Lets Start Again... Introduction

[Cubic Incubi]

Thought I'd make another intro post as I seem to be getting a few peoples backs up, and this is not my intention.

FYI, on a personal note, I have a kidney stone stuck in my guts, a plastic tube in my bladder to my kidney, am on pain killers stuck at home waiting for the stone to pass.

In addition, my grandad died yesterday.

So its fair to say i'm not my usual self although I have a right to post, regardless of my circumstances. I'm trying to moderate myself because I dont want to cause a stir, and I have landed back in the forum with a bit of a bump, and i apologise.

Yes i'm a little more irritable than ususal, and whilst that's not anybody's fault, I just ask that if I post something technical, that you dont go quoting it & ripping it to bits. just add to the thread if you have anything to add as I never post abusive stuff and feel that certain members are misunderstanding me. I just ask that before the focus is to disprove me - do some research and see why I have posted and then if i am wrong, display your findings. I'm always willing to say 'yes I was wrong' and I always thank those who show me the errors.

i'm a fair guy and like being helpful and also like to learn. I'm very intersted in FE engines and VVTLi, i'm not trying to be a celica god or anything like that and whilst ive been a member of TOC for a year now, ive only just paid to be a member of late and i'm using the forum more often.

I'm not always right and admit if It if am wrong and apologise as necessary, i have my experience and you have yours, but i'd rather do it in a none confrontational fashion.

I very much doubt we have any 'absolute' experts on the forum, and iI'm still, in my opinion a raw novice. We all have something to add and some more than others, this however is not status and we can all learn from each other, community spirit is imho the most important thing.

I'm 31, have 2 kids who I see at weekends, am into my second marriage, live in my own home, run my own business which is managed for me and aswell as a few other interests and modes of transport, i have 3 celica's and I've done a lot of research and have embarked on a course of learning with practical experiments. Its a hobby, as is motorsport.

My celica is not my main mode of transport - owning them is a hobby and thats all there is to it. I am simply an enthusiast building a project to use in motorsport, I want to broaden my horizons and want to spend more time at TOC sharing my findings and chatting to different owners. I never set out to end up where I am now, it's been an evolution and I'm very happy with my lot.

I'm a member of celica club uk and that site is good for generation specific advice and knowledge, been there about a year, I'm a member of GT4OC and again that is specific chat and advice etc again about a year. TOC is broader and has a group of owners who just like the relaxed atmosphere and who come here for friendly advice, and community spirit. About 13 months ago when I first started posting - I didnt get much help as the forum didnt have a lot of traffic, but I kept popping back, I used Celica.net, Celica Club and 4gencelica.net, GT4OC and loadsa other car forums, Piston Heads, local Cruises and Modded car forums, but I always popped back to TOC, Ive spent the last 6 months moderating the 4th gen forum at Celica.net but no longer have the time and have recently given up my modship, I helped start up the forum but am just a normal member there now. I've been chatting and helping 4th gen owners for ages.

Ive decided on the 165 as the one to keep as it suits best of both worlds, I will soon only have the storage for 1 celica, and want one that can be used at weekends all year round, I love gen 4's and will be sad to see the rag top go, I'm trying to find alternative storage for it, but if it has to go, then so be it.

But I also love gt4's, so the 165 is the best compromise. All these cars kept me going towards the end of a 4 year court battle to see my kids, which recently ended. They think their Dad is so cool with his cool cars, they dont see them as old cars - they think the cars are fab.

At TOC I tried to drum up more forum traffic and kept up to date with the traffic and new members, I helped with info that has been put into stickies so that others that arrive here have some basic info and history. Ive taken from the celica community these last 15 months since my first hobby purchase, in terms of advice, reasearch, information and friendship. I had never modified cars before or chatted on the net with regards to anything, so this is all rather new to me and is as mentioned an extension of a hobby.

For personal reasons I have a lot of free time and do not work, and the cars stop me from climbing the walls - so it would be fair to say my celica involvement has been full time and has been my work for the last 15 months. It became obsessive to a point and I'm now focusing on just one car, as a weekend hobby and I intend returning to work after my kidney stone removal removal.

The Celica has been an inspiration for me in times of trouble and personal difficulty and i've learned a lot, including ressurecting my tech days long forgotten in the RAF working on Chinooks. I had to go right back to turning the key, to the crank turning and the emmissions coming out - I'd say I have a very good general understanding, but of course am still learning.

From something that was a distraction at first and then became obsessive, it has now bourne a deep rooted respect for the marque, and ive met some great folks along the way. My soul and inspiration went into restoring my first two celica's which were both a bit sloppy and tired and i'm looking forward to my next project.

I've always been loyal in the fact that I have returned and kept my post count up, and Ive watched this forum develope and have watched it grow in credibility. I think it is a good forum, so good that I decided to pay for membership and now want to upgrade to gold as I have enjoyed the last few weeks on the forum and think I would like to use it more.

My very first ever Japanese meet was with TOC at Elvington last spring, albeit in my V6 Mazda as the Targa Convertible was having work done on it, discs, pads, shocks, slave cylinder etc... All stock I ran the Qtr Mile and hit the book spec time in the Mazda, all stock, so was happy the car still had its stride.

If ive upset anyone wading in the last week i'm sorry, I dont mean to offend and whilst i get over my illness and my recent family loss, I just ask that I be engaged in the threads with a little more awareness of who I am and what's going on at the moment in my life, this is a 'owners club' and that means a people club, the cars are of course a requirement, but the cars dont log on, people do. I'm a person with feelings not a bunch of text on a thread and I know that nobody has set out to offend me, i've been very tetchy and have tried to explain.

As you can tell, I'm an open bloke, I have nothing to hide and you'll find me very genuinely involved in all things celica and automotive in general, I'm buidling a track and drag Gixxer aswell, as side line and again to learn. I like all Celica's as much as the next. It's a wide and varied family and all the celica's are great.

Be preapred for lots of enthusisam and questions at meets as I love looking other celicas over and at present am researching 2JZ-GE, 7A-FE & 3SFE. Ive done the 4EFE 3SGE and 3SGTE allready and the other engines involve me too. Once i've completed those engines I'm moving onto the Gen 1 range of engines as I plan to own a RA28 in the future.

So, that's about all of me, Celicas? well we all know what they are, this is an owners club and I dont mind telling other owners a bit about myself.

We're all enthusiasts at the end of the day or we wouldnt drive them. ;)

Many thanks

regards

Karl

[Tom.B]

:D Ello again fella and cheers for the stuff youre posting. Im finding it interesting and hopefully I wont need youre help!!(dont want the car breaking!!) but youre posts are spot on fella!

[daktari]

I`d sooner have an in depth technical post thats of some use than random rubish thats so prevalent on other websites. IMO karl, you`ve a wealth of technical information that is of benefit to all of us, and i`m sure i speak for others when i say KEEP IT UP FELLA.

In addition, We all have our own views on subjects - and as we`re all mature consenting adults (Allegedly ) so we should be able to carry on a discussion on a subject without it degenerating into a mud slinging contest.

We`ve all got things to learn and we`ve all got information to give. So let`s get down to it and make Celica ownership what it should be..... Enjoyable fun.

There that`s my 2p`s worth... Carry on.

[knowlson]

:group-cuddles: if you think you are getting few peoples backs up or people are having a pop at you then Report the post and mods/admin will sort it.

[sotal]

I think you are doing a great job on here . I also think that it is good that you are giving back to the Celica Community from your knowledge you have learnt over the past few years.

I try to give back what I learn, but that only normally helps the newbies! ;)

[cookci]

I`d sooner have an in depth technical post thats of some use than random rubish thats so prevalent on other websites. IMO karl, you`ve a wealth of technical information that is of benefit to all of us, and i`m sure i speak for others when i say KEEP IT UP FELLA.

well said.

Im more than happy for u to correct me if im wrong. Theres no guarantee either of us will be right but i think ill go with what u say as ur the one with much more experience

...and im often wrong

Keep posting ;) :group-cuddles:

P.S. I seem to get a lot of abuse too... especially via PM :censor:

[martin_longbow]

Yo dude it's a public forum

If folk down want to read some posts it's up to them, you clearly have technical knowledge that some folk greatly appreciate.

I am on stinky old dial up though and reading some of your posts has increased my phone bill lol

Hi, and hope you recover well/soon.

[AMH]

Good post - it's good when there is discussion / bad when there are abuses - happened a bit on LOC over the years and I hope TOC doesn't fall into the same trap as the membership evolves.

Read some of your posts on oil and found them very informative - looking forward to more - even though I am on a different model .. !

Hope everthing improves soon - certainly sounds tough right now.

Andy.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

lol its a wonder your pc even loads karl's SAGA posts - get urself on broadband its just as cheap.

[littlewener]

Am a new one to this site and am eager to learn more

Have found stuff you say just what i need to learn more

Keep it up mate and hope everything goes well

[Cubic Incubi]

thanks for the reply's, I had rather thought my marathon post would have been overlooked... I was so wrong thanks guys, its good to know there appreciation out there, especialy when i'm feeling a bit down..

Anyway, for those on dial up i'm sorry, I've found that if you want a simple asnwer its far better never to ask nothing is simple, everything is complicated and its a mindfield of rumours and repeated myth.

Well the oil thread turned from a simple question to a lenghty explanation, Ive been chatting with my dad this afternoon and I have some stuff to post. So i'm gonna add 'even' more to the thread.

Coocki - I just try to apose the 'myth' and 'hype' type rumour opinions, I like just getting to the facts, and that often involves the science bit, and that's when the memory space for both head and machine get busted.

Yes my lap top is ready to burst, i have to defrag every week and keep making back up discs but since my kidney cleared itself of the build up of toxins and passed the stone, I feel so much better - I've absorbed so much just this last couple of weeks...

thanks again.

and 'Good Morning'

[LORD_ED]

good to see ur a bit chirpier mate

[Cubic Incubi]

good to see ur a bit chirpier mate

←

yes guys, i am sorry, medication and tension at being ill and house bound - i've realy meant no offence to anybody, like I said I landed back in the forum with a bit of a bump and I apologise to all those who had to put up with my petty grief.

I really have had the fortnight from hell and i'm sorry i dragged folks into it - now that's all sorted i really hope i can mingle and get on.

i dont want to cause a stir or be a focus for attention or over moderation.

cheers

[Uncle Bob]

Hi Karl, good to see you on the TOC, ,i'm sure your enthusiasm will go far here, i to will be spending more time on the TOC site now i have a Rav4, keep up the good work, and hope you are back to full fitness very soon ,

Bob (Uncle Bob ) B).

[Cubic Incubi]

Thanks Unlce Bob, your help and assistance was most excellent back in my early days when I was struggling with the Rag Top, your experience and enthusiasm was great and I believe if it hadn't of been for yourself and a few others I would have thrown in the towel.

The 162 was old and very very tired when I bought her, your help keep me going nd I'm glad I did otherwise I wouldnt be where I am today.

Cheers.

[parmo]

i dont post very often but i do read your posts, and those of other people with technical info or just life/car experience and i appreciate it all.

good luck with your ailments from personal experience i know there is light at the end of the tunnel :)

best wishes

[Cubic Incubi]

i dont post very often but i do read your posts, and those of other people with technical info or just life/car experience and i appreciate it all.

good luck with your ailments from personal experience i know there is light at the end of the tunnel :)

best wishes

←

cheers parmo :D

[silvasurfa]

Sorry to hear lifes been so cr@ppy mate, looks like things are on the up though so don't dwell and get back to what you seem to do best, posting!

If you don't remember me thats understandable as i've literally just come back from the dead too.

Hope to be around a lot more...

[Cubic Incubi]

Cool :D

I'm glad to be back, felt like a zombie the last 6 months