Site Projects

Great day in the morning: the block for the long-sidelined 1997 Lexus LX450 (fancy Land Cruiser) is done, and Jay Gaston of Jay's 4WD has already snagged it from R. Johnson & Sons Engine Repair in Warwick, RI. The head was previously cleaned… more

There's a point in every project where you begin to feel actual excitement that the end is approaching. For the 190E 2.3-16, I haven't felt anything approaching this in the last four years. From seeing it sitting outside my mechanic's shop for… more

I've been on the hunt for a V8 anything that was fast, comfortable, and just the right side of obnoxious. 

I started with the 1990 Audi V8 Quattro. A fine car plagued by some nagging issues I never remedied, and thus, never… more

The next phase of bodywork has begun on the 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth, and now we are truly counting down until we paint this long-term project. The bodywork phase has been arduous, with the rear quarters basically being rebuilt; the rockers being… more

Well, unfortunately my first maintenance log for the 2023 season comes on a negative note. Usually, changing your oil is a fun and therapeutic activity to engage in with your vehicle, and gives you a nice sense… more

If you're confused as to why a truck whose virtues I was just recently extolling is now for sale, let me explain. 

First, I have an out-of-state move coming up. There's a part of me that loves the Dakota, but there's also a part of… more

The 2003 VW Eurovan has been in my stable going on three years now, and it's one of the few in the U.S. that's been converted to the European-spec manual gearbox. We recently installed an ARB awning on it to perhaps drive us to use it more as… more

This is a milestone day for the 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth I harvested out of a junkyard in 2018: we have eliminated all rust from the body, save for some meaningless surface spots that will be eliminated during the sanding process… more

I can't tell you much about why or what drove me to ship my 1998 Dakota R/T to Alabama and whale on it for roughly 15 hours straight. You can fill in the blanks, but up until this weekend, I had driven the truck *maybe* 50 miles. And here I was… more