Comments on: Brian DR1665′s First Car http://www.dr1665.com/2009/05/brian-dr1665s-first-car/ gearhead philosopher Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:41:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Brian Driggs http://www.dr1665.com/2009/05/brian-dr1665s-first-car/#comment-629 Brian Driggs Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:14:11 +0000 http://www.dr1665.com/?p=365#comment-629 LOL! Would have been awesome if I could have done that! Instead, someone thought it would be a good idea for the car to ding at you when that indicator was out. Talk about annoying! First thing I had to do on my first car was make sure the fuse for the shift light was actually THERE! LOL! Would have been awesome if I could have done that! Instead, someone thought it would be a good idea for the car to ding at you when that indicator was out. Talk about annoying! First thing I had to do on my first car was make sure the fuse for the shift light was actually THERE!

]]> By: DR1665 http://www.dr1665.com/2009/05/brian-dr1665s-first-car/#comment-469 DR1665 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:14:11 +0000 http://www.dr1665.com/?p=365#comment-469 LOL! Would have been awesome if I could have done that! Instead, someone thought it would be a good idea for the car to ding at you when that indicator was out. Talk about annoying! First thing I had to do on my first car was make sure the fuse for the shift light was actually THERE! LOL! Would have been awesome if I could have done that! Instead, someone thought it would be a good idea for the car to ding at you when that indicator was out. Talk about annoying! First thing I had to do on my first car was make sure the fuse for the shift light was actually THERE!

]]> By: James http://www.dr1665.com/2009/05/brian-dr1665s-first-car/#comment-467 James Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:24:20 +0000 http://www.dr1665.com/?p=365#comment-467 you know the first thing I did when I bought my SPG?<br><br>PULLED THE FUSE FOR THAT STUPID SHIFT-UP LIGHT.<br><br>seriously. Thing comes on at 2500rpm. I didn't even leave the PO's driveway before i disabled it.<br><br>funny that you buy a DSM to replace something unreliable, amirite?!? you know the first thing I did when I bought my SPG?

PULLED THE FUSE FOR THAT STUPID SHIFT-UP LIGHT.

seriously. Thing comes on at 2500rpm. I didn't even leave the PO's driveway before i disabled it.

funny that you buy a DSM to replace something unreliable, amirite?!?

]]> By: Uberingram http://www.dr1665.com/2009/05/brian-dr1665s-first-car/#comment-464 Uberingram Sun, 31 May 2009 01:36:52 +0000 http://www.dr1665.com/?p=365#comment-464 I consider myself lucky to really have 2 “first cars” and both left imprints on my future car-guy self. Technically my first car was a 1986 5-speed Subaru GL-10 Turbo wagon. Despite growing up in the car I only owned it for a scant 36 hours (more on that later). This car was a geek's dream. It featured a full digital dash and when I say full I really mean FULL. Speedometer, odometer, a full "map" of the car showing which of the 5 doors were open or even unlocked, gas level and even BOOST! She came equipped with 4WD-on-the-fly that could be activated via a slick button, aptly labeled "4WD", on the top of the shifter. The little Subaru trucked my family around for nearly a decade before it came into my hands. I remember being mesmerized by the dash on road trips. I would wait for the little turbo light to kick on when my mother went to pass someone or went on a hill. I would memorize shift points on the RPM readout for different gears and so on and so forth. I couldn't wait for this superior piece of Japanese engineering to become mine.<br><br>That time finally came on a summer Friday afternoon in the late 90's. Mom handed me the keys, kissed my forehead and told me to stay safe. It took less than 2 seconds for me to bolt out of the house and into the car. Did I know how to drive a manual? In theory. Did I care? Not in the slightest. I fired her up and limped her off to a friends house for a few hours. Freedom never tasted so good and it was named Subaru. Bright and early the next morning I was going to drive myself to bowling practice for the first time ever. I was ecstatic. She reliably fired right up. I started to back her out into the street when she sputtered and died. Uh oh. Tried turning her over for a good 10 minutes before giving up and getting a ride from my mother in her shiny new Intergra LS. My father later tore into the engine only to find that not only had both head gaskets blown but one of them had been blown for years. This in turn severely lowered the engine's expected output and caused the turbo to be spooled damn near all the time and was almost completely cooked. It's surprising the car lasted that long but at long last she was dead and the cost of repairing her far outweighed her worth and she rotted away in a side yard for another few years before being sold for scrap. Sad.<br><br>Shortly after the death of valiant Subaru I purchased a 1988 Isuzu P'up. This wasn't any old Isuzu P'up. She came equipped with an OEM off road performance package. 36" tires, slight lift, 5 speed and a bigger 2.6L 4 banger. I got it for a screaming deal but there was a catch. The truck ran fantastic but it had no torque. Confident that either myself or my father would locate the small problem causing the power loss I quickly snatched the truck up. Sure enough the truck ran great but any hills required 2 to 3 down shifts and a snail's pace to climb. During the subsequent repairs I should mention that this is when my father bought me my first Craftsman automotive tool set. It doesn't sound important on the surface but I never really bonded with my father before this and receiving his praise for wanting to work on the truck AND a useful tool set got him back in my life. 6 months and nearly a thousand dollars later we found out that the power loss was due to some ham fisted mechanic had not torqued down the harmonic balancer causing it to not sit on the crank key correctly. At full tilt timing was almost 6 teeth off and a miracle to be running.<br><br>I owned this truck for a good 4 years and never had a real issue with it that wasn't caused by the inherent ownership of a stupid teenager. It survived drunken offroad escapades that involved rope and toboggans and it survived being driving through a GameStop front window display (ssshhhh don't tell anyone). There were many a high school shenanigan experienced either in the cab or bed of that truck and I'm actually getting a little misty eyed thinking about all the good times that revolved around that truck. I later sold it to an old high school buddy for a mere $500 and I can look back and say it was the stupidest vehicular decision I've ever made. Every once in a blue moon I still see it driving around in my old home town and I'm half tempted to be super creepy and follow the owner around until they stop and beg to buy it back.<br>So there you have it. When Subaru makes a lifted Brat with a turbocharged engine my soul searching will be complete. Until then I will simply love all things turbo Subaru and all things small import truck. I consider myself lucky to really have 2 “first cars” and both left imprints on my future car-guy self. Technically my first car was a 1986 5-speed Subaru GL-10 Turbo wagon. Despite growing up in the car I only owned it for a scant 36 hours (more on that later). This car was a geek's dream. It featured a full digital dash and when I say full I really mean FULL. Speedometer, odometer, a full “map” of the car showing which of the 5 doors were open or even unlocked, gas level and even BOOST! She came equipped with 4WD-on-the-fly that could be activated via a slick button, aptly labeled “4WD”, on the top of the shifter. The little Subaru trucked my family around for nearly a decade before it came into my hands. I remember being mesmerized by the dash on road trips. I would wait for the little turbo light to kick on when my mother went to pass someone or went on a hill. I would memorize shift points on the RPM readout for different gears and so on and so forth. I couldn't wait for this superior piece of Japanese engineering to become mine.

That time finally came on a summer Friday afternoon in the late 90's. Mom handed me the keys, kissed my forehead and told me to stay safe. It took less than 2 seconds for me to bolt out of the house and into the car. Did I know how to drive a manual? In theory. Did I care? Not in the slightest. I fired her up and limped her off to a friends house for a few hours. Freedom never tasted so good and it was named Subaru. Bright and early the next morning I was going to drive myself to bowling practice for the first time ever. I was ecstatic. She reliably fired right up. I started to back her out into the street when she sputtered and died. Uh oh. Tried turning her over for a good 10 minutes before giving up and getting a ride from my mother in her shiny new Intergra LS. My father later tore into the engine only to find that not only had both head gaskets blown but one of them had been blown for years. This in turn severely lowered the engine's expected output and caused the turbo to be spooled damn near all the time and was almost completely cooked. It's surprising the car lasted that long but at long last she was dead and the cost of repairing her far outweighed her worth and she rotted away in a side yard for another few years before being sold for scrap. Sad.

Shortly after the death of valiant Subaru I purchased a 1988 Isuzu P'up. This wasn't any old Isuzu P'up. She came equipped with an OEM off road performance package. 36″ tires, slight lift, 5 speed and a bigger 2.6L 4 banger. I got it for a screaming deal but there was a catch. The truck ran fantastic but it had no torque. Confident that either myself or my father would locate the small problem causing the power loss I quickly snatched the truck up. Sure enough the truck ran great but any hills required 2 to 3 down shifts and a snail's pace to climb. During the subsequent repairs I should mention that this is when my father bought me my first Craftsman automotive tool set. It doesn't sound important on the surface but I never really bonded with my father before this and receiving his praise for wanting to work on the truck AND a useful tool set got him back in my life. 6 months and nearly a thousand dollars later we found out that the power loss was due to some ham fisted mechanic had not torqued down the harmonic balancer causing it to not sit on the crank key correctly. At full tilt timing was almost 6 teeth off and a miracle to be running.

I owned this truck for a good 4 years and never had a real issue with it that wasn't caused by the inherent ownership of a stupid teenager. It survived drunken offroad escapades that involved rope and toboggans and it survived being driving through a GameStop front window display (ssshhhh don't tell anyone). There were many a high school shenanigan experienced either in the cab or bed of that truck and I'm actually getting a little misty eyed thinking about all the good times that revolved around that truck. I later sold it to an old high school buddy for a mere $500 and I can look back and say it was the stupidest vehicular decision I've ever made. Every once in a blue moon I still see it driving around in my old home town and I'm half tempted to be super creepy and follow the owner around until they stop and beg to buy it back.
So there you have it. When Subaru makes a lifted Brat with a turbocharged engine my soul searching will be complete. Until then I will simply love all things turbo Subaru and all things small import truck.

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