Reckless

iTrader: (9)

I was stationed at Misawa Air base from Mar 1996 - Dec 1998. Near the end of my tour there we finally got Internet in our homes and I discovered LS1.com and immediately fell in love with the new Formula WS6 with the LS1. It was love at first site, especially after driving my right hand drive Toyota Carib 4WD wagon for a while, although it was very good in the snow

So I went to visit my overseas car salesman at the Base Exchange. I soon had an order for a 1998 NBM Formula WS6 and was soooo excited. About 2 weeks later, GM goes on strike and the St. Therese plant is idle (where they made the f-body). Bummer I waited a bit and the news was grim. It seemed there was no end to the strike in the near future and no word on whether my car will be built.

So I hop on the web and put the word out that I am looking for a Formula WS6. Pretty quickly I get a hit, and there are two Formula WS6 1LE cars in Kennesaw, GA at the dealership. I immediately acquire the number and call them in the middle of the night (Japan time). He tells me they have a black and red Formula WS6, and both are 1LE cars! I ask him to fax me the window stickers and he does after we figure out all the numbers he has to dial.

I decide to jump on the bright red Formula with no end in sight for the strike. I call the salesman and put down a $500 deposit using a credit card over the phone. I tell him I can't come for the car for another three weeks because I was prepping for a visit from an inspection team. He says no problem, and takes some pics of the car for me an mails them to me then puts the car away for safe keeping.

Sleep was tough for the next three weeks with an inspection and waiting to get my new car. As soon as I made a deposit on the car, I looked in the Pacific Stars and Stripes for a good deal on air fare. Called Tokyo and managed a round trip, non-stop, Tokyo to Atlanta for about $900 US. Not too bad at all Things are falling into place.

So I call my salesman and tell him when I will arrive and ask him to send a driver to get me at the Atlanta airport which is probably 40 miles from the dealership. He says no problem. So the day finally arrives, and my wife is certain I have completely lost my mind, and I head to the Misawa airport. I catch the plane to Haneda, then catch the bus to Narita, and then get my flight to Atlanta. Luckily, one of my troops was headed to the sandbox via Atlanta on the same flight, so we sat together. I could not sleep much.

Arrive in Atlanta after being awake all day in Japan and traveling for about 18 hours to include layover and buses and such. I make my way through customs and there is a young guy holding a sign with my name on it. What a relief We hop in the Pontiac he is driving and make our way to the dealer. It is around dinner time when we arrive and starting to get dark. We go for a drive to make sure the car is OK and go through all the BS paperwork and he gets the car ready to go. Around 10pm I go outside and he takes pic's cause the dealership has never had anyone come from so far away for a car before (they too question my sanity).

I jump in my new WS6 1LE Formula and head on my way. It is about a 20 minute drive to Dobbins AGB wher I plan to sleep for the night. As I pull out of the dealership so tired, I am nearly rear-ended by some guy flying over the blind hill in a 25mph zone. He locks his brakes and gets pissed at me! (he was obviously driving way too fast and nearly wrecked trying to avoid me) Now what if he would have hit me after all I went through to get this car?

So I make it to Dobbins and get my room. I sleep about 3 hours and wake up due to jet lag. I then look out the window at my new car. Then I look again. And the I look about 15 more times I did not sleep much more. At first light I gave up on sleep and decided to check out and begin the drive to Knoxville, TN to my mom's house where my Zaino and B&M Ripper shifter were waiting for me. Screw sleep! I make it there after about 4 hours all the while getting numerous from other drivers on I-75 and giving the biggest smile I ever had.

So after a short nap and lunch at mom's, I make her pull her car out of the garage because it might rain and I need to put about 3 coats of Zaino on the car After the Zaino, I waste no time in getting that shifter in the car and performing the air baffle delete mods on the car. Car is not even 24 hours old yet! A few days at mom's, and then off to dad's in Charleston, SC. It is a long boring drive to SC, but get to play a bit on the highway, so not too bad.

When I get to SC, the Borla is patiently waiting for me in my dad's garage. I head the next day to the Midas shop and the very cool guy there agrees to install it for me for $40. Good deal! So after that, and uncapping the Borla, I have a big grin. I get in touch with Chris Hutchinson (Hutch), the original owner of LS1.com and arrange to meet him and head to Rockingham for a little strip action. I manage a best of 13.85 in very humid and hot conditions and much tire spin. What I thought was cool was chirping 4th gear going down the strip. I could not believe that.

Well after about 10 days with the new wheels, I had to stow it in dad's garage and head back to Japan and await my orders to move to Hawaii. As soon as I got my orders, I sent them to dad and gave him the instructions to drop off the car at the Charleston Naval yard for shipping to Hawaii. All goes smoothly and my car is waiting when I arrive in Hawaii after about 4 months of seperation

What a long adventure! Soon after arriving I hook up with the locals (Bode, Louie, and Diggy) and get headers installed, and the soon I hand dremel my heads and install a big, bad *** 218/218 .528/.528 112 cam. Remember, this was still 1998 Managed a 12.35 with that setup though.

If you took the time to read this, you were obviously bored, or completely taken in by my amazing story writing skills, but it is all true nonetheless and I thank you for reading. What are your stories?

StoleIt

iTrader: (3)

Amazing story! You probably have the record for distance on ordering a car. I don't think you can get much farther away before you start coming back.

NA$TY-TA

iTrader: (21)

Go on Todd........ i know what happens next....... you order more parts...... Order the Turbo kit....... ha ha i remember the car in HI.....
Kyle

00tals1

iTrader: (4)

Another long one.
I was 17 and had a full time job in El Paso,TX. I was making good money and living with parents so I wanted a bad *** car. **** College. I wanted a 98 Mustang GT Convertible. I looked and looked no luck in my payment range. Im at a dealership checking out a 95 GT. I say no. The saleman ask what I want. I say 2 door rear wheel drive V8. He says I got a 97 Trans Am. Take it for a test drive. I take it for a drive and immediately feel the power difference between the mustang and the TA. Im sold. I want the car. We do up paper work and we drive the car to my house to show my parents. They have to sign for the car since I was 17. My dad said no because it looked raced. I continued to work and search for a car that fit my budget and my parents opinion. I drive by the dealership a couple times a week seeing the car there everytime. About 5 months past and the car is still there. I get a 1,000 dollars from income tax and say lets do it. My mom feels bad for me not getting the car. She agrees to sign with out my dad knowing. We go, she signs, im on my way. I love the car. 97 TA Black,TTop,Cloth,Auto,2.73. My interest rate was 11.65, payment 372 for 72 months. Yeah I know I got screwed. My insurance is 3something. I call the agent and tell him I need a lower payment. He finds me plan for 1something a month. I start thinking im the **** and brake up with my high school girlfriend. I also wanted to trade it in for a newer one with the LS1. Im meeting chicks left and right. I street race, drink and drive. Im having fun. I pay all my bills on time. I never get a insurance policy from my agent for months. But I keep paying. I get fed up and tell him no policy no payment. 2 months after that I crash it. 5 months after buying it. I Took a 90 degree turn to fast and tucked up under a parked truck. I was drunk and the cops let me go. This was in July 2000. I go to my ins agent and tell him. He says he wont do anything because i stopped paying. I get my dad involved and after a discussion with the owner and my dad. They agree to pay. It was fraud on there part for me paying and me not really having insurance. They say they will only pay if it goes to their body shop. We say OK. They come pick the car up AUG 2000. I check on my car weekly to see progress. No progress. The Body Shop says that the agent is not giving them enough money to fix the car. The car sits month after month. I get tired of **** in El Paso and decide to join the ARMY. Hoping it will be done before I leave in Feb2001. They let me down. My dad finally picks up the car in APR2001. I come home in APR2001 because I broke my foot in basic training. The car is done. Its not perfect but it was free. I go back to GA and finish my training. I comeback in SEPT 01 to pick it up and I go back to GA. Im in GA from OCT2001 to Feb2003. Modding the car like crazy and getting in debt. Hello OIF1 I leave my car with my buddy in Fort Jackson. Then he get orders to go to Korea and the car goes back to Augusta, GA. I come back Feb 2004. When I get back from Iraq im wild and doing dumb ****. I turned 21 in Iraq so you could imagine. I get drunk one day 16APR04 and decide to drive to my girlfriends barracks. I crash. Again drunk. again 90 degree turn, this time i didnt get away. The car is totalled. I slam it into a pole going about 80. both accidents I walk away without a scratch. I get slammed. Lose my rank, lose my FT Bliss assignment I reenlisted for, driving privelages, money, time. The works. It was a sad. The ins pays for it after I tell them I swerved to not hit a dear. Im without a car for like two months then I buy myself a 2000 TA black leather 6 speed ttops. Everyone at work thinks its the same car. I cant drive it so I leave it in the barracks parking lot and drive it in neighboring South Carolina. I ended up getting married to the girl I was visiting that day and having a boy. God works in mysterious ways. I hope you like my story. The new car is the ****.
PS. DONT DRINK AND DRIVE

Reckless

iTrader: (9)

Man, that was w wacky story.....too bad about all the mistakes though

Drew778

iTrader: (2)

Todd, that only about a 1/4 of the story, what about all the rebuilts and tranny swaps at the Hickam hobby shop, the single turbo kit, the custom direct port nitrous kit, ect....

DONAIMIAN

iTrader: (18)

All amazing stories. I remember when that motor blew in the car and you built a big bad nitrous motor for it.

Reckless

iTrader: (9)

Drew, no kidding. I must have rebuilt the engine and swapped the tranny once a week at the Hickam hobby shop there for a while. Those guys at the shop used to tease me a lot. Of course they all drove Fords except Andy.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

I remember you going thru the entire car hunt and all the travelling/shipping too. We thought you were a nut back then as well. But, now we KNOW you are for real

Pipelayaz

iTrader: (2)

Your dedicated as all hell. Good on ya! If I PCS overseas I'm deff putting my car in storage and keeping it here until I return.

Humvee z28

wow talk about some amazing stories mine was uneventful and all i have is the sales manager litereally chasing me out the door begging me for 11,700.. hehe i eventually gave in, i wanted 11,500 but for a 18k car at the time i made out pretty good. couldnt be happier since. oh and on a side note my salesman was awesome. he had a BB 502 67 camaro with a big *** blower that ran 8s

BizZzatch350

iTrader: (33)

Thats a prety cool story man, if they ever make another F-body I hope to have one of my own, far as buying one off the lot goes, new.