Slow Subie: June 2014

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Lacking Motivation...

With any project, especially a large one, there is always a feeling in the beginning of, "RAWR, THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!" Unfortunately, that feeling eventually wears off, and sometimes before you are finished, leaving a bunch of stuff to be done that you really don't want to do. That's where I am, I guess. I need to finish this transmission swap and the brakes. I need to fix the A/C leak and get a new belt on it. I just can't get motivated.

Intro

My love for automobiles began at a young age. One of the earliest memories I have of my father was him teaching me to assemble a 1/25 scale snap-tite model. If I recall, it was a teal colored Ford Bronco. Little did he know at the time, that build would launch me into the model car hobby and well beyond. I began looking online for new and better ways of improving my builds. That eventually unveiled the entire world of modified cars, and I was hooked before I even got my license, dreaming in scale of cars I would build as an adult.

Somewhere along the way, Subaru managed to become the focus of my new found automotive obsession. I remember watching clips of the great Peter Solberg and other WRC drivers sliding their cars through corners with a trail of dust and flying debris behind them. It dawned on me that I could, someday, own one of those cars. A kid like me would never be able to afford a Porsche, Ferrari, or the like, but a Subaru...

The first vehicle I ever bought wasn't a Subaru at all, unfortunately. A Dodge Dakota, 5 speed, two wheel drive. I tinkered with it a little, but it wasn't long before I started looking for a Subaru. Seeing as how Imprezas were nearly impossible to find locally at the time, I ended up with a 1998 Legacy L. I loved that car and modified every bit of the suspension that I could. It wasn't fast, but it was fun. I am now on my third 1998 Legacy, this time having found the 5 speed GT sedan that is now the SlowSubie. My dad actually gave me some cash to be able to buy this car before he passed away...sometimes I wonder if he ever linked the thousands I threw away on cars to that $5 model he helped me build so long ago.

I haven't built a model car in at least a decade now, but my love for cars, and specifically old Subarus, has never faltered. I have tried driving the new models of Legacy and Impreza, but their much quieter interiors and computer controlled throttle (and everything else) always left me feeling disconnected. That's not to say that a WRX isn't an enjoyable car, as it provides plenty of grins and fun along the way. I just like the raw feeling and feedback that an older BD/BG Legacy or GC/GF Impreza provides, even with much less horsepower.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. SlowSubie will have many more entries of that, as well as some of my current car and build.

Enjoy,
Perdue