My first car. Purchased around 1983 for $750 or so. A reliable
vehicle that I learned quite a lot from. I put about 100k miles
on it, and a few scrapes. While the water pump had a minor leak,
I loaned it to my brother (after warning him). He drove it until
there was no water in the radiator for about 20 miles. I
continued to drive the car about 6k more miles, but the block was
cracked. I sold it (still running) for parts to an enthusiast for
$250.
I switched manifolds, carbs, and rebuilt the engine. I changed
the springs, shocks, anti-roll bars, wheels, tires, and added
many gauges and aerodynamic accessories. A good friend convinced
me to put on a large blue sticker from pep-boys that said
'turbo'. This was in 1983, and is where my nickname came from.
After a few minor scrapes some very artistic folks that were
rock-climbing with me decided they needed to spray paint the car.
10 different colors. Quite unique. About 190 HP at the rear
wheels thanks to a 351W and a FMX auto trans.
A killer fast vehicle. As purchased, it had a 4 speed M-20
trans, and a 455 Olds engine that put out 320 or 340 HP at the
wheels. I decided I needed more, and switched the cam and intake
manifold. Now I have over 400 HP at the rear wheel (limit of
dyno) at 4800 RPM. Now I needed more traction. I decided to get a
Torsen diff. Problem is they didn't go in the GM 12 bolt that I
had. I had a Ford 9" fabricated for my car by Currie Brothers.
Quite an improvement. Needed better braking, so I got 16*9 Gotti
3 piece modular wheels and 4 wheel disk brakes (4 piston all
around eventually). Got a Doug Nash 5 speed trans, and a McLeod
street-twin clutch and could go 140 MPH with 2 cylinders
misfiring. Got Herb Adams VSE anti-roll bars (1 5/16 or so in the
front, and 1 1/2 in the back). Got new springs and shocks. I
could drive Willow Springs International Raceway in 4th gear in 2
minutes, 4 seconds (a 9 turn track). Lotsa improvements courtesy
of Jim Robinson (several time Winston West NASCAR champion)
before he had an argument with a wall at Phoenix International
Raceway (bumped from the rear while in 1st place).
I got some nice seats and 6 point belts in the front. Added 6
gauges, a new steering wheel, and a nice stereo. A power steering
rack from LEE. Lota other goodies. A free-lance socialist (thief)
decided to liberate it from its cruel oppressor (me). RIP.
Purchased for $1. Charged the battery, added some trans fluid
and gas, and drove it home over the freeway about 25 miles.
Removed the front seat, and a few other goodies (to install in my
1971 Ford), and sold to Pick-A-Part for about $80 (I gave 1/2
back to the folks I bought it from).
My first new car. Purchased after I realized my Ford's engine
was cracked. This car is a limited production vehicle made by
Shelby Automotive. A friend had a GLHS, and I decided I wanted a
Shelby also. 175 HP, and front wheel drive. Handled ok. 4 wheel
disk brakes. The throttle steer is interesting as is the turbo
lag.
I got the Shelby stage II computer (smog legal), which
increased the horsepower to around 213 or so, and I bought Eibach
variable rate springs, and new shocks. A few more gauges (like a
pyrometer), and some new seats and 6 point belts. Quite a fun
car.
At about 120k miles the head developed a some cracks between
the intake and exhaust valve. This is a high-stress area, since
it gets really hot, and cracks are common here. I decided to get
a rebuilt engine, with lots of Mopar (now called Direct
Connection) fast parts, including the 'Super-60' parts. The new
engine put out around 250 HP! Unfortunately the Super-60 head,
Mopar's best, had a casting porosity between the number one
combustion chamber and the coolant passage. It took the very wily
folks at Tuttle-Click Dodge awhile to figure it out. Less wily
folks were sure it was the head gasket...
After gluing the crack didn't work (gluing is done to
SuperStock drag big-block heads with good success), a new head
was fabricated with similar flow characteristics. Again, things
were good....
Unfortunately, while the compression was going into the
coolant system, some water was also going into the combustion
chamber. Too much water. Toasted the crank bearings, and the
piston came to know the head much too intimately. Time for engine
#3, along with custom forged pistons, as the different piston
sizes available is pretty poor. A fast car again....
It turns out that the 'Super-60' cam has a heat treatment
problem. The guys at Mopar Performance deny it, but it is a well
known problem. But it wasn't known to me at the time of engine
#3. So my cam went flat. It started out pretty subtle, but things
got worse and worse. Fortunately, it was caught before major
damage. Time for engine #4. No Super-60 cam, no Super-60 heat. I
had the well-respected folks at Dick Landy Enterprises do the
engine. They seemed friendly enough, and competent, however it
took them at least 5 months to rebuild the engine. Some
of this isn't their fault as they were waiting for parts, but
still, an inexcusable delay. Soon everything will be back
together and I will be speed racer again.
After scraping the underside of my CSX numerous times on my
offroad excursions, to the point where I had to replace the 'K'
sub-frame, I decided I wanted a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The
question was which one. I did lotsa research. One requirement was
that I be able to sleep in the back in reasonable comfort. Now
one can sleep in almost any car that has reclining seats, and I
have done it. I decided I wanted some comfort. I am 5'11" or so,
and no mid sized sport-utility was large enough. I tried the
Toyota 4runner as well Jeep Grand Cherokee. I am sure I would fit
in the back of a Damler-Benz Unimog, but the top speed around 50
MPH was unacceptable for someone named 'turbo', as well as for
cross-country trips.
So I decided that I needed a pick-up truck. Plenty of room in
the bed to sleep, hence the name 'bed'. A good thing, as pick-up
trucks are notably cheaper than so called 'sport-utility'
vehicles. No pickup was available with full time 4wd as well as a
low gear in the transfer case, which is something that I wanted,
after seeing the Grand Cherokee in action. I had humble needs. I
needed something reliable (after seeing all the problems of a
friends Grand Cherokee), gobs of power, terrific traction, and
great ground clearance.
It turns out that the Tacoma V6 has 190 HP, which is a higher
power-to-weight than anything except a Syclone (which didn't have
a low in the transfer case). It also turns out that the Tacoma
can drive over a 12" thick log (it doesn't have 12" of ground
clearance around the tires. Some friends have had Toyota trucks
and except for the 3.0 V6 head gasket fiasco, they have been
quite reliable. So I decided to get a Tacoma. Of course they were
not available with the options that I wanted. I wanted AC, manual
windows, manual locks, bucket seats, the all weather guard
package (heavy duty battery, starter, wiper motor, rain channel
windshield), 31" wheels, manual hubs, xtra-cab, and ABS.
It turns out that ABS does not shut off as far as I can tell,
when in 4wd. I also really wanted the Toyota *locking* diff (this
is an electric locker), because the LD option is merged with the
4WD. 4WD is a pox, and it means 4 wheel demand. What that really
means is an ADD aka automatic disconnect differential. The front
axles are always turning, and there is some vacuum-like device
the hooks everything together when the time is right. I wanted a
standard diff case in the front so I could one day put in a real
diff, as well as manual hubs, so I would *know* when things were
hooked up.
So how did I get the options that I wanted? Drive to Alaska or
some civilized place with reasonable options? No, I ordered the
truck. This is a very tricky process at least for most Toyota
dealers who are basically clueless. However, wherever there are
morons, someone is bound to stand out, and (with some help) I was
able to find someone who was competent, in a sea of morons. See
Car Dealers for more details.
The truck is not perfect. There is some wind noise (probably
from the factory air deflector). The pedal makes an odd noise
when the cruise control is on, and it is not under tension.
Overall, I am quite happy with the truck.
