Madison Motorsports - Member's Projects

Honda Challenge: Civic 2.0

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 18:50:28 +0000

+2,300 miles later... we have the new Honda Challenge car. Apparently i have a coupe problem.

Why the 8th Gen? Its K native, they can be had fairly cheaply, parts are everywhere... and in the grand scheme of things, they are the best handling FWD honda outside the golden era or the expensive +10th gen.

Why did I drive 2,300 miles?!?! This car was purchased 2 years ago as a certified preowned car with a stack of all dealer service. It was built to compete nationally in STX (?) but because of the vid, it never really got used too much. what does STX get me?!?! Redshift Motorsports BC double adjustable coils, all the other minor suspension bits, OSG diff, hondata flash pro, hybrid intake, alpha header, custom exhaust, a spare transmission... 225hp on the dyno... cheaper than I could get a local street car.

whats left to race? A trip to pipermotorsports (i'm done gambling with cages), TL-S brakes/Master cylinder, 8 more RPF1s (17x8 +45), send my oil pan off (new one) to TracTuff for a baffle, a new final drive (maybe some gear stacks), remount my 9 lives wing, build a splitter, PCI seat mount, NRG hub.... bolt in my old fire suppression, seat, etc. Its going to be a wild off season...

I need to dial the car in to 200hp, 2725lbs... and go back out and have fun.

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Off-road Cayenne

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 22:24:11 +0000

Been wanting a cayenne for a very long time now so last November I decided to treat myself. Picked up this 60k mile example from Porsche of Conshohocken right down the road from me. It’s a vr6 example which i really have been hoping will be the most reliable option although slow. Been loving it so far, had some back luck being rear ended but all is well and she’s fixed now. Since buying I’ve installed some small black trim pieces as well as a eurowise 3” lift and 265/65/18 falken rubitreks. Plan is to do light overland mods (mainly underbody protection since I have the lift/tires covered) where it can still be my daily driver and hopefully rack up some serious miles. Itll also be used to tow the viper and my boat, I'm towing little enough that I'm not too worried about it.

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Project X

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 15:17:50 +0000

Coming Spring 2021

Perpetual PITA: 2008 BMW 128i

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 13:52:01 +0000

Hello all, me again.

The fiesta was great; it really was. However, I was never proud to own it. It was really fast, faster than it should have been, but beyond that, it wasn't something that I looked back at whenever I parked and walked away. FWD is fine, but without an LSD, it's kind of annoying with high horsepower. I could go on and on about that car, but I won't. The gist of it is, I fully recommend a Fiesta ST to anyone looking for something fun, practical, reliable, and cheap. It just isn't the car for me anymore and I want good speakers and heated leather.

I owed way too much money on the Fiesta, and with my lack of commute and my E21 being well sorted, I was looking to dump that payment and get something even cheaper, but a bit more "me". I've spent the last few months looking at car listings; browsing the usual ones like E36 325i/328i models and E46s. I was looking for something cheapish, but in good condition that would be a fun and semi-reliable car to take on road trips or run to get groceries. The truck is great, but it's completely impractical to take to the grocery store or drive 4 hours by myself to visit my mom. The E21 is a load of fun to drive, but it's not something I want to be in for 4 hours and the lack of airbags or crash protection makes it less than ideal for road trips with my gf and dog. The more I thought about it, the more that these stipulations seemed to apply to E36s. They simply aren't a modern car. E46s are much nicer, but even then, they are 15 years old at best and 22 years old at worst. You're not buying one in good condition for less than 7-8k anyway and then it'll still need some work. Enter the E82. The 1 series was sold in America from 08 to 13 and they are much more upscale than an E46, but they also are arguably a downgrade in reliability and build quality. They do have a redeeming quality in the fact that they have the same power as an E36 M3, weigh the same as an E36 M3, and have a normally aspirated 3 liter straight six like an E36 M3, all while having a much nicer interior and door panels that haven't fallen off (yet). I thought long and hard about it, and came to the conclusion that I am ready to take the risk on reliability and buy a 128i.

I searched for a while and soon found that there just aren't that many manual one series for sale anymore, let alone with the sport and lighting package like I wanted. It turns out that there were less than 300 manual 1 series cars sold per year in the US. Even then, if you find one, people are asking 15k+ for them. It would be a tough search. I put the word out that I was looking. I spoke to a few dealers and few wanted to budge on price, so I kept looking. Jake's friend Tyler who also sold a Fiesta ST to buy a manual N52 BMW reached out to me and sent me a link to one he found in North Carolina for $5500. It was an 08, 6MT, sport package, lighting package, comfort access package, grey 128i with 144,000 miles on it. I immediately reached out and set up a PPI at Carr Industries about 45 minutes north of where the seller lived. The PPI showed a 100% rust free, straight, and relatively clean car, and I sent a deposit. 12 hours of driving later, and the car was mine. The only blemishes noted to me before I drove down was some clear coat failure on the roof, a missing tow hook cover, and a scar on the rear bumper. The Fiesta was sold to a dealer near my house the next day. When I did take a closer look at the car, I noticed a few more things. The driver door seal had shruken (a la E30s), but didn't seem to cause any leaks. The vents in the dash were discolored, the sill plates were cracked on both sides of the car, there is a little carpet damage in the back, but the paint on the roof was not anywhere near as bad as it seemed in the photos. A body shop quoted me $700 to repair it and blend it properly. Everything else on the car functions without issue.

Maintenance:
Oil pan replaced
Valve cover gasket replace
Tensioners and belts replaced
???? The rest is mystery! How fun!

I'm not aware of a water pump replacement, but the folks at Carr told me there is literally 0% chance it hasn't been replaced. That doesn't give me much confidence though, as the mileage is high enough on the car to warrant the water pump being replaced for a second time already if the 60k service interval is to be trusted. I'll keep an eye on it. Overall the car is way cleaner than it should be for the price. I'm excited to drive it, but I fully expect this to be a huge headache. Stay tuned!

Keep On [Farm] Truckin'

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:49:55 +0000

So.

Got a truck.

1992 Ford F-150. No immediately apparent rust beyond the bed being beat to death. Rear wheel drive, which is fine for hauling trash and mulch and stuff.

260,000 miles. Woof.

The good:

THE ENGINE. The 300 cubic inch (4.9l) inline six cylinder purrs like a kitten. It's newer than the rest of the truck and it shows. I had this engine in another truck before, and it missed a lot and occasionally backfired with it's stupid throttle body injection but this is a port fuel job and she's smooth as glass. This is the best truck engine Ford (and possibly anyone) has ever made and you can fight me on that. Hrsprs? Yes. Torques? Lots. But timing gears instead of a belt or chain, 8.8:1 compression means it will run on dog piss, and it's a rock-simple architecture. The last one I had I'd add oil whenever the rockers started to tick and I don't think I ever actually changed it. Just, you know, kept adding. "it's probably fine," I said to myself. I was right. I love this motor.

THE RUST. Or lack thereof. No frame or cab rust, the battery tray still, you know, exists. All good stuff.

THE PRICE. It was hella cheap, yo. Almost the same price as me renting the moving truck. Crazy.

THE SEAT. It's a big blue bench seat that's not all tore up to shit.

The bad:
IT'S OLD AND YOU KNOW IT. No airbags or power anything.

THE TRANSMISSION: Apparently original E4OD makes a pretty godawful grind around second gear. It'll grenade on me one day BUT NOT TODAY so that's what tow insurance is for.

THE 'LECTRICS: Where to begin. So every time I turn off the truck the radio loses power and defaults to "demo mode" when I turn it on. It had a spotlight installed at some point "but it's got a blown fuse"...yeah no shit, when I turn on the headlights the radio dies and when I turn on the windshield washer the wipers start running and don't turn off. It also had a light bar installed at one point by whatever Yee-yee boi owned this thing

SPEAKING OF SAID YEEYEEBOI:

Good fucking grief.

So, FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS. Get rid of those goddamn stickers. They're good valley camo but I don't want any police attention, and those thin line flags are...woof. Not even really funny, these were definitely affixed unironically.

Second: I guess grab the meter and start hunting for this electrical crap. I actually hope I'll never need headlights but, better safe than blind.

Third: Prepare for transmission failure. Shifting into one of these gears is crunchcronchcrunchwrap supreme. I don't even want to pull the pan in case some metal shaving is jammed into a valve that's actually holding the whole thing together. So I'm just gonna, you know, troll craigslist for a trans.

So this isn't really a project thread. I anticipate it being more a "laugh as Rexy tries to keep this turd moving under its own power" thread. The Farm use plates are gonna stay, it's literally what I bought the truck for, and I believe I'm in compliance with the relevant state regulations.

So,

Pumpkin Spice Life - Audi S3

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 13:48:59 +0000

Will do a full write up when I’m home and at a computer, but picked up this glut orange Audi S3 with 38k.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Betty the Black E21 BMW 320i

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 13:59:49 +0000

Hello and welcome back to another adventure brought to you by Taylor.

The track car isn't finished, the Fiesta needs things fixed, the truck has been neglected, I've got student loans, car loans, credit card bills, and like $1000 in my savings account. The only sensible thing to do is to buy a car. Dave, Jackson, and a few other BMW lunatics from MM usually send cars along to each other, and I've expressed my interest in getting something a bit older than the various E30s I've had. Dave sent along a clean-ish looking E21 320i on craigslist with little information, fuzzy photos, no price, and some incorrect information about what engine was in it. Best of all, it had 90,000 miles, zero rust, and 1 owner. Worst of all, the tags on the license plates read 1991 and it hasn't ran since before I was born. I shot him an email while I was sitting on the porch drinking some coffee and offered $500 and left my phone number.

I was spending my labor day weekend replacing the clutch in my neighbor's XJ to try to make some side money and crawled out to check my phone. There's a text message from this guy and he basically said "okay, I don't know anything about BMWs but some other guy wants to come next week and he said $500 is too low, but you can come tomorrow to look" (I'm paraphrasing). I prepped my girlfriend for the inevitable bad decision and set out with all of my tools, the trailer, a hand winch, and cleared out my savings account at a sheetz ATM. We arrived and I started looking over the car. It was true, zero rust. The trunk floor, floorboards, shock towers, rockers, all sparkly clean. I knew I wanted it. Farther up the hill, in his garage, I spotted a pretty red convertible E30 and decided to ask some questions about it. He told me he was going to keep that one and try to restore it, but as I probed him for more answers, I could tell he knew nothing about it as well. I peaked inside and noticed it was a 5 speed, had a crack free dash, and was completely intact. I checked for rust and found none, and I started to realize this was a diamond in the rough. Curious, I asked how much he wanted for both as a package deal. He threw out a number that was very very very good. Like, almost unbelievable. I was so surprised that I wasn't sure what to do, so of course, I called Dave. The Puppet Master himself didn't want it, but was kind enough to do me a solid and front me some money to pick this up since it was a sure fire winner. THANK YOU DAVE. I threw caution to the wind and made a deal.

Time to load them up. The e21 was first to go. The tires were ready to pop at any minute, it had no brakes, no clutch, nothing. With some heaving, pushing, and ratcheting, we got it on the trailer and set off to my house to drop it off. My mind was racing and anxiety was setting up. What would I do with these things? Now I owe someone money, why did he let them go for so cheap? Was this all a mistake? Oh well. #sendit. We went back and grabbed the e30 and I sent him the rest of the money. By this time, the whole neighborhood was out watching the circus and the operation went very smooth the second time around. We got a running start, and with the help of a gentle downhill slope, i rammed the pretty red e30 up on the trailer and we headed home. Jake was looking for an e30 vert, so he came over to take a look to see if he wanted to buy this one. As all e30s, the allure of the photos and sexy 80s styling wear s off when you sit inside it, smell it, and struggle to get the trashed convertible top up for 20 minutes. Jake passed, but that was alright by me as I knew it would be an easy sell.

The next morning I listed it in the usual places for a price I thought was kind of high. I was immediately met with an onslaught of interested parties and before lunch had several people lined up to view it. I was wrapping up that Jeep and would have to roll out from under the thing every 5 minutes to respond to the messages and texts. Eventually a guy and his brother from PA messaged me saying they had a vert that was wrecked and it had all of the parts that this one needed. They sent me a deposit and they're supposed to come down in a few hours to pay me asking price and take it away.

But wait, isn't this about an e21? Shut up, I know. So now that the E30 has paid for the e21, what do I plan to do with it? Well, for now, the plan is to get it running if possible for cheap, put around in it for a bit, and maybe flip it for some cash later. That may be a long road, so I figured I'd document my pain and suffering here for your enjoyment. More details to come.

Turblue Wagon #2 - 2011 WRX

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 20:10:18 +0000

Project Turblue Wagon 2:

TL;DR – Bought a meticulously cared for 2011 WRB WRX from MI as a driver for the kid and fun car for us.

Why:
We recently added a new driver to our lineup, son Michael. He’s the one that goes camping with me at VIR and a few of you have met him at Summit Point. So, it was time to add a car. Originally was thinking an Impreza, practical, safe and AWD for ski weekends. But, we mustn’t let the opportunity to add a car go to waste. Knowing we would do autox/trackcross/other driving schools, I thought it would be nice to have something a little (or, a lot) safer and more reliable than the vette. WRX would come with all the practicality of the Impreza, a little extra fun factor and checking with insurance, is only $6/month more than an Impreza and since he’ll be paying for it, it was easy money to spend.

Seek and you will find:
A quick thank you to Tom “Adult Subaru Tom” and Scotty B in the AluMMni chat for guidance and background for the model years. Initially we looked for 06-07 models but soon started to find 09-10’s in the same range so we expanded the search. Since the hatchback/wagon style would be far more practical for his activities we started leaning 09, the earlier wagons are just…not pretty.

We made a deal with a guy in PA, car was pretty well taken care of but it took a lot of time to put the deal together, he forgot he had to go out of town, he didn’t respond for two days so then it was too late for me to change my plans etc. An hour before we were to leave for PA with cash in hand, he sent a message that “he forgot he owed $2K and couldn’t get the title” (which by the way was in his moms name, he was in his 30's). OK, well then, I’m done. I finished my work day, (that I had taken off to get the car) and renewed the search. FB>Marketplace>expand to 500 miles>... WHAT IS THIS?

Just listed was a 2011, one adult owner, blue wagon, within striking distance of the budget but it was in Michigan. It was listed on CarGurus and FB so I stalked the profile and got a good feeling with the guy being an engineer with Bosch and SCCA / Chumpcar racer. I reached out to him with an offer that was bit less than asking because I needed to ship the car. He rejected, having 3 appointments lined up already within hours of listing the car. It was listed $3K under anything close in terms of year (1st year WRX got the widebody) /mileage/maintenance. It was going to sell to the first person who got there. I decided to take a chance, I sent an email with a story appealing to his motorsports side and a solid offer including a substantial down payment and a promise to come get it over the weekend. He accepted.

The PA deal fell through at 11AM on a Thursday, that evening Michael went to a friend’s for the night leaving for OBX Friday morning. He was incredibly disappointed the PA deal fell through and had no idea I was working the 2011 deal when he left.

I rented a car, drove to MI, test drove the car and drove it home. I packed lunch and snacks for two days to minimize stopping and decided to have lunch on the shores of Lake Erie on the way back.
10 minutes after buying:

Next day at Lake Erie:

Most accurate description of the entire drive: (thanks to PO for not shutting off Sirius / XM, I listened to a bit of everything over the 8 hour trip).

Made it from Grand Blanc, MI, (basically Flint) to VA with no tags without even a crossed look from any LEO.

The seller:
20+ years’ experience as an automotive engineer, started out with OEMs and quickly went to Bosch. His focus is stability control systems. Turns out, many the OEMs really don’t do this, just about every traction control system is a Bosch engineered system. He’s worked with Nissan, Ford, a lot with Honda including the NSX. I could have talked to him for hours, he spends days and days on race tracks and OEM facilities testing and tuning the stability control systems from here, to Japan to New Zealand. Apparently, a lot of cold weather testing happens in New Zealand when it’s summer here. His latest project was stability control for the new F150 that Ford scrapped right before production due to concerns on having a system with selectable 4WD. I dunno…

The Subaru was meticulously cared for, have a look at the folder of receipts:

Includes freshy fresh t-belt/water pump/ thermostat etc. and brand new (7K miles) clutch. Ohh, and mentioned nowhere in the ad and a complete surprise when I got there, COBB Accessport with Stage 1 tune loaded! Only mods are brake booster and clutch master cylinder reinforced mounting brackets from Perrin. Factory installed STI center console with STI short shift kit, blue illumination, and all weather mats shown on the window sticker as installed options. Seriously, the original floor mats have not had a foot on them.

Also came with a set of winter tires and wheels.

He sold it to get this:

The Surprise:
While the boy was in NC I continued to send him links to possible cars and we were "set to go to Manassas" to look at a car. He was getting home Friday but I was playing in a golf tourney Fri/Sat so I took the car and hoped that the wife, his brother and two sisters could keep it quiet! I got home Sat afternoon, went up to his room and asked him to help me get something out of the car. He caught on before he was completely out the door and the reaction immediate:

Got him good...

The journey starts with 141,900 miles on the car. Driving impressions and teaching him to drive stick to follow.

The Blurpening, Covid Coping & Returning to Form

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 16:25:46 +0000

So I sold my M3 in January after 10 years and 50k miles of ownership. It was a hell of a run but I wasn't enjoying owning it anymore, and didn't like the idea of turning it into something I actually wanted to drive. After that many years of ownership I was into the car for so much more than it was worth, continuing to "invest" in it was just a gross idea. The plan was to just enjoy my GTI and bank up some money for a house or something eventually. Then the Trump virus happened, and all of a sudden I barely need a car. Also found myself fuckin' bored. Real bored.

So, prologue over, I sold the GTI to a dealership in MD and bought this one-owner 2007 Cayman S, midnight blue over stone gray with 51,000 miles. No exciting options, but it has the premium package that includes Xenon lights, power seats, rain sensing wipers & the colored center caps. It was sold new in NJ but has been in FL since about 3,000mi. It showed regularly at Audi Porsche dealerships for maintenance, the last thing on record was a water pump at 48,000mi last year. So I took a flyer on it and had it shipped up from Tampa.

So they serviced it but I'm pretty sure they never washed it. Pretty ridiculous oxidation on the top of the front fenders.

I started with a wash & quick 2 stage cut and polish so I could stand to look at the thing.

Then my used car ritual of deep cleaning the interior. This water was clear when I started and the interior didn't look particularly dirty. People are gross. Go clean your seats.

Next order of business, bitchin' tunes.

Turns out it's kind of a bitch to install a head unit in a car with a fiber optic Bose system. You can send the stock HU out and have a stealthy bluetooth feature added to stream music, but you obviously need to use your phone for directions. Your other options are to rip out and replace the entire audio system, or get a fiber optic signal converter to make a aftermarket HU work with your factory amp and speakers.

If you go that direction you still have two options, a "full" integration kit ranging anywhere from $350-750 that retains steering wheel controls, fader & balance settings and some other shit, or you can go the ebay option for $100 that just converts it to a left & right RCA signal. I went for the last option to get Carplay (really just Waze) but not drop a frickin comma on it.

Long story short, these cars have terrible grounds and I spent a ton of time trying to sort out nasty alternator whine. The magic formula is to tap (fused) power and ground straight off the battery for the HU and signal converter, and install 12v noise filters on both the constant and switched power leads.

I also essentially ruined the $40 dash install kit I bought from crutchfield and had to pony up for an $80 one that actually came with a cage to slide the HU in and out of. The cheapest option usually isn't. On the plus side, this thing is a dream to run accessory wires on, there is a blank grommet behind the battery that pops out above the throttle pedal.

IDK if we have a post limit so I'm gonna play it safe and break this up. Sit tight.

The Quadractor TM

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 22:57:25 +0000

I was left a few items from my grandparent's estate, and this seemed about as good as anywhere to document some of them. This odd little duck is the brain child of Bill Spence and called a Quadractor, manufactured by the Traction, Inc company in North Troy, VT. Best I can tell from some interwebs was they produced it in the late 70's and early 80's, intended for small logging operations. I think my grandfather got this one in around 1982 or 84, nobody new for sure. I also don't know if he bought it new or used, but with only 3 or 400 produced I'm guessing the used market wasn't very robust back then.

Basic specs:

~500lbs
31" of ground clearance
8hp Briggs & Stratton engine
Vertical, 4 wheel drive
4 wheel steering
72:1 drive ratio in low gear
capable of skidding out a 4000lb log with the belly winch

It is all belt driven and cable steering, and I remember Gramps saying the steering wheel might as well just be a decoration and that you steer with the foot pedals. (like a skid-steer).

I've got a million memories riding all over the farm with him on this as I grew up, and I'm hoping we'll have a good time getting it back into running condition. There's a few write-ups about them still on the web, and for the tractor nerds, here's a bit of an overview.

A Triumvirate of Engineering Features
The Quadractor is comprehensively engineered for complete traction, and this single-minded approach is responsible for the machine's
"muscle." Three related but separate and distinct engineering features contribute to the unusual vehicle's incredible versatility:
[1] First and foremost in importance is the patented design of the four identical vertical drives to the wheels. The Quadractor operates
continuously in four-wheel drive, with its left and right sides controlled by separate clutches. Each wheel's power is transmitted from a
pulley to the vertical shaft, then down the shaft and through a set of bevel gears to a small pinion gear, which operates the large finaldrive
cog.
As the pinion gears on all four shafts turn, they tend to walk up the outside of the large final-drive gears. As they climb, the cogs transfer
the weight of the vehicle to the tires while simultaneously causing the wheels to revolve. Because the pinion gear housings are offset
from their respective wheel hubs (and at the same time are allowed to "travel" within a 15° arc of the drive gears' circumference), the
effect of this mechanism is to lift the chassis of the vehicle just at the moment the machine begins to move forward. It's a little like the
sensation when the front end of a tractor lifts off the ground, but all four of the Quadractor's "feet" are firmly planted and the weight of
the machine—and its burden—is converted into that all-important traction.
[2] Another unique construction feature is the Quadractor's chassis, which is designed to flex over uneven terrain. This "twisting" keeps
all four tires securely on the ground and "biting."
[3] Finally, both the position and the design of the hitch contribute to the vehicle's performance under load. The "Spence Hitch"
distributes the weight of any implements, logs, etc. to all four wheels instead of to the rear tires alone, as does a conventional threepoint
tractor hitch.

It is currently at my father in laws back in NY, so updates will probably be few and far between. I was able to free up the engine with a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinder, but not getting any spark yet so I'll look at the magneto next time.

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Ram 2500 Limited Non-Project

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:38:23 +0000

Posted in the groupme a few pics, but thought I'd post a few more. Finally pulled the trigger on a new to me truck. 2019 Ram Limited 2500 with the Cummins 6.7 diesel.

I had been searching on and off for about 6 months, but I finally got my 1999 F250 cleaned up and sold about a month ago so my search got a lot more serious. I ended up buying this truck used in Johnson City Tennessee after giving up on trying to find a brand new one for a price I wanted to pay. Most all the Corona incentives didn't apply to the 2500 trucks, and while they were mostly coming in around 10k under MSRP it was still too rich for me. Add on top of this, my credit union offering LOWER rates for financing a used truck (1.54%), it made me look more seriously for a used truck. Unfortunately, the used car market is bonkers and there is jack shit for inventory. This truck popped up after I missed a deal on another similar truck. It had 34000 miles on it when I picked it up. My only other contender was a couple grand cheaper, but had a few less options, and was at 25k miles. I discovered you pretty much have to jump in the car and go buy a truck if you find one you like, because used trucks in particular won't last long on the lot if they are priced decently. Ended up getting this truck with 34k miles at about 20 grand off MSRP from when it was new. You can still buy a brand new 2019 and they are all over the lots, but dealers are stuck on their prices and no one wanted to make a deal which seems crazy to me when 2021 are about to drop.

The truck literally looks like it had every option box checked, and after traditionally being a GM guy, RAM is way ahead of GM and Ford on interior design and thought-out niceties. Lots of storage inside and out, and the massive screen which controls most everything about the truck. It's not quite as advanced on the camera system as the GMs, and I wish it had a heads up display, but neither were deal killers.

Anyway, highlights:
Ram 2500 Limited in Delmonico Red, Frost Interior (blue and off-white)
Mega Cab
Power Running boards, sun roof, Rambox bed, Anti Spin differential, Snow Chief package, Air Level suspension, 3-fold tonneau top

I wasn't sure if I wanted Rambox, but it has come in handy already, and has a power outlet in it. Wife loves the rear reclining seats, and there is plenty of room for what seems like the super common 5 hour trips we make to our hometowns. We took it to the beach, and it was very comfortable, and I got 21MPG calculated on the highway.

I believe the previous owner was a business owner, as it had a commercial registration. This guy also had some straight terrible wheels and mud tires on it. Made the dealer swap on stock rims/tires, and CPO it. I also bought an extended RAM warranty for another $2500 because all of the electronics and air level shit scares me. Should be good to go for 7years/100k miles now.

The previous guy, I believe, also made sort of a home-made "Night Package", or at least, I could never figure out how to option it like this on the builder. The grill is blacked out, and the mirrors and trim have some sort of semi-transparent black film over the chrome badges and window trim, etc. It also has no Cummins badging.

No mod plans on anything yet set in stone, but I would like to find a roll-up aluminum tonneau that works with the rambox system. My friend had one on his GMC, and that thing was real nice and way less of a pain than the folding versions. I also want to get the front end touched up and put on a clear bra. Anyone have any suggestions on those? The paint does seem fragile as it has quite a few rock chips for not that many miles.

On to the pics...

2007 4Runner Sport

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 13:28:22 +0000

Last week I picked up another SUV. Hopefully the ownership experience on this one goes better than the Xterra.

It's a 2007 Toyota 4Runner Sport Edition - V6 4WD with just over 160k miles. Despite the age and mileage, it's extremely clean. By far the cleanest one I saw for sale over 100k miles. The underside is also very clean and barely had any rust. Luckily I got pictures of that before the dealership had it sprayed with some sort of anti rust treatment.

I'm not sure how much of a project this is going to end up being but I've got a few things planned for it so far.

Fix front wheel bearing, I knew it had a bad one when I first drove it but that's not too big of a deal
Lamnix to keep the headlights fresh, some sort of ceramic coating to keep the paint fresh. Avalon King Armor Shield is supposed to be easy to apply and lasts a few years.
Replace factory struts/shocks with Bilstein 5100s. This is the sport edition so it has the weird XREAS system that connects the opposite corner shocks with hydraulic lines and a pump. There's pretty much no way this is working at 160k and supposedly the Bilstein 5100s feel about the same as the stock system without all the extra lines/pumps needed.
Replace the head unit with something with carplay/android auto and add a subwoofer. You can get the subwoofer box from the models with the JBL system and replace the subwoofer/amp with something nicer for a decent setup that is completely hidden behind the plastic panels in the trunk.
Add seat heaters, there's a few good options that aren't too expensive for these.
Maybe wheels at some point. I don't hate the sequoia/tundra wheels that it has currently.

The plan is to keep this a long time so hopefully this one ends up being reliable.

Project Bald Eagles

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 23:22:22 +0000

I flew out to pick up one of my dream cars (personally went through some crazy procedures to remain safe from any virus in addition to what the airlines are doing, better safe than sorry) here’s my 04 viper with a Paxton blower. Was shockingly comfortable to drive for 17 hours, I LOVE the seats, they’re amazing, and it’s def fast, oddly doesn’t feel much slower than my vette was and that made 210whp more, the v10 sounds are a hoot too. But yeah I’ve always dreamed of a viper and I’m so excited to put my personal spin on this thing.

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How Do You Say "Unicorn" in Swedish? 1998 Volvo S70 T5 Manual

Mon, 25 May 2020 12:45:18 +0000

Last year, I bought a 2001 BMW X5 3.0i for $1500 and took it off-roading with some friends in a Top-Gear-esque sort of challenge. It was fun and we decided to do the whole thing again, but with different cars and a different theme/challenge. This year's challenge is "Cars Your Grandma Aspired to Own" and we are taking them rallycrossing. That's assuming, of course, that rallycross can happen in late August but fingers are crossed.

I was looking at all sorts of options for myself and had only limited my selection by saying "no more BMWs" - I've owned 11 and wanted to branch out. This Volvo appeared on my local (DC) Craigslist while I was idly scrolling during a conference call. It had been posted just an hour prior to my search and I'm sure my email read like some frantic nut. I saw the words "Volvo" "manual" and "turbo" and shot an email off with no more details.

Anyway, the car is 1 of 361 S70s imported with the B5234T3 "T5" engine and manual transmission. The B5234T3, for the uninitiated (like me!) is a turbocharged, intercooled inline five that makes 236 hp and 240 lb-ft.

I bought the car from a guy who had owned it since 1999! The first owner only kept it about a year but put 25k miles on it in that time. It was sold new locally here at Don Beyer Volvo in Falls Church, VA and that dealership put THREE clutches in the car. It has had the same clutch since 25k miles and that second owner which leads me to believe that maybe three-pedal driving wasn't the first owner's forte.

The second and long-term owner drove the car as his only vehicle for a long time, and then supplemented it with some BMWs. It was never the family car, so the front passenger seat and rear seats look nearly new. The driver's seat has also held up tremendously well. I have a stack of maintenance and repair records going back to the PDI at one mile. The second owner found a shop near his home in Maryland that did most of the work over the last 20 years. I need to call them tomorrow because the one record I don't have is a recent-ish timing belt service. The interval is anywhere from 80-100k miles depending on model year and who you believe, but I want to make sure that's in good shape as it's an interference engine.

More to come after I get it tagged, titled, and check the timing belt. Everything works, including the A/C and heated seats. The dashboard creaks at highway speed, I get an occasional flickering battery light (new battery, only happens if winding the revs out more) and over bumps the front end has a clunk or two. The brakes are fine but kinda soft so probably due for new fluid and perhaps front pads. Oh, and it needs a CV boot on the one front axle.

Oh, and the best part? The car currently has 295,000 miles. My goal is to get it to 300k and beyond, it's too clean to run through a rallycross course one time and re-sell. Might as well have some fun with it for a longer period of time and the P80 Volvos have a ton of aftermarket support through IPD and elsewhere. And parts cost seems reasonable at first glance, too.

99 Z3M Coupe

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 01:26:20 +0000

Since I haven’t been on the forums in a while I figured why not post all of my projects. A couple of months ago I flew down to Miami and drove back my new to me m coupe. My original plan was to build the motor on it, do an m52 2.8 block, with the s52 heads/crank and forged internals and a big turbo. Unfortunately work is just keeping me too busy to take on a full build like this so I’m passing it on to a new owner (currently pending sale). But it is definitely a fun car, love how analog it feels.

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