisgn of a car that can be driven daily and at the same time be a
rebel form hell.
some feeling are from what I see as to the C5 itself, Mallet's products and the two married together.
C5 - On its own merits.
1. The windshield tinting is not as good as it was on a ZR-1.
Sun had much more of a glear that forced sunglasses then if it was a ZR-1 windshield
2. The hood design for me is a flop, it's almost like G.M expects no one "wrenches" anymore. you can't even see the
front shocks, yet alone replace them like you can on a C4.
3. Clearly the C5 was designed for people who like to wear dresses,
I find it much easier on my spine to get in and out of a C4 then I do with the C5.
4. The seats do not have the proper support as the C4s do.
They also wanted folks with fat butts to be happy but for the rest of us there is no seat side support for hard cornering.
6. The HUD's output is great, can be seen even with bring sunlight and output stayed at a constant level. It allows
for good placement adjustment of that screen. Seeing the MPH is nice, but I'd rather also like to see average speeds
or elasped distance on that screen. seeing some square dots related to oil or water temps did nothing for me.
7. All that memory stuff to me is just something else to break down ( and maybe lock the seat into the far postion
where you need stilts to get the clutch pedal to the floor.
8. Fit and finish seem to be better then a C4, inside though feels like less free room then a C4.
9. Did they not think the owners would want to jack the car up or what, not much thought into easy floor jacking.
10. A base C5 for me would not give me that smae feeling as driving a ZR-1.
11. The paint color is kinda weird,. Its a metallic navy blue, when the sun shines directly on it, it is about as nice
as the admiral blue on the 94- 96 C4s, but otherwise the paint becomes flat and almost looks black.
Does not take pictures very well unless the lighting is just right.
12. Half assed design. At lower part of front bumpner fascia, is air tunnels. When you track them you find they just
dump out into wheel wells and are not ported near the brakes where the airflow is needed. to me the should have
completed for what they know the purpose of it is for.
Mallet 435
1. Their workmanship is about the best I have seen. I saw what Stan's ZR-1 engine bay looked like after he had same types
of engine mods and frankly that vendor should have been shot on sight. I saw duct tape covering holes that were painted
black to hide itself, tangled wires, nicks on engine covers, etc.
Mallet's work looked like it came of the B.G assembly line. Everthing was neat, even cables to sensors where the long
tube custom headers were crammed in. Even the bolt heads were unmarked.
2. Mallet emblems and stiching on seats looked professional and again as if a vendor for G.M did it.
3. Engine, cooling and suspension designs looked well thought out and Q/A tested. It does not make you fear breaking
down on the side of the road.
4. To better the suspension handling and push the G values up, the "tubbing" looks well designed, only one flaw,
the wheel wells need sound deadning, with these hugh wells, at slow speeds it sound like your driving on a sandy
gravel road. Lots of sounds as rocks bounce off of top of wells. Needs to be sprayed with something to lessen those
sounds, though at higher speeds you do not hear them.
5. Lowering of car, the height changes may sound minor but look closely at George's stock C5 and the rebel from hell's.
6. Now is it worth the lowered height, well for one thing if you have a high curb as I do entering my driveway
you wish it was stock height. I could not even get out of my driveway without first hacking some wood to
build some ramp, otherwise front nose would be digging for gold. The lowered height on it's own, no, do not
do it, but if you add the rest, well it's another story. For we are racers, not cruisers.
7. Penski shocks. again these shocks get no respect. these are the same type of shocks the snakeskinner has so
I have had plenty of experinece with these designs. As hard as I try to stomp these shocks to full rod
travel, I have not been able to do that. This type of shick design is 10 fold better then normal stock shocks.
being fully adjustable makes them a perfect tuner function and blands well with the car being lowered.
Other shocks would not have handled less travel due to lowered height, but these shocks work as if designed
for low, tight suspensions.
8. What a cam, all I can say teammates, if your a land lover like me, you lible to set sea sick :-)
sitting at a stoplight, folks tend to look over and see who is getting it on in your car, for this cam at idle
has the car rolling side to side, and that is no joke, it is a cam from hell and I can see why it was designed.
9. Mallet exhaust, it's their design and in the rebel's case it is married to long tubed headers with cats that are
gutted out ( you can see the cats, but ahh, they are empty) a cross over tube and all stanless steel pipe and
mufflers. As you can see from the image above, the muffler ends, warn you a bit that this is not one to be F'd
with ( as will found out he he). My ears are wacked from too many years of racing but they sound OK, but
may not be for the sunday cruiser.
10. Mallet maintains the stock intake and plumbing that mounts not a stock air cleaner but a K&N design,
to me the mistake of the C5 and Mallet is there is zero airflow coming directly from outside and rammed
into filter. airfilter is sucking hot engine bay air. Needs cold air ducting.
11. Engine mods. Mallet being like me and others, is a long time drag racer and he clearly knows how to make
a E.T burner. The claims of the rebel is 475 HP with 490 ft/lbs torque. Clearly they had a mind in wanting
lots of bone crunching American torque power. The engine fires up as if it was a 4 banger, in that it
cranks for only a moment and then fires up on a dime.
12. Does she do it ?
Yes and quote well ( at least I know from zerp 10 100 MPH ). George below mentioned my very first crack of the
whip and what a response she gave. My spine still hurts from this first encounter.
First we rode in George's stock '98 AT coupe so I got and idea if what types of legs these broads have :-)
We then jumped right into the rebel and I rode her a few miles to get the temps to normal.
On a right turn, with some traffic, I eased RPMs in first and then quickly bumped the rev limter, as it was bunping I blip
shifted into 2nd as I power shifted as the slight bump stopped the fires torched and pulled this lady to her knees as if she
had been doing it this way for a long long time. the shift into 2nd was not even felt, no lag, no need to spool RPMs again
for she was pulling like a haord of elphants.
The car had zero time to even snake as it I played with the G-pedal and the car powered it's way through the tire spin as if
know the game and stayed straight as an arrow as the MPH spun up like a shuttle going to orbit.
Both geroge and I just did not get pinned to the back of the seats, we would have be thrown into the hatch area had we
not been belted in. The G force snapped by spine, clearly telling me this car was designed for torque, plain old fashoned,
get me there by big balls power. It proved that when I cut loose in 3rd gear and smoked those hugh 335/30 tires.
Was it a fluke, hmm. George headed home and I decided it was time to go for a longer test run.....
In short, I searched for a prey and found it, a nice German nameplate called a Viper. Ahh, es, the temps are normal (
more about that in a bit ).
Two wise guys ( must have been teeth pullers or lawyers :-) were weaving in and out of the lanes, scaring old ladies. ahh
the perfect guys to kick sand on :-)
I pulled to the left of this viper and played with em for a few lights, they looked over and assumed it was just a base C5,
their eyes lighted up as they assumed easy prey.
I played the old game, us old drag racers do, I let em take me off the line ( stoplight), let them take a few car lengths, then
worked the RPMs in first to match right about 5,000 RPMS, and blip shifted, powered right into the 2nd gear power
band and lite up the tires just as my rear tires were even with the vipers drivers window.
I bet they loved the smell. By the time the drivers jaw hit it low point, the rebel was in torque land and just whipped the
hell out of those boys. I took em about 15 car lengths, then easied up on the G-pedal, but matching the RPMs so that
when they caught up, I downshifted and the rebel's ass just waved a nice bye bye to them.
OK, so it has balls, but does it have long term speed, that's the next quest for the Rebel of hell.
13. For sure, cooling is a first fix. when car is moving water temps live at 190 degrees, but the oil temp is
living at 220 degrees, dang 30 degree difference and that is with 60 - 70 MPH speeds !
Without a doubt, no big time playing till an oil cooler is sicking wind.
OK, enough for our first day of testing, Let's see what tomorrow tells us.
Let's Go a Racing . . . give em hell in 2001
J.R
Got home from JR's house, and after experiencing that Mallet go, I told my wife it's time for heads and cam so to even
remotely compete with his ride. I think my neck's still sore, but I must say John, thanks for letting me experience a 11
second 1/4mile car!!!!! Heck I'm saving for those parts now, although I must rest for my neck does ache - and I am
very amazed at the ability to make 3rd gear smoke!! I think your car feels very close to Jim's 94ZR1 with 4.10's
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Team ZR-1
Teamzr1.com
