The third installment of the retrospective into the evolution of a gear head.
Stage III -The Addict
The Addict has had his knuckles bloodied more times than he can count. He’s dropped that wrench right into his own face at least a dozen times, and he’s had his friends laugh at him for the greasy, black marks on his jeans that reflect readjustment of underwear and “personal equipment.” His car runs right, for the most part, and he’s had a taste of success in his endeavors. Now independently mobile and girded with the reassurance that he’s been able to resolve problems on his own in the past, it’s safe to say he’s officially a gear head.
The Addict can’t get enough, though. He has trouble finding a balance between life and cars. After all, at this point, most of his friends are car guys, they’re always talking cars, and he’s got an idea if not a detailed plan for what he wants out of his car when it’s done. When he’s not working on his car, he’s working on friends cars, which are probably the same car. He’s got a network of buddies across the country with whom he discusses the hypothetical merits of this modification or that concept and he might even begin to share details of his personal life outside of his vehicular aspirations with these online friends. All the while, the Addict feeds his need by talking shop with others like him in his home community online and begins to help others figure out their problems based upon his experiences thus far.
My Addict Stage
With ever increasing confidence after having done my first ever engine pull, rebuild, and install, I couldn’t get enough of 2GNT. I wanted to share what I had learned in the process with others and had come to the conclusion that, if I was able to remove the engine, rebuild it, and install it, and it actually worked afterwards, then there had to be even more that I could do. Afterall, if you’re not rebuilding the engine itself, everything else is a bolt on, right?
My Lofty Addict Goal
I became obsessed with 2GNT and my car. I was going to build the baddest, all motor DSM in the world. I would lie in bed at night going over the information I’d read earlier that day about cam profiles, varying degrees of head work (porting), valve size, all down to the smallest of foreseeable details like weather or not to order conventional or titanium valve spring retainers. When I got in front of a computer, I would end up checking 2GNT to see if there was anything new going on – did someone need any help, was anyone replying to my threads, and what was the latest funny thing in the Pits sub-forum.
I was going to be the first to put 200 horsepower to the wheel all motor in a stock displacement DSM and click off a sub-15 second ET in the quarter mile. I was gonna do it all. It was all I thought about. What parts to order, where to order them, who would do the head work, and so on. All the while, there would be regular get-togethers with the local guys who would become az2gnt.net. We’d work on my car, then John’s, the Paul’s, then mine, then start all over again. We’d get together with the DesertDiamonds.com guys to reserve club space at the Pavilions car show on a Saturday night. It was DSMs and Mitsubishis all day every day.
My Reality Check
Mark Bullett showed up and fucking ruined everything.
Haha. This cat showed up with crazy skills. He built his own all motor 2GNT and, long story short, is STILL the record holder for all motor DSM performance. I think he’s dipping into the 13s and puts something like 230hp to the front wheels. It’s damn impressive. If Satan has a lawn mower, I’m sure it sounds like Mark’s car.
Mark was meticulous, doing this mod and testing it before doing another mod and testing all over again. I like to think that, when he was at the 200whp mark, his build sheet wasn’t much more aggressive than mine, but I was having a hard time keeping my life together and, after a particularly nasty divorce (which was unrelated to the car thing as far as I’m concerned), I woke up one day and asked myself why I was building an all motor DSM for drag racing when I really didn’t have any interest in drag racing in the first place? Not that I had been living a lie, but I had become addicted to the attention and the high you get when you put your car back together better than it was before.
So what about you?
Did you ever get to that stage where your passion for your hobby began to consume you? Did you ever have a goal in mind that was so exciting you couldn’t stop thinking about it? Did Mark show up and ruin your dream too? 