alltracst185
New member
Looks clean bro 
Mike's '92 ST185 Teal in New York (Daily Driving It)
- Thread starter mike325ci
- Start date
LegacyofDan
New member
haha i def LOL'ed at that broken clock comment being accurate only twice a day ...haha oh man...
sorry to hear that you gotta sell the beemer but now you can dedicate more love to the trac and the beast.
btw you should go to hyperfest this weekend if you can man!
sorry to hear that you gotta sell the beemer but now you can dedicate more love to the trac and the beast.
btw you should go to hyperfest this weekend if you can man!
Thanks I had a good trip to/from Canada for the MR2 meet with the Exige. I corded my rear tires at the track, and had to scramble to find replacement tires that could be mounted that day. I lucked out, got Falken RT-615s and went out for a few more track sessions (and the autocross the next day and of course back home), lol... I also got to meet a few Canadian GT-Four/AllTrac owners My photos (not that much) are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mike325ci/1 ... ngston2010
Anyways, back on topic: I finally got to work a little bit more on the car this past weekend.
7/17 ~ 7/18/2010
(1) Coolant Flush: I had run the Prestone Radiator Flush for the past ~400 miles, and did another complete reverse flush and filled with Dex-Cool. I changed the thermostat (with Gates Racing 170F) and radiator cap (with a JDM ARC 1.3bar :smokes: ), and changed 3 of the coolant hoses. I didn't do the HFH or the back long ones yet. The hoses were hard to do and I cut my hand up pretty badly doing it.
(2) Boost Controller: While I had stuff off the coolant hose change, I hooked up the rest of my AVC-R (hoses to/from the wastegate actuator). I found a good place to mount up the solenoid valve-- I drilled four holes into the site of the bottom of the stock airbox and it fit perfectly and it's very secured. I know most of you don't run stock airboxes any more, but I thought I'd share that. The pressure sensor I mounted next to my sender for my boost gauge, on the right side firewall, and T-tapped the boost gauge's vacuum line. I have not yet hooked up the wiring to the ECU. That might be this weekend's project.
(3) Interior: I mounted my Koso boost gauge properly in the steering column surround plastic. I need to redo the wiring to the distribution block as the wires for the gauge are too thin and has slipped out once already. Also find a more secure place to ziptie/mount the boost gauge's computer/box thing. It's sitting above the pedals under the dash now, but I think I'll put them where the fuse panel is, that way I can access the "Peak" and "Warn" buttons easily.
I took photos but I forgot to take the CF Card out and bring it with me, so I don't have any to upload I'll post up later.
I had a good trip to/from Canada for the MR2 meet with the Exige. I corded my rear tires at the track, and had to scramble to find replacement tires that could be mounted that day. I lucked out, got Falken RT-615s and went out for a few more track sessions (and the autocross the next day and of course back home), lol... I also got to meet a few Canadian GT-Four/AllTrac owners My photos (not that much) are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/mike325ci/1 ... ngston2010Anyways, back on topic: I finally got to work a little bit more on the car this past weekend.
7/17 ~ 7/18/2010
(1) Coolant Flush: I had run the Prestone Radiator Flush for the past ~400 miles, and did another complete reverse flush and filled with Dex-Cool. I changed the thermostat (with Gates Racing 170F) and radiator cap (with a JDM ARC 1.3bar :smokes: ), and changed 3 of the coolant hoses. I didn't do the HFH or the back long ones yet. The hoses were hard to do and I cut my hand up pretty badly doing it.
(2) Boost Controller: While I had stuff off the coolant hose change, I hooked up the rest of my AVC-R (hoses to/from the wastegate actuator). I found a good place to mount up the solenoid valve-- I drilled four holes into the site of the bottom of the stock airbox and it fit perfectly and it's very secured. I know most of you don't run stock airboxes any more, but I thought I'd share that. The pressure sensor I mounted next to my sender for my boost gauge, on the right side firewall, and T-tapped the boost gauge's vacuum line. I have not yet hooked up the wiring to the ECU. That might be this weekend's project.
(3) Interior: I mounted my Koso boost gauge properly in the steering column surround plastic. I need to redo the wiring to the distribution block as the wires for the gauge are too thin and has slipped out once already. Also find a more secure place to ziptie/mount the boost gauge's computer/box thing. It's sitting above the pedals under the dash now, but I think I'll put them where the fuse panel is, that way I can access the "Peak" and "Warn" buttons easily.
I took photos but I forgot to take the CF Card out and bring it with me, so I don't have any to upload
I'll post up later.Photos posted: http://picasaweb.google.com/mike325ci/1 ... eMountAVCR
including photos such as:
AVC-R Solenoid Mounted to Stock Airbox Bottom:
Koso Boost Gauge, custom mounted:
Thermostat replacement -- had to file down the end of this bolt to enable the housing to slide out (A/C Compressor has a bolt sticking out and there is no way to take it out without filing it down (or removing the compressor)):
---- Also, today 7/25/2010 I did about an hour's worth of work:
1. Finally hooked up my DIY Fuel Cut Defenser. Did a clean install using wire harness. The instructions I had were for an MR2 and the wiring color for my Turbo Pressure Sensor was different, but luckily I was able to find it in the Electrical Wiring Diagram (for 1993). The VC line is pink and the PIM line is red and the GROUND line is brown, FYI. I didn't get a chance to test it, just soldered it up and that was it.
2. It got too dark outside, but I was going to wire up the AVC-R to the ECU harness. I'm also going to use a 6-wire harness to make a clean install. Allows for disconneting the AVC-R if needed and it's just cleaner that way. Also going to convert my soldered two wires to the ECU harness from the Turbo Timer to use a 2-wire harness as well so that it's cleaner. That's next weekend.
including photos such as:
AVC-R Solenoid Mounted to Stock Airbox Bottom:
Koso Boost Gauge, custom mounted:
Thermostat replacement -- had to file down the end of this bolt to enable the housing to slide out (A/C Compressor has a bolt sticking out and there is no way to take it out without filing it down (or removing the compressor)):
---- Also, today 7/25/2010 I did about an hour's worth of work:
1. Finally hooked up my DIY Fuel Cut Defenser. Did a clean install using wire harness. The instructions I had were for an MR2 and the wiring color for my Turbo Pressure Sensor was different, but luckily I was able to find it in the Electrical Wiring Diagram (for 1993). The VC line is pink and the PIM line is red and the GROUND line is brown, FYI. I didn't get a chance to test it, just soldered it up and that was it.
2. It got too dark outside, but I was going to wire up the AVC-R to the ECU harness. I'm also going to use a 6-wire harness to make a clean install. Allows for disconneting the AVC-R if needed and it's just cleaner that way. Also going to convert my soldered two wires to the ECU harness from the Turbo Timer to use a 2-wire harness as well so that it's cleaner. That's next weekend.
7/31/2010
I finished wiring up the AVC-R to the ECU harness and everything seems to working fine now. Also cleaned up the wiring for my boost gauge. I will need to read up more and tune the AVC-R properly. I just set a "baseline" using settings that someone here posted up in a thread about the AVCR, but I think it needs adjustment. For example, in my "B" setting for 1.1kg/cm2, I am maxing out boost at 12psi (my gauge is showing me)-- which is lower. Also I can't seem to hit full boost in 1st gear, only in 2nd gear+. However, the car really scoots now. I love it~!
More photos from today here in my album:
--> http://picasaweb.google.com/mike325ci/1 ... ngComplete
I took a few more photos of it when it just started getting dark. The white LED of the Koso gauge is very blue/white. The incandescent bulbs in my gauge cluster (I just took off the green condoms) is very yellow in comparison: I will definitely have to do the LED swap-- going for white. I am curious to see how the colors match once I do that. Thing is, the Koso gauge, when on (which is whenever the key is in the "On" position), is lit all the time (whether day or night), and the intensity is not adjustable. I really like the Peak/Warn function on it: had it set at 12psi on my first test run and it flashes a red LED when I hit that mark, very visible in my peripheral vision. The peak function, I used, to see what my peak boost was from the various settings of my boost controller. Overall, for the price, a nice unit.
My niece says, "This Celica is too sloooow: More boost, Uncle Mike!!" Hmmm, I think I agree...
I finished wiring up the AVC-R to the ECU harness and everything seems to working fine now. Also cleaned up the wiring for my boost gauge. I will need to read up more and tune the AVC-R properly. I just set a "baseline" using settings that someone here posted up in a thread about the AVCR, but I think it needs adjustment. For example, in my "B" setting for 1.1kg/cm2, I am maxing out boost at 12psi (my gauge is showing me)-- which is lower. Also I can't seem to hit full boost in 1st gear, only in 2nd gear+. However, the car really scoots now. I love it~!
CMS-GT4":62ykjdsi said:
More photos from today here in my album:
--> http://picasaweb.google.com/mike325ci/1 ... ngComplete
I took a few more photos of it when it just started getting dark. The white LED of the Koso gauge is very blue/white. The incandescent bulbs in my gauge cluster (I just took off the green condoms) is very yellow in comparison: I will definitely have to do the LED swap-- going for white. I am curious to see how the colors match once I do that. Thing is, the Koso gauge, when on (which is whenever the key is in the "On" position), is lit all the time (whether day or night), and the intensity is not adjustable. I really like the Peak/Warn function on it: had it set at 12psi on my first test run and it flashes a red LED when I hit that mark, very visible in my peripheral vision. The peak function, I used, to see what my peak boost was from the various settings of my boost controller. Overall, for the price, a nice unit.
My niece says, "This Celica is too sloooow: More boost, Uncle Mike!!" Hmmm, I think I agree...
darthripley
Moderator
the boost gauge looks nice installed Mike.
having a boost gauge with peak/warning function is very nice - i'm totally spoiled by it in both Vadar & R2.
once you get white LEDs in your gauge cluster it will match the boost gauge a lot better.
i think you'll also like looking at the cluster better at night too. LEDs are more pleasant to look at imo.
having a boost gauge with peak/warning function is very nice - i'm totally spoiled by it in both Vadar & R2.
once you get white LEDs in your gauge cluster it will match the boost gauge a lot better.
i think you'll also like looking at the cluster better at night too. LEDs are more pleasant to look at imo.
Thanks Luke, Keri... No problem, Josh. If you're on the fence about the Koso gauges, I say just do it-- they are quality units for the price! I know, you have other bigger issues to take care of on your car, but I'm just saying...
Well, since I'm in a "don't buy anything new for the car, just install all the goodies you bought long time ago" mode, the LEDs will have to wait, hehe... That means next big item on my to-do list is the ST205 WTA setup... I think I'm going to revisit your build thread, Keri & Joe, and see what things I need to do to prepare for the intercooler swap/install...
I'm thinking about the next autocross event I want to bring my Celica to, so I can test it with the added boost and increased caster setting. I think I'll make a trip down to Philly August 29th for the SCCA event there - http://www.phillyscca.com/solo2/index.html -- it's at a WWII bomber airstrip site which is nice and big and grippy and it's been a while since I've raced there... I see that we have a meet the weekend before outside of the Washington DC area, but I probably won't be making a trip south two weeks in a row, esp. with so much household things to take care of lately...
However, I might just end up taking my Lotus to Philly, though, since if anything happens to my Celica 5 hours from home, I won't be stranded... So that means I'll just take my Celica to a local (30 minutes away) autocross some other time.
If anyone is around Philly the last weekend of this month, let me know (Dan??? Free ride in an Exige, come on! :smokes: )
Well, since I'm in a "don't buy anything new for the car, just install all the goodies you bought long time ago" mode, the LEDs will have to wait, hehe... That means next big item on my to-do list is the ST205 WTA setup... I think I'm going to revisit your build thread, Keri & Joe, and see what things I need to do to prepare for the intercooler swap/install...
I'm thinking about the next autocross event I want to bring my Celica to, so I can test it with the added boost and increased caster setting. I think I'll make a trip down to Philly August 29th for the SCCA event there - http://www.phillyscca.com/solo2/index.html -- it's at a WWII bomber airstrip site which is nice and big and grippy and it's been a while since I've raced there... I see that we have a meet the weekend before outside of the Washington DC area, but I probably won't be making a trip south two weeks in a row, esp. with so much household things to take care of lately...
However, I might just end up taking my Lotus to Philly, though, since if anything happens to my Celica 5 hours from home, I won't be stranded... So that means I'll just take my Celica to a local (30 minutes away) autocross some other time.
If anyone is around Philly the last weekend of this month, let me know (Dan??? Free ride in an Exige, come on! :smokes: )
LegacyofDan
New member
mike325ci":y0k6d4lf said:
OH man so tempting!
i should of tagged you in the photo too on fbook, but yeah this is where i will be for a good part of the weekend:
http://njmp.com/events.html
http://rally-america.com/rallycross.php
http://store.njmp.com/store/category/9/ ... Y-AMERICA/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jddQ4uNBsxM
myself and a few local friends are all going prob in white trac. not sure. regardless.
I still have never been to an autocross event ever in my life. and i keep meaning to change that! lol.
maybe on the return trip back i can stop through, we will see...like i said i really actually would love to see an autocross event.
and my oh my, i would die and go to heaven if i could just sit in it parked. but to be in it while it is moving...oh man, i love Exiges!
9/6/2010 Updates:
No major updates to the car since last time, but some minor
8/22/2010
I went to my personal biggest AllTrac meet ever in Maryland, which was a good time~
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=38720
Everything was fine until the moment I left the meet to go back home, my boost went up beyond my 12psi setting. Weird... I pull over and as suspected, the vacuum line plug I put on the wastegate to the VSV popped off. [Note to Self & LESSON: Do not use a "vacuum line cap" that you can buy. Just cut off a piece of hose (I used silicone hose) and screw a screw at the end of it.] So I just shut off my boost controller and drove home boostless. Also, my ground wiring junction somehow ripped out (perhaps the pedals got in the way?). Also, it started POURING when I got to Manhattan, that I couldn't see 5 feet in front of me. And without A/C, defrosting was not happening. So I had to roll down my windows and the seats got all wet, so I wiped all that down as best as I could when I got home.
So this past weekend I fixed all those issues. I resoldered my ground and zip tied everything out of the way of the pedals. I also added Water Wetter to my cooling system and wiped down my seats and steering wheel with leather conditioner.
I also hit 72,000 miles this past weekend too.
Photo time!
72k miles:
Proper way to plug vacuum lines:
Took some photos of my ST185 next to my Exige:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mike325ci/1 ... Photoshoot
(finally washed my Lotus as well. got all that road-trip bug off the front.)
...that's it for now. Just waiting for Bear Mountain Meet to come around now (Oct. 16). The last time I took my Celica there was in 2008 or 2007, so I'm excited to bring it once again...
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=38739
No major updates to the car since last time, but some minor
8/22/2010
I went to my personal biggest AllTrac meet ever in Maryland, which was a good time~
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=38720
Everything was fine until the moment I left the meet to go back home, my boost went up beyond my 12psi setting. Weird... I pull over and as suspected, the vacuum line plug I put on the wastegate to the VSV popped off. [Note to Self & LESSON: Do not use a "vacuum line cap" that you can buy. Just cut off a piece of hose (I used silicone hose) and screw a screw at the end of it.] So I just shut off my boost controller and drove home boostless. Also, my ground wiring junction somehow ripped out (perhaps the pedals got in the way?). Also, it started POURING when I got to Manhattan, that I couldn't see 5 feet in front of me. And without A/C, defrosting was not happening. So I had to roll down my windows and the seats got all wet, so I wiped all that down as best as I could when I got home.
So this past weekend I fixed all those issues. I resoldered my ground and zip tied everything out of the way of the pedals. I also added Water Wetter to my cooling system and wiped down my seats and steering wheel with leather conditioner.
I also hit 72,000 miles this past weekend too.
Photo time!
72k miles:
Proper way to plug vacuum lines:
Took some photos of my ST185 next to my Exige:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mike325ci/1 ... Photoshoot
(finally washed my Lotus as well. got all that road-trip bug off the front.)
...that's it for now. Just waiting for Bear Mountain Meet to come around now (Oct. 16). The last time I took my Celica there was in 2008 or 2007, so I'm excited to bring it once again...
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=38739
Not much to update, but an important update nevertheless...
Bear Mountain Meet 2010 has come and gone-- it was a great time. One issue I discovered that night was that my starter overheats and doesn't start the car after a long long drive. Let it cool off a bit and it'll start the car. So I'll have to look into that (shield it? run a thicker wire to it, and also thicker ground wires all around?), but it's not too urgent, as it's only happened that one time so far.
If you have noticed, I've put a whole bunch of parts for sale. Lots of things personally is happening to me, and I have decided that I am not going to do any more work on my Celica. So whatever I have in the car is where I will stop. I will only take care of any maintenance issues that arises, but no other goodies for it. I just sold my ST205 W2A Intercooler setup this week, which I might regret later if I decide to come back to it, but it just makes more sense for me now to do that and let someone else put it in their car and enjoy it...
Given that I don't even drive that much anyways, I don't even think I'll drive that car in the winter (i.e. not going to get winter tires for it), although I had considered it, since I still have the stock wheels in the basement and have to decide what to do with it (sell it or keep it). Again, I'm losing any and all storage space, so I can't keep much spare parts lying around any more...
Also, this past weekend, I sold my BMW as well. (The Celica is now stored in the garage as a result, haha). For the past 10 years it has treated me well, and I will really miss that car. It smelled and drove like a new car (27k miles on it I've put since I bought it new in 2001) the day I sold it. I have also made the hard decision to sell my Exige as well. I am going to keep my Celica as my only car now. I really thought about selling the Celica and keeping my BMW as my only car-- it would make the most sense to do that since that car is so reliable (I couldn't have put more than $500 total in maintenance on that car over 10 years (not counting tires lol)). But I went through the whole thought process again, and concluded, as I did many times in the past, that it is going to be almost impossible to find another AllTrac in the condition mine is in, and also done to my liking as mine has been. So that is why if I were to keep only one car, that's what it's going to be. And as you can see, I am slowly getting out of my car hobby as a result. The writing was on the wall-- I haven't done many autocross or track days the past few years, so I guess I saw this coming.
I really wish I can keep the Lotus for when I get back into racing again, but who knows when that will be and until that time, it's wasteful for me to keep a car that I don't know where to keep (no garage space soon) or drive only a few times a year. I'll be back, though: those are amazing little cars. As long as Lotus stays true to their core, I'm sure their future iteration of this car would be still as good. If not, I'll get me another Exige later.
Been quite sentimental lately just looking back the last 10 years since I've had my BMW and all the car stuff I got into since then, and all the people I met, etc... It was a big chapter in my life, and I look back at it with fondness... I dug through my old old photos and found photos that really made me smile... I posted some photos in my Car album on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 6070c18235
Like this photo of my old car:
I know where my MR2 went - I see every time I come out to autocross, haha. But my ST165, where did it go???
Bye-bye E46:
So I'm telling you all this, because this could have easily been a note to say "bye-bye, I am out of the AllTrac world now" but instead, it's to say I am still here and my will still be here with me through this new "phase" of my life where I'm reshuffling priorities in my life and in general trying to do the most sensible thing, now that I will be starting a family and think of someone and things more than just myself.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your cars. These are wonderfully special cars. And I am always reminded of that every time I go through this mental exercise of "do I sell it or not?"
Bear Mountain Meet 2010 has come and gone-- it was a great time. One issue I discovered that night was that my starter overheats and doesn't start the car after a long long drive. Let it cool off a bit and it'll start the car. So I'll have to look into that (shield it? run a thicker wire to it, and also thicker ground wires all around?), but it's not too urgent, as it's only happened that one time so far.
If you have noticed, I've put a whole bunch of parts for sale. Lots of things personally is happening to me, and I have decided that I am not going to do any more work on my Celica. So whatever I have in the car is where I will stop. I will only take care of any maintenance issues that arises, but no other goodies for it. I just sold my ST205 W2A Intercooler setup this week, which I might regret later if I decide to come back to it, but it just makes more sense for me now to do that and let someone else put it in their car and enjoy it...
Given that I don't even drive that much anyways, I don't even think I'll drive that car in the winter (i.e. not going to get winter tires for it), although I had considered it, since I still have the stock wheels in the basement and have to decide what to do with it (sell it or keep it). Again, I'm losing any and all storage space, so I can't keep much spare parts lying around any more...
Also, this past weekend, I sold my BMW as well. (The Celica is now stored in the garage as a result, haha). For the past 10 years it has treated me well, and I will really miss that car. It smelled and drove like a new car (27k miles on it I've put since I bought it new in 2001) the day I sold it. I have also made the hard decision to sell my Exige as well. I am going to keep my Celica as my only car now. I really thought about selling the Celica and keeping my BMW as my only car-- it would make the most sense to do that since that car is so reliable (I couldn't have put more than $500 total in maintenance on that car over 10 years (not counting tires lol)). But I went through the whole thought process again, and concluded, as I did many times in the past, that it is going to be almost impossible to find another AllTrac in the condition mine is in, and also done to my liking as mine has been. So that is why if I were to keep only one car, that's what it's going to be. And as you can see, I am slowly getting out of my car hobby as a result. The writing was on the wall-- I haven't done many autocross or track days the past few years, so I guess I saw this coming.
I really wish I can keep the Lotus for when I get back into racing again, but who knows when that will be and until that time, it's wasteful for me to keep a car that I don't know where to keep (no garage space soon) or drive only a few times a year. I'll be back, though: those are amazing little cars. As long as Lotus stays true to their core, I'm sure their future iteration of this car would be still as good. If not, I'll get me another Exige later.
Been quite sentimental lately just looking back the last 10 years since I've had my BMW and all the car stuff I got into since then, and all the people I met, etc... It was a big chapter in my life, and I look back at it with fondness... I dug through my old old photos and found photos that really made me smile... I posted some photos in my Car album on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... 6070c18235
Like this photo of my old car:
I know where my MR2 went - I see every time I come out to autocross, haha. But my ST165, where did it go???
Bye-bye E46:
So I'm telling you all this, because this could have easily been a note to say "bye-bye, I am out of the AllTrac world now" but instead, it's to say I am still here and my will still be here with me through this new "phase" of my life where I'm reshuffling priorities in my life and in general trying to do the most sensible thing, now that I will be starting a family and think of someone and things more than just myself.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your cars. These are wonderfully special cars. And I am always reminded of that every time I go through this mental exercise of "do I sell it or not?"
Mike,
I will certainly miss the updates as your projects were always well planned and excecuted. I will say good for you for taking the sensible route in life. Children always change perspectives and priorities (or so I am told) so I personally don't have a child yet, but the wife and I are trying so trying to get my 'trac sorted before the kid comes.
Glad to hear you are keeping the 'trac over the more sensible BMW. Always nice to have people who respect and care for the 'trac actually keep/own them. Of course this may sound odd coming from someone who is currently planning on transplanting a 1mz into his 'trac.
Wow when I started this post I had 8 million meaningful and deep thoughts I meant to convey.... they are all lost now. So glad to hear you making the needed changes in your life and that you are keeping the 'trac.
-Terracar
I will certainly miss the updates as your projects were always well planned and excecuted. I will say good for you for taking the sensible route in life. Children always change perspectives and priorities (or so I am told) so I personally don't have a child yet, but the wife and I are trying so trying to get my 'trac sorted before the kid comes.
Glad to hear you are keeping the 'trac over the more sensible BMW. Always nice to have people who respect and care for the 'trac actually keep/own them. Of course this may sound odd coming from someone who is currently planning on transplanting a 1mz into his 'trac.
Wow when I started this post I had 8 million meaningful and deep thoughts I meant to convey.... they are all lost now. So glad to hear you making the needed changes in your life and that you are keeping the 'trac.
-Terracar
darthripley
Moderator
Sorry to hear you are going to sell the Exige, but cars come and go and you can always get another someday. At least you got to enjoy it the way it was meant to be driven.
Goes without saying but I'll say it anyways as it can be lost sight of - People are more important than objects/stuff/cars.
So, good to see your life priorities are in order and that you are still keeping the Alltrac.
Don't be a stranger - you know if you ever come down to DFW you are more than welcome to come visit & we will give you rides in Vadar & Super2
Goes without saying but I'll say it anyways as it can be lost sight of - People are more important than objects/stuff/cars.
So, good to see your life priorities are in order and that you are still keeping the Alltrac.
Don't be a stranger - you know if you ever come down to DFW you are more than welcome to come visit & we will give you rides in Vadar & Super2
celi_wabbit
New member
Mike,
I am sad to say that you are letting go some of your toys, but are happy to hear you are keeping the AT. From the way it looked when you were selling everything, I thought you were done with the car scene. I hope you decide to stop selling your cars right at lotus and keep the AT indefinitely.
As for me, I am married, just bought a house and manage to convince my wife to keep my AT. We plan to have a child in the near future and I can guarantee you I will still keep the AT. I already talked to the wife and she is fine with it as long as I don't have too many of them.
Now, if I do get rid of one of the car, it will most likely be the MR2 not the AT. I told her that the AT is the only thing that keeps me sane and stress free (unless the AT gives me a head ache) :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Good luck Mike and I do hope you decide to keep the AT for at least a long while.
I am sad to say that you are letting go some of your toys, but are happy to hear you are keeping the AT. From the way it looked when you were selling everything, I thought you were done with the car scene. I hope you decide to stop selling your cars right at lotus and keep the AT indefinitely.
As for me, I am married, just bought a house and manage to convince my wife to keep my AT. We plan to have a child in the near future and I can guarantee you I will still keep the AT. I already talked to the wife and she is fine with it as long as I don't have too many of them.
Now, if I do get rid of one of the car, it will most likely be the MR2 not the AT. I told her that the AT is the only thing that keeps me sane and stress free (unless the AT gives me a head ache) :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Good luck Mike and I do hope you decide to keep the AT for at least a long while.
LegacyofDan
New member
celi_wabbit":3ct8e1uw said:
bahaha there is nothing wrong with having "too many" of them...or so i tell my self..
but yeah back to topic. I saw your photo book on fbook...and to be honest, i am still in a degree of shock man. Only cause i am such a huge lover of lotus. and OMG i still look back to that autocross day with But...i can understand your reasoning and logic. It is very sound. Although i can relate(maybe in few years time) right now, i can understand man
and i offer you congratulations into this new chapter of your life man! and remember if you wanna sell me the lotus for 500 bucks, i will be in new york in hours! jk of course. but yeah again man i wish you the best with your future endeavors bro ...I am also thrilled to see that you did keep the alltrac, and you make a valid point, whatever did happen to your GORGEOUS 165...i need a black one see ya around mike!
Mike,
I am torn between being sad to see you getting rid of your cars , and also so very happy to see you starting a wonderful chapter in your life . I know how hard decisions like these can be, but trust me they pale in comparison to being a husband and father :wink: . Honestly there is no better joy in the world and no bigger responsibility. You are off to a very responsible start, and I know you will miss your cars but you have passed on some true gems to some lucky new owners. Seeing your Alltrac at the MD. meet was amazing and I hope you will still participate in future meets as well. Good luck on everything Mike, and thank you for holding on to the Alltrac
P.S. My desktop background is my daughter standing next to your Lotus at the Philly AutoX
:wink: :wink:
I am torn between being sad to see you getting rid of your cars
, and also so very happy to see you starting a wonderful chapter in your life . I know how hard decisions like these can be, but trust me they pale in comparison to being a husband and father :wink: . Honestly there is no better joy in the world and no bigger responsibility. You are off to a very responsible start, and I know you will miss your cars but you have passed on some true gems to some lucky new owners. Seeing your Alltrac at the MD. meet was amazing and I hope you will still participate in future meets as well. Good luck on everything Mike, and thank you for holding on to the Alltrac P.S. My desktop background is my daughter standing next to your Lotus at the Philly AutoX
:wink: :wink:i hope everyone had a good Thanksigiving weekend~!
thank you so much everyone for the support... see, there are definitely lots of good people i've met (in person or just online) over the years, and really those are the things that really count in the end, right...?
keri & joe-- my offer to give you a co-drive in the Exige in an autocross still stands, so hurry up and come to NYC before it sells!!! haha. man, i'm going to miss that car. truly the most insane and fun car i've had & there's nothing in the world like it... i just hope they keep making cars like that that are true to their roots-- keep it simple and light.
i'm on a mad parts selling spree & garage/basement cleaning lately. it truly is amazing how much parts we hoard over the years, LOL. it's a disease that we have, ladies and gentlemen!! i keep finding random things that i bought YEARS ago, you know "one day, i'll put this in my car" things... it's a lot of work to take photos, list them, sell them, etc... i still haven't gotten to 1/2 of everything yet.
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so update on my car (getting back on topic)... i've been driving it more often lately as now it's my only practical car. i have two things to take care of now:
1) shocks: i need to dial them down, LOL. i have the konis on full stiff front and back. they were fine @full stiff for day-to-day driving on Long Island and other long distance drives, but not in New York City!
2) battery: i think my battery is dying. i thought it was a starter issue, but yesterday was the second time that my car didn't start after sitting overnight without a battery tender (previously it was after the Bear Mountain meet). the voltage reads 11.7V and the car just won't start with that kind of charge. with the car running, i only get about 12.8V, not 13-14V as you would expect. though it could be the alternator, i think it's the battery if even after driving around (assuming it's fully charged from it), and i park it, the battery immediately reads 11.7V again. so i ordered a new Optima RedTop, Group 35 this time. (I had 34/78 before-- 35 is smaller). the current one i had since april 2007, so it's been 3.5 years - if that doesn't cure it, then i will suspect the alternator. i don't think it's my starter.
thank you so much everyone for the support...
see, there are definitely lots of good people i've met (in person or just online) over the years, and really those are the things that really count in the end, right...?keri & joe-- my offer to give you a co-drive in the Exige in an autocross still stands, so hurry up and come to NYC before it sells!!! haha.
man, i'm going to miss that car. truly the most insane and fun car i've had & there's nothing in the world like it... i just hope they keep making cars like that that are true to their roots-- keep it simple and light.i'm on a mad parts selling spree & garage/basement cleaning lately. it truly is amazing how much parts we hoard over the years, LOL. it's a disease that we have, ladies and gentlemen!! i keep finding random things that i bought YEARS ago, you know "one day, i'll put this in my car" things... it's a lot of work to take photos, list them, sell them, etc... i still haven't gotten to 1/2 of everything yet.
=============
so update on my car (getting back on topic)... i've been driving it more often lately as now it's my only practical car. i have two things to take care of now:
1) shocks: i need to dial them down, LOL. i have the konis on full stiff front and back. they were fine @full stiff for day-to-day driving on Long Island and other long distance drives, but not in New York City!
2) battery: i think my battery is dying. i thought it was a starter issue, but yesterday was the second time that my car didn't start after sitting overnight without a battery tender (previously it was after the Bear Mountain meet). the voltage reads 11.7V and the car just won't start with that kind of charge. with the car running, i only get about 12.8V, not 13-14V as you would expect. though it could be the alternator, i think it's the battery if even after driving around (assuming it's fully charged from it), and i park it, the battery immediately reads 11.7V again. so i ordered a new Optima RedTop, Group 35 this time. (I had 34/78 before-- 35 is smaller). the current one i had since april 2007, so it's been 3.5 years - if that doesn't cure it, then i will suspect the alternator. i don't think it's my starter.