Hello All!

by **orlin03** » Tue Jan 16, 2007 5:58 pm

I've been here for about two weeks now, so I guess I'm a little late in my introductions. I'm Orlin, from Northern NJ. I'm 30 and work as a mechanic, doing everything from brake jobs to engine overhauls on a daily basis. Here's my brief car history: I've been working on cars since the early 90s, and built my first engine in 94- a Pontiac 7.5 that made around 400 hp. I got hooked on speed and horsepower, and redesigned it to make 500hp/550 ft lbs, and switched the car from an auto to a 4speed... life was good. My buildup landed me a job with the local HP trans shop, Level-10, where I started to get an appreciation for all sorts of cars, from 500 hp 300ZXs to 700 hp twin turbo vettes. My next big scene was bikes; I moved down south and lived with a few street racers for a while, where I learned alot about high revving inline fours, not to mention suspensions and how to keep up with the best riders I'll ever meet. Around the same time, I got into trucks, and built a few high torque engines out of 6 and 8 cylinder trucks for some of the guys I knew, as well as my own 4.9 6 cyl Ford, before buying my 98 (4.6, stick) F-150, which is the only vehicle I've owned that I didn't teardown and rebuild. The last few projects I've taken on (outside of work) have been mostly bolt-on buildups; intakes, exhausts, chips, etc. I guess you could say I've calmed down a bit in my quest for power, but I don't think my disease will ever be cured. I still stock up on books about blueprinting and building horsepower, and I have boxes full of magazines with articles I swear I'll use again. I cringe inside when I tear apart, say, a Subaru 2.5; all I see in front of me is potential, and then I have to put it back to the way the factory intended... ughh. Which brings me up to date... I'm new to the Solara scene; actually, the sweet ride is my girlfriend's, an 06 SE Sport with an auto/ 4cyl. I (of course) would've opted for the 6, but the 4 is a good motor, and this car has become my personal canvas. She's getting new tires tomorrow, but not in time; the Nitto's have rim protectors, but she scraped the curb at her work yesterday... which is why she won't be getting rims! Anyway, the future holds quite a few upgrades for her. I look forward to the build of this car with anticipation, and can't wait to share the results here! Thanks to all already for their help, thanks for a great site, and thanks for reading this long intro! - Orlin