Articles

  • Two Wheel Tuesday: How I screwed up a vintage frame, and how a lathe, a sledgehammer, and the Internet fixed it.

    Two Wheel Tuesday: How I screwed up a vintage frame, and how a lathe, a sledgehammer, and the Internet fixed it.

    /

    /

    comments

    Early last summer, I picked up a derelict 1973 Harley/Aermacchi SX SS-350 frame for just the cost of shipping. It’s a back-burner project (even more back-burner than Bultakenstein), but I’m doing a bit here and there. Last week, while attempting to install new steering bearings, I stupidly bumped the frame, sending it flipping off the…

    Read More

  • How’s Tony Doing? Let’s Check in on My 1991 Mitsubishi Montero

    How’s Tony Doing? Let’s Check in on My 1991 Mitsubishi Montero

    /

    /

    comments

    Automotive ADD is setting in, but only just. It’s easy to have your head on a Craigslist swivel if you shop amongst the cheaper vehicles out there. Still, I have zero plans of selling my 1991 Mitsubishi Montero anytime soon. In fact, I’m still in love with the thing. Does it still need some work?…

    Read More

  • Review: Michelin X-Ice Xi3 winter tires

    Review: Michelin X-Ice Xi3 winter tires

    /

    /

    comments

    There were doubters and skeptics. People laughed and shook their heads. Friends and family questioned my sanity. And yet, my mind could not be changed: I was going to daily-drive my 2013 Mazda Miata Club through the entirety of a Connecticut winter. Rationale? It’s a car, and it will be fun. Easy enough to convince…

    Read More

  • Montero Graffiti: I’m an Idiot, Vol 9001

    Montero Graffiti: I’m an Idiot, Vol 9001

    /

    /

    comments

    Back over the holiday break, I took my 1991 Mitsubishi Montero out to play around in some mud. Usually, I just have dust and dirt to drive through, but this time that rare rain rolled in and created adventure right on the ground. After getting my truck nice and dirty, bathtime beckoned. I drove to the…

    Read More

  • My 1991 Mitsubishi Montero is about to get a fresh bounce in its step

    My 1991 Mitsubishi Montero is about to get a fresh bounce in its step

    /

    /

    comments

    My old Gen-1 Mitsubishi Montero is getting a bit of work done. The truck is at the same shop where my Benz wagon is hibernating. But work is underway on Tony Montero. A few months back I bought a set of Fox 2.0 shocks from a company called Accutune. Now those shocks are finally going…

    Read More

  • 2013 Miata Club: Mid-winter musings

    2013 Miata Club: Mid-winter musings

    /

    /

    comments

    Few on-road antics are as satisfying as passing endless struggling crossovers and SUVs in the snow in your dimunitive rear-wheel-drive Mazda Miata. This winter has been mostly snow-free here in Connecticut. A recent 4” snowfall marked the most we’ve gotten thus far. But even in the cases of street-coating dustings, the Miata shines. It’s true:…

    Read More

  • Fastest fix ever: Removing the steering wheel squeak on my Montero

    Fastest fix ever: Removing the steering wheel squeak on my Montero

    /

    /

    comments

    A vehicle can develop a noise that is tiny in terms of decibel output. However, that noise can be huge in terms of annoyance delivered. I have a noise like this on my 1991 Mitsubishi Montero. Well, had a noise like this. The steering wheel would squeak as it turned past a point on the column.…

    Read More

  • My Montero is a CHONKER!

    My Montero is a CHONKER!

    /

    /

    comments

    I expected 3900 pounds. The number on the slip read far higher than that though, and I’m still surprised. I took my Mitsubishi Montero over to a truck scale to get it weighed. Why? Because I’m going to upgrade the suspension and the company would like to know how heavy this thing actually is. If…

    Read More

  • 2013 Mazda Miata Club update: Daily driving a small, lightweight roadster

    2013 Mazda Miata Club update: Daily driving a small, lightweight roadster

    /

    /

    comments

    There are generally two opposing opinions on daily driving a small, lightweight sports car: those who cannot begin to fathom why somebody would do so, and those who wouldn’t have it any other way. The skeptics stand opposite the die-hards. Look one way and get one set of insight; turn the other and get exactly…

    Read More

  • Montero Update: In a good place, but let’s make it even better

    Montero Update: In a good place, but let’s make it even better

    /

    /

    comments

    It’s been sometime since I gave you an update on my 1991 Mitsubishi Montero. Let’s fix that, shall we? The truck has been running well for the last few months. I’ve had a few hiccups though, and I’m working on fixing them. My idle speed is mostly consistent. Occasionally, it will drop and run a bit…

    Read More