Ace-Garageguy

See, I was figuring the grapefruit-in-the-exhaust-tip was the newest internet-expert trick for making horsepower. You know, pro-biotic-citrus-reversion-technology...or something. Too bad there's no "sarcasm" smiley though.

I think its daddy might have been running with Brett's ape.

And every now and then, something really cool comes along...

Why would you want to put a grapefruit in your exhaust tip? Won't that make the car go slower?

The thought of dying doesn't bother me at all. I could use a nice long rest. It's the pain that's usually associated with dying that I'm not looking forward to. But frankly, I can't imagine it being much more painful than life has been.

Like the man said, those parts build a front suspension that looks like this... ...but under a Mustang "gasser" that sits like this...

They SHOULD. Most of them don't. Reality. So, in order to KNOW whether someone is doing a poor job, serves no purpose to their company, and should be fired, someone else has to WATCH him (or go behind him checking on the work).

If you really want to know what you'll be getting in after-the-accident service, talk to some reputable body shop managers in your area. THEY'LL tell you who skimps on paying for quality work, and who doesn't. CAVEAT: MANY insurance companies today have "captive" body shops that they steer work to, even though "steering" is illegal. They get around the laws by calling it by different names, but it's steering nonetheless. The shops that have "relationships" with the insurance companies get more work, even though in a lot of cases, the volume doesn't make up for the money lost on every job. A shop that tries to curry favor with insurance companies will often not be able to keep the best techs, because they'll be cutting necessary hours on a job to stay in good with the insurance companies. Second-rate techs willing to work cheap do second-rate work. Simple equation. Just do your homework.

It's not so much ticking off purists as it is doing your mods with a little style and class. Like this...

Yup. Got an older car? The cheapo insurance companies will fight to save every nickel if it ever needs bodywork, and they save the nickels by using the cheapest shops in town (who draw the poorest estimators, bodymen and painters) and by using inferior quality used or aftermarket parts, cutting labor times to the bone, and in some cases entirely overlooking structural damage. Boy, what a deal. But don't take MY word for it.

Ah yes. Fond remembries of the corporate world. Why let one smart guy take car of it when they can have an entire staff who have endless meetings and all draw salaries and accomplish nothing more than the one smart guy could have done in 1/10 of the time for 1/10 the cost ??? Oh wait...you didn't say you worked for GM.

Yup. And for less than 50 cents. Unfortunately, it is kindergarten-like. I'f you've ever been in management, it becomes pretty obvious pretty quickly that MOST people try to get away with doing as little work as they can, as poorly as they can get away with. Of course, that goes for management too. It's just a fact of life.

Powered by an un-inverted Ranger V-770 air-cooled 12-cylinder aircraft engine of WW II vintage. Pretty cool.

Yes, I thought you'd like it.

Yup. USPS has worked well for me over the years. Out of over 2000 ebay transactions now, I've had only two shipments arrive here damaged, and none that I've sent out. The only one where there was more than damage to the box was a pair of NOS 1936 Ford headlight lenses, unfortunately pretty much irreplaceable, and the PO ponied up and paid the insurance claim. They DID seem to have a very difficult time with my last address change, but I may have been partially to blame...not quite clear enough printing, you know? Still, it took 3 trips to the PO to finally get it sorted. The computer showed the right address, but things were still being sent to the wrong address and returned as "undeliverable".

Hmmm. I wouldn't let Progressive insure a lawn mower. God help you if your older car ever sustains damage more serious than a scratch. (Just my opinion, based on dealing with them for years in the collision industry. Your results may vary.)

The kit engine and trans are decent, and it's a nice kit overall. Kinda low parts-count, but it makes a great model. This was my 2012 build of it...4" top-chop and a front-blower setup, full cage, Corvette C5-R suspension and drivetrain, a few other mods...

And on a similar note...lotsa rusty, busted Jag XJ-6 hulks around here that would be good donors...

Kinda like taxiing a big tail-dragger airplane.

Try "Sheet Metal Work", top left on the linked page. http://www.crowood.com/category.asp?cat=27&class=Model-Making-and-Model-Engineering And Gerald Wingrove...

OK, I'll bite. What $3k-worth of mods gets it to that point?

My guess: a nearby alternate universe, or A-line (also known as alternate line of probability). This is where socks mysteriously go when you KNOW you put only matched pairs in the dryer, and car-keys, when you KNOW you hung them on the same hook you've been using for 15 years. Things sometimes just 'slip' a little, and I believe your roof is "from elsewhere".

Geez...it just sank in that these two cars are in the 11s in factory, non-lumpy idle, emissions-controlled, street, go-to-the-grocery-store trim. Really impressive, especially as heavy as they are. High 10s blows me away. Last car I drove that was honestly in the 11s was barely streetable. Pretty obvious I haven't been going in a straight line for quite some time. Man, I gotta put an LS in something really light.

Man, those are wild. I've never ever seen them. Man. Crazy, man, crazy.

Kewl. I don't read the current production car mags any more, so I haven't seen these numbers. Pretty impressive for both of them (the weight is impressive too) but for $60k to $75k, I'm pretty sure I could build a hot rod something that would eat their lunches, and have at least $20k left over for gas.