I don't know how I somehow missed all the BRG updates... but dang, Pete! The integrated/blended TSI front end may be my new favorite!
Printable View
I don't know how I somehow missed all the BRG updates... but dang, Pete! The integrated/blended TSI front end may be my new favorite!
Wow, the steering wheel looks indeed brand new! Amazing work, and there's something really satisfying about restos, no matter what you restore. Kudos to you Pete!
As far as the star wars refs go, my younger sister had the exact same reaction when she first saw the Wats on the car. I guess you are glad you went with the hex caps, I think they match the Falcon horn button wonderfully!
It's funny, the KINOD guys have acknowledged that the BRG has really come along ways for something that was only intended to be a project car for eldest son and I to work on. It certainly benefited from a lot of great hand-me-downs and when son was off at college got regularly exercised for a change of pace. I've become a lot more attached to all three cars than I'd ever expected
Thanks Harry. It's true, doing something yourself is exponentially more satisfying. I'm particularly enjoying driving around again with the Falcon. I'm sure I'd also be appreciating the additional rigidity the frame rails added if I'd spent a hot afternoon under the car cursing and getting them in there ;).
Christopher, a friend from KINOD, also happens to be incredibly talent photographer. Like the kind with film cameras and everything. After I got Benny back from respray, the new wheels and sorting out some of the details I got an exciting message “I gotta shoot your car”. I immediately went back “Name a time/ place and I’ll be there.” It took a while to lock a time given shelter-in-place, work and life responsibilities, etc. Chris then reached out with an “awkward” question. He said Benny had been shot a lot and what he really dreamed of was shooting the Sunburst. I was so appreciative he was prepared to put in the time and effort on shooting, I was happy it was any of our Roadsters. On top I didn’t mind giving Mrs. R even more ammo about how stock was so superior to my “heavily modified” approach and that yellow was the best color and, and, and….
We met up in Longbeach and made our way south to Newport beach with many stops along the way.
Will let the pictures do the talking but ultimately the highlight was entirely around 1. The incredibly wonderful people I’ve gotten to know in this community 2. Safely visiting with some of those people and 3. Driving around and discovering new places makes for such a perfect way to spend a morning…
https://i.imgur.com/ZLR5gED.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rT6yDAs.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1P9Qm49.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GJRHtCT.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vvCQIgG.jpg
He also brought along his newly acquired 450SL, another classic roadster equally if not even more suited to Southern California
https://i.imgur.com/ZlfkDvS.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/WByPFay.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HzsUQFw.jpg
Contrary to what the lack of updates would suggest I haven’t in fact fallen off the face of the earth nor turned my back on all things Miati. Given COVID/ WFH we had decided that my wife and two youngest boys would drive up to Canada to spend a month or so living here so we could spend time with family and have a change of scenery. A few days before we were to leave my father got admitted to hospital and on day 2 of our 25 hour drive he was transferred to hospice with terminal congestive heart failure. We had two weeks of mandatory isolation after crossing the border and Dad’s aim was to hold on long enough to say goodbye in person. I feel so lucky that not only did he hold on but that he rallied and I got to spend nearly two and a half months of amazing quality time with him (his wit and wisdom was as sharp as it had always been up until the end). He passed on September 18th. A month earlier, my mother was also increasingly unwell and was taken to ER with pneumonia that was later diagnosed as non-small cel carcinoma already stage 4. Literally five minutes after my father’s last breath the hospital called to say that Mom was in an ambulance heading home to start palliative care at the house. We had three incredible weeks with receiving exceptional care at home and managed to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving as a family yesterday before her transition to hospice this morning. I feel so lucky that we managed to get her into the same hospice my father had been. The care is excellent and we already knew all the nurses, Dr’s and caregivers. Jen and the boys flew home a few weeks ago but I haven’t had the heart to leave. It’s been nearly four months since we arrived. I’m sure the rest of this journey will continue to be hard but the Roadster family has been an incredible support for me and a further testament to this amazing community. So back to my cathartacism and to updating this thread…
RIP Merlyn Joseph Royea
November 21, 1937 – September 18, 2020
https://i.imgur.com/mdhK1Me.jpg
Prayers are with you. I really have no words I can offer other than it puts a smile in my heart to know you were able to spend that much time with him before he passed. That truly was one of the greatest send offs one can have. Take care my friend and stay safe. We always have your back.
Back in 2015 I came across the art of San Mamiya thanks to Japanese Nostalgic Car - https://japanesenostalgiccar.com/art...by-san_mamiya/
…and a few months later there was a follow-up article (http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/san-mamiya-x-jnc-debut/) with a print JNC had collaborated on for that year’s JCCS.
https://i.imgur.com/vtfSeyL.jpg
Further down in the article was this amazing piece he created with Muttley piloting Ricky’s NA on track that I was totally enamored with
https://i.imgur.com/Brn6xYy.jpg
The articles talked about Mamiya-sans commission work but so I first reached out in October 2016 but after a number of years persisting the fun really began in March…
https://i.imgur.com/oB54Vxl.png?1
The steps in between to get to the final detail was incredible and San kindly did a version with the StarSharks and another with the Wats since I was having a hard time deciding
https://i.imgur.com/dwKqThN.png
https://i.imgur.com/rfQICEa.png
But Roadsters to me have been all about the people so we really had to capture the many amazing years at MRLS. So many people that I’d met in person for the first time at Laguna and almost all who’d shared the corkscrew. Not surprisingly, they’re all MRNet forum members that I first connected with on these pages.
https://i.imgur.com/4asapBW.png
And then from there, it really was impossible to not capture the essence of KINOD and the Hard Park Crew
https://i.imgur.com/DBlu8oG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/z4xASIN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CttiFDO.jpg
One of my favorite things is all the Easter Eggs San managed to incorporate from our discussions.
(I still feel badly that there were treasured cars and people that didn’t make it but at some point we got to the point where this commission couldn’t grow any more. There were enough ideas and cars that didn’t make it that maybe there will have to be another one day)
My condolencies Peter; but you made his journey as good as possible. We have a saying here, along the lines of the best way to honour them is to stay well and keep their memory alive, and you certainly did that. My prayers are with you and your family.
Sorry Peter. I am glad you were there for him. I lost my father to the same disease.
Heartfelt condoleances for you and your family.
Being 1398 miles away from KINOD didn’t mean I was totally missing out on my support group but I have been jonesing for time behind the wheel of my Roadsters. Back home eldest son was dutifully minding the fleet and the house and thankfully exercising both the Miati and Frodo. Also he was doing a good job keeping them clean and got to enjoy passing the 100k milestone after swapping back to the RPF1’s when a nail ruined one of the Direzza’s on the Mark 2’s
https://i.imgur.com/us55T8R.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/R5dIlGw.jpg https://i.imgur.com/dU9TdvE.jpg
I sent him back outside for some more pics and was reminded how lucky I am…
https://i.imgur.com/GYB5sdI.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/4HqncBX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/C2gCygm.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/aRiJ9pm.jpg
A few years back Eldest son drew a Rat Fink inspired drawing of Benny
https://i.imgur.com/shmdDDL.jpg
This year for my birthday he felt it really needed to be updated since the original was done when Benny’s mods list only included RPF1’s and a short shift kit from Bill Wilner.
https://i.imgur.com/Wy0a6ME.jpg
The one thing I'm missing much more than the Roadster's is my wife and boys. I cannot wait to be together again.
The Roadster affliction appears to be moderately contagious so have been fortunate to get my fix from time to time looking at my nephew’s sweet sweet NA
https://i.imgur.com/0tjMn2D.jpg https://i.imgur.com/Ky35FKC.jpg
Since that wasn’t entirely sufficient, my sister-in-law (his mom) thankfully also picked up her first NA this summer. A very clean Black and Tan (some great shots courtesy of said nephew’s photographic talents)
https://i.imgur.com/QqgJ91O.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/WOcUaok.jpg https://i.imgur.com/zNzzY0U.jpg