then sometimes you have a really good day.

what a day. today i spent to entire day catching up with 2 old and one new vw friend. i do basically all of my car socializing (if you could call it that) over the internet, but as i am in sydney on holidays i took a day to catch up with my 2 long long time vw friends and one guy who actually lives 15 min from my place but was down here as well. i originaly wrote this with thier names but figured initials would protect thier superhero identities better, having said that 2 have the same initial so it may get a little confusing.

firstly i visited A, who has a rather amazing collection of cars and seems to find a fair bit of super cool stuff. several hours were spent leaning on cars, talking about cars, ( + i sat in a few that are far too cool for me to get hold of unless i really get lucky) poking around his shed and just hanging out. always fun, a top bloke all round. not only that but he sold me (for a reasonable price i might add) his latest super cool set of rims. his last set of super cool rims were a set of keel/sabidusi 14" rims one of 2 possibly 3 sets known, i really wanted them but just couldn't swing the $ back then and have regretted it ever since. so this time when he pulled out a set of really nice vintage hand made rims and said he liked them but didn't have a car to but them on i jumped. needless to say i don't know how i will break it to my wife i spent several hundred $ on a set of wheels but it's too late now. i just keep looking over at them and smiling. one needs a new rim on it but how can i complain, i have a set of one off rims. well to be honest i don't know if they are one offs, but they are definately not mass produced. from the amount of work that has gone into them i really doubt that there would be another set. though having said that they do look sort of like a set i have seen on a KG around armidale, not the same but maybe similar. i will post some pics when i take some. i have no idea who made them so i will call them my "rad wheels"

edit. i also had more than a little a drool over his wall of factory tools.  one day i'll have a decent tool collection of my own.

next was off to the other A's place, there i looked at his cool project cars, again out of my league unless i get really lucky. (having said that both of the guys said today that they couldn't get thier toys now if they had to start from scratch.) plus i couldn't get mine again either. also had a good poke through his stuff and checked out his enviable collection of oil company stuff and other cool "shed" things. i have to admit i got a little jelous at some of the stuff he pulled out of boxes, then he was the one who taught me about accessories back in the day so it is not surprising. the first A above taught me a fair amount about car hunting and what/where to look for, most importantly to always ask (plus he gave me my first oval... it was totally rooted but still it was an oval.) together they both drummed into me the importance of keeping on trying. now i think about it they really set the basis that made me the vw person i am today. thanks guys, it means a lot.

next off was J, who lives up close to me but we have never managed to hook up up there. i got to check out his late bay microbusses one with factory AC. he even let me take one for a spin, kind of amazing in my opinion seeing as while we have spent several hours talking BS on the phone we had only met for 2 minutes in person before. i was rather amazed with the demo he gave me of how well it took off, you wouldn't pick it if looked at the engine bay, but one or two minor tricks that really woke it up. i'm also looking foward to checking out his other toy back at his place near me.

edit. it really shows that it takes a lot of time, effort, persistance and perhaps a little luck to get a nice collection. all of the guys above have been at it for 20 odd years and myself for close to 15 now.

all in all i drove 1/2 way around sydney caught up with two good old friends plus one that looks like it will be a good new one and had a very tiring but excellent day.

...and i scored a super cool set of rims.