Something new in my garage

[MiniDave]

Exciting stuff! He was having fun trying to chase down that WRX!

gonna be a tough wait till it hits stateside.....

[94touring]

Sounds cool in the video.  What are your tire options stateside for something sporty?

[BruceK]

Pretty limited I think.  The wheels are staggered - fronts are 13" and the rears are 14".   Not a lot of demand for performance rubber in those sizes.

The tires on it are brand new - they still have the little rubber nibs on them. Well, they did before that video.   ;D

[Willie_B]

That looks really fun.

[BruceK]

Based upon his concerns about the brakes after coming down the mountain on the video, the brake pads already been changed out for some better ones.

[Brit_in_TX]

Those look so cool.  I become aware of them watching a youtube channel (Tom's Turbo Garage).  You will have great fun around the Hill Country in that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfpxzonK518

[BruceK]

Got an update. The Beat has been loaded onboard a car transport ship, hitting a few more ports in Japan before leaving the country.  After Hiroshima, the ship goes to a port in South Korea, then it heads across the Pacific for 3 weeks or so to transit the Panama Canal. Then to Kingston, Jamaica and on to Freeport, Texas to drop my car off there around June 5th.

[Brit_in_TX]

If you know the name of the vessel you can track it here:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-12.0/centery:24.9/zoom:4

[MiniDave]

Just like we used to do when we ordered our new MINIs!

[BruceK]

If you know the name of the vessel you can track it here:

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-12.0/centery:24.9/zoom:4

Thanks.  It's the Hoegh Trident.   

[BruceK]

Just like we used to do when we ordered our new MINIs!

Haha.  Yup.  I remember doing that back then. (And actually I've done it on all the other vehicles I've imported too).  But tracking data is better these days.  Still lose them when they get out at sea away from the coasts - unless you pay for the upgrade to satellite data.

[BruceK]

Getting closer - in both time and proximity!

After crossing the Pacific for the past 3 weeks, the ship carrying my car is going through the Panama Canal right now (per live tracking data), and it's due at Freeport, Texas in 7 days.  Not sure how many days it will take to clear Customs, but I'm planning on a trip to pick it up and drive home in about 10 days to 2 weeks from now.

[MiniDave]

Wow, fun stuff!

The drive home will be epic, you have to take video of it being released and on the drive home. Are there some good back roads on the way home too or will you just hit the highway and go?

How many hours drive is it to the port?

[BruceK]

Yes, I plan to take some pictures and videos.  I'm going to avoid the interstate on the way back, and just stay on smaller highways. But since this is Texas even smaller highways will have speed limits of 70mph more.   I got a feeling that engine is gonna be buzzing along at 5000 or 6000 RPM at those highway speeds.  Of course with a redline near 9000 RPM there will be some in reserve.  ;D

It'll probably be about four or five hours from the port to my home on the smaller, less direct roads.

[94touring]

Sounds fun.  Looking forward to hearing about the drive home.

[BruceK]

The ship just pulled into the Texas port!  The car should be on US soil later today.  WooHoo.  77.gif

I'm hoping it is cleared quickly and I can pick it up this week.

[MPlayle]

Don't forget to take along the safety vests I loaned you.

4.gif

[BruceK]

Will do. Thanks Michael.

[MiniDave]

Exciting times ahead!   4.gif

You taking a jump battery too?

[MPlayle]

I have one of these you may borrow as a jumper battery:

https://www.autozone.com/miscellaneous-non-automotive/jump-starter/duralast-800-amp-lithium-portable-battery-jump-starter/567690_0_0

[BruceK]

Yes definitely taking one of those newfangled battery jumper thingies.  Thanks for your offer Michael, but we bought one several months ago after experiencing a dead battery when we were camping.  You know those power liftgate things on newer cars? Well apparently if you leave the hatch in the open position for a long time - like hours - it just eats the car battery. 

I'm also going to bring some tools, some engine oil, a tire gauge and air pump, maybe some other stuff.   Just in case. 

[BruceK]

My wife and are on a road trip that will eventually end up at the port to pick up my new Honda Beat in 2 days.  We have the time so we are focusing on stuff she'd like to see/visit (antique shops, points of interest, etc) on the leisurely way there - instead of just a boring quick trip there and back home.  Today we visited a series of old churches the German and Czech immigrants built in central Texas back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Fresh immigrants in the little German and Czech farming communities wanted a taste of the grand cathedrals they were familiar with back in Europe, so they lavishly decorated the interiors of their wooden churches here in Texas.  For example, they didn't have marble so craftsmen painted the wood with a faux marble finish, and locals made stained glass.  Stretched, painted canvas was used to create vaulted ceilings.  The cut limestone block surround of the stained glass window below is a hand-painted illusion on a flat plaster wall.   These "painted churches" dotted around the area midway between San Antonio and Houston are a tourist attraction.

[BruceK]

I also squeezed in something I wanted to see:  a big importer of JDM vehicles was in a little town along the way.  I thought they focused only on RHD vans, SUVs, and station wagons to sell to rural mail carriers, but they have a lot of other goodies there.  Including three virtually identical green Minis and the biggest gathering of Kei trucks I have ever seen in one place. All the Minis were manuals and seemed to be SPI from '94 or '95. No idea on prices but if you're interested I can give you the name of the importer/dealer.

[MiniDave]

What's the name of the place, and where is it?

[BruceK]

What's the name of the place, and where is it?

Seems to go by two names: Texas JDM and/or Moto-Vated, located in the little town of Luling, Texas.  I met the owner at the Radwood car show in Austin last year right before the pandemic hit.  Seems like a very nice guy. I think I remember his name being Gary, but I'm not sure.   

http://www.texasjdm.com/