dspracing
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This has taken me a few days to put together but @gqchris has been pushing me to do it and I figure it would give him some entertainment while he is down.
Way back when in my early days(16 or so) we were out dirt biking with a big group. I took a big fall and me and my bike were done for the weekend, right before the poker run. One of the guys in the group had an old samurai so he has me drive him through the course to pickup the markers.
Happy to get back on wheels I gladly take him up on his offer. Having little to no experience with a manual trans aside from my dirt bike, I’m pretty nervous which he quickly picks up on.
Things are going pretty well as we approach a pretty sizable hill climb. I plan my route with some coaching as to which gear to use,etc and head on up. The plan is coming together and all is going smoothly. As we trudge through the half way mark he yells and screams in a massive panic and demands me to stop. I jam on the brake pedal, the car stalls and he begins to laugh hysterically.
Well apparently this guy has a death wish as it turns out to be just an extreme hill start test for my clutch skills. A stall or two coupled with that burnt clutch aroma and we were on our way again.
The memories of this trip stuck with me forever and my sights were forever set on a samurai of my own.
Fast forward to mike @240Hallett putting his samurai up for sale. I tossed and turned but just wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger. And when I was, @gqchris had already beat me to the punch, likely for the better.
Already knowing Chris, I told him I had better be his first call when he is ready to make the sale. Being the solid guy he is, I was indeed (or so I think lol).
Fast forward to the second time I get the call from Chris, with his wife’s full backing this time, we agree to meet up to complete the sale. At this point, I’m essentially buying it sight unseen having only really seen the photos that mike posted when he originally sold it to Chris. I live in Havasu at this point with him being in so cal.
The day I picked it up -
Having never seen the vehicle, Chris gives me a quick walk through. I’m quite surprised with the custom touches added by the extremely talented fabricator @240Hallett and the refinements added by Chris, most importantly being the extended travel to the front seat to accommodate us bigger guys.
I have a few more errands to run and then I start my journey back to havasu. My wife is not letting me come home without hot pot supplies from the Asian market. Assuming I can get these items in Palm Springs, I set it as my last stop. Low and behold, Palm Springs does not have a suitable Asian market to purchase the required supplies. So, time to unhitch Sami and make the trip back to Riverside. Reaching speeds greater than its traveled under its own power in many years I’d assume, we successfully make the hour + trip each way with the coveted essential supplies.
After an extremely long day, I make it back to havasu safely without further delay. Sure thing, like a kid on Christmas morning, I cannot wait to get out and take her for a spin. I wake early and hit the nearest dirt, less than a mile away, as capture this pic -
Way back when in my early days(16 or so) we were out dirt biking with a big group. I took a big fall and me and my bike were done for the weekend, right before the poker run. One of the guys in the group had an old samurai so he has me drive him through the course to pickup the markers.
Happy to get back on wheels I gladly take him up on his offer. Having little to no experience with a manual trans aside from my dirt bike, I’m pretty nervous which he quickly picks up on.
Things are going pretty well as we approach a pretty sizable hill climb. I plan my route with some coaching as to which gear to use,etc and head on up. The plan is coming together and all is going smoothly. As we trudge through the half way mark he yells and screams in a massive panic and demands me to stop. I jam on the brake pedal, the car stalls and he begins to laugh hysterically.
Well apparently this guy has a death wish as it turns out to be just an extreme hill start test for my clutch skills. A stall or two coupled with that burnt clutch aroma and we were on our way again.
The memories of this trip stuck with me forever and my sights were forever set on a samurai of my own.
Fast forward to mike @240Hallett putting his samurai up for sale. I tossed and turned but just wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger. And when I was, @gqchris had already beat me to the punch, likely for the better.
Already knowing Chris, I told him I had better be his first call when he is ready to make the sale. Being the solid guy he is, I was indeed (or so I think lol).
Fast forward to the second time I get the call from Chris, with his wife’s full backing this time, we agree to meet up to complete the sale. At this point, I’m essentially buying it sight unseen having only really seen the photos that mike posted when he originally sold it to Chris. I live in Havasu at this point with him being in so cal.
The day I picked it up -
Having never seen the vehicle, Chris gives me a quick walk through. I’m quite surprised with the custom touches added by the extremely talented fabricator @240Hallett and the refinements added by Chris, most importantly being the extended travel to the front seat to accommodate us bigger guys.
I have a few more errands to run and then I start my journey back to havasu. My wife is not letting me come home without hot pot supplies from the Asian market. Assuming I can get these items in Palm Springs, I set it as my last stop. Low and behold, Palm Springs does not have a suitable Asian market to purchase the required supplies. So, time to unhitch Sami and make the trip back to Riverside. Reaching speeds greater than its traveled under its own power in many years I’d assume, we successfully make the hour + trip each way with the coveted essential supplies.
After an extremely long day, I make it back to havasu safely without further delay. Sure thing, like a kid on Christmas morning, I cannot wait to get out and take her for a spin. I wake early and hit the nearest dirt, less than a mile away, as capture this pic -
