<![CDATA[Comments from whatwouldjessedo]]> <![CDATA[Comments from whatwouldjessedo]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1983 Toyota Hilux 4x4]]> @Fej: Uhh, no deal.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1983 Toyota Hilux 4x4]]> @NovaloadMissesPolar: Next you'll want to know my age and weight, huh?

Although I think I got a decent deal, it wasn't dirt cheap. I paid just under $5k for this truck. I didn't even bother haggling with the seller, as soon as I saw it I knew I was going to buy it. There were a few others on Craigslist that I was looking at, all around the $2500 - $3000 range, but I would have had to spend another few grand to get them anywhere near the condition of this one. I'm selling a (not so DOTS worthy but very nice) '93 Subaru to partially pay for the Hilux in case anyone is interested...

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1983 Toyota Hilux 4x4]]> I can add a few details about this truck, but first let me say that every time I look at it I can't believe I found such a nice '83 4x4. It has 118k original miles on it. It's all original, except it's has a repaint about 2 years back. I'm calling it a Hilux because that's what I've always called them, even though very few have a Hilux badge on them. It's just the same as how I call Volvo 122s 'Amazons'. I also call my Datsun 411 a 'Bluebird'. I think I just pick the best name to use. Anyway, if you say you have a Toyota Hilux, people (who matter) know what you're talking about.

So this truck has a two-inch lift in the back, none up front. Those are some '80s vintage Appliance steel wheels that I wouldn't have chosen myself, but since they are in such great shape I kinda love them. I might revert to a set of plain old white steelies at some point, because I love the look of those.

The previous owner had the front bumper custom made which fits the truck perfectly and he just kept this thing in beautiful condition. I think I basically interviewing for the position as next owner more than I was just buying the truck from him. I plan to us ethis truck as it's meant to be used, but I promised I'd keep it in tip-top shape. No problem.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1967 Ford Galaxie 500XL]]> Hey what about that sweet 25th Anniversary Blue Subaru L wagon in the background! What a classic!

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1967 Ford Galaxie 500XL]]> I'm always surprised that Rocky can find a parking spot for the Galaxie on my street, what with all of the other DOTS cars clogging up the curbs. I think this Ford just swallows them all up.

This car runs as nice as it looks. On a nice day with all of the windows down you realize B Pillars are for suckers.

Rocky, you gotta always keep this car in Califoria - it's been wearing those black & yellow plates for 40 years!

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on PCH, Fiero-Based Hell Edition: Fierrari or Zimmer Quicksilver?]]> Actually, I always kinda liked the Quicksilver, even when they were being sold originally. Okay, I was like 12 then, but still, it's not a bad looking car really. I also like the idea of it being a compact, supposedly "sporty" luxury car. Okay, so one out of three is the truth. Also, Quicksilver is my favorite Kevin Bacon movie. There's a bit of murderous malaise era hoonage in that film, by the way.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on Our Thirst For Vintage Japanese Iron To Be Slaked At Motoring J Style Show]]> I think sitting in the heavy traffic on HWY 80 caused by the Marine World crowd after last years' MJS led to the my Datsun's eventual head gasket failure, but we'll be at this show again this weekend. Can't wait!

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1966 Datsun 411]]> If I can get the headgasket changed in time, this car will be at the Motoring J Style show in Vallejo, CA on May 24. Blind drunk, apparently, the judges last year gave it an "Outstanding Car' award. Will a new head gasket secure another trophy this year?

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1970 Puma GT]]> Well, this DOTS car has left the island of Alameda. With a tear in my eye, I wished it farewell as it was transported to a boat bound for Denmark. Yup, those Europeans are looking long and hard at the deals they can have on cars in the USA because of the current exchange rate being strongly in their favor.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on When You Go From 44th To 15th Place In Six Hours, You Get A Few Dings]]> @Harms:

Well, I hope I didn't do anything to piss anybody off out there. If I did, my defense is beginner's ignorance, or maybe the V8olvo helped me channel the war-mongering ways of the Norse Gods.

In any case, that was my first ever race and I tried my best to keep my driving clean, the last thing I wanted was to inflict unnecessary damage to our car or make any enemies out there. Maybe I took a few chances on passing that ended up up being overly aggressive, but I don't think I actually hit any other cars, although I took plenty of hits the whole time I was out there. My recollection (the whole race is all a blur really) of the incident with the Fury was having a very narrow slice of track between a stack of tires and a huge orange blob of steel. Knowing that I wouldn't win the automotive equivalent of sumo wrestling with that machine, I tried to back off but our fenders got caught up a bit. I don't know how it happened, but when I saw the wall of orange fade off to the side I thanked my stars and just gunned it the hell out of there. Sorry about the tire, guys.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1971 Datsun 1200]]> That is an awesome car! You can easily replace the A12 engine with an A15 and then it turns into a really nice little sports car. I think the Japenese cars of this era are some of the best looking cars. They took queues from European car design and American muscle cars and mashed in all into great reliable economy cars. The stock ride height and little wheels would always camouflage the sportiness of these cars until you drop them a couple inches and get some 13x7 wheels on them. Oh, and they had great named too, 'Sunny', 'Cherry', 'Bluebird', 'Honey Bee'.

Although 'Hornet' and 'Gremlin' were pretty great names too...

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on Just received the following]]> This weekend was a blast. Our Black Metal V8olvo was an awesome car, I had a blast driving it. This team was top notch, and I'm proud to say that my worst fear did not materialize, I didn't kill the car!!! In fact during that last hour on the track I think I may have dished out more punishment that I took, and our car is beat to hell (...uhhh, I mean the frostbitten forests of Sweden).

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on Details, Driver Name Emerge In Tragic Altamont LeMons Crash]]> I was very sad to see the beautiful #39 Volvo hot the wall (I was only a couple of car behind at the time in #97), but when I found out the news a short time later it was a complete shock. Today many if not all of the Lemons teams applied blue & orange #39 livery to our cars in honor of Cort. All my best to Cort's family and friends.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1984 Plymouth Reliant]]> There are four K cars on my block. I've put "for sale?" notes on each one of them. So far, no takers. I really want the Turbo Caravelle so I'll keep leaving notes...

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1978 Datsun 280Z]]> the '70s Zs are probably some of the best looking cars ever made. There is not a single panel on these cars that could be designed better. And that long nose gave you plenty of room to swap in any motor you want...

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1978 Datsun 280Z]]> @freds4hb:

I rep'ed Glenview until just a few years ago when I moved to Alameda. There is a healthy amount of DOTS-esque cars around there as well.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on Early 1970s Ford Bronco]]> Why can't they make trucks like this anymore?

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1977 Chevrolet Nova]]> I drove one of these once and remember that the steering wheel was at angle to the driver. I'm trying to think, is it possible that it was just a problem with that car, or is that how they were built. But if you can turn the steering wheel crooked, that's bad design.

Mom drove a '72 Nova. That's a proper Nova.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1980 Volvo DL]]> I once ran a Ferrari 360 off the road with a 240 DL.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on Morris Minor 1000 Convertible]]> I think those are Rover Sportpack wheels, from a '90s Mini, not Minilites. That's just some car nerd talk though. They do look great on that car, and were probably a bargain.

The copper Plymouth across the street from this Morris was at the San Francisco Hot Rod show last weekend. It waas probably the first time that car had been indoors in decades.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented]]> I think those are Rover Sportpack wheels, from a '90s Mini, not Minilites. That's just some car nerd talk though. They do look great on that car, and were probably a bargain.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1979 Shay Model A Ford Replica]]> hahahah! The owner of this car is so before his time. I don't know if this phenomenon is happening elsewhere, but here in Oakland there are a lot of guys installing speakers on the exterior of their car. Well, they put them behind the grills of their cars; mostly '90s era GM cars with 22" wheels and painted two-tone and often witha theme (Oakland A's, Reese's Pieces, McDonalds, etc.)

Anyway, so they put the speakers out there so we can hear their music even when they have their tinted windows rolled up. It's pretty generous really.

Kraco, hahaha, that's Kragen for "Realistic".

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1977 Ford Granada]]> Many days I sit at Cafe Francisco in North Beach for lunch. Like clockwork, this old guy in a mint condition black Granada drives by at 12:45. My work friends are car freaks too, so we always wave to him as he drives by, and he waves back. We have never actually talked to the guy, but I know he must feel like a million bucks in his faux-Mercedes, with all the youngsters looking at him in admiration. We call him Granada Larry.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on Another Low Volkswagen Transporter]]> Ha ha ha! About 80% of the mechanicals on this machine will fit on my Puma GTI. So either, this utility van is made of Exotic race bred egineering, or my exotic race bred sports car is slow brick of a van in a party dress.. Hmmm. I wonder which it might be....

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1979 Datsun Pickup]]> this page shows the sedan version of the 620:

[home.sprintmail.com]

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1979 Datsun Pickup]]> I can still clearly remember going to the Datsun dealership in Hayward with my Dad when he bought his 1977 Datsun pickup. I was 3 years old and I threw a fit because I wanted the red one, not the white one, which he was almost settled on. It worked and we went home that day in a shiny new red Datsun 620 pickup. He drove that thing until 1995 or so, by then the paint was so faded it was mostly white. Ha ha ha! I spent so much time in that truck I can remember every little thing about it, but I can't remember that truck ever breaking down.

I see these truck still doing ahrd labor around Oakland every day, usually the are carrying a ton of scavenged cardboard piled 15 feet high and pushing the rear bumper to 3 inches of the ground as they make their way to the recycling plant. A real workhorse and breadwinner to the owner.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1973 Ford Courier]]> Yeah, what the f@ck? Whay are "small" trucks so damn huge these days? And why are they so over styled? These '70s & '80s mii trucks are so awesome for their size, dependability and styling. I think the Chevy Luv was the best looking one, which was actually what, an Isuzu? The Datsun 520 and 620 trucks were great looking and you still see them in service almost every day (in California). Those '80's Mitsubishis looked great, especially slammed with Centra wheels, a paint matched shell and some of the tailgate letters removed to say "Mi Bishi", whatever that was supposed to mean.

But, can it get any better than...wait for it... the 1983 Toyota 4x4 SR5!!! Man I love that truck. Greatest truck ever. EVER.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1965 Rambler American 220]]> Aw man, I have wanted one of these forever! A few years back you could find a Ramble Rogue (the muscle version of the American) for not too much money, but now they are being snatched up and prices have risen alot. I'll take one of these plain jane versions though, and this is a really nice one. I think the styling of this car is so much better than the Chevy and Falcon, I might have to give it to the Mopars though.

I wonder if there was any confusion between this car and the Austin American... both are orphans as well.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1978 Dodge Colt Station Wagon]]> I like the use of the sun shield as very selective sun protection. "Paint? Who cares about that, but let's keep this dashboard supple."

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1988 CMC Gazelle]]> Ha ha! These things are awful! And I have a fiberglass-vw-powered car. I stole a set of the chrome trunk latches off of one of these at a junkyard one time, thinking they would be good to use on something else (anything else). But the thought of what they came from haunted me and I couldn't defile another car with them (even though they didn't look that bad themselves). So I sold them on Ebay, and a bidding war drove them up to $230. Ha ha ha! I might go steal those latches...

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1968 Ford Mustang]]> Centerlines? No Crooked Crags!

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on Studebaker Avanti]]> Avanti! Studebaker was a great car maker because they were alwaya little bit ahead of their time. The Avanti was way ahead, even though I have to say that it isn't the prettiest car. It's still one of the greats.

As for the company making rebodied Mustangs and Ford Expeditions and calling them Studebaker Avantis, that it just pure blasphemy. What they are doing is shameful and a disgrace to the Studebaker name. Studebaker ws about original design and innovation. The current "avanti" is a crappy mustang with an ugly body kit. The "Studebaker" SUV is an Expedition made up to look like a Hummer H2. No innovation, no technology, copycat styling, just a wholly terrible joke.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on The Lowest Daily-Driven VW Transporter You Could Possibly Imagine]]> I know the guy who owns this bus. He's been in the VW scene forever and has always had some awesome cars. I can assure you all, everyhing about this bus is intentional. His street-scraping Afrika-Corps themed Thing is killer. I like that boththe Type 2 and the Thing had factory built in lift kits that he had to remove. The Bus has the gear reduction boxes that each wheel that add about 4 inches to teh ride height, and so did some Things. But ball-jointed Things had double top torsion arms that worked to let the front suspension ride a couple inches higher. I had a '74 Thing for a while. It was a great car, and I would own one again if I didn't already have a fleet of DOTS-worthy cars.

~jesse

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1985 Volkswagen Quantum Wagon]]> I had two 1981 VW Scirocco. Those were awesome little cars, but I do think that the overall build quality of VW took a big dump in the mid 1980s. The pre-1984 cars were so much better than anything '84 and up. Every time I rode in a friend's Jetta something would break or stop working. Every interior piece was made of plastic covered pot metal and all the electrical switched were rated at about a 200 cycle lifetime. New knocks and pings and groans and grinds would show up constantly. I can't blame peopel so sending '80s VW to the crusher, the cars were practically asking for it.

But Sciroccos are awesome. Sadly, both of mine ended up in the crusher, both were totalled by (and I'm being sexist or racist here, it's just a coincidence I'm sure...) asian ladies driving minivans.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1970 Chevrolet Nova]]> A '72 Nova 250 was the first car my parents bought. It was the cool gold yellow color and my dad wasted no time getting a set of six-slot rally wheels wearing raised white letter tires on it. My mom drove that thing until 1987 when she gave it to my uncle and bought a Sentra. My dad turned his attention to a '77 Datsun 720 pickup.

Maybe it's because it was part of my familya nd my childhood, but I think these Novas are great looking cars. Theya re the perfect muscle car size; the styling, just like you said Murilee, is understated and perfect. This car looks good from every angle.

If you think otherwise, go watch Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. Fuckin' Hell, man, just go watch that movie...

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1966 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible]]> I lOVE seeing stock original VWs on the street. I'm always amazed that a car like this one hasn't been Cal-looked or restored or even resto-customized. There was a black oval window running around Hayward for a long time, an all-original faded out grampa car. Man that thing was great. The guy must have died and left it to his grandson because all of a sudden it was slammed to the ground, dechromed and had empi 5-spokes on it. Oh, and the whole car got covered in a layer of rattlecan grey primer. Terrible. awful.

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1950 Pontiac Streamliner Deluxe Convertible]]> @Murilee Martin: Exactly! The idea of retro new cars is more appealing than the reality. The new Beetle, the new Mini (that one is okay), PT Cruiser, HHR (Chevy's ugly PT Cruiser), SSR (that other weird Chevy retro truck thing), the Thunderbird, Plymouth Prowler...
...and now the Mustang, Camero, Challenger, they are all retro inspired, if not simple copies of past cars. Detroit doesn't have any new ideas, so all they can do is rehash the old ones. It's pretty lame. Actually, the Dodge Magnum/Chrysler 300 line is a pretty daring shape, although it is heavily inspired by Bentley, and the cars are junk quality. At least it's a unique shape. What else, the Crossfire is almost good looking but it's unique in looks....uh....that's all I got.

Oh, the Ford GT. Now that's original...wait, I can't talk smack about that car...that one is pretty tight.

In 40 years, I'll be searching for a rust-free, good-running Aztek and wonder why I didn't buy one new...I'll also have alzheimers.

~jesse

]]> <![CDATA[whatwouldjessedo commented on 1970 Puma GT]]> @junkman: To be completely correct, the Puma is not based on the Karmann Ghia. The floor pan is shaped differently. It's actually based on the VW Brazilia, sold only in...you guessed it...Brazil, as seen here:

[www.geocities.com]

The chassis, once assembled with engines and runing gear were shipped directly from the VW factory to the Puma factory, where the Puma workers cut and shortened the chassis about 10 inches and completed teh car with the Puma bodies. Pumas were also sold in South Africa, Germany and were imported as kits (minus the engine and axles) here in the US.

It's a funny beast, ball joint front beam, but early style swing-axle rear suspension. These things are built to take on the rough South American roads, they would make good Baja Buggies as well as Porsche 356 style sports cars.

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