I love you!

My friend Chris sent me this cartoon. I was deeply offended because I think I'm Danny the Donkey. I hate him for that. :D Now leave me alone. I'm going to find some creative new uses for the stick. :D

Pete

MkI VW Rabbit all wheel drive.

Oh man this thing is AWESOME!!!

I'll just let you look at the photo and the listing on e-bay.

All wheel drive VW Rabbit.

Pete

Something not car-related. ;) Museuming in DC.

Oy oy.

Laura and I had fun last weekend hitting a few museums and doing some stuff downtown. We went to the Sewall/Belmot House to start out with. It was and is the headquarters for the National Women's Party. We'd seen the movie "Iron Jawed Angels" and wondered how much of it was artistically licensed and what was based in reality. Interestingly enough, if you remove all the romantic intreague from the movie, the basic historical facts are pretty close to right. It was very cool to learn more about the women's sufferage movement and the people involved.

After a good lunch at Chipotle, we headed over to the new National Portrait Gallery. Wow what a great museum. This is my new favorite in the DC area. It is HUGE! The first floor is packed with stuff (and people) and there are 3 more floors above to explore. It is located in the old National Pattent Office building. The first floor has a neat section where they display portraits of different inventors next to a glass case containing their invention. Edison, Morse, Singer and others were included. It was definitely cool.

The other thing I liked about the museum is that it is organized by theme and they really do a good job of giving historical background to all of the portraits, the people depicted in them and the artist who created them. Part of the reason why it takes so long to go through the gallery is that there is a LOT of information on EVERY bit of art in the builing. We felt like we barely scraped the surface.

Definitely check these out. Google will find them for you.

Pete

Better yet... another Mini.

This one is a 1961 Morris Minor. The thing is in unbelievable shape and only has 42000 original miles. It is fully restored and has a new motor and a damn clean interior. I also like that you can buy the car from a guy who has Olympic Gold and Silver medals. I'll just shut up and post the photos and the link.


Here is the link to the listing. It makes for good reading.

1961 Morris Minor

Take care,

Pete

Mini. Something else to add to the mix. ;)

I was reading about someone who is putting Honda motors into classic minis. They freaking fly with the extra horsepower and revs. That got me thinking about a classic mini. Here's a great example on Ebay right now.

This is a fully restored 1.3Liter mini. This was the fast and cool one. It has been upgraded with the interior from a 1990s mini. I like the classc wheel and even the color. This little bugger is fast and cool. I'm a geek about right hand drive cars too. I'd have a lot of fun with this thing.

Here's the listing.

1976 Mini 1.3 upgraded to Cooper spec.

Pete

Craptastic photographer with really bad writing habits and a damn cool car.

Sorry about the title of this post. I often think that I'm pretty funny. I know deep in my heart that I'm not. ;)

Okay... the car on the block this evening is a 1969 BMW 2002 Turbo. This thing is freaking amazing and must be really wild to drive. The photos of the outside obviously don't do this car any good.

You wouldn't want the car to look too good in the ebay add. It might actually sell for a high price or something. The money he saved in having good photos posted will more than make up for any increase in the sale price that really good photos would bring. (Sorry. Mr. Sarcastic is on the loose again) ;)

The engine bay is amazing. There's no two ways about it. That is one freaking impressive car. I would LOVE to have this thing and drive the freaking snot out of it. :D

The cool thing is that as long as I made sure the air/fuel mixture was right, it would most likely give me years of "thank you sir may I have another" use.

I like what the guy did with the photo of the front end. It is very cool looking.

Here is the listing for the car.

Enjoy.

Pete

The project car that I WON'T be buying. ;)

This MkI Golf is absolutely amazing. The level of detail on this car is amazing. Absolutely everything is more beautiful and better functioning than it was in its original form.

The body work is flawless. The interior is just creamy. The motor and engine bay are both functional and beautiful to look at. I love the twin carbed, 1.8Liter, 16valve motor. The motor is quite a bit more refined than what VW originally intended.

Another thing I like is that the left hand drive is as exotic in England as the right hand drive ones are in the colonies. Very cool.

Below you'll find the listing for the car:

MkI Swallowtail.

Take care,

Pete

Bunnies!!!

Okay. My project car posts lately have been mostly non-vw cars. I thought I'd get back to my roots again with this little one.

I've wanted an A1 GTI for as long as I can remember. The first one I ever drove was amazing to me. They're light, they handle quite well, they're pretty fast. This is the car that started the sport compact car craze back in the mid 1970s.

This particular car would almost be a shame for me to buy since my goal would be to strip the interior and go crazy with it. I would say that I'm sure I could ebay all the interior stuff for a lot of money and that would help finance the project.
Below is the link to the listing.

1983 VW Rabbit GTI

Enjoy.

Pete

2002 Reasons to love this car...

You've seen me post some BMW 2002s on the blog lately. This one is SUPER cool and completely out of my range. I'll post it up because it is just too perfect to ignore.

This car is an almost flawless BMW 2002 Tii. The Tii version of the 2002 got fuel injection and a few other performance bisquits. It also had a really cool dash clock that looked great, but really didn't keep very accurate time... at least not after 30 years or so.

I'll just let you look at a few photos of the car and the listing on Ebay. The "Buy It Now" price is $20k. We'll see if it is worth that.

I'd consider it if I had the $20k laying around.

HERE's the listing.

Pete

Rice Rice Baby!!!

Oy oy.

I had another good ad for an AE86 show up today. My guess is that there's something fundamentally wrongwith this car that is making this guy sell it 3 weeks after he bought it. Since my plan would be to strip the whole dang thing down, I guess I'd probably find the problem and hopefully be able to fix it. :D

This is actually an SR5 that has been converted to a GT-S. They put a GT-S rear axle on it that has disc brakes and an LSD. They also put in a GT-S motor and gauge cluster. There are plenty of things about the add that make it suspicious. First, the title isn't in the name of the guy who is selling it. Also he lists that the gauge cluster is from a different car, but lists the mileage as what registers on the gauge cluster. Hmmmmm.

That said, I'm interested. Maybe not interested enough to actualy try and buy it. I'm interested enough to post it on my blog. :D

HERE's the listing.

Pete

Hachi Roku: Toyota Corolla GT-S AE86

I love this car. If the planets all align, I'll have something like this as my next project car. This is an awesome example of a Hachi Roku (Japanese for 86). This Corolla was made from 1985-7 and was pretty much the last of the front engine/rear wheel drive compact cars in the US. The Nissan 240sx was around until 1998, but it is a much larger and heavier car.

The appeal of the GT-S is that it is a quite light car (2100 pounds) and can be much lighter. With careful modifications, it can get down below 1800 pounds.

The motor in the GT-S is a dual overhead cam, 16 valve, 1.6 liter, fuel injected motor. It has a high redline and puts out about 130hp and 104 lb/ft torque. While that is enough to power an 1800 pound car pretty well, a lot of folks opt for the 20 valve, high compression motor from Japan that puts out 160hp and 120 lb/ft torque. Definitely a good upgrade. Horsepower mods can be made from there.

The AE-86 is in high demand among drifters. Though they don't handle as well as some newer cars, they've got a lot of heritage to them. That bumps the price up a bit. Even so, they can be found for under $2000 for one in rough, but complete shape. The one pictured here is for sale for $6200. It whould definitely get that price.

Thanks for reading,

Pete

Hachi Roku: Corolla GT-S AE86

Here's the most likely candidate for my new car. I love these things. I'm sure I'll offend Hachi Roku (Japanese for 86) owners when I say that I think they're kinda funny looking. That's their appeal to me. :D

These things are pretty much the last of the front engine/ rear wheel drive compact cars sold in America. The example that you see to the left has been modified a bit, but it is a great example of the car I love and would like to buy.

These things handled pretty darn well when you consider that the rear suspension and drive system was a relatively simple and heavy live axle not entirely unlike those found on American muscle cars. The thing that really makes these things extraordinary is their weight, or lack thereof. In stock form, they weigh about 2100 pounds. Strip out the interior and anything that you really don't need, install a racing seat and roll cage and replace the heavy stock wheels with something truly light weight and you can have a race car that weighs between 1700 and 1800 pounds.

The stock motor of the GT-S is a 1.6 liter, 16valve motor making around 130 hp and 104 lb/ft torque. The japanese motor which some swap in makes around 160 hp and 120 lb/ft torque. It uses a 20 valve setup and a higher compression ratio that accounts for the greater horsepower.

Drifters LOVE these things. These were some of the original drift cars in Japan. They're not the easiest cars to drift, but the sense of history makes them in pretty high demand.

I'll be keeping an eye on these this winter.

Pete

Very Tempting 318is

This one definitely cought my eye.

I'm drawn to the 318is because it is light weight, fairly modern and has a great suspension. All the bimmer guys tell me I should go for the 325 because the straight 6 motor has more power. I've always been an underdog kinda guy. I like the better balance and lighter weight of the E30 318is. That's just me. I'm a freak that way.

This car in particular is of interest to me because it is bascally stock and it has a blown head. That means I get to do a project on it and I get it at a very good price. I'm sure that there's a ton of work to do to the car. I can see what looks like rust stains on the carpet. Who knows what I'll find when I pull the interior to check the inside of the floor pans. That is part of the mystery of a project.

The time isn't right for me and this car. If I'd seen this ad at the end of February, I'd click that "buy it now" button in a second. I just don't have room, time or money at the moment. I can still enjoy looking though. :D

Pete

An Awesome Project 2002

This car is an awesome example of a motorsports 2002. It has a ton of the work already done. The fenders are flared. It has the motorsports spoiler. The interior is mostly gone. It has little or no rust. It has the battery in the trunk and an upgraded fuel pump, filter and FPR.

The motor is the only part that really needs work. It has a ton of stuff that needs help. It is the perfect project. :D

The car is even local. :D

You can find the link to the auction below:

1972 BMW 2002

1986 Toyota Trueno AE86 Hachi Roku (AKA Corolla GT-S)

I hate to say it but I love these cars. They're ugly as hell and really quirky. They're pretty much the last of the front-engine, rear drive small cars that made it to America. They've got a huge following in the drift community. There are some guys autocrossing and doing SCCA or NASA racing with them too. Since I'm looking to do motorsports stuff with it, it is a good candidate.

Don't think that I dislike the car because I think it is ugly. I LOVE ugly cars. This thing is really ugly in my eyes and I think that's a good thing. It is just damn cool.


The other appeal to it is that the car is very light. In stock form, it weighs in at about 2100 pounds. Strip out the interior and put in some racing seats and these things can weigh as little as 1800 pounds. If I really go crazy and replace the dash with fiberglass, it can get even less weight. Use a light weight battery and add a good roll cage and you've still got a track-ready car that is between 1700 and 1800 pounds.

The motor on these were pretty cool too. It is a high compression, 16 valve motor that revs really high. With minimal mods, they can get up around 150hp at the wheels with 110 lb/ft torque. While that doesn't sound like much compared to the Corrado or GTI, just keep in mind that it is about 1000 pounds lighter than the Corrado and 1400 pounds lighter than the GTI.

The rear suspension is pretty simple. It isn't a fancy multi-link system. It is an old style, live axle with trailing arms. Even with the simple rear end, they still handle pretty well.

I'm seriously tempted by this car. They're getting rare, but you can still find decent examples for between $2000 and 4000.

The one in this auction isn't really to my taste. It is the hatchback that I LOVE, but I really don't like the wing very much. I'd prefer to have one with few or no mods so I could do the work myself. That motor looks like it has been seriously worked, and I like that the guy did the full polyurithane bushing kit. Very cool.

HERE is the listing on Ebay for this car.

Love,

Pete

When car guys dream....

Okay. Continuing on the car theme...

My project car thang has led to some interesting Ebay searches. Most recently I came up with this hit....

Here's what the car is supposed to look like.

It is a 1967 Toyota Sports 800 Yotahachi. There were only 48 of them made with right hand drive and only some of those were ever shipped to the United States. This car is SUPER rare and a really amazing little sports car.

As with many project cars, they're a litle bit of a "work in progress. You noticed above that I used the term "supposed to" when referring to the car's looks. Well this is how it looks now:

It definitely needs some love. Even so, you can really get a feel for the shape of the car and the potential that is there.

More photos. :D










Yeah. It needs some serious love. I'm not sure you'll ever find the lens covers for the headlights. I can't imagine that many of them are floating around.



It does look like most of the other parts are there though.

You can see the listing below.

1967 Toyota S800

Pete

Project Car Candidate #74

I recently retired a blog that was my outlet for a lot of car-related things. I am chanelling all that blogging energy into this blog. :D

I've always got my eye out for a few interesting and weird cars to be my next project car. I haven't decided what that is going to be yet, but I keep my eyes out. You'll see posts from time to time that talk about something that catches my eye. This is one of those posts. :D

I found this BMW 2002 on e-bay this week and kinda liked it.

The engine bay was definitely pretty amazing for a 30+ year old car. There are a lo of these things out there, but not many are as beautiful inside and out as this one.

You can find this listing on Ebay at the link below:

1975 BMW 2002

Pete

NASCAR goes Colombian. :D

Hey hey. 

 

I was a little surprised earlier this year when one of my favorite F1 racers decided to leave Formula 1 and race in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series.  Juan Pablo Montoya has been a guy who's career I've enjoyed watching for years.  It blew me away that he would ditch the most prestigious race series in the world for a series that, though loved in America, is pretty much laughed at anywhere else. 

 

RACER magazine had a really good article about the move this week.  You can read it HERE.

 

The article talks a lot about Chip Ganassi, Montoya's new boss.  To me, the real interest is in Montoya's decision to switch.  His reasoning was pretty good in my book. 

 

1) The racing is awesome. Formula 1 races are great, but you may only see a small handfull of passes for position while on the track.  Many times you'll see races where the only pass for the lead is done in the pits. 

 

There are some NASCAR races where you'll have more changes for the lead in one lap than you will in an entire F1 race. 

 

Wheel to wheel racing is scary and hair raising in an open-wheel car.  In NASCAR it is not unusual to go wheel to wheel, fender to fender at 190mph for lap after lap.  It takes skill, technique, wisdom and balls to be successful at that week after week.

 

2) He wants to be a great all-round racer.  He's one of two racers to have won the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.  How amazing would it be to add the Daytona 500 to that list?  How about a NEXTEL cup title to go with his Champ Car title? 

 

3) It is a good springboard for dabbling in something else.  Sports car endurance racing has been growing in popularity in the US of late.  There are plenty of NASCAR guys who race in the endurance races when their schedule allows.  Not many F1 guys get to do that until they've retired.  Adding a LeMans or Daytona 24-hour win would add to #2 above pretty nicely.

 

4) Rednecks are nice people.  Montoya talks about another thing that NASCAR has that other racing series may never have:

 

“Every driver I’ve met so far has been mega-nice,” he says. “‘Anything you need, we’ll help you.’ I’ve never seen that before. I’ve been shocked. In six seasons (of F1) I’ve been to the Williams motor home and to the McLaren motor home. I’ve never been to any other motor home. In 10 minutes (at Chicago) I’ve been in Jimmie Johnson’s motor home, Roger Penske…I was at every bus and every motor home.

“And everybody is nice. They are just happy to be there. It’s great to see people loving and enjoying the sport.”

 

I've got a new favorite racer in the pack.  He makes his debut in Chicago this fall.  It is going to take him a year or so to really learn the ins and outs of NASCAR racing.  I'm psyched to see how that goes.  He'll give Boris Said someone to hang out with. :D

 

Pete

My September 11th Post.

Hey folks. 

 

I think most Americans have had some deep thoughts today.  I haven't talked to anyone that didn't have something to say today about September 11th. 

 

My normal reaction to almost any anniversary is a show of grattitude for friends, family and the good that is done all around me.  I sent out an e-mail to a group that I work with that expressed those feelings.  The e-mail was heartfelt and sincere, but it didn't fully express what I felt.  Until this afternoon, I didn't have a grip on what I felt. 

 

It is easy to Monday Morning Quarterback the Clinton and Bush administration for things that they should and shouldn't have done.  That's been beaten to death and someday I'll get to the point where I stop doing that in my head. 

 

What is hard for me at this point is the circle of violence that has resulted from September 11th.  This is a gross over simplification of the situation, but it is good enough for my blog.  The US is attacked and 3000 people die.  The US invades Afghanistan and Iraq to fight a war on terrorism against al-Qaeda.  The deaths and violence in that war inspire insurgents to take up the terrorist fight against the US.  It keeps going and going. 

 

Ghandi may have said it best when he said, "An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind." 

 

I firmly believe that is true.  That isn't a solution though. 

 

Oddly enough, it was the Chinese Government's statement in regards to the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks that ring true: "Only when the root cause of terrorism is stopped and not just the symptoms, will the war on terrorism be won." 

 

They said it better than I could. 

 

How do we destroy the root cause?  How do we change the perception of America around the world?  I have no idea.  Obviously the "kill them all and let god sort them out" isn't working. 

 

I might know something that could take the first step.  We can't stop fighting the war on terrorism.  Pulling out isn't the answer at this point.  We can't keep going at it alone though... not when every military action we take causes two problems that we've got to solve down the road. 

 

What we need is something that will generate a little bit of good will.  We need to do something in our foreign policy that has a positive and selfless affect.  We need to do something that will let people know that we're not the imperialistic, self centered, egotistical country that we appear to be. 

 

What is that thing?  I don't know for sure, but I've got some good ideas.  The countries of Sub-Saharan Africa could benefit immeasurably by a significant development effort on the part of the US.  I'm not talking about dumping a bunch of food out of airplanes and dropping it all over Africa.  I'm talking about a sincere effort to help the people help themselves.  Work with international organizations or help fund the organizations to do the work that they are to help people stop the spread of the AIDS virus, solve problems that prevent these people from helping themselves.  Give them the step up that they need to make the next step on their own. 

 

It isn't easy.  It is darn cheap to do that when you compare the amount of effort and money to what is spent on the war on terror and on Iraq. 

 

I'm not saying that we take funds away from the defense department.  If we have to spend a few tens of millions of dollars to help out in Africa, it would be money well spent.  It would start winning the hearts and minds of the people of the world. 

 

My Africa idea is an example.  Obviously there are details that need to be worked out.  It wouldn't instantly solve our problems, but it would be a first step towards doing something good in the world.  The US needs to do something good in the world.  If it isn't Africa, then maybe it is somewhere else in the world that has people in need.  Heck, feeding our homeless people or truly helping those recovering from hurricane Katrina wouldn't be a bad thing either.  We need to do SOMETHING good... something more than we're doing now.

 

Sorry to rant.

 

My thoughts are with you.

 

Pete

The meaning of the word "done".

Oy oy.

 

This was one of my posts on ECE today.  My friend Jimmy was giving me grief because I used the word "Done" to describe a Corrado project that someone is doing.  "Done" is a swear word in the Corrado community.  Nothing is ever "done" with a corrado with very few exceptions.  Below is the post describing the incident.  It was kinda funny. 

 

*********************************************

Quote:

Originally Posted by sKunkman OMG! You said DONE!

I'm such a hypocrit. In my own defense, the word "done" has many meanings in the Corrado world. I left out one of the others. As earlier stated, "done" can mean that you just sold your Corrado. It can also mean that you just totalled it by driving it into a tree. The less known meaning, and possibly the one that describes my Corrado best, pertains to a particular project. At the moment, the engine work on my Corrado is "done". By "done", I mean that I'm not working on it at the moment, and it is at least functioning within acceptable parameters, but that it might break at any moment sending me to a firey death and thus changing the definition of "done" to the second one I list above.

Thanks for keeping me real and reminding me what an ass I am. I need that pretty much every moment of the day.

************************************************

 

I thought you'd enjoy that.

 

Take it easy.

 

Pete