Distracting Toys...
 

Someone asked for this thread. Only post the other toys you have to distract you from either fixing the X5 or just from the X5 - Period.

Sounds weird, but NO X5 pictures allowed in this thread... please pretty please ;)

I'll Start. Here is Bessie, Da Hog....


And here is Oliver, the ///M-Sport Dinan Project in Process....

Really no X5... Look like this tread will move to other forum soon.. Lol

2009 Yamaha FX Cruiser HO, aka: "Foxy"

Mods: RIVA Intake Manifold, Free-Flow Exhaust, Stuffer Intake Grate & Pump Seal Kit, Concord 13/21 Impeller.

Good for 190HP and 70+MPH (and making the wife happy when she drives)

Towed of course by my 2002 X5 3.0 with 236k miles!

I like this thread, all the E53 content is the owners! Keeps our mind off of fixing things on our X's lol!

Pics of my Triumph coming soon. @bmwguyx5, your 998 is perfection, what a beautiful and classic design before the ugly 999 came out. Love your Beamer mc too!

How about NON BMW

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/p...t_03/Lotus.jpg

The Garage Queen

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5825191_n.jpg

Towing my watersport jetski with another German Car

http://i426.photobucket.com/albums/p...3/DSC09861.jpg

My Seadoo Jetboat

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...16987492_n.jpg

One of my many bikes that I transport wiuth the X

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...56727178_n.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...psc5535ecb.jpg
and this one is on its way
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps63858142.jpg

:thumbup: I've been "beating the bushes" for a good, low miles, Silver, 6 speedMT E39 ///M Sport. Please tell me it's an automatic!

@upallnight, What brand of bicycle carrier is that? Looks cool!

2002 X5 3.0 236k miles
2004 325i 105k miles

Forgot the 1970 TA "Work in Progress"!

2002 X5 3.0 236k miles
2004 325i 105k miles

This is my OTHER money pit!!!!

http://just.razzi.me/photos/1101550/19b8856.jpg

The 930:
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psa8ef5ce6.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/...psa72099ea.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...REDUCE1024.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...I2-19-11LR.jpg

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...103_0370CS.jpg

And, a new bigger FL Shack going up, for winter escape. Not a toy, but a damn distraction and portfolio eroder, ;)

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...6-13LR-13S.jpg

At least your doing it after the Fla housing market collapse. I did a 6 bedroom, 5 bath, 4 car garage (slab in last bay triple thick, ree-bar enforced and laser flat/level for corner weight scales), house in Spring Hill Fla 5 yrs ago. Had to be sold during divorce. Portfolio erosion indeed.

http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/x...0/475b0611.png
http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/x...0/08cf2794.png

and the other headache
http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfaec0e32.jpg

Nobody else postin' off-road goodies?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...e/heaven-1.jpg

570ish AWHP on pure 93 gas.

Lots of internal combustion above, only one pedal power, but at least it was a Cervelo. Here is another. 2012 Cervelo R5, Campagnolo Super Record 11. Vroomen White Design frame (light weight version). All carbon fibre and titanium. Now equipped with Zipp 303 Firecrest carbon clinchers (which cut another 500 grams over the Fulcrum training wheels). Shown before the stem was cut. 7.0 kg as pictured with the Fulcrums. Definitely a distracting toy.

It's a Saris, made in the USA in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

JCL, you have my respect for embracing Campy. I have ridden the brand exclusively since the 90's and will continue to support them simply because it is so beautiful to look at

Thanks. I have last generation Ultegra, Dura Ace 7800, and my wife is riding Dura Ace 7900. All work very well. I would have carried on with Shimano for this bike, but it was available built up with SR11 at a special price. I wanted the R, the traditional frame (for Cervelo) compared to the aero S, so a traditional grupo made sense. This was a dream bike for me, so if I was ever going to do it, it was this time. I haven't regretted it. While it is beautiful to look at, especially the details, it works very well too. A friend always told me that others wear out, while Campag wears in. I get it. Now I have to decide how many custom Campy shop tools I am going to add to the kit. And I had to move away from SPD-SL pedals, I couldn't put them on this bike. And then I decided I needed Zipp 303s. And so it goes.

Distractions indeed.

A couple more shots of the details.

Jeff

I dunno what all that means, but I recognize enough in there to know we gots high tech materials afoot, and high tech is always cool.

Hey, I don't know how it is that I never noticed your location before......

From '94 into '99 I lived just off Lynnhaven near Indian River & Kempsville. And I'd have said this via PM but it says yer overdue to clear out your messages. :D

Civdiv99

Motordavid says: And, a new bigger FL Shack going up, for winter escape. Not a toy, but a damn distraction and portfolio eroder, ;)

Ok, but ya gotta take a pic with a wider view so we can see where the shop is going up.......:D

Yes Sir, it's an automatic. Full Stage 5 DINAN ECU & AGS tuning. DINAN Front and Rear Strut Bars, DINAN Stage III Suspension with H&R Springs and KONI Sport Adjustable Shocks, Front DINAN Sway Bar and DINAN Adjustable Rear Sway Bar, Fully Programmed M5 Cluster, DINAN CAI, MAF and Throttle Body, etc.

Nice presentations in this thread! Way to go guys! Bikes, Motorbikes, Houses, Car, Off road and water toys... who would have thunk it with this crowd! LOL!

Lotus cars - Espirits? Yummy! How do you keep them away from rust in IL?

The Ducati - Nice! Had a 996 SP Mono-Posto with Race Ohlins & Radial Brembos, Marchessini Wheels - I miss that bike.

I see you are getting in deep there TMV. You're worse than me! What will them darn neighbours think now aye ?!?! :-) LOL!

:eeps:

http://www.my02.com/images/2010/10fall.jpg

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/att...7&d=1371664046

http://www.my02.com/images/af/af1.jpg

http://www.my02.com/images/af/af2.jpg

Fiberglass bodies on the Lotus don't RUST. Plus they are never driven in the Winter, plus with the price of gas and the low rating of gas these days none of my "Exotic" cars are driven much.

In fact we just got back from a family trip to the "Water Capital" of the world and we rented a 2013 Toyota Rav 4 instead of taking the X. Total cost for 400 plus miles of driving was 45 bucks. With the X it would have been closer to 90 bucks since we wouldn't have gotten close to 40mpg and wouldn't have been using the cheapest gas available. Plus not having to worry about a 12 years old car breaking down PRICELESS.

Hi Civ,

I too, live near Indian River & Kempsville. :)

My premier membership just expired (yesterday?) so now I have to delete a TON of PM's before I can receive another. :/

Cheers!

- J

I agree on the 999 being butt ugly, hence when I was hunting for the Duc, it had to be the 996/998. I wouldn't of mind if it was a 1098 or 1198 but at the time it was priced out of my reach. BTW,She only has a little over 3 thousand miles.

Post pic of your Triumph when you get a chance. I actually wouldn't mind a Thruxton myself.

^You're reading women magazines? How would that take away time and money from your X? :bustingup :bustingup :bustingup
:jk:

AquilaBMW, they come to me for car advice now :rofl:

So far I count (4) E39 in the same stable as E53.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...psf58c1f8d.jpg
with this powering the mx-5
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ps3e3a8f1e.jpg

This is my way to get out and relax!

Fishing
http://thumbnails103.imagebam.com/26...6265987295.jpg http://thumbnails108.imagebam.com/26...9265988648.jpg http://thumbnails108.imagebam.com/26...a265988660.jpg


Paintball
http://thumbnails102.imagebam.com/25...a251896660.jpg http://thumbnails107.imagebam.com/25...d251896669.jpg http://thumbnails106.imagebam.com/25...e253236293.jpg http://thumbnails105.imagebam.com/25...4255035586.jpg http://thumbnails105.imagebam.com/26...f265986342.jpg


Classic Mustang
http://thumbnails103.imagebam.com/26...f261909242.jpg http://thumbnails103.imagebam.com/26...4261909270.jpg http://thumbnails102.imagebam.com/26...9261909196.jpg http://thumbnails103.imagebam.com/26...6265987576.jpg http://thumbnails106.imagebam.com/26...2265987581.jpg

Jeff, you have chosen wisely. Campy never let me down and had smoother feel than Dura Ace for me. As precise as Shiamno is, Campy never had a notched or snappy feeling. It's hard to describe, but Campy just has a distinctive feel about it that I kept coming back to. Much like a BMW. Enjoy and watch out for those Campy exclusive tools as they will take over a tool box. Ask me how I know.

- with the pic, I get it! "TwinsPoppa".

Cool.

Watch out though, 'cause they grow up sooooooo fast. I just walked my youngest daughter (26) down the aisle on Saturday. Man, and picking her up from kindergarten seems like yesterday....... Yep, they grow up really really fast.

I know. It seems like only yesterday they were like this: :D

http://thumbnails53.imagebam.com/144...c144289934.jpg http://thumbnails55.imagebam.com/144...0144289900.jpg http://thumbnails34.imagebam.com/144...a144434568.jpg

Wow the mustang came a long way! Looks great!

TP: Titz Car, Beautiful Twins!
And, they do grow up before our eyes, like a flash...
Our 'Kidz' are older than many posters here. Enjoy every moment, imo...
GL, mD

Hey i live in charlotte as well!

Delivered this morning :woohoo:

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps123476fc.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps8f44919a.jpg

My other "distraction:

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/o...P1020357-1.jpg

http://i380.photobucket.com/albums/o...r/P1020356.jpg

As promised, pics of my 2011 Thunderbird Storm, my other love (I was going to get wife in bikini with heels to pose by bike but she wasn't having it):

Attachment 60202

Attachment 60203

Attachment 60204

Just rolled 1,600 miles, had it shipped from Illinois from the first owner last October, bought with 1100 miles, I love the machine but don't get to ride as much as I used to, but as long as I own my bikes outright, I won't get rid of them/stop riding. Would love to add a Speed Triple to the stable someday.

Just making sure the pictures loaded since Tapatalk was recently changed and a bit slow, carry on!

i would lend you my wife to pose in bikini but i am afraid that she will take off with you on that motorbike!!!! and i will get stuck with a bimmer and a benz - what am i gonna do with two cars???

Somehow I get the feeling most of you gents have wives or girlfriends that understand your love of performance vehicles. Saturday I passed a 428i parked in a neighbors driveway and commented on how I thought it was sexy... The boss hasn't spoken to me since... :confused:

Really Gary? not spoken to you since?

I mean let's be honest, our spouses/significant others actually "understanding" the love of vehicles, performance, aesthetics, etc, is a hugely variable term.

Does my wife still speak to me if I freak out at a mint 850ci in the parking lot of home Depot? Sure.

Does she look at me sideways and roll her eyes somewhat if I am talking about how my 10 year old E53 gives me a more "pleasurable driving experience and is one of the last solid 'drivers SUV's" than her bland 2011 Rav4? Absolutely. However, she still talks to me afterwards.

Another example, I had her read epdarks thread about his 4.6 the other day (read it if you haven't, he basically put into words how we all feel about our X5's), and she told me in plain English after "you guys all have real friggin problems" lol.


As far as the female "getting it", I don't know how possible that is. However, she respects my love for vehicles, motorcycles, and other machines etc, and my love for my E53. I don't ever expect her to fully understand, but that's where Xoutpost comes in. She is however excited to go to ///MPact in September!


EDIT: Now that I look at the pics of my Triumph above, that reminds me that I need to order the Black teardrop mirrors from the dealer LOL (I can't stand chrome for the most part)

your girls are not trained properly!!!!

mine likes the fast cars - the MB that she is driving now is too dull for her taste, she is already complaining that the thing can't "get it up" and move, and she misses the 335 MPackage that we turned in... she only settled for a MB because it was "similar" to what she had...:stickpoke

on the other note, if we are sitting in a cafe, talking and some drop-dead gorgeous girl walks by and i somehow do not aknowledge the presence of that girl, my wife is getting pissed, that i am "losing the male touch - what's wrong with you boy, didn't you see that girl??? you don't like the girls anymore???" :thumbup: I must admit, it is a very fine line, because i still don't want to upset her by "overly" acknowledging the other women... :dunno:lol...

it is tough to be a guy!!!!! :nanana::nanana::nanana:

Well, that's actually an exaggeration... she talks to me, but I can tell she just doesn't get it... :rolleyes:

She's beginning to accept being a bit of a "car widow", just like she's accepted being an occasional "golf widow" and "football widow". Maybe I just need to get her behind the wheel of an ///M...

Actually, it's easy to keep the wife involved and happy when she has her own BMW (and you promise that she gets the next new one in the family).

mine - 2002 X5 3.0 238,000 miles
hers - 2004 325i 106,000 miles

My wife drives an F25 35i right now, and she still doesn't get it... :confused:

Guess I should just keep at it... she finally gets football and golf after 26 years of marriage... ;)

hmmm... did you mention a trade-in? for a newer model? that may have her change her opinion.... :)

j/k

I tried the whole his and hers BMW thing with my wife, but I gave up on it, for 2 reasons.

1) The Rav4 is much easier to clean considering we have a 75 lb white American Bulldog (she has gray interior), the carpet in her car doesn't seem to trap the hair fibers as much as the X5 does, so it would save me headache doing the heavy duty cleaning on her easier to clean interior since the dog is in her car from time to time

2) She tells me "why would I want to drive a BMW all yours ever does is sit in the garage because you're always fixing something". Give it some trouble free time but I have had a lot of maintenance/issues to take care of in my first 18 months of ownership

I would love to teach her to drive stick and get her an E83 6-speed manual, to have sticks in the house completely, but it would never happen. my MIL used to have an E83 and my wife likes to remind me all the time it didn't have the cargo space her Rav4 has.


But for some reason, when I show her Z4 she asks me if I want to do an addition on the garage to make a 3-door and could get her a Z4 M-sport to have as a fun weekend car? Go figure.

Trade in? Nah... I'd have to learn everything all over again. I'm just getting to the point where I have her almost figured out. :D

We've got the dogs too Ricky, a pair of standard poodles, and I could say they also qualify as a distraction from time to time. Give them a try on your next dog - no shedding on the leather, and they make the wife smile as well! (Important because of the direct relationship of my happiness to hers...but I think most of us here have come to understand that.)

2002 X5 3.0 238,000 miles
2004 325i 106,000 miles

http://midpacsolutions.com/toys/GSXR600.jpg

http://midpacsolutions.com/toys/Pueo.JPG

http://midpacsolutions.com/toys/Rebel450.jpg

My wife had the 325xi when I had the X5. She didn't like driving the X5, as she considered it too big and heavy, and it didn't have a manual. 325xi was also better in the snow than the X5. When I was going to buy a Porsche, she suggested the Z4, and picked the colour. When I traded the X5 and Z4 to get one fun daily driver (535i) we still wanted an SUV, so we sold the 325xi and she special-ordered the X3 3.0si. We waited months for them to build one with a manual. Our sales rep kept offering autos off the lot; she turned them all down.

I've sold all my BMWs now, but she lets me drive her X3 half the time. We talked about a new one, but when she found out there was no manual available, she turned it down.

Jeff, your wife is awesome. Tell her I said that!

Srmmmm, love those happy poodles! I'll admit I wasn't a dog guy until I dated my wife, here are some pics of our Chadwick (Chad), he just turned 7 yesterday so I should post a puppy pic and some present day pics. He is purebred American Bulldog in case you were wondering, 73 lbs.

Attachment 60239
Puppy days (2006)

Attachment 60240
Attachment 60241
Present day (2013)

Attachment 60242
Our happy family!

Check out my AVATAR for a HOT Chick on a bike.

Now SHE's a distraction!

BTW, who is she???
:wow:

I think upallnight needs to post a full-size picture lol!

Fine looking Fam, RB! :thumbup:
GL, mD

Great family picture Ricky! Our bigger of the two poodles only goes 52 pounds, but they both love any time they can ride in a BMW.

2002 X5 3.0 238,000 miles
2004 325i 106,000 miles

Here are a few of my distractions when I have a free moment from working on the X5.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...83212dfc3e.jpg

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...579a61d7a8.jpg

...and this is the one I try to spend as much time on as possible. Mostly off road in places like Green River, Moab, St. George, and some local trail riding. Then the occasional trip to St. Anthony dunes in Idaho.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...a841cc8107.jpg

I got a few distractions other than the X5 for sure!

Fixing up old Ford 1700 Tractor. Almost done now

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/f1700paint-01.jpg

And I couldn't resist this 1970 GMC dump truck.

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/gmcdump1.jpg

And the big Deere tractor redoing the sound system in it.

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/5085Mapart-01.jpg

And the M5. R.I.P. :(

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/m5vs5m-2.jpg

Oh, and I almost forgot these 2:

http://www.cstone.net/~dk/avrieandphoebe1.jpg

Thanks for the kind words guys! :thumbup:


Shang, gotta say I'm normally not a fan of aftermarket wheels but I love your CSL-style looking wheels on your silver X! Nice stance too!

Thanks! Those took quite a bit of research to figure out offset etc. so I appreciate the compliment!

As reported earlier, I am restoring the car I took my first driver’s license test in, a 1970-1/2 Pontiac Firebird. Now that the panel fits are being worked on, it is time to have the engine rebuilt. So I loaded up the original engine and all kinds of nice “go fast” parts to take to a Pontiac specialist in Bristow, OK for the rebuild. Well the delivery went fine, the rebuilder was excited about the project, and father and son shared some good bonding time. Then we headed home to Texas......


Ignition coils don’t last forever. In fact, some of them only go 342,441 miles before they quit. But after replacement, the X5 runs like it’s new again and the tow truck driver learned how to suspend a utility trailer off the back of his truck!

Living here in Hot-as-He,ll Texas, you kinda pressed your luck on ignition coils.
Absolutely no way would I chance that. Being in Aviation, we don’t run till failure.
It’s called preventative maintenance.never seen an airplane on a tow truck....

I have and it's no fun. I carried the personal affects of the pilots' home after this one. No amount of maintenance will fix poor airmanship.

In other news, I've added to my E39 obession...

Well, I did replace two of them at 162,000 miles :bustingup

I'm not gonna touch my transmission fluid though.

2002 X5 3.0 343,401 miles
2014 428i 37,800 miles

2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles

1970 Firebird Under restoration

And to keep the two pedal theme:

Wow, that's a husky looking head tube. What brand frame is that?

It's an IBEX. I had not ever heard of them before I saw it. I bought it on a whim at a closeout place. It's my 1st CF frame and I am completely infatuated. I replaced a steel Gary Fisher that was 20yrs old and probably twice as heavy.

Heres mine

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1751/...3ca5f365_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1728/...54cd0631_b.jpg

I still roll on my college wheels, a 1974 Concord Freedom Deluxe. Old school 10 speed that was pretty elite in its day. I've often wondered if it's still on file in Ohio at the Boardman Police Dept.

2016 Dodge Challenger 392 R/T Hemi.

With the added 1 day in jail and huge fine options in the Middle East for hitting 271 kph on a 120 kph highway! [emoji41]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d2c908f6fa.jpg

Sent from my SM-A730F using Tapatalk

So here's the CEO overseeing the third primer coat application and plotting how to be the first to drive it when it's ready!


1970 Firebird Prepping for its Coronado Gold final color.

The eternal project car, has moved under its own power once since 2015.

1993 Mustang LX 5.0 notchback

https://i.postimg.cc/d3BBnJg6/IMG_2762.jpg

4x4 off road toy. 2000 Land Rover Range Rover 4.6 HSE with Eaton M90 supercharger

https://i.postimg.cc/fLdq7nwq/IMG_4696.jpg

One of my distractions :

This shot is kind of interesting. Little did I know when I shot this pic while visiting my parents that the house in the background (two story 4000 square foot home being used as a daycare center at the time) would be my house as of a few months ago. That's the house I bought that I mentioned in the other posts I made. It looks a lot better now after "de-daycaring" it :)

Restoration update since paint has been applied and engine rebuilt.


1970 Firebird

Here is mine, rather was recently sold it to move on to another "distracting toy"

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...07cd0fc911.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...55d04c8902.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f57aaa5e05.jpg

Could post a lot pictures [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Love that bold lettering on the tires!




2002 X5 3.0 350,200 miles
2014 428i 42,000 miles


2004 325i sold at 123,600 miles
2001 325i sold at 66,000 miles


1970 Firebird Under restoration

Thanks! It's made out of rubber and glued on with some HD glue.

How many HP is this beast?

That is one beautiful coupe you have there! You gotta get that things back on the road. I grew up on mustangs. My brother got me started with his 85 GT and the rest was history. My last was a 94 Cobra Pace Car. Loved it but let it go in between jobs. :( But with my 4.8 I don't miss it too much. I do miss the sound of the Borla exhaust and X-pipe though, especially with the top down!

Initial dyno on conservative tune I made 515WHP/475TQ before I did long tube headers and off-road pipes (cat deletes). Never did after so I dunno.

I say conservative because I had completely stock heads and with 3.8" stroke and over bore (resulting in 302 ci) I had a compression ratio of 10.5:1 and the tuner felt with 93 octane it was easy to cause knock/detonation.

my (expensive, often in both time and parts) distraction

Doors back on and Year One replica Rally wheels in place. Restoration shop finally has the manpower to start reassembly in two weeks and engine gets to the dyno in three. :thumbup: Maybe I'll get it for Christmas :dunno:



1970 Firebird


Full T/A suspension for 1974 SD-455 with 3.23 posi



350 block stroked to 413 cu in, Big valve WS6 performance heads, 850 CFM GS455 Stage-1 Quadra-Jet, Edelbrock Torker 1 intake, Comp 276 Hyd Roller cam and roller rocker arms

Really nice toys guys :thumbup:

I should have stayed in college... :banghead:

I ride this when I am distracted.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2b8d4b16c1.jpg

Love the chamber! 50cc, 100cc or 125cc?

Mine's just a little bigger.. :thumbup:

It’s a Puch E50, with a Metra 80cc large port kit.

Mini Austrian muscle. LoL..

I want one of those really bad. The guys here in downtown Charlotte are killing it with the cafe style conversions. It's becoming a complete subculture in the NODA area. No license, no registration or insurance needed under 50cc here in North Carolina.

Distracting Toys...
 

Yeah, it’s crazy! I’ve seen setups that blew my mind! I had no clue what it was all about when I got mine.

This guy setup a garage sale at a vacant home on my street, and so I went by to see what his deal was and at the end of the day he wasn’t hurting anybody. He sold me the bike for $40 bucks.

The condition that it was sold to me was what they call a “roller”, no engine, no tank. That tank the hardest part to find.

Everything is original though.

I've always liked (read: would own one at any cost) the E31 8 series... and then I tried to get in one. @ 6'8"... it was less than comfortable, and my dream was crushed.

So here is my current distraction. E61 530xi, and in the future to be an E61 550i. ;) Oddly enough, both were bought for $1200 apiece.

https://i.postimg.cc/nz4BZ3GZ/20190906-143647.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/sXd7tkSw/20190831-115127-HDR.jpg

Nice Puch! :thumbup:

My other distraction also has the spinning propeller....

https://i.ibb.co/J75DNLX/Dunedin.jpg

The chassis is great, but the engine is ridiculously underpowered!

Attachment 76747

AM.

AM,

Think about it..


https://esstuning.com/ess-m52tu-m54-...harger-system/

Preetty sure he means the bike is underpowered! :thumbup:

Speaking of bikes:

That was before the mods! What? Of course we mod our bicycles! :p:

Added CF wheels and (not pictured) new drivetrain this Summer:

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...200-small-.jpg

I only had to take the MTB on ONE commute/path ride to see my mother before I was sold keeping it in the woods where it belongs. This brought in over the Summer as well. Solves those longer distance needs:

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...600-small-.jpg

I thought for a minit that I would go full suspension and 29" wheels. I like my lil 26er. :nanana: I returned it after less than 15 miles:

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...618-small-.jpg

Annd then, last week's prep for our time in Florida. We're ab 1/2 mile up the coast from the Miami Beach boardwalk. This should serve well getting the few miles down to South Beach every day! I also use it to commute into the next suburb over. Only a few miles and they've got my favorite bar, gym, a couple doctors, and even places to eat!

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...926-small-.jpg

I had purchased these for my wife and I to use around the neighborhood and a nearby park. I traded mine (aft) in for the bike above. She loves hers in the foreground:

https://xoutpost.com/attachments/tes...-01-small-.jpg

While visiting Miami Beach, my wife and I rented a tandem to ride on the boardwalk. Pedestrians don't pay attention, and the brakes weren't the greatest resulting in some near collisions! Be careful out there!

AM.

When do pedestrians ever pay attenton? :D If it's not earbuds blasting music over and above their surroundings, it's oblivion towards the lanes in which one walks vs rides. :dunno:

I already have the bell on the bike! :thumbup: Last year, we saw a LOT of close calls, so I decided to get a little silly on our 1st year with our own bikes down there. I even bought a ridiculous squeeze horn to add onto the handlebars. Next will be a rechargeable air horn and small battery to carry in the basket.

Annnd, just to make myself as obnoxious as possible, I'm adding this trailer to carry the cooler, chairs, and nick nacks for a 1/2 day at the beach. I don't even really know if I'll need it. We'll see. 5 weeks. My head is already there.

I've got family in Miami. Love visiting. Not sure about living there though. Would certainly have to up my exercise game amongst all the beautiful people. I'm down 10lbs, child's play for you prop, but got to start somewhere right? ;)

Well, dagnabbit! You lost 'em, I found 'em! I have been on a victory lap since last month when I got to "Onederland". That's 199, down 126lbs. This morning, I was 210 at the doc. :(

But that's OK. I've seen 199 in the last couple days and I will see it again for my follow up with him next week. I'd sure love to see 189 before sunny time, but if I'm being honest, I kinda like where I am! :thumbup:

I finally had to do something myself. I was getting mortified when I looked in the mirror so I hit the Keto diet. Weighing in at 167 from 187 in 30 days. 2 lbs from my desired target weight. The success of Propellerhead was one of the examples I used to tell myself "I can do this". :thumbup:

Not as fancy as your bikes but the wife and I got these to run around the neighborhood, up to the village and over to the landing on the lake.

Engine for my 1970 Firebird finally got its run on the dyno last week. Started on the second tap and idled with a nice soothing rumble at 750 RPM. Unfortunately, Reher-Morrison didn't have a load program for their dyno that was very compatible with the operating characteristics of a Quadrajet carburetor (mechanical secondaries with air velocity controlled air valve operating the metering rods). It kept bringing the load in before the air valve was open enough to get into the power range on the metering rods.


Still managed to see 443 lb ft of torque at 3800 RPM and 383 HP at 5400 RPM. But the two telltales of actual potential were 246 HP on the primaries alone and pull all the way to 6200 RPM. In-car tuning should be easier to extract the rest.


1970 Pontiac 350 block 3.935" bore


4.25" Eagle stroker crank 413 cu in 9.13 to 1 cr


Edelbrock Torker I single plane manifold


Comp XR276HYR cam and roller rockers


850 CFM Quadrajet

Nice! Is that your dyno cell? How much did it make? :thumbup:

That's at Reher-Morrison Racing Engines in Arlington Texas. The dyno program printed out 383 hp at 5400 rpm but the technician was sure there's another 75 horses available with some carb tweaking and a better loading curve .

Pontiac power!

My 85' 635csi, lately. :) The X5 cargo area is the tool chest lately.

Clean!

Not sure what I was thinking... Guess I have my BMW's right where I want them and out of projects. Picked this 1969 Karmann Ghia up for my next project. Has some rust but what doesn't here for a 52 year old car in the Carolinas. :dunno:

That an e53 dinan strut bar sitting on the tailgate of the x5?

Very cool OB. Ghias are pretty little things.

Looks pretty nice OB! Iron Resurrection on the Motor Trend channel recently aired an episode where they did one of these. Of course it was lowered, and had the obligatory big rims installed, but they swapped out the motor for a "prepped", larger 1600cc engine that had 150HP that was really sweet.


What are your plans for it? Keep original or bump it a notch or two ;)?

OB, Awesome find!! I can't wait to see another example of your immaculate work!!!

Is that European or Mexican manufactured? (Not sure if they made them in Mexico also[emoji848])

If it's Mexican, please consider re-badging it as "Poncho Ghia" solely because that's funny as hell....[emoji1787]

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Beautiful! Also, it's wonderful to see you back in the saddle and having fun. :thumbup: I was stressed for you this time last year. :(

I have owned several Ghias as a youngster living in SoCal. Verts and coupes along with a slew of bugs.

My favorite one ended up on the front cover of VW Trends and a full story in Hot VWs. That is actually yours truly at the right front wheel at about 22. :rofl:

These treasures are just so hard to find anymore.

Congratulations on your new distraction. It’s looks pretty cool already, I can only imagine what it will end up being when your done with it!

Those old school pics are awesome, looks like you were living the dream in Cali!

Distracting Toys...
 

The engine on the stand, nice touch Boost! :thumbup:

Just a surf rat back then. Cars and boards. The Ghia wasn't really that fast. In street weight it turned a best 12.12 1/4 mile.

Now my bug was a little more stout. 9.86 @147MPH 1/4 mile

12 seconds is good for me!! LoL…. Nice time with the bug though!

That engine on the stand in that cover shot was actually the engine out of the dragster just sticking out the nose out of the garage.

picked up this go-kart (Mini R55S) just to own a manual tranny again...
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...92099059b7.jpg

Drooling over that 3 car garage. The R55S is nice too. :D

Same!

And that 8 series too. Wanted one of those in the worst way until I had to drive one. I just don't fit in it very well at 6'8" :(. I've heard there are seat mods to improve things... but it burst my bubble in terms of real desire.

Who says you need exotics to have a dream car garage? Nice, very nice!

My serious other distraction! Tire killa........BADBOW. :rofl:

Nice! :cool:

A temporary distraction. New timing chains, cam phasers, fuel injectors, VVT solenoids, water pump, and anything else I find. All because of a notorious oil leak due to a bad PCV system design. I'm doing all future preventative maintenance as possible. I don't want to remove parts again on a transverse engine.

As soon as it's done, I'm back on the X5 until I find the no sleep problem.

We've had this little distraction for nearly 2 years now. It'd been parked for one reason or another until this Spring when we finally decided to keep it- and for me to make it my own rather than my wife for whom I'd bought it.

It's a 2020 with ~3600 miles on it now. I replaced everything that cools air, water, oil, or fluid. And then I added intakes and a blow off valve for fun noises. The biggest changes came from the KW coilovers' excellent comfort on the road and incredible balance in the twists. Between those and monoball thrust arms from Fall Line, the car is the way it *should have* come from the factory. So predictable, compliant and yet composed. Just a great time since doing the mods last month.

That’s sick! What are the specs on those? I’ve seen them running the streets but never looked to see what they were all about. Love the color too! :thumbup:

:dunno: I can share that it’s the S55 motor which powered the M3 and M4 of the time. Though I believe the M2 might not have made the same power. Also, there was a hotter ‘CS’ version either in 2020 or 2021 with the same torque but +40HP which (IIRC) is like 10% higher than the competition model like this one. It might even have had a CF roof to take out weight.

The friend I bought this one from was in his mid 70’s and had a car addiction problem. It had been his 6th 2 series along with a number of Porsches over the past 4 years. He specifically ordered it with a sunroof which would make the performance junkies and armchair racers upset. I’m old enough to appreciate the sunroof. He ended up taking his own life just a few months later. This was one of the reasons we didn’t drive it for awhile. Felt weird.

Now it’s mine cause I designed the upgrades to accomplish my objectives. Tough to explain why it doesn’t feel as weird anymore. But there is no such thing as heat soak and it sounds like pure sex on full throttle intake. Intoxicating.

I’m very sorry to hear about your friend. I can’t imagine what that felt like and I can understand not driving the car for a while. I’m sure he’s in the passenger seat smiling every time you go full throttle! Thanks for sharing that.

That has to be a blast to drive when there are some curves around and even more amazing for one of those track day events! That looks like a definite keeper along with the 4.8.

Very nice car prop. Very sad story. You've mentioned it before, but still, always sad to hear news like that from fellow forum members.

Yeah. He was my 2nd close friend in as many years to take his own life. The 1st was way more devastating as we had a much closer bond- and had nothing to do with cars. His daughter was old enough that I could consult him on navigating my own. I'm still a little shut down from that one and it's been 2 years. Time, I suppose. But there hasn't yet been enough.

Sorry to spill the tea as the kids say. I'd give any car I own to have either one of them back.

After getting the E53, I decided to give myself a distraction as well. I have a smaller garage so I needed to find something weird and fun to tinker with. 1982 VW Rabbit Pickup, also known as the "caddy"

LOVE THAT! :cool: My brother had an '81 Rabbit. We used to deliver the afternoon papers to machines all over my town while jammed out to the Beetles Greatest Hits. Some of the best times of my life! :thumbup:

Thanks! I've been looking for years for a clean one and finally found one. I have a nice little swap kit to go in and have some useable passing power. So many instances of Farm trucks, paper deliveries, parts delivery trucks.

VW still make it... (the Caddy, I mean)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Caddy

The name Caddy makes more sense when you know that the base car the Caddy was originally derived from is known in the rest of the world as the "VW Golf". ;)

And so it was after the 90's or so when they suddenly rebranded the Rabbit to be a Golf- Which made ZERO sense to my teenage brain. Besides the memories of the paper route with my brother, I am fond of the 'PS' picture in the back of my dad's Road and Track magazines. Usually a funny picture, this was the rear deck of the same car but missing the 't'. It read 'Rabbi'. My affinity for dad jokes started early I suppose. :dunno:

Yes, I'm aware overseas they do. Stateside it ended a long time ago.

At this point, the X5 is the newcomer, so it's sort of the current distraction rather than the other way around :)

I still own my 2002 6-speed maxima (hence the username) and this was my first car I got when I was 16. Still looks and drives like new and puts a smile on my face with 250k miles. I have no hesitation driving this on long distances and have no intention of getting rid of it. It doesn't currently *need* anything, but I did purchase an all new cooling system as preventative maintenance since it's all original aside from the two radiator hoses.

https://i.imgur.com/C7JXHhr.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/VuVJ7jO.jpg?1

My tow/off road vehicle is a 2018 Titan Pro-4x. Very comfy on long drives but obviously not great fuel economy, although the X5 doesn't do much better.

https://i.imgur.com/zYOCTSk.jpg?1

And I do have a modern BMW to maintain as well - a G01 X3. It's my mom's and I do all the maintenance/work to it. She drives about 25k miles a year and I plan to be overly enthusiastic about maintenance like I am on my vehicles. It's crazy how the new X3 is larger than the E53!

https://i.imgur.com/iwra6PL.jpg?1

E53 is regarded as a distraction (after many others) by my wife
 

I've been obsessed by vehicles for my whole life, and spent most of my after-work hours around the car hobby since the '60's. I even made an attempt to become a professional mechanic, trained in a GM (Buick, specifically) tech school in the early '70's, but never worked as one (the Gm dealerships objected to my longhair and moustache...I refused to shave, out of principle). Sorta funny, since I've been mostly regarded as a "-redneck" ever since (hippy-redneck, redneck-redneck, old man-redneck, etc., though I've never lived on a ranch or farm).

Anyway, I have had obsessional feelings towards my cars/trucks over the years, often going too far into modding them, and usually never selling/trading them, unless totalled (one was T-boned, two were stolen/totalled by my brothers). I have traded several for other vehicles, usually to make the wife (at the time) happy (if that's even possible), when absolutely necessary. But, I'll normally have a favorite or two that're untouchable.

My '66 Chevelle was my latest obsession, at least it was until '08, when I quit drag-racing (perceived job-insecurity and/or upcoming retirement sapping $$ needed to maintain it, nearing old age/overwork sapping my energy to race, and wifely pressure to stop, were all factors). So, the Chevelle sat untouched in the garage for 13 years.

Meanwhile, I piddled working on two daily drivers, and two pickups (and ignoring two other ex-daily drivers, sitting in the yard...a Fiero, and an Olds Quad 4 coupe, that my wife wouldn't let me get rid of), and resisted selling or parting-out the Chevelle. I wanted it to continue on, either racing, street driving, or both. So, I waited.

Interim period: And I built a semi-offroad squareback trailer, when I missed the racing/building/racing cycle, after three years. It is still an ongoing distraction.

My next-door neighbor, an EE, was always working on his small fleet of vehicles (Subaru, Hyundai, two dirt bikes), often using my lift to yank out, rebuild, and replace the Subaru's engine). Trying to perfect it, I guess. But when he got the dirt-bike racing fever (at 40+ ??), I suggested drag-racing as a substitute. Or street-modding with a classic car. Over the years, he became more hooked on the idea. So the swap was born.

He found a '01 X5, that was primarily used for highway travel to and from West Texas oil-lease properties. Hi-mileage, and travel on hard-packed alkaline soils, keeping it mostly in good shape. Over the next 3+ years, he restored to like new the cooling (except for the clutch fan), suspension, transmission, and finally the Vanos/timing chain & guides/engine seals. Then we swapped cars.

He moved a few miles away, so I'll have to visit the Chevelle as he converts it to a streetable resto-mod, retaining many of the racing pieces it has, and converting it to fuel-injection with an overdrive tranny (goodbye carburetor, trans-braked Powerglide, and 4.88 gears w/full spool). From what I've tested, and knowing his work, there'll be little for me to work on the X5, at least for a while. The wife's already pissed about the "unnecessary" fan conversion.

My toys are miniature :D

Hah! Even Master Chief has his hands full with an e53!

I'm much more a bike person, so my toys have 2 wheels:

https://i.imgur.com/Ju8FfRW.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/tGlkrRE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ewQb9U1.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GwMUiEI.jpg

I have what the doctors call... A little bit of a Bimmer problem.... :rolleyes:

But what would YOU do if you found this thing sitting around? All original interior, paint. Original OCD owner. 193k miles. All services complete and everything works- even the power roof. Couldn't say no. :dunno:

Nice!!

I just want to know how you're going to hide this from the wife?[emoji848]

Not that I (looks over shoulder and typing softly) have to do that....[emoji28][emoji28]

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Kids car!

You totally nailed it. Though she already loves her 2012 128, she has been wanting to learn a manual transmission and dying for an E30. To be clear, neither of them are 'her car,' but- as I pointed out when razzed ab my BMW habit- If it weren't for *her*, I would have at least two fewer.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :bmw:

It's uhhh.. it's for BOTH of you to learn manual transmissions! That's it! Yeah! Not for ME! I mean.. who needs another Bimmer? :stickpoke

I do have this fantasy- or maybe given the actual fantasy, 'fantasy' is a bit too much of a word. My wife and I used to tool around on local roads in my little 2002 when we were my daughter's age. Since the '02 is in restoration, I tried to make the same happen in the M2. :popcorn:

Well, with that kind of power, handling, aural experience, and way pretty carbon fiber (kidding), I will admit that I let the M2 have its way with me in the twists. Hell, I even let it bend me over on the straights. It's just sooo.... damn FAST. :wow: I caught my wife gripping the M2 door pull the other day. She wasn't relaxing at all. :(.

Enter the super ETA power plant in the E30. One step above dog for its day, but just the right amount of analog to get my lil wifey out and about on some tree-lined streets. At least that's my aim. We'll see if the target falls. It sure is bright enough red to hit!

Also, I am getting the bottle caps refreshed and new centers. With a polish and seal, this thing is gonna glow. :thumbup:

Wish that would work for me, but the wife is mad at BMW'S at the moment because of the L1-L4 problem in the Witch but I also had to replace the battery in my toddler's electric M4

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Very sharp and impressively clean interior! Looks like a great catch. :thumbup:


But I have to ask, what is that massive tree that appears behind the hood? :wow:

:rofl: They're all over the neighborhood. Most of the homes in the neighborhood were built when I was born. And the trees that haven't been knocked down or died have had 50 years to get ginormous. This is across the street. She just had them trimmed so the wind won't catch them and split her house in two (or four).

Nice snag Prop, as always. I need another e30 in my life. :thumbup:

Beautiful E30 PH! I crown thee King of BMWs! :thumbup:

My kingdom for a horse! :p:

Very nice! I'd like another Bimmer, but I have no place to keep it.

This is an amazing find! You have a healthy little bit of a BMW problem:D.

Sweet....enjoy.


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1st spa day for the E30 this weekend.

Nice!

Thanks! It continues. Door sills, and front/rear lower valences are next days.

I swear. The last time I spent this much time rubbing a 34 yr old ass, I got a daughter out of it. ;pimp;

Took this the day before I sold the E46. Had to get them all in order first.

That's how I had to do mine. Sections at a time. There's only so much time in a day and a weekend.

If I was rubbing, waxing or even looking at 34yr old ass I'd be dead (since she's not 34...[emoji2958]) wait till you're in your 50's and surprise her with another boy after a 20 year gap...[emoji2957]

The sewing machine was a cheaper gift [emoji1787]

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'08 Acadia down three months. New chains, VVT solenoids, cam sprockets all kinds of sensors, new fuel injectors, gaskets everywhere, and wire repairs. Slow work and tedious. All kinds of distractions. Finally moves under its own power. After leak checks, finally assembly to put it back on the road. One more vehicle distraction before putting in some real wrench on time on the X5.

Well, my daughter is 17 now and the wifey and I have both crossed the big 5-Oh.

And there is no way in hell or heaven I am having a child this late in life. Hell, we're probably less than a decade from having grandchildren. :yikes:

Did a 4 corner brake job on the Ghia. Cost of working on this thing is very comforting. Brake drum and rotors, $30/each. Wheel cylinders, $11/each. Rear shoes and front pads, $15/set. Brake hoses $8/each. All 4 corners for the cost under 1 corner of the BMWs. LOL

:thumbup: Such a cool car. Only driven one once, and it wasn't near as nice as that example.

I've never had complaints about the cost of BMW brakes though. Barring M cars or M performance brake kits, I have yet to spend over $300 for all 4 corners.

It's the cooling system maintenance costs that are the real bargain OB :thumbup:

Lololol. True that. :thumbup:

So a little update on my distracting toy. I have been steadily working on it since I got it about 6 months ago. I don't get much time at home, I am always around the country racing or installing systems but I finally got a few weeks at home with the 2021 race season over.

I got the new front suspension with narrowed beam and dropped 3" in and finally got the Fuchs 2 liter alloy wheels back from paint and mounted. It is starting to look like the cars I have had in my past.

I have the engine and transmission in build right now so hopefully in a couple months, I will be making some serious manifold pressure on my way to get ice cream. :bustingup

It's funny, I bought this car knowing it was worth more than both my BMW's combined but by the time this toy is done, I will have more money in it than I did in my Ferrari. Reliving my youth is priceless.

Looking mighty fine! :2thumbs:

Thanks Happy! It's fun chasing my youth.

Perfect wheels OB.:thumbup: Looks like you did a cut and buff on that paint too.;)

Looking sweet OB!![emoji106]

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I'll pile on... very nice progress on a very cool car OB. :thumbup:

Looks great! I assume you're going to boost the motor? It will go like a bat out of hell!

OB! That looks AWESOME! Those WHEELS! Swooooon! :luv:

OK.. Let's have some fun (and them of you what already know the answer can just stay the F shutty)...

Yesterday's newly acquired distraction....Anyone care to guess?

Well, it's a super low mileage BMW. What did you get? ;)

Judging by Props milage I'm guessing he finally by his 10th tank of fuel...[emoji848][emoji1787]

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More hints! Day time dash pics are better for the game!

(a little dirty, but thats an easy fix)

Wow. Nice. BMW finally fixed the OFHG and power steering fluid reservoir locations. Cooler weather too.

And so here we are...

My sporty shorty barn find.

NICE!!!

Overboost's Air Cooled made me do it....
 

Saw Overboost's Ghia photo last week (excellent) and decided to post some toys as well.

Nice collection

Love the vert! :high5:

Our Christmas tree is complete.

Hahaha…. Good one Boost. :thumbup:

+1.

:bustingup

With my X5 out of action with a blown shock/strut, I've been playing with my other toys....

Summer Sprinter - F650 Community