My BABE Rally Car! (80's wagon content)

GregTivo wrote: I'm sincerely hoping the aesthetics will overawe and impress the competition, or atleast hilarify (<--Oxford dictionary can suck it!!).

If I dont go insane with TPBs car I will be doing more themeing of a car than ever before this year. This is finally the car I wanted to do all along. Big, American, Convertible

It will be almost comically stereotypical ratrod but it will be done up to the fullest. Im planning a full weekend....10 hours a day, 2 days, just for all the pinstriping. Lets hope I can find that weekend :)

My teammate this year might be of the female kind (if all scheduling logistics on her end check out okay). Also, I think I might win the fuel efficiency crown this year if that pesky Saturn isn't running. Yes, i'm 80% sure i'm rockin the escort this year..

hmmm....getting my hands on a 1999 Saturn SL2 for $48.98. Horrible clutch though...

but greg think of all the fun you depriving the other ralliests ... I learned to pin stripe on your Gremlin!

CarKid

Note the age cut-off rule for BABE, nothnig newer than a '95 this year I believe. Nothing against cars that people have quickly demolished, but BABE is about ratty old beaters, not the new Taurus that got in a front end collision or blew its motor.

littleturquoiseb wrote: but greg think of all the fun you depriving the other ralliests ... I learned to pin stripe on your Gremlin!

alot of people learned to do alot of things on the Gremlin...and I learned that certain residents of Alabama like Top Gear slogans...

JThw8 wrote:

GregTivo wrote: I'm sincerely hoping the aesthetics will overawe and impress the competition, or atleast hilarify (<--Oxford dictionary can suck it!!).

If I dont go insane with TPBs car I will be doing more themeing of a car than ever before this year. This is finally the car *I* wanted to do all along. Big, American, Convertible It will be almost comically stereotypical ratrod but it will be done up to the fullest. Im planning a full weekend....10 hours a day, 2 days, just for all the pinstriping. Lets hope I can find that weekend :)

Jeff and I really want to be dripping with theme as well. It should be fun.

My teammate will be my girlfriend, so add one more girl to the list. We'll be rockin' a theme as well, but I'm not giving it up yet.

16vCorey wrote: My teammate will be my girlfriend, so add one more girl to the list. We'll be rockin' a theme as well, but I'm not giving it up yet.

hope your A/C works, certain members of the 2006 BABE could be quite grumpy after riding in an A/Cless car for 8 hours a day. Something about her hair and general wellbeing.

GregTivo wrote:

16vCorey wrote: My teammate will be my girlfriend, so add one more girl to the list. We'll be rockin' a theme as well, but I'm not giving it up yet.

hope your A/C works, certain members of the 2006 BABE could be quite grumpy after riding in an A/Cless car for 8 hours a day. Something about her hair and general wellbeing.

Negative. Not only does the AC not work, but the car was never equipped with AC. If it was broken, I could fix it. There's not much I can do about that. I've tried to warn her that she will be hot and uncomfortable, and the car will probably smell bad, but she says (begrudgingly) that she's OK with that. We'll see.

To get an idea what sitting in a car in south Alabama is like in June, send her to a hot springs wearing a full winter coat. Sweat doesn't dry, it just pools on and around you. Of course I've had the worst of both worlds, driving down in hot weather with the heater on full blast to prevent the car from overheating. I don't think my college buddy is friends with me anymore after that adventure.

Well here in Southern Indiana, it stays in the 90's with ridiculous humidity during the summer. If you go outside you're pretty much immediately drenched in sweat. Last year her E30 developed a leak in the AC system, so she was without for the month of August. The car she had before that didn't have AC. I know she can do it, but I'm gonna hear a lot of complaining.

My college roommate had one just like that when it was brand-new. Wow that makes me feel old.

If any BABE'ers need any GRM stickers or whatever, let me know.

I have a stack an inch think, and the Fox will be sporting a few for sure.

David S. Wallens wrote: My college roommate had one just like that when it was brand-new. Wow that makes me feel old. If any BABE'ers need any GRM stickers or whatever, let me know.

PM sent. I had a bunch somewhere that I picked up at the Mitty in '06, but I think they've disappeared.

I still haven't 100% decided which heap I'm running on BABE this year.

Currently it's a choice of: 1983 Volvo 244 Turbo, 1972 Mercedes 280SE, or 1989 Peugeot 505 SW8.

I'm mostly leaning towards the Volvo, since (unbeknownst to me when I paid $400 for it) it's got a whole mess of iPd suspension upgrades on it and it actually handles. It's also the only one with a manual transmission (although 2nd will fight you like a mutha)

I'm also genuinely afraid of what the Mercedes will need to survive the event, which in this case is almost a plus. If I can get the throttle to not stick wide open every time you step on the gas and can come up with a water pump and a set of tires for it reasonably...my mind may change again.

The Peugeot is probably the most unique of the three, but unfortunately it's also the least interesting to drive. On the other hand, if a whole bunch of people decide they want to come with me at the last minute, hey, seating for eight!

Photos:

Tim,

I love the fact that you can have 3 potential BABE candidates. I have to content myself with one at a time or else parking and workspace becomes a big issue.

The front of old peugeots is so awesome too, its like seeing a permanently pissed off frenchman.

Technically, I have five BABE candidates...the other two are my bright yellow '86 Toyota cargo van which we are slowly converting from automatic to manual and the 1990 Audi 200 that we were planning on running in the first place before it got t-boned last October. Hell, if we can get the body pulled off of the rear wheel and find another door cheap...rrr. Decisions, decisions!

This is the part of BABE noone warns you about, once you are hooked you end up buying ever car under the budget guidelines that comes your way. Never wanting to pass up an interesting candidate. I went through 5 or 6 cars last year before we settled on the Mustang. Only 2 for myself this year but 2 more for the brit team Im sponsoring and I passed along at least 2 others to other teams to keep me from buying them for myself.

I'm not too worried about that addiction, I've had it for years.