Bobfab

1-21-11 - Fiesta Island MC Cruise

2011-01-26T16:40:00.001-08:00

1-23-11 -Spotted Father & Son 3-Series BMWs

2011-01-26T16:35:00.000-08:00

1-23-11 - Fiesta Island Mtn Biking

2011-01-26T16:32:00.001-08:00

Easy mellow, dog friendly trails!

01-22-11 - LaJolla Scenic Drive GS500

2011-01-26T16:19:00.000-08:00

Nice Weather this week!!

12-28-10 - Pitbike Snow Ride

2011-01-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

12-17-10 - Sunset Cliffs DRZ Cruise

2011-01-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

12-15-10 - Torrey Pines SP Cruise

2011-01-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

Vintage Honda Service Manual

2011-01-20T12:49:00.000-08:00

05-11-09 - Wigg's New Wheels & Tires

2009-05-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

04-26-09 - CD Canal Enduro Pics

2009-05-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Just proofs, you can buy the real image for 13$

05-02-09 - Alive Again

2009-05-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Good News: Bike is back together, new X2 headlight and all!

Bad News: Clutch is fried...

The treatment of these poor machines, is simply barbaric... BARBARIC!

04-26-09 - C-D Canal Enduro Aftermath

2009-05-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Aftermath of East Coast Enduro Assn.'s 100-mile C-D Canal enduro. Writeup to follow...
The bike had nearly 20lbs extra weight due to the collected mud, no joke.

04-18-09 - Sx4 Trailer Pics

2009-04-22T16:38:00.000-07:00

04-12-09 - CRF Skidplate & Moto

2009-04-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

Riccochet Skidplate, great quality and fit!

03-19-09 - More Sx4 Wheels Pics

2009-03-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

03-15-09 - New Wheels Sx4

2009-03-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

17"

03-10-09 - Lost Trails ATV Park Writeup

2009-03-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so let me try to quantify what this past weekend was for me. Insane begins to describe it, so we have been riding bikes religiously every weekend at local spots so the time to go to an official trail system was now. On Saturday Rock (KTM) and myself (CRF230) packed up the truck and headed up to "lost trails ATV park" for what we thought would be a great change of pace from the trash laden places that we had been riding locally. It is a 9000 Acre ATV/MX park with all sorts of trails similar to that of a ski slope (Blue diamonds, black diamonds yada yada). The other two heads that we have been riding with were thinking about coming, but a scheduling problem deferred them to sitting out this one and just going riding local on Sunday (Twiggs and stine; CRF230L & 100R respectively). Thank god, because they both would have been ill prepared for a trek like this (as was I!).

We pull upto the spot get the bikes all unloaded and rock realizes that since he is trying to convert the bike to a street legal dual sport, there is all sorts of additional wiring that he ran and there is a short in the wiring causing the battery to be dead and the electric start to malfunction. He is lucky that the bike has a kickstarter, however kickstarting a high compression MX bike is hardly a pleasantry and at this point we realize that this could be a long day. We pay our registration fees and join the ranks of people beginning to launch off from the starting point. It was pulling onto the main access road that i knew we were in for a rough day. The mentality that i was keeping as traveled up to this park is that i can handle anything as long as there isn’t an abundance of large loose rocks. I was telling myself i can handle gravel, water, inclines, roots, anything really, just not softball and basketball size rocks. Well pulling onto the main road/trail, it is about a 1/2 mile long, uphill, riverbed from all of the snow that had melted. There is bright brown mud flowing down this hill complete with miniboulders and huge ruts swelling with water and mud. "Don’t worry" a mutter to myself, "you only have to ride up this hill long enough to get onto another trail, the first green trail was maybe 1/2 mile up". I battle the bike to keep both wheels on the ground and keep forward progress up this slope. Meanwhile quad dudes have 4 wheels and just power up the terrain, wheel spin is no issue for them because they don’t have to maintain balance, but hey that is what separates the hobbyists from the hardcore.

We make it up the road and decide to enter the first trail starting slow with a green trail. The trails consisted of two ruts (again geared towards quads) filled with water, mud and larger river washed stones, they threaded through some dense forest, trees small and large at close corners and easily within collisions reach. We navigate through the trail and hop onto the next one, this one contained more elevation change and was located on the south side of the mountain so the sun was pretty limited at 11AM when we passed through. This time the conditions remain similar with the rut and rock content however this time there is a twist or two: Unmelted snow & ice and a steep elevation of say 20-30*. Going up the path was riddled with wheel spin, instability and near misses but the best was yet to come. We make it to the peak and realize that we must now traverse down a winding path of the same slope however this time there were no ruts and the entire trail was covered in loose rocks and miniboulders, slippery, wet and icy. It was at this point that you are really hopping from stone to stone, trying to actuate the brake, clutch and rear brake to allow you to go down smoothly and not lockup the front wheels because you will go flying over the handlebars. It was about 50 yards shy of the bottom that i panicked. The wheels were locked and i was trying to use engine braking to stop myself from heading right into this 5" diameter tree while the trail turned sharply to the left. Before my very eyes the bike slid out from under my legs and i held onto the handlebars for dear life knowing that if it gets momentum in the fall it is sliding all the way down the hill rocks and all! It was at this point that the most major injury of the day came, the bike went down and my right knee came smashing down on a nice 18" rock. I thought immediately that i shattered my knee cap, but jumped to my feet to grab the bike, hit the kill switch and cut the gas (it will leak out the overflow tube when sideways). All in all i made it out of that crash decently but my knee was throbbing. Then came the hardest part, starting from a stop on a steep tractionless rocky hill. I fired up the bike and attempted to engine brake down the rest of the way when the bike slidout again this time smashing my other knee against the stones. At this point i am so fatigued and throbbing that had to actually walk the bike down the rest of the trail, but even that was difficult, actuating the brakes to keep the speed down, the bike was still just sliding tractionless down this hill! Unbelievable!!

At the bottom i gathered myself and my machine, threw out a couple obscenities and mustered up enough energy to keep going. That small instance that i described above accounts for maybe 10% of the total intensity that was experienced that day. There were miles of trails, most just as treacherous as the first, full of flowing mud and water. There were elevation changes galore, tree roots, logs, boulders, bid puddles, sharp turns, ruts, downhills, everything. Many times over the course of the day i was in total awe of the engineering involved with the bike. Essentially you are propelling these two 4" contact patches up and over rock obstacles and climbing hills that you probably wouldn’t consider hiking up on foot. The bike revs freely and power gets put down. Meanwhile the very rocks that you were using for traction are getting thrown behind you and searching for the next rock to ride over to maintain your momentum up the hill. Next you are greeted by a summit at the top of the mountain where you can see just how far you have come and how far you have yet to go. You look around and realize the only two things you have right now as tools are your battered body and the filthy machine that you were driving at the limit to get here.

Overall the experience was top-10 life accomplishments. There were times when i would question am i going to make it? Do i even have the energy to pickup the bike and if so can i even get enough momentum to make it over this log and up the rest of this slippery slope? The 250lb bike easily weighed 500lbs when you were stuck on a hill and out of energy. Other times i would question: how do you even design a machine that's intention is navigating this harsh harsh terrain? Where do you begin?... Over the course of the day i fell probably about 15 times all of varying degrees of injury, I was close lined by a tree and another time i flew off the bike and landed about 15 feet away. However at the end of the day, we had put in about 6 hours of hardcore off-road trail riding and all of the injuries faded to a warm glow when we arrived home and my lips were met with cold Sierra Nevada!

03-10-09 - Last Sx4 Pics on Blizzaks

2009-03-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

03-10-09 - Lost Trails ATV Park

2009-03-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

03-01-09 - Moto @ the Grove

2009-03-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

03-01-09 - Moto Loading Up

2009-03-02T17:53:00.000-08:00

02-24-09 - Braking Stones

2009-02-25T04:55:00.001-08:00

A pictureless update on the ghia: As of last night all of the hard and soft lines on the ghia had been replaced with the exception of two lines that travelled through and over the crossmember respectively. I gave everything a final torque and then began the process of bleeding the brakes with the help of a moto buddy. Sure enough a couple leaks sprung up, there are two silly lines that run from the master cylinder reservoir to the master cylinder, no standard hose sizes will fit properly and consequently we had a weeper there. To make matters worse, one of the two lines that i did not replace must have sheared while being removed and was leaking right out the tube. No worries i bought a whole hardline kit for the ghia, but do i have the correct size line left over to replace it? Obviously not, the line provided in the kit was about 6" too short for this application and now the brakes have been delayed once again!

One step forward... two backwards. Screw the Ghia lets ride moto!

02-15-09 - Ghia Brakes!

2009-02-16T15:27:00.000-08:00

Almost done...

(Sorry the pictures are awful)

02-09-09 - New Toy 2003 Honda CRF230

2009-02-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

2/6/09 - Bob's motorsport infection has mutated into the motorcycle strain. Take Cover.

Full Specs and mods to follow...

02-09-09 - Motard Conversion

2009-02-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

KTM + Street Rubber = Motard.

Orange Camaro + Orange Motard + Orange PECO Shirt = Coordinated Hillbilly Bliss.

02-09-09 - 100R 3rd Time is a Charm

2009-02-09T04:58:00.000-08:00

How many clutch levers does it take to fix the bike? ... apparently 3!

Moose Teflon lined Perch & Trackside Lever replace the broken SunLine Clutch assembly.

Random Lowoffset Miata's

2009-02-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

I particularily like the 2nd gen!!

01-31-09 - Bike Party

2009-01-31T15:19:00.000-08:00

01-28-09 - Sx4 Snow Pics

2009-01-29T05:08:00.000-08:00

The weather yesterday was ample justification for why i DD an awd vehicle :)

The Perfect Ghia (Complete w/price)

2009-01-28T09:46:00.000-08:00

Check this out, a 37,xxx Mile, original 1967 KG Convertible:

For Sale: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=727329

Pictures: http://web.me.com/dougmartinez/Site/Page_1.html#2

Asking price: $34,950!

01-27-09 - Civic Clutch

2009-01-27T05:03:00.000-08:00

New Cheap 6-Puck Clutch for Mr. ED! Slip no more

01-27-09 - Ghia Saga Continued

2009-01-27T05:02:00.000-08:00

Worked on the ghia last night for the first time in too long. Even though it was only a couple minutes it made me remember why i love wrneching on this antique! Removed the gas tank for master cylinder replacement.... yeah its that rusty ole thing in the second picture needs to be removed and replaced. yikes!

Awesome Dime

2009-01-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

All the credit for this hardwork goes to Bryan Feldman
http://www.bryanf.com

01-21-09 - Random Suby Pics

2009-01-21T05:51:00.000-08:00

01-21-09 - Random Suby Pics

2009-01-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

A glimpse of something to come... :P

01-21-09 - Another Race Rabbit

2009-01-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

01-21-09 - Nice Green 16V Rabbit

2009-01-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

01-18-09 - Moto - Bobbo pics

2009-01-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

01-18-09 - Moto - Rock Pics

2009-01-19T17:04:00.001-08:00

01-18-09 - Moto - Loading Up

2009-01-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

01-10-19 - Moto Pics pt2

2009-01-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

Bikes:
07 KTM 250cc
05 Honda Xr80

08 O'neal element boots to match the honda :)

01-10-09 - Moto Pics pt1

2009-01-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

01-07-09 - Vintage Hondas

2009-01-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

A couple shots of some really awesome vintage hondas courtesy of some posters on honda-tech. Here are some jaw-dropping links:
1965 S600 Roadster + F20c Motor: http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2399761
Honda-tech's Official Classic Honda Post: http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2399915

01-06-09 - Ghia Brakes

2009-01-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

Last time i updated on the Ghia i got it running. Well unfortunately it wasn't fit for a test drive; the brake calipers seized before ever leaving the driveway. (Thumbdown). It dawned on me that maybe i should replace all of the 30+ Y/O braking components prior to taking the Ghia out for a spin. This is where i stand (Or lay 6-ft under)...

01-06-09 - Wheel Whoredum and More Rcomp fitting

2009-01-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

01-06-09 - SX4 Winter Mode

2009-01-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

Black Buick laSabre Steelies shod with Blizzaks!! Awesome Rallyx/Winter tires!

01-06-09 - Unbelievable Bus Part 2

2009-01-06T17:53:00.001-08:00

Jawdropping-ly clean!

01-06-09 - Unbelievable Bus Part 1

2009-01-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

Credit is given to Gunther VW of Florida!! Fantastic Resto!

01-06-09 - Random Izzy Pic

2009-01-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

01-06-09 - A Little Mk2 Humor

2009-01-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

12-17-08 - Foul Weather Sx4 Pics

2008-12-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

12-17-08 - Thermal Camera

2008-12-17T08:24:00.000-08:00

Who wants to buy me this for christmas ($3,xxx) !! But oh how it could be used!

12-09-08 - R-comp Test Fit!!

2008-12-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

13x8 0-offset Rota Rb's - Kumho V710's. Is it race season yet !?

12-04-08 - SX4 Randoms

2008-12-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

12-04-08 - WRC Wing'd SX4

2008-12-04T08:17:00.001-08:00

12-04-08 - Rally Rabbit

2008-12-04T08:17:00.000-08:00

12-04-08 - Vtec Rabbit

2008-12-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

11-15-08 - Mr. ED nostalgia pics

2008-11-17T16:22:00.000-08:00

Mr Ed circa 07 & 04

11-14-08 - Random Honda Race Pics

2008-11-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

Credits to thier owners!

11-15-08 - Sx4 New Knob

2008-11-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

After waiting over a month for the knob to arrive from overseas, it was realized that no threaded insert was included. After months of searching for the properly sized threaded insert, I eventually found a metal cylinder that would fit the knob's bore. I then threaded the inside of the cylinder and epoxied it into the knob. A la Bobfab/Suzukisport Knob!

11-17-08 - The SX4 got lit!!

2008-11-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

This weekend was almost entirely consumed with foul weather and these stupid fog light brackets. At least the end result is bright...err.. nice :)

11-10-08 - New Car Shelter

2008-11-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

After waiting over a year for the correct parts to come in for my autoshelter, it is finally finished. Finally a good spot to work on the cars without dealing with the elements. Also in the Ghia engine bay pic you can see the new engine weatherseal. Alot of lube and elbowgreas go the seal installed...

11-2-08 - Burns Mech Fabrication Shop Pics

2008-11-11T14:18:00.000-08:00

Two quick pics from the rainy day @ the fab shop.

11-1-08 - Ghia gas tank complete

2008-11-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

Finally i finished stripping, sealing and painting the ghia gastank! The tool shown in the first picture is the ever helpful rigid Seesnake... an LED illuminated camera attached to a 3-foot cable w/LCD screen. Nice toy!

1965 Porsche 911 Rally Car!

2008-11-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

More Pics & Classified Ad here: http://www.winningmakes.com/sale/porsche911.htm

Totally Sick!

Racing Civics

2008-10-31T04:57:00.000-07:00

Z3 on CCW's

2008-10-31T04:55:00.000-07:00

10-31-08 - Hot Mia-otters

2008-10-31T04:54:00.000-07:00

10-28-08 Race Air Cooled's

2008-10-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

KG is local PA hillclimb car, badass i might add!

The other two are random vortex finds. Loving the SSR Reverse mesh on the powder blue one.

10-28-08 - ProRally Sx4 Pics

2008-10-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

Joey mod headlights FTW!

10-25-08 - The Fence Battle

2008-10-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

So after months and months of working, planning and spending the ENTIRE Backyard is enclosed. This project has had disasterous implications to the automotive projects however provides some much needed privacy! 6' Stockade fence painted Polar white w/ custom hardware :P

10-22-08 - Finsihed Gas Tank

2008-10-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

Finished the gas tank!! Tank Tone finish on tank, Eastwood restoration kit for tank interior, semipolished cap & sender, new fuel pickup. Getting there!!

10-15-08 - Ghia Baby Steps

2008-10-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

Work continues on the ghia, i got a minute to mildly polish the gas cap and fuel sender... yay.

Rx-7 W/RB26 Whoa!

2008-10-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Found via honda-tech. What a unholy union!!

Understated Supra

2008-10-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sick 'sup!

10-03-08 SX4 Water Tank 2401 Locust St.

2008-10-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Some new snaps of the DD hard at work!

09-22-08 - Suzuki Window Visors

2008-09-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

More OEM goodness to follow!

Blue GTI

2008-09-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

13x6, in case you are wondering...

09-17-08 - Mr. Ed in his natural habitat pt2

2008-09-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

09-17-08 - Mr. Ed in his natural habitat pt1

2008-09-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

09-16-08 - New Ghia Piece

2008-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

Met up with a craigslister today and picked up a new toy for the ghia!! For 10$ i couldnt go wrong.

09-12-08 - More Ghia Engine Bay Progress Pics

2008-09-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

09-14-08 - SX4 Rear Diff Fluid

2008-09-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend the car was due to roll over 7500 miles and per the factory specifications, the rear differential fluid must be changed. I picked up 2 quarts of Royal purple Synthetic Gear oil of the 75W90 variety. I drained old fluid, cleaned off the magnet, pumped new fluid in, applied teflon tape on the threads and back together it goes. I was planning on changing the front fluid as well, however the pump pictured did not work well and i will wait until i have a better transfer pump. Hopefully by changing the fluid i can gain a couple points of mpg!

More Exhausting Ghia work

2008-09-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Finally all of the exhaust compnents have arrived and the exhaust can begin final installation. The specs:

EMPI Gt Exhaust
EMPI J-Pipes (Heater box delete)
New Clamps & Hardware
1- Stripped exhaust stud :)

With any luck it should be fully installed this weekend!

More Ghia Progress

2008-09-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Gettin it done, new plugs, wires, carb, fuel pump.

09-07-08 Autox!

2008-09-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Commentary & times to follow...

Some Candid Ghia Shots

2008-09-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

More Rally-x Pics

2008-09-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

I was rummaging through some old folders on my computer and stumbled across these pics. You can even spot my ugly mug!

More wheel mockup pics

2008-08-29T04:58:00.000-07:00

More wheel mockup pics
13's or 19's, you make the call!

Stainless Hardware

2008-08-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I met up a local Honda-tech member and picked up one of the finalizing pieces of the exhaust, the test pipe (Cat-Delete). After removing the rusty stock hardware, it was deemed that I couldn’t re-install the new test pipe with this faulty hardware. So yesterday I managed to pickup some stainless metric hardware to complete the system. We are now officially 2.5" from the turbo back (And 100% stainless steel from the down pipe back!!). Judging by the butt dyno results last night the car feels to have gained a couple horses. It certainly appears to be breathing easier since the test pipe was added, you can tell just by the noxious fumes that now spew out of the car! Emissions exempt FTW.

Power Up!

2008-08-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend concluded my battery tie-down overbuild. I finished constructing the bracket, sourced some metric all-thread for mounting, and then hooked it up. This was an exciting ordeal as this is the first time the car has been powered up in 32 years! Minus a couple of burnt out bulbs, and a rust filled horn i dont believe there to be any huge mechanical gremlins. Seeing the car all lit up really brings a tear to my eye.

Sidekick

2008-08-26T07:40:00.001-07:00

Sidekick status...

EMPI GT Exhaust

2008-08-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Mockup of EMPI GT Exhaust. Cheap and suprisingly well fitting!

Exhausting Work

2008-08-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

After a couple of hours, bloody knucles and cans of liquid wrench, i finally removed the lower half of the exhaust manifold! The top flanges actually seperated rather easily, while the lower flanges were totally rusted through and were just hanging. Look for a new exhaust mockup in the next posting!

New Ghia Parts

2008-08-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Finally the shipment of ghia parts has arrived. What can you spot?

Specs of giant wheels 19x9, yikes!

Awesome Beetle on Phonedials

2008-08-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Look at this beauty!!
This is more than a worthless post, but rather a picasa test :)

Karmann Ghia Engine Bay Restoration

2008-08-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

So after staring at this vintage VW in my driveway for the past couple weeks the time has come to start wrenching! The obvious issues with the Ghia are the body damage and nonrunning motor. Rather than tackling the exterior body work first i decided to concentrate on the cars vitals. The project was received without a battery, which was no problem b/c the original battery was probably cooked anyway. I was able to reuse the Bosch Premium Battery left over from the rabbit project! Next I sourced some metric fasteners and proceeded to overbuild an aluminum battery tie down.

Although i said i would not get involved with bodywork until a later date there were some areas in the engine bay that needed some immediate attention in order to prevent weathering. I removed all of the side paneling and gaskets, stripped down damage metal, prepped the solid portions, and painted the entire bay Eastwood chassis gloss black. So far i have had great success with this paint and though the finish isn't show quality it has proven to cover well & be quite durable.

Other recent milestones for the ghia include:
-Chopping off bent and rusted exhaust tip (I was constantly tripping over it, grrr...)

-Removing the rear bumper brackets and shrouds (1 bolt had to be massaged off with the grinding wheel while the other three just broke off)

Some Before Pictures for reference:

There are many more parts and updates enroute! The next project i would like to conquer is to restore the gas tank.

Best Porsche(s) Ever!

2008-08-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Gone Cabby Gone

2008-08-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

Thats right, as of 8/10/08 i am no longer the owner of the 1987 Cabriolet Wolfsburg! The car was placed on ebay and auctioned off to the highest bidder. In this case the winning bidder was a somewhat local and promptly picked the car up. The new owner has intentions of making the car into a straight 96Volt electric car. He said using an adapter plate to the transmission you can bolt upto standard DC motor housings. These combonations have been shown to get around 80-110 miles before requiring to recharge. Pretty cool stuff!

Time to focus on other projects now that there is a little brething room in the driveway!

4th Autox - Mr. Ed's Debut!!!

2008-07-14T14:38:00.001-07:00

Comments to follow...

Results: http://www.phillyscca.com/solo2/results/2008/SO071308.shtml