I'm not sure when I started working on this project, but it was at least 4 years ago. I wanted to build a trick intake setup for my Pinto Powered Roadster called Bonnie. Bonnie's always turned heads, even parked next to MUCH higher dollar rods. I have to admit that I like that. The intake design is from a tech article I read from the Inglese website. It explains why individual runner intakes and weber carbs are the hot setup. Now, with the new intake finally on, I'm gonna get more people asking, "What engine is that?" So here's where I left off... the last thing to do was weld the flange that would hold the throttle cable: My Friend Aaron welded everything up for me. It came out nice, then I took it to the sand blast cabinet. After, it looked like cast aluminum, but it weighs less than 3 lbs. These are the before and after blasting shots. Then finally, here's what it looks like all mounted up. I can't wait to spend hours trying to tune this thing! But, I'm gonna wait to fire it up...

Recently a few friends and I went to Fathers day Roadster show and swap. We were selling in the swap area and had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of buyers. I was selling some small items and a couple of old car bodies and a motor. One of the bodies was a fairly nice and complete 29 Model-A coupe. I had it priced with a marginal cushion for the inevitable haggle session but otherwise fairly priced. Well, every one and I do mean everyone who showed any interest had but one thing to say either to me or their friend, “I saw one on E-bay go for $1000 less than this one”. Let me tell you car swap hunter guys this, STOP DOING THIS! Did you take into consideration when you saw that tiny E-bay picture that you might not be getting what you think you are paying for or that there might be hundreds or a thousand dollar transport fee in store for you. This one you could touch and see and talk face to face to a real person and usually not the guy selling for...

From Lincoln Electric A Guide to Aluminum Welding Reprinted courtesy of Welding Design and Fabrication magazine. Equipment Selection, Material Prep, Welding Technique... A Guide to Aluminum Welding Reprinted courtesy of Welding Design and Fabrication magazine. Follow the rules of thumb offered here for selecting welding equipment, preparing base materials, applying proper technique, and visually inspecting weldments to ensure high-quality gas-metal-and gas tungsten-arc welds on aluminum alloys. Even for those experienced in welding steels, welding aluminum alloys can present quite a challenge. Higher thermal conductivity and low melting point of aluminum alloys can easily lead to burnthrough unless welders follow prescribed procedures. Also, feeding aluminum welding wire during gas-metal-arc-welding (GMAW) presents a challenge because the wire is softer than steel, has a lower column strength, and tends to tangle at the drive roll. To overcome these challenges, operators need to follow the rules of thumb and equipment-selection guidelines offered here... Gas-metal-arc-welding: Base-metal preparation: To weld aluminum, operators must take care to clean the base material and remove any aluminum oxide and hydrocarbon contamination from oils or cutting solvents. Aluminum oxide on the surface of the material melts at 3,700 F...

Written by Craig Pike Once in a while, some new car technology comes by that’s worth knowing about. The first time I saw that “Around View Monitor” or AVM in the 2008 Infiniti EX35, I was blown away. Before I go much farther, here’s where Infiniti started, with their Infiniti-marquee concept sketch: The car’s well designed on the outside, but I’m writing about what’s inside. In a natural progression, parking safety or near car "visualization" has moved from rear sonar to front & rear sonar to back-up camera. From their, we make the giant leap to AVM or Bird’s Eye camera as I’ve been calling it. Check out this video: How’d they do that? The EX35’s got 4 cameras now, mounted as show in front, rear and each side view mirror. The end result is a computer enhanced, 360 degree view around the car as if looking from above. It makes parallel parking a breeze and you’ll never have to worry about backing over something unseen from the driver’s seat. I think with a view like this, my wife might not park too close to my hot rod in...

Check out this video that shows the evolution of the GSXR-750 from 1985 to 2007. It's funny how I never thought that bike changed much from year to year but suddenly it looks very different. Perhaps it is like the frog and the boiling water...

Some how while trying to make this website and taking care of my family, I'm also working on my Pinto Powered 27 Ford Roadster, "Bonnie". I thought I'd update everyone on the progress. I'm doing this so that all of the 230 users of My Ride is Me will do the same! We're talking to our web designer about how to show EVERYONE's blogs all in one place. That way, we can all keep up with what's new. First off, here's the car... if you haven't seen it yet, I haven't done enough self promotion! (hardly possible) This is what it looked like before the 2006 Goodguy's show. That red paint you see on the header is GONE (as soon as it got hot!) and the car hasn't been that clean since! Plus, the paint (primer really) had faded here and there unevenly, so here's what I'm trying to finish before the show: 1) Custom dual Weber 44 IDF carbs. Here's a few pics: The idea here is best said by the guys at Inglese: Weber-carbureted engine to idle smoother, have a slicker "feel" to it a low speeds...

I was hoping Janne Kutja, our friend from Finland would add more of his Chip Foose-likework to his garage here at MyRideisMe.com. His garage is looking good. Here's more about Janne, in his own words: I'm Janne Kutja born in 1980 in southern Finland. I grew up there in small village, and got interested in cars was little kid. I used to draw my own car models back then, I didn't look at any pictures. I guess that's the reason I got interested in hot rods and customs. Hot rod magazines then fed my hunger and customs were the most interesting, especially when I saw Cadzzilla on the cover of the Finnish Street & Race Magazine (RIP), that was and still is really a huge hit. I did build model cars but I couldn't find time, so focused more on artwork. I've drawn cars quite actively 12 years or so. I build cars too, but haven't had time or money to do it much lately. My favorite's sheetmetal work when it comes to building cars, and I even have chopped half dozen cars, some of them with my brother....

Welding to Win with Joe Gibbs Racing® Courtesy of Lincoln Electric Hidden along a tree-lined parkway of unmarked office buildings in suburban Charlotte, North Carolina, lies a brand new steel-and-glass white structure that could be home to any number of corporations in any industry. But through the main door it becomes clear that this is something more than an insurance agency or software firm. It's home to Joe Gibbs Racing®, bejeweled in trophies, racing jackets and display cases literally filled with artifacts from the nation's fastest growing sport. Past the receptionist, across the main lobby, an observation deck overlooks one of the most advanced auto shops in the world. Through a panel of high windows is a conspicuous absence of grease stained floors and stray tools. Instead, the vast open space of more than 150,000 square feet shines in pristine white and better resembles an operating room than a fabrication shop. It's a virtual racecar laboratory, where engineers work side-by-side with master fabricators to create the fastest machines possible within the guidelines established by their sport. Those team fabricators, in turn, rely on the welding experts at Lincoln Electric®...

It was my pleasure to meet Kirk Wright of Scottsdale, AZ at the Scottsdale Pavilion's show. We started talking about my car, a 27 Ford Roadster and the the 2.3L Pinto motor I run. Then Kirk started telling me about some of his cars. After hearing about the Model T 'banger motors he was building, I set up a meeting at his house to see what he's up to. His card says AAA Typewriter Service on it, so I didn't know what I was getting into. I got into this: If you're into nostalgia racing or old-OLD time hot rodding, or just really into Model T's, then you just spilled your beer. You're looking at a one of kind Hemi headed model T engine. The valve cover is also a unique piece. It's a modified original Ardun valve cover. Kirk added extra room to clear the custom made aluminum roller rockers. Displacing 190 cu. in, Kirk expects this engine to put out about 320Hp. Don't believe it? Kirk's basing that number on another T engine he's built and dyno'd. That's in another T pickup that Kirk's owned since 1951...

The world wide web is truly world wide! So far, for the 6 days in October, MyRideisMe.com has been visited by 45 countries. Even Kazakhstan! No joke! The countries that visit us most from outside the US in October are the Netherlands, Australia, France and Germany, so far. I think our friend Dirk Behlau from Germany (pixleyle.de) has been helping us spread the word and I hope Mark from the National Association of Street Clubs will help us get some more members from the United Kingdom. You can see Mark and his wife Yvonne's garage here.   For our first full month of operation, September, we had 66 total countries visit us. The tops were the Netherlands, Canada, France and Finland.It's great to see what's happening around the world for hot rods and bikes. It's cool that some styles are universal and carry over, but there's always something different to be found when innovative people use what's available. Check out this ride from Hamburg, Germany. It's from our friend Ralf over at Chromjuwelen. He's taken1972 Pontiac LeMans Coupe and transplanted a Toyota Supra (7M-GTE) engine! Here's his garage. His...

Courtesy of Eddy a.k.a. Midnight While studying suspension modifications for the CB900F I found a Dutch motorcycle enthusiast on CB100F.net who has completed (and documented) some of the most unique mods I’ve ever seen on these bikes. His user name is Midnight and he started this project at the end of October 2005 like most of us do, finding a reasonable yet leaky and rusty specimen of CB and getting to work. I usually write too much, so I will let his pictures do the talking. Within a couple of months he had cleaned up the rusty frame, painted the engine, mounted a 900rr swingarm and wheel with a CBR 600 F2 front wheel. Around mid-April 2006, about 6 months after starting, his bike looked like this! Aside from a couple of comments regarding the ride height of the front end, everyone loved the finished product. Now, another thing about Midnight is his uncanny ability to obtain parts for these old Honda’s that are practically unobtainable. Chalk up another first for this guy. I’m not entirely sure who makes that rear end, but it’s pimp. Here is what it...

After selling both the Nissan 240SX race cars he had owned and saying, "I'm not getting another race car..." Brady Dohrmann of Tempe, AZ picked up this race prepped BMW M3. I work with Brady, so it was only natural to make him the first officially sponsored MyRideisMe.com race car! It also helps that with his previous cars, Brady pretty much won every event he raced in and was featured in a couple of magazines. He won his class at the 9/22-23 Track Day at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) and was 3rd overall. It's a big responsibility being Brady's sponsor. We had to show up late and bring 3 cold Burger King Whopper Jr's. With backing like that, I'm sure Brady will continue to be successful. To see more pictures of Brady's car, check out his Brady's garage. To see all the pictures I took from the race, go HERE: If anyone would like the high res photos, please get in touch. There yours...