Findlay Speed Times

Carrying The Torch at Wood's Cycle

2009-08-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Wood's Cycle has been at the above location on 525 North Main for about two months now, which might give you the impression it's a new, untested business. That impression would be wrong.

The owner is Dave Woods Jr, whose father Dave Sr. started the original Woods Cycle years ago. According to Woodscycle.net, the younger Dave started working for his father when he was 8, and he's been at it ever since. Dave Jr is also involved in AMA flat-track motorcycle racing, though, as he says, "We maintain our racing integrity by competing in a few races a year." So it sounds to me as if Dave is concentrating on the business over racing for now.

As you can see, the shop is tidy and professional. The checkerboard motif carries into the back service shop. The service area is just as clean and well organized as the front. Dave let me take pictures of it, but my pictures sucked, so you'll just have to pay him a visit and see for yourself. Between Dave's experience and the condition of things, I wouldn't hesitate to drop my bike off for a tune-up.

Wood's Cycle services import, American twin, and British bikes, but restoration is one of Dave's secret powers. The above bike is a 1975 Yamaha DT250 Enduro with a storied past. It seems Dave Sr. sold this bike from his dealership when it was new in '75. Years later it found its way to Dave Jr's hands in absolutely trashed condition. Dave showed me several detailed pics of the bike before he worked his magic. Imagine lots of busted plastic, obvious neglect and LOTS of rust. What you see above is what Dave is capable of.

I asked Dave why? Why is he here? Why is he doing this? He stopped to think a minute, then told me, "I belong here. I was born to do it." Considering his family history, that sounds about right. It looks like success runs in the family for Dave, so Wood's Cycle is probably a good bet when it comes to getting service for your two wheeler. You can reach the shop at 419-427-2737. For more information, steer your browser over to woodscycle.net.

2009-07-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

Dustin Vanhorn prefers turbo Hondas, but sometimes he drives this, a 1994 Mitsubishi 3000 GT. According to Wikipedia Mitsubishi made these from 1990 to 2001, with fairly minimal changes. The Dodge Stealth is the same car, just re-badged as a Chrysler product.

This 3000 GT spent its first fifteen years as a garage queen, owned by a little old lady who drove it once a week on Sunday, so the car is dead stock. Don't tell anyone, but the car actually belongs to Dustin's girlfriend, which is why the car is immaculate. This car is her DD, and hasn't seen any competition, just some spirited driving.

Strange Fact: Both Dustin and his girl hate red cars, yet own two of them, this red Mitsu and a red Yukon. Go figure.

Three words-Factory Installed Nitrous.

2009-07-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

You're looking at a 2005 Saleen Ford Focus N2O Edition that's up for grabs at H&M Motor Sales on the corner of Sandusky and Blanchard. According to the stickers, it's #45 of 75 (for that year I'm guessing). It has 45K miles, and they want $12,000 for it. It looks mint to me. Not too shabby. Here's the important part. Even though this thing looks like a refugee from an import show, everything on the car is factory. The sharktoothed bodywork, the wheels, the graphics, and the FACTORY INSTALLED NITROUS. Saleen offered these through Ford, and this one even seems to have some warranty left. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea around here, but I'd drive the hell out of it.

Getting a VW to stop isn't USUALLY the problem

2009-07-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

Helped a friend put a new master cylinder on his Mk2 VW Golf the other day. As payment for my help I got to put together a little How To article on changing a Master cylinder. It used to be that when you pushed the brake pedal on his car, there was a 50/50 chance that you'd actually get any stoppage. If your car is doing something similar, maybe you should read the article.

It took us a couple of hours to make it stop, and that's taking our time. Ask me sometime how much time we've spent getting it to GO.

How To Change A VW Golf Master Cylinder

Uncover the Rustmonster Wherever He Hides

2009-06-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

Rust damage can make a car a deathtrap, and nobody wants to buy a used car only to find it's as rotten as a bought politician. You experienced wrenches out there know how to find hidden rust, but for anyone who doesn't know how to go about it, I've written a guide on Ehow showing you how to do a thorough rust inspection.

Go Hunt The Red Menace

Ebay Freek of the Week-Bond Bug

2009-06-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

Weird little orange three wheeled electric car thing. He calls it a Bond Bug, so I guess there's a 007 connection or something. Go see it. I wouldn't buy it. Supposedly it's street legal, but you'll just end up under the wheels of some inattentive pickumup driver in a jacked up truck.

Bond Bug

Get Your Beater Out, It's RallyCross Time!

2009-05-31T04:27:00.000-07:00

RallyCross, like its older brother autocross, is an inexpensive form of very short course racing.

RallyCross mimics the sport of rally driving on a smaller scale. Full bore rally racing, like you see in video games or occasionally on TV, takes place over miles of closed roads. These roads are usually undeveloped dirt logging roads or really crappy paved ones. Most races, even long NASCAR ones, take an afternoon or so. Rally races take place over days. The cars are timed over one course after another. At the end of the race all the times are added up, and he or she who has the fastest time overall takes the win. Rally racing is dirty, exciting, fast, and like all other serious racing, very very expensive to do, even half-assed.

That's where RallyCross comes in. It's purpose is to provide some of the thrills of off-road rallying, at a much more modest cost. Rallycross usually takes place on an open field somewhere, using orange road cones to mark out a course. The course itself usually takes minutes to complete, as opposed to days. Each driver is usually given three runs at the course over a period of hours. At the end, all the driver's times are added up together, just like regular stage rally, and he or she who has the lowest total time is the winner for a given class.

Rallycross cars are organized into classes depending on the level of preparation. Regular old cars running all-season tires are at the low end of the classing, and a fully prepared rally car is at the sharp end of the classes. You can indeed spend quite a bit of money going rallycrossing, but you can also show up with your winter beater and have at it.

The Western Ohio Region SCCA , which is based out of Dayton, holds rallycross events throughout the summer. Expect events to be around 2 hours from Findlay. Their next rallycross event is June 20-21 at Preble County Fairgrounds in Hebron, Ohio. You can click on the link to the left, or just go to:

http://www.worscca.org/rallycross/index.php

It's good to be a gearhead.

2009-05-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Do you have something with wheels and an engine to brag about? Have you just placed your first podium and want to crow to the entire world? Do you love the smell of oil? Have you spent blood, sweat and tears to restore a classic, dominate the competition, or just go faster than hell?

Hi. My name is Jered. And I want to meet you. Let me tell you about myself.

It's 6pm at my house, and I'm watching a movie. Things get tense, the antagonist is about to reveal the secrets of the universe to our hero. He opens his mouth to speak, but I only see his lips move. Hell if I know what he's saying, because the entire thing is drowned out by the sound of yet another uncorked motor as someone plays drag racer down Main St.

It's a damn good thing for me that I like that noise.

I've been obsessed with cars for a long time now. Maybe I'm a wannabe racer. Maybe I'm a frustrated engineer. Maybe it's just that I have a dingaling. I loves me some cars. And boats. And motorcycles. Well, I'm drawn to pretty much anything with a motor. If it has wheels and moves, ahm fer it.

It sounds to me like half the population of Findlay is mad for the cackle of burning fuel, too. Ever since the weather turned nice, I've been hearing engines all day and all night. Sportbikes screaming, big bikes shaking the windows, 4 cylinder sports compacts buzzing like hornets, V8 muscle howling revenge at the sky. Lots of you are out there playing with cars, bikes, and trucks.

Findlay's full of racers, too. Seems like I can't turn a corner some days without seeing a loaded race trailer hooked up to somebody's pickup. This town's got a lot of people so serious about their playing playing with fire and metal, they've invested in taking it to the track. Racers need sponsors. Sponsors need exposure.

Every once in a while something reaaal pretty will whisk past me on the road. Sometimes it's an old classic restored to perfection. Sometimes it's something cutting edge, with a crazy engine note and eye popping paint. Sometimes it's just frikkin neat. Sometimes it's all the best kinds of ratty. Sometimes it just has the biggest damn wheels I've ever seen on a four door sedan. I don't care what it is, if it's a masterpiece of transportation, I love it.

I've created this site to glorify Findlay's speed demons. Findlay Speed Times exists to publicize the racers, and the rodders, and the restorers, of this county. It also exists to let the racing fans know where the action is. This is our place, the Findlay gearhead's destination, and a place for you to crow your triumphs, not just to this county, but the whole world.

I'll be out looking for those with gas in thier veins and combustion in thier hearts. When I find these heros, I want to tell the world about them.

I'll see you on the streets.