Before I sell a bike, I make a video. Here’s the CB450 I got for free.
Junkyard Toolkits: All the Tools You Need, From Zero to Hero
Ah, the junkyard. Acres upon acres of cast-aside steel, aluminum, iron, plastic, and (mostly) rust.
Is your car at least 10 years old and not very special? Well you’re in luck, buddy, because your local Pick ‘N’ Pull, Wrench ‘N’ Go, Stab ‘N’ Grab, Drip ‘N’ Rip, or Steal ‘N’ Peel has exactly what you need to replace that weird piece of interior trim, odd sensor, or complete drivetrain. The only limit to what you can get is how much you can physically yank out of the car and stuff in a wheelbarrow.
Note: Amazon affiliate links provided for your pleasure.
Vulgar Cougar Episode 2: How not to flat tow
The Cougar ran and was titled, but it was many miles away from my house. Do I pay someone with the skills, knowledge, and experience to safely tow the car to my house? Or do I buy some sketchy crap from Harbor Freight and do it myself? That’s a tough one.
My Next Project: An Ugly (but really fast) 1969 Mercury Cougar
I’ll admit it – I had resigned myself to the fact that the M3 would be my “muscle car.” I mean, it’s V8-powered, it’s analog, it’s a bit rough, and it’s a riot, so that’s close enough to “muscle car,” right? Well, what happens when someone offers you a 1969 Mercury Cougar for free? And what if it’s priced at “free” for many very good reasons? Well, if you’re an idiot like me, you say yes.
Of course, I’m one to look a gift Cougar in the mouth, so I at least made sure it would run first:
So it ran, but it was still rusty, beat-up, locked-up, torn-down, and 12 miles from my house. More on that next time. And as far as the “really fast” part goes, consider the following: Canfield, Wiseco, Comp, Scat, and Hayabusa.
2017 Racing Wrap-up
In 2017 I made it to one RallyCross event, eight Autocross events, two autocross schools among three SCCA regions, one drag strip, and I put about 3000 total miles on the car. The M3 managed to accomplish all of that without any major failures, but definitely not without some minor failures. Check out what worked and what didn’t:
I took my M3 drag racing – How slow was it?
Drag racing is an American tradition – going fast is a straight line with absolutely no turning. It’s probably the thing my car is worst at. So why not try it?
Two more autocross events in the bag!
I just realized I didn’t post last month’s event – it was the two-day Iowa Challenge between Iowa’s SCCA chapters. Held at the Oskaloosa Airport, it’s usually a typical runway course – some straight stuff, a turnaround, and some more straight stuff. The event chairs did a great job of switching it up with some interesting crossovers and fun elements.
Installing a Hardwired Dash Cam in a Lincoln MKZ
I picked up a dashcam a couple of years ago, wanting to get in on all of the great YouTube videos of meteorites, and explosions, and cars flipping over, and everything else that definitely happens during my daily commute. I’ve mounted it temporarily in a couple of cars, but never permanently. After picking up the MKZ last week, I decided to get it in there for real, because otherwise I’m going to see Bigfoot and have no proof.
I bought this dashcam, which offers full HD recording and a host of other nice features.
SCCA Starting Line School + Getting Those Tires Good and Hot
This past weekend I attended an SCCA Starting Line school held in Lincoln. It’s designed for people new to autocross (and motorsports in general), the class was a birthday gift from my wife. I packed up on Friday and headed out for Lincoln, about a 3 hour drive for me. Instead of putting a few hundred highway miles on the new (used) RE-71Rs, I decided to just run my snow tires on the interstate and swap to the summers for racing. Which led me to the realization that I can fit a single tire in my trunk. Why didn’t I just get a Touring? Read More
2017: Autocross domination begins
It was a busy week getting ready for a busy weekend, but a (nearly) flawless showing from the M3 made it worthwhile.
Saturday was a Solo School, where several of our nationals-level drivers spent time instructing us on everything from course walks to back-siding cones to keeping our eyes in the right places. Read More