Past Rides; A Call to Action

I really liked Chuck’s post about documenting our past rides. I took it as a call to action. I consider myself frugal, but looking back, I think that – like most Americans – I’ve always had a things for cars.
My first car choice was pure lust. I spotted this 1951 Dodge Coronet out near the lake one day and I knew it had to be mine. I paid maybe $1500 for it – in running condition – from a dirty old man who didn’t mind selling a heap to a starry-eyed kid. Bitter and sweet. I loved the car but it was a turd. Problems from the get go. It had three on the tree, but it was Fluid Drive, so you didn’t have to push the clutch when you came to a stop light. Wound up selling it to a guy who came and towed it away for me. Lost a little money on that one.


Next came the 1969 VW Bug. I was fresh on the rebound from the Coronet and wanted something I could actually drive, as opposed to something that just looked nice in the driveway. I paid around $1200 for the Bug. It had been gone through and was essentially a restored car, although not in show-car condition. I bought the Bug about a year before finishing high school and it got me through the better part of my Bachelors degree. It lived up to the VW name and served me quite well. When I bought my next car, my dad suggested I park the Bug in his barn, which I did. It sat there for probably the better part of a decade until it was sold in 2005 to partially pay for my 2003 Kawasaki ZRX1200.


Third in line was the 1989 Chrysler Conquest TSI. A dead-sexy, turbo-charged thrill ride. I loved this car. Adjustable suspension, stereo controls in the steering wheel, disc brakes all the way around. This car was the shit. I got it out of shape once on a back road and wound up turned wrong the wrong way, but luckily didn’t do any damage. A hell of a fun car and I’m glad I never wrapped it around a tree. Just look at that! I wound up selling it a few years after arriving in Kansas.



Number four was a 1987 Honda Civic Wagovan. Honest to god, that was the name of the car. Anywho, I wanted something different when I got rid of the Conquest. I was tired of chasing down 16-inch Z-rated 245/45 tires at used tire shops. What I got was the Wagovan. Some stoner had drawn dragons and snakes on the inside roof of the car with colored Sharpies. You could lay down the back seat and it was a perfect sleeping area. I had a canoe on the top of that car more times that I can count. It was great for car camping.



And then came the 1993 Toyota Corobra. I bought it in September of 2001 with 50k on the clock and it has 155k on it now. You all know this story. She’s been a great car. I’ve hauled motorcycles (PLURAL), couches, canoes, enumeratous furnitures. Fabulous gas mileage that can barely be matched by today’s hybrids.

Sapa Tatanka

Over the years I failed to document several cool vehicles I have owned, most notably a cherry 1974 Z-28 with a 4-speed Muncie and a 1986 Mustang SVO so I thought I would post a couple of pics of my 2000 Dodge Ram. Nothing extraordinary about her at all other than it represents the body style that "changed everything" in the world of trucks in America. I bought the truck from my brother in 2002 with less than 10K on the odo and she now has about 55K on the clock. The truck has been very reliable with the exception of the tranny which I had to have rebuilt because of issues that are well documented on the internet. I just got some Kumho Road Venture all-terrains mounted which I like very much and enjoy the "old school" look of tall, skinny, high profile tires. Like my ZRX, the truck is a great "15 foot" truck but any closer and you can see she's been kept outside the better part of a decade. I don't really put too much time and effort into keeping her spotless but I do use "Chuck's Tire-Foam" trick on the motor about twice a year and keep her cleaned up when the weather is nice. She has hauled a lot of rock and dirt, pulled her fair share of trailers and the 4-wheel drive has been invaluable here in the winters through ice and snow.

If only...

...I had an extra 10K! Having grown up in Europe from 1967-1972, I have always had a place in my heart for the early 70s euroboxes and hope to be able to have one at some point. This one looks to be a perfect start to something like the below!

NADA - Not Cars

I'm sure most of you are aware that my brother raises cattle in Arkansas but not that he has been very active in the North American Devon Association as they work to bring the Devon breed back to prominence. See below for a short blog he did for the NADA on "cattle as a commodity". Also, I have linked to his ranch's website if you care to read more.

NADA - Guest Blog

Fourche River Farm & Cattle Co.

I am so proud of what he and his wife are doing and the determination with which they are doing it. He was able to find financial success early in life and has used that to jump-start their dream and they are loving every minute of it! You go bro!

Time to Make Another Car Payment on the Corobra

Well, I bought a radiator from NAPA for $112 after tax. Top and bottom hoses for $25 total. I was a little under the weather this week and it snowed here yesterday, but I woke up this morning with a strong desire to tackle the job. A trip to the library to check out the Haynes. I started the work at around 11am. Temps in the low 30's today. Cold but not horrible. Step one, shovel snow off the driveway. Below you'll see a pic of the nice new radiator. Delicious.

Below you'll see my extravagant tool "chest". Basically a socket and wrench set I picked up a few years ago off the clearance aisle at Wal-Mart and a tool box of some other odds and ends.

Vice grips? We don't need no stinking vice grips. Seriously, I don't own a pair of vice grips.

You can only imagine my surprise when I removed the radiator only to find ANOTHER radiator behind it! Holy shit! What did I get myself into? A quick phone call to John and I learn that's an A/C Condenser. ....A/C Condenser.... in case you're taking notes.

And here's a look down into the top of the radiator. Can you even imagine the strain it put on it when I added that Bars Leak about two years ago? I can't believe it worked for a couple of years.

And now some pics of the radiator. There's whole sections of fins missing. She was clearly on her last leg. 17-year-old radiator.




I call this picture "Urban Potpourri".
I am entering it into a photo contest.


In this pic below, I'm doing my part to "class up" the neighborhood. Notice the REX is out. That's because the stock radiator cap didn't fit the new rad. So, I rode the ZRX to get a new one. I come back - frozen - only to run into a second road block: the bottom rad hose is too short. A second bone-chilling ride to yet another auto parts store to get new hoses. But luckily the new hoses worked. Thank goodness because I was running out of patience and daylight.



I finished up right around dark. Frozen but happy. All in all, the work itself was simple as pie. It would have gone smooth as silk if I had just had the right parts to begin with. I saved a few bucks and learned a little. Definitely worth it, even if I did freeze my nuts off.

UFC 109

Looking forward to it tonight!

More Football Humor

Each year as the Superbowl approaches, I like to take the opportunity to share this gem with others who might appreciate it. Okay, it might not be as funny to you guys as it is to me but it is Sandler at his finest!

Adam Sandler - New Music - More Music Videos

My Hero - Peyton Manning

I suppose not everyone may appreciate the humor in this clip as you would have to be an NFL fan and familiar with Peyton Manning's personality, but if you where, it's good stuff!

Climb Dance

I swear I had posted this previously but looking back through the blog and in talking to Douglas I couldn't find that I had so if it is a repost, I apologize. This is Ari Vatenen's well documented climb up Pikes Peak in a Peugeot 405 T16 Group B rally car in 1989. There are no words to describe...

9:14

...is all I ask you devote to watching this video. Over the years I have enjoyed many types of racing but rally cars have always seemed to play a part in my life. I remember going to the department stores at Christmas as a kid and always gravitating to the "rally car" models although I had no real idea of what they were. A squatty Fiat with a tire strapped to its roof just seemed cool! X-Games gave World Rally cars a rebirth a few years ago and my access to media through the internet allowed me a conduit to footage that is not readily available in the states and I took advantage. This clip is Ari Vatanen in the Isle of Mann Manx Rally in 1983 and although it doesn't show the "Dear God" moment this rally is known for, it's the highest quality clip I could find. Enjoy...

Tulsa Snow

Well, we had quite a snowstorm over the past couple of days. About 8" here in midtown with most of it falling between noon and eight o'clock last night. We did have about a quarter of an inch of freezing rain overnight Thursday but were spared any significant damage here in Tulsa. We are at 14.1" of total snow accumulation for the season with 8.6" being average. Also, we typically get most of our snow in March so it could get interesting. Fortunately I got new tires on SapaTatanka(Black Buffalo) the day before the storm hit. I had four Kumho Road Venture ATs mounted, 315/75R16 for $850, and they have performed great in the snow.

Extreme Home Makeover - Tulsa

As luck would have it, I was made aware last night that Extreme Home Makeover was possibly going to be in my neighborhood this morning. Although there were no stirrings in the neighborhood as I made my way to work, I was notified mid-morning that the rumor was true and a family around the corner had been chosen for a home makeover. Story below and pics following.

The Story

Map with location relative to the HicklHaus. Guard dogs indicate checkpoints for access to street the house is on...




A shot from the front of my garage showing the miserable conditions they are working in...

Another Hobby of Mine

I'm sure you guys have figured out by now that computers, and tech gadgets in general, are a hobby of mine and I enjoy working on them as much as motorcycles. To me, there is very little difference between putting in a jet kit and assembling a computer from scratch. That being said, I recently "gained possession" of an older laptop that had been hardware locked. Now this is different than the typical Username/Password protection when logging into a computer, different than a BIOS lock at the post screen, this is actually an EEPROM chip on the motherboard that must be "activated" with a password to even get the computer to begin the boot process. This is typically done with computers belonging to institutions/corporations and loaned to employees which I assume this one had at one time. Once I discovered it was hardware locked, I decided to see if I could "crack" it. A quick search on the internet determined it was hopeless without calling the manufacturer, proving ownership and receiving a "master unlock code". As that was not possible, I dug in further and found there was a "paperclip" method for shorting out the EEPROM chip and not to bore you with the details, it was successful! EUREKA! Method did require complete disassembly of the laptop which was fairly interesting as there were dozens of tiny screws of various sizes and lengths to keep track of and I had to short the chip out while powering up the computer. Interesting.

The Fix

So Much I Don't Understand

There are times when I like to think I am a fairly well-rounded individual and know a little bit about most everything but then I run across something like the below and realize there is an entire world of crap out there I know nothing about and have never given a second though to.

NFL Playoffs

If there is another passion I have in life that rivals my love for motorcycles, it would have to be football. I still remember the excitement of getting my first Dallas Cowboys jersey in 1973 and have been a fan of the game, at any level, ever since. I have watched more football in my life than any other sport and feel I have an extreme understanding of the game which makes it that much more enjoyable to watch. I have really enjoyed watching Brett Favre make a comeback this season and would love to see him get another Superbowl ring before retiring. Needless to say, I am really looking forward to an awesome afternoon of football and finding out who will be playing for the Ring! My predictions, Baltimore 20 - Jets 10; Vikings 35 - Saints 28. That would leave us with 2 wily veterans in the Superbowl which would be something to see!

For Your Enjoyment

I was down in Lake Jackson visitng my parents over Christmas and took a picture of the last official "Hickl Family Portrait" which Mom has prominently displayed in her entry foyer. It had to have been taken somewhere between 1983 and 1985 and I thought you guys would get a kick out of it. Notice that Greg is sporting a real mullet and I the infamous "permullet". Nice!

A New Year and Things to Come...

First off, a HUGE "thank you" to Douglas for putting together the "2009 Hooliecrew Year in Review" video. It's so very nice to have a quick 10 minute clip to bring back all the memories and to whet the appetite for all the rides to come. I know how much work went into putting the video together and it makes it that much more special to me. I must have watched it a dozen times already and my ass-crack gets bigger every time! If only we had something similar for every year we have been riding together.

On another note, I suppose it is official, the Hooliecrew will be visiting the great state of Tennessee the 2nd full week of May and I for one can't wait! It will be nice to trailer up and to have access to some fun toys to play with so everyone better brush up on their xBox360 MotoGP 2009 as I am going to give you all an ass-whoopin'! Plenty of good roads and all the time in the world to explore them. Now if I could only find a vehicle that got more than 10mpg, I'd be all set.

Work is going well, meaning we have plenty of it, and for that I am grateful. We are picking smaller remodel projets across all client groups which is messier and less profitable work, but it is enough to keep everyone busy and to stave off any lay-offs for the immediate future. The 10th of January was my 10 year anniversary at Scott&Goble and it is so hard to believe it has been that long... until I look in the mirror that is! LOL. 011000 - 011010 (SGA's Digital Man)

Finally, Cindy bought be a ContourHD sportcam for Christmas and the weather cleared up enough for me to get it mounted and take some video today at lunch. See link to video below and let me know what you think. I have it mounted to the right radiator guard and the angle looks about right. Kind of neat to see the suspension working and will be cool to see how much the forks compress in some of the downhill hairpins. The video was still uploading to YouTube at the time I posted this blog so quality will not be maximized for a few hours as Google does its magic. I am also posting the 2009 Hoolicrew video for any visitors to the blog to enjoy. Look forward to seeing you guys and would love to get some e-mail banter started about the trip. Where to stay, what to see, etc.

Happy New Year Hoolies!

Friends just left and wanted to wish all of you a Happy New Year! Looking forward to spending more time with you guys this year, especially our trip to Tennessee. Hope you enjoyed your night and spent it with those important to you. UFC 108 Saturday night, woohoo!

Chuck