Happy Year of the Monkey! We’re like 80 percent sure that Han Dynasty astrologists weren’t talking about Honda’s 50cc mini-bike, but perhaps this will be an auspicious year for you, JNC-wise, anyway. Will you finally pull the trigger on that old “Datsun or something” your UPS guy told you about? Patch up that bit of bubbling paint that’s been slowly growing over time? Or, first things first, move to a place with a garage?
What’s your JNC New Year’s resolution?
What say you, dear reader? As always, the most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW,”What automotive woes are you most eager to forget?”
Many of you were eager to leave 2015 behind, whether it was due to dishonest Craigslist sellers, missed opportunities to own the car of your dreams, the loss of a perfect parking spot, or the mistake of opening the hood of a Z32 TT. Khee‘s answer was by no means the most tragic (thankfully), but was the most entertaining and well written:
I think parts and mechanical woes are to be expected with these cars, but for me it’s incidents of operator error that I want to bury it down deep inside and never bring it up again, one in particular.
One of the first drive out with a newly acquired limited slip on the s30, I’ve been flogging the open diff previously for many years at autox and was psyched to have a more aggressive setup. The off ramp coming into my street is a 180 degree bend, steep uphill grade, 2 lanes wide. It was drizzling outside that evening but not quite raining, about 10 pm at night with no one in immediate sight. Basically an open invite for ‘commmeee onnnnn, do something stupid.’
I rev match down to 2nd, confident in my abilities, and gas it as soon as the car starts rotating, traction loss achieved. A slight tail end out and I rev few times to enjoy the two wheels spinning. And then I let off the gas.
At this point all the weight is shifted off the front on this steep uphill, my rear wheels still spinning to find traction on their own, and shoots the car forward in an uncontrollable 90 degree turn to the right. Now the nose of the car is pointing directly at the freeway off ramp 10 ft below (being a 180 bend).
Brakes don’t work obviously in this situation, so I sat and waited. Waited at the inevitable crown to be the first guy in a s30 to launch his car down I-15 Cali freeway perpendicular to oncoming traffic.
The Z came to a stop past the solid white bike lane, but just shy of the grassy run off area leading down to the pre 180 turn off ramp. By this time the one car waiting in the red off ramp light, and another car just pulling up behind me was staring me down. I reversed, got back in line, and drove it home like a dog with tails between.
I think I may have just rehashed this more vividly than ever by typing all this out.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
I’d like to get down to owning enough cars/trucks to be able to count them on one hand. 2/3 on the chopping block are jnc’s…
And I’d like to get to a number of cars/trucks/bikes that I need to start using my toes to count them all!
Oh i didn’t count bikes. They take up so little space i give em a pass. I’m working on an 86 vfr700 that has been in the family since the 80’s but sitting 10ish years and a 96 vfr750 as more of a daily driver, storing 2 bikes for a cousin who is trying to make room for em as well. All of my jnc stuff is fairly cheap, just all has sentimental value to it or i would have sold it long ago…
http://i.imgur.com/4aQQhgu.jpg
I’ve got to get my Coupe running this year, it was on the ‘to-do’ list for 2015 but a house project took over, that should be wrapped up in about a month, garage built by easter. Then I won’t have any excuses. Apart from holidays and spending way too much money on bikes.
Realistic resolution: Become a better driver.
Slightly less realistic resolution: Tweak and tune my Eunos Roadster to perfection.
Even less realistic resolution: Buy an AE86.
Completely unrealistic resolution: Buy a 240Z.
Either finish the almost-two-year-lasting-tearing-apart-a-Celica-AA63 and finally-swap-the-bloody-thing-into-my-Carina-TA60, or just sell the whole lot for a decent price, then save up some money and get the real deal from Japan. 😛
Finish the 1967 HONDA N600 serial #1 for American HONDA’s museum, and get a good start on my RSC N600 rally car…..That and race my 62 CR77 replica more!
You are my hero.
Aim a little bit higher bro!
Ha!
$15,000 cash for that car when you’re done with it! (crickets) (hello? is this thing on?).. (kidding, of course)
I saw a great story in Hemmings on the history of your facility, congrats on such a fantastic career; you are my Honda hero, too.
Blush….
I too enjoyed that article.
Starting a new JNC project with my oldest son. Leaning towards either a Datsun 620/720 truck or perhaps an A60 Celica. (Prefer a later GTS with the Supra style flares)… Only craigslist/ebay and my pocketbook know for sure. 🙂
Finish my Hako !
2016 needs to be the year of getting skinny by selling a few cars. Not enough time or space to enjoy all the flavors I currently own: 4 S30’s, 3 S130 hardtops and one parts car S130, 2 Z31 hardtops, 1 Z32 hardtop, 1 Z33, 1 MA70 N/A hardtop and 1 S13 coupe hardtop. In addition I need to sell a bunch of parts that have been accumulated over the past 25 yrs.
My resolution is to finally get another garage built so I don’t have to keep passing up GREAT deals! I just let a sweet, almost-like-new Subaru 1600 DL wagon (5-speed, AC, and zero rust!) auction go at the last minute. I was the high bidder until the last two minutes when I realized that I just couldn’t justify getting it without indoor storage in MN in the winter. It was even more painful letting it go than I thought it would be. I’ll most likely never see a car that nice for sale again for so little money. My 2016 resolution is to get a #$%! garage big enough to store a handful of JNC beauties in. Life is passing me by.
2016 goals. Complete engine swap in my Mazda 1300 wagon, finish my ’79 SA22C race car, start on my second 1300 wagon build and move to a house with a big enough garage for all of them! Mazda life yo.
I am happy with my old Japanese cars. It’s the British cars that keep me wrenching and buying parts.
I finally got a resolution! Win the powerball and finally buy a Cosmo Sport and a 2000GT! Oh and don’t worry, I’d hang onto the RAV4 for winter driving duties… ^_^