And all I got was a leaking basement. Excited to find out how much that's gonna cost us.

On the plus side, I get to fly to Washington in March to pick up a car...

It's official. It's staying in the Oppo family.

Thank you @Dr-Zoidberg .

Edit:

It is done.

LONG LIVE UPPU

To all of our new members and DriveTribe/LALD refugees:

The @Curators wanted to reach out again, now that y'all have had a little while to settle in here, and reiterate the fact that you are welcome here and have a home here for as long as you want it. We know what you're going through - following the death of Oppo on Kinja, there was uncertainty, worry, fear and a feeling of being lost. The community you were a part of and were so used to interacting with was shutting down, and as a result people scattered to the winds.

I know that there were a number of members who went to DT after the death of Kinjoppo, and I know there are a number of communities such as the Live and Let Diecast, the Overlanders, and others who needed a new home in the post-kinja world. Unfortunately, it looks like many of you are going through that again as DT bids us adieu.

Thankfully, @jminer , @nickhasanexocet , @Jb-boin and others stepped up and threw this place together in record time, giving us (as Kinjoppo refugees) a home that has grown into what we have today as The Hyphen. I know it can feel like a lot like walking into a conversation that's already in full swing, and it can be overwhelming or daunting to try and 'break in' to a new community, but we as the @Curators wanted this to be abundantly clear:

The Hyphen, with all of our new members, is doing better than ever, and the migrants from DriveTribe have contributed to that in a big way. We're already seeing so many folks becoming so comfortable with the community here. We're seeing people come out of their shells and engage. We're seeing thoughtful conversations, new insight, and the old grumpy bastards who've been here for a while are seeing fresh perspectives that makes us think.

In short, welcoming DTers with open arms was 100% the right call. We're glad you're here, and hope you'll stick around for a while.

So to DriveTribe: Fair winds and following seas. Long live The Hyphen. Welcome home.

Amphicar.

Hi all,

With the recent news of one of our own having a tragic death in the family, i wanted to repost something I posted a while back while I was in the middle of a an episode of my own:

If you're a veteran:
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/hotline

The veterans crisis line is available to you 24/7. There are links, chat resources, and more. Their phone number is: 1-800-273-8255. Press 1.

Alternatively you can text 838255.

If you're a civilian:

800-273-8255. That's the national suicide prevention hotline in the United states. Please, call them if you need help. The world is better with you in it. Alternatively: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

For our canadOPPOs

https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/.

Call
1.833.456.4566
Available 24/7/365

For our Aussi Oppos

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Call 13 11 14 or
https://www.lifeline.org.au/crisis-chat/

Mighty Car Mods also proudly support ReachOut. Info here: https://mightycarmods.com/pages/reachout

UK Oppos
+44 (0) 8457 90 90 90 or Call 116 123 for free

Other ways you can get in touch:
https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

Someone loves you. Reach out to your people. If you need, DM me. I am a trained suicide intervention representative through the ASIST program. I can point you in the direction of resources. I can talk to you. If you need me to I will call you directly and talk to you.

Moral: Talk to someone. Please. Oppo loves you.

Hello Hyphen!

The @Curators would like to drop a note about the current state of things as it relates to what's currently happening, mostly in the US.

People are divided. Tensions are high. Rhetoric is loud. Things are very uncertain. Times like this can drive a whole range of emotions - some people are scared, while others angry. Some remain hopeful, others have lost hope. While I would hope most wish for peace, some are calling for violence.

Personally I can't remember a time where the United States has been so divided. My memory may not be as long as some here, but it's long enough.

To that end, the Curator staff want to drop a note to remind everyone to continue to be excellent. Both in how we converse and chat with each other, and how we refer to others that may not be members. With excellence in mind, we also want to remind everyone that there is a place here for all opinions (outside of downright hateful shit). People are currently experiencing a vast range of emotions, and as noted earlier, tensions are running high, people are more inclined to lash out rather than reach out. There's a place here for you to vent. Get things off your chest. Lament, complain, bitch, voice concern, vent spleen, let it out.

What we would continue to ask for - and what we would thank you for already doing a nice job of - is keeping things to their respective place. Political discussion should remain in the Oppolitics section, life stuff can go on the main page or wherever you feel fit to put it. Every Oppo is entitled to their thoughts, opinions, and beliefs - and we want to encourage people to continue to lean on your network of fellow Oppos who are also going through the same period of time. We're all in this together, and we should be able to reach out for either a helping hand, advice, or just for a listening ear.

We'd encourage everyone to meet people where they're at. Consider what someone else may be thinking. What they may be feeling. Be a resource for your fellow Oppos. Engage in good faith discussion. And most importantly, know that each and all of you are valued members of this group - we've brought together some incredibly diverse people, stood up a fully functioning website in a very short time, and gave continuity to something that had momentum for years... it wouldn't be possible without all of your excellence. All of you have valued, valid, and personal opinions, and we want to ensure that everyone feels like they have a place here to talk about them.

Thank you from me, and the rest of the Curators. Stay Excellent. We'll get through this.

Note - I'm going to lock this preemptively, as this is more to be a note from us to you rather than a discussion thread. Thanks everyone.

So, that moon-shot no-chance fuck-it order of OEM hoses that nobody could reasonably expect to have in stock that I made to the tune of like 800 bucks?

Uh...the dealership I bought them online from FOUND THEM. ALL BUT ONE OF THEM. and the ONE they don't have, is a simple 90 degree that I can replace with a generic Vibrant silicone hose and it's hidden up in the fender anyway.

They had EVERY OTHER INTERCOOLER HOSE, in stock, in the US, and they're sending them to me.

Of. Fucking. HAPPENINGS. Brand new OEM intercooler hoses that will fit perfectly. I am ecstatic.

Picture for your goddamn time.

Interesting day today, as this marks the point that I have spent fully half of my life in the military. Once I finally retire, it'll take over 2 years before I get back to the half and half ratio again.

Lots of stories, experiences, memories. It'll be strange once I do retire... I literally don't know any other life as an adult.

Anyway, I'm gonna reminisce tonight, probably kick back a nice glass of bourbon, and wonder what life's like on the other side.

Have some pictures. All photos from my 2007-2008 deployment. Many things omitted due to security/nametags/i fuckin felt like omitting it. I deployed 2 more times, to Kuwait in 2014 and to Saudi Arabia in 2018. Those photos are for another time and another thread.

A fresh-faced Specialist Derp, about to hop on a plane from Kuwait to Iraq in 2007. We'd land, spend a few hours of the rest of the night in the transient housing on the east side of the base, then hop on transpo over to the other side, where we promptly got mortared.

One of Saddam's former tanks.

managed a little bit of body armor tourism. The Ziggurat of Ur.

Another view:

Ur is an ancient, ancient city. Imagine how old this mortar must be.

This is purportedly the oldest standing archway in the world:

Also there were some squigglebits on the bricks. Apparently it's a language. I wonder what they watched on TV. (Cuneiform writing for those who aren't aware. Contender for oldest written script out there.) Amazing to think these are thousands of years old.

Visibility: Smoke and haze. Every day.

Still, it's pretty there in its own right:

A significantly more experienced Specialist Derp about to do more body armor tourism, this time from the air. The missile warning system only went off a few times. Flares sound like shotguns going off inside your head.

Iraq from the air is an interesting perspective.

Industry:

Monuments

Cities

Embassies

Wetlands

Smoke and haze.

Still, if you timed it right,

The sky would appear to burn.

It's amazing to me how clear it all is in my mind's eye. I can smell it, I can hear it, I remember how the dust storms tasted. It'll never leave me. I hope I can talk about everything to my kids one day. There's a lot I don't like to share. But still...

It could be pretty peaceful and tranquil.

Full write up later. I need a big, big drink.

Oh, also:

@Highlander no, ban you

@WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAthenGTInowA4 who get is to post?

we live too close to the school, so no bus service is offered for our kid. so, i pick her up.

i used to get bullied daily on the bus too, till i punched the kid doing it in the fuckin mouth.

got suspended for a week over it, but didn't get bullied anymore.

@Wrong-Wheel-Drive said in Helicopter crop dusting:

I always think it looks crazy to see a low flying helo doing dives below the road level rather than up in the air.

it's even crazier to ride in it.

i've done a few rips up the mississippi river below the treetops just over the water with some particularly enthusiastic blackhawk pilots.

@bison78 i would imagine that the post ID counter is counting all posts, not the public ones which is what i'd hazard the odometer on the lower right of the site is clocking

@Qaaaaa no u

The route: The entirety of Rte 66.

The vehicle:

Restomodded for reliability while maintaining as stock appearing as possible. Bone stock LS, T56, Vintage-Air for AC.

we are about to hit 1 million posts. i imagine there will be a party.

I don't even want to count how many pairs of new balance shoes I have.

Then there are the clarks dress shoes.

Then there are the rainbow sandals

then there are the combat boots...

Tally another vote for the volvo here.