Now here's my "explained later" sob-story with a happy ending.

I normally surf these forums every day. After 7 years as a Network Engineer for an ad agency, I got laid off. Ad agencies are getting hit hard during this recession because advertising is the first thing a company cuts when its finances are low. So that hurts people like me because I'm a Mac specialist, and advertising is the best place for my skills to fit in.

I saw it coming. Things were slow at work, we had already been through one round of cuts, and I took precautions. I sold my condo, paid off the GSX, all of my debt, and I'm living with my old drummer now in a really cool house for 2/5 as much as it used to cost me to live. I banked enough from the sale to pay rent here for 3 years after all my debts were paid. I got the master bed/bathroom, too. It's big enough for 4 people, and we have a wet bar with taps and a small powered framed worksop in the back yard (so no more assembling engines in my dining room). The driveway is big enough for about 6 cars and neighbors on only one side. Sorry, no garage.

But I don't need a garage. I've been working at my cousins shop. Not because I have to, just because I need a break from desk jobs. I feel like the guy in Office Space. I've never been happier than I have been since my job lost me. I've stripped the GSX, disassembled the motor, packed up the tranny to ship to TRE, and also been paid for doing several big jobs on other cars when I've been able to help out. Sure, it pays 1000X less than my last job, but I don't even really need the money.

The shop is a converted '60's gas station with a 3-bay garage, 2 250 gallon 220V compressors, 3 lifts, tire mounting and balancing equipment, brake lathes, welding rigs, engine hoists, diagnostic equipment... pretty much everything but alignment equipment, but we still have all the tools to do suspension work. It's got an enormous paved lot. It's been there for 30 years, but my cousin owns it now. At least one of my cars has lived on that lot for the past year, and it's where I do everything to my cars. Free.

So that's where I've been. The GSX is getting built. I have a 24x3.25x10" intercooler core with aluminum piping and a HKS SSQV on its way to me. I'm rebuilding the 7-bolt for good measure. It's got 123k on it, and ZERO crank play. You either have a crankwalk 2g or you don't. I don't. Just going to freshen it up with some Eagle rods, Ross pistons, and a 1g head swap.

I have a whole lot of parts that Honda PPL ought to be interested in. 2g SMIC, 450 injectors, upper and lower 60mm Intercooler pipes (for a DSM), 1g DSM BOV, RoadRace Engineering manual boost controller, CX exhaust manifold, d15b8 longblock...