Introducing myself... .

[cal_gecko]

Hi all...

New guy here, thought I'd introduce myself.  Was friends with a member here (JRatto) back in the late 80's, early 90's... then 'life' happened and we all moved away from each other.. recently found out another friend (who happens to be "Sheep" here on the forum) from those days happens to live 2 houses down from me,  and he told me that Jim hangs out here.. so I registered to get in touch with him. 

While I don't have a VW, I am a car enthusiast and can appreciate the effort and dedication it takes to bring the old cars up to the levels that you guys have done with your rides. 

I may be setting myself up for a ton of ridicule here, but I'll tell y'all what I've got..

In my garage, a 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger that I've been 'restifying' for the last 5 years or so.. it's a solid car (no major rust), but the paint was shot.. so I've been slowly stripping the paint, priming it, painting the jambs, etc.. already upgraded the rear end with a bigger unit, limited slip, upgraded the transmission with a reverse manual valve body, kevlar bands, upgraded clutchpacks, lower gears.. and replaced the 318ci V8 with a 360ci V8.. replaced all the brakes all the way around with bigger units.. blah blah blah.. like I said, it's a bit of a project.

My other car .. (get ready for it....)  is a 1994 Mazda Miata .. I've upgraded the suspension with stiffer springs, Bilstein HD shocks, bigger sway bars, etc.. roll bar, Falken Azenis RT615 tires, and a couple other things.  I've participated in a number of open track days at Thunderhill Raceway (3 mile road course here in Northern CA) and the car does fairly well... it's a 'momentum' car on the track, since it doesn't have a ton of power, it is best to get it set up to carry as much speed through the turns as possible... which it does pretty well   It's a really fun car, and handles exceptionally well.  Let the hairdresser jokes begin.

I have posted a number of videos of my trackdays on Youtube if anyone's interested..
http://www.youtube.com/user/calgecko
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/TkiLjzT6P7U" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/TkiLjzT6P7U</a>

Here's a picture of how my Miata looks now..


In my spare time, I really enjoy photography, farting around on the computer, and messing around with either car..

Mark

[Rennsurfer]

Condolences for knowing Jim R.

 

Just kidding, Jim's a good guy... but welcome to The Lounge. Cars and photography go rather well together. I can relate.

[cal_gecko]

Thanks.. Yeah, Jim's a good guy.. we all had some good times back then..

If you've read the story about his trip to Death Valley that resulted in a flat tire.. with a speakerbox where the spare tire should be in the trunk... yeah.. that was me

Fix-a-Flat saved our asses

[Jim Ratto]

Thanks.. Yeah, Jim's a good guy.. we all had some good times back then..

If you've read the story about his trip to Death Valley that resulted in a flat tire.. with a speakerbox where the spare tire should be in the trunk... yeah.. that was me

Fix-a-Flat saved our asses

 

Mark that has to be my favorite "near death experiences." (the others involved Ty and/or Billy)

That was a cool trip all around.... crusing through Hollywood @ 2am, you falling asleep on the 14 freeway (and me steering).... yeah the whole fix a flat bit out in Devil's Golfcourse (I still have a shot of you shaking the can of fix a flat).....then the trip home up 395 and over Tioga Pass @ sunset.... my first time up at Tuolumne meadows.

Fun times taking the Civic out to Crows Landing too to grind a set of tires up out there. I really liked that car, especially after you painted it blue.

Good to see you here...  I'm sure it will roll back the clocks for both of us! 

a Miata?     

[cal_gecko]

yeah. .. that Civic was fun.. unfortunately, I have NO photos of it when I used to Auto-X it .. I'd love to see that picture of me with the can of Fix a flat !! Any chance you could scan it?

I still talk to Ty fairly often - he's living in Brentwood, married, has a couple kids and is doing well.. matter of fact, he called me recently to let me know that Carolyn (my ex, his sister) has had a couple heart attacks lately.. not good.

We've got our 20 year high school reunion coming up this September.. I haven't decided yet if I even want to go.. from what I've seen on the reunion website discussions, it's all the same old crowds from back then, the jocks, cheerleaders and 'cool' people that I never cared to hang around... so I'm probably gonna pass on it..

scary.. 20 years..

wow


yeah.. a Miata ... I know..

in all seriousness though.. they are great cars - perfect 50/50 weight distribution, rear wheel drive, very light, incredible handling, great transmission.. they're a ton of fun.

Does it help at all that I have an old car in the garage? Do I get any street cred for that?

[Jim Ratto]

yeah. .. that Civic was fun.. unfortunately, I have NO photos of it when I used to Auto-X it .. I'd love to see that picture of me with the can of Fix a flat !! Any chance you could scan it?

I still talk to Ty fairly often - he's living in Brentwood, married, has a couple kids and is doing well.. matter of fact, he called me recently to let me know that Carolyn (my ex, his sister) has had a couple heart attacks lately.. not good.

We've got our 20 year high school reunion coming up this September.. I haven't decided yet if I even want to go.. from what I've seen on the reunion website discussions, it's all the same old crowds from back then, the jocks, cheerleaders and 'cool' people that I never cared to hang around... so I'm probably gonna pass on it..

scary.. 20 years..

wow


yeah.. a Miata ... I know..

in all seriousness though.. they are great cars - perfect 50/50 weight distribution, rear wheel drive, very light, incredible handling, great transmission.. they're a ton of fun.

Does it help at all that I have an old car in the garage? Do I get any street cred for that?

20 year reunion...  naw....   I had it with those people back then....I'm sure nothing's changed. Somewhere there are some good memories on the Lounge about hot boxing Jason Barr's Bug on the hoist in Auto Shop and Cisek's cam in his 2bbl Chevelle.  I wonder if John still is itching to race my VW?  He might want to think about that one these days.... 

I dig your Miata.... keep up the good work.

Tell Ty I said "hi" and I still have nightmares of going upside down in his Bug on Stanley blvd.

[Rennsurfer]

We've got our 20 year high school reunion coming up this September.. I haven't decided yet if I even want to go.. from what I've seen on the reunion website discussions, it's all the same old crowds from back then, the jocks, cheerleaders and 'cool' people that I never cared to hang around... so I'm probably gonna pass on it..

scary.. 20 years..

wow

Damn, then my upcoming 30 year reunion in two years must be horrific by comparison. HAHA!! Was never into high school, either. I only attended the bare minimum to get by and barely graduated. I was too busy working two jobs, surfing, skateboarding empty pools, fishing, and building my first car which was a 1966 Cal Look Beetle. These days, not much has changed... still doing all of the above but the Beetle is now a 1967.

So... let's hear some Ratto stories. I just made some popcorn and there's a Guinness on standby.

[Jim Ratto]

My other car .. (get ready for it....)  is a 1994 Mazda Miata .. I've upgraded the suspension with stiffer springs, Bilstein HD shocks, bigger sway bars, etc.. roll bar, Falken Azenis RT615 tires, and a couple other things.  I've participated in a number of open track days at Thunderhill Raceway (3 mile road course here in Northern CA) and the car does fairly well... it's a 'momentum' car on the track, since it doesn't have a ton of power, it is best to get it set up to carry as much speed through the turns as possible... which it does pretty well   It's a really fun car, and handles exceptionally well.  Let the hairdresser jokes begin.

 


















just kidding Mark. I couldn't resist. 

[Fastbrit]

Miata and Ratto – two words in one sentence that send shivers down everyone's spine... BUT 1971 Dodge dart, now you're talking! I drove/raced (OK, borrowed) a '71 Hemi Challenger back in the 1980s so have  grown to love Mopars. As for Jim, well, it would take more than a Penta star badge to love him... (kidding - everyone loves Jim. At least once )

[cal_gecko]

I had the rare opportunity to go for a ride along in an original 1968 Hemi Dart a few years back.. a guy in the Mopar club I'm in worked for a guy who owned it.. and wanted to sell it. (back when the market was at it's peak about 3 years ago).. he asked me if I'd do a photo shoot for him for his portfolio to go with the car (for those who don't know, they only made 72 of these cars.. they came from the factory with the 426 Hemi, and were sent to Hurst to be retrofitted for race duty - fiberglass front end, they acid-dipped the chassis and doors to thin out the metal for weight savings, thinner glass in the windows, no window regulators, just a strap to pull the window up and down, etc).. pretty much the holy grail of Mopars.. .. I told him I'd shoot the car for him as long as he took me for a ride .. it was insane.  The car had so much torque it was ridiculous.. it was pure, unadulterated, raw excessive power at it's best.  Scary as all hell, but it was unreal, and a chance of a lifetime for me.
here's a snap of the engine..




My first car back in '87 or so was a '73 Plymouth Duster with a 318 ..


Of course, being 17 years old.. I beat the living snot out of that poor car.. so when the opportunity came up a 5 years ago to buy a very similar car and build it properly and not destroy it, .. I had to jump on the chance.
Here's a photo of the '71 Dart within a couple days of me bringing it home..






Here's a fun little .gif file of me starting the new engine for the first time...

with the distributor 180 degrees off..



progress pictures ..
after stripping and painting inside the trunk..



After stripping the quarterpanels/roof and fixing the dings and priming them..


Freshly painted engine compartment..


Fender after stripping... gotta love California sheetmetal!!


New engine in the freshly painted engine bay...




2 weekends ago I stripped and etch-primed the passenger door jamb.. here's how she sits in the garage right now..

[cal_gecko]

just kidding Mark. I couldn't resist. 

I was wondering how long it would take.  You can only imagine the grief I get from my Mopar buddies..

No worries .. at least it's not a Chevelle, right ?

[Jim Ratto]

just kidding Mark. I couldn't resist. 

I was wondering how long it would take.  You can only imagine the grief I get from my Mopar buddies..

not to mention your VW buddies.

[Rick Meredith]

  Oh geez... another one of Jim's friends!  Just Kidding! 

Welcome to The Lounge! We'll have you in a VW in no time!

[Jason Foster]

Welcome to the lounge now go get a VW..   Nice Dart.  CUTE Miata. 

[ESH]

Welcome to the Lounge. I can appreciate the merits of the the MX5, the Dart and either of the '68 Hemis. 



Thinking about it something like this would probably look good parked next to the MX5 and the Dart...



 

[cal_gecko]

Holy cow... my wife would KILL me if I bought a $9k VW Bug .. granted, it's nice looking and all .. but you'd be reading about me in the Newspaper ..

[Jason Foster]

that looks like a hell of a deal!!!!!

[Rennsurfer]

Dang, that's a sweet deal on that '64 red car. Quite a good looker, too.

[jamiep_jamiep]

Nice car cal. Agree with all the above though, a cal looker would like right at home in that garage of yours! each to their own dude, I love pretty much anything that burns fuel... the quicker the better!

[ian c]

yeah , miata's are ok .
can i book an appoointment ??  i'm kinda starting to get sick of wearing my cap .

[cal_gecko]

Thanks.. Yeah, Jim's a good guy.. we all had some good times back then..

If you've read the story about his trip to Death Valley that resulted in a flat tire.. with a speakerbox where the spare tire should be in the trunk... yeah.. that was me

Fix-a-Flat saved our asses

 

Mark that has to be my favorite "near death experiences." (the others involved Ty and/or Billy)

That was a cool trip all around.... crusing through Hollywood @ 2am, you falling asleep on the 14 freeway (and me steering).... yeah the whole fix a flat bit out in Devil's Golfcourse (I still have a shot of you shaking the can of fix a flat).....then the trip home up 395 and over Tioga Pass @ sunset.... my first time up at Tuolumne meadows.

Fun times taking the Civic out to Crows Landing too to grind a set of tires up out there. I really liked that car, especially after you painted it blue.

Good to see you here...  I'm sure it will roll back the clocks for both of us! 

a Miata?     

Hey Ratto - found this in a box yesterday and scanned it... from our trip..

[Jim Ratto]

Thanks.. Yeah, Jim's a good guy.. we all had some good times back then..

If you've read the story about his trip to Death Valley that resulted in a flat tire.. with a speakerbox where the spare tire should be in the trunk... yeah.. that was me

Fix-a-Flat saved our asses

 

Mark that has to be my favorite "near death experiences." (the others involved Ty and/or Billy)

That was a cool trip all around.... crusing through Hollywood @ 2am, you falling asleep on the 14 freeway (and me steering).... yeah the whole fix a flat bit out in Devil's Golfcourse (I still have a shot of you shaking the can of fix a flat).....then the trip home up 395 and over Tioga Pass @ sunset.... my first time up at Tuolumne meadows.

Fun times taking the Civic out to Crows Landing too to grind a set of tires up out there. I really liked that car, especially after you painted it blue.

Good to see you here...  I'm sure it will roll back the clocks for both of us! 

a Miata?     

Hey Ratto - found this in a box yesterday and scanned it... from our trip..

thanks now I can have nightmares about mirages, circling vultures and our skeletons 3 feet from a drinking fountain

[cal_gecko]

haha... glad I could help! If it makes you feel any better, I'm heading to Idaho tomorrow ... yeah... IDAHO... whoopeeeeeeeee
gonna be there for a few days with my wife to attend her grandfather's memorial service, and check out the great sights Idaho has to offer

Got a new camera, so I'll be taking lots of photos of all the pretty potatoes.

[Jim Ratto]

haha... glad I could help! If it makes you feel any better, I'm heading to Idaho tomorrow ... yeah... IDAHO... whoopeeeeeeeee
gonna be there for a few days with my wife to attend her grandfather's memorial service, and check out the great sights Idaho has to offer

Got a new camera, so I'll be taking lots of photos of all the pretty potatoes.

talk to sheep....I bet he knows where the picturesque parts of the state are.....i.e. where you can stream fish

[Rennsurfer]

My two sons are vacationing in the very upper portion of Idaho. I miss 'em... they'll be back this Sat. Guess they're camping by some lake, fishing, inner-tubing, and riding quad cycles. Have a safe trip up there, Mark.

[cal_gecko]

Yeah, I hear it's actually really pretty there.. we're gonna go check out the Snake River and some other areas that I understand are great photo opportunities.. and if nothing else, it will be good to get out of the Sacramento heat for a week, since it's supposed to be about 105 this week.  I will be bringing my laptop with me, so if I'm able to get any cool photos from the trip, I'll post 'em up.

[Speed-Randy]

wow!! bitchen dart man, my first car was a 70 plymouth duster, 340, pretty beat down . i'm a huge fan of the mopars, but dude, you gotta lose the miata.

[Speed-Randy]

by the way, welcome to th lounge

[cal_gecko]

Made it here today ... in Twin Falls, Idaho... if nothing else, it's about 15 degrees cooler here than in Sacramento... the Snake River is really pretty ... gonna go out and do some exploring tomorrow...

[Rennsurfer]

NICE! Hope that you're able to get some fishing time in. That place looks to be pretty promising.