What’s your real name?  (What’s your online screen name?)
Vince Lung (Highpockets on most forums)

Where do you live?
Pleasant Grove, Utah

What do you do for a living?
Own and operate an automotive repair shop.

What GM(s) do you drive?
2002 Z06 Chevrolet Corvette, 1979 Pontiac Trans Am and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442.

How long have you had your GM(s)?
I have owned the Corvette for a little more than 3 years, the Trans Am almost 25 years!

What got you into GM(s)?
Definitely the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit. I loved to watch them do huge burnouts and just tear it up with the TA.

Have a favorite story to tell about your Corvette?
Probably a recent one that happened at the drag strip. Since the car is reasonably fast, I am running in one of the pro classes at our local track. Now the car still looks and sounds relatively stock so occasionally I’ll get told to go back and line up with the street legal guys, but in this instance it was just an idle chat with a fellow racer. The guy behind me was trying to accurately dial in his car. He was debating on a 10.12 or 10.08. I sat and watched, then finally walked over and talked to him. His car is a full tube chassis, BBC pro stock style car complete with chute and a HUGE set of slicks. I look it over and we talk for a few, he asks what I dialed in at. I tell him 10.18, as I have ran 10.12 and a 10.20 and the car generally gets faster in the cool evening air. He looks at me like I am from another planet, points to the vette and says, “That car?” “Yes, that car!” We proceed to line up. Me listening to the radio while I wait for our turn. Him sweating inside his hot race car. We proceed to run, I turn a 10.11 and he runs about a 10.09, but I beat him at the lights for the win. He stops me on the return road in utter amazement. How big a shot of Nitrous am I spraying, he asks. None, don’t even have a bottle in the car, as I collect what turns out to be one of the fastest time slips to date. I love the look on people’s faces when they see the car perform at the track! And it does so with full interior, AC, power windows and all.

Videos of Vince racing his Z06: http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/markselig/?action=view&current=2009_07160005.flv and  http://s127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/markselig/?action=view&current=2009_07160005.flv

What are your goals for your Corvette and how close are you to achieving them?
My initial goal was to see the car run comfortably in the 10s at our track. I achieved that and more this year, getting the car down as low as 10.09 at 140mph plus and I believe there are some 9 second runs left in it for next year. I just need to do my job driving, the car has plenty left!

Who has done most of the modifications on your Corvette? If you, what have you learned?
I have done virtually everything on my car with the exception of the actual roll cage install. I did strip the car and assisted in the design. I have learned tons about what NOT to do, what the weak spots are on the car, how to drag race a six speed IRS car efficiently without breaking it and how truly streetable a high HP turbo car can be.

What was your favorite modification?  Why?
I would have to say the twin turbo kit from TTi, exceeded my wildest expectations for a true street car!

What’s next for your Corvette?  Why?
Refining the package, some double adjustable remote reservoir shocks, progressive boost controller and some minor tweaking of the 2step. All in the quest for a 9 second street ride.

Who has helped you the most along the way?
My wife has been by my side, many friends on the corvette forum and my good friend Bob Pickering who cheers me on every race! And I can’t forget my Dad, who made it out many times this year as well. I have a very supportive family.

What are two things you’ve learned about yourself while building this car?
I learned that persistence, plenty of help as well as believing in yourself will see you through tough times. I also learned that you can never have too many friends or a big enough support group!

Who do you look up to in the GM community?
I would have to say the East coast guys, as they have raised the bar for FI Corvettes across the US. I wish I could make a trip back to the East coast and run with some of the fastest Vettes on the net. I feel the car would do very nicely.

Is there a particular shop you’d like to recommend?
Sure, mine! Lung Automotive in Lehi, Utah.

Do you spend time on any GM sites?  Which ones?
Yes. LS1 tech, Corvette forum, Digital Corvettes, Performance years, Realoldspower.com

Mod list
Virtually every mechanical component on the car HAS been modified, from a custom twin in tank return type boost referenced fuel system to the custom rear mount battery and cutoff switch.

Lets see, the engine is a Forged 402 LS2 stroker based on a new LS2 block, prepped and stuffed with a Eagle 4″ stroker crank, Fluidampr harmonic dampner, Callies Compstar rods, Diamond Forged dished low comp pistons, Diamond pro-select rings and Clevite bearings. ARP main and head stud kits hold everything together with a custom grind turbo cam. TEA 245 stage3 heads, Jesel J2K adjustable shaft mount rockers, C5R valve covers, ported LS2 90mm intake, ported 90mm TB, TTix twin turbo system, twin nozzle progressive methanol injection. Also installed but not tested is a 90mm plate nitrous system with Microedge nitrous controller. An LPE 2-step helps keep the launch RPMs consistent as well as allowing the engine to build boost.

A Custom line lock setup allows me to warm up the CCW drag pack and M&H Racemaster DOT slicks that are ran when we race it. Power is transmitted through a twin disc textralia clutch, protected by a Quicktime scatter shield to a modified MN12 six speed transmission. A 30 spline output shaft transfers the power to a C6Z rear diff conversion then on to the wheels.

A Custom built 10pt roll cage with dual swing out door bars and 5 point Simpson quick release harnesses keep you strapped in tight. Soon to be installed Firebottle onboard fire extinguisher will offer additional protection to the driver and engine. Vital systems are monitored by a SPA dual readout gauge setup as well as an Innovative XD16 WB O2 sensor and Blitz SBC-ID adjustable boost controller.

The car is kept as close to stock appearing as possible while still being legal to race with Toyo T1R tires on stock Z06 wheels for the street and stock millennium yellow paint on a completely refinished body. Running on premium pump gas and approx 15lbs of boost the car has run a fastest time of 10.09 at 140 plus at Rocky Mountain Raceway and is regularly street driven by my wife.