First Flight in Germany ...

[Kai-Rod]

Now after about two years I finally had my 33 out on the street and drove it a couple of miles this past Saturday. What a great fun ...

Out of the drive way for the first time:



My "chase plane" was a brand new Dearborn Deuce (left):



Back after a few miles:


No fenders, no hood --> no go in Germany. I have therefore chosen a time in the evening during which the chance to get caught was rather small.

First impressions:

1. this thing takes off like a rocket (even so I only have a 265hp 2V Mod Motor)
2. the brakes suck
3. this is a pretty bumpy ride

... but altogether: this is great FUN !!!

Will come forward with a couple of question the next few days ...

Thanks for looking.

Kai

[Stefan]

Hallo Kai,

Gratuliere, das Teil sieht wirklich cool aus.
Darf ich fragen, was Du damit vor hast? Kriegst Du das durch den TÜV?
Was für ein Setup für die Bremsen hast Du?

Gruss, Stefan

[Tom Veale]

Congratulations Kai,

What a great way to launch the '33! And to encourage a Passenger to participate as well!

Now, go have "Fun, fun, fun on das Autobahn."

[ehansen007]

Originally Posted by Kai-Rod

First impressions:

1. this thing takes off like a rocket (even so I only have a 265hp 2V Mod Motor)
2. the brakes suck
3. this is a pretty bumpy ride



Kai

1. Yup!
2. Oh hell yes. I'm sure you read the posts on the brakes. I think most angles are covered there. I'd love to drop a grand on some BAERs or Wilwoods but I think the $150 for the ebay-Brakemotiv setup is enough for the street.
3. Yup! but check your tire pressure. It makes all the difference. The car is just too light to run anything above 25PSI from what I've experienced. A lot of guys get them mounted and throw the right on the car. Problem is, in order to mount them and get the bead to pop you need to get them to 30 or so. And, most cars weigh 3000lbs. FYI, Running 18 cold now at the track and 22 on the street.

The car looks great Kai!

[Kai-Rod]

@Stefan, ... Danke. So fahren geht leider nicht. Schön wär's. Die TÜV Frage ist noch offen. Jeder hat dazu eine andere Meinung, aber bisher habe ich noch keinen getroffen, der weiß wie es problemlos gehen würde. Werde das aber schon hinbekommen. Die Bremsen sind vorne die Originalen, die dem Kit beigelegen haben. Hinten sind es die von der 2003er Achse mit neuen Sätteln und Belegen und abgedrehten gebrauchten Scheiben.

@Tom, ... Thanx. Not sure if the 33 is good for the Autobahn. Did anyone try to do any higher speed yet ?

@Erik, ... guess you are right with the tire pressure. These came of my 07 Mustang and I did not yet check the pressure. As for the brakes I wish I could just order those from eBay, but shipping is an issue. Wonder if Summit has something similar as I will be at Summit the first week of September.



Kai

[2FAST4U]

Very cool! Should be a real head turner!

[geoffav]

Congrats. It's a shame to "have" to run a hood and side panels. I don't think the cops around here will have an issue with me leaving those parts off.

[ksuhre]

Hello Kai,

I love reading your posts, the enthusiasm spills over!! Great job on the car. The car will handle great at high speed if your alignment is correct, but you may want better brakes before you tackle the Autobahn. I drag race mine and I have also had it on some long, deserted, freshly paved Oklahoma back roads at 100MPH+ for long periods (several minutes) and it is a blast! However, I could see forever in front of me, with no cars in sight, and did not have to worry about braking quickly. Also, having a manual, I can downshift in a hurry if I really need to stop quick.

Have Fun!
Kerby

[Hunter 2]

Your car is amazing!!!!! I love the pic of it next to the other roadster. Very nice!!!

[ehansen007]

Kai, just the brakes to my house and I can bring them SEMA with me or if you're going to be in town again, we'd love to see you.

e

[KGB911]

Kai: Great to see ya got er rollin! Could you share with all of us the regulations you have had to jump through to get it on the street in Germany?
Could you mount the stinkin front plate to one of the lower control arms with some nice billet clamps so it would get lost in the suspension or loose it behind the grill in front of the lower tank? What fender kit will ya be usin?
Dr. Ruth

[Kai-Rod]

Thanx for your offer, Erik. I may take you on. Won't be at SEMA, but will be in Las Vegas, Phoenix and finally the LA area just after SEMA for almost three weeks. Would love to swing by. Will let you know my detailed planning when we get closer.

Worked the rear fenders today. Would really love to drive without, but what can we do. The laws are pretty strict.

BTW. These are the rims I will finally be using. 8x18 with 235/40s up front and 10x20 wit 295/30 in the rear.

[Kai-Rod]

@Dan, ... I still got no idea how to get this thing legal. ... and yes, front plates suck, but there is no way around it. I do have the bike fenders. Just cut them to my liking and have them on the Rod now. Looks OK. Just don't like the looks of the front fenders. Can't mount them right now as I currently have too big wheels. 9x20s with 255/35 just won't work. My new OZ Racing wheels will just arrive late September.

[ehansen007]

Kai,

I'm with you on the front fenders. So far I haven't seen FFR ones shaped like I would like to see them; until I saw this. It looks like he's got the same wheels too. Just a thought.

[Kai-Rod]

Pretty interesting looks. Seems like the rear fenders are attached to the rear end and not the body. Nice car except for the grill and chassis extension sticking out in front. That is one of these brazilian Hot Rods, right ? Just like the blue one at SEMA last year.

[ehansen007]

I was going to attempt this by simply using front fenders on the rear. But since we don't need fenders here, I decided not to. Best of luck with whatever you use!

[Riptide Motorsport]

Stunning!!! Congratulations

[Arrowhead]

Looks great Kai, you've really made some progress. First drive is always a thrill. Good luck getting it street legal.

[Tom Veale]

@Tom, ... Thanx. Not sure if the 33 is good for the Autobahn. Did anyone try to do any higher speed yet?

Kai, I've been to 210 KPH for brief periods each lap at Road America. The car's quite happy above 160KPH.

TV