Other toys.....

Forums are designed to bring folks with similar interests together but we all have other things we do too. Most of us enjoy the thrill of a curvy road at a brisk pace. We like the way gravity pulls at us when we lean the bike over to the point that most folks think we are actually falling off the seat. But what else do you play with? Trucks, cars, home built airplane?

I mentioned it in another thread so I guess I will start off with my toy... Nadine is a 1990 Mazda Miata. I pause here for you to make the "Chick Car" insult of your choice....
I bought it with the sole intent of dropping a built Ford 5.0l into it but changed my mind a couple years ago. I did however throw in a 1999 Corvette LS-1 and a T-56 six speed as well as a Mustang Cobra 8.8 IRS. The car has floor supports, door bars, a roll bar, GPS speedo, and to the shock of many it LOST weight in the conversion {cast iron 4 banger to all aluminum 8, toss the huge stamped steel cross member for the tubular one}. Last September I was invited to participate in a coss country run to bring awareness to missing kids in America, the Fireballrun Adventurally. A friend and I traveled from Independence, Ohio to Bangor , Maine in 8 days passing out 1000 flyers and 4500 baseball cards with a missing little girl's picture on it. Along the way I got to play on Watkins Glen and Lime Rock Race Park, I held Lucy Ball's Emmy award, a Pulitzer Prize, a Nobel Prize, and hung out with Race Drivers, actors, and even an Astronaut. One of the best experiences of my life.
The car runs like a wristwatch and has a lot of power. People ask if its fast... 0-60 in 4.80 @ 280.3 feet, 13.4 @ 109 in the quarter {that was with 2 fat guys, all our luggage, a full load of fuel, and a case of beer in the car}. The handling is the same as any other MIata but it pulls a lot harder out of corners.
My next trick is to build a tube frame car called an Exocet. It is supposed to be Miata based but I am going to repower it with a Magnason Supercharged 6.0L If a v-8 MIata is silly, then a SC 6.0 in a lightweight tube frame is going to be F'n STUPID!

 

I would love to see your Miata in person. I bet it's a blast to drive. I'm in between 4 wheeled toys at the moment(two teenage daughters to put through college). About two years ago I sold my baby....2004 Subaru Sti, fully built motor putting down 471whp on pump gas with a conservative tune. It was stupid fast. I'm starting to look around now for a new 4 wheeled toy, but I'm undecided so far. I'm haggling with a guy now who has a 1991 GMC Syclone, but not sure he's gonna come down to the price I want.
For the last year, I've been restoring a 1966 Shasta Airflyte vintage camper. It's been pretty fun, although I'm not used to working on something that doesn't have a internal combustion engine.:biggrin: I should be through with this camper by the summer, so by then I'll be ready for something new to tinker with.

 

@ meier i love the miata i bet that's a blast!

@risgett those syclones are awesome! i've been looking for one for a while. problem is finding one that hasn't been butchered up

As for me, i grew up as a car guy. my dad got me into big cars, my first car that wasn;t a hand me down, was an 82 crown victoria. it was awesome, a rare 2 door. i could never park next to another car beacuse the doors were just so damn big. eventually i got into smaller cars, but i really fell in love with 3rd gen camaros. i've had four total, i still have #3. eva is a 91 z28 with only 60k on the odo. other than an after market exhaust, she's 100% original. in the past 7-8 years i've gotten away from cars and drifted more and more into bikes. specifically classic jap bikes. i tried my hand at making a cafe racer and i think i did ok for having a $200 budget.

 

:hss: Can I be your son?:wink:

 

Thanks Guys.... Flyin Miata makes some great stuff. Kieth Tanner ran the Targa race two years ago and his car is awesome. I went with Boss Frog for my kit and then went off script for the rear diff mount and engine accy pullys. The diff mount is actually a Boss Frog offering now. My car was the first one to use that diff, they are all built for the 7.5 or 8.8 cast iron from a T-bird ect.
My 13 year old asked if he could take the car to his prom. I told him that if I wanted him dead I would let him chew on one of my firearms!
I have always owned off the wall cars... 73 Chevelle Laguna, 78 LTD-II 2 door (460 swap), 72 GTO, 7 Sirocco in one year, 84 GTi, 82 Rx-7 (clocked at 143 on radar, no ticket), even an 89 Mazda 323GTX that was one of only 604 imported (AWD, 4 wheel disc, turbo...sick). I have owned 14 MIata in the last 3 years as a way to pay for Nadine.
My garage is known as the Drop 'n Run Saloon & Auto Repair. We have open work nights on Fridays. Who ever needs stuff done gets to buy the pizza, everyone bring their favorite adult beverage. If you are in CT, feel free to come by......

 

About 8 years ago I had a 1998 Dakota R/T. That was a fun truck. I got it with headers, flowmasters, MSD wires, and iridium plugs. Then I put on cold(er) air intake, stereo (I was in high school...), and lowered it 2" in the front and 3" in the back (new springs and leafs with Nitro shock, none of that lowering block crap). I would have loved to keep it, but once I hit college I started looking at bikes and figured it would be pointless to have two vehicles I couldnt drive in the winter. Sold the truck and picked up the CBR F2. A few years later the VFR came along and you all know the rest.

I cant call them toys, but I've gotten into a new hobby. Shooting. Back in September I got a Kel-Tec P11 (9mm pistol), and just a month ago I picked up a Mossberg 30-30 Lever Action (Cowboy style!) Going to the range in the winter has been enough to keep my mind of not being able to ride.

 

I once put a 289 into a 71 pinto..... that thing hauled ass..... it was great around corners too.. although it was a bit rough trying to change the plugs.....

 

@Guj... I had a friend that did all that to a Dakota. He was tired of blowing it up all the time. Then he saw my '02 Ram 2500 Cummins 6 speed. I was pushing 550+hp and making 1400ft-lb with 42 psi boost. That 8800# truck went 14.3 @87.5 I had a Banks exhaust and Exhaust Brake, Fastcooler on the trans, BD short shifter, 150gph fuel pump, and the turbo was a Holset HX35/40 hybrid I built myself. I was running the Adrenaline chip but never changed injectors.
I too enjoy firearms and have a small collection. My Taurus Raging Bull .454 is a lot of fun at the range simply for the wow factor. An unfired .44 Magnum falls through the barrel ;-)
@Crusty... In highschool a friend had a 351 Pinto. We had to turn the exhaust manifolds around and point the openings to the front to avoid cutting the firewall. John designed a complete body kit from EMT tube then laid fiberglass over it. The car never made it to paint but it looked wild even in red oxide primer!

 

I've got a bit cheaper of a hobby, compared to some of you. Home beer brewing. I've currently got a Grolsch going, and a Scottish Ale next, then a Whitbier kit after that. It too, can be expensive, but what little breaks on it is cheaply replaced. Kits run from $20 - $50, the Vanilla Porter I am currently enjoying is on the higher side. Takes time, but the hardest thing about it is boiling water....

 

Hahaha I like Keager thinking............Cheap and tasty :thumbsup::drinkers:

 

cheers to keager!! i'm a home brewer as well. i just finished an ipa, i'm gonna be attempting my first stout shortly.

 

Also had an STi, an '08 Stage 2 300/350. It was fun. I'm waiting on the new one to come out and I'll pick it up as soon as I know there aren't a bunch of ringland failures like on the current gen (one reason I sold).

Main other hobby is shooting. Pistols, shotguns, and rifles. Currently waiting on a Blaser .308 that I ordered before Xmas. Supposed to arrive late this month. Trying to decide on glass for it and they aren't cheap (LR glass).

 

My first car 1992 F150 purchased new, I've been the only owner. Currently 140k on the clock. Regrettably haven't spent much time on it recently. Money has been tight. I'll get around to hooking it up one of these years.



Sold toy, purchased set up. 1993 Lightning.

 

The Vanilla Porter I did was a stout, had to mash the grain myself. First time for doing that. Had one bottle bomb, but damn is it good.

 

heh heh that would have been cool to see... I got the drive train from a buddy that totalled his mustang, so we swapped it had the driveshaft cut down. I had to sawzall the hood to get the air cleaner to fit. we upgraded the suspension and he did something with the exhaust, don't really remember but I do remember that it was quite the shoe horn to get the thing in... we also tubed out the rear end so I could get wider tires on it.. with the crappy stock size it just sat there and spun.... it was that puky green ford color....

 

How long do you expect to wait for the .308? I ordered another Kel-Tec before the Sandy Hook shooting and I dont expect to see the thing untill mid-summer (if I'm lucky).

 

The date my dealer was given is March 29th and I ordered in December. But this is a german made precision sniper rifle that has to be imported so there is always a wait whether in the middle of a gun scare or not.

Don't fret, production will catch up soon. They tossed the AWB this week so it's only a matter of time now........

 

Wow where to start, ok I'll do my motorcycles first then go from there...my other motorcycles consist of a '91 Honda CBR600f2 that is in MINT condition, a '82 Kawasaki GPZ750r1 that is heavily modified and a '69 Kawi Bushmaster 90cc that I made into a nice cafe racer. My four wheeled toys consist of 2004 Honda S2000 lowered 1.5" with a aftermarket air induction system with a full race exhaust system including the header all the way to the rear of the car. She sits on a nice set of 18x9 rears and 18x8 front wheels, not the fastest sports car out there, but she will scare at times. My other garage queen is a 1953 Ford F100 Hot rod that I just finished installing a 1974 Camaro front clip and basically rebuilding the frame from the cab back to add a monster Cnotch and a complete air bag suspension.

My other toys are numerous handguns and a couple of those evil "assault rifles"...:chaingun:

can you tell that I'm not married and have no children?