Ages of MINI drivers, don't be shy
3rd Gear
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 210
Likes: 0
From: Columbus, Ohio
Stephen: Hope you get Velocity channel in HD. "Wheeler Dealers" (Wednesday evenings)
have recently done some interesting restorations which include ,as the British say, a '58 "Frog Eye" Sprite ( larger engine as used in the original MINI ) and an old MINI MOKE. There, I'm sorta back on topic...kinda.
Mark
have recently done some interesting restorations which include ,as the British say, a '58 "Frog Eye" Sprite ( larger engine as used in the original MINI ) and an old MINI MOKE. There, I'm sorta back on topic...kinda.
Mark
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
From: Seatac, WA
Hey SMOG, that website you have with your rides through the years is really sweet. Thank you for your service to our country. 
Just one question. I noticed you have WA license plates. Are you the same SMOG from psmini?
Oh and I'm 24
Just one question. I noticed you have WA license plates. Are you the same SMOG from psmini?Oh and I'm 24
Alliance Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 661
Likes: 24
From: Port Orchard, WA.
If you are in WA maybe we will see each other on some runs. I live in Port Orchard. Thanks for the Veterans compliment.
Last edited by SMOG; Feb 5, 2012 at 06:19 AM.
my bad for not posting pics i just saw you asked for some
here's Penelope (my 04 JCW)
when i first got her
Now
mods:
milltek header, forge intercooler, alta CAI, craven tow hook, alta shorty antenna, jcw cat back with deleted resonator, tein springs, rear seat delete, front CF front splitter, voltage hood scoop, and on its way some enkei rpf1's wrapped in kuhmo 710's for autocrossing...more to come also
here's Penelope (my 04 JCW)
when i first got her
Now
mods:
milltek header, forge intercooler, alta CAI, craven tow hook, alta shorty antenna, jcw cat back with deleted resonator, tein springs, rear seat delete, front CF front splitter, voltage hood scoop, and on its way some enkei rpf1's wrapped in kuhmo 710's for autocrossing...more to come also
Alliance Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 661
Likes: 24
From: Port Orchard, WA.
Roosey is very clean! I sure wish our State did not require a front license plate!! So what is the age of Roosey's driver/owner, after all this Thread is about the driver/owners age???
my bad for not posting pics i just saw you asked for some
here's Penelope (my 04 JCW)
when i first got her
Now
mods:
milltek header, forge intercooler, alta CAI, craven tow hook, alta shorty antenna, jcw cat back with deleted resonator, tein springs, rear seat delete, front CF front splitter, voltage hood scoop, and on its way some enkei rpf1's wrapped in kuhmo 710's for autocrossing...more to come also
here's Penelope (my 04 JCW)
when i first got her
Now
mods:
milltek header, forge intercooler, alta CAI, craven tow hook, alta shorty antenna, jcw cat back with deleted resonator, tein springs, rear seat delete, front CF front splitter, voltage hood scoop, and on its way some enkei rpf1's wrapped in kuhmo 710's for autocrossing...more to come also
Last edited by SMOG; Feb 5, 2012 at 06:29 AM.
Alliance Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 661
Likes: 24
From: Port Orchard, WA.
You will have many years to enjoy your MINI and that very clean front end, sans license plate
2nd Gear
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
From: sunny san diego
Had just turned 22 when my 04' explorer got totaled. Picked up my 03mcs a week later after test driving 5 or 6 normal coopers. then I drove the S and was sold. Like Stever53 said, its about the journey.
1st Gear
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
From: Metro Atlanta
Mark:
"Heart of Darkness electronics", wow, is that ever a correct statement! I switched the generators to Delco and all gauges to Stewart Warner, but left the factory dash and bezels/glass. The Sprite, when it was a 4 banger, would always like to not start on foggy mornings. For some reason it developed hairline cracks in the distributor cap, several of them(caps), so they those cracks would get moisture in them and short out the spark
The fix turned out to be surgical gloves; plug wires 1-4 through the fingers and the coil wire thru the thumb
It works!
My first real motorcycle ride was on the back a a Gold Star (BSA 500cc single) that was piloted by an off road and flat track racer that lived near some large orange groves. I hung on for dear life as he went 60-70 mph between the rows of trees and that is what turned me into an adrenaline monkey!! I love that sticker " The parts falling off of this bike are crafted with the highest degree of British engineering!", and since I have a buddy that still rides a Triumph Bonneville I will have one made for him
Yep, Vietnam was pretty hairy; running toward the machinegun fire is unnatural and then to witness the carnage once you are there is bizarre at best. My younger brother was a high lottery number, my older brother was a chopper pilot and got shot down but survived and I got blasted by a large Chinese Claymore mine. I spent 7 months in hospitals learning how to walk and how to eat again. I don't like surprises, like loud noises or someone sneaking up on me Now today our government is generating an entirely new generation of Veterans who will have a difficult time integrating back into society if they can do it at all. You were fortunate to have a job that got you deferred. I was working on the Apollo Project as a guidance system engineering tech and since there was another guy that was a veteran in that job position they drafted me; so it goes..
Stay well and enjoy life since one never knows what is around the next bend
"Heart of Darkness electronics", wow, is that ever a correct statement! I switched the generators to Delco and all gauges to Stewart Warner, but left the factory dash and bezels/glass. The Sprite, when it was a 4 banger, would always like to not start on foggy mornings. For some reason it developed hairline cracks in the distributor cap, several of them(caps), so they those cracks would get moisture in them and short out the spark
The fix turned out to be surgical gloves; plug wires 1-4 through the fingers and the coil wire thru the thumb It works!My first real motorcycle ride was on the back a a Gold Star (BSA 500cc single) that was piloted by an off road and flat track racer that lived near some large orange groves. I hung on for dear life as he went 60-70 mph between the rows of trees and that is what turned me into an adrenaline monkey!! I love that sticker " The parts falling off of this bike are crafted with the highest degree of British engineering!", and since I have a buddy that still rides a Triumph Bonneville I will have one made for him
Yep, Vietnam was pretty hairy; running toward the machinegun fire is unnatural and then to witness the carnage once you are there is bizarre at best. My younger brother was a high lottery number, my older brother was a chopper pilot and got shot down but survived and I got blasted by a large Chinese Claymore mine. I spent 7 months in hospitals learning how to walk and how to eat again. I don't like surprises, like loud noises or someone sneaking up on me
Now today our government is generating an entirely new generation of Veterans who will have a difficult time integrating back into society if they can do it at all. You were fortunate to have a job that got you deferred. I was working on the Apollo Project as a guidance system engineering tech and since there was another guy that was a veteran in that job position they drafted me; so it goes..Stay well and enjoy life since one never knows what is around the next bend
Alliance Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 661
Likes: 24
From: Port Orchard, WA.
SMOG, Thank you for your service. I'm 64 and toured Vietnam twice in a Submarine (USS Halfbeak SS352). I felt fairly safe 100 feet underwater. Can only imagine what it was like on the ground. Bought a MG Midget once I got out of the Navy and my MINI reminds me of how much fun those little cars are to drive.
Being underwater you did not have to deal with that sweltering heat and that must have been a big plus.
The Midget and the Sprite were basically the same car in a different package although the Midget package was a bit more luxurious. The 1960 MGA Coupe that I drove to take my first drivers test was way nicer than the 1959 Sprite, but both had the "Heart of Darkness" electrical system.
Love the MINI in spite of it's quirks and the high point of a day is being able to suck a tailgater into a corner that they cannot possibly negotiate safely :-)
Enjoy your MINI and the Golden Years with you in it
