Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Dizzy Rebuild prt 1
Ok, so I got extremely bored this past night. I hate being bored and quite frankly I have no cable which means no internet. This means I get stir crazy and do random things. So I am getting underway with my turbo project and I am currently sporting this little number on my car
That is a Bosch 019 Screamer, granted this is not the one that I own, mines not as nice looking as that but I restored it and like it, good little distributor.
So Im going turbo and need a distributor that can advance under vacuum and retard under boost so I dont blow my motor up right? Enter the original dizzy a JFU4
No where near as cool, old, or attractive, but hey we can work with that right? Well I hope so. The 019s came in a special kit called the screamer kit. That means they got the cool paint job and what not and thats about it. I wanted to repaint mine but to color match that, I could just buy a better or new one and not have to worry about it. Enter my little ball of oil and grime. Wish I had a before picture but I dont :(. I deconstructed the darn thing and began cleaning.
You can see the body is pretty grimey. Had to take out the center assembly out and what not and cleaned all that crap out too. I actually enjoy doing this and making the thing work better. I also learn how things fit together better and all that jazz. I use toothpaste as its actually a pretty good polishing agent and takes care of most of the grime. I then hit it with Windex to get the excess paste off.
Here you can see the tooth paste, the weights, and then the centrifugal weights and their retaining clips, a ball bearing for the rotating of the advance (via boost/vac) which the 019 does not have. Getting there :)
Getting there
After cleaning and then reassembling parts, the parts then went in a bath of this stuff.
And here they are laid out finished and then onto the body.
The body needed some help so I cleaned it up and then painted it to make it a little more attractive.
This should also help keep it clean and gunk free as the aluminum seemed to attract grime and looked horrible.
Heres some home made drying, wont be able to really touch these until tomorrow most likely.
ohh
cant forget an advance chart :)
enough for one day, Im out
That is a Bosch 019 Screamer, granted this is not the one that I own, mines not as nice looking as that but I restored it and like it, good little distributor.
So Im going turbo and need a distributor that can advance under vacuum and retard under boost so I dont blow my motor up right? Enter the original dizzy a JFU4
No where near as cool, old, or attractive, but hey we can work with that right? Well I hope so. The 019s came in a special kit called the screamer kit. That means they got the cool paint job and what not and thats about it. I wanted to repaint mine but to color match that, I could just buy a better or new one and not have to worry about it. Enter my little ball of oil and grime. Wish I had a before picture but I dont :(. I deconstructed the darn thing and began cleaning.
You can see the body is pretty grimey. Had to take out the center assembly out and what not and cleaned all that crap out too. I actually enjoy doing this and making the thing work better. I also learn how things fit together better and all that jazz. I use toothpaste as its actually a pretty good polishing agent and takes care of most of the grime. I then hit it with Windex to get the excess paste off.
Here you can see the tooth paste, the weights, and then the centrifugal weights and their retaining clips, a ball bearing for the rotating of the advance (via boost/vac) which the 019 does not have. Getting there :)
Getting there
After cleaning and then reassembling parts, the parts then went in a bath of this stuff.
And here they are laid out finished and then onto the body.
The body needed some help so I cleaned it up and then painted it to make it a little more attractive.
This should also help keep it clean and gunk free as the aluminum seemed to attract grime and looked horrible.
Heres some home made drying, wont be able to really touch these until tomorrow most likely.
ohh
cant forget an advance chart :)
enough for one day, Im out
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Why Outlaw?
I don't know, I feel funny to a certain extent in stating or proclaiming that my car is Outlaw style. But lets break the whole Outlaw thing down first. Outlaws are different and are not an "elite" status to me and the only way I have identified an Outlaw car is if they state that. It seems to me that Outlaw usually tends to focus on Porsches of all things... insert rolling eyes here. It also seems to be a less publicized trend or direction and seems to follow a more underground vibe, maybe thats because many people don't own Porsches. On an interesting note though, if you type in Outlaw into www.thesamba.com in their gallery search some interesting things come up. Ok well... looks like I found a lot more definition for what Outlaws are. They seem to almost be exclusively Porsches.... great. Any way they seem to focus on some key ideas but then again this is loosely stated.
Modified engine (check)
Lowered modified suspension (check) Non stock paint color (not stock for USDM Ghia's to my understanding, no German brocures showing paint availability) (check) Non stock wheels (Porsche 2.0l Fuchs (check))
Non stock interior (Got some goodies on the way hopefully (check)(check)
Deleted bumpers? (removed bumper guards for blades (check)
That seems to be the gist of it and it seems that they only thing that would sperate me is the fact that its not a Porsche... However it is also true that Karmann Ghias were called Whore's Porsche in that they were cheaper then a Porsche but looked similar. So I guess thats another thing going for it.
That's probably the thing I love most about the Outlaw 356. A vintage car that is actually fun to drive. One that takes advantage of more modern components to build that old meets new vibe I talked about initially. By the way, Gary and Family are still at it today. Check out EmoryMotorSports.com to see their work, some cool video and lots of Outlaw 356 pictures.
Their base idea though is to make them more fun and enjoyable to a certain extent, to be used, and to be driven. The result... art
This article pretty much nails it right here
http://www.porscheperfect.com/2009/02/20/outlaw-porsche-356/
Outlaws in general are clean. The car doesnt have perfect paint by any means which lends itself to a hoodride take.
Now on to some pictures, Im bored.
DT: Just what is a outlaw 356? what makes it a outlaw?
MP: Bigger/modified engine
lowered/modified suspension
typically non stock paint color
typically non stock wheels
typically non stock interior
sometimes deleted bumpers, possibly nerf bars
I always think of a 356 hotrod…
GL: Usually not a stock or "period performance", but all out performance.
DT: so just about anything that the good Doctor didn't put on or take off when they were built makes them an outlaw.[Via TheSamba.com] So okModified engine (check)
Lowered modified suspension (check) Non stock paint color (not stock for USDM Ghia's to my understanding, no German brocures showing paint availability) (check) Non stock wheels (Porsche 2.0l Fuchs (check))
Non stock interior (Got some goodies on the way hopefully (check)(check)
Deleted bumpers? (removed bumper guards for blades (check)
That seems to be the gist of it and it seems that they only thing that would sperate me is the fact that its not a Porsche... However it is also true that Karmann Ghias were called Whore's Porsche in that they were cheaper then a Porsche but looked similar. So I guess thats another thing going for it.
That's probably the thing I love most about the Outlaw 356. A vintage car that is actually fun to drive. One that takes advantage of more modern components to build that old meets new vibe I talked about initially. By the way, Gary and Family are still at it today. Check out EmoryMotorSports.com to see their work, some cool video and lots of Outlaw 356 pictures.
Their base idea though is to make them more fun and enjoyable to a certain extent, to be used, and to be driven. The result... art
This article pretty much nails it right here
http://www.porscheperfect.com/2009/02/20/outlaw-porsche-356/
Outlaws in general are clean. The car doesnt have perfect paint by any means which lends itself to a hoodride take.
Now on to some pictures, Im bored.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Trends, and directions...
When it comes to VWs in general, there are a lot of trends. I don't like the idea of trends in cars because it seems to group everyone's ride and style into a take a number off the shelf boxed played out mess. Whats cool and benefitial about this though is that there are some really interesting ways that people execute these trends in the car world. I actually enjoy looking at how people do things with their cars, their personal touch, and their taste. I find them interesting because every one executes the way they do things differently. Some people do them properly, some poorly, and some just take it to the next step of awesomeness. From this I like to study how they do things and why, is it more show and no go, flashy, subtle? I just get a kick how people project their way of viewing and doing things onto a car. But enough about that, what about my direction, my trend? Well lets break down some general VW Trends (I miss that magazine a lot).
Cal Look.
Cal Look is weird to me. Cal Looks are weird though and are one of the cars that I kind of grew up around, and by grew up, hung out with some of them at shows. This is Charles Overton of the BK Cruisers. Really awesome guy and I refer to him as "Paint God". Cal Looks from the BK guys are something else. Some say that they take out second mortgages to pay for these cars. They are clean and decked out. Usually the more accesories the better. Chrome is every where to an extent but it usually require good fresh paint, 2.0l+ engine, good manual gear box, sick interiors ranging from stock, to resto stock, to off the wall custom. They are something else to look at and are usually refered to as Trailer Queens. My dad made the mistake of lifting a decklid at BugJam with out permission and lets just say that several guys eyes opened and mouth droped when he did this including me. I appologized for my dad which in retrospect cracks me up. Bottom line, expensive, well done cars that are custom to an extent but almost perfect. I like these cars, but they make me nervous to walk around them. To me the cars are put on a pedestal and not meant to be driven. Why build something like that if you cant drive it because its worth too much or it takes to much time to clean for the next show? I could build one for fun if I had deep pockets, but to be honest I would have to have another car because I would have to drive something. These are beautiful cars, but loose cool points because they aren't driven ever except maybe 6 times a year or something. They scream trophy wife to me.
Germanlook
I like germanlooks to a certain extent, dont get me wrong. They have their place and they are cool looking... but I wouldn't build one. They usually focus on Porsche wheels, dechroming the car to a certain extent sometimes, big engines (type 4 to be specific), good handling, carbon fiber in places, racing seats, suspension setups, low profile tires, aftermarket mirrors, loud exhaust but performance oriented. I do have gripes about German looks though and that is that it is loosely defined as there are so many diferent things that could be done to make a "germanlook" car. German look is also very closely related with Mulholand look. Get ready for this one ;)
Both of these in a sense could be considered Germanlook. It seems Mulholland is a lot more geared to the 80's Porsche styling though and body kits. I do not understand this but what ever. To me though, Germanlook seems to be more focused with subtle Porsche ques while Mulholland is 80's/90's mullet style who ran into a little money and spent most of the money on coke and then blew what little he had left into his vw but ricer style... there I said it. My problems with Germanlook is that it screams "Im trying to be a Porsche but Im still a VW". Its to much of an identity crisis for me to like it. If I wanted a Porsche look, Ill buy a porsche and be happy with it. Hell of these cars that are shown, with the amount of money invested, they could have just bought a Porsche and be done with it. I am not knocking the Germanlook style, its just not my cup of Kraut. Germanlook updates the car to current trends and makes something old new, but differently, I cant place a finger on it. Germanlooks also tend to focus on cars from 67 to 78 so my car could be a part of this. I have been told to put Turbo wheels on my ghia... Im not going to do that. New wheels dont fit well on vws, they just dont, and from a design standpoint are too flashy and take away from the original design, display, and shape of the car. My Ghia is not a Germanlook by my standards. Its close, and I agree with calling a spade a spade, but Im sorry, just because a car is performance and handling based does not qualify it for Germanlook status. So dont tell me to put porsche turbo twists on my car and we will be straight. Ohh, and Germanlooks require good paint for the most part, no patina, nothing.
Resto Custom
These bug me too. Ive seen some cool ones, but more likely than not, they bug me. These to me is where the person with the car had a really weird direction for the car and couldn't place it into a style and had some money and just said blam... here it is. I hate the term resto custom, I really do. Resto customs to me are like... I cant really put my finger on it, but is the car form of Kitsch.
Kitsch (/kɪtʃ/) is the German and Yiddish word denoting art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art. The term kitsch was a response to the 19th century art whose aesthetics convey exaggerated sentimentality and melodrama, hence, kitsch art is closely associated with sentimental art.
I hate Kitsch. Let me find some examples.
This one fits the bill perfectly and makes me want to Gag, and not just because I am somewhat of an Auburn fan... sweet baby Jebus what were you thinking.
This thing is hideous, I mean really, I really cant say more about it. When the term resto custom comes up in my mind, custom is what stands out in my mind, and it isnt good. While the cars fit the taste of the owner (I love watching people trying to sell these things, they think its cool and rare and worth 20x more then their stock version, but in realitiy they are worth less then the standard or what they started with.) thats about all it does for me.
Hoodride / Rat Rod
Theres a lot of cars that could be posted here, but Ill have to choose one.
You get the idea. These guys usually focus on slamming their ride, keeping OG stuff on hand, accesories, old bumper stickers, rust, and old OG or faux logos. The lower the better. The crustier and rustier the better. These cars are cool because each one is different due to their owners style and even the cars "paint scheme or lack thereof" due to the weathering process. Some of these cars can even be restored to look this way. These guys seem to pride themselves in going against the purest and making the car cool.
Purist / Stocker / Stock Restoration
This guy is good, it looks like its from the 50's right? Check out that 90 Ford truck ehh? Stockers/purists are ok guys. The focus on making a show car like it just rolled off the line. They are obsessed with period correctness, sometimes droping 1000s on gauges, period steering wheels, even stock mufflers. Quite frankly if I want to see a 100% correct stocker, Id like to go to a meuseum to check that stuff out. Theres a lot of money in this and people will pay big bucks for good restoration jobs. Matching numbers... all that jazz. I respect it but its very bland to me, because once you have seen one, you have seen them all. These people are also GREAT at hording parts. They have good taste for sure, but some have collections of rare parts just to have and have them in display cases. Quite frankly that pisses me off because of the whole with holding rare parts deal. If you are going to use them, awesome, more power too you. But honestly, do you really need 5 sets of complete motometer insturment cluster complete with gauges so you can sell each one at $2500 a pop? Come on man. Purists annoy me as they are usually the first to point out what is wrong with your car and why its stupid or why you could have done better. They are also usually old me too. The Ghia pictured is a very beautiful example, but its bland to me, there is no soul to that car other than being stock. If he likes it like that awesome, but I like personality in cars.
I will have to cover Outlaw tomorrow as the library is closing
But this is a pretty consice breakdown so there you have it. If you agree, awesome, if you don't explain why, Im all about learning.
Wish I could have covered outlaw :( ohh well, something to keep me busy tomorrow :)
Cal Look.
Cal Look is weird to me. Cal Looks are weird though and are one of the cars that I kind of grew up around, and by grew up, hung out with some of them at shows. This is Charles Overton of the BK Cruisers. Really awesome guy and I refer to him as "Paint God". Cal Looks from the BK guys are something else. Some say that they take out second mortgages to pay for these cars. They are clean and decked out. Usually the more accesories the better. Chrome is every where to an extent but it usually require good fresh paint, 2.0l+ engine, good manual gear box, sick interiors ranging from stock, to resto stock, to off the wall custom. They are something else to look at and are usually refered to as Trailer Queens. My dad made the mistake of lifting a decklid at BugJam with out permission and lets just say that several guys eyes opened and mouth droped when he did this including me. I appologized for my dad which in retrospect cracks me up. Bottom line, expensive, well done cars that are custom to an extent but almost perfect. I like these cars, but they make me nervous to walk around them. To me the cars are put on a pedestal and not meant to be driven. Why build something like that if you cant drive it because its worth too much or it takes to much time to clean for the next show? I could build one for fun if I had deep pockets, but to be honest I would have to have another car because I would have to drive something. These are beautiful cars, but loose cool points because they aren't driven ever except maybe 6 times a year or something. They scream trophy wife to me.
Germanlook
I like germanlooks to a certain extent, dont get me wrong. They have their place and they are cool looking... but I wouldn't build one. They usually focus on Porsche wheels, dechroming the car to a certain extent sometimes, big engines (type 4 to be specific), good handling, carbon fiber in places, racing seats, suspension setups, low profile tires, aftermarket mirrors, loud exhaust but performance oriented. I do have gripes about German looks though and that is that it is loosely defined as there are so many diferent things that could be done to make a "germanlook" car. German look is also very closely related with Mulholand look. Get ready for this one ;)
Both of these in a sense could be considered Germanlook. It seems Mulholland is a lot more geared to the 80's Porsche styling though and body kits. I do not understand this but what ever. To me though, Germanlook seems to be more focused with subtle Porsche ques while Mulholland is 80's/90's mullet style who ran into a little money and spent most of the money on coke and then blew what little he had left into his vw but ricer style... there I said it. My problems with Germanlook is that it screams "Im trying to be a Porsche but Im still a VW". Its to much of an identity crisis for me to like it. If I wanted a Porsche look, Ill buy a porsche and be happy with it. Hell of these cars that are shown, with the amount of money invested, they could have just bought a Porsche and be done with it. I am not knocking the Germanlook style, its just not my cup of Kraut. Germanlook updates the car to current trends and makes something old new, but differently, I cant place a finger on it. Germanlooks also tend to focus on cars from 67 to 78 so my car could be a part of this. I have been told to put Turbo wheels on my ghia... Im not going to do that. New wheels dont fit well on vws, they just dont, and from a design standpoint are too flashy and take away from the original design, display, and shape of the car. My Ghia is not a Germanlook by my standards. Its close, and I agree with calling a spade a spade, but Im sorry, just because a car is performance and handling based does not qualify it for Germanlook status. So dont tell me to put porsche turbo twists on my car and we will be straight. Ohh, and Germanlooks require good paint for the most part, no patina, nothing.
Resto Custom
These bug me too. Ive seen some cool ones, but more likely than not, they bug me. These to me is where the person with the car had a really weird direction for the car and couldn't place it into a style and had some money and just said blam... here it is. I hate the term resto custom, I really do. Resto customs to me are like... I cant really put my finger on it, but is the car form of Kitsch.
Kitsch (/kɪtʃ/) is the German and Yiddish word denoting art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art. The term kitsch was a response to the 19th century art whose aesthetics convey exaggerated sentimentality and melodrama, hence, kitsch art is closely associated with sentimental art.
I hate Kitsch. Let me find some examples.
This one fits the bill perfectly and makes me want to Gag, and not just because I am somewhat of an Auburn fan... sweet baby Jebus what were you thinking.
This thing is hideous, I mean really, I really cant say more about it. When the term resto custom comes up in my mind, custom is what stands out in my mind, and it isnt good. While the cars fit the taste of the owner (I love watching people trying to sell these things, they think its cool and rare and worth 20x more then their stock version, but in realitiy they are worth less then the standard or what they started with.) thats about all it does for me.
Hoodride / Rat Rod
Theres a lot of cars that could be posted here, but Ill have to choose one.
You get the idea. These guys usually focus on slamming their ride, keeping OG stuff on hand, accesories, old bumper stickers, rust, and old OG or faux logos. The lower the better. The crustier and rustier the better. These cars are cool because each one is different due to their owners style and even the cars "paint scheme or lack thereof" due to the weathering process. Some of these cars can even be restored to look this way. These guys seem to pride themselves in going against the purest and making the car cool.
Purist / Stocker / Stock Restoration
This guy is good, it looks like its from the 50's right? Check out that 90 Ford truck ehh? Stockers/purists are ok guys. The focus on making a show car like it just rolled off the line. They are obsessed with period correctness, sometimes droping 1000s on gauges, period steering wheels, even stock mufflers. Quite frankly if I want to see a 100% correct stocker, Id like to go to a meuseum to check that stuff out. Theres a lot of money in this and people will pay big bucks for good restoration jobs. Matching numbers... all that jazz. I respect it but its very bland to me, because once you have seen one, you have seen them all. These people are also GREAT at hording parts. They have good taste for sure, but some have collections of rare parts just to have and have them in display cases. Quite frankly that pisses me off because of the whole with holding rare parts deal. If you are going to use them, awesome, more power too you. But honestly, do you really need 5 sets of complete motometer insturment cluster complete with gauges so you can sell each one at $2500 a pop? Come on man. Purists annoy me as they are usually the first to point out what is wrong with your car and why its stupid or why you could have done better. They are also usually old me too. The Ghia pictured is a very beautiful example, but its bland to me, there is no soul to that car other than being stock. If he likes it like that awesome, but I like personality in cars.
I will have to cover Outlaw tomorrow as the library is closing
But this is a pretty consice breakdown so there you have it. If you agree, awesome, if you don't explain why, Im all about learning.
Wish I could have covered outlaw :( ohh well, something to keep me busy tomorrow :)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Inspiration
While it may seem odd, when undertaking a project it is crucial to have a direction as there is the potentiality to get lost or worse, come out with a horrible or an expensive disaster. But before the overall direction of the car is covered, I think its needed to cover some influences that have played a big part, and there are quite a few to add.
My first love of Turbos came from Justin Gray of Birmingham AL and I blame him mostly for my obsession with turbos in general. Justin attended my high school and was one of the last friends to get a car, he infact waited something like a year after turning 16 to get a car. Turned out to be one of the coolest cars Ive ever ridden in and got me started. The car in question is a VW of all things and one of some 5000 special edition 337 GTIs made. (I really digg hacking unprotected Photobuckets :)
So there you have it, my first real influence. The car is a BLAST to drive, handles like a go cart, just an all around fun ass car. The handling definitely made my top list of handling cars but the overall feel of the car, the power (its had some more go fast goodies added at which I have gotten to enjoy a couple of time), and the fit and finish made me want one VERY bad.
The next influence may take you back a little bit, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and this little P5 let me enjoy the handling, not as fast as the 337 by any means, but was incredible in turns. I had to do some digging on this one, but I can not find a good clear shot of the car. I failed miserably this time at e stalking :(
That car has been through a lot, but when it was in its prime, sweet baby Jesus! While I was never there for the whole schlemiel of handling parts, it has a very competent suspension setup. The car begged for corners on the highway and gave me several good fond memories of driving around and to the lake. It was my first car experience to ever have seen a Wideband installed, it never worked right, but it looked cool watching the A/F ratio bounce back and forth. The car could stop on a scratch on a dime and could probably shoot you through the windshield if Miller Leavitt wanted you out of the car and you werent wearing a seatbelt. This car made me respect Mazda in a whole different light, even if it wasn't a Miata. Sadly this car had a bad accident but I heard recently that it is running again. I know Miller is planning to sell it but I wish he wouldnt... theres too many awesome memories with this car, hell Ive smelled it when it was fresh off the car lot, to when some one left wet socks in there for a day or 40.
The next car is one that I have had mixed emotions about for some time. Ive never really gotten into the whole old Japanese car thing really. I was purely focused on German cars as thats all Ive known, but this one really tickled my Japanese interest from a classic standpoint.
This is a Datsun 280ZX turbo. It is owned by one of my closest friends of all time Adam Donaldson who I also grew up with. One thing that I love about Adam is that he has had a multitude of cars. I remember running around his Ford Contour back in high school, then a GMC Sonoma, then a GMC Sierra, then a 08 Sierra, then a Southern Comfort Suburban, then a POS 85 Ford Ranger... and then wham, 83 Dastun. I have to admit it made me go WTF several times but I went up with him to Tennessee to get this car. It had been sitting in a parking lot and we went to go pick it up. The car needed some small help to get it back on the road but it was a NICE ride. I really liked the Japanese esque muscle car approach with the long hood and what not but I really love the T Tops. There have been more memories in this car than I can count. The handling was ok but I really enjoyed the subtle turbo that the car had. The car was not as aggressive as Justin's GTI turbo wise, but to me felt more super charge ish with a steady off the line power that grew. The wheel was also unique in that it fit the car and was aftermarket yet fit seamlessly with the dash IMHO. The car sported the most fugly 80's wheels imaginable by Centerline and were HORRID when we first got them. Can of black spray paint, tape, and centercaps removed and they really fit with the car. Adam did some suspension work to it and it handled better, but the car has been riddled with electrical problems after an engine swap when wrong. Im hoping that this car will one day get back on the road and get to the point that Adam wants it as it is an impeccable piece of Japanese auto design and build.
The next is one of the more interesting cars Ive come in contact with but is one that captivates my interest in American cars. I usually refer to this car as the Fireturd when I give Chuck Reeves some crap.
Man, tracking down photos off the net is some serious work. Any way, I was never the biggest fan of American muscle V8s ever. They have their place and I think they are great engines, just not exactly my style. It really doesn't help when your father raises you in a way that V8s are useless because of their gas consumption. Chucks car on the other hand is different.... much much much much different. I really do like Chucks car for several reasons. First off it is a special edition (forget the year) but it is a Blue Bird. It came with some pretty trick special add ons and really set the car apart. I am in love with the wheels on this car. He had them professionally restored and they look amazing on this car. What I admire most about this car is that Chuck and his father put an ASS load of work into this car and I was given the privileged to watch the car transform from the former state to as it sits now. Now this car is not a rocket by any means, and it is more than loud... and you dont want to follow to closely due to the fumes, but the paint is very well done, the interior is cleaner then hell, the interior was painted and I have to say was a HUGE improvement over what the stock sickly blue was. This car is certainly Chucks car and very unique in that and I really respect and like the car for that. Id like to think the car was done in Pimp My Ride style sans all the cheesy stuff they put on those cars. This car is tasteful and a big head turner. I will never forget the night we ran into the strippers the night we were hanging out drinking with the car at Hooters. Two drunk stripper came out and wanted to buy the car... the guy that the strippers were taking for a ride was not happy to see us there with such an awesome car much less a For Sale Sign. I don't want him to sell the car though :(
Man this is a lot of work, Im getting tired here.
Another good influence has been Geoffry Camper Pitts and his 944.
I have not really gotten a chance to ride in this car except for a few occasions. But Geoff takes good care of it and I some times get to help when Im not breaking Porsche parts on accident. I really liked this car for several reasons, one is that it was not my first 944 to ride in. My first 944... or was it 924, either way it was in need of some repair and was an 8 valve. Geoff's on the other hand is very well maintained 944S and to the point that Geoff has the uncanny ability to smell gas in the oil and dissect the fuel system in order to fix the fuel leak. I really like the car due to its non grotesque 80's styling and its balance in handling and performance. I think I would be a little more ecstatic about the car if I had been given the chance to drive it ;) Sadly no pictures of the car though :(
Another good influence would be Alex Neklyudov who I also grew up with and his awesome sleeper.
This is a cool sleeper project which I think is awesome and has the whole idea of DIY but with good taste. I got the awesome privilege to ride this car up in Bham one night and I have to say that it was awesome to loose traction in 3rd or 4th gear on the highway. The way Alex approached the car was awesome and a fun project to roll around in. The car was clean and just a blast to ride in. The car would launch better if it had had better tires but I still enjoyed the ride. Alex also had a camera mount if I believe and I thought it was cool. Its not something that you see every day, but I liked how some people would not expect that from such a car and how Alex did it himself and took the time to execute this. IIRC this project started FR year of college. Awesome car and light and fun.
And finally, last but not least by any means.
The STI
As I previously mentioned, Randall Rhodes is a very close friend and car enthusiast, and hes really damn good at being both. When I met Randall I really didn't know what to think of him as a car guy, but that soon changed. To be blunt and to the point, Randall is like Steve Hawking when it comes to building a car with parts. I can talk with Randall about cars until I either run out of breath or what not, there is not a person that I have met that has been so specific, focused, and determined in building a car like his STI. In short, Randall's STI is, in my eyes, like a Hattori Hanzō sword from Kill Bill on four wheels. My first impressions of Subarus were what I expect to be like most American's... Australian, I could have never been more wrong. Randall handed me the keys one night to my amazement to let me drive his car in stock form. I was sold when he handed me the Titanium key that looked like a work of modern art, I am still taken aback by the key and the fact that Randall, only knowing me for a short while, would entrust me with a spin in his car. Lets just say the punch in my chest was not from me wrecking the car thank goodness, but from the power that this little sedan gave me when hitting the throttle. Im glad I do not own that car though, I like playing with the blinky shift light too much :) I also love the fact that it has a rev limiter which amazed the shit out of me. I like good sounding engines revving believe me, but hearing the engine bounce off the rev limiter made me get goose bumps in the seductive throaty growl of a boxer engine.
Randall approaches this car in modifying as if he were a Sushi chef preparing puffer fish for the Smashing Pumpkins. Randall has impeccable taste for rare and awesome parts for his car. He is constantly improving and thinking through part combinations and is more than selective. What amazes me most about the car is the amount of balance it has as a driver and the ability to get groceries if need be. This car is the most balanced car I have had the pleasure of driving and riding in and I can only hope to get into that ball park one day.
These are the cars that I have had the awesome experience to ride in and enjoy, but the best part is the friendships and comradery that has come out of meeting these people. I have learned a lot from each of them no matter how big or small the lesson is and enjoyed every minute of them as friends and family.
Ok, my fingers hurt from writing all this.
Next on the chopping block is direction and the definition of Outlaw.
My first love of Turbos came from Justin Gray of Birmingham AL and I blame him mostly for my obsession with turbos in general. Justin attended my high school and was one of the last friends to get a car, he infact waited something like a year after turning 16 to get a car. Turned out to be one of the coolest cars Ive ever ridden in and got me started. The car in question is a VW of all things and one of some 5000 special edition 337 GTIs made. (I really digg hacking unprotected Photobuckets :)
So there you have it, my first real influence. The car is a BLAST to drive, handles like a go cart, just an all around fun ass car. The handling definitely made my top list of handling cars but the overall feel of the car, the power (its had some more go fast goodies added at which I have gotten to enjoy a couple of time), and the fit and finish made me want one VERY bad.
The next influence may take you back a little bit, but I have to give credit where credit is due, and this little P5 let me enjoy the handling, not as fast as the 337 by any means, but was incredible in turns. I had to do some digging on this one, but I can not find a good clear shot of the car. I failed miserably this time at e stalking :(
That car has been through a lot, but when it was in its prime, sweet baby Jesus! While I was never there for the whole schlemiel of handling parts, it has a very competent suspension setup. The car begged for corners on the highway and gave me several good fond memories of driving around and to the lake. It was my first car experience to ever have seen a Wideband installed, it never worked right, but it looked cool watching the A/F ratio bounce back and forth. The car could stop on a scratch on a dime and could probably shoot you through the windshield if Miller Leavitt wanted you out of the car and you werent wearing a seatbelt. This car made me respect Mazda in a whole different light, even if it wasn't a Miata. Sadly this car had a bad accident but I heard recently that it is running again. I know Miller is planning to sell it but I wish he wouldnt... theres too many awesome memories with this car, hell Ive smelled it when it was fresh off the car lot, to when some one left wet socks in there for a day or 40.
The next car is one that I have had mixed emotions about for some time. Ive never really gotten into the whole old Japanese car thing really. I was purely focused on German cars as thats all Ive known, but this one really tickled my Japanese interest from a classic standpoint.
This is a Datsun 280ZX turbo. It is owned by one of my closest friends of all time Adam Donaldson who I also grew up with. One thing that I love about Adam is that he has had a multitude of cars. I remember running around his Ford Contour back in high school, then a GMC Sonoma, then a GMC Sierra, then a 08 Sierra, then a Southern Comfort Suburban, then a POS 85 Ford Ranger... and then wham, 83 Dastun. I have to admit it made me go WTF several times but I went up with him to Tennessee to get this car. It had been sitting in a parking lot and we went to go pick it up. The car needed some small help to get it back on the road but it was a NICE ride. I really liked the Japanese esque muscle car approach with the long hood and what not but I really love the T Tops. There have been more memories in this car than I can count. The handling was ok but I really enjoyed the subtle turbo that the car had. The car was not as aggressive as Justin's GTI turbo wise, but to me felt more super charge ish with a steady off the line power that grew. The wheel was also unique in that it fit the car and was aftermarket yet fit seamlessly with the dash IMHO. The car sported the most fugly 80's wheels imaginable by Centerline and were HORRID when we first got them. Can of black spray paint, tape, and centercaps removed and they really fit with the car. Adam did some suspension work to it and it handled better, but the car has been riddled with electrical problems after an engine swap when wrong. Im hoping that this car will one day get back on the road and get to the point that Adam wants it as it is an impeccable piece of Japanese auto design and build.
The next is one of the more interesting cars Ive come in contact with but is one that captivates my interest in American cars. I usually refer to this car as the Fireturd when I give Chuck Reeves some crap.
Man, tracking down photos off the net is some serious work. Any way, I was never the biggest fan of American muscle V8s ever. They have their place and I think they are great engines, just not exactly my style. It really doesn't help when your father raises you in a way that V8s are useless because of their gas consumption. Chucks car on the other hand is different.... much much much much different. I really do like Chucks car for several reasons. First off it is a special edition (forget the year) but it is a Blue Bird. It came with some pretty trick special add ons and really set the car apart. I am in love with the wheels on this car. He had them professionally restored and they look amazing on this car. What I admire most about this car is that Chuck and his father put an ASS load of work into this car and I was given the privileged to watch the car transform from the former state to as it sits now. Now this car is not a rocket by any means, and it is more than loud... and you dont want to follow to closely due to the fumes, but the paint is very well done, the interior is cleaner then hell, the interior was painted and I have to say was a HUGE improvement over what the stock sickly blue was. This car is certainly Chucks car and very unique in that and I really respect and like the car for that. Id like to think the car was done in Pimp My Ride style sans all the cheesy stuff they put on those cars. This car is tasteful and a big head turner. I will never forget the night we ran into the strippers the night we were hanging out drinking with the car at Hooters. Two drunk stripper came out and wanted to buy the car... the guy that the strippers were taking for a ride was not happy to see us there with such an awesome car much less a For Sale Sign. I don't want him to sell the car though :(
Man this is a lot of work, Im getting tired here.
Another good influence has been Geoffry Camper Pitts and his 944.
I have not really gotten a chance to ride in this car except for a few occasions. But Geoff takes good care of it and I some times get to help when Im not breaking Porsche parts on accident. I really liked this car for several reasons, one is that it was not my first 944 to ride in. My first 944... or was it 924, either way it was in need of some repair and was an 8 valve. Geoff's on the other hand is very well maintained 944S and to the point that Geoff has the uncanny ability to smell gas in the oil and dissect the fuel system in order to fix the fuel leak. I really like the car due to its non grotesque 80's styling and its balance in handling and performance. I think I would be a little more ecstatic about the car if I had been given the chance to drive it ;) Sadly no pictures of the car though :(
Another good influence would be Alex Neklyudov who I also grew up with and his awesome sleeper.
This is a cool sleeper project which I think is awesome and has the whole idea of DIY but with good taste. I got the awesome privilege to ride this car up in Bham one night and I have to say that it was awesome to loose traction in 3rd or 4th gear on the highway. The way Alex approached the car was awesome and a fun project to roll around in. The car was clean and just a blast to ride in. The car would launch better if it had had better tires but I still enjoyed the ride. Alex also had a camera mount if I believe and I thought it was cool. Its not something that you see every day, but I liked how some people would not expect that from such a car and how Alex did it himself and took the time to execute this. IIRC this project started FR year of college. Awesome car and light and fun.
And finally, last but not least by any means.
The STI
As I previously mentioned, Randall Rhodes is a very close friend and car enthusiast, and hes really damn good at being both. When I met Randall I really didn't know what to think of him as a car guy, but that soon changed. To be blunt and to the point, Randall is like Steve Hawking when it comes to building a car with parts. I can talk with Randall about cars until I either run out of breath or what not, there is not a person that I have met that has been so specific, focused, and determined in building a car like his STI. In short, Randall's STI is, in my eyes, like a Hattori Hanzō sword from Kill Bill on four wheels. My first impressions of Subarus were what I expect to be like most American's... Australian, I could have never been more wrong. Randall handed me the keys one night to my amazement to let me drive his car in stock form. I was sold when he handed me the Titanium key that looked like a work of modern art, I am still taken aback by the key and the fact that Randall, only knowing me for a short while, would entrust me with a spin in his car. Lets just say the punch in my chest was not from me wrecking the car thank goodness, but from the power that this little sedan gave me when hitting the throttle. Im glad I do not own that car though, I like playing with the blinky shift light too much :) I also love the fact that it has a rev limiter which amazed the shit out of me. I like good sounding engines revving believe me, but hearing the engine bounce off the rev limiter made me get goose bumps in the seductive throaty growl of a boxer engine.
Randall approaches this car in modifying as if he were a Sushi chef preparing puffer fish for the Smashing Pumpkins. Randall has impeccable taste for rare and awesome parts for his car. He is constantly improving and thinking through part combinations and is more than selective. What amazes me most about the car is the amount of balance it has as a driver and the ability to get groceries if need be. This car is the most balanced car I have had the pleasure of driving and riding in and I can only hope to get into that ball park one day.
These are the cars that I have had the awesome experience to ride in and enjoy, but the best part is the friendships and comradery that has come out of meeting these people. I have learned a lot from each of them no matter how big or small the lesson is and enjoyed every minute of them as friends and family.
Ok, my fingers hurt from writing all this.
Next on the chopping block is direction and the definition of Outlaw.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Breaking Down The History
I tired writing this last night, but a damn pop up crashed firefox, go figure.
This car was originally purchased by my grandfather in 1972 in Germany. My grandparents decided to go to Europe and take advantage of VW's program to where you bought a car, toured Europe, then shipped it back state side. My grandfather came down to two Karmann Ghias while there, a Gemeni Blue
or a Blood Orange 
He decided to choose Blood Orange as it made the car more visible. To be honest, I was never very intrigued with this color as it seemed as a run of the mill orange... little did I know.
I thought about changing to color one day to a dark blue or maybe even black, Ive always had a thing for black cars for some reason. It was not until recent that a Porsche friend and some what buff by the name of Geoff brought to my attention (apparently he had told me this before, but I guess I had been drinking) that this was a very famous Porsche color... ORLY?
The funny part is that I have dug through www.thesamba.com in their archives of old brochures and NOTHING turns up Blood Orange. The US brochures turn up colors such as Phoenix Red, Tangerine (NOT BLOOD ORANGE!), Amber and the likes. This puzzles me as I cant understand why this color was offered by VW and perplexes me to a certain point. In the end and now that I think about it, Im glad my grandfather purchased the car in this color, it is unique. Digging through The Samba's numerous post it is cited as being a color only used in Germany and on special editions. So I thought maybe the Oettinger beetle edition right? Nope, not the right color. Im interested in getting the birth certificate for my car one day as they still have them in Germany at Wolfsburg but that will have to wait for another day. Long story short, its a Porsche color which was not offered in the states and is mistaken usually for Tangerine... which its not.
Ok enough about color. They had the car shipped back to the States and it was delivered to New Orleans, where my Grandparents once owned a Bed and Breakfast place in the French Quarter.
It originally came with an semi automatic transmission almost like cars today. It had two gears, high and low, and then an ultra low gear. I switched this to a full manual before driving the car as I didnt want any problems with the some what complex autostick. The parts from this old autostick are REALLY going to help the car reach its future goal through some of the interesting parts that came along with the car, any way. The car was then given as a wedding present to my parents. The car was used as the Map Mobile in Birmingham for some years and then retired when my dad went to Saudi Arabia for four years. The car was plagued by having driving issues such as having initial acceleration problems which was due to a rusty gas tank which I later fixed/replaced several times :( .
Here are some pictures of the car when I first got it running and before I started modding it.
Times were better then. These shots were taken at the lake. I was in shape, it was summer, the car was running pretty well... I was with friends, starting college, skinny, and I had a girlfriend. I now wish I had gone to visit her as it was an hour away. The car was stock mostly except for a stainless steel muffler from Denmark, had correct sized tires (stock size was 155/60/R15... Beetles had 165 etc. but this was corrected soon >:) ) which were anorexic at best. I miss those days a lot now. I am a nostalgaholic when it comes to past events in my life. I hate it, and I hate change that I can not control such as growing old and things changing. Any way, whilst in college I was introduced to a one Randall Rhodes. Let me say that again because it was very very very very important. I met Randall Rhodes at his now wife's birthday party. He is now one of my best friends and might I mention I was the best man at his wedding. Any way this story has a point, a big one. I met Randall and he seemed like a nice guy, very different and not your average Auburn college student. Little did I know that Randall had a very awesome hobby too which revolved around cars and a one beautiful STI. This is important because I talked with him as at the time I really wanted to Turbocharge my current truck, a 2003 Toyota Tacoma truck. We discussed it and then I realized that was a HORRIBLE idea. Bas base to make a performance car, and its a truck, trucks are abused and meant to tow things... well this one cant but what ever. So enter me and horrible photoshop skills and blamo
Yes yes, its horrible, but illustrates a basic point and what I wanted from the car. This is what set things in motion and yeah. The car has been through some rough times, and by rough time I mean an impatient me (one of my flaws I must admit) and a burned up engine to boot. I HATE METAL INTAKE GASKETS THROW THEM AWAY! Any ways, this car has been a huge love and hate relationship and I find that it challenges me every day. It is a weird thing that when ever I am at a road that I can fully imagine this car infront of me, next to me, or driving down the road and what it sounds like.
The car has been through some extensive modifications now and sports a lot of performance parts. I will get to that later, but I better save this before I find Firefox blowing up due to a pop up.
This car was originally purchased by my grandfather in 1972 in Germany. My grandparents decided to go to Europe and take advantage of VW's program to where you bought a car, toured Europe, then shipped it back state side. My grandfather came down to two Karmann Ghias while there, a Gemeni Blue
or a Blood Orange He decided to choose Blood Orange as it made the car more visible. To be honest, I was never very intrigued with this color as it seemed as a run of the mill orange... little did I know.
I thought about changing to color one day to a dark blue or maybe even black, Ive always had a thing for black cars for some reason. It was not until recent that a Porsche friend and some what buff by the name of Geoff brought to my attention (apparently he had told me this before, but I guess I had been drinking) that this was a very famous Porsche color... ORLY?
The funny part is that I have dug through www.thesamba.com in their archives of old brochures and NOTHING turns up Blood Orange. The US brochures turn up colors such as Phoenix Red, Tangerine (NOT BLOOD ORANGE!), Amber and the likes. This puzzles me as I cant understand why this color was offered by VW and perplexes me to a certain point. In the end and now that I think about it, Im glad my grandfather purchased the car in this color, it is unique. Digging through The Samba's numerous post it is cited as being a color only used in Germany and on special editions. So I thought maybe the Oettinger beetle edition right? Nope, not the right color. Im interested in getting the birth certificate for my car one day as they still have them in Germany at Wolfsburg but that will have to wait for another day. Long story short, its a Porsche color which was not offered in the states and is mistaken usually for Tangerine... which its not.
Ok enough about color. They had the car shipped back to the States and it was delivered to New Orleans, where my Grandparents once owned a Bed and Breakfast place in the French Quarter.
It originally came with an semi automatic transmission almost like cars today. It had two gears, high and low, and then an ultra low gear. I switched this to a full manual before driving the car as I didnt want any problems with the some what complex autostick. The parts from this old autostick are REALLY going to help the car reach its future goal through some of the interesting parts that came along with the car, any way. The car was then given as a wedding present to my parents. The car was used as the Map Mobile in Birmingham for some years and then retired when my dad went to Saudi Arabia for four years. The car was plagued by having driving issues such as having initial acceleration problems which was due to a rusty gas tank which I later fixed/replaced several times :( .
Here are some pictures of the car when I first got it running and before I started modding it.
Times were better then. These shots were taken at the lake. I was in shape, it was summer, the car was running pretty well... I was with friends, starting college, skinny, and I had a girlfriend. I now wish I had gone to visit her as it was an hour away. The car was stock mostly except for a stainless steel muffler from Denmark, had correct sized tires (stock size was 155/60/R15... Beetles had 165 etc. but this was corrected soon >:) ) which were anorexic at best. I miss those days a lot now. I am a nostalgaholic when it comes to past events in my life. I hate it, and I hate change that I can not control such as growing old and things changing. Any way, whilst in college I was introduced to a one Randall Rhodes. Let me say that again because it was very very very very important. I met Randall Rhodes at his now wife's birthday party. He is now one of my best friends and might I mention I was the best man at his wedding. Any way this story has a point, a big one. I met Randall and he seemed like a nice guy, very different and not your average Auburn college student. Little did I know that Randall had a very awesome hobby too which revolved around cars and a one beautiful STI. This is important because I talked with him as at the time I really wanted to Turbocharge my current truck, a 2003 Toyota Tacoma truck. We discussed it and then I realized that was a HORRIBLE idea. Bas base to make a performance car, and its a truck, trucks are abused and meant to tow things... well this one cant but what ever. So enter me and horrible photoshop skills and blamo
Yes yes, its horrible, but illustrates a basic point and what I wanted from the car. This is what set things in motion and yeah. The car has been through some rough times, and by rough time I mean an impatient me (one of my flaws I must admit) and a burned up engine to boot. I HATE METAL INTAKE GASKETS THROW THEM AWAY! Any ways, this car has been a huge love and hate relationship and I find that it challenges me every day. It is a weird thing that when ever I am at a road that I can fully imagine this car infront of me, next to me, or driving down the road and what it sounds like.
The car has been through some extensive modifications now and sports a lot of performance parts. I will get to that later, but I better save this before I find Firefox blowing up due to a pop up.
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