A lackluster nb from Houston.

[woahmiata]

I honestly have no idea, I took it to Ace Hardware and the first thing they asked me was, "how much did this thing cost?", then made a move for the cutter. I asked if he was sure if he could do it and he said yes and I also made sure to ask if the store would reimburse me if he destroyed it and he said yeah. Well what do you know, he destroys it and calls his manager who tells me the store cannot reimburse me and then the kid went back on his word and said that he said no such thing. I asked the manager why he'd let an employee cut something he isn't sure that he is capable of cutting and gave me this sarcastic remark, "well we'll cut anything someone brings us". I should take a brick in there and ask to have a key cut...

[woahmiata]

And thanks for the compliments on the wheels! I love them. 1200$ is a great deal, I was super excited when he told me he'd do that! I actually have never named a car before haha, suggestions are welcome! Maybe Stinky, on the count of the interior smelling like ass when I got it haha.

[Greasemonkey2000]

Ya i don't think a locksmith would have done that. Sorry but a lot of people that work at general goods stores(same can be said for most auto part chains) don't know "diddly squat" about anything pertaining to their job but that is a consequence of corporations not wanting to pay a decent wage for knowledgeable people or care any to properly train. Of course there is an exception to most rules.

[woahmiata]

Yeah, honestly it wasn't a good idea to go there, but the have cut just a regular extra key for the car before so I figured, why not? I'm probably going to order a set of the door bushings soon, and i'll probably wait to get the fender braces after I get a roll bar. I've been in a roll-over accident and want the safe feeling a roll bar will give me.

[woahmiata]

Okay, I don't mean to get off topic here but I thought it would be nice to give you all some sort of idea of my automotive upbringing. So when I was a child my Dad had a nissan 280zx and a 1968 vw Karmann Ghia. I loved those two cars as a child and going for rides in them, especially the 280zx. Unfortunatley I don't have any photos of them as they are long gone and were sold to get us in to a better area of town. This was around the time that my dad started his own pool cleaning business which eventually grew into something very profitable for him. Anyways, here are the cars that I am currently surrounded by.







This is my Mom's 2002 Mini Cooper John Works. The entire car including the frame was manufactured in the year 2002, this build was sanctioned by Mini and John Works executed it. It only has 7,000 miles and is in immaculate condition. It makes about 120 whp and is on Toyo r888's. I love this car very much and if they ever decide to let go of it I am going to make sure I buy it.



This is my Dad's 1991 e30 318is, he loves this car very much and has tastefully modified it. It is a pretty fun car to drive but I prefer my Miata



This is his Smart Roadster which he brought back from Mexico when he was working on a housing project, it is an extremely cool little car and very fun to drive. I wish he'd consider modifying it and doing a swap on it because the power unfortunately isn't there...



Lastly, this is my Mom's 1967 Mustang GT Fastback. My Grandmother bought this car new back in 1967 and its been in the family ever since. Luckily i'm net in line for this car

[woahmiata]

Sorry about the pictures, the camera glass on my S5 somehow managed to crack. The screen stayed intact. Oh well...

[NCGreasemonkey]

Not enough drool in my body for the Mini!!!

[Greasemonkey2000]

Not enough drool in my body for the Mini!!!

QFT, looks like your family has "automobiles in their blood", cool!

[woahmiata]

The Mini is great and so much fun to drive, I figured you guys would like it in particular! If the wheels were an inch bigger i'd probably, "borrow" them

[NCGreasemonkey]

Think the folks would let and old man borrow the mini to do a BRP run here in NC with photos to prove it was for just seeing the sights?!?

[woahmiata]

Haha, you'd probably have to get creative to get the keys from them!

[woahmiata]

So, I don't know if all of you saw my post about going on a small road trip from Houston to Waco. Well the trip went very well! I had a great time when I finally got to some back roads! Also I snapped this picture which is my new favorite of the car, wish I would've had a real camera... Time for an oil change and a new throw out bearing!

[woahmiata]

Hello everyone, I've decided to return from my recent hiatus and update my thread again. I've been very busy with school so my thread had to be put on the back-burner. I haven't had much time to do anything but I did find time to take on one small project. I painted my valve cover!

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

I also ended up doing my extra valve cover in the same black wrinkle coat but painted the letters silver. I'll post pictures of that tomorrow! I have 2 classes left in my course work to finish off my associates degree in applied science with a major in process technology. So at the end of this year I will be seeking employment at one of the local refineries. Then the build can really take off with full force. New paint, NUE over-fenders, coil-overs, and a nice set of wheels are next on the major mod list with quite a few of reliability mods preceding those. On another note, do any of my fellow Texans have any advice on keeping the car running cool in traffic on these hot summer days? Any input is greatly appreciated!

[RustRat]

Chad? @Greasmonkey2000? God I wish we could tag people


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Greasemonkey2000]

If the factory cooling system is in good working order then you shouldn't have any issues with everyday use with stock power.

I upgraded to a 42mm CSF radiator from Goodwin Racing(Ryan and Sean are always very helpful and Goodwin typically has the best prices on most anything they carry) because my oem one cracked. I also did the coolant reroute which takes the upper radiator hose(GM v8 hose is used, part number can easily be found) to the rear of the head, restoring the factory coolant route. Then a Super Stant 195F thermostat, 70/30 water/coolant mixture and a bottle of Redline Water Wetter for good measure.

Warbird coolant temps are consistently 195-205F year around, with it getting to around 210-215F in stop/go traffic and a/c going.