Hella Fresh

It's been almost two months since Bumblestook was painted so it was time to finally get some protection for her paint. Detailing is a very contentious topic I find for serious car owners. I certainly want a clean car but there's a point of diminishing returns especially on a car that actually gets driven so I was looking for a detailer that offered good value for my money. I knew a few friends that had already taken their cars to PeeJ Auto Detailing with good success so I went to give him a try.

Up on a quickjack for closer inspection

Doesn't really matter who paints your car, there will always be swirls as part of the process. Sadly this is true even for new cars. Bumblestook was no exception  and when put under the scrutiny of proper lighting you could definitely see it.

Swirls when you look really close

I left the car with PJ for the week and the results were amazing. The car was washed, claybared, compounded and polished. Then two coats of Optimum Gloss Coat ceramic coating were applied and once left to dry topped off with Optimum Opti-Seal Sealant as an extra short term barrier. Even the Mugen MF10s were coated in ceramic coating to  help protect from brake dust. I'm not even going to pretend I'm some kind of car care expert but the tldr version is that she looks immaculate now.

Final product - 7-20-2018

Final product - 7-20-2018

Super clean wheels - 7-20-2018

The interior and engine bay were also cleaned. I don't think Bumblestook's been this clean in at least five years.

Clean engine bay - 7-20-2018

Freshy fresh interior - 7-20-2018

The ceramic coating is incredible. Hit a giant bug on the way back to the garage and took little to no effort to simply wipe it off the bumper. I think I'll have to do this to all my cars.

Fun in the Sun - NNJR SCCA/PCA AutoX

After almost a month hiatus, we finally got to go back out there and autocross again today. This time it was another NNJR SCCA / PCA joint event. It was a pretty hot day in the low to mid 90s by the time I got to run but with sporadic cloud cover and a stiff breeze it was much more manageable than the last event.

NNJR SCCA/PCA Autox
Meadowlands, NJ - 7-14-2018

Overall, Bumblestook continues to surprise me. I'm feeling more confident that everything is working well and I'm able to chuck her into corners without any fear. Ok, maybe a little fear but mostly because I'm dropping her off with the detailer tomorrow and I'm trying not to cover her in cone marks or mess up the paint before he has a chance to seal it all. Once the paint gets that little bit of extra protection then I'll feel better about being more aggressive. For now I'm pretty surprised I only hit one cone the entire day.

NNJR SCCA/PCA Autox

Meadowlands, NJ - 7-14-2018
Photo by: Alex Meramo

NNJR SCCA/PCA Autocross - 7-14-2018

This might be her last autox for some time though as I've got something in the works. We are at least going to hit the track in September for the S2K Take Over Round 2 at NYST. I'll need to finally order track pads and rotors for that event and put an end to over 5 years of not letting Bumblestook fully stretch her legs into the triple digits.

S2K Bear Mountain Cruise

Last weekend I got to take Bumblestook on her first S2Ki bear mountain cruise since 2011. I met up with the NJ crew at the Rockefeller Lookup right off the Palisades Parkway bright and early then we started our drive out to meet the rest of the group.

NJ crew rollout to bear mountain cruise
Rockefeller Lookout - 7/8/2018

There was very good turnout this year. I don't have the official count but it was somewhere between 70-80 cars. I obviously knew many of the people on the cruise but also met lots of new faces which was fun. It's always great to meet new S2K enthusiasts.

Meetup point - 7/8/2018

We went to the usual first stop at the New Croton Dam then enjoyed the amazing twisty roads working our way to our final destination of Brother's BBQ for lunch.

Final Stop - Brother's BBQ - New Windsor, NY - 7/8/2018

One thing that kept coming back into my head on the drive was how this was exactly why I brought Bumblestook back to street legal trim. It was great just really enjoying the drive, hanging out with like-minded S2000 enthusiasts and letting your mind clear. Can't wait to do this again in the future.