Pirate Treasure

[tccrab]

Ahoy Maties!!!
Fellow Brethren of the Beast!!
Listen' Up!
I've a Pirate tale to share with 'ye all...
A tale that involves TREASURE!!

Last year around November, some guy was cleaning out his storage because he was moving his shop halfway across the country.
He dug up a bunch of old (but new) leftovers and decided to unload them on eBay at very reasonable prices.
I bid on and won a very nice set of metal door sill protectors for "Girlfriend", my '90 ZR1.
The only problem was that the passenger side didn't have the "ZR1" sticker...
Girlfriend said she wasn't going to put them on unless they matched...
Women can be so tempermental at times....

I eMailed the seller and asked politely if he had a spare sticker.
He said he would look.
I guess I should have recognized his eBay seller name, but I didn't pay attention.
A couple of months go by, no Sticker.
I send another eMail and the seller replies, saying he was sorry for the delay but that he'd been very busy getting his business settled into the new facility.
He said that he had found a sticker and if I would send him a SASE he'd send it to me.

I asked for his company name and address and a big BRIGHT LIGHT went on.

Automasters of Bowling Green
790 Interstate Dr.
Bowling Green, KY 42101

I had been talking to a Legend.
A real FAMOUS ZR1 CELEBRITY.
Somebody I had read about in the Heart of the Beast.
Somebody I'd seen on TV.
Somebody I thought I'd never meet or talk to in a million bazillion years.
The father of the infamous Black Widow ZR1.
The guy who added the "R" to the C5.
The Pirate himself.
....
...
..
Jim Van Dorn.

Wow.

I got a package the other day and I'm still in a state of shock.
PIRATE TREASURE.
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/tccrab/JCDPictures001.jpg



http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/tccrab/JCDPictures010.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/tccrab/JCDPictures009.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/tccrab/JCDPictures014.jpg
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/tccrab/JCDPictures015.jpg

TomC
'90ZR1 #792
Honorary Pirate
http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/tccrab/smiley5_pirate.gif

[tomtom72]

That's a great yarn Capt'n!=D> :thumbsup:

I will admit that when I read posts by any of those people that I start to think to myself..."how can this car ever die when we have guys like this still into it!"

:cheers:
Tom

[Z Factor]

That is a great story and it looks like Christmas came a little early for you this year.

:cheers:

[WB9MCW]

CONGRATS ON THE MOST EXCELLENT SNAG!!!

GOOGLED THIS FROM THE NET ON A FORUM CALLED "OFFSHORE ONLY"

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-23369.html

WETTE VETTE
04-30-2002, 03:23 PM
Back in about 1991 Baja was pushing the new Bandit hull. They did a custom paint job on a Bandit, dropped in a Corvette ZR1 motor, and had a Corvette set up as the tow vehicle. There was a real cool article on the project in either Hot Boat or Powerboat magazine. Does anyone else remember this? I think they said the boat would do low 80's and had great acceleration. I wonder where that boat ended up? I just love Corvettes and performance so I figured WETTE VETTE was the perfect name for my boat. I do think the original was cool especially with the ZR1 motor and the vette tow vehicle.
Flyinbrian
04-30-2002, 05:02 PM
I thought the original Wette Vette was stolen. I don't recall if it was stolen from Baja, or who, but for some reason I remember reading or hearing about people looking for it.
Anyone with me on this one?
J240
04-30-2002, 05:18 PM
Wette Vette I own a 1990 Zr-1 corvette and love that boat also.
There was a great article in POPULAR MECHCANICS. I forget what month it was, but I'll look to see if I can find out.
WETTE VETTE(I WONDER IF THIS GUY EVER COMES TO THE FORUM HERE ZR-1 NET/REG???)
04-30-2002, 07:57 PM
I do recall seeing the article in Pop Mech. I don't recall ever hearing that the boat was stolen. That boat is one of a kind and should be easy to identify. I guess I may have stole the name. If you find the article I would like to check it out. Some cool Baja history.:)
lakejunke
04-30-2002, 09:42 PM
I also remember seeing a ski boat with vette running gear. It was red, even had zr-1 lights gelled into the back of the hull. Anyone remember that one?
CFD5
04-30-2002, 10:20 PM
The ski boat was a Malibu. It was a total piece of junk, great motor but the boat sucked. We have the vette engine in our mastercraft and it has been running strong for 350+ hours, which is alot for a tournament ski-boat, excellent acceleration and the best ski boat / motor combo I've ever been in. I have never seen the Baja version.
jmeng
04-30-2002, 11:15 PM
I have the Hot Boat with the Wette Vette article laying around here somewhere. That was actually the first Hot Boat I ever bought. Very fine boat and tow vehicle combo. I don't have a scanner but if someone was interested I could copy the article and send it to them.

FUNNY HOW THE OWNER OF THE MALIBU VETTE ENGINE BOAT HAS NEVER EVEN SEEN THE ORIG. BAJA BOAT---MASTERCRAFT SKI BOATS ARE A BIT BETTER THAN A MALIBU BUT NOT MUCH LIKE HE SUGGESTS----ANOTHER MINOR DETAIL IS HE HAS THE 97 VETTE BOAT THAT HAS A CALLAWAY 383 SUPERNAT 405HP MOTOR NOT THE BAJA BOAT FROM 1991 WITH THE LT-5 SO NO WONDER HE NEVER SAW THE BAJA VERSION OR KNEW OF IT EVEN--- A ONE OFF AS STATED AND MAYBE THE "STOLEN FROM BAJA" IS TRUE!!! THE LT-5 IS PROLY IN A HOT ROD SOMEWHERE WITH THE S/N REMOVED OR WAS USED AS A PARTS MOTOR OR SUMTHIN LIKE THAT! DOUBT IT EVER MADE BACK INTO A ZR-1.

HERE IS THE LINK ON THE MALIBU WHICH WAS A PRODUCTION BOAT IN LOW #
http://www.idavette.net/clubs/vetteboat.htm
EVEN WITH THE CAL MOTOR I THINK I READ IT DID 65 MPH WHICH IS GOOD FOR A SKI BOAT HULL-- NO DOUBT THE BAJA DID BETTER BUT I REALLY DOUBT 80 LIKE THEY SAY IN THE ARTICLE--I HAVE 650 HP BB CHEVY 501 SUPERCHARGED IN A 4,400 LB 26' WETTED 28' WITH THE SWIM DECK AND I GET ONLY 75MPH--AND THE LITTLE 22' SCARAB WITH A 300HP 454 GOES 71MPH --I WOULD THINK THE 22' WETTED BAJA WITH A 400HP LT-5 MIGHT GET 75 TOPS YOU WOULD NEED ABT 500 TO 600HP TO GET 80MPH ON THE H20 IN A 24' BOAT-- IMO
MFG AND OWNERS ALWAYS LIE BY 5-10 MPH ABT THEIR BOAT SPEEDS. PLUS THEY SAID 80 MPH WAS THE ESTIMATED TOP SPEED!!! EVEN WITH THE HIGH REVVING LT-5 I DOUBT 80 MPH.

A FRIEND OF MINE HAD THE 22 BAJA "HOT SHOT" WITH A 210HP V6 AND IT WOULD ONLY DO 53MPH.

MY SCARAB DID 53 WITH 310 HP 454 BB---IT TOOK 650 HP 502 CID BB + CMI HEADERS AND A NICE 4 BLADE 26p PROP @5,150 RPM TO GET IT TO 75MPH---AND A REAL HONEST IN THE HOT SUMMER 95F DAYZ 75MPH---I GET 77MPH IN THE FALL WHEN IT IS 40F OUT!!! ON GPS!!! 1/8 TANK O FUEL ONLY AND 5,250 RPMS TO DO IT!!!

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/BAD-ATTITUDE-EH-PIER.jpg

[WB9MCW]

HEY tc IF U COULD SCAN THE ARTICLE (THAT WAY THE CAMERA FLASH WILL NOT BE PRESENT) AND EMAIL ME A DIGITAL COPY I WOULD LUV TO POST IT ON MY ZR-1 TRIBUTE PAGE---BEING A BOAT GUY MAKES WETTE VETTE ZR-1/LT-5 ENGINE XTRA SPECIAL TO ME!!!

MY TRIBUTE ZR-1 PAGE
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/390224
SEE P4 AS WELL FOR MORE ZR-1 PIC'S
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/390224/4
nice pic's of the pirate zr-1 on this page 4 as well!!!

MY EMAIL IS wb9mcw@gmail.com