Adventures in British Motoring?

Rover still Running Strong

2010-06-09T21:05:00.003-05:00

Not much too exciting going on with the Rover. Been working on a few projects. Bought and installed a metal Land Rover Badge for the rear of the truck. Looks really good and sets the truck apart even more. Installed a nice CB rig, patched up more water leaks and a few other minor projects. 2 Major projects, headlights and electronic ignition. I'll start with the headlights, they decided to start working only rarely maybe 2 months ago. I finally got a chance to delve into the front wiring harness to try to determine the problem. Turned out that the switch inside the horn/direction indicator switch on the steering column had gone bad. For some reason the contact where the headlight power comes into the switch assembly and where it goes back out again is bad. Luckily the previous owner had a complete extra assembly. Just took out the bad one and installed the spare and everything started working just fine. I did take the chance to clean up some of the wiring, redid a few connections and installed another relay to run the headlights. 2nd project has been to get the engine good and tuned up. I installed a Hot Spark electronic ignition kit, new plugs and plug wires this week. Going to borrow and timing light and get that all dialed in. The inside of the distributor was not near as scary as I thought it would be. It was actually a very easy install. I did have to modify the base plate slightly and ordered a spare dizzy from a supplier in England in case I ever have to go back to points. Anyway, planning on setting the timing Friday this week and then pulling the front wheels off to check the brakes. I'll also do an oil change and top up all the fluids. That is it for now, Happy Motoring!

Wire Nightmare

2009-09-30T15:51:00.003-05:00

Finally dived into the one thing I really hate working on in cars, wiring. I had been trying to source the cause of a short in the wiring circuit of the Rover. For some reason, whenever I hit the brakes, my parking lights would come on. This short also worked the other way as when ever I turned my lights on the brake lights came on. This is not a real good thing to have happening when trying to drive the Rover at night as I effectively had no brake lights. Anyway, I started by pulling the steering wheel off and getting to the back of the instrument panel. What do I spy but a wire with the insulation falling off that is not connected to anything. What the? Start pulling the harness apart and it appears that I had found the original culprit behind the non-functioning spot lights. My guess? Who ever wired the spots wired them direct, left them on for a loooong time and the wire melted and shorted out. At this point I figure that this wire has melted the insulation of a few of the other wires and that is the reason for the brake light short. Get through inspecting the harness and repair a few spots in a few other wires but do not find the short.

On to the back of the car where all the rear wires are tied together up under the rear bumper, boy that is a fun place to work on wiring. I pull off all the vampire connectors and replace them all with wire nuts. Once done with this I fire the car up and what do you know the problem seems fixed. Excellent. I use some of the self bonding electrical tape my company sells and wrap all the wires up making everything look neat and tidy. A few days later I notice the the short is back. What the heck! Pull the front harness apart again and reinspect, nope nothing wrong there. Pull the rear harness apart and start testing individual lights and wires. I isolate the short to somewhere in the left rear wiring. I test right at the bulb connections. Turns out there was some kind of short in the left rear brake light. Sometimes it would short and other times it would not, I think it was heat related. So, I go buy new bulbs all around and the short problem was fixed. A damn $1 bulb. Isn't electrical work fun? I did manage to get my CB hardwired in along with running new wire to the rear work light and wiring it up to spare switch on the dash. Works well as a reversing light at night.

Weekend Wrenching...

2009-08-17T07:48:00.002-05:00

Worked on the Rover a bit this weekend. Topped up the oil in the transfer case and overdrive. Going to need to replace the transfer case oil sump gasket sometime soon. Also tooled around with wiring a bit. Still cannot find the rear work light wire inside the truck. Going to give it one more shot and then I am going to run a new power wire (confirmed that the light works by running a temp wire directly from the battery). Also plan on hooking up my cb sometime soon. I do need to source a new antenna as my old magnetic mount will not work with the all Aluminum body of the Rover. That is it for now.

Happy Motoring.

Caffeine and Octane....

2009-08-03T07:24:00.003-05:00

Headed over to a monthly car show here in Atlanta early Sunday morning. The show is called Caffeine and Octane and is held the first Sunday of every month at the Avenues in East Cobb. It is free for all and is open to pretty much and car. There was a pretty good turnout even with the threat of rain. Kel and I loaded up the twins in the Rover got there around 8:30am (show runs from 8-11am or so). I would say there where close to 150+ cars there. All sorts showed up: new exotics, classic British roadsters, tons of old Porsches, classic American muscle cars, a few trucks and three Rovers (a '65 Series IIa LWB Truck, a mid 90's Defender TDi and my '73 Series III). The 109" got a fair amount of attention. Lots of questions about the right hand drive. I know it caught the younger crowds attention as well as any car there. The twins did well, we broke out the Baby Bjorn carriers for the first time. I took a fair amount of pictures, should have a link to them in the next day or two. Anyway, if you are bored one the first Sunday of the month and want to go see some pretty neat cars head on over.

First Rain in the Rover....

2009-07-31T07:46:00.003-05:00

Ok, I knew going in to purchasing the Rover that they are not know as the most waterproof car out there. Land Rover even printed and released an official "Water Ingress Manual" for the Defender! The previous owner did say that it leaked a little but did not mention where. Well, I drove the Rover to a tennis match last night and it ended up storming quite hard. Walking back to the truck after the match I was fearing water everywhere inside. I get in and and welcomed by a nice splash when my feet hit the floor mat. Great, inside of the car is swamped. Turn the lights on and grab my flashlight to take stock of the situation. Turns out that the only water that got in the car pooled on top of the rubber floor mat on the drivers side. Pull the floor mat our carefully and dump the water, feel the carpet that was underneath and it is bone dry! Look around and try to find the leak but the dripping has stopped. The ingress manual mentions water leaks around the clutch pedal box, this would explain why there was only water on the floor mat. Figure I'll hit the areas described in the repair manual with some clear RTV and see if that takes care of the problem!

Great news is that the Rover started up and ran great on the way home. The high-beams and the aux lights really light the road up, glad I got those wired up correctly.

This weekend I plan on continuing to try to get the rear work light functioning. Going to try to determine where the rear wiring harness leaves the frame to enter the cab so taht I can continue to trace the power and ground wires. Also hoping to trace the extra wires coming off the spare dash switches.

Starting Work on the Rover

2009-07-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

Dived right into the electrical issues on the Rover this past weekend. Turns out that the highbeams where not connected to the correct circuit and the driving lights where wired directly to the higbeam circuit. Switched this around and got the high beams working. I then installed a new 12v 30amp relay to power the driving lights. Had it hooked up and found out that both the bulbs where bad so I need to pick up replacements some time this week.

The rear flasher issue ended up just being a slightly loose connection in the rear wiring harness.

The last two things to get working are the rear work light (I have another relay that I am going to power this with, I was also thinking of maybe trying to wire it up to use as a reverse light) and the fuel gauge. Work light should be pretty straight forward but the fuel gauge is going to be a bit more difficult. Figure I will start from the gauge and work my way back towards the tank with that one.

That is it for now. I am going to hit everything with the grease gun this week and try to find someplace locally to source gear oil.

Introducing the Purple People Eater....

2009-07-21T14:31:00.005-05:00

Here it is. The new-to-me 1973 Series III Land Rover 109" Station Wagon (say that three times fast). Kel and I drove to Nashville, TN and picked it up this last Sunday. It drove surprisingly well on the interstate. With the overdrive and up-rated engine (2.5L 4 cyl out of a mid 80's Defender) it was able to cruise right around 70 at 3100 rpm.

I'll be kicking the tires and sorting a few electrical issues out for the next few weeks (left rear turn signal, fuel gauge, aux lights) but it is a blast to drive. Now I just need to find a little dirt to play in!

As for the name, the offical color it is painted is actually a '75-'76 Jaguar color called Ocean Blue. Some angles it looks Royal Blue while others it looks dark purple. Thus Kelly dubbed it "The Purple People Eater". It seats 12 so that works for me! A few more pics below.

Roof rack is coming off for now so that I can fit the truck in the garage.

New Ride: A Preview of the Land Rover

2009-07-13T11:04:00.002-05:00

Well I think I have officially sourced the replacement ride for the TR6. Found a nice 1973 Series III Land Rover that I have agreed in principle to purchase. NOw all I have to do is find a day to go pick it up. Looking forward to getting to know the Rover. I have been wanting a classic off-roader for a bit and having twins somewhat accelerated the process. As longtime readers may remember, I flirted with a project 1969 Nissan Patrol for a bit when I sold the TR4a. After that my attention turned to a Short Wheelbase Series Land Rover, an 88". I looked at a few and was hooked. I also almost picked up a 1970 AMC Jeepster Commando. A very sweet ride that looks like is up for sale finnaly but alas the timing is all wrong and the Jeepster is just not quite what I am looking for in a classic truck. Upon learning my wife and I where having twins, my attention turned to something I could fit the whole family in and have room to spare in the back. That dropped my choices down the the Long Wheel Base Series Rover, a 109". I guess I could have picked an old Jeep Wagoneer or maybe Bronco or an IH Scout. But with my twisted love of all things British I went with the Rover. Right now it looks like I might be able to pick it up next weekend. I'll have some more pictures as well as a trip report next week.

5 Years with the MINI

2009-07-12T14:56:00.002-05:00

Well, the 5th anniversary of my owner ship of my '04 MINI Cooper S came and passed last month. Why am I just getting around to writing about this? Well life happens, but better late than never. I picked up my first MINI in October 2003. This one was lost under odd circumstances that I won't go into. My second and current MINI is a May 2004 build. I picked it up sometime in the middle of June. In the 5 years that I have owned it I have put just over 75k on the clock. In that 75k I have done some thing I would have never guessed I would get a chance to do in my life, I have also met some great people. I have somewhat lived out one of my childhood dreams of being a race car driver (Autocrossing), I was paid the ultimate complement at a driving school when my instructor asked me to slow up a bit so the guys in the Dodge Vipers behind me can catch up! I have driven all over the Southeast US looking for and finding countless great driving roads. I have carved up the dragon too many times to count and hand motorcycle riders complement my driving ability. I have helped out my fellow motorist, helping with flat tires or overheating cars. Overall, I have had an amazing time in an amazing car and I look forward to the next 5 years and 75k in it as I have no plans to replace the MINI any time soon.

I do have a few maintenance things to clear up, I need to get the drive belt replaced and I think the belt tensioner is going bad. I also need new tires and to get the coolant flushed. Other than that she is still driving like a dream!

TR6 is sold!

2009-06-14T15:36:00.001-05:00

Finally sold the TR6 this weekend. Unfortunately it was a day late as the Rover I wanted was sold the same day. Ohh well, I'll just have to start hunting Series III 109 Station Wagons. If anyone out there reading this knows of one for sale drop me a line! Thanks.

I am a GM owner.....

2009-05-27T21:08:00.003-05:00

Great, so the US government is going to end up owning around 70% of GM as part of their bankruptcy settlement. Fabulous. Does that mean anyone will be able to get employee pricing on a GM now? I sure hope this goes as well as the British takeover of British Leyland. That turned out great, just ask anyone who owns a new Triumph, MG, Original Mini, Morris, Austin, Rover, Riley, Austin-Healey, and Wolseley. What? There aren't any of these new cars? Why? Because British Leyland pretty much went belly up after the government bailout and all the above marks where split up and sold off. So say good by to even more of our tax dollars as they are flushed away into helping an obsolete company try to stay afloat.

My long nightmare is over...

2009-04-24T14:08:00.000-05:00

Yep, the Lexus is now officially sold. Dang that took way longer than I thought but again, it is not exactly the best time to be selling a car.

In other news the TR is still for sale. Hoping to get it sold soon, the babies are just a few days out and I was hoping to have the Landy in the garage by now but it has to wait until the TR leaves.

A good buddy of mine surprised his wife with an '06 MINI Cooper S Convertible this week. She has wanted one forever and he found a pretty cherry Pepper White / Black one for sale. He asked me to test drive it with him and give input. Car was tight. I have done so much work to mine I always forget just how great the MINI is in stock form. Especially the '05s and '06s with the revised gear ratios, feels very quick in first and 2nd gear. Anyway, it is always nice to welcome a new member to the MINI family!

Being a used car salesman...

2009-04-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

Is no fun. Still trying to get the Lexus and TR sold. May have the Lexus sold and I have a few more guys coming to look at the TR this week. Unless you couldn't read the date of the last post I don't have a new car. Just a little bit of April Fools fun for the readers.

New Car!!!!

2009-04-01T10:34:00.003-05:00

Quick news. Found a guy right around the corner from where we live that has a sweet Austin Healey Sprite that we wants to get rid of. Said he was fine trading me straight up for the TR6! More to come!

Dragon Slaying....

2009-03-09T21:28:00.002-05:00

Ahh, had the opportunity to drive up to Knoxville, TN for week today. Jumped at the chance as I knew that I would be taking the long way via US 129 and the tail of the dragon. Been almost a year since I had gotten some good mountain driving in. Glada I have the chance as it looks like I m going to miss the MINIs on the Dragon event this year due to the twins being scheduled to be born the same weekend as the event. Got a great run in. Plan on getting a few more good ones in on the way home tomorrow.

Not much goings on in the car world other than feeling like I should be wearing polyester slacks. Still trying to sell the TR6 and the Lexus. It is amazing what kind of offers you will get trying to sell cars. It is a pain but alas a necessary one. Hoping to get the Lexus sold this month, as for the TR don't really care when it gets sold as long as I get the price I am looking for out of it. I'll have a full dragon report sometime this week when I get back.

Happy Motoring!

It's a hardtop again....

2009-02-11T14:20:00.002-05:00

Installed the new clutch slave cylinder a week or so ago, I also go the new seats installed. After trying them out my wife asked why I hadn't gotten new seats earlier...... Gee hon, I don't know...

Anyway, decided to throw the hardtop back on the car. I had forgotten how great the hardtop looks on the car. My wife and I took it for a spin and out to dinner for our 6th anniversary. It really is a fun car to drive with the hardtop on. Now wouldn't you know it, as soon as I get the hardtop on the weather turns really nice. It has been in or near the 70s here in Atlanta for the past week. Ohh well, a small price to pay for good looks I guess.

I have had some more interest in it. Had one guy that came to drive it that liked it mainly because of the hardtop. He has some interesting plans for it if he buys it. Wants to drop a Ford 5.0 liter in it along with a Ford 8.8 rear end. More power to him, it actually sounds like a really cool project. Now if he will only actually buy the 6 from me.....

Mazda 5 review

2009-01-23T15:42:00.002-05:00

Wow, a new car review!

I know I haven't done one of these in a bit but here goes.

Rented a car for my quick in and out trip to South Florida this week. When the rental agent gave me my choices (Chevy Malibu, Mazda 6, Pontiac G5 ect.) I went with something new, I said yes to a black Mazda 5 with 2k on the ticker. I have been wanting to check one of the funky styled wagon/van things out for a bit. The styling is a bit strange but I don't mid so much.

Interior:
Front seats where comfortable but I wish I had been able to raise just the front up in order to support my legs a bit more. Controls are in all the right spots and very easy to reach. Steering wheel controls are nice, and the wheel tilts and telescopes (yeah!). Driving position was nice, dead peddle was a bit close but not as bad as some cars and there was plenty of room to put my foot to the side. Back seats (middle row captains chairs) are comfortable but you have to raise the head rest or else it digs in your back. 3rd row seats where small but could hold kids pretty well. Storage in the behind the 3rd row seats was a joke, my lap top case barley fit back there so I had to drop the seats in order to stow my carry on. Visibility was good but there was one huge problem. With the back seat headrests up (or if someone in the seat) there is a HUGE blind spot. I could not move the side mirrors to a place that I felt comfortable being able to see all around the car. My only solution was to just put the headrest down, problem being if people are riding back there it really isn't an option to have them ride bent over the whole time. This is a serious issue in my mind and would cross this car off my list of cars to buy, it's too bad to since the rest of the car was pretty darn good.

Exterior:
Is it a wagon or a microvan? Well it looks a bit more like an Aztec or Matrix so I suppose it is more of a wagon, that is until you open the rear doors and they slide like a van. Boooo! I guess the sliding doors give you more access to the rear but I really don't think regular doors would cut down on the access any and they would not look near as minivanish. Those doors are really the only thing I don't like about the exterior.

Performance:
The biggest thing that kept me from really liking how this car drove was the transmission. It was out and out terrible. 1st gear was much to short. Found myself almost getting whiplash every time I took off from a dead stop. It just lurched if you got on the gas just a tad to much. If you wanted to take off smoothly you had to press the peddle like you where stepping on a grape and didn't want to squash the thing. It handled great, just as I expected from a Mazda, was pretty neutral which was nice. Got to test the handling out on one of those neat spiral parking deck ramps at the airport. But for as much as I liked that it was still stifled by the transmission. 1st gear was awful (as stated above), it couldn't make up its mind on when to shift, would take way too long to downshift when trying to accelerate, would upshift way too early (1.5 to 2k rpms usually) which made city driving a pain in the arse. About the only way to make driving somewhat fun was to use the manual option. Using that you could get the engine into its torque sweet spot (3k+) and have some fun. A manual tranny in this car would probably be great to drive.

Overall:
I really wanted to like this car. Great handling, pretty peppy when using the manual shift option and keeping the revs up made it a hoot to drive sometimes. Alas, the blind spot issue, non-existent storage space (which really just turned the car into an overweight 4 seater wagon), terrible transmission and quirky sliding doors pushed it away from my good side. I really don't know who would buy this car. I guess if you had to have a small hatchback but needed to be able to really seat 6 instead of 5 then this would be the option for you, but I would suggest it.

The Good and the Bad.....

2009-01-19T10:25:00.002-05:00

The Bad: I decided to take the TR6 on a short drive before we headed up to the mountains for the weekend. Car was running great, weather was good but cold and the drive was going quite well until I pulled back into my subdivision. That is when the car decided it just wasn't going to let me put it in gear at all. The clutch peddle went to the floor and nothing but grinding noises would come from the transmission when I tried to put it in gear. Luckily I was able to match revs and get it into 2nd gear which allowed me to limp it home. Got home and took a look, no fluid in the clutch master cylinder and a new spot of liquid on the driveway where I had stopped while pulling out to let the car warm up. I have not gotten under the car yet but I am betting the slave cylinder finally went. Figured as much since it looked a bit rough when I replaced the master last year. Got the new slave ordered today along with a rebuild kit for the front right brake caliper and new seat covers! That will give me a little to do in order to spiff the car up for any potential buyers.

Now for the good: The first long road-trip in the new XC70 went great. Car handled the full load well. Cruises very nice on the highway, very comfortable and has enough umpfh with the turbo to make passing easy. Handled remarkable well on the twisties although you can definitely feel the extra weight and higher center of gravity on the car. It was nice to have the AWD for the drive home, roads where a bit slushy from the snow storm Saturday night. Seat are great, much more comfortable than the Lexus and MINI seats. I don't find my self getting as tired driving this car as I did the Lexus, the seating position is just better. All in all a successful shakedown cruise for the new land yacht.

The Swedish Invasion....

2009-01-14T07:20:00.002-05:00

Well we now have a nice '06 Volvo XC70 Cross Country parked in the garage next to the TR6. The MINI is still relegated to driveway parking and the Lexus sits out front of my wife's uncles house with a for sale sign on it. Really happy with the new Volvo, only has 16k miles and looks new every where. It is a bit creepy how much it drives like my old '87 245 wagon. I drove it around most of the weekend and was having a serious case of dejavu. It handles like the old 240, the way the body leans a bit in the corners is the exact same, the rear view mirror is in the same exact spot, even the clock control is the same type knob. Now, the XC70 is a much more comfortable car than the 240 was, seats and the interior are amazing. I just hope they hold up to 2 kids! Anyway, I'll get some pics up here sometime. Until then, happy motoring!

New Cars all around...

2009-01-09T16:26:00.002-05:00

Ok, looks like we will be picking up a new car for the wife this weekend. We found an '06 Volvo XC70 we really like. Going to go pick it up tomorrow. I guess that mean I finally convinced my wife to buy a wagon! Haha, my wagon fetish has finally rubbed off on her. I'm excited about the new car, always loved my old 240 Wagon and hope that we get as much use out of this one as I did the old silver bullet. Now we have to get the Lexus cleaned up. I put it up on craigslist already and I figure we will stick it out in front of my wife's uncles house for a bit.

Now for a new car for me, well not really new. Just a new obsession that has lead to the TR being for sale again. Think I have settled on trying to find a nice Series III 109" Land Rover Station Wagon. Yep, the big one that seats 10 (well not really that big, about the same dimensions as a late 90's Grand Cherokee). Figure it will be a bit more useful than the 88" and easier to haul the twins and other stuff around in if needed. I have my eye on a nice RHD '75 one, just that pesky thing about selling the TR first. Hopefully I can drum some interest up for the TR in the next 2 weeks or so. That's it for now.

Ahh, that New Year Smell....

2009-01-05T10:40:00.002-05:00

Welcome to 2009 here on Adventures in British Motoring. The possibility of the TR being joined in the garage by a member of the Swedish Bikini team are increasing every day. We have a few Volvo XC70s pegged to look at this week, just hope one of them is the right one. That leaves selling the Lexus. Figure I will throw it up on Craigslist this week and see if anyone bites.

News on the TR6 front, not much doing right now. Heck, I haven't even had a chance to drive it since I got back in town from the Christmas vacation. I am planning (and more importantly have received the ok from the wife) to do the front brakes and recover the seats by March. Taking the seats out to recover will also give me a chance to clean up the under dash area and fix a few things on the interior. It looks like the transmission and rewiring project may be put off until next winter. It is a big project and one that will require me taking the car off the road for a few months. Hopefully I can stage everything well and just spend a few nights a week on it when I decide to start.

The new car search and a man cave...

2008-12-15T15:07:00.004-05:00

Well, not every car that I look at is for my use only. My wife and I recently found out that we are expecting twins sometime in April. This has lead to a new car search. My wife's Lexus IS300 isn't going to be big enough to haul two youngsters around and the MINI isn't exactly kid friendly either. Since my wife will be the primary driver of the new car I have let her lead the way on what she wanted. Everyone has been telling us to get a Minivan. Umm, that would be a no. At least my wife and I finally agree on something car related, neither of us wants a Minivan and we really are not too fond of SUVs either. After throwing out a few wagon and cross overs that I thought we should go look at it was decided that we go test drive a Volvo XC70. I like the XC70, heck I like most Volvo's (something about the funky chuckiness of them, that and they still make a good wagon and I am a wagon fan, owned a 240DL wagon, great car), and the car did not disappoint. Very comfortable, back seats are managable, tons of cargo room in the back. Kel really liked how it drove like a car (this was reinforced after we test drove a Nissan Murano later in the day and she commented that it felt like she was driving a dump truck) and was easy to see out of and maneuver. That pretty much settled it, so we are now in a hunt to find a nicely used XC70. We did look at one this weekend (a pretty base 2006) and I got the chance to drive it this time. Kel was dead on in her assesment, doesn't feel all that large, has good pick up once the turbo kicks in (has a turbo 5 pot under the hood), handles well. It is kind of funny in that it feels like a very nice car but you happen to be sitting up a bit (way different from the low slung cars I am used to), but this isn't a bad thing. Figure we will resume the hunt after the holidays. I'll post update on our hunt as thed develop.

And now for something completely different...

If anyone of my readers (all 6 of them....) have visited my beer blog (plug) then you may have seen the pictures of my basement bar. I will admit it is pretty awesome, big tv, beer on draft, pool table ect. makes it a great man cave. Well, I have now seen what I have to match when I build my Man Cave Auto Annex... Check this out:

Yep. This is a picture of the car cave of a good friends brothers house. Yes that is a Land Rover Series II in the back, sitting next to it is a Triumph GT6+ (that he literally stole he got such a good deal on it) and in the fore ground is his Triumph Spitfire race car. Drool.....

Maybe one day I'll be able to post a similar picture with my TR6 in the place of the spitfire, a Landy or Nissan Patrol in the Landy spot and a Bugeye Sprite in the GT6 spot (or a GT6 if I can find one for the same deal he got..)

That is it for now.

Reflections on the US Auto Bailout....

2008-12-08T12:32:00.003-05:00

Ok, this is a car blog and I do have some thoughts on the impending bailout of the US Auto industry.

I guess I should start by saying I am against the current format of the bailout. I know you cannot let the US auto industry just collapse but I don't think throwing money at them is really a good idea. The government didn't bailout the airline industry when it was hit hard by skyrocketing fuel prices and decreased passenger loads after 9/11. Most of the struggling companies worked their way through filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy and have emerged in better shape. Why not force the Auto companies to go this same route before tossing billions of dollars at them? If they make it out of Chapter 11 and still need some help then maybe give them a loan.

Right now does it make any sense that any of them will some how completely turn around their declining sales trend? Each has been losing market share since the early 90's. They all staked their futures on the booming SUV market while letting their small car segments get destroyed by foreign competitors. Can anyone honestly name an American sedan that they would buy over it's foreign competitor? The US automakers have allowed themselves to be pushed out of every segment but Large SUVs and Trucks. This was fine when the fastest selling cars where SUVs but they had to know that sales wave would not last.

At this same time, several scrappy Korean car companies continued to improve their product using Honda as the benchmark. Base your business on small, extremely well built cars and then expand from there. You know that the Americans are in trouble when Kia's and Hyundias are looked at as being higher quality that Chevy or Ford.

The problem with the current domestic designs is they aren't the best in their segments. In economy cars the Japanese and Koreans make them better, cheaper, with more options and better looking than anything Ford, GM or Chrysler can offer. If someone gave you 15k to spend on an economy car would you buy a Chevy Aevo or a Honda Fit? Case closed. In cars a little larger it again comes down to quality and design. People buy Toyotas and Hondas because they are going to be bullet proof transportation. Start counting how many 15+ year old Honda Accords and Toyota Camry's you see driving around and compare that to how many Ford Escorts and Chevy Cavaliers you see.....

The Domestics again get killed in the luxury segment. The Euros all make cars that drive extremely well and always have great looking designs and the latest gadgets. The Japanese again rest there sales on build quality. The Americans? Do they even make a car that can compete with a Lexus or a BMW? Only Cadillac can come close and surprisingly it is about the only place that GM makes a profit.

I just think the Domestics lost there way in the late 70's. Way too many models, crazy contacts to the unions, lackadaisical designs are just a few of the many nails in the coffin. Does GM really need 4 versions of the same car? Every other car maker makes 1 (2 at the most if you count the Luxury brands) car for each segment. Does GM really need to keep pouring money into GMC, Pontiac and Buick? Why not downsize you line up and try to make some really good cars. Have Chevy and Cadillac, Ford and Lincoln, Chrysler...well they may need to just go away.

One really good stat kind of sums up the mess that is the US auto industry: Toyota has one supplier and one design for their cruise control system. Get in any Toyota or Lexus and it is the same controls. 1 part for every single model. They found a high quality part they like and stuck it in every car. Thus you get the same quality controller in your Toyota Corolla as you would find in a Lexus LS600. What does GM us for their cruise control? They have 20+ versions. 20+! Do you need more than 2?

Anyway, I can only see the current handling of the bailout ending badly. Throwing good money after bad never ends up well. Having government get involved in the auto industry usually ends badly. Anyone remember what happened to the British Auto Industry? Healey, MG, Aston Martin, Lotus, Triumph, Jaguar, Morris, Austin, Rover, Jenson, Land Rover, Mini, and others all used to build great cars. For a time in the 50's and 60's they built some of the worlds best sports cars. What happened? Shoddy build quality, terrible labor issues and labor contracts and a lack of updated designs all lead to big problems. Companies merged and consolidated products lines in a effort to save themselves but just couldn't. The British government Nationalized the industry in the 80's and ended up losing even more jobs and money. Most of the above companies are out of Business. The ones that have survived as independents (Aston Martin, Lotus, Morgan) have all done so by finding a niche that they can sell into and then making the best car for that niche. The others have all gone by the wayside or had their names gobbled up by other companies.

That is my rant.

Looked good from 20 feet....

2008-12-01T07:23:00.002-05:00

Went and checked out a 1964 Land Rover Series IIa this past weekend. Here is a picture:

Looks ok right? Well the seller had told me it was not currently running because he had removed the radiator and the rear drive shaft but never got around to installing new bits. For the price he was asking I figured, I'll take a look and if it is in good order who knows. Well, from the outside the truck looks pretty good. Nice color combo, wheels look ok. Interior is so-so, bulkhead rust is there but not terrible. Then I go stick my head under the rear of the truck to check out the frame. Yikes! Both rear frame members are completely rusted through. I didn't even bother to look at the frame under the front of the car. I tried to be nice and ask a few other questions about the truck but I knew I wasn't going to hassle with it. Now, if I had someplace to store this thing for a few years and I could talk him down to about $500 (all the thing is worth really) then maybe I would think about pulling a full resto on it but I don't have that much time or money.....

Rover Infatuation Continues...

2008-11-20T07:12:00.002-05:00

Well I know that I swore of looking for a Series Rover a few weeks ago but.... I can't help myself sometimes. Found one that is listed at a pretty cheap price near by. The one catch being that it has not run in 2 years, yes the dreaded "ran when parked" description. Figure I will go take a look at it and see if the engine turns freely by hand. If that is the case and I can talk the guy down even more, maybe I'll have a new project sitting in the yard...

TR sticking around..

2008-11-05T08:36:00.003-05:00

For now. Kind of settled on keeping the TR around. With the way the collector car market is taking a hit right now I have pretty much decided that I want to keep the TR6 and really fix it up. So for the moment I am going through some long term planning on what I can get done to it this winter (transmission and brakes being 1 and 1a on the list). The more I have thought about it, getting this work finished on it and having a car that I have semi-restored will be pretty neat. The plans to add a Landy to the fleet and still there but it may be another year or two and by then I may not have to sell the TR6. I'll keep everyone posted on the work. I might even be starting the long awaited front brake replacement work in the next month or two!

As for how the new shock conversion has worked out, it is fantastic. The rear end no longer dances around the road like it doesn't know where it is going. I also got the new heater control wire installed and working, I think that combined with the new heater valve have really made a difference in the heater performance. Last winter I could never really feel much heat coming from the heater but when Kelly and I took the 6 for a spin a few nights ago you could really feel the heat keeping our legs warm, should keep the car nice and toasty when I put the hardtop back on in a month or so. I also almost have the rear license plate light installed, I need one new nut and I can get it tied down. It won't work yet because I still have to sort out the wiring but it will make the rear bumper look complete again.

Adventures in Alternators....Pt II

2008-10-14T12:30:00.002-05:00

Well I got the new alternator in over the weekend. I figured yesterday evening would be as good a time as any to give installing it a shot. All the mounting hardware match up perfect and all the spacers that came off the old one worked perfect. Everything lined up and bolted up just right. Now the tricky part was making sure I wired it all up right. I guess I got lucky (kind of, had a little help from plenty of TR online forums) because the car started right up and the Ignition light went off, thus showing that the alternator was in fact charging the battery. Victory is mine!!

Finished the alternator off, looked at the clock to realize I still had a bit of the afternoon left to kill. Decided to tackle installing the rear tube shock conversion kit that has been sitting on my workbench for about 6 months. Pretty easy install, conversion brackets mount right up to where the lever shocks where and the new tube shocks went in pretty easy. Had both sides installed in about 45mins and the car back on the ground. Gave the rear end a good shove and what do you know, it didn't bounce. Before switching out the lever shocks the car would bounce up and down about 5 times before stopping!

I plan on giving the TR a little road test this afternoon, I'll report back on the findings tomorrow. Who knows, I may even get a wild hair and actually install the glove box, license plate light, and heater control wire!

Adventures in Alternators....

2008-10-09T08:55:00.002-05:00

Ok, still trying to source an alternator for the TR6. Thought I had one picked out from Advance Auto but it was not to be. The part arrived yesterday. I unpacked it and was curious that the box showed it was a Beck/Arnley alternator, I had ordered a Bosch unit. Pull the alternator out of the box and sure thing, it isn't a Bosch. Sure, the box had the Bosch part number on it, written in sharpie underneath the Beck pn. I paid ~$80 for the Bosch part, figure I would check to see how much this Beck part cost. The Beck part only costs $40! Nice bait and switch there. So this alternator is going back to the store and will be the last time I set foot in an Advance Auto.

I did find a reputable source on ebay (recommended to me by other TR owners) and ordered the replacement Bosch alternator for $60 shipped. Hope to have it soon so I can get the TR back up and running!

I also went ahead and took the plunge to replace the rear shocks. Figured I had the mounting kit for the tube shocks why not go ahead and get it all installed. Order up the shocks from Summit Racing, they should get here early next week. So the plan is to get the alternator in, install the new shocks and install some of the other random new parts I have laying around.

Blog Life Update...

2008-10-02T14:07:00.002-05:00

Just was checking on my site views and stuff. I started this blog Feb. '07. To date it has had 2,100+ visits from 72 countries and territories. Wow. Heck, in the past month things have really picked up, 440+ visits from 44 countries. So, to all the folks that have taken a few minutes out of your life to read my aimless (well sometimes they kind of have a point) ramblings I say thank you!!!

It was the battery.....

2008-10-02T13:57:00.002-05:00

Quick note on wife's car. It was the battery, AAA came out and replaced it for her. Must have been a bad cell or something because when I checked it, it showed full voltage. Dunno. The one thing that is complete voodoo to me is electricity. Don't know why, I understand simple circuits and the like but I just don't like dealing with it. New TR alternator is due in next week.

Alternators and Batteries..

2008-09-30T06:16:00.002-05:00

Well, several electrical issues with all my cars this week. The alternator on the TR went out. Going to address that sometime this week, I have to find some place to switch the pulleys out for me. This morning my wife's car would not start, may be the battery. Going to buy a new battery this afternoon and try to get it fixed tonight. Ahh, the fun of owning cars....

The work continues

2008-09-26T10:54:00.003-05:00

Got a chance to do some things to the TR last week. Installed the new speedo cable, changed the oil, installed the emergency bonnet opener and new bonnet catch mechanism. Did not get around to installing the glove box or heater control cable, oh well. Have someone coming to take a look at it Sunday. Spent last Sunday morning tooling around in a Land Rover Series III that I am looking at. A very cool truck. Only thing it really needs is a little brake adjustment work and some rust proofing on the floorboards. Has the mechanical overdrive and is in good overall shape. Also have been emailing another guy that has a III for sale in case this first one doesn't go through. I'll know more on Sunday!

Working on the TR6?!?!

2008-09-18T06:18:00.000-05:00

Yep, going to be doing some work to the TR6 Friday. Have a day off from work so I figure I will get a bunch of the small stuff that I have been meaning to get to out of the way. Replace the speedo cable, install the glove box, install the new sun visors, install the spare tire mounting kit, install the new heater cable and whatever else I can find in the spare parts bin. I'll take a few pictures and update everyone on the work sometime Friday afternoon.

Gas Shortage?

2008-09-15T13:39:00.001-05:00

A bit of a rant here. Nice to see prices for a barrel of oil are at a 6 month low but prices at the pump at an all time high thanks for Ike. Gas prices went up over .50 cents in a few hours on rumors of damage to the oil producing plants around Houston. Yes supply was messed up for a few days over the weekend but this was no reason for everyone and their sister to go fill up every car they own and every gas can that was sitting around the garage. This "shortage" caused a potential buyer of the TR to have to back out from his drive to come see the car because he couldn't find gas! Not his fault and we have rescheduled for sometime in the next few weeks. I have my eyes on a '76 Series III Landy that I am going to try to take a look at this week. I'll post some pictures once I take a look at it.

What's Next?

2008-09-05T13:23:00.002-05:00

Well, some interesting and exciting things are a foot in my personal car land. Friend who is thinking of selling the Jeepster is planning on giving me an answer this week along with a price. I have had a few people interested in the TR6 (still for sale, if you are interested drop me an e-mail at clifclavin@gmail.com). If the Jeepster deal falls through I think I will still go ahead with selling the TR6. Maybe go pick up a Land Rover Series II and III. Right now I think I can let the TR go, find a classic Utility Vehicle to curb my itch, and keep an eye one of the roadster I really want. Austin Healey Bugeye, Triumph TR3B or a Datsun Sports 2000, I'll probably end up with one of these sometime in the future (unless a really sweet A-H 100 drops in my lap for cheap).

Lazy....

2008-08-27T09:24:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know I haven't posted in a while. I've been at the beach this week so not much going on in regards to the car. I did spot a nice '70s Land Rover Series III parked in front of one of our favorite restaurants. I am going to take some pictures if I spot it again. I'll post them up when I get home.

Hyundai Elantra Review Pt II.

2008-08-18T10:11:00.002-05:00

Ok, my closing thoughts for this car.

Interior:
Well laid out and good looking. Material quality was nice but you could tell this is an entry level car. Seats where comfortable and had plenty of adjustment. Steering wheel did tilt but did not telescope. Everything was in reach, good head room and leg room in all seats. Dead peddle was a tad close for my taste but then again most cars are. AC and radio controls where straight forward and easy to reach. It was nice that it came with both a cig lighter plug and an additional power plug on the center console. Aux input was well marked as well, location was right between the two power sockets. Not a bad place for it but I have grown to like the ones that are hidden in the center console storage area. Sound quality was pretty good, it was nice to have XM activated on the car.

Driving Impressions:
Well balanced car. Not too much body lean in the corners. Steering was really vague. Impossible to tell what the tires are doing. It did turn in well and handled better than expected. Engine was the biggest drawback. You could feel it struggling to pull the car around sometime, transmission didn't help the issue. Held shifts too long at points or shifted much to early and would not shift back down when needed. I did return 33+mpg for the whole trip that included some rather spirited back road driving and minimal interstate cruising.

Exterior:
Looks ok, doesn't stand out but isn't ugly.

Overall a nice car. Great gas mileage considering I didn't really get out on the interstate much. Better than the Corolla and Focus in my opinion.

Hyundai Elantra Review

2008-08-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

Ok, I'm in NY this week. My rental is a Hyundai Elantra. So far not a bad car. About on par with the Ford Focus that I had in Virginia. I will have to say the fact that this one has XM radio may skew my opinions a bit. Handles well enough, gets great gas mileage, doesn't look to bad. Hyundai has come a looooooong way since my dad brought some mid 90's model home for a test drive. I think the interior build quality is better than the Ford, on par with what I have seen in low end Toyota's and Honda's. I know it handles better than the corolla except for a strange dead-spot when going through the center position. Engine is a bit under powered and wheezy for my tastes but transmission does its best to shift at the right times to make the most of the lacking power. Give me a few more days with it and I will write up a full review.

TR6 for sale?!?

2008-08-04T08:32:00.003-05:00

Yep, it may happen. Still mulling it over in my head. The reason? Well my garage isn't quite big enough to fit the TR6 and a Jeepster Commando and still allow Kelly to park her can indoors. Why a Jeepster you say? Well I drove one that might be for sale this weekend and it is a blast. Heck of a lot bigger than the TR but pretty fun. If I thought I got looks driving around in the TR you should see all the stares you get in a Jeepster. Everyone, I mean everyone, that saw me driving it around on the test drive stopped and pointed. Guess folks just respond to American cars a bit more than small British ones. So, if the Jeepster is going up for sale I would need to make room for it, which means the TR6 would have to go. I am a bit sad about it but the Jeepster would satisfy my classic utility craving. I would be British roadster-less but I can guarantee there would be one back in my garage as soon as I have room (read, when ever I get a chance to build the shop out back of the house!) So, if any of you loyal readers are interested or know anyone who may be interested in a red 1970 Triumph TR6 with extremely rare factory hardtop, new master cylinders (brake and clutch), pretty good paint, new plugs, gear-reduction starter, and plenty of brand new spare parts, then drop me a line. clifclavin@gmail.com

I'll post some pictures of the Jeepster soon!

2006 Acura RL Review

2008-07-28T08:35:00.003-05:00

Ok, my dad bought himself a new ride a few weeks back and I finally got the chance to drive it while in the mountains this weekend.

Exterior:
This is a very understated car. That may be why you don't see many of them. Style wise it is not that much different than the Acura TL. The RL doesn't stand out, which is a good thing and a bad thing. The cars it is selling against, BMW 5 series, MB E-class, Lexus GL or LS are all pretty flashy, you know exactly what car they are when you see them, nothing else looks like them. That is the problem with the RL it doesn't stand out and in a sales segment where 50% of the buyers are buying the car for status reasons then the RL just doesn't work. BUT, if you don't care about how flashy the car is then this just may be the best of the bunch...

Interior:
Very nice finish everywhere. Plenty of head, leg, and shoulder room in every seat. Middle seat in the back is a bit cramped but that is to be expected. Leather seats, leather arm rests and door pulls, you can tell Acura cut no corners on the quality of the materials that went into this car. I could adjust the seating position to fit my frame and driving style perfectly. Power everything (seats, mirrors, headrests!). Only 2 real complaints:
1. The passengers seat was not height adjustable. I found this odd, how hard would it have been to add this? I found this did make the passenger seat sit a bit uncomfortably. Heck my wife's IS300 has this feature and so does my MINI. An odd choice not to include this in a loaded car.
2. Dead peddle. Yet another car that locates the dead peddle much to close to the driver. Ended up having to put my left foot right next to the brake peddle or crossed in front of the seat to be comfortable.

Controls and Audio:
The RL comes with the high end electronic control system. Acrua's version of i-drive I guess. Very powerful system that includes voice control options for everything. System is actually very easy to use since there is about 15 ways to access everything. Plenty of shortcut buttons everywhere and the interface and menu screens where very easy to figure out. Everything was nicely within reach. Sound system sounded nice but I really didn't get a chance to wring it out to really give a good opinion.

Drive and Ride:
Very steady on-road feel. Handled quite well for such a big car. Very nice cruising on the highway. The transmission seems a bit rough for a luxury car. You can fell every shift. It does respond very quick and the manual shift feature with steering wheel paddles is very nice. But again, my wife's IS300 is supposed to be a sportier car, it too has the manual shift option and the only time you really notice the shifts is when it is in manual mode.

So, if you are in the market for a roomy luxury car, give the RL a chance. I think you will find it stacks up nicely against the BMW, MB, Audi and Lexus offerings and I am betting you can find a used one for a great price.

Staging

2008-07-10T08:57:00.002-05:00

Going to be cleaning up the garage in the next few weeks. Hopefully this will let me reorganize my workbench and get a handle on all the random TR6 parts that currently form a nice pile. My wife and I are also installing some new shelving and storage cabinets in our basement. The storage cabinets will give me a place to sort and stage all the parts for the TR6.

Not sure when I am going to get to work on the TR, still may be a few months. It has been running great this summer (minus the broken speedometer, the iffy front brakes and the front carb that eats damper fluid, but hey it is British!). I do plan on changing the oil in the next two weeks. Other than that not much doing in TR6 land.

Just Waitin...

2008-06-24T07:34:00.004-05:00

The TR6 is still awaiting some work. I am still waiting on the right time. Looking more and more like work will start back up closer to September, when the temperatures start to come down a bit and my garage isn't a furnace. Found the name of a new shop near my house. May give the guy a call to get an estimate on rebuilding the carbs and tuning the car up good. I would get this done after the big projects this winter (rewire and transmission replacement). Still waiting on my chance to stop off and look around my neighbors original owner '74 TR6. I have some questions about where some of the interior convertible boot attachment points go and want to get them right. The plan is still to do the front brakes, install a radio, recover the seats and install a headliner in the hardtop before I get to the wiring and transmission. I also may have to replace the heater core when I get to the rewire. It has never put out much heat and being that it is the same type core that was in the TR4a it should put out a ton of heat if working correctly. Anyways, thats it for now.

New Blog!

2008-06-18T07:24:00.002-05:00

Ok, I am expanding my online blogging a bit. I have always been a big fan of all sorts of beer so I figured I would start a blog detailing what I've been drinking and what I think about different beers from all over. Swing by and check it out!

Atlanta Beer Snob

I'm not giving up on this blog. Still going to update the continuing work on the TR, what is happening with the MINI, any plans for a new car in the future and reviews of any new cars I drive!

Motorcycle Dreaming....

2008-06-12T10:13:00.003-05:00

Ok, with the way gas keeps going the thought of getting a Motorcycle has crept into my head. The good thing about my morning commute is that I have several routes and can take back roads the whole way without having to get on 285. Been thinking of the type of bike I would want. Don't want a big cruiser or Harley and I am not really much of a sport bike guy so that leaves very few choices. Maybe a nice older Honda, Kawi or Yamaha or even a Triumph Bonneville or Scrambler. Who knows.

Dang I'm lazy....(TR6 Update)

2008-06-04T14:44:00.002-05:00

A quick update on the TR6. I've been driving it around a few night a week. Engine is running strong and having no problems with the heat. I've been pretty bad about working on it the last few months. Still waiting to find the time to repair the brakes, upgrade the suspension, install some of the interior bits and install the radio. Just been lazy and the hot weather and draw of the pool on the weekends has not made doing any of this work a top priority. I'll get some of it done this summer and fall in preparation for the big transmission swap and re-wiring project this winter.

Adventures in Beer and Whisky

2008-05-27T09:20:00.003-05:00

Ok, spent the weekend in Kentucky with my wife. We needed a bit of vacation post sister-in-laws wedding, tax season, sister-in-law moving out ect. Part of the motivation for the trip was I am a Charter Member Maker's Mark Ambassador. This is the Maker's Mark fan club. I joined way back in college when it was first conceived. Anyways, Maker's Mark decided to place each Ambassadors name on a plaque (30 names on a plaque) on barrels of their whisky. I was in the first batch of Ambassadors to have their name on a barrel. It has been 7 or so years and the batch (19 barrels) of whisky is ready. Maker's has given all the Ambassadors a chance to buy a special bottle from their batch but you have to buy it at the distillery, this is what lead to the road trip.

We stayed in Bardstown, a nice central location for a weekend of Distillery touring. Started at MM Saturday morning. It was a wee bit crowded, I guess memorial day weekend is a big weekend to take in all the distilleries. Did the tour (most interactive distillery tour we took, I've done it 3 time now) and got to buy and dip my bottles. Very cool, I think that MM has the most scenic distillery. They have added a new reception area at the start of the tour, redid the old store to look like the house that the owner lived in as a child, had some cool interactive displays about the family history. The end of the tour wound up in the new store, very nice new area. The tour also now includes a taste testing! Yep, free Bourbon Whisky. So I did my tasting and had Kel's as well! Had lunch at a new cafe that has opened on the grounds, they opened it in the old toll house. Had a great pulled pork sandwich that was doused in a wonderful bourbon bbq sauce.

Our second stop on the tour was going to be Woodford Reserve. Unfortunately when we got there it looked like the entire state of KY was there as well. Discovered that the tours where sold out for the day!?! This sucked because it was 3pm (they closed a 6pm) and the website said nothing of the possibility of the tours selling out. Leaving Woodford a bit bitter we decided to try Four Roses Distillery that was just down the road. Pulled up and found out that there last tour was at 3! Dang it. Went inside anyways and found they where running a nice video about the distillery. There where about 6 of us who missed the last tour but the tour guide stopped in and gave us a brief history of the plant and then gave us a tasting of 3 of Four Roses bourbons! Sweet! We tried the Yellow Label, Small Batch and Single Barrel. Single Barrel was sweet. He also let us try a bit of the High Wine or White Dog, this is the pre-aged bourbon. Not as bad as I would have thought is to be but prett harsh compared to the finished product. If you have not heard of Four Roses there is a reason. From 1962 to 2002 Four Roses was owned by Seagrams and was only sold over seas. That meant that even the folks working at the distillery could not buy the bourbon they where producing. In 2002 the company was sold and started selling bourbon in the US again. They have recently expanded outside of KY and are hoping to go nationwide in the next few years. Another very pretty distillery (it looks like an old spanish mission) and the staff was great. Make this a stop on your list.

Sunday we had two more stops, Heaven Hill and Jim Beam. Heaven Hill is in Bardstown and their tour starts at their Bourbon Heritage Center. Very nice new building with tons of history and displays. Tour starts with a video and then includes a nice walk to a very large barrel house. No distillery on site anymore, the original burned down about 12 years ago and instead of rebuild it was easier for HH to buy another distillery, which they did and it is located in Louisville. Video was very nice, Kel said it was the most informative tour we took. Walk in the barrel house was neat. Tourguide showed us how to read the barrel heads to determine how old some of the whiskey was. Tour ended with another tasting, this time we got to try two different single barrel bourbons (my fav). One was an Evan Williams Vintage Bottled Single Barrel, this example was 12 years old ('96) and was a very nice bourbon. The second was the Elijay Craig 18 year old single barrel, wow. Now that is a heck of a bourbon, smooth, flavorful, all in all almost perfect. We bought some hot sauce and grabbed lunch in town before heading to Jim Beam. Beam was a bit disappointing, it is a self guided tour and there are no tastings on Sunday (county law). Booooo!

So it was a good trip and Kel gladfully tagged along without too much complaining (aside from flat out refusing to try and bourbon). Why I didn't do this as a spring break in college I don't know...

My one quick beer note, I tried a Heller Rauchbier. This is a smokebeer. Read about it in my Beer Advocate Magizine and figured I would give it a shot. Wow, it smells like smoked bacon! Tastes a bit like hickory smoked bacon and bbq sauce. How is this not the most popular beer in the world? I dunno. If you run across a Rauchbier or another smokebeer give it a try, you will be surprised.

2009 Toyota Corolla Review

2008-05-27T08:54:00.002-05:00

Another car review!

It has been a bit but on my recent trip to Virginia I rented a new (only 1000 miles on the clock) 2009 Toyota Corolla. Figured I didn't need a big can and I would try to save the company some money on the gas.

First Impressions:
Not a bad looking car, plenty of room in the truck (maybe a 3 golf bag/2 body trunk?), good looking interior. Good lines on the exterior and everything looks to be put together well. Nice to see that the rear seats fold flat if needed and there is a rear seat release in the trunk, a very nice touch.

Interior:
Car came with a cloth interior, seems to be a very nice and durable fabric. Glad to see no leatherette. Seats are very comfortable, all the controls are well within reach. This was a pretty base model car but it had some nice features that made it seem a bit more upscale. Nice to see an Auxiliary input on the base stereo. Stereo was ok, didn't blow me away but sounded good. Center stack was well designed and all of the AC controls where easy to figure out. Gauges where all very easy to read. Tilt and telescoping steering wheel!!! A huge plus in my book since I don't like to have my arms extended straight when driving. Dead peddle area was a bit close to the seat but there was plenty of room next to the brake peddle to stretch out my leg. Mirrors covered outside well, no huge blind spots, all in all very good visibility. Car was very quite on the inside, could barley hear the engine running while at idle or when driving at 70mph. The one main issue I had with the interior was a metallic rattling that came from the drivers side door, sounded like something was loose. Something that I would have fixed by the dealer if I had owned the car.

Performance:
This is a base 4 cylinder Corolla with 132hp engine. Wasn't expecting much but the engine did have decent pep. Transmission did a good job of making sure it was in the right gear and changing quickly when needed. Steering was strange. Felt good at some point but vague at others. Noticed the odd steering behavior mainly when driving in windy conditions. Car was blown around quite a bit and it I had to be very active with the steering to keep my line. At highway speeds it was hard to keep the car on center as a very slight move in the steering wheel would move the car a very large amount. This was helpful at slow speeds and in parking lots but extremely annoying when cruising the interstates. I know this isn't a performance car but aside from the wonky steering the car handled quite nicely, it was a welcome surprise.

For my whole trip (1/2 interstate, 1/2 backroads) I returned about 33 mpgs. Not bad at all. I had the AC on for part of the trip and flogged the car a bit on the back roads to see what it could do. For the price point (About 17K from what I can figure) this is a great car. If you are looking for a car that drives pretty well, has a bit of pep, gets great mileage on regular gas, has plenty of room for 4 adults and all their bags and is well priced this is a car to look at. The only other car I could compare it to would be a Ford Focus that I rented about a year ago. The Corolla is way better than the Focus.

Top 5 Concerts I've Seen...

2008-05-15T15:29:00.004-05:00

In honor of the amazing Radiohead Concert here in Atlanta last week I figured I would break out my top 5 concerts I've been to....

1. Feb. 13, 1997: Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Acoustic Set, 10th row or so. Overall an amazing show, setlist

2. May 8, 2008: Radiohead, wow is all I can say. I loved this band before the concert and now I have a new found respect for the fact that they can pull all their songs off live and sound perfect.

3. Flogging Molly at the Fox in Detroit sometime in '05 I guess. Get show, high energy, small venue. Opening acts where insane, crowd was....interesting? Love this band.

4. Snow Patrol at the Tabernacle in Atlanta. I think this was in '05 as well. This show was before they hit the radio, not all that crowded but still an amazing concert.

5. Mighty Mighty Bosstones, St. Patrick's Day Concert '04 in Detroit. They where supposed to be the opening band for Flogging Molly but FM pulled out to do the Jimmy Kimmel show that night at the last second. In response they moved the concert to some small place near Greektown. MMB put on one hell of a show for all the folks that decided to show up anyway. Sat in the upper balcony on the side. Most aggressive and high energy show I've seen.

Well, there they be. My top 5 concerts. Any readers want to chime in on their top 5 concerts?

Radiohead Concert

2008-05-09T15:15:00.003-05:00

Saw Radiohead at Lakewood last night. One of the more impressive concerts I have ever been to. They played a great setlist and sounded excellent all night. Here is the setlist:

Setlist:
1. All I Need
2. There There
3. Lucky
4. 15 Step
5. Where I End and You Begin
6. Nude
7. Pyramid Song
8. Optimistic
9. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
10. National Anthem
11. Idioteque
12. You And Whose Army?
13. Reckoner
14. Everything In Its Right Place
15. Bangers and Mash
16. Bodysnatchers
17. Videotape
Encore 1
18. The Gloaming
19. Talk Show Host
20. Just
21. Faust Arp
22. How To Disappear Completely
Encore 2
23. Paranoid Android
24. House of Cards

Great songs all around. Didn't get to here my fav (Fake Plastic Trees) but Talk Show Host was a great surprise. Most technically sound band I have ever heard played live. Very impressive considering the amount of effects they use. Also didn't realize how much lead guitar Thome York played. A great concert and a band that I will make sure to go see again in the future.

Back from the Dragon and NC

2008-05-08T08:51:00.002-05:00

Returned home in one piece from a work trip, MOTD (MINIs on the Dragon) and a bachelor party in Charlotte. Not too much worse for the wear. Played a great round of golf near Lake Norman, shot a 75. Best part about the course where the $1 beers and food. The dragon was great and relaxing as always, just wish I could have stayed the whole weekend, can't wait for next year. Had to drive the TR to work again yesterday, had another cracked wheel on the MINI. If you are looking for wheels I would stay away from Falken wheels. Two cracked wheels in a week (front left and right rear) is not a good sign. Picked up a new set with a lifetime warranty at Discount tire. Never had a bad experience at a Discount, they went out of there way to get my new wheels on (gave me more expensive wheels at a discount because the ones I wanted where out of stock, and then went around the show room changing out display lugs to make sure the had a complete set to match the wheels). Highly recommended if you are looking for new tires or wheels. TR is still running great, the new MINI wheels have pushed off the brake upgrade until summer. Can't wait to get all the work done this winter. The more I drive the car the more I can't wait to get it all sorted, it is going to be a blast when it is all done.

Not much planned for the next week. Sister-in-law is getting married next weekend, then I head to VA for a week and then Kel and I head to KY for a long weekend towards the end of the month. Going to the Radiohead concert tonight, I'll throw a review up tomorrow.

Quick Update

2008-04-28T09:43:00.002-05:00

Ok, not much been going on recently, thus no new posts on the Blog. Getting ready to head up to TN this week for a little work, then over to NC for a day or two of MINIs on the Dragon (my 4th year going!). Kel is staying in Atlanta for this one, she scored really good tickets to the Bon Jovi concert. After hitting up the mountain roads I'll be heading over to Charlotte for a buddies bachelor party. Then Sunday will bring me back home to Atlanta with a possible side trip to see my Grandmother in Boiling Springs. Some car related news, I had a rim failure on the MINI. Rim cracked so I am having to overnight a new one so that I can even make it up to TN. This has forced the TR6 into daily driver status for the next two days. Had to drive it to work in the rain today, at least I found out that the top doesn't leak! Anyways, more stories and picture to come next week. Thats all for now folks...

Why haven't I been working on the TR6? Well, I'll tell you....

2008-04-08T14:10:00.004-05:00

I've been lazy, that is pretty much it. That and I have not had the chance to drive it lately. I blame the crazy Atlanta weather, 70's and sunny one day, 40's and rainy the next, throw in a bunch of rain (17+ inches at my house so far this year, we only had 41 inches all of last year) and then the pollen that is currently covering everything and it takes the fun out of driving a convertible. I did buy a convertible top boot cover off ebay this week, should be here soon. I still have plans to do the front brakes, rear shocks, electrical fan upgrade, and flushing of the radiator. Don't know when I will get to it (maybe June?). To tell the truth I really need to do some work on the MINI first, 60k service and overall replacement/repair of some things I've been meaning to fix for a while (new SC boots, replace cracked A pillar trim, replace a few trim screws, replace bypass valve, wax the thing if I can ever wash it myself again, stop the buzz in the passengers door). Just looks like I'll have to set aside a whole week/weekend to do all the work. Anywhos, that is it for now....

Kaiser/AMC Jeepster Commando

2008-04-02T10:49:00.002-05:00

Found out that a friend of my wifes family has a '71 Jeepster Commando. Very neat car, a guy in our neighborhood had a '68 for a few months. Anyway, I've added to the list of rare classic SUVs I'll be hunting. This one comes with a glimmer of hope in that if the lady ever decides to sell it she has my name at the top of the list (much like my wifes uncle and his '47 Willys CJ2a). So here are the rankings of the old, true SUVs I'd like to pick up in order of fav to least fav (but would still jump on if given the opportunity)

'60s Nissan Patrol
Kaiser/AMC Jeepster
Land Rover Series IIa
CJ2a
Original Ford Bronco Body Style ('67-77 I think)
Toyota FJ40

Here is a pic of what a Jeepster looks like:

Kind of a CJ5 married with a Scrambler and Wagoneer.

Quick Update

2008-03-31T09:46:00.000-05:00

Not much doing in the way of work on the TR6 lately. Been busy with work, plus the weather has been strange around here in the last few days. 75 degrees and sunny one day, then 40 and rainy the next. Got to love spring in Atlanta, still waiting on the pollen to hit. Anyways, still waiting to get everything together to do the front brakes, rear shocks, and install an electric cooling fan. I'll get those done in the next month or two.

Weekday work, gearing up for good weather...

2008-03-12T15:33:00.002-05:00

Received the new clutch master cylinder yesterday. Ebay seller did a great job getting it to me quick. Also won the auction for the rear tube shock mounts, so that job is added to the list of to-do projects. Hopefully I can get the new clutch MC installed and bleed tonight or tomorrow. Then maybe this weekend I can get the glove box installed along with a few other interior/trim bits and pieces I have not gotten around to yet. Plan on doing the whole front brake job sometime towards the end of the month. That will involve a run to Harbor Freight to find a brake flare tool and then picking up the new calipers and brake line at Autozone. Also going to read up on how to touch up paint. See if I can find somewhere to mix me up paint to match the current color and then do some touch ups on the few bad areas. If that goes well then I may try to re-paint the rear end in the correct flat-black color. I'll go grab a peek at the '73 TR6 down the street to make sure I get the exact color and area to be painted correct.

More Leakage....

2008-03-06T13:13:00.002-05:00

Drove the TR6 to work today since it is going to be near 70. Figured I would get some good top down driving in before the nasty weather hits tomorrow and this weekend. Anyway, I drive to lunch and discover that there is some sort of fluid on the new plastic floor mats that I bought (glad I bought them, now I don't have to pull the carpet out again...). First thought is that the brake servo and MC is leaking again. Nope, fluid isn't blue (I used some left over ATE Super Blue brake fluid) so what could it be. Get to looking around and it looks as if my clutch master cylinder may now have a leak, great. I'm not a big fan of rebuilding when I don't know how old the part is or how many times it has been rebuilt. Decided to go with a new MC I picked up off of ebay for about $60. I'll park the car until the new one comes in, install it and then think about rebuilding the one I pull from the car. Keep it around as a spare I guess.

Month by Month Plan

2008-03-06T08:02:00.002-05:00

Ok, here is my long term plan for work on the TR6. Trying to keep it to one project a month for time and cost reasons...

March: Front brakes and rear tube shock conversion (both sets of my lever shocks are dead)
April: New steering rack and replace o-rings in carbs
May: Transmission work? Replace tach?
June: Go through all front suspension bushings and check frame mounts
July: Rear brakes
August: Enjoy driving....

I think I will be putting the rewiring off until next winter. Everything works now but is not pretty and I just don't want to take the car off the road when prime driving season is coming up.

Now Motoring Topless......

2008-03-04T09:57:00.002-05:00

Pulled the hardtop off the TR6 yesterday. Pretty easy, only took about 10 minutes and the help of my future brother-in-law to help lift it off. Decided to take the 6 for a quick spin with the top off. Tell you what, I really liked the car with the hardtop on but I love the thing with the top off! Everything about the car is just better with the top off. Glad to have a true convertible sitting in the garage again. I had to order a few nuts and bolts to make sure I have everything to mount the soft top sometime this weekend. I think I may also get the chance to tackle the front brakes this weekend. I also may have sourced a cheap transmission, more to come on that later. Right now I am thinking once I get the brakes done I may replace the steering rack (lot of play in the current one) and then convert the rear to tube shocks. I snap some topless pictures of the car this weekend.

On the road again, with the TR6 that is....

2008-02-29T08:05:00.003-05:00

Got everything put back together on the TR6 Wednesday night. Drove it around a bit that night and then drove it to work yesterday. Changing out the rear shocks has made a big difference, it tracks and ride a lot smoother now. Brakes are still pulling left, guess that means a trip to an auto parts store and time to upgrade the fronts to 4 piston toyota brakes. Transmission is a little smoother with the new fluid but still grinds a bit. Guess I'll keep my eyes on ebay for a new tranny that is not too far away. Not much planned for the weekend. I may install the glove box and some other little trim bits. It is getting close to the time where I also may pull the hardtop off and install the convertible top. Maybe next weekend. That's it for now.

Wow, work 2 days in a row!

2008-02-26T14:08:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it either. I have actually worked on the TR6 two days in a row. Let's see, what did I work on....

Cleaned out and replaced fuel filter (wow was it dirty)
Almost finished bleeding brakes (not done yet but getting there)
Installed Luggage rack (The chrome is a bit dull but the rear deck just looks better with this installed instead of the black blank offs)
Installed new heater control valve (not hooked up to the pull switch yet because I am still waiting on a new control cable)

Plan on getting the seats and everything back in the car tomorrow or Thursday so that I can have it running by the weekend!

Rear Suspension Work Done

2008-02-25T11:38:00.002-05:00

Got a bit of a case of cabun fever yesterday and the poison ivy rash has cleared up a good bit. Decided to grab some tools and get going towards putting the TR6 back together. Started off by getting the transmission tunnel back in the car and bolted down. Didn't get the rest of the interior in yet, I want to replace a few more under dash things while I can move around under there. Figure I will install the glovebox and new heater control valve, along with hook up the fresh air hoses that are missing from the drivers side. Got the front right brake bleed, just have the front drivers side left to do.

Moved on to the rear of the car. Installed the rebuilt lever shocks that came with the car. Also went ahead and installed the new poly differential bushings. Differential mounts are all in good shape, good thing too since they are a pain to repair. I did get the car fired up and ran it for a bit since I have not driven it in about a month now. Hoping to get the interior back in this week and be able to drive it around this coming weekend!

Nothing Doing this week

2008-02-20T07:58:00.001-05:00

Have not had a chance to work on the 6 this week. Couple of things came up. I got a wicked case of poison ivy from clearing a fallen tree this past weekend and just have not felt like working on the car. Hopefully it will clear up a bit by this weekend so that I can get the interior back in, install the new lever shocks and rear diff mounts and then get Kelly to help me bleed the brakes.

Weekend Work

2008-02-15T11:53:00.002-05:00

Planning on getting the 6 back together this weekend so I can drive it again. Going to tackle the transmission issue tomorrow morning and then hopefully get the brake master cylinder reinstall and brakes bleed Sunday afternoon. I'll take some pictures and post early next week.

Why don't people use the correct tools on things?

2008-02-12T08:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I am trying to finish up the few first things on my to-do list on the TR6. I have the brake MC thing figured out and have decided that the booster is ok and will not need rebuilding. The next thing on the list was to change out the transmission fluid and top off the rear differential. One of the issues with Triumphs is that they use square drain and fill bolts. This requires you to use either a 4-point or 8-point socket. Not that big a deal, I just went and bought a set at Sears for around $20. Well, the big problem with the square bolts is as soon as someone tries to take them out with any other sort of tool (Vice-grips, regular wrench, ect) the bolts get a bit rounded off and the 4/8 point sockets will no longer fit. Both bolts on the transmission case have been attacked with some other sort of wrench. The drain plug is not that big a deal because you have plenty of room to work but the fill plug is up over a ridge on the case so you cannot get good leverage with any tool but a socket. This means I now have to pull the transmission tunnel in order to get enough leverage to get the fill plug out. So I have that to look forward to. Luckily I think the fill and drain plugs for the differential are in unmolested shape and should be able to be removed with the 8-point sockets that I have.

In preparation for removing the transmission tunnel, I removed the middle dash support and discovered that a previous owner has ruined a perfectly good original dash support by covering it with a cheap pleather. I had to remove all of this in order to get to the bolts that secure the support. They had applied the pleather covering directly over the bolts. Grrr. Anyway, I am going to try to remove all the adhesive from the support and see if I can clean up the original covering. If not, I think I will clean off everything and paint it in a flat black crinkle finish. Anyways, plan on removing the transmission tunnel sometime this week. After getting that done I'll re-install the brake cylinder and servo and hopefully have it back in drivable condition by late next week.

Ford Fusion Review Pt III, Drive in Blizzard Conditions....

2008-02-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have a Ford Fusion for my trip this week. Trip has taken me from Chicago, through a blizzard to Omaha and then down to Kansas City. The drive from the Quad Cities area to Omaha on Wednesday was one of the more interesting experiences I have ever had behind the wheel of a car.

First off let's review my thoughts on the Fusion. Last time I drove one was last August on my way to the GT v Notre Dame game. Car served me well but I had some issues. I think the one I got this time is either newer or is not the base model I had last time. It has steering wheel audio and AC controls that I noted where missing last time. A very nice touch that makes the car seem a bit more upscale. The car also came equipped with automatic climate control that worked perfectly. Easy to control and I was able to set the temp and not worry about it. Also included in the car where side mirror defrosters, which came in very handy. The rear deck does not seem as high this time as last, maybe a design change between years? Blind spot behind the c-pillar on the passenger side can still hide an 18-wheeler if your mirrors are not adjusted properly. Seats did not seem as comfortable this time, maybe that was another change. Even with adjustable lumbar support, there where times I just could not get comfortable (this very well could be more me than the car). All in all the car impressed me yet again. It gets that job done, no frills but makes a nice base end 4 door.

Now on to the weather. In case you missed the news the last few days, areas in the mid-west where hit by a pretty big snow storm. Total snow fall amounts varied but the hardest hit area just happened to by eastern Iowa. Guess where Moline, IL is? Yep, eastern Iowa. Moline must have gotten close to a foot with areas to the west (towards Des Moines) got even more. So what did I decide to do? Well drive right through the worst hit spots! Smart Jim, smart. Anyway, hoped in the car Wednesday and was in for the drive of a lifetime. The first sign of trouble was the fact I was barely able to even get on I-80. Had to gun the Ford to push through the snow on the on-ramp! No plows in sight, huh ok. No other cars, where is the road? It was all white. 50 mph winds whipping across the road, snow everywhere. 18-wheelers, cars and RV in the ditches. Yep, fun had by all. Anyway, I just remembered my wet autocross experiences, no big movements, no brake, just be calm and take it easy. It helped I got in behind an 18-wheeler that looked like he knew what he was doing. I just stayed in his tire tracks and let him act as my personal snow plow. Only had 2 pucker moments that I can remember. I am sure I got some odd looks from the Iowa folks I passed on the road, my rental is tagged from Florida! I should have some pictures once I get back to the Atl and have access to my cameras usb cable. That is it for now, back to Atlanta in the morning.

The Perfect Bar

2008-02-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, this post has nothing to do with my workings on my British cars (though I did buy a new brake master cylinder for the TR6 this week). This post has to do with finding the perfect bar. I have found it in Moline, IL. Yep, the Quad Cities area between Illinios and Iowa. There are more Locally owned brew pubs in the Quad Cities Area than in all of the greater Atlanta area. My favorite out of the several to chose from? Bent River Brewery . This place is great for several reasons. Beer is great, wait staff is awesome and quick to recommend a beer if you can't decide and the food fits just right. Tuesday's they run a $2.50 Burger Basket special. It is a small cheese burger and a handful of fries that is just the right size. Works great with the $2.50 pints they serve Tuesday's as well. If I ever have the chance to open a bar I hope that I can use some of the things that make Bent River one of my all time favs.

Weekend Work

2008-02-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Well, the weekend is almost upon us. Going to do a little work on the TR6 and try to drive it a bit. Plan on trying to give the car a tune up and balance the carbs. It seems to idle a bit high (don't know for sure because the tach tends to sit a 1000 rpm no matter what) and I know it is out of balance. Heading up to Gainesville, GA to visit a car buddy and hoping that he has a bit more experience with carbs than I do.

Heading back out of town next week. This trip takes me to the frozen plains of the mid-west. Flying into Chicago on Monday and then end the trip all the way over in Kansas City, MO. Should be exciting, hope the weather holds up.

TR6 Brake Bleed

2008-01-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

Bleed the brakes last night on the TR6 in an attempt to fix the pulling issue. After the work, the car is still pulling a bit to the right but not near as much as it was. Only thing I can figure now is that the caliper on the front right is sticking. Guessing that the pistons have gone a rusted to the caliper much like the fronts in the TR4 did. I am going to put in a few more miles this weekend a see how the brakes hold up. This will determine if I go ahead with the 4 piston upgrade for the front brakes or if I can hold off on that. If I do go ahead with replacing the calipers I may as well replace the steering rack boots (which I have), double check all the front suspension bits, and replace the rear lever shocks (which I have). So driving impressions from this up coming weekend will determine what I do next to the car....

Best American Band of the '80s?

2008-01-30T08:04:00.001-05:00

Quick post today. Had an interesting discussion with some friends that ended with each of us trying to come up with our top 3 best American Bands of the '80s. The trick here is Band. This eliminates Prince, Bruce Springsteen (yes he played with the E Street band but the Albums always just said Bruce) plus some others. Kick it around in your head and let me know what you come up with. My Top three?

1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
2. REM
3. Metallica

Shipwright's Disease: Stage 1

2008-01-25T13:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, place my first bits order with The Roadster Factory. Ordered a bunch of parts that need replacing on the car. Figure this is the first of a few large part orders I will be making. Guess I need to inventory and label the spares that came with the car so I can organize everything when the order comes in.

For those unknowing about Shipwright's Disease see an explanation below....

Shipwright's disease

Goes something like this:

Sailor owns boat.
Boat has burned out light in galley.
Sailor decides to change bulb.
Sailor notices socket is corroded, decides to change socket.
Sailor notices wiring frayed while trying to change socket.
Sailor decides to change wiring.
Sailor notices galley ceiling slats are rotted while changing the wire.
Sailor decides galley ceiling slats need changing.
Sailor notices ...

this goes on and on and on and on and pretty soon, Sailor is undertaking a
major renovation of his boat because of a burned out lightbulb.

Starting work on the TR6

2008-01-24T14:26:00.000-05:00

Finally got the 6 up in the air yesterday and poked around. Underbody of the car is in great shape, no rust at all. One of the biggest pluses I found is that all the rear differential mounts are intact (!) so that saves me a few hundred bucks in repair. Front steering rack is going to be added to the project list, needs new boots (which I have) and some serious adjustment (which I need to learn how to do). I was going to bleed the brakes but found that my bleeder will not fit over the master cylinder opening. The master cylinder cap has a hole in the middle of it so I need to order a new one (this has been the source of the mysterious brake fluid spray all over the engine bay when I finish driving). This will allow me to adapt the old cover to my bleeder, all I have to do is drill a hole, add a hose fitting and connect it to the pressure bleeder and I will be good to go. I think there is some back up in the brake system that is causing the car to pull left under braking. When I got the master cylinder cap off it was filled to the brim with fluid, I wicked off some with a paper towel (making sure not to get any on the paint and to completely wash off any I did) leaving the master cylinder about half full. Went for a quick drive (to see if adjusting the rear brakes had helped the pull issue) and when I came back the master cylinder was backed up and completely full again. No idea. Going to empty the whole system and refill it to see it that fixes the problem. Once I have that sorted I will replace the DOT 4 fluid with Silicone DOT 5 fluid so I don't have to worry about small brake fluid leaks eating any of the paint off the body.

Have a parts list worked up and right now it looks like I can come in under budget. First thing is to get the brakes figured out so I can drive her around a bit more and get a feeling as to what else needs fixing. I think I may also go ahead and change all the fluids (Oil, coolant, rear diff and transmission). We'll see if changing the transmission fluid cures any of the grinding in 2nd and 3rd gears.

Back out on the Road

2008-01-18T08:01:00.000-05:00

Heading up to the Mountains of North Carolina this weekend for some R&R. My wife and her family have been going one weekend in January since she was just a little girl. Nice place they have a deal with up near Cashiers. The weather is going to get interesting Saturday. It is supposed to snow all day! I haven't seen a real snow since my honeymoon out in Colorado. Could make driving back to Atlanta a bit of a challenge.

After getting back from the mountains, I am back off on my SC/NC plant trip. Head out towards Hartsville, SC then over to Southport, NC, up to Raleigh and then back home. 1300+ miles in 3 days, woohoo. So I won't get a chance to start work on the TR until middle of next week at the earliest and it is looking like it really will not be unitl the week of the 28th.

Went through the spare parts that came with the car and found a few things that will save me some bucks. Rear license plate light assembly was in there ($300 part) as was the interior convience light (another $100 or so). Plus a set of rebuilt rear lever shocks, the brake PDWA switch, some new indicator covers and a bunch of other random parts. Won't have much else to tell on the 6 until I can get the wheels off and diagnose the brake issues. That's it for now. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

TR6 Pictures and Snow!

2008-01-17T15:45:00.000-05:00

Well the TR6 sits protected in my garage now. I got the insurance switched from the 4a to the 6 yesterday. I have classic car insurance through Hagerty and I could not be more pleased with their service. Rates are great and the website is easy to use. It only took me 5 minutes to switch coverage between cars. Their customer service called me later in the day to confirm and tell me that they had e-mailed and mailed me copied of my insurance card. Only think I had to do extra was send them a photo of the car. I highly suggest them if you have a classic that you want to insure.

Below are some pics of the TR6 as it sits right now. I have all the spares that are with it sitting in a few boxes. I plan on going through them tonight to see what is usable and make a list of what I have. As you can see form the pics the car is in great shape, no rust (gave the underside a much better inspection last night, all clean!) but the interior and the wiring is a bit disheveled. I'll get rolling on the brake fix sometime in the next few weeks. That will let me drive it a bit and start figuring out which project to hop on next. I guess after the brakes I will have to pick a time to take it off the road while I pull the tranny, rewire everything and redo the seats. Anyway, on to the pics (Bonus Pic of my house in the snow late last night at the bottom).

TR6 is now in it's new home!

2008-01-16T10:15:00.001-05:00

Got the TR6 back to the house last night. Drove well on the 40+ mile trip. The trip allowed me to assess a few things and come up with a plan in my head on what to do first. Brakes are going to be the first project. They are a bit scary (pull hard left) and once I got home I noticed that the Master Cylinder was leaking a bit. Previous owner claims he just rebuilt the thing but I'm still going to tear into it and see what's up. I'll know a bit more about the brakes when I get the car up in the air with the wheels off next week. The interior lighting is also a bit off, looks as if the wiring is a bit cobbled together. So I have added a new wiring harness to my list of projects. Using the big three suppliers I have come up with a budget for what needs to be done to the car, looks like I will have enough money to get the job done right and have the car running as good if not better than when it was new. I'll post some pictures in the next few days.

TR6 to do list

2008-01-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

I pick the TR6 up tomorrow. Really excited, can't wait to tear into it and get to fixing it up. Just a quick list of what I know I need to do first...

Rebuild front brakes (Plan on converting the front brakes to Toyota 4-piston brakes)
Recover seats
Replace dashboard warning lights (OEM parts are unavailable so I am going to try to adapt the TR4 warning lights to fit)
Remove transmission for rebuild
Design new headliner for Hardtop
Tuneup/balance the carbs

That is all I have off the top of my head. Some pretty big projects in there (transmission) and I am sure I will find a few more to add to the list once I really get in and under the car.

Fog Light Rant

2008-01-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

This rant is a long time coming. Finally came to a head while driving to work this morning in the rain. Ok, here goes...

Fog lights, where to start. In the whole time I have been driving (16+ years) there have only been a hand full of occasions where using fog lights would have been appropriate. Since owning a car that has fog lights (my '04 MINI) I have only had to use them maybe 4 times, while driving at night through pea soup fog. That is what fog lights are designed to do, distribute light at a wider and lower angle so that you do not get the glare back from the fog. Until recently most cars did not come with fog lights but now they are a selling point option with most cars. And since everyone now has them it seems everyone wants to use them all the damn time. Most "fog" lights fitted to cars now don't even accomplish their intended mission, to aim a low wide beam at the ground. It seems that 50% of the time fog lights tend to aim higher than the low beams of the car, this is especially true with all the SUVs and trucks. Drivers run around with fog lights on any time it is dark. Fun thing is, most cars make you turn on a completely separate switch to operate the fog lights once you have turned on your low beams! That means these mindless Urban Assault Vehicle drivers take the extra time to think about turning on the fog lights! Arrghh.

Leaving your front foggers on is bad enough but rear fog lights I hate even more. These are usually found on European cars (required by law by the EU). They are a good idea (I have them on the MINI and have used them once for their designed use) when it is really foggy (I'm talkin less than 50 foot visibility) and help a car approaching you from the rear know that you are there. But they are meant to be turned off once someone is behind you. I compare them to rear facing high beams, most of the time they are brighter than brake lights. When driving with high beams on you dip them when a car is coming in the opposite direction, same with rear fogs. But alas it never fails, if it is raining on my way to work I will see at least one or two cars driving in traffic on the interstate (sometimes it isn't even raining!) with the rear fogs on. Usually some idiot in a Jag or Land Rover talking on their cell phone and wanting to be seen. Really just doesn't make sense, again you have to actively make the effort to turn these on when you start the car and turn the lights on. If you leave your rear fogs on then I see it as you are ok with me pulling in behind you with my front high beams on just to make sure that you see me ok?

That's it, I'm done. Fog lights are great safety items and do increase your visibility....in the FOG!! Used alone on a dry night or in a drizzle they are just plain annoying.

Last Day with the TR4a

2008-01-09T11:26:00.001-05:00

Well, today is my last day with the 4a. Drove it to work this morning and it is running great. Going to make me sad to see it go but the TR6 should do a fine job of replacing it and give me something to work on during the next few months. I guess I will do a quick review of my experience with the 4a for anyone thinking of getting one of their own.

Looks:

Very distinctive. I like the bonnet bulge and the headlight "eyebrows" the most. I can just see the guys at Triumph designing the bonnet "power" bulge when they first tried to fit the hood on the TR4 and realized that it didn't clear the carburetors! Not a huge fan of the rear with the small tail fin treatment. Looks a little to forced and not all that elegant. The convertible top doesn't ruin the looks of the car when it is up like many modern convertibles do. All in all nice lines but not near as pretty as the TR3 or as tough looking as the TR6.

Interior:

Small but laid out well. Has some funny quirks that show it is a British car. Bonnet release on the right, hood vent control on the right, choke pull on the right ect. Perfect driving position. Steering wheel is a bit large but the extra diameter comes in handy when trying to throw the car into turns. Visibility is great even with the top up. The area behind the seats is a perfect place to store extra tools or install some speakers. All the gauges are well thought out and easy to read. Nothing that I would really change on the interior.

Driving:

It is a blast to drive (once warmed up!). Corners as good as anything that I have ever driven. Shifter is the smoothest and coolest that I have ever used, just clicks back and forth willingly between gears. Backend will hop a bit on exit of a corner but no big deal, very predictable. Steering is quick and spot on, it can be a bit heavy in fast corners but hey this thing was designed 45 years ago! Cruising with the top down at 50mph is the perfect setting for the TR4a. It can do 70 on the highway or scream through the curves but it really is most at home just cruising. Top down on a spring day driving through some gentle hills is just amazing. I never really understood the lure of a convertible until the first perfect fall day that I took the 4a out with the top down. Wow.

Maintenance:

If you can change the oil on any car then you have the skills to keep a TR running. Nothing fancy under the bonnet here. Just a big 4-pot engine and simple electrics. The car has 4 fuses I think? I've done everything short of rebuilding the engine with no problem. Parts are very easy to come by, tons of workshop manuals out there to guide you. Heck, I am pretty sure that you can take the whole car apart with a phillips head screwdriver and a good socket set (don't forget the 8 point sockets!).

Drawbacks:

It is an old car. It was finicky when the weather was cold. That is about it.

Conclusion:

All in all this was a great car to get me started into classic cars. I found one close that was in good shape to start and cut my teeth keeping it running and updating it a bit over the 15+ months that I owned it. Sure, one day I'll look back and wish I had not sold this one (probably when I see one go for 6 figures on Barret-Jackson) but the time is right for me to move on to a new project. The finances have worked out perfectly to sell this one and get the TR6. I just don't have the money to put into the TR4a that I would want to if I kept it. With the 6 I get a car in better cosmetic shape with enough money to get it in great mechanical shape. Anyway, I hope the new owner takes as good if no better care of the 4a than I did!

Yep, TR6

2008-01-07T07:57:00.000-05:00

Well it is official. The TR4a is sold and I have committed to buy the TR6. Out with one old car and in with a new old car. Looking forward to working on something new to me. It had reached the point with the 4a that I had done all I could do to it without taking a big step and sinking $7k into it to really restore it. The TR6 is in better cosmetic shape, will make a better driver with some of the improvements that have been made to it and I will have some money left over from the 4a sale to actually do some restoration to the TR6. I am also still holding out hope that I can keep the upgrades/repairs within a budget so that I can afford to finally buy the Nissan Patrol. Should be picking the 6 up by this weekend, I'll post some pictures and a to-do list when I get it home and really get into the guts of it.

Christmas Loot....

2007-12-30T19:31:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a great holidays. I got some pretty neat stuff for Christmas and my birthday. XM radio, new Nikon camera, tools, clothes, some music and dvds. All in all some great stuff.

I may have the TR4 sold. Waiting on the buyer to get back in town next week. If that is the case then the TR6 could be sitting in my garage pretty soon. Already have a to do list for the 6: new front brakes (Toyota swap ins), new seat covers, and a transmission rebuild. I estimate I can do all this work and still clear a profit on the TR4.

Heading back to work for the first time in a week tomorrow. Going to get a plan in place for visits back up north, out west and through my southeast accounts. Planning to be on the road a lot this first quarter of 2008 to really try to expand my customer base and push my companies products into the aerospace industry as well (trip to Florida and Texas possibly.) Also going to look into a trip to South Korea sometime this year.

Looking forward to a good 2008. Hope everyone reading has a great New Years!

TR6?

2007-12-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, new development on the car front. Found a 1970 TR6 that I am going to look at today. Nice looking car in pictures (but aren't they all?), owner says it is in great mechanical shape and just needs interior work. Guess I'll find out in a few hours. I'll post some pictures of the car when I get back from the test drive.

Waffle, waffle....

2007-12-14T15:51:00.000-05:00

I worked on the TR a bit this week. Changed the oil and the spark plugs. Changing the plugs made a HUGE difference the first time I started it up. Still have not driven it around with the new plugs but I look forward to seeing what the performance different will be this weekend. I have been able to drive it a good bit the last week or so here in Atlanta, the weather has been perfect for cruising. Just like my MINI, when I haven't driven it for a while I forget how much fun it is. So I guess I am officially waffling on if I want to sell it now. I caught myself thinking of things I would like to do to it. Paint, Fuel Injection, engine rebuild ect. So what to do? Don't know. I think I am going to have to think about it over Christmas. I still have a few guys interested in the car but no one that has come and look at it in person. I also still need to call the guy with the Datsun and go look at it. Don't want to sell the TR and not have a replacement lined up.

Random Thoughts....

2007-12-10T21:06:00.000-05:00

Warning: NON-Car Related Talk to follow (for the most part)

If you didn't know, I went to Georgia Tech for college. Graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering (Yes, my kids will get to say Daddy is a Rocket Scientist one day). Anyway; GT hired a new football coach last week, Paul Johnson. I'm a big fan of this guy. Been arguing with the guys I sit with that we should hire this guy for over a year. Well, know we have and I guess I get to see if he can turn the corner with our program or not.

Had a good weekend seeing my Grandmother and parents in wonderful Boiling Springs, NC this weekend. As always it was great to see everyone. Ended up looking at old baby pictures most of the morning on Sunday. It is surprising how much better it is to look at old actual pictures then to sit in front of the computer and look through pictures. Realized that I need to talk my dad into picking up a 1972 Volvo P1800ES off ebay (Dad, if you buy it I'll do my darnedest to restore it for you!).

I am in Chattanooga this week on bidness (as Dave Thomas would say) again. Going to try to make a quick trip through some twisties on the way home tomorrow.

In music news: Waiting on getting my Radiohead collectors edition of "In Rainbows" this week. By far my favorite record in the past 5 years. Can't wait for my first listen of the unreleased material on the phonograph later this week.

Should have the rest of the items in to build my wall mounted draft beer system later this week. Just have to decide on what kegs to buy first. At the moment I am leaning towards a Pony Keg of Amstel Light and a 1/6 Barrel of Breckenridge Avalanche Amber Ale. I'll post pictures when I get it all installed.

On the car front. Still trying to sell the TR4a. Drove it to work today and realized what a great car it is. So smooth once the engine gets warmed up. Got to thinking of what I would like to do if I keep it....New paint job and then build a megasquirt fuel injection system for it. Guess I'll have to wait and see if anyone buys it.

That is it for know......

No Bugeye afterall?

2007-12-07T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well, still trying to sell the TR. I have one guy looking but he hasn't been able to get away and come look at the car in person. Got the pictures of the Bugeye that I was interested in. It is pretty rough. Not sure if it is the type of project that I want to tackle right now. Would involve a lot more body and interior restoration than I would like. The Patrol would need some work but would be much easier to do than the work needed on the Bugeye. Plus, I don't know if I would want to "projects" going on at the same time. So, what to replace the TR with if I can't find a suitable Bugeye? Another TR? Nope, unless I can find a TR3 in good shape for cheap (not going to happen). Hmmm, what neat, rare and relatively cheap classic 2-seater roadster are out there? How 'bout a Datsun 1500/1600/2000 Fairlady? Yep! Love these cars, would like to get a 2000 but could accept one of the 1500/1600 ones. Neat looking cars with performance equal to the TR4a. Guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Triumph Replacement?

2007-11-28T10:13:00.000-05:00

What car am I looking at to replace the TR with? Well it is actually a few. Found a guy in South Carolina that has a few Austin Healey Bugeye Sprites that I am going to look at. He also has a Sunbeam Alpine, 2 Alfa's, a Lotus Elan and a Lotus Europa that he is selling. He had a Sunbeam Tiger but already sold it. Figure I will go up to see the Sprites and poke my head around whatever else he has lying around. I also figure I will finally be able to pick up the Nissan Patrol here in Atlanta and maybe try to get the one I found in VA to use for parts. More news to follow when I know if the TR sells or not....

Selling the Triumph??

2007-11-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

Some news on the classic car front. I may be selling the Triumph. If you are interested drop me a line! Reason why I would sell it? Well, the classic British Roadster that I always wanted was an Austin Healey Sprite Mk I, commonly known as a "Bugeye" or "Frogeye" Sprite. I have recently found a few for sale around Atlanta that are affordable and figured that this would be as good time as any to make the switch. Depending on how much the Bugeye costs and how much I sell the TR4a for, I may even have enough left over to get the Nissan Patrol I have been trying to get for the past few months. Guess I'll just have to wait and see how it goes! As soon as I know anything I'll update my readers here!

Again, If you would be interested in buying my 1967 Triumph TR4a, drop me a line at clifclavin@gmail.com

1 Year in.....

2007-11-19T14:09:00.000-05:00

Well, just realized that I've had this blog for just over a year. 72 posts so far. I've had a good time writing about my trips, adventures and side projects. Hope everyone out there in the world has enjoyed reading my humble ramblings. I've had readers from all over the globe, pretty sure I have covered every continent excluding Antarctica. I'm pretty impressed with that since I only set to have this as just some place to let friends and family keep track of me!

Some shout outs to countries viewing my blog:
New Zealand
Oz
China
India
Thailand
Philippines
Norway
Iceland
Canada
Mexico
Chile
Argentina
Brazil
Venezuela
South Africa
Egypt
UK
France
Germany
Italy
Spain
Greece
Romania
Hungary
Plus a few others. In all 34 different countries, pretty neat.

Anyway, looking forward to another year of writing.

Dodge Stratus Review

2007-11-19T09:17:00.000-05:00

I was given an '06 Dodge Stratus as my rental for my most recent business trip to Virginia, Maryland and DC. When I first got the car I really wanted to hate it and dog it as much as I did the Chrysler 300 that I had while in New York. It ended up that I don't really hate this car, I don't like it either. It gets kind of a meh reaction from me.

I'll start with the minuses:

The car isn't a looker, still has the Dodge Cab Forward design language to it. It is one of those cars that you just ignore because it is so boring. The engine pick up was pretty poor, of course it only had a 4 cylinder and must weigh in at over 3000lbs. A lot of weight for a small engine to pull around and you can tell. The engine whines pretty bad when pressed to get up to speed on a on-ramp and dislikes any hills that you come to. Those where the only two big minuses but they present the biggest problem. I am reminded of a Saturday Night Live sketch in which Will Farrell is lamenting on the fact that he drives a Dodge Stratus (or maybe a Cirrus).

The Pluses (Or rather things that where not all that bad):
Seats where ok, radio was ok, cabin controls where ok (still don't know why the cruise controls needed 6 buttons to operate), space was ok, sight lines where ok, ride was ok....blah blah blah.

That is the thing about this car, it is just so bland. Dodge built this car to be just, ok. They didn't try to do anything special with this car. I still can't put it worse than the 300 (there where just so many things wrong about that car) but at least someone tried to do something exciting with the design to where it stands out in a crowd. Why did anyone buy the Status? Really why? If you did tell me. Was it price? Had to be because I can't think of any other reason to own one.

Vegas!

2007-11-14T17:22:00.001-05:00

Got back from the wonderful city of Las Vegas Sunday night. We had a great trip out there with a couple that we are good friends with. We flew out Wednesday night and did not get in until almost midnight thanks to a bad door on our original aircraft. This continues a streak with my buddy that we went with of almost every flight he goes on with friends being delayed. Anywho, after staying in Wednesday night we got up pretty early Thursday and grabbed a nice cheap Vegas breakfast at the Ellis Island Casino. They had a special on an 8oz steak and eggs plate for $2.99! I got the french toast and sausage ($3.99) and was very happy with the food. Word to the wise about this place, service is not the best but the food and prices make it worth it. So we then proceeded to walk the strip since Kim (the other girl that went with us) had never been to Vegas. Went in the Venetian, the Wynn (which is incredible), TI, Mirage ect. All in all I think we figured that we must have walked about 6 miles that day. Only stopped to gamble in on place, Bill's Gamblin' Hall (only place we could find with $5 blackjack). After Ping (the asian Mariano Rivera like dealer, she was throwing heat) cleaned Chris and I out in 30mins we decided to call it a day. Picked up some beer and got changed for dinner and the show we where going to see (Ka). Ate dinner at Smith and Wolensky's, great dinner. Best part was our waiter was hilarious! He is a part time Chris Farley impersonator and gave us a great time at dinner, dare I say his antics where a lot better than Ka was. Check out his site at www.kenasfarley.com. As stated, Ka bombed. Too much theater type stuff in I guess Japanese and not enough crazy stunts. If you are going to a Cirque show go to "O", now that is a great show.

Friday:
Friday stated off innocently enough, getting up and finding breakfast at the Luxor. Walked around Excaliber, Luxor and Mandalay Bay most of the morning before deciding we needed a beer. Stopped at the Burger Bar between Mandalay Bay and Luxor to grab a pint, or in this case a boot (if you have seen the movie Beer Fest you know what I mean). Chris and I proceed to start downing boots, Kel and Kim headed off to shop and sight see some more. Before too long Chris and I find ourselves at a Blackjack table in NY NY. To make a long story short: 8 hours later, a few jack and cokes, many hands of blackjack, a whole other story involving Chris getting lost between the restroom and the table, we leave NY NY and walk back to our room (the Wyndham Grand Desert half way between Plant Hollywood and the Hard Rock). Leaving NY NY I discover $150 in chips in my pocket and ended up breaking even for the night.

So Saturday starts with Chris and I out of action and watching football. In the afternoon we walked around some more, got dinner at an Sushi place in the Mirage, saw the volcano show, the TI show and then cabbed it to Fremont to look around. I played a bit more at the Golden Nugget, broke even again. We headed back because we where all petty tired (getting old sucks don't it?). Then we flew out Sunday morning. All in all a great trip, wish I would have played a bit more blackjack but I started off slow and the next thing I know it was time to leave.

That is about it, I am in VA this week and will have a new car review by the weekend. The car, a Dodge Stratus.

MINI Cooper Review

2007-11-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

Sorry for not updating much in the last week. Not much going on to talk about.

I did take my Cooper S in for some service and received a MINI Cooper as a loaner for the day. I had only driven a standard Cooper for about a day when I first ordered my Cooper S so it had been a while. I had forgotten just how great a car the regular Cooper is. Even with out the extra power as the S the Cooper is still great fun to drive. You get to keep the revs up, has as much pull off the line in 1st as an S and the noise the engine makes is as good if not better than the supercharger whine on my S. The only time you really miss the extra power is in when you try to floor it mid gear. When done on the S the supercharger adds the extra omph to put you in the back of your seat where the regular Cooper just doesn't have it. With gas prices where they are the regular Cooper is a great buy for a car that gets great mileage and still has a fun factor to it.

Heading to Las Vegas later this week for a quick getaway. Should be fun. Get back on Sunday then it is back out on the road for work, this time to Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC. Hopefully I'll get a rental I've never had before and will have some thoughts.

TR is driving well but feeling the colder weather. I installed a 160 degree T-stat last spring to keep the engine cool in the summer, it now has the opposite effect and keeps the engine a bit too cold in the winter. I have to keep the choke out just a bit in order to keep the engine running smooth when it is below 55 degrees out. Thinking of ordering a 180 T-stat and new gaskets so that I can switch the T-stats out between the spring and fall.

Think that is about it for now.

Reck Parade!

2007-10-22T10:59:00.000-05:00

I was in the Georgia Tech Homecoming Reck Parade last week. Lots of cool old classic cars (Best I saw was a '71 Plymouth 340 'Cuda Convertable). I didn't win anything but had a good time and some good feedback on the car.

Good BBQ and more

2007-10-17T17:23:00.000-05:00

On the road again. This time I am heading out to my SC/NC swing. Stopped at a BBQ joint in Bishopville, SC that I drove by last time I was on this trip. Name of the place is Watfords BBQ. Lots of stuff on the menu, possible the coolest thing about the place is the sign out front that proclaims "ALL PORK". None of that Beef or Chicken BBQ at this place. BBQ is served with a spicy vinegar based sauce, very tasty with just the right amount of heat. 2nd time this week I have had BBQ with this type of sauce and it is really growing on me. My all time #1 is still the mustard based yellow sauce that you can find in some places in SC and NC. The thin vinegar sauce is also a NC/SC thing. Only sauce I can find in GA is always a thicker ketchup sauce. Anyway, back to Watfords.... BBQ plate comes with slaw, some excellent hushpuppies, and hash and rice. The hash and rice thing I had never heard of or had before. It is like a thin brunswick stew poured over a bed of rice. Really good. I am going to have to find a good recipe to make this.

Later in the evening I ate at a new place in Hartsville, SC. I think it is called Wingz & Ale. Strange name and looks a bit divey on the outside but it is very nice and spread out on the inside. Plenty of space, long bar, good beer selection. I ordered the "Killer" wings and the waitress asked if I was sure 'cuase they are really hot. Ok, yes I want the hottest thing you make. They where not bad, good heat and nice flavor, big wings too. Not near as hot as Taco Macs Death wings, I would put them on par or just below the Macs TMI (three mile island) wings. The waitress was surprised that I could eat them. The owner stopped by a bit later and chatted (very cool), he was hurting from trying one of the Killer wings since he had never had them before and wondered how I could eat something so hot. Dunno, heat just doesn't bother me. Horseradish on the other hand....

How are the cars doing you ask? Good. The rear brakes need to be replaced on the MINI. I am going to have to hassle Global to get them to replace them since they said they where in good shape 700 miles ago yet the brake wear indicator is now on. Have to get the TR cleaned up Friday night for the Reck Parade. I doubt I will win any of the prizes since the paint is not top notch. It will look good in the parade (from 7 feet away) but when they judge it up close it isn't going to win any awards. The Patrol is going to have to wait. The guy doesn't want to get rid of it that bad right now and doesn't want to lower the price right now. He did say to keep checking back with him though, maybe this spring.....

Later...

It's Thursday....

2007-10-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

Not much going on in the car world right now. I can't wash either car due to the watering ban here in north GA. Plan on taking the MINI to a self service wash place next week. Need to clean it up and get a few coats of wax on before the winter. I can probably get by on the TR by just wiping in down before the Wreck Parade next week.

Going Mountain driving on Sunday. Hope to check out some of my favorite less traveled roads in Western North Carolina. Going to hit the Dillard House for dinner on my way back. Looking forward to some nice fall weather and colors while up in the Mountains.

Still waiting on the Nissan guy to drop his price. Looking more like it may not happen but it can't hurt to keep bothering him about it. A good friend of mine in the neighborhood has a brother who has an old Land Rover and knows a place that sells a bunch of older ones. Told me about an old Series II 109 truck that a guy is selling with a whole bunch of extra stuff to fix it up. He was asking about 4k. Not too bad but just not in the cards right now. Maybe one day!

Bought the new Radiohead album this week. I chipped in for the Boxcase set which includes 3 music cds, 2 12 inch vinyls, 1 enhanced cd, and a whole bunch of artwork and the like. Whole set comes in a nice hard case. The purchase also included getting to download the new album (the other stuff doesn't ship until next month). Listened to it all yesterday and really like it. Sounds very close to OK Computer and has hints of some of their earlier work.

Well, that is about it for now. Have a tennis match Saturday, GT plays Miami later in the day and I might be heading back on the road next week to SC and NC. Hopefully I'll have some more stuff to write about in the next few weeks.

On the road again....

2007-10-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

Back out on the road this week. This trip takes me to Huntsville, AL and Chattanooga, TN with a few stops in between. Found a few more nice roads today. Something about 129 as a road number just seems to make it a great road and TN 129 is a great winding valley road that ends up in the perfect city, Lynchburg, TN. THE home of Jack Daniel's! I love the area around Lynchburg, terrain is perfect. Maybe I can buy a farm here someday......

Not much else. TR is going to be in the GT Wreck parade, guess I need to get it cleaned up a bit.

Kia Sportage Review and news

2007-09-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

Just a quick review:

When I had the MINI in for its last service I got a Kia Sportage as a loaner. I was very impressed with this budget minded compact SUV. My model had the V6 that was pretty good. If I where looking for a small SUV I would give this one a look. Good price, has everything you need and plenty of space. I would write more but I only had the car for about 28 hours. Nothing bad stood out in that time.

Kelly and I did see a new Hyundai Veracruz last weekend. Pretty slick looking car, takes all of its design clues from the Lexus RX. I think Kel and I will have to look at this car when we decide to have kids. 7 seater, good warranty, good looks, great reviews and 15k cheaper than the Lexus? Hmmm.....

Going to try something new in every post now, just quick hits on what is bouncing around in my head... I'll call it

News and Ramblings:

Bumming about a 2nd straight loss for Georgia Tech. Excited about my upcoming trip to Vegas (still more than a month out). Still trying to wait the Nissan Patrol guy out, hoping he calls ands wants to sell cheap. Bummed that this is the only Patrol in the SE for sale. Intrigued by the Land Rover Series IIa if the Nissan gets sold or price doesn't come down (which I hope doesn't happen, I am kind of stuck on this car). Liking this morning boot camp Kelly and I are doing together, I guess I have to figure out some exercise to keep doing once it is over. Glad that we finally got our new fridge installed. Bummed that it took so long and required some "modifications" to the kitchen. Hoping that my Korea customer sends me a few new Purchase Orders this month. Excited and very happy for my sister-in-law, Emily, finally getting engaged to a guy I actually like hanging out with. Think that about covers it for now.....

Electronics Fixed

2007-09-18T12:02:00.000-05:00

I fixed the fuel and temperature gauge this weekend. Both gauges run off a voltage stabilizer that feeds a constant 10v. I knocked the power wire off of the stabilizer when I was painting the passenger footwell. Hooked the hot wire back in and everything was back to normal. That is until I took the TR for a nice long drive and the radio stopped working! Grrr, dang old cars. Anyway, that was an easy fix. The driver side footwell speaker had come a bit loose and grounded out on the body. I took the speaker out for a bit so that I can get it mounted better when I have some time.

Otherwise the TR is running great. I can tell that the carbs (or state of tune of the carbs) don't really like the colder weather. The engine really hums when the ambient temp is over 75 or so but when it is below that there is some performance drop off. If I ever get around to learning how to rebuild and really tune my carbs then I am sure that I can fix this by tuning the car every spring and fall.

That is about it for now. Kel and I have started a morning boot camp workout thing, hope to see if I can drop a few lbs and finally put some work into getting my knee restrengthened. Waiting on the Nissan Patrol guy still as well. Have to kick around prices a bit more. It is a tough call because it is such a rare truck but the price is just a tad to high at the moment. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Lucas strikes back

2007-09-13T10:25:00.000-05:00

Well, as it is said about old cars, there is always something.

I got the seats back in and the brake rub fixed on Tuesday. After getting that done, I decided to give the TR its first wash (yes I've had it a year and had not washed it yet). So I took extra care to be careful where I was spraying water and made sure to get it dried off as soon as possible. Once done I stood back and admired how good the car actually looks, even with a 20 year old paint job that has seen much better days. Decided to fire her up and take her for a nice spin. Start her up and don't you know it, the temp gauge and fuel gauge have stopped reading. I figured it could be a bit of moisture shorting something out so I drive a around and bit and decide to check on the gauges the next day. Well they still where not working on Wednesday. The thing I discovered about those two gauges in particular is that they are both hooked to a Voltage stabilizer that delivers a steady 10v to the gauge loop so that they will read. I am guessing I must have done something to this between painting or washing. I will check it out this weekend and hopefully get the gauges back reading normal.

Update

2007-09-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

Not much going on in the world of motoring right now. I am home sick with a wicked head cold/flu type thing. I did finish cleaning up the floorboards on the TR. They look much nicer now with no rust and a fresh coat of paint. From getting into them, it looks like the passenger floorboard is original to the car while the drivers side has been replaced at some point. Engine is running great, just waiting for some cooler weather to really get some more good driving in. I do need to pull the front left wheel off and check some rubbing issues.

Took the MINI in for its last service today. Get an oil change and the rear brakes replaced. I have a Kia Sportage as a rental. Thought I would give it a whirl and see how it drives. So far it is pretty nice. A full review will come later this week.

On the Nissan Patrol front, I offered the seller what I thought the car was worth. He said he had a few more people that wanted to look at it and would let me know in a few weeks. I really don't want to pay more that I offered for the car so if I get it, great. If he wants more than I offered? Too bad for me.

Ford Fusion Review Pt. II

2007-09-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

Ok, here are my final thoughts on the Ford Fusion.

Interior:

Seats where nice and supportive even for a base level car. Never had a problem being uncomfortable even after 3+ hours. The cloth that the seats where covered in was a step up from the material that I have seen used in American cars in recent years. Maybe Ford got the memo that you can make a cheap car feel a lot nicer if you spend a few extra bucks on the interior. All of the controls where very well laid out. I still can't get used to the one stalk configuration of most new American cars. I guess I am just used to having the lights and turn signals on the left and wipers on the right. One interesting layout feature that a took as very strange at first but actually makes tons of sense once I got used to it was the position of the turn indicator stalk. Most seem to stick out to the left at about 9:30 while the Ford stalk stuck out at around 10:30. It seemed very high at first but then I realized that it was much closer to where my hand usually is on the steering wheel and required much less movement to engage. In fact, when I got back in my MINI I wiffed on the first attempt to use a turn signal because I had gotten used to the stalk being much higher. A very nice touch that I think shows at least someone is thinking about ways to improve car interiors. Only real beef with the interior was lack of steering wheel audio controls, otherwise the stereo was passable for this level trim car and it was nice that there was an Aux Input for mp3 players. Visibility was also nice all around except for some sight problems over the rear deck and 3rd brake light that really are only noticeable at night when some cars can "disappear" if close enough behind you.

Performance:

Not much but not too bad either. Engine struggled at times with 4 people plus baggage in the car. Engine noise was rather loud and raspy at higher revs when down shifting to pass. Corner stability was good and steering response was surprisingly good for this type of car. I think this car and engine could do more with a different transmission. The gear shift only showed Drive and Low options and the transmission only felt like it had 3 gears even though the Ford website lists it as having a 5 speed transmission. Put an automatic with sport shift options in this car might sport up the base 160hp 4 cylinder a bit.

Exterior:

Not a bad looking car. I think the tail lights could use some work but other than that you know it is a Ford.

Overall:

A nice car. I don't know if it can compete with the Accords, Camrys, Mazda6 and Pontiac G6 that are in its class. If I had to compare it with the Mazda and Pontiac there are some things that set it apart. The interior is much nicer than the Pontiac and about on par with the Mazda. The Pontiac is the sportiest while the Mazda and Ford share a wimpy engine that is just a little over matched in cars this heavy. If I had to chose one of the 3 that I have driven it would still be the Pontiac based on the fact that it can be fun to drive. But, if I was looking for something that had plenty of space, got good mileage and was comfortable to drive? The Ford would get a good long look.

Ford Fusion Review Pt. I

2007-08-30T09:45:00.000-05:00

Enterprise gave me a Ford Fusion for my trip here in Chicago. I have been very impressed by the car so far. Rides smooth, all the controls are in the right spot, good interior space, nice trunk, and it doesn't look to shabby either. This one is the base model, 4 cylinder engine and cloth interior. The cloth is actually a big step up from what I have seen from American cars in the past few years. Base stereo has some nice features, CD player with mp3 play back and a aux input located in the center console along with a 2nd power plug. Only real beef so far is the height of the rear deck, it is hard to see cars that get behind you especially at night.

I'll post some more thoughts on the car later this weekend.

Back from the Beach

2007-08-27T14:24:00.000-05:00

We got back from a much needed week at the beach on Saturday. Had a great time and wish I was still there. Digging out at work today and tomorrow trying to get caught back up.

On the car front; I have everything that I need to clean up the floorboards in the TR. If I have enough paint and primer left I am going to hit a few spots under the hood (battery box and area underneath the master-cylinder). Going to try to take the TR out for a spin tonight since I head back out of town tomorrow and won't be back until Labor Day.

I looked at the Nissan Patrol in person today and I am mulling it over. Such a sweet truck but it needs a good amount of work. One of the brake cylinders needs to be replaced right off the bat and I would need to find some way to get the thing home. I would have to start from the bottom up. Clean up the frame first then clean up the tub second and fix the hardtop last (actually the piece that I think is going to take the most work). So we'll see. I hate to pass on this extremely rare truck but I don't know if I have the room/time/skills to keep the TR running and do a body off restoration on the Patrol. I think I would have to find somewhere to store the TR while working on the Nissan in the garage. It would give me something to work on every night during tax season though.

I'll update the Patrol situation while on the road this week.