Hello all!
Myself, Steve, Chris, and.... Sorry dude, I really don't want to mispell this, but Ari? Ary? AR EE! just preran next weekend's meet. It's shaping up to be a very nice drive. Essentially, the meeting place is the same as it was (4311 Lincoln Blvd. Marina del Rey, CA), which IS a Ralph's, and is also not where I thought it was. From there, we're departing up Lincoln Blvd to the 10 W (AKA the beginning of PCH), and heading north on PCH to the 23. The 23 is a nice, winding canyon road that dumps at the 101. Although we did rather,uh, spirited driving today, I think that with more cars, this will need to be a speed-limit (or slightly over) style drive... it's too easy for one mistake to turn into a disaster.
I would say that at the end of it, we should park in that big lot behind the gas station we pulled into, so people can split up, return 2-ways, do some photo-ops, whatever. That lot was huge, and empty. My only qualm at this point is that restaurant Steve pointed out... it looks good, but I'm not sure how many cars would fit in there. Opinions?
So thanks to all that came, hope you made it home okay, and hope to see everyone on the 24th (at 11 AM!).
yeah, had fun. nice to meet you guys. i would love for you to bring the Lotus again so you can take my buddy's SHO and shove it in his big fat face!
he thinks theyre
and that the SHO is
the greatest car ever made by mankind. anywho, the restaurant i pointed out is the BOMB! average price is $10-15 a person for TONS of food. 2 sides and a choice of fish or shrimp or lobster or whaterver.
they also have tacos and chicken strips for those who dont care for seafood and only want to shell out about $7. tons of imported beer. plenty of outside picnic tables where you can seat twenty people and smoke and view the ocean.
read the linked review...
parking, it didnt look good as we sped by but that is the restaurant's own parking lot, valet only. there is tons of free parking up and down the highway right there.
The Reel Inn it looks like its either that, KFC or WacArnold's (obscure Chappelle show reference).
Guys it was a blast to meet all of you, and the rt 23 is an awsome road. Will get the 13 or so min of video and the pics up on my website in a day or 2. I cant link photos from my hosting company (its free what do you want) so I will set up a page for us, and hopefully wont be too hard to host the video from it as well. If not hopefully It will be small enough to email out.
The restraunt looked like it would be iffy as far as parking.
I will definately be there and my brother is going to come in his mustang. 04 GT.
I developed a wierd ticking this morning. Upon getting back home at 600 (did I mention traffice sucked on the way back.) it seems to becomming from the a cover that is right by the UIM on the left side (facing the engine from the front) Timing? anyway I will check the other boards. If worse comes to worse Ill park the tour and ride with someone else.
Arry(sp?) hope you get the struts you need, if not wouldnt mind following behind the elise again. Steve nice to meet you and nice SVT. Matt thanks for letting me ride with you and see you all next Sunday.
Do we have a roster of whos going to be there?
For those that didnt make it, rt 23 is sick and youll definately want to make it if you can.
i had a great time guys! Matty K, u got the spelling correct, names spelled ARY
the drive was great although i wish i was driving my car as much fun as the elise is. actually on the 101 heading home i was doing a fair rate of speed and i had a close encounter with a a po-po without a radar gun and well it was a close one
. i forgot to mention if you get pulled over in the elise (havent yet, knock on wood) there is no glove box inside, its in the trunk; sisuation could be hairy getting out of the car to get papers
i am basically positive i am showing up next week (meet is on sunday, right?) HOPEFULLY with new struts; i think i have decided on the koni sport's.
if svt4svt says the food is good i am in essentially
parking will be problematic i would think. hopefully i wont have to dig out of the garbage again
yes rt 23 is my favorite road. just a FYI at the stop sign in the middle heading toward the 101, if you take that left it takes you to my second favorite road (not kidding). insted of hairpins and second-gear corners, it has long sweeping corners and fast, very fast downhill action that requires alot of attention. that will lead you back to the PCH.
all of you guys have very nice cars and i hope to bring my car next week to show off
-ary
ps - i would love to see that vid you took chbix!
Rich-ass trashpicker! Haha!
Yeah folks, let's get a roster (rasta?) going. I'm planning to be sporting a few new mods (aside from my afore-mentioned repairs), including a cleaner interior (I have a few panels out at the moment), reflashed ECU, and quite possibly a sub.
W00t.
Rasta Roster:
1) Matt (Matty K, duh)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
And anyone with Lotus questions, feel free to write them down. Ary can answer them off of the top of his head. He's cool like that.
Originally posted by Matty K:
Rasta Roster:
1) Matt (Matty K, duh)
2) SVT4STV
3) Jose 3rd gen SHO
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
i posted over at shocal.com and contacted the focus guy who posted here before about the angeles crest cruise.
im thinking we can spend a good amount of time up in the canyons and take some seriously good pics and video footage! if anyone has any friends who would be willing to be posted at prime locations throughout the canyon and videotape! ive got two video cameras of my own i can bring and probably can get some more. then, we can just put all the tapes together and have them edited and put on a dvd!
ive got just the guy to do it and im sure for just a
small contribution from each of us (maybe $5 each) he can put together a very nice dvd of all our footage with music and everything! what do you guys think???
Hey man, sounds good to me. Like we were saying, the only hard thing about the canyons is there's nowhere to stop or turn around.
ad to the list
Chris 96 SE
Joel 2004 Mustang GT (my brother)
Might also be able to get my bros friend from work in his mazda 6 but dont know yet
Ill get the video up when I can, if it wont work via internet ill get some on CD's and give out next sunday
i would be in favor of buying a cd if it is not uploadable. - how did the vid turnout btw, chbix?
i have to agree stopping on those roads is basically dangerous, no shoulders.
svt4svt, should i bother to inquire about a video recorder harness that sticks with suction cups to rear windscreen? everytime i go to the track (not often) i see a few rides with setups in the rear windows. also man, have you figured out what that stalling problem was all about? that kinda had be a little bit worried
oh yeah add me to the list, i am 99% positive about showing up...struts should be orderd today, maybe i should get rush delivery
-a
Let's hear it for walking pneunomia! Woo Hoo!
Sorry I missed the pre run, I'm currently on bed rest for about another week while my body eradicates this wonderful <cough> bug.
I'll be at the event on the 24th. If I'm not better by then, send someone to shoot me.
~C
the video looks ok. it was kinda a last minute, hey I should pull this out while we are rolling. Its about 13 minutes long total, so probably about half way into the canyon. It was a little choppy as I was holding it in my hand trying to keep myself from sliding around. It gives you a decent Idea of what the canyon has to offer, added in some color commentary by me and matt. Gets a good shot of the elise next to steves SVT at that signal right before the gas station. I am going to have my bro bring his nikon and tri pod, hopefully we can get some people set up in key locations for some pics and videos.
I think the idea about grouping would be a great idea. Make a brisk run through. Find somewhere that we can stop and then take groups of 3-5 out at a time.
I installed new brakes today, what a cow. It took me like 4 hours to bleed the damn brakes. but finally everything works.
111r. If I put the video on CD your not gonna have to pay me for it. Hopefully my brother can edit it and get it to a decent size (right now the entire raw video is about 50mb. but anyway if we get some really good video next week, ill have my bro edit it and have his GF put it onto DVDs. Anyway you guys have a good week.
any chance you can upload that 13 min video to the internet for some enjoyment to us nor-cal folks?
I will try and get at least something up on my website in the next couple days. After the run on saturday, doing 3 oil changes and a brake job yesterday, going to try and swap in my new headlights tonight, along with a new stereo, and do the throttle hang fix, school tomorrow, I wont get a chance to do anything until Wednesday. If worse comes to worse I will snail mail you out a copy of the cd. Rest assured im working on it.
thanks chbix, dont sweat the small stuff man
just entering my driveway today while the grage door was opening i opened my door to check ground clearence and i am afraid that it was less then an inch. i am terrified that i will not be able to get in and out with ease and have to park on the street. so i still need to take measurments and call a few places before i order struts. so upset this is becomming more problematic. almost just want to get stock's because it will at least be more user friendly then it is now. this morning i think i will try dealing with my cat's - CEL is on and i hate stairing at it (going to call local magnaflow & borla shops to try to save some $$$). plus my svt is running on the cool side that is also bothering me...
btw i looked into in-car camera harnesses and they almost always include a camera... so i think i wont persue that anymore... plus i would need a support to mount the bloody thing anyway
yeah thats what i would want. preferably not somthhing bolt on though just so i could use it in the elise and in my car for track/canyon duties. not to mention sometime soon my father wanted to install 4-point harnesses so that would be a ideal place for mounting on cross member. first one is nice but not leagal for scca road racing which could be a problem for later use due to times trial & auto-x i attend are usually hosted by scca... when i was searching all i could find was the "race-cam" and those dash mounted camera's used by johnny law... thanks though!
-itching to see the footage
patience young grasshopper, I will get you something tonight.
add me to the list.
Sigh.....
Originally posted by Matty K:
Rasta Roster:
1) Matt (Matty K, duh)
2) SVT4STV
3) Jose 3rd gen SHO
4)Chris 96 SE
5)Joel 2004 Mustang GT (my brother)
6)RealLazySVT 
7)Ary (111R)
8)
9)
10)
Jeez, folks, it's just the quote button... 
ANYHOW, does anyone have a spare front plate holder from a 98+? I'll buy it from you if you can bring it to the meet.
Still to do:
1) Re-Flash ECU
2) Finish Painting Interior Pieces
3) Install interior pieces
4) Install Sub & Amp
5) Get the car into a shop for a waterpump and wheel bearing (?)!!!!
6) Warsh the car
...It's gonna be a busy Saturday, I think. Lol.
Post deleted by Az05Focus
We're even pulling them from out of state?!?!
Back to laying around nursing my poor lungs back to health...<cough>
~C Bored as hell!
I got my stereo in, just a swap from the stock cassette to an old school CD player, but I had to have it if we are running the canyons.
Got the amp and sub sitting here but dont want to do it now
Just gotta get her washed and we are good to go.
FYI I am currently looking into the cost of "renting" the california speedway. After talking to Steve at the pre run he said that some people have rented it before, and it was like 100 per person. Trying to see if we can get that up in a few months
dont think that was for the CA speedway, i believe it was for Willow Springs iirc. and for a good group of people too. ill try to see if i can dig up any more info on it.
Originally posted by svt4stv:
dont think that was for the CA speedway, i believe it was for Willow Springs iirc. and for a good group of people too. ill try to see if i can dig up any more info on it.
i believe (dont quote me) but the california speedway is in fontana, and i already asked them how much it costs to rent for the day and its about $20,000. willow springs is something i would like to so in the future.
i just came back from a exhaust shop... i have bad news
all three of my cat's are junk. the exhaust show i went to (Art's on roscoe blvd. next to galpin's) and spoke with jack, he is very very honest and obviously does excellent work; he is borla, flowmaster, magnaflow autherized. from the manifold back everything, and i mean everything, needs to be replaced. i am looking at 15-1800 in exhaust work and i am not pleased. i did not order struts because i wanted to have the cat's looked at first. he spent an hour with me just poking under the car and its such a major job i want to cry. so including the struts + exhaust i am looking at spending more then car is worth on this junk - i was even thinking about selling my car 
i think it is unlikely the struts will arrive in time for the meet. i have already gave it alot of thought and i think the stock struts will be better for me because thats all i can afford and i need to plan on spending alot of money on this junk exhaust. i asked about fitting a cheap-o magnaflow or something like it insted of OEM and that is just not possible. out cars have such little room to work with it leaves only room for the stock cats on bank 1 and bank 2
...on a slightly different note, he said that the borla cat-back i wanted was a waste of money and he could build me a custom made exhaust for the same price with less restriction that uses the same materials used in magnaflow, flowmaster, borla. also if the gas tank was moved (doubt that would ever be possible) he said a straight "true-dual" setup like a "glass-pack" would be ideal.
i will still try to attend the meet on sunday, but prepair for another encounter with the elise if i get the ok from my father.
On the bright side, you'll have a pretty bitchin' exhaust when it's all over and done with!
I know how you feel though. I'm about to drop about a grand for the waterpump and wheel bearing/drive axel/whatever the hell is making that thunk. And both of my rear wheel bearings are out... not rush to replace them though, since they don't really DO anything.....
research is your friend 111R. you can get a catback exhaust system BOLTS IN!!! from Trubendz for $400!!!!!! takes about 20 minutes to install with a ratchet set that everyone should already have. dont think it would arrive by the weekend. i would get a 2nd opinion on that exhaust situation though, i cant imagine it being that bad.
http://trubendz.com/ forget trueduals or glasspacks or anything like that.
i have stock struts ill sell you for cheap. they only have 25k on them. that guy i told you about can install them for realll cheap compared to a shop. i can also get you a good deal on a set of springs. eibach or h&r.
dont fret having it this weekend. i know it sucks but we'll get something going again real soon. then you can bring it out nice and proper-like
i dont care what kind of a shop is around town, NO one knows these cars like the CEG. you will not find more accurate information on csvt than here. i would
highly suggest you PM stazi regarding your troubles. he is THE authority on these cars and is always willing to help.
ok links to clips from the video, the whole video is 15 or so minutes, these are abotu 1 min clips.
anyway my crappy free web host wont allow files over like 1 mb and these are all like 3 megs apeice, so I signed up for this free crap to host the vids
But of course they are tinsy and wont let me link in,
so goto
http://www.streamload.com/
and log in as me
login chbix
pass cegceg
you can dl the files from there
click on the inbox, and then you can select the files to open and play, etc.
Sorry its the best I can do fro now, hopefully I will have some cds with the full thing on it sunday.
111r sorry to hear about your exhaust problems
EDIT: MAKE SURE YOU ONLY DOWNLOAD. I only get 100mb band width for the month on the free crap, and considering the files are about 10mb totals, only 10 poeple or so can DL these.
111r:
your pre-cats are gone? sounds to me like you have a great excuse to get some msds headers along with that cat-back exhaust.
also people have done true dual setups without moving the gas tank.
and if you are just putting a cat-back exhaust on... please do it yourself. if you dont feel like you have the right tools or experience im sure someone would be willing to help (a 20 minute job max) however if you are getting a dual setup on a non-svt, you will need some1 to weld u another hanger.
Originally posted by DopePope:
111r:
your pre-cats are gone?
idk, everything is stock, i was under the car today it has the 3 cat;s (bank 1, 2 and the one on the end of y-pipe) all are toast the computer says bank 2 is the one that is failing
Originally posted by DopePope:
111r:
sounds to me like you have a great excuse to get some msds headers along with that cat-back exhaust.
msds are apparently illegal in cali. maybe i can ask the dude to nudge it in away; he does smog checks too. just talking with the guy he said the borla is junk for the money, he wants me to get either magnaflow or flowmaster's... but ideal he said that a custom made exhaust would be best for less restriction. apparently he says that when someone gets a borla they generally return it or junk it and get flow's or magnaflow... so again i am lost at what would be best without being loud and minus drone
Originally posted by DopePope:
111r:
also people have done true dual setups without moving the gas tank.
i need to troll around and find out more about this.
Originally posted by DopePope:
111r:
and if you are just putting a cat-back exhaust on... please do it yourself. if you dont feel like you have the right tools or experience im sure someone would be willing to help (a 20 minute job max) however if you are getting a dual setup on a non-svt, you will need some1 to weld u another hanger.
i have a 98 E0 svt. i need 3 cat;s plus a new exhaust all the way back not just form the cat back. i live in a apartment building without any tools or knowlege on what to do, i could possibly head over to my bro's place to see if i can get a hand in his driveway. but still lost on whether it would be eaiser to have it pre-fabed in house and get a 10 year warrantee 
-*sorry to clog the board like a hairy drain, but i need all the help i can get. i appriciate it guys!*-
-a
if you dont have the right tools id be more than willing to help with a cat back exhaust replacement job. i have a floor jack, jack stands, two ratchet sets and access to an air compressor and impact gun. i can definitely help you there so dont even worry about that
the only thing about headers is that it seems that they are a real b*tch to install. requiring
hours of work. i know my guy would do it for cheaper than any shop. that would probably be beyond the scope of my time constraints. i dont even think i would have the time/motivation to do my own (hence why i didnt buy any--perhaps one day).
And my offer still stands for this weekend: if you don't have a car, just let me know, and I'll come get you. Seriously, it's no trouble at all.
Chris, thanks for the video, I'm going to go download it now.
Originally posted by Matty K:
And my offer still stands for this weekend: if you don't have a car, just let me know, and I'll come get you. Seriously, it's no trouble at all.
Chris, thanks for the video, I'm going to go download it now.
yeah chris props on the vids
thanks matty for the offer, its really far outta the way for you; would hate for ya to sit in traffic on the deadly 405. i will try to snag the elise again for the weekend unless my dad already had plans. i just dont trust the struts on my car considering they have been leaking for well over a year.
-a
its sunday, correct? thought it was on a saturday
glad the videos look good, and yes the meet is on SUNDAY the 24th.
I also have a jack, set of jack stands, and an assortment of tools (no compressor
) anyway id be willing to help you out as well.
you said your guy was talking 1200-1800 to fix your exhaust? I was thinking you could get an all new set up for like 800-1000 and install yourself.
Ary, have you looked at the Bosal exhaust that BAT has? Its made for the SVT, and runs only about $550.
http://64.202.180.37/files/cexhst.pdfAlso CTA motosports has some custom systems for like 600.
You got options, and it sounds like steve and I would be more than willing to help out.
Plus it sounded like steves mechanic friend could hook you up as well.
ok all this talk about exhaust and I want to get one, so I need a high flow Y and an exhaust kit right?
Originally posted by chbix:
ok all this talk about exhaust and I want to get one, so I need a high flow Y and an exhaust kit right?
i am still learning as i go, so i dont wanna give u some false info... i have seen the bosal. what i am afraid it the sound/flow will be not what i am looking for; definatly dont want to be stuck with something with a awful loud and obnoxious drone/rasp. also i am afraid that bosal is more mostly looks as opposed to something not loud/raspy/drone and has proven free-flow technology. also, i have never seen any car ever with one and they are just not popular enough for me to find out if anyone even likes them - so i think i should rule that one out.
before i deal with the cat back (maybe i sould deal with it first or all at the same time?) i should attend or at least plan my attack for the cats... i am in the process of composing a message to stazi for some help on this subject...
* i will be at ralph's on sunday in the elise - c ya there!
aparntly the streamload people dont like when a lot of people log in so they have locked out the videos
if anyone wants the videos I will gladly email the clips, just pm me or email at bixbyc(AT) hotmail.com to request, there are 6 different clips, about 3 megs or so apiece
111r sounds like you have some adventure ahead of you... glad to hear you will still be with us, even if it HAS to be in that sexy lotus.
After seeing the two SVTs on sat, and putting in performance brake pads this past weekend, I have a new list of upgrades
First will be sway bars and strut braces, then a big brake kit, suspension, rims/tires. In that order.
The sway bar and strut brace are like 130 each,
the brake kit was like 600, the suspension was 600 or so, and the rims/tires will be anywhere from 600-1000
Just thought id share that
Matt, Was thinking you might want to start a new thread for the reminder for the official run meet on 7/24 and just copy that list over.
Also I will have the 4 radios again, and anyone else bring them if you got them. They didnt work %100 but they worked decent.
I can highly reccomend the bosal exhaust! it sounds great and looks awsome. however there is very minimal drone when on the freeway so if you want something absolutely quiet at cruising speeds, maybe something else.
also when you get on it, i have yet to hear something as mean as that exhaust on a 'tour. I have a dyno vid of my car with intake/exhaust and ill see if i can upload it for you guys.
for those that were able to dl that video can you email them to me at work cbixby(at)pe.com
Originally posted by chbix:
aparntly the streamload people dont like when a lot of people log in so they have locked out the videos if anyone wants the videos I will gladly email the clips, just pm me or email at bixbyc(AT) hotmail.com to request, there are 6 different clips, about 3 megs or so apiece
i was able to DL the vids from the site and i so graciously put them on my server to view. it doesnt take to long but, be patient they have to DL fully to play.
tours are ok but you should get Focused!
i posted a thread in the focusfanatics fourm.
i figured more cars=more fun (oh and i drive a Focus)
i know, i know what the f'em am i doing on a tour forum. my bro has a tour and he sends me links to the funny
cr@p you guys post.
Cool man, just throw a post in over at the official thread (right below this one). There's a list on page 1, I believe.
I agree, get on the offical 7/24 post and ad your name, the more people we get the better, even if it is a focus
( i had one, and well its a story so if you meet up ill tell you, it involves fire, insurance, and a pay off
Originally posted by Matty K:
Sigh.....
Originally posted by Matty K:
Rasta Roster:
1) Matt (Matty K, duh)
2) SVT4STV
3) Jose 3rd gen SHO
4)Chris 96 SE
5)Joel 2004 Mustang GT (my brother)
6)RealLazySVT
7)Ary (111R)
8) Robert (LoFocus)
9)
10)
add me...#8
Originally posted by lofocus:
i was able to DL the vids from the site and i so graciously put them on my server to view. it doesnt take to long but, be patient they have to DL fully to play.
oppss not even Focus owners are perfect!
heres the link to the vids...
http://www.realbigfamily.com/photogallery/listpics.asp?dir=Videos%5CPre%2DRun%5FResults%5FVideos