I agree, good questions. I’m not an oil guru but IMO it depends largely on the car. I won’t give you brands because  you’ve already figured out brands have their own hype. It ends up like asking what the best brand of beer is. BUT,  I own two nearly polar-opposite cars that I believe require different oil. Maybe this will help... Car #1: an early 50’s Chevrolet six. I run traditional mineral oil in an appropriate viscosity for my climate. I use traditional oil because it usually plays better with the types of seals and gaskets found in old engines, it runs cooler than modern engines and the tolerances were much more generous in those days, so the extra sheer qualities and cost of synthetic is wasted. I also use a brand’s “racing” formula even though suggesting it could be a race car is like saying Dolly Parton could be an Olympic swimmer. I use it because it’s got ZDDP which is sacrificial anti-wear metal that used to be common in old oil formulas but was taken out for environmental reasons these days in MOST oils. Hence the ‘racing’ part. Car #2:  A mid 90’s Turbocharged two-rotor import sports car. In that I run a modern synthetic. Machine tolerances are tighter,  the engine runs much hotter and the oils responsibility for cooling is way higher,  AND MOSTLY for synthetic’s superior shear strength and heat tolerance for the journal bearings of those hot turbos. Sorry, long winded way of answering your questions with...”it depends”.  ... View more

I don’t recall seeing the Van episode either. I’ll have to look for it to stream. Pretty, young, and if she appeared on that show she likely had a good sense of humor. Obviously a great talent. Damn cancer.  ... View more

🤣 LOL...yeah.  ... View more

Out numbered I am, that’s for sure. 😇 I just hope someone doesn’t have a pet allergy. Gives them more choices.  ... View more

 🤦‍ ♂️   ... View more

I was just going to comment on the wheels too. The size and off-set look perfect for the car.  ... View more

Again, you’re trying to be gentle. I have a strong opinion that I don’t believe gentle is beneficial. I believe honesty and frankness is the better medicine...even when it doesn’t get me likes. And some things I said were for illustration, but nothing was “nasty”. 😇 ... View more

“None of us were born having owned. driven, worked for or sacrificed for a car, so that doesn't make sense as a complaint. Enthusiasm at an age when one does not have the means - and experience with the culture is what combines to create the motivation to drive/purchase/build that first car.” So by your definition the 4 year old neighbor boy who is “enthusiastic” about cars and likes to ride a battery operated corvette up and down the driveway is part of the “car culture” or “community”?  Nope.   You can be enthusiastic about being a Chef, but until you sweat hours over a stove, burnt your finger on a hot pan, created your own recipe or added your own twist to an old recipe ...your not part of the culinary culture or community,  Seems most are bending backwards to be kind to a adolescent boy...to encourage him with his interest. That’s fine, until he starts confusing reality. Despite lacking ANY semblance of experience do I recall him seeking guidance or opinion. Instead he authoritatively shares his opinions and perceptions gathered from in front of his laptop. If it continues, if he’s not corrected, I see REAL disappointment...and a comfort animal in his future.    ... View more

👍 I agree...would make an awesome thread keeping us posted on your project, especially with pictures as you progress. Who knows, it might help someone else down the road...pun intended. 😉 No personal experience but I think the process is reversible, so it might make sense to save the OEM bits if you have the room. Just a thought.  I do have indirect experience thru friends who unknowingly bought Chinese knock-off pumps. So I would stick with the well known vendors to avoid that ‘junk’ that Sajeev mentioned.   ... View more

Of course the big elephant in the thread is that you really know nothing of the “car community”. You’re a 14 year old adolescent who hasn’t  worked and sacrificed for a car. You don’t own a car. You haven’t driven a car and you haven’t repaired and maintained a car. In my opinion being a real part of the community requires one or more of the above. Being enthusiastic isn’t enough. I suspect that if you really did experience hostility in those other platforms of social media that it was as a result of this lack of any real experience.  Like computer gaming, you’re confusing reality again...which is really sad. I guess this puts me in the “bad” category, but I can guarantee you won’t beat up a 10 year old.  ... View more

I’ve got one that needs “restoring”. But it’s a newer modern metal-clad door on my shop and still functions fine, so I’ve been procrastinating. Some years ago my then teenage son volunteered to move the old car from in front of the door. Turned the key and pushed the starter button but forgot to put it in neutral.  ... View more

    “ Almost always better to be "over" equipped than "under", or even just "adequately"...” I disagree. A decently maintained 1/2 ton truck is just fine for the majority of towing tasks the average owner will have. And you don’t have the cost of purchase, size, increase fuel cost and other baggage that comes with 3/4 ton. For many, like me, larger is largely unnecessary, especially with a “tow package” and modern trailers.  I’m not certain where you guys are driving and I know there’s always the lowest common denominator, but I rarely see the issues you describe. In fact I see a lot more of what I call “compensator  trucks”...way more truck than the owner will ever need...often with a spotless receiver. A free society and free market are wonderful things. 👍     ... View more

Solely because it’s pulling a goose-neck doesn’t mean a half-ton truck is anywhere near overweight or unsafe at all. Indeed, it might be safer than a 3/4 ton truck with a bumper- pull trailer of equal or even lesser weight.  As a former Emergency Vehicle driving instructor I can testify that the world is full of people who think they’re better/smarter drivers than they really are. That includes your’s truly when I attended my first instructor class...and still occasionally in my sports car. That’s one of the reasons its fun. While I’m not generally a fan of nanny-ism, drivers aids usually are good things. And driver aids don’t get you into trouble, but they don’t always overcome over-confidence and bale you out either.  You are almost always the limiting factor.  ... View more

When do you go to school? ... View more

*Gasket paper, for the NLA gaskets. * 90w gear oil. Seems like it’s getting harder to find and because multi viscosity is for young girls. * Just bought a bag of SAE zerk fittings. It’s getting so that even farm equipment are using metric and one of the 3 chain parts stores near me didn’t have any at all...either that or the younger clerk didn’t know what they were.        ... View more

No Pontiac’s in my garage these day, but yours looks fun. Roll bar  and a mild tub doing a cone run....IRS? My favorite color and year for a TA too. 👍 ... View more

“ Worst car or motorcycle journey” Anytime my wife is with me in the small sports car. The car with high bolster seats. The car with a stiff suspension and sticky tires and holds a G in a hard corner. The one that does 80 in 2nd gear. She’s not into spirited driving. A fact she reliably reminds me of every time. And since I love her to death...something that’s reliably ignored. 😉   On the other hand, when we take the old 50’s Convertible out for a slow cruise together...it’s hard to beat.  ... View more

  Years ago I source aftermarket rear shock tower brace for my other car that was strong enough to be suitable as a harness bar. Useful for stuff like autocross which I did back in the day. It’s a fairly rare item these days and I just recently dressed it up a bit with a RX7 emblem made by a specialty vendor. Subtle, personal and impersonal...since it tends to make the bar look OEM.    ... View more

A certain 52 Chevy convertible was handed down to me thru two older brothers for a high school car. By then the old 216 was burning more oil than gas. Dad acquired a 54 Chevy with a 235 and told his then 15 year old to “get it running”.  Some will know that the 235 is much improved over the older 216, with full-pressure oiling, aluminum pistons and hydraulic lifters among other changes. After it ran and he was satisfied he told me to swap it into the 52.   Still have the car 50 years later, which still has that subtle personal, but impersonal, modification.  ... View more

 @Rob1  In my experience a battery maintainer is typically not a charger or at least not a very fast one. A maintainer can be left connected practically indefinitely as they bring the battery up to capacity but don’t overcharge. So no need to disconnect. You may not perceive it but your batteries probably do lose some charge over the winter. I used to do the same thing but found batteries seemed to last longer if I left the maintainers hooked up. A nice bonus is you don’t have to reprogram radios and it’s less hassle when I want to throw doors open and move them around.  And to the OP...Sajeev is spot on, just buy a good one. I’ve never had trouble.  Price and cost are two different things.  ... View more

@silverado  ....and welding would help. With electric and oxy acetylene welding. Agree that it often comes in really handy. But oxy-acetylene is pretty old tech. In my experience it’s not used much anymore other than for really heating stuff. MAYBE the occasional brazing. If you can only afford one welder, a MIG (some call it wire-feed) IMO is probably the handiest. And companies like Lincoln make relatively inexpensive 110v setups that will handle a majority of common tasks. With a small mixed gas bottle and kit, a Harbor Freight cart, some magnets, gloves, auto-dim helmet and an assortment of visegrips (that many guys have already) maybe $500-$600 all in. And it’s not hard to teach yourself the basics and get better with practice.  And practice is easy to get because once you get one you’ll keep finding more and more uses for it. ... View more

Don’t feel too badly Mr. President.  ... View more

TIG welding. Done. ... View more

@Rob1  I’m with ya. Just did that a couple of days ago with an early streak of nice weather here in flyover. Backed the car out, up and down the drive to flex the tires a little and let it get up to temp. Still another month or so until it comes out in earnest. But even that was as satisfying as any game I’ve ever played.  ... View more

There’s no substitution for sitting in the seat of the car of your dreams, turning the key, looking out the windshield, feeling and hearing the real engine, the smells, the uncorrupted noise, sensing the real tires, the real suspension and the real brakes working. Nope....sitting on your backside on the living room couch and staring into a one dimensional screen can’t even come close.  It may be the game of your dreams, but it’s no where near the car of your dreams.  ... View more

“It feels as If we're driving an actual car of our dreams.... “ It’s really just all in you head. You’ll know that as soon as you really get the car of your dreams. 🤦‍ ♂️   ... View more

  @joepags  You beat me to it...by a number of months. But inorder to keep it in lineage it needs to be rotary. Mazda still produces the short-block used for the 13bREW. Maybe modernizing the sequential system and shipping the car to the owner for “final assembly” could get them around the CARB and CAFE hurdles. ?? Fun to dream.  ... View more

Trailering the 7 to the Colorado to visit family and do some mountain driving. Also preliminary organizational plans for a meeting of similarly powered cars from the general area...probably near Colorado Springs. We’ve enough of the social distancing.  ... View more

I got nothin’ to compete with a Fuzzbuster or some of the cool stuff you guys have. I’m not sure what you call them but a late friend of mine gave me a set of spring-loaded license plate retainer ‘bolts’ with reflectors....red in the back and yellow reflectors in the front. (Seen in the attached photo) My friend was a lot older than I and said these were popular dress-up ‘accessories’ back in the fifties. If anyone remembers what they’re called (if there was a particular name for them) please chime in.    ... View more

Like everywhere else, these places are not uncommon here in the Midwest. Thankfully mostly in rural areas...an abandoned farmstead or small town or commercial lot. I’ve all but given up asking about anything though. I’m all about making a fair offer, but geez...apparently  when a car sits behind a barn as a raccoon condo for 40+ years it becomes gold plated.  ... View more

LOL, a tip: In most states a detector was never illegal. So if you ever get stopped please just show it off and don’t try to stuff it under the seat. Might make some nervous. 😉 👍 Closest thing I’ve got to a period correct piece are dice for valve-stem caps on the ‘52. I’m so ashamed. 🤦‍ ♂️   ... View more

That Fuzzbuster rocks! What an awesome piece.  I remember those fondly from back in the day. And the drivers... as they desperately tried to hide them before I got up to the car. As if watching the nose of the car almost scrape pavement as they braked from 60 to 30 in a 45 zone just when I activated my antenna wasn’t a giveaway.  ... View more

Organization and order. You guys are killing me. That’s just wrong.  My system is geared for the slightly senile. I have to leave something in the wrong place and then randomly stumble across it  a couple of times before I can remember that I even have it...let alone recall where it is.  ... View more

As for used part sources...model-specific forms have delivered for me. One in particular is rx7club.com in their Parts for Sale section. It’s well moderated with strict rules, pictures and a seller/buyer feedback system. For new or replacement parts I have a list of vendors that supply them. Most are here in North America so shipping isn’t terrible. Prices can be an eye opener at times but compared to new/modern cars, maybe not all that bad.  ... View more

That probably makes more sense than those emptied wooded cigar boxes I use.  Car specific hardware, spare sensors, brackets...each box gets a masking tape label listing contents before going into an old metal file cabinet in the back of my shop. Yes your purchase makes WAY more sense, and since I don’t make my living as a tech, I love HF. But with cigar boxes I get to claim I’m a green “recycler”. 😇 ... View more

@Geok86  First, anecdotally I don’t think interest in the hobby is suffering with the younger crowd. And I’ve never seen reliable statistics to contradict that.  Second, if it’s waning in your area it’s not because those mean old men aren’t playing nice.  Finally, buck-up. It’s a two-way street.  Kids try to bully me sometimes with comments like how my FD is “waisted on a gray-hair”. I just smile, pull out my bottle of “ENSURE” and down it like Popeye doing spinach...then drop the clutch to the opening bars of ZZ Top’s ‘La Grange’. ... View more

@Geok86  Pssst....look in the mirror to check on that “pissing and moaning” thing.  I’m in my Medicare years and have been ‘rockin’  a “Tuner” car for over two decades. In my experience BOTH generations have been deprecative to the other. And please stop projecting the fragile ego in the mirror on to the other millennials and X’ers.  A lot of my car-friends are probably younger than you and would be offended.  ... View more

I think anyone who claims they haven’t been there is lying.  ... View more

As to capital gains, what accessible record remains of what you paid for it 45 years ago? I don’t think maintenance costs over the years count against gains, just improvements...like the costs of a new interior or paint job. And pretty sure any costs of selling it is also deductible, like advertising or consignment fees.  What it’s current taxable value is and whether or not you use the proceeds from it’s sale to buy something else may also come in to play. You may want to speak with a tax advisor if you’re talking major money.  ... View more

” The cold harsh truth is kids getting into the hobby is at an all time low. ....“ Do you have any data? Because anecdotally in my area that’s certainly not the case. And yes, $3000 back in the day bought you a nice car. But adjust for inflation. Back then if a teenager made $3000 in a year, he was, in today’s vernacular, a “baller”. A working kid these days working part-time might clear $12k. annually. And that buys a decent used car with something left over. It’s relative.  The author above is 14 years old. A middle-schooler with no source of income. He’s trying to extrapolate reality from a game because he has no real experience...as yet. I guess I did some make-believe with plastic models and HOT ROT magazines.  But I knew it was make-believe. A couple more years, a job and with a modicum of passion and he’ll be able to connect with any number of others in his demographic with the same interests. Social media is wonderful for this. Just look at us on a car forum. I think the hobby is still growing.  ... View more

To be completely honest I see ALOT of teenagers at shows. Their interest typically leans to 80’s and 90’s, often imports. But your demographic is common and growing.  Believing that race car gaming is like a track session or an autocross run is like believing a war game or confronting some animated criminal is like the experience of really being shot at. I personally assure you it is not.  Noting your age from earlier posts I’m not taking offense, But I encourage you to spend some real money, get a real car along with some real tools, skin some real knuckles and maybe start off with a real autocross and then reflect on your opinion of gaming as the “ultimate” way of getting started in the car scene.  ... View more

Perfect! Off-topic apologies, but wondering how a Cobra IRS would fit under the back. 🤔 ... View more

I like it too. Can’t say the car is exactly “mean looking” from the change. But a definite understated “edgy side” with the new grille, wheels, and knowing about the out-of-sight 5.0 HO.   👍 ... View more

“Racing games today are what make car guys and car girls.  Racing games are important because it’s introduced a new generation to the thrill of cars. Being able to build and modify your own cars, almost exactly to your liking.....It's the ultimate, and to be honest, the only way young people are being introduced to cars and Motorsports.” I couldn’t disagree more.  I’m glad you enjoy gaming. So do I ...occasionally. But it will always be just substitute for reality.  ... View more

Out of Street-Prepared too? ... View more

Oh...I think this is just ending phase 1. Those that are in positions of power, especially the non-elected  bureaucrats, have gotten a little giddy with the influence they’ve wielded over the past (nearly) year. It’s going to be a fight to wrest them of it. And media gave up claim to objectivity long ago, so they’re no help,  ... View more

Well, that seems to be a $64,000 question, but I’d be interested in reading that response too for my car. A lot of variables I think....what’s the track to street driving ratio, are you using R compounds for track and HPS off-track, and in what size(s).  Car type, suspension type, and tolerance level for harsher-than-stock ride combined with the state of local roads. I struggle with the effects of slightly more aggressive negative camber on directional tires too. Subscribed.    ... View more

Well, I’m not familiar with the others mentioned, but I’m  dealing with my own retracting headlight issues on my 93 RX7. Mine will, occasionally develope a mind of their own and flip up and down fast enough to send Morse code messages to ships at sea. I haven’t disassembled yet, but from some other’s dissections, it’s probably an issue with worn or fouled contacts.  Regardless, Guitar’s mention of headlight woes reminded me to put it on my winter list,  ... View more

Have to check some resource material first so I don’t remove all doubt about being a dummy.  But I just might have one or two questions coming up on a particular project. 👍 ... View more