Category: Builds

My Next Project: An Ugly (but really fast) 1969 Mercury Cougar

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I’ll admit it – I had resigned myself to the fact that the M3 would be my “muscle car.” I mean, it’s V8-powered, it’s analog, it’s a bit rough, and it’s a riot, so that’s close enough to “muscle car,” right? Well, what happens when someone offers you a 1969 Mercury Cougar for free? And what if it’s priced at “free” for many very good reasons? Well, if you’re an idiot like me, you say yes.

Of course, I’m one to look a gift Cougar in the mouth, so I at least made sure it would run first:

So it ran, but it was still rusty, beat-up, locked-up, torn-down, and 12 miles from my house. More on that next time. And as far as the “really fast” part goes, consider the following: Canfield, Wiseco, Comp, Scat, and Hayabusa.

Installing a Hardwired Dash Cam in a Lincoln MKZ

mikael 2 Comments

I picked up a dashcam a couple of years ago, wanting to get in on all of the great YouTube videos of meteorites, and explosions, and cars flipping over, and everything else that definitely happens during my daily commute. I’ve mounted it temporarily in a couple of cars, but never permanently. After picking up the MKZ last week, I decided to get it in there for real, because otherwise I’m going to see Bigfoot and have no proof.

I bought this dashcam, which offers full HD recording and a host of other nice features.

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Video: Installing wheel studs in an E36 BMW M3

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Do you swap between race wheels and street wheels often? Do you run different wheels and tires for winter and summer? Do you run wheel spacers? Do you want frustration-free wheel swaps? Ditch the stock wheel bolts that the E36 came with and install some wheel studs.

Note: Amazon affiliate links provided for your pleasure.

The whole project can be knocked out in an hour for around $100.

I started with a set of wheel studs: Amazon

And a set of long open-end lug nuts: Amazon

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Bike Build/Flip: Honda V65 Sabre Part 3

mikael 2 Comments

The day I found out that the V65 Sabre existed, it jumped straight to the top of the “bikes I have to own” bucket list. So I got one. For the first time, I bought a bike that ran, was in good shape, and was actually worth modifying, so I went all out with the suspension – RaceTech up front, CBR shock out back. Brakes rebuilt, tires replaced, and more, all in preparation for my yearly 3000 mile trip to North Carolina to tear up Deal’s Gap and the surrounding roads.

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Bike Build/Flip: 1985 Honda V65 Sabre Part 2

mikael 1 Comment

The wonder. The sound. The glory. The majesty. The feel. The sensation. All great reasons to use a bidet. Also great reasons to ride a V65 Sabre.

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Check out Part 1 here.

One of the most fun and rewarding parts of owning a motorcycle is “making it yours”. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is most commonly expressed in one of two ways:

  1. Purchasing some combination of mass-produced accessories, then bolting them to the bike, thereby making oneself stand out from the crowd…of other motorcyclists that purchase the exact same mass-produced accessories in a slightly different combination.
  2. Totally devoid of a reasonable budget for mass-produced accessories or any actual mechanical ability, tools such as an angle grinder, Sawzall, and can of flat black spray paint (more recently superseded by the can of Plasti Dip) are used to reduce the motorcycle’s function until the motorcyclist has run out of grinding wheels, paint, or the motorcycle has ceased to work at all. These are called “Bobbers,” and their primary function is no longer efficient, fast, comfortable, enjoyable transportation, but instead to “turn heads”. Unfortunately, judging merit based on the “turns heads” metric would also favor traffic accidents or a bum peeing on a building.

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