GOING BACK TO THE CHALLENGE !!

I have to, like a moth to a flame, like the swallows to Capistrano, like Angry to a dead Corvair.

I just got the latest issue and was impressed with this year's entrants. EVERYONE was smiling, all the cars looked great and it all seemed so organized. I appreciate being one of the 25 in the special section, but that's what tipped the scales. I have never seen a photo of the BatVan where it wasn't being pushed around a parking lot. I have to redeem my reputation, clear my name and actually make black lines on the pavement.

There. Committed.

The wife is behind me 100% if she can fly down. Driving two vehicles, watching the BatVan almost flip off into a swamp off I-95, blowing the clutch in the tow vehicle and see me slamming to get this stupid thing running.... she still says she had a good time, but I think it can be better.

Stats from this year's event say 4 cylinders rule. With that in mind, I bought the Geo Metro pictured below. It came with no interior, insulation and minimal dashboard, so the "Best Interior" trophy is out of grasp. It's a good 50/50 paint job so this will be my second attempt at painting a car, BV was the first and that was only primer.

So there ya have it kids, I'm in. My son lives 150 miles away and has an attractive girlfriend, so not much help there, but I will make the big show again.

Film at 11....

Dan

Good Luck Dan!

Needs a secret project name...

Maybe "Project Possum"

When the others cars show up all angry we can count on yours to curl up in a defensive posture!

Armed Armadillo.

It jumps five feet in the air and cracks you in the nuts.

914Driver wrote: Armed Armadillo. It jumps five feet in the air and cracks you in the nuts.

...and loves high nitrate tactical bacon

So why would your nuts be 5 feet in the air...

Congrats, Dan! Ya never know, something from da Creek could wander down as well.

4 cylinders may rule, but 2 of them in that thing would DEFINITELY ROCK!!

I can't blame you , I got second last due to a DNF on the drags and I spend the last weekend on the new car.

I even drove to Chapters last night in freezing rain to see if the new issue was out..

Damm this is addictive!

Look forward to seeing you there!

The Challenge article fired me up as well. I am again dying to be back...it's always so much fun.

Damn thats like the bazillionth time that metro has popped up on here with a new owner. Its about time somebody did something with it.

Junkyard_Dog wrote: Damn thats like the bazillionth time that metro has popped up on here with a new owner. Its about time somebody did somethingcool with it.

Fixed.

It will be a different colour; in my head this thing's already done.

In your head the BatVan was done too...

...but you still had to push it!

(I voted for you too!)

COOL! There have been "whatever happened to that guy" conversations @ 3AM the last couple years, and in case you missed it in another thread, the Batvan was the only car in the new issue my wife was interested in (she's seen all those st00pid hong cars a billion times.) Good to know you're coming back!

wrecked hyabusa anone?

I will be there too, First time ever, no hope of winning, but I do hope to see some ingenuity.

best of luck to you.

Jensenman wrote: So why would your nuts be 5 feet in the air... Congrats, Dan! Ya never know, something from da Creek could wander down as well.

????? Frazda????? Maord?????

If it's gonna sprout some fire breathing horns from the hood........

minimac wrote: If it's gonna sprout some fire breathing horns from the hood........

Naw, that's more a Hong thing than a Dan. Dan will just buy a trailer that's too short for it to fit in.

(Sorry Dan, I couldn't resist! Don't kill me!)

Toyman01 wrote: ????? Frazda????? Maord?????

Ya never know what might be abandoned on the side of the road between now and then.

SVreX wrote: In your head the BatVan was done too... ...but you still had to push it! (I voted for you too!)

Now now, the BatVan ran up and down my driveway just fine. On longer hauls the poor little GM water pump couldn't get the H2O all the way to the back where the radimagator was.

THIS one will be well sorted, I will not be embarrassed again.

914Driver wrote:

SVreX wrote: In your head the BatVan was done too... ...but you still had to push it! (I voted for you too!)

Now now, the BatVan ran up and down my driveway just fine. On longer hauls the poor little GM water pump couldn't get the H2O all the way to the back where the radimagator was. THIS one will be well sorted, I will not be embarrassed again.

FWIW, I've got a three cars with stock GM water pumps that pump water through ~20 feet of coolant plumbing (engine in back, radiator in front) and the pumps always work fine, even with smallish tubing (~1.25") there isn't much resistance to flow with tubing compared to other components in the system. Getting good airflow and getting all the air out of the system are probably much more likely to have caused problems. Putting radiators where they don't belong is pretty tricky to do right. Been there, done that.

Bryce

Excellent. Tell Trish she HAS to come.

Margie

Cool that you'll be back. The latest issue was a great motivator.
I skipped last year, and was going to spectate this year, but one of my relatives deicded she's getting married that weekend in Michigan. Hope to see you all in 2010!

TWO hayabusa motors for OMFG AWD FTW!

One other point and then I'm out:

Imagine this; You climb through an opening about 20 inches wide, roll up into kind of a ball to get your feet from behind you to out in front of you. You plop down in a seat in the center of vehicle with no mirrors and no rear visibility at all. You fire up a noisy V8 and push the shifter forward, yep, P R N D L is actually L D N R P and it's on the left. You need a spotter to ensure you don't hit something on the sides or behind you. As you smoke up the tires and head down your street remember that the only thing between your toes and the next immovable object is 1966 VW sheet metal. The back of your knees are right over the cross member of a Monte Carlo frame, the front tires are parallel to your hips. Interesting sensation turning around.

Have you seen the movie Space Cowboys? At the end Tommy Lee Jones was strapped to that nuclear six gun; that's pretty much what it was like.

GRM was correct to make changes to the rules concerning ingress/egress. Yeah it was a cool but it scared the crap outta me!.

Hopefully the next one will be better, it will definately hit a track or two before getting hauled or driven 1200 miles.

See you in October, if not there's 2010.

Dan