More pics

Thirsty contestants lining up for gas at the only service station in town after the first day...

A pristine '69 Camaro convertible

Cars &Friends

I had the privilege of joining a select group of gearheads for one weekend of exciting mortoring in the Austrian Alps. The "Cars and Friends" Ralley led us over mountain passes and along some of the most scenic roads of the western most part of the county.

There were numerous faboulous cars brought to the starting line, ranging from early Porshe 356's, E-Type Jags, a Toyota 2000 GT and many more. One of the highlights was this Aston Martin DBR2 from the fifies.

The 'Cuda ran flawlessly all weekend, gulping up miles and miles of wonderful tarmac. Only on the way home I had an issue with a dead battery after I suppose the alternator is not supplying sufficient current.

Long sweeping uphill curves are the natural habitat of the fresh bigblock

Stance

Since stance is everything, I lowered the rear by one inch. I think it looks perfect now. The difference was not accomplished by an engineering marvel - just simple lowering blocks - but it helps the looks a lot and does not interfere with handling. I also adjusted the red Konis a little softer as the rear was a little choppy.

Let there be light

More work on the rear lights

I was not entierly comfortable with the rear turn signals being red - they are mandatory amber in this country - for fear of having a hard case in the event of a possible accident. So I put colored bulbs in the backup light bezel a while ago to change the turn signal color. Since this left me without functioning backup lights my friend Robert came up with a creative idea. Three small leds drilled into the bezel on the underside enable a white light for backup .. Problem solved, thank's Robert!

Suspension Upgrade

I had new tubular upper A-arms installed yesterday. They are from Hotchkis-Suspensions, and seem much more stable and sturdy than the previous pieces. In addition to that, these A-arms are fully adjustable and feature a unique geometry corretion bracket to improve cornering ability and steering response. Ball joint rod ends also add to the quality feel.

Interior

As you may have noticed the vigours of keeping the family and my employer happy have kept me from working on the 'Cuda for the last couple of weeks. Nevertheless a few improvements were done to the car. Being a non-smoker, I Installed one of those big tachometers instead of the ashtray. It's nice to know what the engine is up to even with an automatic transmission. Next to the tach is an fm radio, not an original mopar but a period correct blaupunkt unit out of the early seventies. It has been serviced and equipped with the possibility to plug in an i-pod. The tach is hooked up in the meantime, radio will fill the interior with cool tunes soon.

Wheel choice once more

Aaron from New Zealand suggested dark wheels with a fine red stripe around them for the 'Cuda. What a tasteful combination! It's exactly what I had on this Audi I used to own a few years back. I really miss that car now and then...

Road trip

I helped a good friend pick up a 1964 Ford Galaxie in northern Germany. He'd been looking at the car for quite a while and now was the time to bring it home. The Galaxie is fitted with a 428 cubic inch Cobra Jet engine with dual quad carbs and is very presentable.

Red with a white top seems to be a quite common color combination in the area. The Galaxie made the 500 mile trip home without breaking a sweat and will have found a good home after initial registration formalities in Austria.