SweetDaddyDelicious

Is it true that they finally put an independent rear suspension in them? I'd love to be able to see some of the sweet mullets going into the GM dealers right now!

If you end up making more bags I'd like the shot to earn your business on them. Just let know what you are looking at, qty, what your budget is and what kind of price you are getting on them, etc. Can do these super cool embossed aluminum notebooks right now too which are very cool as well. Make an adams pen for the built in pen holder on the 1/8" thick plastic backing and it would be a very nice package.

I'd like to earn your future business on these. Let me know what it will take. I do quantities of 100+ shirts CHEAP.

It would be nice if they were able to put the power to the ground and go somewhere with it, rather than just sitting there wearing out the hard tires. (we need an instigator smiley like the one poking the other)

Who was the comedian that went through the different car makers? When he gets to Chrysler he says "Chrysler. 30,000 parts all put together from the lowest bidder" lol. When I worked in the automotive manufacturing industry and then for a supplier to the OEMs it could not of been more true. (this also wasn't very long ago ~5 years) Heck I never bought my first Foreign car till I worked for Ford. lol. I had to. Ford sold me on it. There was no way I could drive that crap we were making. I'd still take my 15 year old bottom of the line BMW over a new Focus and still think 5 years from now it will be in better shape and more reliable. I think the Dodge neon sold more Honda Civics than Honda could of dreamed of.

There are lots of stories about this film and it has circulated for years. The usual story at face value is that Claude the director strapped this camera to the front of his Ferrari 250 GTO and had at it. Some say he hired a professional Formula One race driver. It's often said that it in fact was run in his Mercedes and then the sound overdubbed in later of his Ferrari. Although not as cool as just taking it at face value and ruining it just a bit, this seems like it was most likely the story. One thing I know is I just watched it at friends house who had a remastered DVD version and it was spectacular. He has a nice theater setup with a huge screen and awesome sound and it was 10 times better than then all the times I've watched it in grainy quality on a computer screen over the years. You could see the red lights up ahead clearly and also the times he took the wrong way down one way streets. I like to take the story and the sound and face value and just be entertained by it. I am amazed he did not wreck or kill anyone. You would not get too many chances to make that run like in one shot.

Looks great. My Mom's Audi was really bad recently and also my BMW. I took a day and did both of them starting with wetsanding them with finer and finer grits then plastic polish on a pad. Was amazed at the results. My dad got one of those crappy headlight polish kits from autozone and after 45 minutes of working on the Audi it was still terrible. Once they are bad I can't see any one product job handling the whole job. On the Lotus I have paint protection film on the headlights and turn signals so that I won't have to do this. If it gets some wear or whatever in a couple/few years I'll just peel it off and slap some new on. (not that they are the easiest headlights to apply it to)

The plastic vents on the Lotus fade out too. I have not found anything that keeps them real black very long. A lot of guys just paint them black. I've heard peanut butter works well but have never tried it. Heard it works well for getting rid of wax marks on it too. Stoners trim shine is the best I've found and lasts the longest. Have not tried Adams on it. Meguires and mothers back to black products don't last long at all on it.

Miatas are great cars and can be a blast on the track. I mean they are modern Elan- just heavier.

Have worked out for years. Got off pace for a bit and back into it and have put over 10 lbs back on while keeping a trim 6 pack. Screw the garbage supps. Most are crap. Waaay too much money. All you need is a multi vit, and maybe glutamine. Your diet is everything. To me the diet is a bigger part than the training for my gains. I'm using less whey protein now and switching to Hemp protein. Do your own research. It works better for me. For the idiots out there- hemp is not illegal and doesn't make you high. It has no THC. It is a superfood though. Watch "bigger faster stronger" on about how they "pixie dust" the ingredients in supplements, hide the junk behind the term "proprietary blend" and then use roid freaks to advertise their product as if it made them that way. I like when they take the guys before and after pictures....on the same day. It's a pretty good documentary. Maybe not as good as "truth in 24" (free on itunes right now) but certainly worth watching.

I added even more....

I did come to that gathering. That was called LOG28 (Lotus Owners Gathering- 28th year for it) and this year I am on the planning committee for LOG29 in Birmingham. LOG was a blast and I'm really looking forward to it again this year. I met many of my "online friends" in person and a lot of my customers as well. I've stayed in contact with many of them over the phone and e-mail over the past year. Overall it is a very fun group of people. The crowd overall is a little different than other "car crowds" i've been a part of. They tend to be more track junkies and very "performanced" based. If a mod it made for bling, you are going to get chastised. It has be lighter and add performance. Very much purists. An extremely high percentage of owners track their car. They stick to Colin Chapmans philosophys very much so. If any mod is done its usually how much does it weigh? is the first question asked. Very few people do mods like adding subwoofers or amps. No one puts on chrome wheels, there would be no faster way to get laughed out of the community. Lambo doors are for Lambos, Civics, and tossers. The first thing about driving a Lotus is to "put on your car" You don't get into the car. You put it on like a suit jacket. lol. You have to climb in over the frame and then sit down inside it. They are extremely sparten. The philosophy is to "add power through light weight" Think about how your motorcyle only has 100 HP but is extremely fast. The Lotus doesn't have a lot of power- but it has a great power to weight ratio- on par with your "supercars" which makes it very fun to drive. It's something like a thousand pounds lighter than a vette. 800 lbs lighter than a mini cooper, even several hundred pounds lighter than a Miata. A lot of people compare it to a "motorcycle with 4 wheels" I think those people are idiots and don't ride bikes- as a bike is just extremely different and you are part of the handling dynamic. I think what they mean is it just extremely communicative and you feel very connected to the road. Often reviews refer to the "feel" and the feedback of the steering. (it does not have power steering and does not need it) Light weight helps with all 3 things a sports car needs to do. Go, handle, stop. More weight hurts all 3. Then brakes get bigger to stop it, adding more weight, tires get bigger...adding more weight, etc. Adding lightness just helps all around. I think the experience is like riding in a car sized go cart, on the street. It is mostly made to be a street legal track car and that is what it is. It is not a GT or a luxury car- if you want that go buy a Porsche. The aluminum frame of the car is largely exposed inside. It is loud. You don't really have any gadgets. Lotus asks not what the customer needs, it asks what can they do without? Tilt wheel? nah. Cruise? Forget it. The passenger side seat does not even move. The only adjustment is a lumbar pump. I do not find it uncomfortable at all and can drive for extended periods in it. The seats feel molded to me. That is not the case with many people though. I am young and flexible so I can spring in and out of it pretty easy. For a lot of people getting in and out is a chore and several people sell them because of it. I think it's part of the appeal. Sure it's a little bit of effort- but those comprimises make it all worthwhile and to me add to the experience and make it more fun. You don't feel like you are in a normal car. The stereo stinks, the air is not so good, and you still love it. There is a warning on the soft top that it's not made for extreme conditions and and some water may still get inside if used in such. Can't take it through a car wash. It's extremely low so you have to be careful on driveway entrances not to scrape it. It has the Queens Mark of Excellence on the rear window. A neat little touch. It very much feels the hand built British car that it is. Automatic is not an option. The pedals are very close together and art in themselves made from extruded aluminum. They are set up from the factory for heel/toe shifting. You sit inches off the ground. It's all you can do to make a slam dunk in the toll booth basket. You can't see the person at the drive through, you reach up to them and when on the highway you look over right at the center cap of a big rig tire. Most sedans door handles are at eye level. The engine revs to 8600 RPM. At 6200 RPM is switches to the second cams and the fun starts. A switch is flipped. You get an awesome boost in power and sound. It feels like on an old car when the 4 barrel opens up, or like a mild turbo just came on its power band. Winding through the 6 speeds makes a metallic clunk each time you shift. My buddy thinks its sounds cheap and crappy. It reminds me of playing Ivan Stewart's Off Road in the arcade as a kid. I love it. 8600 is a lot of RPM's. It adds a lot of fun. If you want to drive normal it does it well as well. I can get 27 MPG going 100-120MPH up to my grandparents house 200 miles away. Or I can go 80 and get 33 MPG. One more place light weight is nice. I suppose if I went 55-60 I'd get about 40 MPG but in 45K miles of driving I've just not had a chance to try that one yet. It is an eggshell. You have one huge composite front clam shell, and one huge rear one. If anything happens, if you get bumped a 1 mph by an SUV you are at a bare minimum of $10K in damage. This goes for parallel parking too. Don't do it. It doesn't have ineffective bumpers, it doesn't have 5 mph bumpers- it has a federal exemption to not have bumpers. An SUV did indeed bump me once at about 1 MPH. It was a 2 wheel drive Suburban, the rear bumper hit the top of my headlight and went over, the entire front "bumper" was cleared (and so was the crash structure and radiator) The bill came to $13,600, and 2 months in the body shop waiting for parts from England. Also had a rental car for 2 months. Insurance is not cheap. It was purely cosmetic. The frame is all aluminum, if it is bent, the car is totalled. They should not be straightened as it is not safe. The crash structure is carbon fiber, and bonded to the aluminum frame. If anything touches the crash structure the bill is minimum $20K and at that point they usually just total them. The dealer charges $300 for an oil change. I do all maint. myself. From their perspective it's still cheap- they would rather be charging their Lamborghini customer $1,500 for his oil change. We are kind of a waste of their time. You comptemplate driving under the toll booth arm, or trying to squeeze under a tractor/trailer. It would do it if not for the tire carrier hanging down. I did park under the front of one at a show once. The handling is what is all about and it is where they shine. There is a reason that when other cars are referered to as handling good, the Lotus Elise is often what they are referred to. It is a bench mark as one of the best handling cars in the world, and that it is. A short tight track or mountain road is where they shine. If a curve is marked 25 mph usually doing about 70 won't give you any issues at all. You do drive it like a Porsche though, with the engine in the rear "never lift" is the general rule of thumb. There is a saying that its more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow. On a road course the curves are what makes it fun. I think being able to break much later and carry much more speed through the turns really adds to the fun factor and driving experience. Sure anyone can have a bunch of power and romp it on the straights. It doesn't take the same skill nor do I think gives the same rush as doing 80 MPH coming out of a turn with your foot to the floor. On a tight track we can show much higher power cars a thing a too, and that is just a blast. Being able to do a better lap than a GT3, Z06, Ferrari, Gallardo, Viper etc on a short tight track is a real thrill. Granted with long straights the story changes. It also gets you into a really fun group of cars guys. Its' a real kick for the guy in the Ferrari jacket with his new F430 to appreciate your car and be taking pics of it. It's a blast to get 15 of them together and do a mountain run up the winery for lunch. It's a ton of fun to do a charity ride for kids and for a youngster to get a thrill out of it when cars 4 times the price surround us. It's neat to be "spotted" and your photo put up on Ferrarichat in the exotic spotters section. It gets an obscene amount of attention. Wanted and unwanted. You are a car to people- that part is kind of lame. Camera phones are always taking pics of you. (what do they do with the photos) Sometimes it's hard to just stop and get gas, get into the restaurant, or go about your business. People make assumptions and judge you based on your car. Cops wait in the parking lot for you to come out of a bar/grill. You look like a good and easy source of revenue. People look or they refuse to look, but one way or another there is a reaction to the car. Once you are all done it's time to get out. It makes getting in look not so hard. The drivers side is easier. You can push off with your elbow against the steering wheel. If you passenger is wearing a skirt- you help her out and get a show. Well it's either that or whoever is approaching you in the lot does. Does that give you a "feel" for it? Guess I got a little wordy there.....

That's what I love about it. It IS my practical car though. The rainy day car. For REAL fun, nothing beats the bike! (well I do have an old BMW hatchback with an M3 front end I sometimes haul tires and stuff in, but I try to drive it as little as possible and usually just leave it with my Dad) :uk:

No problem. If you have the vector art it will save you some money. Other wise I'll have to charge art time for making it. With my current workload I don't think you are gonna feel it's worth it in the end to end up with one small decal. I'm sure you understand not being able to work for free though. 1 hour of art time = $50.

I don't think I've ever been accused of holding back. lol.

Not looking to make them shine. Just look new. I could always polish them to make them shine. I don't think that would look good though. Hmm, I wonder how the hydroflouric acid would work (and where I could find it around me) as well as if it would jack anything else up in the area!

Hey guys, figure someone here would know. You know how cast aluminum gets that dull dark grey appearance over time? Such as on an cast intake, heads, or in my case- the brake calipers? What do you do to clean it up. I have an event coming up in a couple months and perhaps I'll get to detailing my brakes before it. (even though I'll do a track day there and put the hurting back to them) Is there an adams miracle product that makes short work of them? Wire brush? Give me the info. Let me know the secrets!

And once you see the interior that is sad. And chrome wheels (sorry, it's a weight thing. Extra unsprung weight for the sake of "bling" has no part on a performance car.) The Vettes performance is amazing. It really is. No one can argue with that. But then again so is the price. Six Figures!- for a........Vette. Then again the SRT-4 performance is great too, but at the end of the day, you're driving a Neon. I never understood the outrageously priced tuner Mustang models either. The Saleens and all that. Again, sure awesome performing cars- no one is arguing that. But why spend Vette money on a Mustang. I don't getting spending ones cars class money on a "lesser" car. Like spending Vette money on a mustang, or used Gallardo money on a Vette. (and I wouldn't spend Neon money on the GTR. lol) Yeah I know the Vette owns all for the bench racing trophey. I wonder how many guys are actually ever going to drive them on the track. Personally I think the ZR1 takes a hit looks wise over the Z06. It looks more "tarted up" with more stuff tacked on for the sake of it being a special model. For the money I'd take the better looking Z06 and dump $20K in supercharger, suspension, brakes, wheels and tires and then you have a world beater for a great value. That's only my opinion though, and I guess you get what you paid for it.

How did you make the dash smooth before paint? Fiberglass? Build up with high build primer than just sand down? Some other way? Looks good.

I think you would be better taking this and $50-$100 of your money for an hours worth of logo design from someone who does it. Keep colors to a minimum. Think 1 or 2. Again keep it simple. It's your business. The job is to convey your business name. Also simple is easier to make on shirts, apparel, etc down the road. Think of the first 5 logos that come to mind. Odds are they are very simple, and 1-2 colors. Odds are also that the company makes billions of dollars per year, and it works for them. Oh and whatever you do, don't print your business cards at home either.

Nice job. Do work!

Way too busy, way to "clip-arty", and too many colors. Keep it simple. But don't listen to me. I only do this kinda thing. lol. I think it looks like they mailed one in. Fine if it was a design a guys 45 year old wife did with her first PC and newfound version of clip are deelux 1994 edition. A poor effort if you paid someone to do it who claims to do it for a living and accepts money for it. If you invested $15-$25 in it, then I guess you got what you paid for, but keep in mind it's the face of your company and also looks like it.

97Chev.. you have PM as well. Thanks guys. Sorry, I really wasn't trying to take over SkyBaby's thread!

PM-ing now...

What do you want to cover it with? Color? I have some metallic charcoals that would probably look great. Also if you have measurements for me that will help me get you the best price without guessing.