DC Area Spring Road-Trip 2014
 

Alright here we go.... Despite the weather's desperate attempts to postpone the driving season it looks like things are finally starting to break :fingersx: After this past Monday's snow, it seems like things have turned to rain. Lets hope it stays that way and that it rains hard to wash off all the residual salt/sand/etc that they saw fit to throw down this winter. Hopefully this means we can finally start to think about getting a Spring Meet scheduled. If you haven't been out with us in the past these are some previous threads to get an idea of what is going on: (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE)

In short, this is an extremely informal meetup/cruise for anyone in the area that is interested in knocking of the cobwebs of the off-season and getting out to enjoy our cars. As usual I'll set up voting to determine the best date and the one which the most people commit to is the one we go with. Since recently we have been getting more and more Maryland attendees and all the previous cruises have been in VA, we are going across the river for this one. I am still playing around with the actual course but I believe that it will likely begin with breakfast, then head to a Drag strip for some runs/ridicule for those interested, include a stop by a Karting track, maybe a scenic spot or two for pictures, and end at a good brewery/restaurant.

Right now I am leaning toward starting at Cecil County, heading back through eastern Md back roads to get to Autobahn Indoor Speedway, then food after. Send ideas if you have them to help me finalize the route.

As always, we will be starting the trip at a breakfast establishment for everyone who is interested to get some grub before the big day. This gives us the opportunity to show up at more flexible times. If you want to eat, make sure you are there with enough time to get your bill taken care of before we leave the parking lot. Departure time will be 10am, even if you aren't there for food make sure you are there EARLY. We'll be standing around chatting anyway and if you are late you run the risk of us leaving without you. Be fueled up and ready to go because we need to hit the 'strip early so that we can get a couple quick runs in before it gets too crowded. After the runs will be a cruise to either some food or the Kart track depending on the time and after that is still undecided (hoping there is a good brewery around). Schedule yourself a full day for this event if you can, but we have had people leave early in the past without issue. If you are busy in the morning and want to meet us along the way it might be tougher because we are on a rolling schedule and don't have a set time we are going to be anywhere. It could work out though if you just want to hang around at the Kart facility and catch us when we roll through there.

I've said it many times before but again, these meets are more about the people then the cars. Having your car be down for service is part of owning an Rx-7. Feel free to show to the meeting spot and grab a ride along with someone else, or if you want to drive along with us in something else that is cool too.

Once you decide that you are in, vote for the dates you can show. Also, list your screen name and real name below so I can have a running tally of who is showing up.

https://www.rx7club.com/attachments/...1-dsc_0077-jpg

Who's interested?

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

3) MolotovMan - Ian


It's about damn time for me, I'll have room for a passenger.

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

3) MolotovMan - Ian

4)SDelong2 - Stephen (car may not be ready)

If anyone wants to help me wrap up my s366 and Megasquirt install then I'd for sure make it!

Not sure if my car will have suspension by then or not... but there are two good brewery's/bars near autobahn speedway

www.friscogrille.com (50 taps...)
and
www.thealehousecolumbia.com (lots of taps too)

with the latter being the more expensive option

list:

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

3) MolotovMan - Ian

4)SDelong2 - Stephen (car may not be ready)

5)eage8 - Mike (Car may not have suspension)

Mike, I got an extra set if Tein Coilovers you can roll on and complain about.

Stephen, where are you in lorton and what's left?

I live right on lorton rd but the car is down in fredericksburg. When I say wrap up install, I mean "I'll start on it on a friday evening and not leave till its finished"/I haven't touched it since purchasing it hah.

Worse case, I'll play chase/support vehicle in the wifes Cayenne!

Ha! I can't help for that long, my wife will get upset. I've got PLENTY of my own projects.

You can do it! Wes rebuilt his engine in the week before a cruise a few events back. We put it in and got it running the night before. The cruise miles were also his break-in miles :lol:

You've got plenty of time. But, if you can't get it done the Cayenne is fine. You can play photog/recovery vehicle

list:

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

3) MolotovMan - Ian

4)SDelong2 - Stephen (car may not be ready)

5)eage8 - Mike (Car may not have suspension)

6)driftxsequence - Dave (Cant make promises - Can at least meet at Cecil)

Nice to see someone from DE making it, let anyone else from the area know too. It's a little beyond the normal stomping grounds for our group so I don't know who else is out there.

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

3) MolotovMan - Ian

4)SDelong2 - Stephen (car may not be ready)

5)eage8 - Mike (Car may not have suspension)

6)driftxsequence - Dave (Cant make promises - Can at least meet at Cecil)

7) ArmitageGVR4 - Matt

The only reason I have the whole following weekend is due to my wife working weekends! Thats what she gets for being an RN!

Thats reassuring! I think the only thing I'll be out is a fuel pump but considering it'll be all break-in miles it *should* be alright (bought the S4 T2 with the fresh HBP in the NE regional FS forum from Unren).

So the weekend of the 28th I'll be turning wrenches non-stop.

....I just remembered I have something to do on Saturday the 12th. I retract my vote for that day, add it to a Sunday.

So this is the same day as an autocross I signed up for.....damn. WHAT TO CHOOSE?!

Won't be able to make it to this one fellas. Got a new member in the family, and leaving the wife by herself with a newborn and a toddler for more than a couple of hours is not the right thing to do.

I am not trying to be anti-social, I swear :(

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

3) MolotovMan - Ian

4)SDelong2 - Stephen (car may not be ready)

5)eage8 - Mike (Car may not have suspension)

6)driftxsequence - Dave (Cant make promises - Can at least meet at Cecil)

7) ArmitageGVR4 - Matt

8) JL1RX7 - Jack

There is a good Brewery in Southern Maryland?!?! Where are you thinking of for food?

Switch my vote for Sunday the 13th instead of the Saturday the 12th. That way I can autocross and meet ya guys :)

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)rx7 se - Anthony (Car may not be ready)

3) MolotovMan - Ian

4)SDelong2 - Stephen (car may not be ready)

5)eage8 - Mike (Car may not have suspension)

6)driftxsequence - Dave (Cant make promises - Can at least meet at Cecil)

7) ArmitageGVR4 - Matt

8) JL1RX7 - Jack

9) Fendamonky - Levi (I'll be in the Miata, or on the Bike)

10) zoolander - duc

So it looks like the two leaders right now are April 6th and April 13th (after correcting for error votes). On both of these dates Cecil county is not available to us so we need to do our drag racing at "The New" Capital Raceway. This will shorten up our drive considerably and also they don't open their gates till 11. So, I need to do some reorganizing for to actually get some 'cruise' into the route. But, for all of you who like to sleep in a bit this is good news.


I've been considering this place Expressway Pit Beef. I'm open to other suggestions though


More info coming soon...

Whoa!!! That's literally like 5 minutes from the house I just moved into :rofl: I've never been there before... (maybe I now know where the wife and I are going for dinner tonight though :lol:)

For some reason I was thinking we'd be hitting up Budds Creek. Honestly I have little to no interest in a drag strip, but there are still some nice roads to cruise on up there!

I'm looking forward to seeing the projected route. *Hopefully* I will be able to make this, there is a potential I'll be out of town the weekend of the 6th (plans got pushed back) and the 13th is my anniversary. If I'm in the area I should be able to break away long enough to come out though :icon_tup:

Not sure if I'll be able to make any of the dates as I am still waiting on mine to get back from IRP. I could drive my new Jeep along with the crew, but that might stand out a bit much...:scratch:

Also, I will be leaving for Iraq towards the middle of April, so that will also play into my ability to make the cruise. Hopefully as we get closer I can make a better decision.

Mike

You can always ride along with somebody else if you feel awkward rocking an SUV :icon_tup: Besides, ANY time you gather that many rotaries together it's only prudent to have a support vehicle present, because... you know... somebody might run out of gas (like the Honda motorcycle) or something :lol:

Looks like I'm out (at least for my rx7) I blew up the trans :(

TURBO POWAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would be up for meeting you guys at Cecil, but the rest of the day I wouldn't be able to make.

I've got a spare FD trans sitting around. I'm sure we could do some cutting/grinding/etc to make it fit :lol:

OT: Didn't finish the car as expected hah, this weather killed my want to work on it. Managed to rip all the stock items off and get the stock engine harness out. So we'll see if its finished in time :nod:

As stated, support vehicles are welcome but feel free to ride along with me as well. Hell, if you can make it out maybe I'll drive my FD and let you drive the FB :)

It is looking like the meet/cruise is going to be this Sunday and unfortunately Cecil county is closed for a private rental. Would you be able to make it to Capitol Raceway?

I was lazy and didn't get done what I wanted this weekend either. Hehe, oh well I have the nights this week to get it done. You can Do it!! :icon_tup:

Haha I actually have a spare NA trans. My "better" half is telling me I cant touch the car until we purchase this house though.... :lol:

This Sunday? Won't be able to make that, have a conference on Saturday and coming back sunday evening :(

I can't even work on mine during the week as I am in the Woodbridge area and the cars down in Fredericksburg!

Cut a deal! I did by getting the wife a new wedding ring, now I have full financial reign to do as I please. Probably a poor choice on her end though hah

Good call! :rofl: I'm picking up a kitten for mine at DGRR, hopefully she'll help me with money to put mine back together after that :lol:

We'll see if it goes off this weekend. If it decides to rain, we may wait another week for the 13th.

How for sure are you on this weekend? Might be hard to get ronald out of hibernation.

Well shit... it looks like this weekend I'll be helping to move an FB and an RX-8 up to CT so they can get Frankensteined together into one fun/advanced FB.

So if the cruise happens this weekend I won't be able to make it since I'll be out of town. :(

I'm booked for the next 3 weekends as well unfortunately.

I'll be at an autocross on sunday. I'll catch you guys next time, or you can stop by :)

Seems like the 13th is better for everyone now.

When are you going to make the final decision, Rocky?

Well, right now the weather is looking really good for Sunday. I'd hate to skip the day and get some rain the next week. BUT, on the other hand I also want as many people to be available as possible, so the 13th it is! Everyone keep your fingers crossed for good weather that day too.

You've got to get him out, he hasn't been to a cruise in over a year. He must be lonely.

Where? at FedEx? That might be possible. I need to take the GT6 out and stretch her legs.

Yeah, I think FedEx is the only place you can stretch the GT6s legs :)


PS I can't do the 13th either, there's a rallycross that day :p:

The weather is looking great for this Sunday. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the 13th. I'll monitor this thread for changes...but it looks like I'm going to miss another one of these fine events. Rocky - if you're taking a drive to FedEx on Sunday, let me (or this thread) know....I may be able to join you. The FD needs a run after this long ridiculous winter.

Hope all is well with everyone.

-duc

Shoot... at the very least give me a heads up/PM and I can meet you in Old Town Alexandria one weekend (with my bike) and take you for a nice little run through Southern MD :bigthumb:

Sorry for the scheduling conflict dude, It seems like you are always left out. Yeah I'd be down for stopping by the AutoX on Sunday. I've never been to one at FedEx and want to check it out before I try and run there. I don't know what would be the best time to stop by and have a look but maybe Mike will chime in and let us know.

I'll be in the morning, running approximately around 10:30 till noon-ish.

I won't be in my rx-7, I'm co-driving my little brother's BRZ, but David Lane will be there in his turbo GSL-SE driving at the same time as me :)

I wouldn't be able to make it to Capital, it's too far from me.

Sounds good. Might have to hit up a few more auto-x's to brush up on the skills though.

No worries Rock. It could always rain next week and it'll be rescheduled. :) Good looking choice on grub though....I'm always on the look-out for a Chap's Pit Beef (in Baltimore) equal. I'll confirm later today on tomorrow. You're going to plan on leaving around 9-930 then? Anyone else up for a mini roadie?

Damn, I was hoping it'd be going later then that. I won't be back in the area from a camping trip till noon. I'm still down for meeting up if you want Duc, but I don't think I'll be able to make it to the autox before mikes done though.

Alright everybody, the cruise is coming up Sunday so I need to get a final head count of who intends to show up so I know who to look out for.

Duc and I ran the route yesterday and apart from a couple of poorly patched roads, two U-turns, and a sloped entrance to the BBQ stand (take it at an angle), it's pretty good. It is also a lot shorter then previous routes so we can use the unspent gas money on other things:icon_tup:

ROUTE MAP

Weather shows a possibility of fog but only 10% chance of rain so far. We'll keep an eye on it as the week goes by.

Rough Schedule is as follows:

• Bob Evans for Breakfast: Eaters show at 9:30, Meet'rs show before 11:00
• Capitol raceway: Gate opens at 11am, Open session from 12-2. Spectator Fee $15, Test & Tune Fee $30
• Short Cruise & BBQ stand in Odenton: 2-3:30
• Short Cruise to Autobahn and Go Karting 3:30-6
• Short Cruise to and drinks at The Ale House 6-?

Right now I have these people listed as showing (Let me know if there are any changes):

1)He's on Toroids - Rocky

2)87FCna - Shane & GF

3)MolotovMan - Ian

4)SDelong2 - Stephen

5)plax are meth - Yani

6)driftxsequence - Dave

7) ArmitageGVR4 - Matt

8) 93rx74lyfe - Justin & Gf

8) JL1RX7 - Jack

9) Fendamonky - Levi

I'm still in!

I'm out. blown trans :( Sorry guys! Next time.

My replacement trans had a broken shift return spring, so I attempted to swap the spring from my original trans and now the replacement trans wont go into 5th or reverse. This is my only hang up right now D:

I'm in.