2010 Year in Review

Well, here we are, 2010 has almost come to an end. To say it has been an eventful year for my wife and myself would be an understatement. I suppose you could say that the year kicked off with our 2010 tax return, as I had big plans for this years return.

Fall 2001, that was the last my 69 Camaro had been on the road. My plans for my Camaro were simple, though as any car hobbyist will tell you, no project is simple. I had completed a ground up restoration on my Camaro during the summer of 1998, and just a few years later I found myself stripping the car right back down to the shell. Why? I wanted to go faster, and I needed a roll cage.

While installing a cage, I decided to once again go through the big block that now resided between the fenders, and push the envelope a litter further than before. Of course, I had a backup plan for while my Camaro was off the road. I picked up a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T for a song and a dance. Sadly, I dug into that car too much, and both cars would be un-roadworthy until this year. The Challenger, still sits, though is now in my dad's possesion.

So with the start of the year, I started to execute "Project Killer Camaro." I had the parts picked out, as well as the shop, and it was just a matter of making it happen. A few months after the engine and parts were dropped off at the shop, wonderful news would come to me and my wife, we had a baby on the way!

Having the loving wife that I do, we forged ahead with plans to get the Camaro back on the road. By late August 2010, just in time for Woodward (by 1 day!), the Camaro was back on the road. I still have plenty of finishing touches to the car, as well as upgrades before taking it to the track, but after 9 years, at least it's back on the road. It was a wonderful feeling, though the best was yet to come.

November 29th, 2010, a date that changed my life forever. That is the day that our beautiful Emma Sue came into our lives, and became my new passion. Holding her was like nothing I've ever felt before. When your child looks into your eyes for the first time, there is a bond that I can't even begin to experience. She is the greatest thing ever...and she will be into cars just like her daddy. :)

Life has changed, but some things will remain the same. We won't be selling the Camaro, and I won't be trading in my Formula for a mini-van. Neither myself, nor my wife, have any desire to ever own a mini-van. Now, perhaps it will convince me that I need an SUV as opposed to a shiny new Camaro, but that is something I can come to accept.

2011 will a year of minor improvements to the Camaro, and hitting up more cruises/car shows. I can't say when I'll be able to upgrade the rear and go racing, as the $3,000 upgrade isn't exactly a drop in the bucket. I can't decide if I'd rather have a car hoist in the near future, as opposed to being able to go racing, time will tell. Some more immediate improvements are for baby girl. I need to make sure the baby seat fits, and if not, modify things so it will. Secondly, I need to quiet things down with some sound deadener and tail pipes out the back. That should make things livable for baby girl.

So that's it, 2010 is a wrap! Stay tuned for full blown North American Auto Show coverage in the coming weeks, and Autorama a few months after that. Before we know it, spring will be upon us, and the Camaro will be coming back home...this time, for the first time, under her own power!