The NCH Garage

Saw a couple big signs for this one on the side of 65 today.  The place is on the East side of 65 just South of Constance Blvd (CR 20).  Only details on the sign at all were "CAR SHOW" and "June 5th".  Didn't say a time or anything.  Parking lot is pretty big, and paved, so might be a good place for one.  Not sure if the church itself has anything to do with the show, as their website doesn't list it on their calendar of events.  Anywho, isn't too bad of a drive for you Northerners. 

I'll have my brother and his wife along for the day.  We're planning on heading up to the Cambridge/Braham area to burn some gas and kill some time (and probably brain cells) so I'm guessing we'll swing in and check things out.

Greetings all.  With a new addition to the family yesterday, I'm hoping to start another project sometime soon.  However, the planets must all align and there's gonna have to be some serious voodoo or something invloved to make this insane dream of mine become a reality.  Here's the goods.

I drive a '97 Taurus wagon. I've always wanted a Gen3 (96-99) Taurus SHO w/ a v8.  Even more so, I've always fantasized about a Taurus wagon with the SHO V8 swapped into it.  I'm hoping to get dangerously close to fulfilling this fantasy. 

I just purchased a donor "cardaver" for half of the project.  It's a black '99 SHO with a bad motor.  Apparently the valves are bent, which I can only assume is due to cam failure (it's like the plague for SHO's).  Anywho, it's only got 93xxx miles on it so everything else is in pretty stellar condition.  My plans include stripping it naked of all the cool stuff and putting it onto a wagon.  Front bumper, mufflers w/ tips, spoiler, front bucket seats, wheels (already done!), and possibly a few other things.  It's got a really nice hood on it so I might get crazy and attempt some cowl action.  Can't hurt to try, right?  Also, I'm hopefully going to get the rear windows knocked out and smoothed over with tin/sheetmetal.  Making myself a good ole sedan delivery wagon.  It's gonna be so rad.

Pics to come...

As some of you know, and some of you don't, my wanna be "hotrod" project is a 1985 BMW 325e.  I've had it for 6 years now as it was given to me as a college graduation present, back in the day.  It's been sitting under a tarp for the last 5-6 years and earlier this spring, with some encouraging from my "brothers", it was finally unveiled to the world.  The project is officially underway, but thanks to getting back to work and spring being the busiest time for my job, I've been working weekends for the past month or so.  Although keeping busy with work has allowed me to get some of the financial stuff squared away and I'll be able to actually buy things for the project now, so that's a plus!

Anywho, here she is:



And here's the "story":

Our family's old pastor from North Branch purchased the car sometime in the late 90's I believe from a dealer in Forest Lake.  It was (and still is) a pretty snazzy looking little guy.  He drove it for a while I guess until a few mechanical things went haywire and he couldn't, or chose not to, keep up with the little repairs all the time.  So he basically gave it to my dad in exchange for some services around the house, or something like that.  Anywho, it's been in our family for a number of years now.  I drove it to school a few times while I was attending Mora.  However, my dad's ex-gf drove it for the most part.  I'm not sure if it had always run rough or not, but I don't think I've personally ever driven it under full power.  It seemed to always have a miss or something and just never seemed right.  All I remember is that it was pretty darn quick for a car that wasn't 100%.

My wagon is in need of a makeover and instead of getting botox injections and silicon crap I'd rather just get a SHO front end. 

If anybody sees/hears of one, please let me know.  Paint color doesn't matter.  Preferably not cracked, or at least not too bad.  Also, probably gonna have to be still on the car as there are a few mounting braces and stuff that I'll also need for the conversion.

So I'm sitting at home on the computer and I hear this constant whining noise outside. Having witnessed almost the same exact thing last night, courtesy of another retarded neighbor, I was guessing that it was somebody stuck in the snow and flooring their car to get out. Well, I was right. Only this time it was light outside, and I remembered to grab the camera.

Armed with only a window brush and a car, this tool shed manages to spin his tires at 100 mph, not move more than 6 feet, and appears to have blown his engine. Of course I don't know for sure but the cloud of steam and smoke would lead me to believe so. All in maybe 4" of snow. And notice how everybody else made it out of the parking lot just fine?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtG9VDUCvME

Tried to embed it but it didn't work.  Just click the link and have a good laugh at the expense of some moron that lives next to me.  I apologize to those with a slower internet connection, it's kinda long, but worth the wait.

So my dad just forwarded me some random email about a car.  Figured I'd share it with the Hillbillys.  If I had the kinda money it'd take to roll in something like this, I'd definitely be looking elsewhere.  But it is a pertty cool idea.  http://n2amotors.com/vehicles.aspx?VehicleID=2#Link1



Melding design elements from different Chevy models, the 789 shows the world that you really can't have enough of a good thing. Although the 789 looks instantly iconic, it is actually the best of three classics mounted atop a Le Mans-winning Corvette C6 chassis. Aptly named for the three years represented in the overall design, the 789 has the "hooded eyes"and chrome grille of a '57, a mid-section that's reminiscent of a '58 Impala and the "bird in flight" rear tailfins of a '59. These three Vehicles are all instantly recognizable classics celebrated by people around the world.

Owning and operating a classic car often proves difficult. Rarity of parts, expertise needed for installation, and potentially high upkeep or restoration costs are some of the problems with which collectors must deal. All of the money in the world spent to modify or modernize a vintage car will not change the reliability or performance problems associated with it. The 789 offers the best of both worlds: retro looks and styling, and it will fire up every time you turn the key. The body is constructed of lightweight composite panels. We have developed a process of using 80% carbon fiber with 20% fiberglass. This process gives us a light weight rigid part as if it was 100% carbon fiber with the minimal properties of fiberglass that allows for show quality paint and finish.

The customer can either provide us with a donor C6 series (2005-2009) Corvette, which currently retails for around $60,000 (though used models can be had for less), or we can locate one for you. After stripping the 'Vette of its stock body, we hand-graft the retro body panels over the stock frame, suspension, and massive 440-horsepower, 6.0-liter aluminum-block V8 engine. The base cost of conversion is $80,000, which includes choice of interior/exterior color schemes, specific 789 exhaust, and PST high-performance sway bars. A full range of upgrades are available, including up to 800 hp powertrains, custom suspension, audio/video/navigation systems, interior customization, and more. We will build each 789 to meet the customer's specifications. However, please note that no previously built combination of paint scheme and interior treatment will be duplicated.