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vapormaison · 5 years ago

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2019 Best Vinyl Pressing 2/4: Sweet Summer Trip by GreyL

GreyL’s “Sweet Summer Trip” reminded me of why I got into hi-fi.

It’s kind of a funny story.

At the risk of sounding ridiculous — the first song that caused me to “seriously” think about hi-fi and physical media on the whole was Good Vibrations by Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Absurd, I know. Obscene, even — I’ll grant it!

Give me a hundred or so words to work my way back:

A decade ago, I had the luxury of owning a Jaguar Vanden Plas of mid-nineties vintage as a daily driver while still in University. For the non-car nerds out there, this is the model of British land-based battlecruiser that Queen Elizabeth was carted around in for a couple decades. For its time, it was beyond luxurious, comfortable for both driver and passenger to the extreme — and without a doubt very much an “old man” car. By 2011 — mine was also beyond dated. For the most part, I envied my more bougie classmates riding around in contemporary German imports — in all areas except one. My stereo. This VP must have been owned by an audiophile, because they had splurged for the Harman Kardon system — the top shelf offered by Jaguars of that vintage. I’ll spare you the specs — but believe me that it put the muddy Bang & Olfusens in the Benzes to shame.

Why, you ask, is it so special? The simple answer is pedigree. These systems were produced the same factory to identical specs that Bowers & Wilkins was using for Rolls Royce and Bentley — a $4,000 upgrade for that car in 1995 dollars. As a result, I had an aristocrat’s luxury saloon that could function as a massive, high-fidelity ghetto blaster on wheels. Biggie and I blasted from the same schematics of speakers.

Unfortunately, I was never much of a cassette guy (I’m still not!) — and I never invested in a good tape collection. One tape that came with the car, however — a forgotten glove compartment gift — was Marky Mark’s.

It was, alas, the only good one.

In the midst of those daily drives to campus and back, I found myself positively entranced by the deft mix of bright and poppy rap by Yung Mark and hypnotic euro-pop samples that populated much of the tape. With the windows up and at low-enough speeds, the Jag provided a rich, warm experience that just oozed effortlessly from the Harmans. While I basked in that sound — I wondered why everything sounded so much richer than my mp3s plugged and played into a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre Solos. The warmth, the brightness, — the beautifully constructed mix of primitive drum kits and euro-trance beats shone through with full fidelity and range. I began to appreciate the music for its component parts, as I could make out each part of the mix in detail.

I began to appreciate the little things — those sonic nuances that an artist weaves into their craft to achieve perfection, but are so often ignored by the limitations of format and listening form. All of these were present in Sweet Summer Trip — and this means the world to me.

This is how I became a hi-fi head, however amateur.

Thus, Sweet Summer Trip was nostalgic and powerful for me in so many ways past the incontestable quality of the master. My ears really woke up again on this one when needle hit vinyl — as I’m, with full disclosure, incredibly biased towards GreyL’s sound. The best way I can characterize it as follows: vibrant J-hop and euro-house influences that are infused with an energized, even ebullient future-funk core. That’s without a doubt my bread and butter, and I was all ears. My initial attentiveness was rewarded with a sonic experience that I can only liken to a perfectly cooked Delmonico. A-side, B-side — there was a fully fleshed out and really magnificently treated product here — both creatively and technically. I’ve included some more detailed thoughts on it here:

PART 1: The Music

Nightmagic just feels like the perfect track to start your vapor95-clad Japanese road-trip to. I’d suggest an Abashiri-Yatsushiro circuit — preferably in a DeLorean or Nissan Skyline GTR. Barring that, you can just enjoy five fun, fresh minutes of surprisingly full-bodied 8-bit-sounding samples that coalesce into pure, unadulterated groove in the song’s final half. As if just putting extra icing on this sonic birthday cake, we get a seamless — precision, even — transition into:

da da song — which kicks off with a cacophony of dialing phones and record scratches, succeeds in bringing some much needed bass to the GreyL experience at this stage. With a brilliantly hypnotic vocals and the most creative hype sample of Ludacris I’ve ever heard, we get firmly seat-belted in to our own sweet summer trip, sonically speaking.

stripe absolutely slaps! This is, as far as I’m concerned, the absolute, quintessential “GreyL sound”. I fell in love with this album and GreyL’s oeuvre for their manic genius of micro-sample use, and it is present here in spades. Somehow, someway, GreyL managed to meld Toki Asoko, Sonic the Hedgehog, Lil' John, Daft Punk, and G-Dragon together in one song — and if that seems at first glance discordant or simply “too much” or perhaps even a meme — it’s not. A snippet of One More Time’s chorus powers through a diverse yet structured composition held together by Asoko’s vocals and some flares by G-dragon. Lil Jon finds his way in for good measure, but isn’t leaned on or over-hyped. Most importantly, Sonic goes fast. It’s harmonious and warm and just absolutely brilliant on my speakers — which got their first good exercise in months from the wild range of this song. This is one of those tracks I fully expect to feature on top 20 lists when future funk has gone mainstream and is the subject of clickbait listicles. Stripe is— most succinctly put, a moment.

blue bird answers a question that no one really asked but seems at least topical: how do you follow up your magnum opus on an LP? GreyL replies with a groovy banger that eschews the barrage, or perhaps more kindly put, medley of micro-samples and provides a more straightforward Future Hop mix with a fresh flourish two minutes in giving us a masterfully modified hook. It brings the energy down from the fever pitch of strike in all the best ways.

groovin’ magic hits right back with snappy distorted vocals, an up-tempo and funky electric boogie riff. This is roughly when I began to realize the album arrangement was taking me on a really fun ride, and that groovin’ magic— while a catchy, beautifully mixed track in its own right, is the type of track you use in your DJ set in a supporting role — the type of lead-in to set the stage for an absolute banger to come. As a whimsical set of pops rounded out the penultimate minute, with a slightly heavier drum kit to match — my suspicion was confirmed — and in hindsight I was absolutely correct, because

let me be with you~ (4:20) brings it afresh. It immediately blasts a broadside of funky beats, samples, pops, and sonic flourishes while building into an absolutely euphoric dance groove. It’s an absolute tragedy that this track doesn’t find its way into more dance-funk sets, but I like to think my own amateur work does its share of proselytization. Every future funk physical, in my humble opinion, should have at least once bright, wide-mixed dance-hall banger where you can just drop the needle and vibe. While I enjoy stripe more as a fully realized concept, let me be with you~ is definitely the most vibe-worthy on the record.

期待はしないで puts greyL’s various house and techno influences on display — and was a track I really wanted to love, but am forced only to like. The vinyl master renders the track muddy on the low end. It was an easy enough fix on my system — but folks with a simpler vinyl setup may find this track a bit wanting. I boosted the bass by +4 and re-EQ’d slightly from my left channel. But — this has always been my view — more time spent at a pre-amp’s and equalizer’s control board is less time fully enjoying a track. While something like this normally would remove an album for consideration, I want to express what a testament the rest of the album is. The crisp, professional and downright artisanal work on this album more than justifies what I’d consider a hangup that may or may not be replicated on other systems. Either way, play with the bass a bit and you can still more than enjoy this piece.

fashion starts the side of the LP where things start getting fun and experimental. The piece brings GreyL most adjacent to that Future Hop on this record, but a creative array of micro-samples keeps it firmly in the funk department. Because of the rapidity of the bars, its runtime actually feels much faster than it is — about four minutes.

apple restonaurt’s most apt analogue is “electro-swing for the Amanaguchi listener”. With vocals so heavily modified they almost sound 8-bit and a sample set that seems to dig in from りんごレストラン and T.I., among others. It’s an invigorating and fun dip into that electro-swing sound, and GreyL manages it with ease, as always.

kaze no tani no nausicaa with a title that claims a Miyazaki pedigree, at first seems more at home in one of Yamakan’s works. We get a taste of DMX, what honestly sounds like a micro-sample of T.I. but is probably someone else, and a japanese vocal sample that dances around the mix, seeming to jump to and fro sonically throughout the entire track. A clever bit of mix/master work here, or a happy accident — it sounds fantastic.

ding-dong brings the energy down to a slow burn, and entrances us — perhaps even lulls, with a fire sax loop and atmospherically distorted vocal samples. It definitely ventures into chill wave for its first half, until turning on its afterburners in its second half— ushered in from one of the most subtle uses of Super Smash Bros. I’ve heard to date.

our place closes the album on an ideal note — giving us a final, filling course of funk and micro-sample array. While many closers tend to jack up the pace and vibe a bit too much for my taste, our place keeps it decidedly chill and sounds absolutely sweet on the speakers. A perfect note.

Part 2: Vinyl Listening Experience

I had the pleasure (and obscene fucking expense) of living in Hong Kong in 2018 for a few months. It was primarily for my international ed consultancy day job, but one of my great regrets is not immersing myself in the music scene there. What happens in Hong Kong, and neighboring Shenzen on the mainland (home to vapor/synth label Vill4n IIRC) is the absolute cutting edge of the music industry — and by natural extension, the world. This holds true for future funk.

Hong Kong-based label Neoncity Records has at times released some of the best-pressed vinyls in the game — especially in 2018,— and much to my appreciation — puts them out in reasonable release numbers and multiple batches. Although I’ve found some of their pressings to be a just bit on the clinical side (vinyl should be warm!), I’ve never encountered a physical put out by the label that is mixed and mastered poorly for its format. Vinyl-heads know what this means naturally, but the best way I can explain this for someone getting into the hobby is just to listen to a vinyl rip of My Pet Flamingo’s release of Late Night Deluxe. Everything sounds detached, EQ everywhere, and bass so muddy you can harvest rice from it. Not to harp on it unnecessarily, but it was definitely that label’s growing pain, and they’ve thankfully come a long way since that disastrous 7-inch. See my review of Soul’s Song by Yu-utsu for evidence of that!

But I never have to question a Neoncity release. It arrives, it sounds great, I show it off to my audiophile friends to a succession of nodding heads. That all said, GreyL’s vinyl is just a little bit different than many of its siblings. A little bit better, I’d say.

In a recent, sort-of impromptu apartment-party DJ set, I had the opportunity to play two Neoncity releases side-by-side. I had mixed let me be with you from Sweet Summer Trip with a track from Sailorwave II — another great release by Macross 82-99 and Neoncity. What impressed me most was my stereo’s reactivity to Greyl’s album. Sailorwave sounded good. Sweet Summer Trip slapped! As I mentioned in a previous review, future funk is — a decade after its “inception”, an up-and-coming genre. Even titans like Mikazuki Bigwave and Night Tempo have around 50k twitter followers, compared to the millions of most commercial musicians. The quality of mastering will improve, I think — I hope, as frequent collaborators and labels improve their professionalism in regard to physicals. It’s never a perfect process, of course — but Neoncity is ahead of the game in so many respects. They know what sounds good on vinyl, and you can see constant improvement in the quality of each release.

This is all to say, that from the perspective of pure stereo responsiveness — that bright, sufficiently wide and warm trifecta that you want from your platonic ideal of a vinyl release? It’s here. Sweet Summer Trip has it. Each of Greyl’s tracks (with the slight exception of 待はしないで,) gets some of the best work in on my stereo that i’ve heard this year.

Finally a word on aesthetics. Neoncity has the “beautiful anime cover art” corner on absolute lockdown — and Sweet Summer Trip’s cover is again a standout in this department. Crisp lines, just a hint of glossiness, and saturated hues characterize this cover. Like all great and beautiful things, of course — it feels a bit fragile compared to competitor’s releases — but this might just because of the heavy use this vinyl has seen — it’s always traveling in and out of its home when I’ve got company, and the sleeve is already starting to see some creasing, sadly.

Unfortunately, I can’t really recommend vapor fans go and pick this record up at the moment, as resellers on eBay and Discogs are scalping this at truly obscene prices. I had the luxury of picking mine up on release day — and like most of the buyers, have no desire to resell. That drives up the price, I’m sure.

So Neoncity — when’s the repress?

#bestof2019 #future funk

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afterspark-podcast · 6 years ago

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G1 Episode 16: Transcript

Episode Show Notes

[This can also be found on AO3!]

[Stinger]

S: At some point, I think, Soundwave and Blaster are fighting over them in Hawaii.

O: [snort]

[Intro Music]

O: Hello, and welcome to the Afterspark Podcast, an episode by episode recap of the generation 1 Transformers cartoon. I'm Owls!

S: And I'm Specs!

O: And today we're gonna be talking about episode number 16, Heavy Metal War. Let's talk about giant robots today, shall we?

S: Mm-hmm. We open in a construction site with a purple machine of some kind being moved.

O: And it's purple- clearly it's destined to be Megatron catnip.

S: We had a conversation about this.

O: [chuckles] We did.

S: I want to know what kind of world this is, like, half the time the stuff that Decepticon steal is already Decepticon purple. Or looks like it was built by them.

O: So, I don't know if you guys have seen the entirety of the Batman animated series that came out in the 90’s but there's this what episode where this guy opens a Joker themed hotel. And the reason he did this was because they had run out of money and he thought this would incite the Joker to attack the hotel, and then he would get the insurance money.

S: So it's an insurance scam.

O: Pretty much. Paint it purple and the Decepticons will come.

S: Suddenly, a sextet of lime-green construction vehicles show up on scene right out of nowhere.

O: That totally don't have purple Decepticon symbols on the front or anything, and the purple thing they've come to steal is apparently an energy disc?

S: It's not disc shaped? In any way, shape, or form, but okay!

O: The construction workers fetch their own construction vehicles to confront the Decepticon ones.

S: It's time for a demolition derby, baby!!! With construction vehicles.

O: Watch out! That dump truck has missiles.

S: They're hardcore!

O: [Laughter]

S: And, oh! Lo, look and behold, there are more purple things to steal. They steal another purple thing off a wall, and this one's called a power converter, interestingly enough. This one does, in fact, have a little satellite disk dealio on it.

O: Clearly, the construction workers got the names mixed up.

S: Yes! The construction vehicles transform into robot mode, introducing themselves as the Constructicons, and then they proceeded to fly off. And all the stuff that they stole- which got put in Longhaul’s truck bed, I pres- presumably went into subspace when he transforms, because it just poofs.

O: “Foolish man of flesh,” is my favorite insult for this episode, courtesy of Scrapper.

S: The Constructicons returned to a temporary Decepticon hideout where the other ‘Cons are waiting.

O: Megatron says something that insinuates the Constructicons were built on earth. I have so, so, so many questions about this. One: How? Two: Where did their sparks come from? And three: In a later episode, there’s an entirely different origin story for them, where they are very clearly from Cybertron.

S: Complete with mind-control tentacles. This is a theme.

O: Yeah, just in case you thought we were done with them. You're never done with mind control tentacles.

S: Definitely not in this cartoon.

O: [Laughter] Toy roll-call as all the Constructicons are listed individually: Scavenger, Mixmaster, Longhaul, Bonecrusher, Hook, and Scrapper.

S: Megatron and Starscream have another tiff. Starscream calling Megatron out on his bullshit.

O: Something along the lines of: Megatron has a plan to defeat the Autobots once and for all and Starscream’s like, “Where have we heard that before?”

S: Every episode.

O: Pretty much. I'm like, “Starscream has a point!” [Laughter]

S: Sometime later Megatron arrives at the Autobot base.

O: And the Autobots attempt to dissuade Megatron from whatever evil scheme he's got hatching and by coming to their base.

S: Cliffjumper attempts to freeze him because it's Cliffjumper.

O: Wheeljack attempts to shoot him but he's gun blows up of its own volition because it's Wheeljack.

S: Yeah. Optimus proceeds to shoot at Megatron and the two of them hold an entire conversation as Megatron does some vaguely ballet- well, vaguely air ballet-like moves in order to dodge the blasts. It's surprisingly graceful.

O: Megatron has come to challenge Optimus to a one-on-one fight and the loser must leave earth. He cites Cybertronian law for this. This is a stupid law, a really freaking stupid law.

S: The first of many. Wheeljack and Ironhide seem to support this, as it would end the war, but Cliffjumper isn't happy about it.

O: For once, I agree with Cliffjumper. I never say that!

S: Mr. Suspicious is right. Sometimes-

O: You should be suspicious of Megatron!

S: I mean a broken clock is right twice a day. So-

O: [Laughter] Every once in a while, Cliffjumper says something that is relevant or it seems to have some amount of sense.

S: It's occasionally correct, yeah. Optimus accepts the challenge and Megatron flies off.

O: Back at the Decepticon base, we see that Megatron is planning on being a Cheater McCheaterpants by using the machine assembled by the Constructicons to absorb the powers of all the other Decepticons. How are they doing this, you ask? With a power chip rectifier, of course. A thing we will never hear about again.

S: When do we ever hear about any of things ever again in the show?

O: Valid point. Starscream is hesitant and he tells Megatron that this is cheating.

S: Starscream's moral compass gets some exercise here.

O: Did he forget who he was talking to?

S:I don't know. Maybe, maybe he was channeling Skyfire?

O: [Laughter] It’s like, that one- I am convinced Skyfire is his, like, moral compass.

S: Probably. The remaining ‘Cons give up their power chip rectifiers without comment.

O: Scrapper turns on the machine for the transfer, with Megatron shouting a variety of things that sound pretty dirty without context. Mostly made up of a gratuitous use of the word, “More!” With a hefty serving of “More power!”

S: This works and Megatron orders the Constructicons to disable Teletraan 1 so it can't alert the Autobots to their deception.

O: And now Megatron can summon red lightning from his fist.

S: Through the power of being a major asshole and a huge cheating cheater.

O: [Laughter] In the Ark, it looks like Optimus and literally every single other Autobot head to the battleground, leaving no one behind to keep an eye on Teletraan.

S: This was not a good idea or well-thought-out, but apparently they all wanted to be spectators.

O: Apparently.

S: Both sides basically sit down to spectate this match.

O: Soundwave even releases his cassettes so they can watch. He pets Ravage, too. I love it.

S: It's very cute. Ironhide and Chip briefly mention the Roman gladiatorial fights.

O: In comparison to the Optimus- Megatron fight.

S: Yeah.

O: And I deeply wish I could butt in and tell Chip that Megatron was a literal fucking gladiator. I bet he'd be fascinated.

S: According to the g1 U- UK comics, he was, too, in addition to the IDW ones.

O: Yes.

S: So it’s multi-continuity.

O: Pretty much. It's later reused as backstory, both for the first IDW run and Transformers Prime.

S: Mm-hmm. And Megatron tosses Optimus over his shoulder one-handed.

O: Mm-hm! Throughout the match, the Decepticons point out which powers Megatron's using at any given moment. Starscream has the power of bombs! And his null ray.

S: Megatron uses his weird hip gun to shoot Optimus before using Rumble’s earthquake ability. Optimus Prime suplexes a boulder at Megatron, but he uses Skywarp’s teleportation ability to evade.

O: And if the Autobots had not figured out this incredibly obvious thing that was happening, then they really should have once he used Skywarp’s ability.

S: Yeah. Cutting to the Constructicons, they've made it to the volcano where the Ark is located.

O: And Scavenger’s just straight-up Ratchet’s VA doing a not-so-different voice, “Hi, Scooby.”

S: Megatron and Optimus continue to fight with Megs using Reflector’s ability to momentarily blind Optimus as he hits him with Thundercracker’s sonic booms.

O: Optimus is finally taken down by one more blast by Megatron's fusion cannon and Megatron declares himself the victor.

S: Honestly, I'm not sure how none of the Autobots couldn’t hear any of the Decepticon commentary.

O: I think that- that's a valid point, too. I’m just sort of like guys you really, really should have realized what was going on. That, and it’s Megatron. Do you really think he's going to play fair?

S: Uh-huh.

O: The Autobots head back to the Ark to fix Optimus, with the Decepticons escorting them.

S: This is not the first time, I think- or will not be the last time the Decepticons escort the Autobots to make sure they don't cheat. This is-

O: Which, I mean, irony. [laughs]

S: Hypocritical.

O: A little bit.

S: Yeah. The Constructicons make it to Teletraan 1, but not before the computer alerts the Dinobots. Who apparently stayed behind.

O: I'm not really sure why these guys were the ones left behind, they would have loved to watch the fight.

S: Probably because they would have wanted to join in on the fight.

O: Yeah, yeah, valid point. I don't think they would have taken no for an answer.

S: They’re very much guys who want to- want to get their fight on.

O: Yeah.

S: A fight ensues, with the Dinobots forcing the Constructicons out of the volcano.

O: And this episode marks the first appearance of the combiner, the ginormous Devastator! Which the Constructicons formed to fight the Dinobots.

S: Ratchet and Wheeljack succeed in fixing Optimus.

O: And then Spike and Teletraan inform the rest of the Autobots that Megatron was using the other Decepticons’ abilities, rendering their agreement null and void.

S: Outside, a giant Autobot shows up out of nowhere to scare the pants off Devastator.

O: An illusion by Hound, of course,

S: Mm-hmm, they're very- they're very handy.

O: The Constructicons are knocked into some handy lava, as are the rest of the Decepticons in the following fight with Optimus finishing off Megatron.

S: And Optimus says, “It is ended.”

O: He means for this season. The Decepticons will return with no ill effects from their lava bath in season 2.

S: It might count as a spa, even. And Megatron is pissed and vows to rise again.

O: Of course he does, and that's the end of season 1 of the Transformers. We did it! We'll be back in a month, at the beginning of season 2, but a few weeks join us as we talk about the crossover comic “Mars Attacks the Transformers.”

S: Mm-hmm.

O: And we actually have read the comic. It's quite fun, so we're looking forward to getting to talk about it.

S: Yes.

O: And, Specs, I believe we have some fanfic for today?

S: Yes, we do, we have two pieces of fanfiction to recommend. They are both Constructicon based since it's their first episode.

O: Right.

S: Might as well focus on them. So the first recommendation is Diversion by Steelcircle. It is based in the g1 cartoon continuity, it's rated K+, and it's a gen fic. There aren't any pairings, but our characters for this piece of fanfiction are Scrapper, Hook, Scavenger, Mixmaster, Longhaul and Bonecrusher, and in summary, “Bonecrusher and Mixmaster put their own spin on a human form of entertainment.” I am NOT going to spoil what that form of entertainment is, but we have actually seen it in one of our earlier recommendations.

O: All right. I haven't read this one yet so I have no frame of reference.

S: It's- it's good. it's pretty short, I definitely recommend it, and our theme for this one and the other one was Constructicons. So that's very short and it's a one shot. They're both one shots. And the second recommendation is “What are you in for” by Ckret2. It is set in the IDW G1 comic continuity, it's rated K, there is some slight shipping in it and our pairings are- the one pairing is Hook/Scrapper. The characters in this pick are Scrapper and Mixmaster, and there are actually some- some, like, mooks so who are there at the beginning and do some talking but they aren't important.

O: They’re not important, they’re not what we’re here for.

S: Yes, and in summary, “Scrapper finds himself in a holding cell for trying to help his friend, Hook, get into the medical caste, where he meets a quiet cellmate with a drum mixer on his back.”

O: Psst, it’s Mixmaster. [Laughter]

S: It is, it is. And, they're both really good and I like them and they're- that one's also a one-shot. Uh, they're short but they're good so I’d recommend them.

B: [Laughter]

S: And that's it for the fanfiction recommendations, thank you,

O: And there are no fan art today, like said we will be doing a comic next time, though.

S: Alright! And that just about wraps it up for us today. Remember to check us out on Tumblr or Pillowfort as Afterspark[-]Podcast for any additional information, show notes, or links we may have mentioned. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at AftersparkPod (all one word) and various other locations as Afterspark Podcast such as AO3, iTunes, Google Podcasts Stitcher and YouTube, just to name a few. Till next time, I'm Specs!

O: And I'm Owls!

S: Toodles!

[Outro Music]

#transcript #g1 episode 16 #afterspark podcast

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itsworn · 8 years ago

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Ask Anything: Your Tech Questions Answered

Joe Stinson; via email: I’m one of the rare few with a big block Corvette that actually races the thing. My ’72 coupe has a nearly stock Chevrolet Performance 502/502 crate engine that’s backed by an M21 Muncie. The stock independent rear suspension is still in place with 4.11 gears. So far in over two seasons of occasional bracket racing I haven’t had any trouble other than bad wheel hop if I don’t slip the clutch just a little off the line. My best e.t. is an 11.52 at 116.

I know lots of folks say the Corvette IRS isn’t ideal for drag racing and I’m getting anxious to add enough power to break into the tens. What am I up against with the rear suspension and differential?

Steve Magnante: Hey Joe, though I’m tempted to toss in a lame Jimmy Hendrix pun asking where you’re goin’ with that gun in your hand, I’ll refrain….this time. The fact you thrash a stick shifted Corvette – and a big block no less – is cool in these days of over restored show poodles. You don’t say whether your Stingray is a factory-built big block or a small blocker with a heart transplant.

Though pre-’72 Corvettes (and all other Chevrolet passenger cars) lacked an engine-specific identification code in the VIN, GM added it for 1972. In fact, all GM passenger vehicles got an engine code (finally!) in 1972, bringing cheer to Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac muscle car hunters as well. Scope out the fifth spot, if you see the letter W, your Stingray was originally built with the 270 horsepower LS5 454 rat motor, one of 3,913 big blocks from the total run of 27,004 Corvettes built in 1972.

Other possible codes are K, for the base 200 horse 350 and L for the rare solid lifter LT1 350 with 255 (net) horsepower. Right here lets’ stop and consider the frustrating fact that Chevrolet kinda dropped the ball on Corvette differentials in the big block era. While SS396 Chevelles, 427 Impalas, L79 Chevy II’s and other bowtie factory muscle cars were fitted with the big 12 bolt rear end with its larger guts, stronger Posi unit, 8.8 inch ring gear and thicker axle shafts, when the 396 and 427 big blocks arrived in 1965 and ’66 (respectively), they used the basic 10 bolt differential and guts fitted to small block Vettes – and low-po Chevelles. At 8.2 inches, the 10 bolt’s ring gear isn’t huge and isn’t all that durable under extreme conditions.

Though Chevrolet made token efforts to bolster the Corvette’s 10 bolt in big block applications (forged steel U-joint caps, larger diameter half shafts, etc.) none of it was comparable to the 12 bolt upgrade given to less costly performance cars. Folks have scratched their heads over this fact ever since. Oh, another head scratcher for newbies is the 1963 – 81’ Corvette’s inspection cover. It only has eight bolts. But rest assured, there’s a 10 bolt differential inside (as in: the number of bolts securing the ring gear to the diff. carrier). And remember too, the bolt-on inspection cover also serves as the center anchor point for the transverse leaf spring. A simple, thin stamped tin cover it is not.

As it so often does, the hot rod aftermarket rose to the occasion, especially after a January 1974 edict from the NHRA allowing Stock and Super Stock Corvette racers to make internal modifications to the stock differential housing. The outside had to remain stock appearing and the jumpy IRS had to remain, but it was a step in the right direction.

The NHRA easement opened the door to a neat trick that involved swapping 12 bolt gears into the Corvette case. But it wasn’t easy. The inner surfaces of the case had to be deeply ground away to make room for the physically larger ring gear diameter. But that wasn’t enough. The ring gear itself had to be machined to reduce its outside diameter to 8.675 inches to clear the hogged out case. The trick also helped street enthusiasts and lots of machine shops performed this work.

But it didn’t eliminate the tendency of the half-shafts to blast off and a look under any 1965-’74 big block Stingray with competition history will reveal deep scars and repair patches near the burst trajectory of these items. By the 1990’s, the NHRA rulebook went a step further and allowed the complete elimination of the IRS setup altogether for added safety. But as always with stuff like this, there was a catch. Though the re-think allowed racers to scrap the troublesome outboard half shafts, the Corvette’s novel transverse leaf spring had to remain. Wally’s men said “no can do” to racer requests seeking permission to mount the one-piece live axle assembly via more conventional coil springs or parallel leafs. Well, at least requests to scrap the hefty rear disc brakes for drums were approved.

This opened the door to use of traditional 12 bolt, Dana 60 and Ford 9-inch rear axles, drum-to-drum. And this might be where your future lies. If it was my decision, I’d remove your stock IRS and replace it with a suitably narrowed live axle of the 12 bolt variety. Competition Engineering and others make live axle C3 Corvette conversion kits that employ beefy fabricated adapters that attach to the outboard end of each axle tube. When mounted, the forward ends accept the stock shock absorbers and the rearward ends grab ahold of the outer ends of the transverse leaf spring. A Panhard link above the axle resists lateral movement.

In all, it’s a slick, lightweight solution that adds strength and serviceability to any drag-oriented C3 Stingray. This problem-solver also spotlights how far the aftermarket has come since the sixties. Back then, even GM balked at the cost of creating a special extra heavy duty differential for big block Corvettes. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be writing these words. But in today’s ponycar marketplace where IRS is a fact of life under every new Mustang, Camaro and Challenger, numerous aftermarket driveline suppliers have taken the financial plunge with re-imagined Dana 60, Ford 9-inch and GM 12 bolt center sections to replace the factory weak links in an afternoon. We’ve never had it so good!

This 1970 Stingray is an active NHRA H/SA contender. The Competition Engineering live axle adapter kit solves breakage problems and prevents the C3’s notorious acceleration squat for full tire contact. Dig the lightweight aluminum G-body drum brakes that shave nearly 30 pounds of dead weight over the stock Delco Moraine discs. Slicks are Hoosier 30.0/9.0R-15.

MORE INFO Competition Engineering (203) 453-6571 competitionengineering.com

MAKING HINDSIGHT 20/20

Steve Magnante: This nugget is a little unconventional in that nobody wrote in to CarCraft to request it. Rather, I spotted this trick aboard Greg Davies 9 second BFNY Performance Dodge Magnum Hemi Wagon and knew it needed to be shared as widely as possible. As any bracket racer knows, races are often won or lost at the finish line. Tired of bending his neck for a 140-plus mph look-see at where his opponent was, Davies rigged a pair of RV / Camper back-up cameras instead.

Now, all he has to do is glance quickly at the appropriate LCD monitor to learn how close the opponent is and whether it’s time to tap the binders…or keep his right foot buried. Davies says: The right hand camera/monitor is used when I’m in the left lane and visa-versa for the left hand camera/monitor”. And since the naturally aspirated 468 cube Gen III Hemi is covering more than 20 feet per second by the 1000 foot mark, taking eyes off the track is something to be avoided, let alone trying to catch a glimpse of the opponent through the narrow slit of a full-face helmet. Here’s to Greg Davies’ ingenuity!

Mounted to the A-pillar, the wide angle camera (left) delivers a crisp, high resolution image that’s quickly visible without driver’s head movement.

Hemi Wagon driver Greg Davies shows off the passenger side setup. Davies’ Magnum weighs well under 2,800 pounds thanks to his relentless crusade to “add lightness”. The digital rear view system is several pounds lighter than the stock power mirrors and its’ more aerodynamic to boot.

ANCHORS AWAY?

Scott McKendry via email: Hi, great magazine! I have a couple of questions about a BBC block I bought on eBay before I send it out for rebuilding. First, I don’t want to spend more money on it if the cylinders are too thin. Looks like they are in great shape and have never been bored but when I took the freeze plugs out, after I had it hot tanked, the coolant passages were packed with rust. I cleaned them out as best I could and got a pile of rust on the garage floor. But there were still some pretty thick rusty chunks of metal I was still able to scrape off the coolant side of the cylinders, maybe 0.030 inch thick. I was told this engine was in a power boat. Should I be concerned about the cylinder wall thickness? Should I have it sonic tested? I’m planning on rebuilding it to basic LS6 specs, naturally aspirated but with less compression, like 10.5:1. I’m also considering a stroker kit. I don’t want to bore it any more than needed. My second question is about the numbers I see on the block. There’s a raised 3963512 at the rear of the block and the stamped code on the passenger side deck reads TO9142DQK. What have I got here and is there any way to preserve the deck stamping during the machine shop phase?

Steve Magnante: You bring up a significant point on the risks associated with boat / marine engines. As you’ve witnessed, the piston side of the bores can be in excellent condition but if corrosion from the inside out is present, metal loss can be so severe as to render a good unit scrap. It stems from the fact most marine engines use the lake / ocean as the radiator. Instead of a closed system with a radiator and dedicated coolant as in a road going vehicle, openings in the hull access cool water and direct it into the engine where it carries heat away. Once its’ passed through the engine, it’s released back into the body of water to be replaced by another fresh load of liquid in a continuous cycle.

On paper, this seems great since boaters can do away with the weight and complexity of a self-contained cooling system. But in practice, trouble arises from the fact naturally sourced water has no rust inhibitors and is jam packed with minerals. These help to set up electrical charges between dis-similar metals that slowly carry molecules away and can eventually cause holes. Worse yet is an ocean-going boat that uses salt water for coolant. We all know what sodium (salt) does to steel car bodies in the winter time. Yep, the same threat happens inside an engine block where even the thickest iron castings can be reduced to a useless boat anchor over time.

Your instincts are correct. Don’t trust the healthy surface appearance. Have every bore sonic tested from top to bottom, all the way around. Isolated thin patches caused by the peculiar nature of oxidation can create coin-sized hot spots on the ��ugly side” of the shiny cylinder bores. These can degrade oil performance and reduce piston ring and skirt life. Overheating is also a possibility. There’s also the strength factor. If enough material is lost, your cylinder walls won’t be of consistent thickness. This could lead to poor ring seal in those spots and resulting blow by.

But remember, anything can be repaired and it’s a simple matter to install sleeves in afflicted bores. When installed by a solid shop with know-how and the right equipment, don’t be afraid and know that a V8 block with eight sleeves can be stronger than a pristine factory casting. The only wild card is price. If those eight sleeves end up costing more than a good replacement block, where’s the economy in that? Extreme sleeving like that is most fruitful in cost-no-object situations like saving the original block to a 1965 Chevelle Z16, Corvette L88 or a similar rarity.

As for the markings seen on your block, the raised characters at the back is the factory casting number (3963512) which identifies it as a 1969 – 1971 427 and 454 unit. This block is very beefy and can take a 0.125 inch overbore (assuming the inner faces aren’t corroded as discussed above). These blocks contain enough material to accept 2 bolt or 4 bolt main caps and both types are possible with this casting. The more important number is the stamping on the passenger side of the deck. Called the “suffix code” this one further identifies the block’s vehicular origin and is the one that’s all-too-often removed accidentally during deck work.

Yours is stamped with TO9142DQK and the characters restorers and collectors focus on are the final two, which is QK in your case. The first two (TO) identify the assembly plant as being GM’s Tonawanda, NY facility. The birthplace of all big blocks during the muscle era, GM shipped completed engines to its various vehicle assembly plants for final installation.

I did a fairly thorough Internet search for your suffix code and came up empty handed. Searching for DQK and QK delivered no matches for known Chevrolet vehicles. This supports the possibility yours was supplied new to a marine supplier for use on the water. Lacking more time on this end, you might want to explore the world of Industrial and Marine engine customers (think Mercury Marine, Gray Marine, etc.) which may have used a specific suffix code for identification.

As for preserving the stamped suffix code, it’s a simple matter of asking the machinist to baby sit the process and stop the cutter when it approaches the sacred digits. And I do mean sacred. For example, a 1969 Camaro Z/28 with its original DZ suffix code 302 block can be nearly twice as valuable as the same car with a non-matching block. I’ve also witnessed tragic situations where original, numbers-matching engine blocks were transformed into anonymous blobs by distracted or unconcerned machinists. It only takes a few extra minutes to baby sit the cutter.

Can anyone identify this stamped big block Chevy suffix code? It seems to read TO9142DQK though paint stripper might reveal otherwise…

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