Car Guys/girls?

Had a friend in highschool, she woulda proposed to you over that Fastback... she was OBSESSED with them!!
Well, I did date my wife to be in this car over 40 years ago. The car is long gone but she's still here! :)

The legendary Bullitt chase scene with the suspenseful build up:
 

Advertisement
Well, I did date my wife to be in this car over 40 years ago. The car is long gone but she's still here! :)

The legendary Bullitt chase scene with the suspenseful build up:
Well, she was obsessed in the 90s.

As for me, washed the car today, got the windows real good, so we should have n inch of rain within the next 12 hrs or so. I am the real rain dancer!
 

Advertisement
Out to the beach last night. Lighting storm behind us 645A95D0-8359-4E03-9B5B-38742D26F79F.png
 
I don’t think I have ever posted about this here, but I have been working on cars and bicycles and motorcycles and boats for many years. My dad started me in 1960, rebuilding a used bicycle.

This is the car that I’m working on right now. I bought this for myself as a 65th birthday present. It’s a fiberglas caricature replica of a 1937 Swallow Sidecar Company SS100 roadster. That car was the predecessor to the Jaguar, or became “Jaguar” after World War II, when no Englishman wanted to drive a car called “SS”.
8C1B0DA6-C987-4504-9F93-BA33DC136564.jpeg
Of course, in direct opposition to that philosophy, this one is powered by a German engine. The chassis is based on a modified 1973 Volkswagen beetle 1600 sedan. The engine has been hotter just a little bit and the car is considerably lighter than a stock Volkswagen, being only a two seater, with virtually no glass, no heaters, no radio AC or other heavy accessories.
7AE4561B-384D-4F4B-B51E-3E029EDB60B0.jpeg
This car was put together by somebody in 1981, from a kit, And it wasn’t done particularly well. In fact it had lots of real problems.
A9584579-AE63-44AB-AED6-9237EE270FE2.jpeg
I tore it all apart when I got it, and put it back together well enough to have good wiring, a tight fuel system, and get it insured and licensed and approved.

I did a very minimal job because I wasn’t sure that the state of California was gonna let me drive this thing. As it turns out it was no problem at all in the end.
17910BCF-6D24-4CCD-8287-725FEDCBA7B4.jpeg
But that was far from the end. I’ve torn the car completely apart again nowand I have the stripped chassis upside down where I can roll it over and paint and weld on it.
7AC9A14B-A8F8-4636-ACE4-E20F17359A54.jpeg
She had a good engine and transmission and the brakes were fine, but the chassis on this car was very rusty and had been poorly repaired in the past. My current action is to take this abomination of design and assembly and turn it into a roadworthy vehicle, instead of the show car it has been since 1980. In all that time, less than 400 miles was put on the odometer.


I’ve driven it less than 20 miles since I bought it three years ago and I’ve been working on it on and off ever since.

This is one of the few times I’ve taken it out for a drive.
320B564E-E6B5-4456-B864-362E518A8A55.jpeg
 
Wow, that's quite the project you've been working on Ulu. It's looking good! Thanks for posting.
 
Very nice looking car!! You will enjoy driving it! Seems most of the kit cars are made on Volkswagen chassis. What engine is in it?
 

Advertisement
1973 VW 1600 dual port. One tiny pct34 carb ;( Modified VW chassis.
39CDED82-1B32-4BCE-B32C-C5B69906EE68.jpeg
Here I am rewiring the instruments.
3D344371-5090-4E3E-8747-AB2AF58905B9.jpeg

When I met my wife in 1989 I was driving this 1947 Plymouth flathead, and working on a 1959 Edsel Ranger with a Mercury engine.
073B30E3-2939-42BF-A863-4BBE902C6D2E.jpeg


263FD147-4299-43C5-AE98-0C4AB379717A.jpeg

I sold the Edsel, but I still have the Plymouth. It’s all stripped down awaiting some love.
This is what I used to commute in every day In the last years before I retired. I don’t drive every day nowadays. That’s my lovely wife posing in front of our 2012 Toyota Tacoma double cab long bed.99A06C3E-4C3B-4B59-BD8A-11CC18B102C2.jpeg
 
Anyone want to put a v12 engine in a honda civic or even better...a tesla?
Want to? Sure. Have expendable funds for a v12 worth my months evenings in cost/time value, less so. Do you have an extra v12 laying about somewhere?
 
Want to? Sure. Have expendable funds for a v12 worth my months evenings in cost/time value, less so. Do you have an extra v12 laying about somewhere?
I will ask my friend Elone Musk if he has any. By the way do you think lucid will survive?
 
Do you want a better challenge?…. go look up Robot Cantina on YouTube.

He puts a Kubota diesel from a refrigerator into a Leaf. When he gets it super charged, he might get 60 miles to the gallon.

Meanwhile, my car is cut in half, up on a jig that I built out of donated steel.
image.jpg

I am mocking up frame rails and crossmember.
image.jpg
I am doing this on a shoestring. No big engines in a 1300 lb car for me, even if I had the cash. In the SS100, 1600 cc is enough to be fun, and this car does a nice tail slide, being so low.

I discovered a long time ago that it’s no fun to do ordinary driving in a car where you can barely touch the throttle. The stock Honda is going to actually be more fun 99% of the time.
 

Advertisement



I discovered a long time ago that it’s no fun to do ordinary driving in a car where you can barely touch the throttle.
The truest phrase spoken on the Internet. It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. We say it about motorcycles too, but change "more fun" to "less terrifying".
 
I had a dream of Elon Musk announcing the model s coupe. I have wondered if Tesla is going to make a model s coupe
 
I’m still trying to rebuild my VW chassis.

Recent California monsoons have been keeping me indoors a lot. It took about 3 days to build this, including sanding everything, but I will soon be 69 and I am getting slower.

On purpose too. There’s no need to rush at my age.

This is the forward mid-crossmember weldment, to be supporting the master cylinder, upper cowl body mount. Plus closing the tunnel, and joining it to the new frame rails.
C9D326F8-DE0D-4A23-AC4F-5754C7F2E5DD.jpeg

This is all made from recycled steel.
8576A526-221A-4238-BE08-237F4500B25D.jpeg

Everything was sanded clean and bare, and slowly TIG welded, with as much care as I could muster. There are about 75 welds on this so far.
51E72F49-DB40-4B4F-8B58-16981F6FAF4B.jpeg
This car is certainly making me a better welder.

Here I start fitting it to the chassis, which is currently welded upside-down, to my DIY chassis jig.
981F3E77-C109-4DAB-89B3-2869FFD82019.jpeg
 
I think I dated enough guys who were car crazy and did all their own work that some of it rubbed off.

I truly appreciate a lot of cars from the most vintage of models to the sleek & sporty and the workhorses.

I just can’t take all the noise. Used to hang out with some of the BARC members locally but going racing of a weekend was too noisy to enjoy.

One of my first ever high school BFs, with whom I am still on friendly terms, is now rather deaf from his life long love of cars and racing, instead of from a life of too loud music :).

If I ever had the money, I would love to get a restored 50s vintage automobile in turquoise and white. They had those big fins in the back.

Something similar to the one Dad drove as a company car when I was a kid. It would be very fine to drive a car like that, I think.
 
Kitten knocked these down from the top of a closet. I had no idea I had this many posters.

It's all Subaru late 90's to mid 2000's mostly Subaru rally team dealership marketing posters.

PXL_20240229_204936365.jpg

Pretty sure I have a couple shipping totes full of random swag and such too. I should go through it all some day.
 
Why I love French automakers lol

Just a genius level idea implemented in the most practically insane way possible lol
Very clever indeed. We need more innovative thinking like that.
 

Advertisement



I’m pretty sure they did that same thing with duct tape on the Red Green show.
 
Never heard of the Red Green show. But you can do anything with duct tape!!! :D
 
Never heard of the Red Green show. But you can do anything with duct tape!!! :D
The Red Green Show was a scream. Steve Smith was a brilliant comedian and the show was a cross between a sketch comedy and sitcom that spoofed & parodied all sorts of DIY, home improvement and fishing shows and men’s hunting lodge organizations. Even threw in a little self improvement satire.

Ran for 15 seasons ending in 2006 but is still around.
 
Grandmother was a Yooper. She told stories about walking across the locks when they first opened. Spent a lot of my youth up there or in very rural Pennsylvania.
 
The brand's local dealership invited me over for a test drive, the car was too powerful for my limited skill, and on my way out of the car after the test drive, my head hit the corner of the scissor door, LOL, I was never invited back.
 

Attachments

  • 441409940_10161599844789188_2216793666699055135_n.jpg
    441409940_10161599844789188_2216793666699055135_n.jpg
    62.2 KB · Views: 76
Looks like that steering wheel is on the wrong side!!! :rolleyes: No wonder you hit your head!

Went out last weekend. Took a walk on the boardwalk with the wife. And about a mile down they shut off the lights!! Wow it was dark! At that moment we also noticed we were the only people on the boardwalk:eek:. Got back to the car and the temp had dropped about 10 degrees. Yes every window was fogged up. Now if you ever read about the climate controls in an 80s 911 please pass on that info to me. Yes I pulled out the owners manual. Used my cell phone light cause I had no clue where the dome light switch was. Wife laughing and saying if this was a horror flick we were dead. Found some vaguely usefully info. Started with turn on the AC. Well the charge ran out on that! So out came the rags and about 30 minutes later we left the parking lot!! Both of us remembering doing this same thing last year :D.IMG_0798.png
 
I am a huge car addict and would like to know if any other aquarists out there have love for cars too. I've heard that weirdly these two hobbys are linked but there's only one way to know. Btw any car guys I don't mind I have respect for all cars but my personal favourite my dads 07 e63 amg. That thing is a beast!
I am! I don't have my car yet, but I'm saving up for a Suburu brz. Me and my sister currently go to car shows almost once a week and are both car photographers! I can't wait to be able to work on my own car. (Btw this is pretty recent only the past few months so I am definitely going to be learning forever)
 

Advertisement



This next picture is a write up on how to use the ventilation system of an 80s 911. This was written by an experienced user. First you must understand that these cars have no radiators and are actually heated by air being pushed past the exhaust pipes. Being old cars some leak oil like old Harley’s. This oil sits on the exhaust pipes and burns off when the pipes get hot. 30 seconds after the engine starts up. So they have a device called a pair of heat exchangers under the car. Metal boxes now 40yrs old. Stuck open in the summer the car can’t be driven. It’s like driving from inside an oven. Stuck closed in the winter. Like driving in a freezer. Can be driven if you dress warm enough. But not at all in the winter if oil is dripping on exhaust. You WILL pass out!! But still great fun cars:D.IMG_0832.png
 
This next picture is a write up on how to use the ventilation system of an 80s 911. This was written by an experienced user. First you must understand that these cars have no radiators and are actually heated by air being pushed past the exhaust pipes. Being old cars some leak oil like old Harley’s. This oil sits on the exhaust pipes and burns off when the pipes get hot. 30 seconds after the engine starts up. So they have a device called a pair of heat exchangers under the car. Metal boxes now 40yrs old. Stuck open in the summer the car can’t be driven. It’s like driving from inside an oven. Stuck closed in the winter. Like driving in a freezer. Can be driven if you dress warm enough. But not at all in the winter if oil is dripping on exhaust. You WILL pass out!! But still great fun cars:D.
That’s hysterical - best laugh I’ve had in ages.

For awhile I had to catch a ride to work with a friend who drove a red MGB. This was at least forty years back. Not a car for the faint of heart to be inside on a cold winter’s day and worse after sundown.

Miserable hunk of British steel could barely keep the cabin above freezing even when well warmed up and there was no heat aimed at feet - so my feet always froze on the drive which was at least an hour.

The windshield wipers were a bit of a joke when it snowed - it was as if they just couldn’t cope with anything denser than rain.

Blasted beast got stuck in next to no snow due to being so close to the ground as there was not much clearance and those weeny little tires were no help.

It naturally refused to start half the time on particularly cold days so I had to stand around freezing my backside off while my friend froze her fingers and her backside off tinkering with the engine to get the wretched hunk started.

She was very gifted mechanically with cars - good thing too. You had to be a mechanic to drive an MGB near as I could tell.

I also didn’t much enjoy climbing out of it - felt like a sardine trying to escape from the tin.

I loved the way that car looked but I hated it with a passion for its many flaws. But it sure looked great. I was very glad when I got my own vehicle back on the road - it was in the shop for two weeks which was why I had to catch a ride with my pal.
 
Wow the perfect write up for a MGB! Triumph’s too!!! Funny story. At a cars and coffee there were a group of them. I was parked near them and watched them leave about 5 of them. As I walked to my car on the ground was a wallet with the British flag on it. Figured it was one of theres. They had at least a 5-10 minute head start but I decided I’d see if I could catch them. I did and drove past them holding up the wallet. The owner pulled out and than we pulled over. He ran up so happy I had his wallet. I said to him hey it’s an MGB I figured you may need this before you get home. Wiped the smile right off his face :D.
 
Red Green Possum lodge oath;
"I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess."
:D
Had the Crossfire and Vette out a couple times this year.
0227241220_HDR.jpg
^Thatchers Park^
DSC_0792.JPG
^White Face mountain^
 
This is my dream car the Bugatti devo super sport deluxe
Its so cool it goes 350+ MPH and is like 20 million $$
 
Just got convertible #3.
DSC_0005 - Copy.JPG
2000 Prowler with 19,350 miles on her.
DSC_0003 - Copy.JPG
 
Prowler is an interesting car. How do you like it? And how does it handle? Got room in the garage?
 

Advertisement



Prowler is an interesting car. How do you like it? And how does it handle? Got room in the garage?
Handles nicely.I really enjoy the car. I guess you either like em or hate em.
Like the Crossfire I really like the Prowler.
A little louder but not as powerful as the vette or crossfire.

I am going to have to build a carport for the Kubota to fit all 3 even with a 30x 50 shop/ garage~! o_O
I watched this car for 2 months and the price kept going down.
Got it for 8K less than the dealer started at.:p
 
Yes they are a hard sell. Being underpowered is a let down. Surprised you found it at a dealer. Figured it would have been a private sale. Can’t imagine trading it in. If you got it for 8 under that dealer probably got it for 15 less.

Good luck with it! They are an eye catcher. Don’t see many any more. Got a neighbor that has a yellow one. But it hasn’t left his garage in probably 10 yrs now.
 
Still welding on the replikar chassis.
I’ve had this car completely apart twice in 4 years.

Here I’ve made little frame closures, and I’m tacking it all together.
704F4EA1-069A-4D37-920A-9B2D815687E1.jpeg

4B6AA2D3-14A4-4EC8-B96E-7D14ECC5E514.jpeg

Making patches for corners of the modified floor pan.
0780EDDA-3A84-4B7C-B9FD-6C9D29EDB6DD.jpeg

02E6DDD7-85B3-4BAB-AD7F-5E3AC6E831A4.jpeg
 
Old VHS footage recently converted and edited. This was not a race car but my daily driver for many years. My favorite cars are the one I kept the longest and drove the most.

 
Here is mine for now
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4926.jpeg
    IMG_4926.jpeg
    878.3 KB · Views: 48
  • IMG_4786.jpeg
    IMG_4786.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 45
The weather here has been so nice that I’ve been welding outdoors on my project car up until yesterday when it was a lovely sunny 74° in the San Joaquin Valley.

But the rains have finally started, and there will be no electric welding out in the boat yard until things dry up.

Up at 45° angle for welding access.
FAE2BE63-6EEC-489C-92F3-AE6786CA5B3E.jpeg

The whole frame area around the pedal assembly was rusted away and I had to reconstruct this area with new pieces of metal.
CBDCA5FB-F621-48C9-9CC8-3BFBB6C90C96.jpeg

I also had to extend that brake push rod you see and I did it using a long quarter inch drive SK socket.
127C381A-F9EA-40DD-B3FF-291E1AAB53DE.jpeg

These floor pans for the frunk were made from the pedestal of an old engineering plotter that is 30 years obsolete. But I saved that metal for a reason.

D9E2DD2B-60BF-4499-A10E-D1EE2EAD2062.jpeg

8889ADE4-AB9A-4226-B5AB-F74672F72974.jpeg
2C247938-9145-47EC-8A2C-D04681015A9F.jpeg
D38B5B5F-2F30-4EAE-8631-CDD1A7B32F59.jpeg
I hope to get this all cleaned up and get some paint on it before the weather turns really foul here, but now I have to flip it over and weld those panels on the bottom.

But not today. Everything is covered up with tarps and it has been raining for about six hours on and off now. Winter is finally on its way to the desert.
 

Advertisement




Back
Top Bottom