Would someone explain just what this upgrade of mystery is?
My 348 spider has the SRI gold kit and hose kit. The car runs fantastic (ask the guy driving the McLaren MP4 that I chased through the Nevada desert as he could not believe how well I stayed on his tail) and everything works as it should perfectly, no cells, no lights just pure kick ass. Thank you Dave for making these kits.
Mmmm, 3 people I know have GCKs on their car: Carl, Jeff & Eric. Maybe when it comes time to install one on mine, I will invite you all over for a GCK party and then I will quietly sneak out to buy food and beer...
I was also interested in the kit but wasnt motivated enough to install it. If anything this thread has helped Dave create more awareness for the product and I now definitely feel much more motivated to take on the project.
Ha, ha! Make that u-s-e-d brake pads. I have plenty of those. BTW, I know a certain ex-Oxnard resident, now living in Indiana, who is reading this thread with great interest but not posting. Message to him: What's up dude? :0
I ordered my second gold kit today. I should have it in a week. You are welcome to come by my house and see how it goes together. Besides it is good for the company. You need to come measure for my big brake kit on the 550 racecar.
I feel any new development that finds its way to this market should stand on its own merits. Some are trying to benefit from our research into this effort by trying to copy it..... but those doing that are unwilling to do the research and make the investment required to do it in a high quality method. These folks NEVER had clue one as to where to even start looking for problems from the onset, yet they now have all the answers as to what the ultimate 'Fix" entails. When viewed through a straw, this looks quite simple, anyone can do That for a fraction of the cost.... Really? I tried to 'Cheapen' the kit a number of times and each effort proved a major setback. REAL progress was made the day I decided I didnt care what the final 'market price' would end up, every little detail was going to be addressed as it was identified, the cars themselves would define when this was done, not an arbitrary 'market price' I hoped to hit. 05011994's car was one that received the kit in bit part form, esentially one block at a time, it was a test to see if improvements could be noted at each stage of the install, and what the cumulative effect might be vs the individual system results. That effort added years upon years to the testing but that was OK because I never intended to sell this, it was merely an essential step in a far bigger picture. If profit was a motivating factor, the addition hundreds of hours doing this would amount to a complete waste of time and money. One must remember, for every mistake I make, every SWAG that doesnt play out as predicted, I must go back and fix all the cars where that was employed and tested and then move forward once again. Profit?.... Please, not in my lifetime, maybe my kids. Some of the kick back watched here was trolling for data to answer their own questions, some was to discredit a proven design to bolster a new product "that really works".... watch for it.... Intregrity is a word that has lost all meaning and has little place in this market, this is now common practice. THIS is why no one is doing it anymore, it doesn't pay to because some dip will always come along and try to copy what ever 'it' is. Some of it was to instill doubt because there are some in this market that Dont want these problems fixed, These issues are BIG money and fixing the problems is counter productive to their long term interests. The later discussed is short sighted thinking because we are justifiably loosing large numbers of owners who were no longer willing to tolerate the cost of ownership... the headaches and costs are just greater than the pleasure these cars returned. This sad fact is what brought about the Backwoods Cluge Repair mentality that we have today. Save since you were a kid so to realize a dream..... and then treat it like a used up Vega just so it can be seen at the coffee shop on the weekend.... WTH? There will always be both of these types of people, this I can not change, my effort was to show it didnt have to be this way. We didnt have to tolerate cars that self destruct or wore out long before their time, cars with a dashboard that looked like a Christmas Tree, cars that couldnt be trusted to get you back home or ones that approached the National Budget to maintain. While on this quest I started to find wonderful side affects in performance and the deeper I dug, the more I found, one complimenting the next. This was never about some flippin contacts on a wire.... that short sighted thinking is what brought us to the point we are now, the secrets and answers are far more involved than that. The end result of my efforts will be the "SR Evoluzioni Series".... and that is a serious giggle that improves with each test! That is the goal and that is marketable because I can offer it in stage form to suit individual budgets. No advancement can be justified until it is completely tested and proven and you damn sure cant start improving until you have a stable base platform. The GCK is simply that, a base step to provide a stable platform from which to build upon. The fact that this little side show happens to provide some giggles by itself, fixes headaches we have tolerated for decades..... well, that's kinda fun for many but for me its just a launching point. You must be kidding me.... one that holds the title as the Poster Child who is directly responsible for devaluing these cars untold thousands of dollars while destroying a market place for them..... I dont know who you are speaking about but I sense a game of Whack-A-Mole about to start
Dave, I hope you don't take this wrong but in the spirit of technical accuracy that you feel strong about (and I do also), I reviewed your products on the SRI innovations website. Most of them state "patent pending" and I did a search on the USPTO website and find no public applications or current patents. As someone with one patent and another in process, if you have none in process you should not be advertising that way. If I'm wrong, my apologies. Hijack over ;-) And, for the record, I have no interesting in making any of these products, certainly lots of work and it's not my focus.
Dave, sorry, I was not trying to stir the pot. There was mention in an earlier thread that the GCK had been hotly debated 2 years ago, just like it is now. The person who started that earlier thread is an acquaintance of mine, and he and I can disagree but still be friends. That's what you are seeing here, again, 2 years later. People who disagree and want to debate a topic. You have plenty of supporters defending your product. -Greg
I am the patent attorney who drafted the patent applications for Dave. If you "...have a patent and one in the process", you should be aware that patent applications are not published (i.e., become public) until approximately 18 months after filing. The USPTO now has a back-log of 18 months to 2 years before the first substantive office action is sent, so as to begin prosecution. Moreover, as you are not an Inventor or an Assignee, you have NO ability to ascertain any information regarding newly filed patent application on the public Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) System or through the public patent/patent application search feature.
I want to go on record regarding this topic since I think it's getting blown out of proportion: As a person who was /is very interested in the GCK, I don't typically spend my hard earned money and time without an appropriate amount a due diligence. How many of you make purchases blindly? My posts within this thread are all related to understanding the benefits of this product - I'm not here to make statements that Dave Helms does not know what he is doing - he certainly does.
Yes, I am aware and this I why I said "no public applications" and "If I'm wrong, my aplologies" I am also aware that they only become public after 18 months if the applicant allows them to be public - which I do not.
Oh hell, please dont misunderstand me Greg. I greatly enjoy debating topics, it is my mental exercise and from each my knowledge grows on ANY given topic. That is the sole reason I read these sites in the AM..... I learn many things about regional issues, different ideas on how to resolve them.... the list is endless. Where I can I enjoy helping fix a problem when I see someone heading off in the wrong direction. I used to help a great deal more but the mentality on this site now.... it has become a liability to even do so. That knowledge growth is what this site is Supposed to be all about, this is Supposed to be a passion we all share... for me, after 42 years, it Still Is! There is a GREAT deal of difference between debating a topic and attempting to destroy a concept for the sole reason personal gain or ego. What makes this strange to a point of FUBAR is those people doing that.... they never had idea one where the problems laid or even a vague clue as to how to fix it... hell, they never knew there was A problem! For decades I didn't believe we should be able to Choose our customers... Keegan corrected me with "Step away from the Bong.... we got this" I agree there can, and should be the ability to have disagreements between friends But.......... integrity is what creates friendships, the are prerequisites. Keegan's follow up proverb was "Is better to be thought a fool than to oppen ones mounth and remove all doubt".... I getting learned by one of the greats!
1) exactly as it should be or at least use it as a learning tool that might answer questions that plague you 2) one must be careful to make statements that fall into the context of the discussion at hand. One can spout all sorts of bad science that is correct in an entirely different topic, but falls flat in another. Theory and practice.... you deal with one... I have to FIX the other. A design is only perfected once it is put in practice and tested..... just the way it is Its all good when we talk, not argue
Don't assume that I only do theoretical engineering Dave - because that's wrong. I am and always have been a very hands-on engineer, starting my career while building race cars (dragsters) I spend 50% on my time at my desk and 50% of my time in my shop - I'm not afraid to get dirty and do so quite often.
I didnt assume, I was making a broad statement that was not intended to be directly for you, sorry for that confusion. What field of engineering is it that you practice? In the automotive field or elsewhere?
16 years ago before starting my business, I was a design engineer at General Motors - machine design that is. I designed automated assembly and test equipment. My company did the same for many years and then we got more involved with contract manufacturing. I now have 1 product and and preparing to launch another product line by the end of the year. It's far into development now.
Ketel, one last thing. I know you're frustrated getting this kit installed correctly but as I stated in one of my posts Nikki Helms at the time devised and wrote the instruction manual for this kit. Also as stated I was lucky because Dave and Nikki installed my kit due to the fact that it was in their shop and not running. I did look over the instructions and they seemed to be very detailed and straighforward so even a dip like me could do it albeit it would take twice as long or longer. I even remember Nikki taking a soft handed swipe at our manhood stating that "if you get stuck put down the tools and go ask your wife to do it". Now I'm not saying you should do that (although if I had to install my kit myself I foresure would have asked my wife to step in). Point being if the manual is not as instructive as it should be you really should contact Dave directly for some personalized guidance.
This is an actual conversation with my wife ... Wife: can you look at the vacuum cleaner? It just spits things out. me: did you empty the dirt bag? Wife: We have to empty the bag? I love my wife, but her reign ends at the threshold to the garage.
This is very cool and I am impressed. I did machine design for a short time, namely on automated silage bagging equipment. It gave me a high respect for those that can do it well because I surely could not. I just re read my reply re Theory..... damn did that come out Wrong, you were perfectly right to call me on that! My point was that it is a rare time when design theory relates directly to a finished working model. Somewhere along the line reality sets in just to screw up a perfectly good theory... I am the poster child for the cause!
