Probe: Stage 1, suspension and clutch

A seven day thrash complicated by illness and my day job has ended. The original suspension has been replaced by Tokico Illumina shocks with ground control coilovers, 500lb springs, and a new clutch. The suspension was mandatory for what I’m going to be doing. The clutch was optional. I didn’t know the condition of the …

Probe Stage 0 Complete!

We’re at what I’m calling “Stage 0.” I have a car that can be driven safely on public roads. Even highways at speed. As long as the temperature is above 40 degrees. Work since the last update has been more extensive than I’d planned. I’d hoped to be cleaning it and moving it outside so …

January Probe update!

She’s been together, then apart, then together, now apart again. It’s sitting on all four wheels most of the time now. The priority this past week was fixing the rusty tailgate so the car would be watertight again, and I could reattach the factory spoiler. The repair started with a trip to Cody’s. He has …

2019 Riyadh Global Auto Salon

Way back in late July, I got a phone call that would lead to one of the bigger adventures of my life to this point. Optima Batteries was looking for cars for a project – the first ever large car show in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was an ambitious plan: a car show …

Updates Galore, and a HUGE announcement!

It’s been awhile, but there’s been a lot going on, and I’ve either not had time to write, or I’ve been unable to because we had to keep some stuff on the down-low. But the embargo is pretty much lifted and things are in motion that can’t be stopped, so here’s an update. Back during …

2019 Optima Search For the Ultimate Street Car Round 3, NCM

Well, for the fourth year in a row, I ventured to NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky for the Optima Search for the Ultimate Street Car event. This is event is a must-do for the pro-touring community in this area. It typically sells out in hours, thanks to the central location and the quality …

When things melt, your events get scrubbed

This post should have been a recap of the 2019 Midwest Muscle Car Challenge hosted by Bowler Performance Transmissions. This event is a ton of fun, hugely supported by sponsors (which means awesome door prizes and a fantastic swag bag), and all the money left over goes to a fantastic charity. But that is not …

2018 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational – Part 3: OUSCI

The actual event! After 21 days of prep, three days of driving, four days of the car in the SEMA show, where I also walked nearly forty miles, it was finally time for the actual event. The invitational follows the same multi-segment format as the regular season events, but runs are somewhat limited, and the …

2018 Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational – Part 2: SEMA

After getting the invite to the Optima Ultimate Street Car invitational, I faced a daunting task. I got the invite on October 8, 2018. Load-in for SEMA was 8pm on October 29. I had 21 days to secure lodging, make sure the car was set, clean the car, make sure the tow vehicle and trailer …