Justin's AMA

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54) 01/16/2015 at 14:30 • Filed to: None

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Who is this guy obsessed with his BRZ, ex-cop cars, and old Saturns, anyway? Go on, ask me anything. I don't promise to give you the answer you want, but I'll give you something...

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:31

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Is an AW11 next on your list of old cheap cars to try to race?

Thunderface > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:32

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What is the interior of a p71 like?

Justin Hughes > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 01/16/2015 at 14:32

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Already have! A year of autocross and a time trial on an outdoor go-kart track. Fun cars with better steering response than any of my beloved Miatas could ever have.

TheHondaBro > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:32

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How many woodchuckers could woodchuck a wood if a wood can chuck woodchucks?

Xyl0c41n3 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:33

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If a tree falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it does a Challenger make for a better patrol cruiser than a Crown Vic? (They seem to be the new vehicle of choice in my area).

Justin Hughes > Thunderface 01/16/2015 at 14:34

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Spartan. Vast expanses of cheap grey plastic, and black rubber upholstery. It's very utilitarian. I appreciate that.

Justin Hughes > TheHondaBro 01/16/2015 at 14:35

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You said wood... Uh huh huh huh...

Thunderface > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:35

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Is it a nice place to be?

Justin Hughes > Xyl0c41n3 01/16/2015 at 14:36

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Only if it's Vanishing Point white.

Justin Hughes > Thunderface 01/16/2015 at 14:37

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It's all right. The seats are slabs, with no support at all. They were made for people wearing gun belts and body armor, and I wear neither. But I've done long road trips and felt fine after.

Xyl0c41n3 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:38

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Nah. These are solid black, with matte black decals. Sneaky little bastards.

:-P

Justin Hughes > Xyl0c41n3 01/16/2015 at 14:40

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They're definitely faster than a Crown Vic. When I got mine, a friend had just gotten a Charger (civilian version), so we took compare/contrast rides. The Dodge is much faster off the line.

But you can't outrun a Motorola.

Xyl0c41n3 > TheHondaBro 01/16/2015 at 14:40

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I almost asked that exact same question. ^_^

TheHondaBro > Xyl0c41n3 01/16/2015 at 14:42

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Of course, it's a very important question!

Sn210 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:45

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What do you think of a Cobalt SS drivetrain swap into a second gen Saturn SC2?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Xyl0c41n3 01/16/2015 at 14:46

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Sneaky fat bastards, probably.

Xyl0c41n3 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:46

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Yeah, they're pretty snazzy. A couple years back I got to go on a ride-along with part of a local LEO task force. The officer I was with put the car through its paces and it was a blast. The only thing he lamented was how it was easier to do curb jumps in a Crown Vic.

Justin Hughes > Sn210 01/16/2015 at 14:47

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If you can make it fit, go for it! There was a lot of talk of Ecotec swaps into the S series, but I think there were some big technical problems of some kind. I can't remember what, because I'm old.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:47

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I'd love to take mine on a kart track. I bet it would be a blast there.

Justin Hughes > Xyl0c41n3 01/16/2015 at 14:49

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Yeah, I once did a ride along too, which kicked off responding to a domestic incident code 3. I told the sarge don't worry about scaring me with his driving - I race and have been an autocross instructor.

Justin Hughes > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 01/16/2015 at 14:51

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It was, except the no-name all season tires (I'd just gotten the car, it came with them) basically melted off the wheels!

Sn210 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:51

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Someday maybe, when I have buckets of cash to burn. I used to have a '99 that I liked, but hated driving.

Xyl0c41n3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 01/16/2015 at 14:52

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Ha! Maybe only half of them. :-P Their units aren't as bad as what the sheriff's department guys drive, though. Some of them have white trucks with all-white decals and interior light bars. This is Texas. Every one drives a truck! Makes it a lot harder to spot them.

Justin Hughes > Sn210 01/16/2015 at 14:53

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I once saw an Olds Alero with a 454 V8 driving the rear wheels. That was pretty cool.

Sn210 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:54

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holy crap, that must have been wicked fun

Xyl0c41n3 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:54

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Ha! So, as an instructor... How was his driving? Good, bad, or meh?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 14:55

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Could have been worse. After I replaced my crappy all seasons with Direzzas, I literally (not figuratively) drove the wheels off it. I've been meaning to pick up some spare hubs since apparently they're kind of a weak part on the car.

Justin Hughes > Xyl0c41n3 01/16/2015 at 14:59

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Rather good, actually. Not 10/10ths, because concern #1 is civilian safety, but he pushed it where it was safe, used the whole road where there was no traffic, and handled that P71 at least as well as I could, if not better.

Justin Hughes > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 01/16/2015 at 15:01

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There was a defect in Saturn hubs at one point, and a friend who also autocrossed an SC2 once lost a wheel on course when the hub failed!

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 15:09

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Luckily mine wasn't completely off, but it was still scary. Saw a Triumph lose a wheel a couple of months ago on the part of the course I was working, which was awesome. I've been waiting to drop my "You arrived in a Triumph, but left in defeat" line forever. I don't think that I've seen a Triumph actually run in an event before or since, but one of the two incidents that people always talk about at my local was also in a Triumph. Someone managed to flip a Spitfire.

vondon302 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 15:32

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So p71 question. Just picked mine up at auction. Put about 1000 miles on it so far. I get a whining noise on 1st to second gear almost sounds like the torque converter spooling up. Fluids full and looks clean. Any ideas? Shifts fine and runs great otherwise. Every one that's heard it is clueless as I am. Also any thoughts on doing the j mod? Thanks

Justin Hughes > vondon302 01/16/2015 at 15:40

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I'm clueless too. Automatic transmissions and carburetors are little boxes of black magic in my world. There must be some kind of animal sacrifice going on inside for them to work. Maybe you're hearing the animals scream?

I studied the J-mod, and it sounds pretty cool. But I was afraid of screwing something up if I did it myself. I'd probably let all the animal sacrifices out of the transmission.

vondon302 > Justin Hughes 01/16/2015 at 16:03

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I feel the same way on automatic transmissions. Maybe if I put satanic school bus light on it it'll stop. Thanks again

Justin Hughes > vondon302 01/16/2015 at 16:16

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Ha! Nice!