DTM5 Update: Hydraulic Losses

Some astute readers may remember that we do occasionally write about our own project cars around here! We started with a neglected refrigerator-white Volvo 242 in 2012, did some refurbishment, and sold to our friend Alex who went Full Swede on the car - it now sports a Volvo inline six swap, custom made wheels, luxed-out interior, mondo brakes, and has been detailed to the hilt. Vince and I went our separate ways into various other projects; the E-i-C chose to devote his spare 15 minutes every Saturday afternoon to a Saab 99 and then a Buick Roadmaster, while yours truly has delved into other Volvos and NA Miatae and BMWs more extensively, including a 1973 2002 and this black-on-black 1993 E34 M5. You haven't heard much about the M5 lately (since my trackday writeup) but rest assured it is still rumbling around the mean streets of the South Bay Los Angeles area. For a while it was also barfing hydraulic fluid all over those same streets, forcing me to face grim reality and address some necessary repairs in the power steering / self-leveling suspension system.

Project Miata: Installing a Blackbird Fabworx GT3 Roll Bar into "Miss Miagi" - and some Laguna Seca Track Time

Back in January I picked up a replacement to El Cheapacabra, the $600 musty Miata project car that was totaled when an E46 cut me off at an unprotected left. Using craigslist-fu and the insurance payout I was able to upgrade to this lower mile, non-smelly, smooth running '93 while monetarily breaking even on the whole deal. This of course left some room in the budget for upgrades! First on the list were wheels and tires (donated by the wrecked 1990 car) and after replacing all of the coolant hoses and brake pads/rotors/fluid, it was time to install a rollbar and hit the track.

Crushed Can: CR-V Wreck Repair for Less Than a G, with CFLOMOTO

A few months ago my own car projects were put on sudden hold when I got the news that my mother-in-law had just crashed her beloved 1997 Honda CR-V into the back of a Civic during a sudden traffic jam on a Northern California interstate. She was devastated, not only because her own mother had passed away that same day and her foot was injured in the crash, but because the car she bought new and enjoyed for the past 18 years had just seemingly been totaled. Fear not, I told her after seeing some initial photos of the wreck - we can fix that! Follow along as we introduce CFLOMOTO, a new corner of Daily Turismo, a place to share tips, tech, tricks, and tales of mechanical cunning. In this first feature, we share how some simple tools, a lucky junkyard find, and a little ingenuity got this Honda back on the road for less than $1000.