i like cars and stuff, idk.
Firm believer that any vehicle can be fixed with the application of a MIG welder. Ellie, she/her | dating the wonderful
@CrowMS
Roadtripped 500km in this thing yesterday without a single issue, and somehow managing 23.4mpg (at 80mph with a 3.9 rear diff and pulling ~3200rpm!)
God i love this car
it's very amusing that I'm somehow at a point in my life where the 41 year old Lada is my only functional winterable car lmao
(The Z is working fine ofc but will never see salted roads again)
Washed, fueled, and ready for one last drive or 2 before the winter.
Almost time to put her in hibernation until the spring, but while i have the time and the weather I'm going to stretch that out as long as I can :)
Dear whoever at Subaru in the 90s who thought this one up, what the FUCK dude
Yes that's 2 panels spot welded together with what's basically foam between them
But it gets worse
so i apparently own a free 1967 land rover now once i figure out how to get it home
what is life even
I don't know much about these so if anyone wants to infodump go ahead haha
Roadtrip time! I always enjoy these sorts of threads when other people make them so hopefully others feel the same :) going to be a busy weekend but will try to remember to update as I go
Mile 0. Car loaded up, fired up, full of old cameras and heading west.
Turns out if you decide to explore a "Traverse At Own Risk" signed road and keep going even after it becomes basically atv/dirt bike sized, good times happen :)
Also hmm i should probably actually post the actual film pics from this roll too huh :P
Some of you have probably seen the cell phone pics i took on this day, I'm *really* happy with how the film turned out.
The lighting that day was excellent. Gold 200 on my Nikkormat FT2
I apparently continue my quest to take pics in the most convoluted-ass way possible
Shot on 35mm film, developed, scanned on digital scanner, sent to phone, sent to Instax Evo Mini, printed polaroid :P
Proper big snow here, so of course I had to take the Lada Niva out :)
Have had a total blast, and literally haven't been able to get stuck on or offroad. Rather impressed with the falken wildpeaks, not a dedicated snow tire but you wouldn't know it with where it's driven today
just got my film developed from the 35mm long exposures I did in Australia and HOLY FUCK
this was a like 8 and a half minute exposure on Kodak AeroColor that i guessed/hoped would work based on a totally eyeballed reciprocity failure figure, and just aaaaaaaaaaaaa :)
The Niva is now plated, insured, and road legal! Been on the road for less than 90 minutes and I've already taken it down a fire road that looks like an ATV trail lol
Behold, the exhaust quietener 3000 :P
It actually drops cabin noise by 10db and takes the little bit of rasp at certain rpms out entirely
Going to be a nice addition for the roadtrip I'm doing this weekend
I apparently continue my quest to take pics in the most convoluted-ass way possible
Shot on 35mm film, developed, scanned on digital scanner, sent to phone, sent to Instax Evo Mini, printed polaroid :P
In possibly the most me thing ever, i seem to have gotten weld-arc flashed in the most unlikely stupid way possible - light reflected off the metal, off the safety sticker in my helmet, and then off the inside of the glass.
Cut up an old welding glove so it can't happen again :)
Everybody, meet Skinny the Mini :)
A RHD '73 Mini, she's been entrusted in my care by her long-time owner for a bunch of rust repair this fall/winter, so you'll likely see a bunch of posts about her as I get dug into the metalwork.
I still can't get over how smol this car is!!
God, when i get home and get all the film developed from this trip i am going to be posting *so many pics* lol, there's just been so much rad stuff happening. 7 rolls shot so far and I'm still here for nearly 2 more weeks
Couple cell phone pics for now :)
Finally picked up a cheap spot welder so ofc I had to make something with it :) . New handbrake cable brackets all done.
This thing is going to be so useful for making stuff, welding rocker panels and other stuff with spot weld flanges, etc etc
Current project: fixing the floor of possibly the rustiest ford ranger with nothing but parts of a filing cabinet and an old bedframe
Ngl the bedframe works excellently as the pinch weld/floor strengthener
One quarter fully welded on to the SF, woo!
Very happy with the result considering it's gas MIG on a big flat panel, very minimal warping overall :) .
closer and closer to being done this corner of the car.
Getting there bit by bit with the forester metalwork, nearly done the strut towers finally :)
1/8" plate ought to outlast the rest of the car with any luck haha.
roof and cab-back acquired for the S2 landy, woo!
Not bad for 300 bucks, the roof needs some dents knocked out but everything is there and all glass is intact :)
Just gonna also post this pic as a standalone post because damn this bish photogenic af
Mile 640 of the roadtrip, no issues other than a small weep from the fuel tank when full (tank had more pinholes than the sky had stars before i epoxy lined it so not surprising)
Final rust repair on the front end of the forester is going well, one more day of work I think then I can paint/undercoat/wax/reassemble everything finally :) .
The Land Rover is home, woo! Will take a bit before the project can begin in earnest as i really need to finish the Forester as the main focus, but I'll be tinkering away on it as well until that's done.
if anyone knows anyone who has a pickup roof, uh let me know lol
The Niva lives again :)
Fired right up with a bit of choke on 25-year-old gasoline, in the cold, without needing any starting fluid or anything after sitting for over a year.
Now she's spun around the other way in the garage, time for me to start on the p/s rust repair.
Worse how? It's literally bare metal under there, not even some e-coat, and there's a 3rd layer on the outside that inexplicably has holes punched in it and no sealant other than the paint and undercoating
Ofc water is going to get between the layers and fuck shit up eventually
Back on the Mini now the 260z is fixed (well, still have to put it back together when time allows); started tonight on building a whole new bottom for the spare tire well.
Interestingly this Mini was such a base model it didn't have a spare tire holddown, I'll be rectifying that
Made some moderately cool shit the past couple of nights :)
One overkill 4pt triangulated quick-release strut bar for the forester, because i am incapable of saying 'no' to scope creep lol
Bad news: i have a perpetual case of resting bitch face
Good news: i have survived another spin around the sun, it is my bday!
It's going to be a good year ahead i think
Volvo repairs time. MIG weld on old cast iron without any preheat so it'll probably crack, but that still beats having a giant hole lol.
Car no longer sounds like a tractor that has rod knock, so great success.
I call this one junkyard chic /s
Spent 5h yesterday stripping dowm amd cutting the entire rear unibody frame and floor out of a junkyard SF Forester for mine.
Exhausted and sore today but well worth it, this is going to save me so much time versus making 100 little patches.
Forester floor is now complete, woo!
5h of fitting and welding and my back is totally dead, but very satisfying to have this job all done!
Now on to the rest of the welding on the car of which there is much more still to do haha
Way too much work later, the new fuel tank for the Forester is all done, assembled, wax coated, and ready to go in the car when the time comes :) .
Now i need to make the rest of the car this nice too lol
Got to the point where I could test fit the rear interior and aw yuss
All fits around the rebuilt strut towers and the strut bar looks awesome
Now to take it apart again for a few more months while continuing to weld more lol
The Mini teardown is going well :P
That last pic is a subframe bolt btw lol
(In all honesty nothing SUPER unexpected, I'm replacing the outer rocker, inner, and entire floor so most of this badness will be chopped out wholesale)
It has been A Week for charging system issues it seems lol, the Z just decided it didn't want to alternator any more.
One voltage regulator and a replacement alternator made out of 3 different alternators later, we are back in business :)
Finally scanned the last roll of film from my Australia trip and *holy shit* this pic
I think i've peaked lol. 100% going to figure out how to get this printed and framed
Fomapan 400 in my Trip 35, wayyyyy too little light, guessed aperture setting, 1/40th shutter speed
One weekend and a lot of sun later, I have completed a motorcycle safety course/test and have my M2 permit now, woo!
(with a perfect score too, i'm pretty happy)
Hmm yeah it was well worth forcing myself to get up and go for a drive :)
Finished off the roll of Aerocolor i had in my FT2, so hopefully some good film pics when I get it developed
Good news, i have discovered short shorts and am now unstoppable
Some real hot girl summer shit incoming once i get the Datsun roadworthy and have healed a bit more :)
Good: I found the culprit for the volvo's no-start weirdness
Bad: it was the timing belt on its way out (must have jumped a tooth etc) and it just fucking snapped while cranking the engine over lmao
Good (i guess): non-interference engine, but ugh i don't want to do this job rn
Suprisingly what was left back here cleaned up ok, but that doesn't bring back the metal in the gaping holes where this design rotted it all out before i got the car
(1/2) finished the last rear inner arch repairs for the Mini, very happy with the result. I think this restoration is where i finally admit to myself that I've gotten decently good at this :)
I'm probably putting way too much effort into parts that will be hidden and covered in dirt/mud when this thing is done but dammit this Forester will have the beefiest strut towers of any subaru ever :P
1/8" plate for the reinforcing gussets, only 3 more to make now