The Road to Eibach: May 2010

Disclaimer: All shots are unedited and I normally shoot a couple stops darker. Or with my cell phone.

So what epic road trips go off without a hitch? The crappy ones, that’s what. Great problems make for great adventures and we had plenty of adventure to go around!!!

I’d know Juan for several years and was stoked about the chance to meet him in person. I had bounced ideas on what to do with my car off him several times and I was excited to see two Captiva Sols together rocking white wheels at the same event. He helped me with so much on my car from finding prices of parts to questions on paint and everything in between. He was always willing to help or offer advice when asked.

The build of my car took less than two months in action and about four months collecting parts. Relatively quick looking at how much had to be done to the car. Paint had just been finished nearly two weeks prior and I was still in the process of putting the car back together replacing parts that I felt needed to be addressed for a near 6000 mile trip around the country. My friend James a tall lanky Greek who bitched about nearly everything in America had flown over from Greece to drive with me from Virginia to SoCal and back to Indianapolis to stay with his family. Along the way we would be joined by another new Sol owner, Jen, who had also just finished her build.

So, I was running out of time to do work on my car as James was on his flight from New York to Roanoke. My dad and I had just finished replacing the timing belt on the car and were reassembling it when we ran into a problem with the driver’s side axel. The C clip had broken allowing the axel to come out of the CV joint. Fantastic, I think to myself as I rush to the airport to pickup the Greek. We stop by AutoZone on the way home and grab an axel. Upon finishing the installation and meeting Pete at my house we gather our things and head to my room in Roanoke for some rest.

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Saturday afternoon was spent cruising around the Roanoke Valley then we planned dinner at Bdubs with a few friends and decided to do some rolling shots on the way. Being that James hasn’t the slightest idea how to work a camera he gets the Sol and I ride shotgun in Pete’s Civic.

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All goes well but then James disappears shortly after we exit the interstate. Pete and I backtrack and find him and my Sol with the hazards on in the parking lot of a local mall. It seemed that James had managed to break an Exedy clutch that was about 4 years old. Again, fantastic! Vy and I race to the nearest parts store and pickup a new clutch and then we have the car towed back to my house. Man it sucks seeing your car on a roll back after doing so much to make sure it doesn’t happen. At least it happened at home rather than on the road.

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So the stage is set for the rest of the trip. Pete and I pull the transmission install the new clutch and remount the transmission by 4am Monday morning.

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Everyone crashes. (James moves from sleeping in Pete’s civic to the house)

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I wake up about 5 hours later and find that Pete has already been up and wrenching on the transmission. A few hours and everything works again! We put the front end back together and go over the car to check for more problems. Off it goes to get the exhaust and alignment done. On the way back we pickup a PCV valve and an upper radiator hose. Those get replaced promptly once the motor is cool and we head back to Roanoke to get some sleep.

Up early again we hit the road for the first leg of the trip; about 900 miles, from Roanoke Virginia to Springfield Missouri.

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Along the way we stop in St Louis for some shots of the car as well as the Arch. This stop also begins our drive on Route 66 to Los Angeles.

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Yours truly doing my best James Dean.
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James P.
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The Sol.
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The Arch
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Just a random shot of the sunset on the highway.
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We roll into Springfield meet up with Justin who will be putting us up for the night. Shortly thereafter he and I drive to Kirks Kustoms who is helping Jen (our other Soler who will be making this epic trip with us) finish up her car. It’s a beautiful machine powered by an LS/VTEC bored to 1.9 liters and a full color change to Canterbury Green to match her Acura Legend. Her car was also experiencing problems much the way mine was.

Jens “Mini Kitty Kar”
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Dope valve cover!
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We got it running shortly after midnight Wednesday morning and since it was the first startup on the new head decided to re-torque the head bolts once things cooled off. Once this was finished the timing marks didn’t line up exactly the way they should so we spend hours getting the timing right on the motor.

Jen and James. :P
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Finally we got her started again and we were on our way to Tulsa to meet up with Manny and a few other Oklahoma Honda enthusiasts. Hung out at a McDonalds for a while and discovered that someone had put a brake pad on backwards on Jens car and fixed that along with the axel nut that wasn’t as tight as it should be.

Manny
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And our three Sols together.
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Got some food and rolled out to Oklahoma City where Manny and some of the others left us to continue our journey westward. Why they charge that much money for people to drive on roads that bad is beyond me.

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James P. flippin the bird and Jen behind me.
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Rolling along to OK City
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Off we go!!!
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Both Jen and I were burning through oil at quite a fast pace so we had to keep an eye on it as we went along. Wednesday night was spent in Clinton, Oklahoma as we had lost a great deal of time hanging out with Manny and friends. If we were going to make it to Vegas Thursday we hit the road before dawn as it was going to be a long ass haul.

Texas!!
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The day went overall well except for the fact we were all exhausted from the couple days prior work getting our cars running. James was finally not quite as bitchy from the humid Mideast climate even though he was still running through tissues as fast as Jen and I were going through quarts of oil. Of course it didn’t help that we were driving through nothing for hours on end.

Stop for gas, oil, and stuff.
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Straight road for as far as you can see.
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James Driving the Captiva while I ride with Jen.
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We stopped off for a quick photoshoot at the Arizona Border, gassed up and hit the road again.
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I got shot. :P
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I was bouncing between driving the Canterbury Sol and my Captiva for the day and found myself in my car when I saw Jen put her hazards on and pull to the side of the road. I follow suit and run back to her car where she has the hood open and looking at the motor. She said no lights came on but it started with an odd noise under the hood. We see traces of antifreeze and oil on the motor but it didn’t overheat. We phone Lane who is on his way up from Tucson to pickup a head gasket on his way and meet us in flagstaff.

Now, the car is still on the side of the interstate about a quarter of a mile from the exit to Hibbard Road where we can get some space and safety to work but dare not start the car until we can confirm it’s the head gasket. Push? No chance, it was uphill. Tow it? I didn’t have any tow straps with me. But, I did have luggage and that had a strap. Now it was short and no way to attach it to the cars, but it was a strap. Oh but I also had carabineers for my keys. One for show (The VIR one to clip to the tow hook) and the other I had for years that came from Lowes or something. So these were clipped to the tow hooks and attached the strap in between. It wasn’t pretty and James being the optimistic pessimist said it would never work. With the tension removed and James behind Jens Sol to give it an extra boost we slowly started off and away we went. Stopping however was a different animal as there was only 2 feet or less between our freshly painted bumpers. The strap or carabineers had to break and so Jen stopped first then coasted off the side of the exit ramp while I parked ahead of her.

Aftermath of the rigged tow strap.
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So we were more or less stranded 64 miles away from Flagstaff Arizona and up out of thin air this Chevy Duramax Diesel with a trailer pulls up and the driver asks if we need help. So Jen is obviously unsure about this guy. I was thinking that its either a miracle or an intro to a horror movie. I notice the bluge of a handgun strapped to his inner calf on his left leg. So it’s either get towed/jacked/murdered by this random dude on the side of an interstate highway or hope the car gets towed to flagstaff like he is offering. So while they get the Sol with a bad heart up on the trailer I dig my gun out of my luggage and volunteer to ride with him while James and Jen follow me in my car.

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On the road again.
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It turns out the dude is pretty cool and we got the car dropped off in flagstaff and waited for Lane to show up with the headgasket.

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Jen has been on the phone with several of her friends who builds race Honda motors down in Texas and they suspect spun bearings. Jen starts it up a couple times and the oil light flickers on. She puts a couple quarts into it and tries again but only for a few seconds. After listening to it under short startups Lane also thinks the same and so we call it a night get a hotel in flagstaff and try and track down motor parts or even blocks to change over. Being that over 10 hours of driving and one broken car isn’t enough for me at this point I need something to unwind and this generally comes in the form of driving. So back in the car I go and I get Jen to tag along too since I know she needs it.
We are alarmed by the amount of police in flagstaff. They seem to be everywhere! A quick stop off at a gas station to pickup some drinks and Twinkies and we are off down Route 89A towards Sedona. What is normally a beautiful drive in the daytime turns into one hell of a canyon at night. I don’t beat on the car too much and mostly just enjoy conversation with Jen and the night sky. On a more audible note my D16 sounds amazing through the Invidia Exhaust as it reverberates through the canyon walls. I make a note to come back in the daytime for a view of the valley but there isn’t time to return on this trip.

Friday morning we get the car to one of Jens friends houses who is in the Legend community with her and has a garage we can use for a day or two. Deconstruction begins. Jen, Lane and I pull the oil pan and header and check the rod bearings. Rods 1 and 4 have WAY to much play in them so the caps come off and we find destroyed bearing material but thankfully to the quick thinking of Jen the crank journals were mostly free of any wear or scoring marks.

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So off we go to search for bearings. Everyplace we checked could get them within 4 to 5 days. Eibach was in 2 so this was out. Even called up Juan at the shop he worked at but they couldn’t get bearings in the time we needed them. The last place we checked was a local machine shop and parts shop. They could get them in a day. So Jen ordered them and back to the garage we went. I checked the crank journals to make sure they were in spec and not machined any and her friend in Texas confirmed they should be good to go. James, Lane and one of his friends figured that there was nothing else that could be done so they headed to Vegas for the night. Jen and I stayed for another hour or more and cleaned and rechecked everything. She also ruled out the possibility of anything to do with the headgasket being or causing a problem.

About 30 minues after Lane leaves we get a text from him saying he got pulled over. No ticket though; and for some odd reason (well some obvious reasons if you know what Lane’s pockets hold) he picks a route to go around the Hoover Dam. Jen and I leave in my Sol and head out I40 to Seligman and hoped on Historic Route 66. Took a quick stop in Peach Springs to take some pictures and then were back on the road to Kingman then up to Vegas.

Get your kicks. ;)
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Peach Springs
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I hear from Lane they are still several hours out of Vegas. I’m thinking this should be interesting as there is a chance that going this far around we might actually have a chance to beat them to Vegas despite leaving a couple hours later.

We are making decent time and trying not to garnish unwanted attention from the local highway patrol when a 6 series BMW and Mercedes E class speed past us ballin towards Vegas. I pick up the pace and hang with them.

We are all quietly poking through the checkpoint then on it hard again all the way into sin city. As we are entering the City limits I get a call from Lane saying they just got to the Hotel. Shit they beat us by minutes. Oh well it was a fun drive none the less.

Vegas!
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First beer of the night
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Shots!
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Lane at the Slots.
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Now Vegas was one awesome night, met up with Aaron and Alicia, had some drinks and generally had a great time with fellow del Sol owners. As we were making our way back to our rooms the lobby looked odd from when we had come in. It seemed that the black stone behind the front desk was now glowing. And then it his us, it was daylight and those were windows. So another 4 hours of sleep and we are up again heading back to flagstaff to pickup bearings and finish the car. Lane, James and friends instead continue on to California.

Jen and I on the way back to her Sol when she gets a call from the shop that ordered the bearings, they close at 1pm and its 12:30pm now and we are just at the Hoover Dam. She makes arrangements with them to pay and leave the parts out back and we make nearly as good time back as we did following the euro trash to Vegas.

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We pickup the parts and get to work, only to find that the bearing key on the rod has been gummed up by bearing material and we need to file it down and clear it. Once this is done everything go together smoothly and Jen, Brandon, and I all hold our breath for the startup again.

Success! Everything seems to be ok, except for a nasty rattling noise that Jen figured out was from the fender clip. Now, we just have to get the bumper back on. This thing was a royal pain in the ass since it was not an OEM bumper and also since the bumper support bar was bent from a front end collision. Eventually we ditched the bumper bar and just bolted the bumper on. Checked everything one last time and loaded up on cigarettes, energy drinks, and some food, then hit the road to California around 10:30pm Saturday night.

Welcome to California.
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We drove through the night only stopping twice for about 30 minutes each to rest our eyes. The 5 hour energy shots didn’t help at all and the cigarettes only minimally. Heavy fatigue was setting in by dawn and Jen and I were both fighting to stay awake behind the wheels of our Sols.

Racing the Dawn.
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Almost there!!
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I called Juan to let him know we were on our way and would make it to the meet up spot and to wait for us so we can all roll in together. At around 9 am we get to the hotel that James, Aaron, Lane, and some other people have booked. Showers ensue quickly and we are off to find a car wash after I put the spacers on the rear. I over pay for a bunch of Mexicans to hand wash the car while Jen looks for a self spray-n-wash. She doesn’t find one and we all have to head to the meet up spot since we are already really late. Juan directs us where to park and we all get lined up and start cleaning our cars. I throw my spacers on the front and then just chill for the next few hours shooting the shit with all of the Cali Sol owners.

We made it!!!
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Juan and I frame Jens dope engine bay that got a lot of attention.
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Eibach 2010 Coverage
Beautiful.
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Are See madness.
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Oooo another Euro Style Car.
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RHD CRX
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Yep.
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Wait for it…
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Um… wat?
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Red 4 lug R.
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Eibach Springs.
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Perfect Stance
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Love the Color
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Something about this little EF just flowed perfectly.
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Ballin!!!
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Fresh.
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Bisimoto!
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Noel stuntin.
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I was actually kind of surprised to find that Jen and I made it on the chronicles. (thanks man!!)
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Personally I think this shot needs to be there though. ;)
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Near the end of the show all the sols move around to the other side of the Eibach springs building and line up for a photoshoot for all those in attendance that wanted in.

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Shortly afterwards, Juan got Indy, Johnny, Noel, to line up with him and myself on the ends of the five car group.

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The Sol owners that could as well as friends and family of Juan’s went to his place for some great food and hanging out with friends. Amazing food and I can’t speak highly enough of his family to allow us into their home.

That night we all said our goodbyes and James Jen and I headed down to Huntington Beach. Due to what looked like rain Juan decided not to hit GMR that night. Also a good thing since Jen and I had only gotten maybe 5 hours of sleep within he past 3 days and any drive at all was a struggle. We got a hotel near Miko’s (Miko Suave for you OG’s) place and I passed out within seconds of my head hitting the pillow.

Next morning we met up with one of Jen’s friends who she knew from her Legend community at Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Santa Monica, and went to the end of Route 66 on the pier, chatted a bit then went out separate ways after a walk on the beach.

Manhattan Beach
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The pier
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End of the mother road.
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Jen was headed to phoenix and James and I were going to the grand canyon and on to Colorado. However that night I wanted to get something I had always wanted to try.

In-N-Out Burger.
I wanted to see Jimmy’s Sol since he didn’t bring it to Eibach and Juan had said he would take me out to the famous burger joint since I’d never been. Jimmy couldn’t make it, but James, I and Juan had a great dinner, let him get a good look at my Sol and some future ideas that will happen sometime soon. Made fun of the local police department and conversed about the finer things of the female anatomy. Hugged, said goodbye and see you soon, (Since I had planned on meeting up with him in a couple weeks when I fly back to LA) and went back to our hotel.

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The trip back was pretty uneventful. We drove to the Grand Canyon and got some shots.

Pictures don’t even come close though.
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I pressed on and ended sleeping in the car a bit then headed out of northern AZ in the morning. Charged my phone at the local McDonalds and getting away from that town as fast as possible. I drove through the desert of southern Utah into Monument Valley and through Moab. Checked out Arches National Park and then headed to the Rockies.

My windshield is kinda dirty.
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Oh what is that?!? Mountian?
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At Arches National Park, UT.
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Saw one of the most awesome roads ever to be constructed in a Canyon and then started up the mountains.

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We hit snow as we crested the first peak that was 10,603 feet above sea level. My D-series was struggling harder to breath than a 350 pound 12 year old who hasn’t seen sunlight since he was able waddle to the refrigerator.

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Still going up.
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And up.
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Spent the night with Jon (wrong_wd) had a dope breakfast and then drove the Sol and his EF around the mountain roads (some paved some not) of Boulder Colorado and then went on to Kansas City.

Bagel, cream cheese, salmon.
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No hard parking here.
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We didn’t quite make it to KC though, instead James and I stayed in a crackhead town of Salina, Kansas where I learned from Jen who had lived and owned a bar there for a bit. She got out as quickly as possible I didn’t stick around after what she told me about the place.

I dropped James off in Indianapolis Indiana and spend two nights with his family there. Yes it really was like sitting in on “My big fat Greek wedding” but had a great time there with some amazing food. Met up with a couple of local Solers there too, Toby(TKO) and James(Memphis) before leaving Sunday morning to come back to Virginia.

James washed the Sol for me since she was covered in dirt.
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Honda of America, Greensburg, Indiana.
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About half way through the drive Jen calls me in somewhat of a panic and asks if I have heard about Juan and if he’s Ok. I hadn’t heard anything up to that point but called his cell phone hoping for the best. One of his brothers answered however and briefly filled me in on what had happened. Called Jen back and then let a few other people know and to spread the word. I found a rest stop and just sat cried a bit and reflected on the past week. Changed my route a bit to include one last amazing 60 mile stretch of mountain road and ended the journey with a sad heart but with the top still down.

Those of you who knew Juan also knew he hated show cars and trailer queens. He believed that the single purpose of a car was to be driven. A lot of people called me stupid for driving 6000 miles on new paint and nearly 300k on the body of my little car but something tells me that Honda never produced a single car to sit in a garage all its life. So Drive, its just a car. Cars can be replaced, rebuilt and restored. But the people that this little two seat targa brought together on this trip as well as over the past 18 years its been in production can never be found again.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and I can’t wait to bring a couple of his ideas to my Sol.

Happy trails see everyone at the East Coast Meet and Import Alliance.

And for the del Sol owners out there…
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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Its only gay if you make it gay: An epic story of driving dedicated to Juan.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

T-5 days.

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