The IROC – lee-lawmaster.com

IROC Update

No, unfortunately it isn’t running again. I sadly have not touched the car since I had to have it towed back home from Greensburg. The general consensus is that whatever the issue is, it’s not one that will require the engine be pulled. One uncle strongly believes that I have a bent push rod.

In anticipation of the issue being larger, over this time I have procured some parts that are period accurate and performance upgrades. An Edelbrock 3890 TPI base, and a set of SLP Runners.

This post is more about a little thing I did over two years ago. The interior was really in need. When it comes to upholstery work, there is only one person on this earth that I trust, and that’s my uncle Ed. While there were still rumblings about some virus in China, I made a mad dash to Oklahoma with the driver seat.

The 30+ year old upholstery was in such bad shape that a seat cover was required due to the rips alone.

While out there, my uncle gave me the good and the bad news. While he could repair the damage, what I wanted, it would definitely be noticeable. While minor, none of the new fabrics available look exactly the same as 30+ year old sun bleached fabric.

Thankfully, they no longer live in the stone age and have internet access that even satisfies me. So I began the hunt for new seat covers. While they can be had quite easily for these cars, that embroidery is the white whale. Most are generic, available in colors that did not come from the factory and generally the polar opposite of what I’m looking for.

I’m a professional googler by trade. This shouldn’t be “that” hard. I was really surprised to find exactly what I was looking for on of all places eBay. So I immediately purchased them. A set for the front seats only, a decision I now regret. I will find a cover for the rear at some point however. After a few hiccups with delivery, requiring I actually speak with a FedEX dispatcher and having him follow google maps to the location of my aunt and uncle’s residence, they were delivered.

A couple of weeks ago, my uncle sent me some photos. My driver seat is done.

I didn’t really have many words. I’m simply blown away at the result. Dad would be happy to have his handiwork on the car he never spoke about. My mind is only on getting the passenger seat out there to have that seat redone as well.

He then cleaned up the frame and seat tracks. Automotive seats are something he does all the time. Trust is everything to me on the progression of this car. I trust this man with my life, and I know dad would have trusted him as well.

So, as soon as I can figure out a time that works I’ll be westbound and down, loaded up and trucking. To see my family that I haven’t seen in years, provide them a laundry list of things I said I would bring, join the Cherokee and lord knows what else.

Blowin’ Out the Cobwebs, and the Engine

November 8th I participated in a car rally with my girlfriend’s son. The first time I’ve ever done such a thing. It was called “The Hunt” and there were 110 cars in total, including a Lamborghini Diablo, a Ferrari FF and an Acura NSX.

This rally was a trip from Indianapolis to Cincinnati and back, with detours off the interstate to keep things interesting. I went with 4 other cars from the Bloomington Auto Club, where we met up at 6am.

After a swift drive up to the place where we were staging, the cars started to roll in. We had made it around 8am, and were not set to head out until 10. So we hung out, checked out other cars and after checking in we all had a catered breakfast.

Photo of Lamborghini Diablo, courtesy of Chris Cunningham.

I felt a little embarrassed while we waited. Here I was in a incomplete 32 year old survivor car. Surrounded by vehicles worth more than my own home. I was with car people though, and several came to tell me how happy they were to see a 3rd gen Camaro. One guy even took photos of almost every angle imaginable. My car is of the elder generation now, and the respect it is shown makes me very proud.

The rally was started with a fury like no other. Speed limits didn’t exist. Before I realized it we were out of Marion county. We took an exit off I-74 onto a country road that met back up with I-74. I hit a bump on one corner, which put me in a slide that I was able to control. Tyler was loving every minute of the action.

Meanwhile on the app we were using for the rally, messages of “COPS ARE EVERYWHERE” were being blasted. Apparently our shenanigans had caused the phone lines at many police departments to light up.

Pit stop # 1, photos by Chris Cunningham, merged by me.

As pictured, our first official pit stop was something else. We completely filled up the parking lot in this gas station, with additional cars parked on the side of the highway. If you look closely, you will see my car.

That pit stop lasted about 30 minutes or so. When my fellow BAC members finally decided to take off, I went with them and within 15 minutes it all fell apart.

We were cruising on the interstate at nominal speeds, nothing insane, when I seemed to have lost all power. The engine was still running but driving at speed was impossible. I did not want to stop on the side of the interstate, and so I hobbled along 12 miles to Greensburg, IN. During that 12 miles, the temperature gauge began to spike, the car died once. When I made it to the exit – there was no gas station in sight. So I had to make some evasive and illegal maneuvers to keep the momentum going to make it to a gas station about a mile away.

I got the car parked in a way where it could be towed if needed. I then popped the hood and it began to overheat. So I turned the fans on (a little trick is to turn the AC on with the car off) to do what I could to help it cool. After about 30 minutes, I started the engine. Almost immediately, it sounded like a pop can rattling inside one (or two) of the cylinders. Cylinders 1 or 3 to be exact.

That’s when I knew the course of action. We were done, and the car was not going to move under it’s own power. This was to be the last time I took the car out for the year, and what a way to go out.

This was meant as a pressure test on the car for an eventual trip to see my family in Oklahoma. My father bought this car in 1988, and none of them have ever seen it in the flesh. I would have had a massive emotional breakdown if it wasn’t for Tyler, my girlfriend’s son. His positive attitude kept me positive through the whole ordeal. The tow bill? $575.

After I contacted my fellow guys in the BAC, I was a little shocked as to what happened not too long after my break down. There was a road block! One of my guys pulled a U turn and got a ticket. There was also apparently LEO’s in the Cincinnati area trying to catch Rally goers. My red Camaro would have been easy to spot from a mile away.

At this point, the probable diagnosis is a broken valve. It could be much worse however. A piston or rod could have had a problem. The head could be warped. The absolute worst case is that the block is damaged beyond repair.

I have ordered a scope to get a look inside the engine and am still waiting on it’s arrival. Once I get that initial diagnosis in, I’ll get a better idea of what direction I have to take. I have no issue rebuilding the top end of the engine with better flowing heads, valves, and to port the intake or find one of those “big mouth” bases for a TPI.

As I told the BAC, I’m down – but not out.

The Aussies Have Invaded

Yesterday, the Holden Owners of Indiana put on a cruise called the Fall Foliage Cruise. I had Amelia with me and wanted to take her on a proper ride in her papaw’s car.

The route began in Nashville, IN with a destination of Bo-Mac’s Drive-In located in Shoals, IN. We then took a separate route towards the starting point, which literally took me home, ending the cruise for us.

The route was far more twisty than Google wanted to show.

Me and the Camaro, surrounded by some amazing cars from all around Indiana

When I took this picture, the guy in the Ute said, “That’ll be $3.” I <3 these Aussie cars.

We all hung around for about an hour, talked to each other and then took off. Shockingly I has the most conversation with a guy in a Mustang. I was the only Camaro on the cruise.

The Geo Metro driver took this photo and I love it.

On the first leg, not too far out of Story, IN we ran into a group of 4 bicyclists. We were all running pretty hot, warming up the road and our tires. The car in front of me, a Geo Metro Convertible locked his brakes up and went in the other lane. That was when my own brake light came on and I lost a lot of my own braking power. For the rest of that first leg, I had to press the brake pedal about 3/4 of the way before the brakes began to work. We drove by Bedford North Lawrence High School, which is right by where my daughter now lives. It would have been nice if her mom and stepbrothers would have came out and waved in support.

Thankfully we were at a gas station for the first pit stop.

The next leg took us to Shoals, IN and the drive-in. Getting there was a bit of a battle though, as our group of 60 cars was split by a stranger and a tanker truck on US50. This road isn’t exactly “friendly” for safe passing of vehicles. One by one, the guy in the Mustang I mentioned previously, an AMG Mercedes and I passed them both however. Amelia loved it.

When we arrived at the drive-in, Amelia ranted and raved about the place. As a friend of hers had three t-shirts from there. Later in the day, she found out this friend’s grandfather owns it.

We all ate, rested and chilled for a while. Then a group of us, mostly driven by members of the BAC, decided to leave early to do some more “spirited” driving. We of course, went with the group. This became the hardest, fastest section. We took a county road the hardest I’ve done since I was a teenager. At some points my tires were telling me I was pushing the limits. I was proud of the IROC’s performance however, beating anyone was not what I was trying to do, keeping up with the pack is all I needed to smile.

Then we had another “incident.” We had moved from the county road to US450, a proper two lane highway. We turned a corner and were on a bridge when everyone just began braking, hard. It took everything I had to not hit the car in front of me. The 4th Generation WS6 Trans Am behind me almost hit me, but he later said he was under control. Then to my left, a white Fiesta went flying down the oncoming lane, hard. He later said he was going to make that oncoming truck stop, and he did! A couple of minutes later, we ended up on US50 at a gas station with a large parking lot. Upon arriving we all got out of our cars in a collective WTF just happened?

As we were there a Bedford cop showed up, I said well we’ve been made.

In all the years dad owned this car, he never really tried to see what it would do except for the few times we took it to Indianapolis Raceway Park to drag race it. Those who know IROC-Z’s know they aren’t a drag car in stock format. They are killer in the corners however, and can keep up with brand new sport cars in that regard.

I talked to Amelia about this, and how I hoped we were making him proud from wherever he is. It’s all I want to do, make him proud.

October VCCA Meeting

The October meeting of the Indiana region of the VCCA happened yesterday, and I have to say it was a great meeting to me. We had the largest turnout I’ve seen, and two new members joined.

One of those members brought his 57 Chevy Belair. He said it’s his 11th, and he has eyes on the 12th. With my father having one in his youth, this car has always been special to me.

Our October meetings are held at Jim & Holly’s house, and they have a glorious estate. I knew when I made it because I saw his Corvette and Camaro out front. We lined all of our cars up, and I saw an opportunity for a picture. I should have taken another photo however, as more people came afterwards.

Left to Right: 87 Camaro IROC-Z Convertible, 1971 Chevelle SS, 1972 Chevelle Convertible, 1988 Camaro IROC-Z, 1964 Malibu Convertible, 1957 Belair 2 door hardtop

We also had these beautiful automobiles:

We sat around a fire and roasted hot dogs and had our meeting. On the agenda was next months meeting, the upcoming anniversary meet and the Facebook group we agreed to make last month in order to bring our region into the modern world.

After our official business was done, the men kind of split from the women. We actually talked about our cars and had conversations about the automotive world. Something I haven’t seen much of in the group unfortunately.

This journey of coming back into the fold of dad’s car club is really starting to set in for me, and I embrace everything the club embodies. I have much to learn from those I share membership with, and I try to take every moment and every detail of it in.

Next month, we plan to meet in Morocco, IN. We have a couple of people who are interested in joining the club and have been invited to take a tour of a Snowmobile museum. It’s a big trip for me, but I am genuinely excited about the museum.

I’m waiting on some business cards to come in the mail so I can design some for our own club to be used to give away to others to use as materials to reach out and say nice car!

July VCCA Meet

Yesterday was the July meet of the Indiana Chapter of the VCCA. Thankfully all of my ducks were in a row to finally bring the Camaro, and my youngest wanted to come along too.

We had a great drive up to Cicero, where we met at Red Bridge Park. It was during this drive that I learned the cruise control is now working in the car!

We were also visited by a member in a C4 Corvette that was red as well. While having our meeting someone arrived in a 1957 Corvette too!

We then cruised over to Anderson to have lunch at a golf club, where four members of the VCCA who are not members of the Indiana Region were invited. Amelia and I sat to ourselves, and had fun. She kept going on about a YouTube video, speaking in a french accent.

After lunch, we had a pleasant surprise, as one of our invited guests had brought a 1941 Chevrolet convertible with only 12k original miles on it. It was truly a beautiful car that you really don’t see anymore.

While we all were “oooohing” and “awwwwing” over this car, Amelia decided to sit in the car. With the air conditioning not working, she got hot. With the assistance of the wives in the group, I relented to take the t-tops off.

The director talked to me about how most of the members of the Indiana region have been officers multiple times, and are now getting to a point where they just want to come and enjoy themselves. Our official meeting was led by Joe, who appears to be the next closest in age to me. I definitely see and feel a urgency for a new guard to take the helms. Being so new to the club, it’s a little scary to me. This was important to my father however, and I will stand up to whatever task or challenge that is given to me regarding this club. I want it to continue.

We then cruised back to whence we came, but went to an ice cream shop. While there, cooling off from the day the sky turned dark and the weather became nasty. We all parted ways.

The trip home was full of concern and strife, as this car isn’t known for its wet weather capabilities. There were times when we had to slow to 20mph or less, as I could barely see the vehicles around me or their lights. It took us less than two hours to make it there, it took us around three to make it home.

We also drove the entire day on less than a tank of gas, which has been another concern. This makes the possibility of driving to Oklahoma a real thing. I think I still have some tweaking to do, but I am on the right path.

I really had fun, my company really knows how to make my mood be in tip top shape. I also think she really loves her papaw’s car now. That makes my heart happy.

I’m still exhausted the next day.

I Can’t Drive 145

The speedometer in the IROC has been a Pandora’s box. The first parts of it, were logical and lineal, the last parts have been anything but.

My second attempt, which resolved one problem but presented another.

The original problem was simple, it seemed. It was constantly reading a lower speed than it should, while the odometer was reading significantly faster than it should.

I first verified and replaced all mechanical gears to ensure those systems were proper for the setup of the physical car. This removes all of the problems up to the speedometer itself.

38 Tooth Speedometer Driven Gear with New Aluminum Housing

Originally, I assumed I could just adjust the needle and resolve the problem, resulting in me breaking the needle. Little did I know then, but that was a fatal mistake. Breaking the needle, broke the shaft the whole assembly connects to, which includes a clip that holds that shaft in the correct place, a clock spring to take the needle back to zero and lower the speed when slowing down, and a “black dish” that caps the assembly. The black dish butts up to but does not connect to the actual assembly that connects to the speedometer cable. This works through an eddy current system to display speed and record distance traveled.

Speedometer Carriage, take note of the spring

Backside of carriage, take note of the teeth on the needle

Black Dish piece. This attaches to the shaft on the image above in this orientation.

Eddy Current / Speedometer cable assembly. The part in the middle rotates. The black dish fits within it but operates without touching it.

My original fix was to replace the needle and shaft. To keep as many original to the car as parts as possible, which has been my charge on the restoration. Over a couple of test drives with only the speedometer in the car, I learned that the “black dish” was not staying in the same position on the shaft, causing it to then make contact with the eddy current system.

I had purchased 2 complete clusters out of other Camaros to use as parts to rebuild this speedometer. Because these parts are rare and ever expensive (a 145mph speedometer alone on eBay is $254), I only used one of these clusters initially. Yesterday is when I made the realization about the black dish and eddy current system touching. The only logical reason why that black dish refuses to stay in position is due to the cheap and thin material it is made from. The removal of it from the shaft, changes it’s ability to keep it’s position on the shaft.

Last night, I grabbed that 2nd cluster and found some pleasant surprises. It was an 85mph speedometer, from a base model car. The only gauges it has are the speedometer and the fuel gauge. The rest of the items are warning or “idiot” lights as they are known. I decided to transplant the odometer reels, face plate and needle I want to use to this one.

The pleasant surprise was that the 85mph speedometer did not have a trip odometer. The clips that hold the trip odometer in place on the other two speedometers I have been using had broken “J clips” which hold the axles of the trip odometer assembly in place. Since the frame of this speedometer had never housed a trip odometer, these clips were in place and never used. The only thing I had to do was move a simple gear that operates the trip odometer with the regular odometer, which was easy. I didn’t have to make any repairs to the assembly for the trip odometer to function. I had used zip ties on the one I was using.

The last two evenings I have been up until past 2am working on this speedometer. I have not had an opportunity to test the functionality of this as of yet, but it has the best hope of all of the things I have done so far. The largest question on this attempt is that spring shown at the beginning of this post. In each one of the speedometers I have, the collar on the spring is a different color. I’m unsure if these springs have different rates, this could play in the accuracy of the speedometer. Especially at higher speeds.

I have learned a lot on this journey. There isn’t much documentation I can find on the speedometers of these cars. The largest thing is the Trip Odometer fix from the 3rd Gen Forums. With my faithful girlfriend by my side, often having serious, heated debate on the issues with different points of view on how to resolve each problem that was faced, I think we did it. I’m so happy I have someone who stands beside me and is always up for helping me on things neither of us fully understand. That itself is worth it’s weight in gold.

Independence Day cruise with the Bloomington Auto Club

The test drives I have taken have brought up two issues that I need to remedy however. The air conditioning is not working. I will need to convert it to 134-a refrigerant. There seems to be a significant gas smell from driving, I believe this to be the charcoal canister needing rebuilt/refreshed. The car also died on me several times out of the blue with no warning, which could be associated with the charcoal canister.

UPDATE

This attempt did not give the results I were going for. Speed would not be indicated until I was going about 20mph, but would be accurate through about 40mph. Once I would reach highway speeds however, the speedometer would read much higher than I really was traveling. I’m leaving this image for evidence.

That said, I did finally reach indicator nirvana and the fix was quite easy. I changed the clock spring (pictured near the top of this post) to the one that was in the car originally. I had to make 2 slight adjustments to the needle position, and voila!

I have reinstalled the speedometer into the cluster. I just have to reinstall the entire assembly back into the car now and this wormhole will have been traversed. It’s been an adventure in learning about a subject I had no real knowledge on.

The Powerglide

As I mentioned previously, I joined the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America, Indiana chapter. A club my father was a member of for many years. Each chapter sends out a monthly newsletter. The name of the Indiana chapter’s newsletter is The Powerglide, coming from the name of an infamous 2 speed automatic transmission.

The issue for July just came out and I was mentioned in it. This makes me happy on many levels. Not just for me, but for my old man.

I’m hoping on taking the Camaro to the next meet, which is coming up soon.

I went to many meets with dad when I was younger, and a few as an adult. When he was a member he always told me the Camaro was too new to be a part of the club, which I can only assume has changed since then. Most of the club remembers his truck however, which he took everywhere. One of these days I’ll get it road worthy again and take it to a meet so these guys can see it one more time.

I’ve been working hard on the Camaro as of late, with a new headliner and sail panels installed. Last night I installed a new speedometer driven gear and housing. I hope this resolves my issues with the speedometer and odometer.

My next issue is just as mechanical, as on my trip to Evansville I only got roughly 10mpg. I have a new O2 sensor that I’m going to install. I’m also going to plug the cold start sensor back in. The car seems to be running really rich at times, which I believe is the primary cause of this increase in fuel usage.

I also have a Holley Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator just in case. I’m going to test the fuel pressure to see what numbers I’m getting. If they are off I will be installing it.

First Real Test

Saturday, I took the Camaro out for a test. I needed to go to a friends to check on the progress she has made on quilts made out of my father’s clothes. She lives just north of Evansville.

I ran into / noticed several issues that I’m posting here for my own sake.

I have the cluster in, but it is only connected to the speedometer cable and electrical plugs for the cluster. Due to vibrations, etc. it likes to pop out, rendering some of the gauges useless at times.

The odometer and trip odometer are not working right – at all. It listed my trip to Evansville as 500 miles. The round trip added 3 thousand miles to the odometer. Part of this is because I was unable to get the right gear in the transmission. That is the reason why the cluster isn’t installed completely. The speedometer is also still off, by 10 to 20mph. This is a work in progress. I got lucky and was able to source a proper speedometer gear. Once I get it – the odometer, trip odometer and speedometer should theoretically function properly. They may need some calibration work however. If I cannot get them right, I have been in contact with a company in Rhode Island that specializes in this exact work.

The “fam jam” to use today’s vernacular. Dad’s vehicles and his son, their safekeeper.

The cruse control is not functional. I had never tried to use it before. I have a replacement control arm. I have read in many forum posts where someone has replaced the control arm and it resolved the problem. I will wait until I have done this to dig any further on the manner.

The Service Engine Soon kept coming on about every 30 miles or so. Whatever fault is happening, it is not being stored in the computer as a simple restart clears it. Which leads me to my next issue.

The car is running rich. It’s not overtly evident all of the time, but after a while you can smell fuel. I used 20 gallons on a 200 miles trip. This car should be getting around double that. I’m going to start by replacing the O2 sensor and installing an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. This car is over 30 years old. It’s quite possible the rubber diaphragm that controls fuel pressure is bad. The OE regulator is known for not providing enough pressure, hence the adjustable option. We will see where this road leads me.

I rode all day with the t-tops off. It provided wonderful ventilation but also gave me a little too much sun. When I put the t-tops in their storage bag in the car, I noticed the stitching that holds the bag’s zipper on has rotted away. I need to get this repaired. It will require someone with the equipment that can handle such thick material.

Today, on the ride home from my girlfriends, it was raining. I rolled the window down a little to get some ventilation and noticed some water leaks. It’s something I will keep my eye on. Some well placed RTV or silicone will probably resolve the issue. It is not a major issue however. T-top cars are notorious for leaking water.

Upholstery, it’s not for me

After making several mistakes during the process of trying to re-upholster the headliner and sail panels on the Camaro, I made a mistake that couldn’t be repaired. Even my uncle (who has my drivers seat) said, “Your screwed.”

My first mistake? Choosing the wrong color.

I thought it was darker than it should but also thought it would lighten out. I covered the sail panels and decided it was too dark. Removing the material and foam ended up being quite painful.

Once I got the new material, which ended up being about halfway between the original color and faded color, I cut a piece to match what I had pre-cut using the old color.

When I tried to put it on a combination of wind and elements caused me to rush myself. This caused ripples in the finish. When I tried to adjust – it ripped the fiber board backer. Causing deep gouges that would obviously be noticeable. I felt defeated, but at least I tried. I had spent $150 on the fabrics and adhesives. I ended by ceremoniously cutting up the failed attempt and throwing the remnants in the trash.

So I went for the hail mary, I went on Hawk’s Motorsports website, and ordered a full kit. Including a completely new headliner, backed by ABS and covered in fabric, new sail panels and visors. All in “Medium Dark Grey.” The interior color of the car.

I’m not sure how much I’ve mentioned Hawk’s on my blog, but they are a lifesaver for the restoration and repair on these cars. There are some parts that they have reproduced and can only be found through them. I’ve purchased a few of these items. They are not always the cheapest – but they are the big name when it comes to 3rd Generation Camaro’s and Firebirds.

I was disappointed to see when ordering this kit, the website saying, 5-6 weeks for delivery. I accepted it however, as there wasn’t much else I could really do. That disappointment turned around when I received a call from them today. The guy told me that they’ve had issues with their supplier due to COVID-19 but should have my order ready to be shipped out in a week.

That’s incredible! Now my Camaro won’t be so bare on the inside as it is now. With all of this gear and speedometer drama, I really needed some good news.

More Gear Mysteries

I took the Camaro into a shop this week. I’m planning on taking it on it’s first real cruise this weekend, to Evansville. A friend is working on quilts for me that are made from dad’s clothes. We need to catch up, and talk about this, make sure it’s going as originally planned. Then I will make a stop at Taco John’s – which is a requirement. We miss our Taco John’s.

I came out of the shop with more questions than answers. I took it there for two specific reasons, to install new struts in the front and to change the speedometer gears in the transmission.

There were no issues with the strut installation. The car rides much better now, having new shocks and struts all around has made a world of difference.

Those gears however? The mystery just seems to deepen like the story my stepmother told me.

The top gear is the gear I wanted installed, the bottom is the one that was in the car.

My buddy Dave works at the shop, and sent me the photo above. He and the mechanic were a little confused. I sure was too. These gears are different, I had never seen such mention of them, and all of the literature I had read on the subject stated Camaro’s didn’t get VSS (vehicle speed sensor) gearing until 1990, this is a 1988. From the color coded way these gears are, this tells me that is a 44 tooth gear.

The other gear they replaced goes on the tail shaft of the transmission. The one in the car is red. I had them place a grey one in it. The red has 17 teeth, the grey one, 15 teeth.

According to every calculator and forum post I can find, the car should have had a 39 tooth driven, 18 tooth drive speedometer gears from the factory. I’m currently trying to wrap my head around why it had a 44, and 17 instead. When doing the calculations for the changed final drive ratio, all signs point to 1 of two options, 38, 15 or 43, 17. Each option provides the same results.

After typing that out, the pattern is clear. They tried to go the 2nd route when the ring and pinion gears were replaced.

This is where the issue lies, with the information I have now. Those preferred gear combinations are not available for this particular variety of 700R-4 installation. The driven gear can only be purchased new in 37 or 44 tooth varieties.

This means I will continuously reading a wrong MPH and the odometer will be wrong unless I find a way to convert the driven gear system/setup.

I got lucky and found an auction on eBay that has a single used one. So I bought it. Before I install, I am going to see if there is any way I can replicate it through my friends who have 3D printers.

The one in the middle is the one I need.

When and if I get it, I’m going to give it to my amazing friend who has a 3D printer. He’s an outright genius in my book. A lot of people call me smart, I call him smart. If we can successfully 3D print it, I want to make sure I have enough backups to last a lifetime or more.