zeitgeist57

Are you doing Pike's Peak, or a mud bog race?

http://jalopnik.com/for-25-000-you-could-own-this-2014-factory-five-racin-1725972412 Ugh...the panel gaps in white look terrible. Mental note: make sure the color is DARK when one of these is painted!

After an amazing weekend, I wanted to share my thoughts... Our Cars and Coffee group, after 7 years, has really hit a place I dreamed about since coming up with the idea a few years ago. I wanted a weekly gathering that would represent as many different car genres as possible; classics to new tech, old muscle to modern. The group is vibrant, positive, and self-sustaining; people have met friends there, communicate at C&C and away, and are bringing in new people with little effort to reach out from us. Throughout this time, I've of course thought of the "other" Cars and Coffee group with some disdain; the main guy is regarded by many as an a$$, and competed against us in many ways. Recently, with my positive outlook on our group and having visited their Byers and Diamond Cellar meets, I really appreciate the exotic car focus and the halo effect that has to bring in some nice cars. Honestly, my hat's off to them. Like I said when Benjamin and others were around me at Byers, "I'm just glad they don't do it every weekend!" Social Media but what really boggled my mind last night when I was on Facebook and Instagram was the spider web of interconnectivity and self-promoting; there seemed to be over a dozen "Columbus Exotics"-themed IG accounts, showing all the same cars through different camera lenses. Then you look at the fact that these accounts had THOUSANDS of followers and it's easy to see why they have such a following... ...but am I wrong for seeing their gathering firsthand...and not wanting to be a part of it or have anything to do with it? As a passionate car enthusiast, I truly appreciate many different cars...and the more unique the more interested I am. But...if you have to "fake it 'til you make it" online pretending to provide content in a sea of sub-30yo's with cameras doing the same thing, is the value still there? If I look at Brian (Wagner), he's running around representing Pavement Mafia with race teams and one-on-one conversations that show passion and competition that others would have to make up. In my mind, he's truly providing content...but I also realize he has competition and has to play this game. I realize this makes me sound old, but the rabbit hole of social media and cross-promotion that goes on at light speed makes my head spin. I see benefit from a flash-in-the-pan promotion standpoint; I'm just happy that pressing the flesh still works and - as I say at work - "face time is not wasted time". TL;DR - Kids these days with their Book of Faces and Pictogram accounts and GET OFF MY LAWN...

A bunch of the Scoyotabaru guys were there before running over to Byers. The red one was boosted and really nice...I think the guy was out of NE Ohio???? Don't remember him being local.

Wags...try not to get minivans in the background. :thumbup:

http://media.giphy.com/media/iQEOg3zGJBXLa/giphy.gif Dear Karma, If you find a manual coupe with a panoramic roof and Recaros in the $20k's, call me. Thanks, Eric

Dude, Byers be CRAY CRAY. Glad they don't do every weekend.

Yay! Now, call Naples Motorsports and find out how much they want... http://www.naplesmotorsports.com/vehicle-details/2012-cadillac-cts-v-coupe-coupe-56966dacfba34f16b791ffe3bc12a362/ :leghump: :leghump: http://photos4.automanager.com/012359/56966dacfba34f16b791ffe3bc12a362/92bf78262d_800.jpg :leghump:

LOL! Was going to post this thread as well. Would love a Lambo-sounding S8 if it was a stick shift. Congrats, Joe! Many happy miles ahead for you hopefully...

This thread delivers. So does Jimmy John's. ZING!

Dropped off the head with NAPA on Friday, got a call yesterday morning. 2 valves are not seating properly, but the head is in good shape. $125 to clean, machine the head, machine the two valves, and bring it back to me disassembled. $205 to reinstall everything, including new valve seals...and $250 for a full valve job on all 16 valves with it brought back reinstalled, seals and all. Cheap as I am, I definitely went with the full machine jobber. I'll let you know when they are done. Wish I took some before pics.

Saw that on FB...is it replacing the FiST or augmenting it?

YOU DIDN'T REMOVE THE TAILLIGHT FIRST?!? :gabe:

Welcome back!

Good call on Bush: when people tell me they like Jeb, I tell them no one is going to support a 4th Bush election. Not even worth the effort to follow him. Either Trump is being a "scorch the earth" vote, or a "Joe the Plumber" outspoken-candidate-of-the-times that rally the small-business-owners that feel downtrodden by what D.C. as done to them in the last 10-15 years. People get their opinions. Hillary is what is wrong with gubmint today because of the establishment mentality that gave us 3 terms of Bush presidency: just because you wield political power doesn't mean you get - or will do well with - the power to be president. However, I'm also cognizant that people voted in 8 years of Obama as a "fresh face" that did little to enhance race relations (in the U.S. and overseas) as well as economic strength of the country in the end. To be clear: I don't subscribe to know the right candidate, but I can smell the wrong ones pretty obviously at this point.

Congratulations on the victory!

Which is why I posted this thread. Thanks, Ryan. Didn't know about the first statement...heard the second yesterday and was not dissuaded. I googled his comments on evolution and found this left-wing page: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/ben-carson-evolution-absurd-myth-give-me-break I have to admit that while I certainly believe in evolution, there are many aspects of our world I have to leave under the category of "intelligent involvement" to intervene. Then I saw this right-wing page about a very recent comment he said about use of morning-after pill: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/08/dr_ben_carson_says_to_use_abortion_pill_ru486_to_prevent_conception.html I don't need for him to believe 100% in evolution if he at least recognizes that the morning-after pill is an effective form of contraception right now. Yup, still like the guy.

Putting this thread in the Kitchen, because I know that's exactly the tone this conversation is going to go. That being said... As a long-time member of CR, I'm very happy to be able to share a lot of thoughts with like-minded guys/girls in the area. In addition to automotive knowledge, I've met really great paople and learned a lot that helps me in many aspects of my life. While I'm an outgoing individual, I have learned over the last two elections to NOT talk about politics in modern life. As such, I want to be honest with CR when I say I am having very strong feelings about the upcoming election season, and only want to air them here (as opposed to other social media outlets): I cannot get behind Trump as a presidential candidate, and Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry and whatever other white guys running all blend together in my head undifferentiated (aside from Kasich as our Ohio stand-in:)). The more that I hear Ben Carson speak, the more I seriously like this guy. I grit my teeth at how calm and soft-spoken he is in a high-energy campaign, but at the same time he really holds his own considering the lack of fanfare around him. The other candidate I like is Carly Fiorina, for being a strong female candidate and a good representative from the business sector. Curious of other peoples' thoughts, and if anyone really feels strongly about "their" candidate. I laugh at the Democratic side, because aside from Hillary representing all that is wrong with American politics today, she doesn't have to do anything (unless Bernie catches up) to combat the GOP until our "clown car" of candidates starts thinning out.

Hey guys.... I'm looking to chop-saw the cat off of this intermediary pipe on my BMW 318 (pre-OBDII, so no after-cat O2 sensor) but with that wicked 90* bend going in it's not so simple. Does anyone recommend a shop or someone that can cat-delete and retain the length of the pipe, so it's still a bolt on? Or, does anyone have some leftover exhaust bends that I can buy and weld myself? Thanks! http://i.imgur.com/pvuCZ2a.jpg TOP OF THE PIC IS THE HEADER...bottom is the exhaust to the cat-back system.

Awesome pics. I appreciate chatting with Doc about this...most of us can't appreciate open-air motoring for this much time, mileage, and exposure.

Shaun, if the block is iron I wouldn't worry too much...definitely get the aluminum heads decked. I know you and I are in the same boat.

I took it to the big location on 161 on Friday morning. They said someone would pick it up and give me a quote over the phone within the next couple of days (I assumed they meant business days into this coming week). I was TOLD that the machine work and R&R of cams/springs/valves would only take 3 days...

Red square near the end is the white hatchback. That is crazy. Thanks for posting. May people never lose their respect for the weather.

How about I hang it around YOUR neck and push you into a deep lake? http://media.giphy.com/media/77uq8h83vRKRa/giphy.gif