Thank you Mike for posting that link. I will go back and add that in a few places on my single stage paint restoration thread. Maybe if I do a good job, my car will make your index
With regard to forums, I couldn't agree more. In the "old days" there were list servers and I remember saving email threads on interesting topics, but similar to Facebook they were sort of a running feed that was hard to go back and find info from. Forums made information somewhat durable and at least searchable. I have written dozens of threads about my exploits over the years and I still enjoy going back to read them. I have paid for a personal server for the last 15 years or so to make sure my photos don't get lost or become broken links like what happened recently with the Photobucket changes (so much great tech lost!). Forums and YouTube are some of the best places to find information these days! That said, bad information can quickly become accepted fact. Lord knows someone will come across my thread and mistakenly think the way I do it is somehow the end-all be-all, simply because I took the time to write it up. Also it's very easy to think that information for the masses applies to my situation, when in fact the masses are dealing with a different situation (in this case base/clear vs. single stage) and so not all the same conventional wisdom applies.
I appreciate the interest in my car. Here are some photos from over the years. If you want to see more photos of anything in particular, let me know.
Here's the car last year doing autocross. At the time I had 15" Centerline Convo Pro wheels and a "big & skinny" raked stance. I loved how the car looked in this phase, but I have really gotten into driving the car hard and there simply aren't any good tire options or room for good brakes with 15" wheels. That's why the car now has 18"s.
Here is what the car looked like when I finished up the LS engine swap. I rebuilt this engine myself in my garage and significantly reworked the factory LS engine harness. The engine computer is located on the firewall next to the brake master cylinder, tucked back where you can't see it under the fender. I notched the frame on both sides to make room for a low mount AC compressor and alternator. I plan to get the factory AC system functional again, perhaps early this summer.
Before the LS it had a small block 350 that I dressed up a fair amount.
I think these photos might shed a few clues as to why I picked up so many "surface bonded contaminants" when I clay bared the quarter panels behind the rear tires. You can see at that time the car had the original 14" rally wheels in the front.
I've done a ton of work to the car over the years. When I first got the car (1998), I completely pulled the front end apart. I cleaned all the original suspension with wire brushes and degreaser, primered everything with a rattle can, and hung all the parts in my backyard for a painter to come by and spray body color. I wanted to have one of those pretty cars I saw in magazines at the time and I got pretty close with the engine bay at least. I worked summers and weekends at the local hardware store and took out personal loans to pay for my addiction.
The most recently changes include a host of suspension upgrades. While I had the engine out, I cut off, trimmed, and rewelded the upper suspension mounting points to improve the camber curves (this is known as the "Guldstrand mod" after Dick Guldstrand the racer). I added stiffer springs and swaybars, better shocks, and aftermarket a-arms to accommodate increased caster. When it came time to fit new wheels and tires, I had a really hard time finding any offsets that would work well for tire fitment on my car, so I stripped down the rear end and cut the ends off, welded new ends on, added disc brakes, and upgraded axles and bearings all in the same go. That was the very most recently project which allowed me to fit the 18" rally wheels that I LOVE.
Here are a few videos of the car:
Autocrossing with my brother in the car:
A very similar car which I can not confirm nor deny is actually my car:
