Cars

Key Points:

Its not about the horsepower (HP) - torque is what counts. Remember HP is calculated from torque:

HP= Torque X rpm/5252

This is why ALL engines have torque and HP equal at 5252 rpm (assuming they can rev that hi :) )

The garage is my cave.

A TV for NFL games, a refrigerator for beverages,

and PLENTY of tools.

One of my goals in life is to have and use all known hand tools once before the dirt

nap. I am 45 and about

about half way there on both fronts.

Hard work is a good friend

of mine. I find it everywhere and it serves me well.

Stay physical. Do things.

Don't talk about things. Get

your hands dirty. Stay fit.

Stay lean. Stay strong. Stay

sharp.

Cars

Welcome to a page just for my car buddies.

If it has an engine and wheels, I probably like it - minivans don't make the list. I am a hardcore Mechanical Engineer who has been in the Information Technology industry for twenty years. I love machines, computers being one of the extreme machines in my book. Cars keep me real.

I like to do as much work on my cars as I can. Here are some a few photos of my activities.

67 Camaro RS/SS

This is an original 1967 Camaro RS/SS 396 4-speed car. It was built at the Van Nuys, CA plant and, based on my research, was never registered outside of California. It was abandoned at a body shop in Riverside about in the early 90s and I bought from a guy who paid the body shop bill and took possession. I first restored it to original condition and went wild as you can see. One of these years, I am going to put all the original, numbers matching parts (engine, trans, rear end) back in and re-paint it the original turquoise metallic.

My goal on the engine was to build one that would scare the hell out of me at full throttle - mission accomplished. I started with a 502 BBC crate engine, ported the heads, put in a Crower roller cam made here in San Diego, and topped it off with a Weiand 8-71 blower with two Barry Grant 850CFM carbs. This engine would have crushed the original M-21 transmission, so in went a Jerico street 4 speed with a vertical gate shifter - good for about 800ft lbs of torque. I never hit the torque limit on the transmission since the car rarely hooks up hard. It will flat light-up the 315s up to about 60 mph. I have some 10" slicks but have never ran with them (yet). The total package is in the 750HP to 800HP range with is actually pretty mild at about 1.6 HP/cubic inch. It is very drivable and never overheats thanks to a MASSIVE radiator and e_water pump.

2001 Porsche 911 Turbo (aka 996 TT)

At the other end of the performance world is my 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo. This is my fourth Porsche 911 and I ordered this one in 2000 and waited and waited for delivery. For a brief moment in 2001, this was the quickest production car on the planet - zero to 60 in 3.8 secs, 1/4 mile in 12.1 sec, and a top speed of 192mph.

The acceleration in the car is staggering, but the brakes are breath taking in power. The car hauls down from 100mph in about 3.5 seconds - so quickly you feel air pressure changes in your ears from the Bernoulli effect - you know static pressure decrease with velocity (i.e. lift on a wing) - braking is just the opposite.

The Garage

I bought my current house for the garage - contiguous four car space 24 feet deep. I immediately covered one wall with peg board and have been collecting my tools ever since.

My Dad's Truck

My Dad has very cool 58 Chevy Pickup. I also told him, if he got the ride, I would handle the engine... Well one Christmas I had a HO350 SBC Crate Engine from GM Performance Parts sent to him. Below is my Dad picking up his new engine with his cool truck

I took a week off early that spring and went out and pulled the old Six Cylinder and put in the 350SBC and a new Richmond 4-speed. As you can see, the install came out very fine and it runs great!

2009 Accord Coupe V6 with 6 Speed Manual

What a great car! Awesome value, lots of power, great handling, slick shifting six-speed and an HONDA! Ordered it due to the hard to get Belize Blue - this color it is all over the Honda Web site and brochures but is VERY HARD to get. Only four in this trim (V6, 6Spd, and Navigation System) were scheduled for production at the Marysville Ohio plant in January and that plant makes 25,000 Accords A MONTH!