cmcveay

We are planning on going rain or shine so umbrellas are already in the car. We will of course adjust the driving "excitement level" to account for the weather.

If anyone would like to coordinate a run to Luray, I'll be glad to post the route sheet!

Mike - thanks for the heads up! We'll have to find a slight diversion to the route. Steve - Yep, I'll bring the GP's and see if I can get a better, vibration free mount.

Yes Sir, it is! There's a Starbucks, the Sweet Frog (frozen yogurt), a Five Guys, Quiznos and a few other places at the meeting point.

Not as many stink bugs this year so the run will have multiplier for fun! That entire day really was such a blast and hopefully, the BBQ truck will be open along with the lobster guy!

I can dig that up for you I think.

If you read through the posts for the last 2 years or so, there's some good info with regards to what to take and all. Here's the link to the other forums and as we get closer, there will be more discussion on the what to do stuff.

We are also bringing "portable cover" for the grills just in case. Nothing will stop this fun!

I had to give you a hard time about that! You are right though, the 1st and 2nd Gen's do handle very differently and the difference in power (how much, when and how it builds) really makes a difference. If If I'm not mistaken, the turbo's power comes in earlier and builds faster (very non linear) whereas the supercharger builds a little slower and keeps increasing but it's more linear so it's more predictable. The 2nd Gens are heavier and the steering can be a little less responsive. The one place that 2nd Gens rule over 1st Gen is in braking... Haemish and Mr. OEM would be the exception to that since he's managed to jam a set of 2nd Gen JCW brakes into his car.

It's interesting to see that out of the top 7 MINI's, 3 are non JCW/GP and out of the five fastest times 3 (including the two fastest) are from MCS's, not JCW/GP's. Just for clarification, Mark's 09 MCS is a JCW and Haemish's 05 MINI MCS is essentially a GP or at the very least, a JCW. And then it's interesting to look at the colors. Everyone seems to know what color their MINI is, except Ali. Tggrr is simply "Hot"...

Sorry we couldn't that that shifter installed. Those bolts in the exhuast system get so rusty they end up shearing off the studs and that would have left you with a very loud exhaust on the way home.

Some people just aren't social and they buy the cars because they get good gas mileage and it gets them to/from work. That's why I'm never pushy with folks unless they show an inclination to talk cars. Oh, and when I do that, I only talk about their car and how cool it is.

Geno, I can provide the place, jacks, jackstands, torque wrench and various other tools if needed. You could give R53Ricky a shout to see if he'd mind helping you out as he's been down a very similar path. Unfortunately, this weekend is out as we have the picnic on Saturday and I'm going to be out for a photo shoot on Sunday. Otherwise, I'm sure we can work something out. Craig

There is a playground that's about 5 minutes (by foot) away. When you walk from the picnic area towards the restrooms, continue on the paved path, keep to your left and the playground is at the bottom of the hill.

Mike - we can do garage days here if/when needed. I'm busy this weekend but if you'd like to give it a go one afternoon next week, I'm game. I've got a floor jack, jack stands and a pair of ramps so I think we can do what you need. So far, I've lowered 4 mini's, swapped an exhaust, done several oil changes, swapped IC's and done a couple of brake jobs here in the GarageMahal (if has it's FB page).

or a FAKE latin name like - Blindicus Allofus or Causeofda Wreckipus... Or better the really long name - alottablingisalottawork...

You should have let her drive then! I bet she could keep up with the crowd...

Coming from me, this will shock everyone by why all the hate at chrome? It's got it's place in the world! You'll notice I've never used the term "murdered out" and that kind of thing, I just choose to remove the chrom from my car but I can, and do appreciate and recognize the fact that done in moderation, chrome can work. I loved it when I opened the hood on my 72 Chevy Nova, 72 GMC Pick up, 63 Chevy Pick up and yes, even my 77 CJ-7 with their chrome valve covers, polished aluminum intakes and all kinds of "bling" under the hood. So be nice to the folks who like their chrome and let's just respect our differences. Besides, if everyone got rid of their chrome, we'd all look the same and then it would be "MEification" instead of "YOUification"...

I can't take any of the credit as the idea came up when Scavenger was at the house and he and Lona started talking about potential runs. Next thing I knew, I was out turning left and right on command. Lona did all of the legwork and all I had to do was drive where I was told! I'm glad everyone had a good time, I did too.

Here are a few of the pictures that I took with today's run. http://flic.kr/s/aHsjBmLtjJ

Many, many thanks to everyone who came out for the run today! We think that area has lots and lots of roads to be explored and there's just so much awesome history out there. Also, many thanks to the new forum and club members who came out for their first run - we are always glad to meet the new folks and make them feel welcome.

If you have radio's, we'll be running 7/21. If you don't have one, we'll bring as many spares as we can come up with. Lots of new members so this should be fun!

I think it would take the 1st, 4th an 5th for you Haemish...

Eddie, I think Laura can take payments via PayPal but I'm not certain. I am certain that cash is always an option! I've seen Laura's work and I can attest to the fact that the quality is right up there with other decal vendors and since she's local, she's much, much easier to work with.

You mean save up from your own personal "Mod List"??? Still recovering from that last one, aren't you? Scott & Melissa - welcome and after looking at your prices for filters, you are already on my list of favorites! I'll be putting in an order soon. Is there any chance that you can get the crush washers for the oil pan drain plug too? Not sure if those are included with the Mann filters. Oh, (this is the reason for the edit) - are you only working with the canned tunes on the Access Port or do you have the ability to do custom tunes as well?