cmcveay

Youtube links SUCK! I'm at work for another 3 1/2 hours so I can't look at it until then.! GRRRRRRRR.

For those heading to Fontana on Sunday/Monday, it looks like there's a chance of rain pretty much all the way down there. Check your wipers and consider a good treatment of Rain-X before hittng the road. The good thing about rain? It softens the bug guts so it's easier to clean 'em up once you arrive!

I'm taking two DSLRs and at least 3 GoPro's. If anyone doesn't have a DSLR but would like to borrow one, I do have a Nikon D40x that I'm fine with loaning out. Tough camera, easy to use and I have two lenses for it.

I want to go out to some of those spots at night (or dusk) and get shots of the cars coming through the chicane with their lights on. I've got a picture of how it should come out in my head. Now, I just have to make it happen for real!

I'm back on the swing shift this week so it's 4-10's (4 hours left in this one) and my weekend starts at 11:00 p.m. Thursday night. We'll be in Fontana on Sunday as well.

+1 for what everyone has said here and you know you are always welcome at the Garage Mahal. Many, many thanks to Laura (Green Cactus) for contributing a Bently manual for the 2nd Gen's. It's on top of the toolbox for anyone to use/reference and I will say that I have used it several times. When you get Lola back and you want to do an oil change or anything like that, just get in touch. I know I'm not the only one that willing to sit back and point (instead of do) and talk you through processes.

Okay folks, here's the first version of this video. I've got enough to make a few more. Thanks for coming out everyone! I'm like Ali, I think that was the silliest fun that I've ever had with DCMM. If you want to go to YouTube to watch this in full screen HD, here's the link ( ) If you are afraid of what you might see, here's the quick and funny.

If anyone ended up with a Motorola radio (yellow with a #4 engraved on it), please let me know and we'll figure out how/when to meet up to get it back.

Today's pre-Dragon car adventure involved putting Merlin on jackstands, pulling all four tires, grabbing the grease gun and lubing us the rear sway bar bushings, putting the rear sway bar on it's stiffest setting and then, pulling both front struts, repacking the bearings, fixing the "mysterious" clunking noise and then, when it was all back together, raising the ride height by 1/4". Oh, I had Dylan sand and paint my front swaybar endlinks before putting them back in. Then, I rechecked the torque on the wheel studs, verified/adjusted the tire pressure all the way around and called it a day. Next up, oil change and then I'll be ready to go. Whew!

Tigger got HOsed?

I know folks have thoughts and ideas about what we'll do for the video so I wanted to throw out a few ideas and hear what others have in mind. First, in a short period of time, we can make a few variations but here's where I'd like to start: Opens with several MINIs/Minis parked and people wiping them down, checking tire pressure or whatever (Stephanie, you can be sitting on top of Lucy if you want). One person - I'm going with Haemish for now - will be doing that goofy thing, dancing by themselves with the full face helment on. When the bass drops and it cuts to "scene 2", the costumes come out and things get a little strange... It would be cool to have a couple of cars doing very, very tight circles, as if chasing each other in the background (or around the perimeter of the "set") and of course little Red Riding hood will be chasing the big bad wolf and if the bear costume shows up, it's just gotta be "violating" Cricket. I do have the original soundtrack for the song and I'll see if I can bring a set of speakers so we can hear it at least once but otherwise, we'll be working from a stopwatch. We can shoot a couple versions or the 1st and 2nd "scene" so put your thinking caps on! My plan to capture this is to have my really tall ladder so we have a good downward view of the "set" and I'll have at least 3 GoPro's recording at different resolutions/frame rates to make sure it's captured properly. Ideas anyone?

Leo, the Pick Up is getting ready to get a Plasti-Dip Facelift! Probably going to paint the wheels and then add some stripes. Photo's will follow.

Ox Speed is a vendor. Here's the link to all of our current vendors and what they offer. http://dcmetrominis.org/forum/topic/1800-official-vendors/

I apologize to Dan at Mach V Motorsports for not getting this posted earlier. Although Mach V has been a valued friend and official vendor for DCMM for a while now, our vendor agreement was recently updated and it's great news for current members of DCMM. Mach V is now offering a 10% discount on labor for all work (excluding oil changes) for current DCMM club members only. Please note that DCMM vendor discounts are exclusively for current members of DCMM, not members of the online forums only. One of many advantages of joining DCMM and paying the small membership fee is access to these exclusive discounts.

If you guys get together, shoot some video and pictures to share with us! I'd say we could skype or something while out there but, as you know, there's no cell phone coverage for most of it. We will miss you Q.

Stephanie - you should be able to find a spare with a 4x100 bolt pattern most anywhere. There aren't many pick-n-pull yards around here that I know of though. There are a couple of them on CL right now and you can get them for $10-$30. Lots of Honda's have the same 4x100 pattern. You'll probably be like me though, you can only use that spare on the rear so if you have a flat on the front, it means you'll be doing a double swap (remove good rear, install spare, remove flat front, install tire that was on the rear). Two reasons for that - Front wheel drive so you need the same diameter tire and the space saver spares may not fit with the R56 brake calipers.

Northbound on 28 yesterday - Headed to Mach V to pick up the new wheels - when we drove alongside a black Justa for a bit. I looked over and who was it? Yes, it was Mr. Nick Harrison himself. We were rather invisible in the silver Nissan pickup so he just kept on driving.

None of us need to worry. As they say, you don't have to be the fastest to escape the bear, you just have to be faster than the slowest person. Ms. Zombie knee, busted hip Ali is this years filet mignon for Ursus americanas and the rest of us will only need to exit at a brisk walk.

If it's "Lovely Lona" would it then be "Crabby Craig"? And we will welcome you to the dawns early light with joy and enthusiasm!

Lona found this and sent it to me. Good info to have for folks heading down to Fontana for the 1st time (or the 4th or 5th for some)... Enjoy.

+1

Or, you can really have fun with it and purposfully place your badge holders and badges on the grill crooked and make sure you are behind Haemish! Then, we can all have fun watching him!

I'm hoping to make it over to Sterling for the M&G George! Can't wait to see Scarlett in person since she seems to be the "alter ego" for Merlin who is Midnight Black w/ CR mirros and roof so just the opposite. Welcome though and we look forward to motoring with you.

Yer killin me here Gigi!

This is the original Hero HD - the one before the HERO 2.