"factory freaks"? Someone explain.
02-14-2009, 09:52 AM
#62
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Casting flaws, machining tolerances, and some would say holding your mouth just right. Outside of weather conditions and the driver mod, factory freaks do exist. I used to see it in motorcycles ALL the time. I worked in the assembly department at a local dealership. The amount of assembly varied per model but everything comes with the engine/transmission assembled. Certain bikes of the same year model would be noticeably faster than others. Every year I would assemble 2 or 3 KX 450F's that would be blindingly fast from the first start up. I would also assemble 2 or 3 that were, well, factory turds. They were all treated the same from the moment they came out of the crate. Following the factory assembly and service manual for everything. Some engines just run better than others.
02-14-2009, 06:20 PM
#63
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So anyone want to chime in on the fact that some '96 LT1 cars got VARIOUS left over LT4 parts? Anyone? Beuller? Since, it was common knowledge and GM actually did leak out that it happened. Some F-Bodies "mistakenly" got the LT4 cam and/or valvetrain. Some were even rumored to have the LT4 heads and cam but that's never been confirmed through GM. So yes, factory freaks....exist. But not in Mustangs, they're all slow.
02-14-2009, 06:34 PM
#64
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Later Big Daddy ran a 10.14 and backed it up with a 10.18. I'm thinking by the time Dale Jr. gets his turn behind the wheel we'll be well into the 9s. Tony Schumacher says he can get it in the 8s on street tires. Dreamer!
02-14-2009, 07:55 PM
#65
Didn't read the thread (this is a common topic), so someone might have said this, but "factory freaks" are a thing of the past. Yes, they existed in the glory days of the past, but they haven't been around for a long, long time. Manufacturing tolerances are much tighter. It doesn't really matter as much if Joebob on the line is having a good day or bad day anymore.
And, if someone in this thread suggested that parts got "accidentally" swapped, like a super-secret cam shaft or something, that's ignorance to the point of childishness. Only a 13 year old would actually believe something that stupid.
And, if someone in this thread suggested that parts got "accidentally" swapped, like a super-secret cam shaft or something, that's ignorance to the point of childishness. Only a 13 year old would actually believe something that stupid.
02-17-2009, 05:16 AM
#66
Factory freak does not mean that there were different parts "accidentally" installed. There are manufacturing tolerances that can and do happen, as well as assembly procedures varying slightly from car to car. Also, the way the car was driven while new can have an impact on how it performs.
Let's face it, although the cars SHOULD be very comparable in actual performance, if you were to purchase 5 new F bods back in 02, 01, etc, and put them all on the dyno, and run them at the strip, some will be faster than others. It's just reality.
With all that said, my definition of a factory freak is one that performs better than the average car but they will have the same factory installed parts.
Having a superb driver coupled with a good running car can make it tick off some great times, making it seem even more "freakish".
I hadn't had my car but a month or two when I took it to the track on street tires and it layed down multiple 13.0 at 108.xx with sub-par 2.xx 60fts. After those passes I got it in the 12.9s at nearly 109 mph....108.96 to be exact, with only a 2.050 short time. The car layed down 321 rwhp/331rwtq later that summer with only an SLP lid.
I know for a fact I have driven some other m6 f bods that didn't have what it takes to run 12s stock or nearly stock, even if I drove them the same as I did my own.
Let's face it, although the cars SHOULD be very comparable in actual performance, if you were to purchase 5 new F bods back in 02, 01, etc, and put them all on the dyno, and run them at the strip, some will be faster than others. It's just reality.
With all that said, my definition of a factory freak is one that performs better than the average car but they will have the same factory installed parts.
Having a superb driver coupled with a good running car can make it tick off some great times, making it seem even more "freakish".
I hadn't had my car but a month or two when I took it to the track on street tires and it layed down multiple 13.0 at 108.xx with sub-par 2.xx 60fts. After those passes I got it in the 12.9s at nearly 109 mph....108.96 to be exact, with only a 2.050 short time. The car layed down 321 rwhp/331rwtq later that summer with only an SLP lid.
I know for a fact I have driven some other m6 f bods that didn't have what it takes to run 12s stock or nearly stock, even if I drove them the same as I did my own.
Here's an example (JUST an EXAGGERATED example, not actual)...
LT1's are supposed to have 1.5 roller rockers. Let's say the tolerance is 1.45-1.55.
My car gets the 1.45's, Mike's car gets the 1.5s and Gilbert's car gets the 1.55's.
My car is slower than the "factory" rating. Mike's car is dead on. Gilbert's car is faster.
SO, I buy some 1.6 roller rockers and see a HUGE gain. Mike buys some also looking for the same gain and gets a gain but not as much. Gilbert buys some and hardly notices any improvement.
A lot of "factory freaks" don't respond to some mods well (because they aren't as big as an improvement as the expect it to be) while "slow" cars tend to responds to mods well.
Of course, it is a crap shoot as to what parts you have that are hindering/improving performance from factory tolerances. It could be exhaust, it could be internal, etc...
02-17-2009, 03:19 PM
#67
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Factory parts are not going to have that big of tolerances, esp with modern machining, your factory rockers might have a .002 of a difference but 1.5 are not going to have a whole tenth of variance.
02-20-2009, 12:23 PM
#69
All motors are different they are within certain specs but they will have their differences especially due to tooling wear and when they were upgraded and or replaced and when they were produced during the week. Haha union guys.
Gaurantee the wed motor had more detail than the monday or friday.
Gaurantee the wed motor had more detail than the monday or friday.
02-20-2009, 01:37 PM
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02-20-2009, 03:57 PM
#71
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Can we stop posting in this thread, Haha. BOTTOM LINE they don't exist, at least not in an extreme enough form to call them 'freaks'. It always comes down to the driver mod.
02-23-2009, 09:55 AM
#72
haha ok. They do exist. Come on down to GM where I work and tell the engineers on the dynos why they are running two of the same engines both on either ends of the tolerances. Each engine is different but is rolled out as long as its in tolerance spec. For example compression can be within .1 of the advertised number high or low.
02-23-2009, 03:05 PM
#73
You know, while I had my time at an assembly plant I could totaly see a factory freak being created! Albeit, we were building Ford Escapes and the other two models, it could very well happen. Could of been a late nite, maybe a break down for a few hours on the line. Motor line guys go hit the bar and get lit. Makes the nite go by faster and funner.
Get back, decide to put an LS6 or just the plain vette motor in the Ls1 line! Makes it down the line and checks out. There you go!!! 
Get back, decide to put an LS6 or just the plain vette motor in the Ls1 line! Makes it down the line and checks out. There you go!!!
02-23-2009, 04:32 PM
#75
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You know, while I had my time at an assembly plant I could totaly see a factory freak being created! Albeit, we were building Ford Escapes and the other two models, it could very well happen. Could of been a late nite, maybe a break down for a few hours on the line. Motor line guys go hit the bar and get lit. Makes the nite go by faster and funner. Get back, decide to put an LS6 or just the plain vette motor in the Ls1 line! Makes it down the line and checks out. There you go!!!
Get back, decide to put an LS6 or just the plain vette motor in the Ls1 line! Makes it down the line and checks out. There you go!!!
02-23-2009, 05:32 PM
#77
