After years of people asking “wHeRe’S yOuR sKyLiNe??!?!?!” the day when my car will finally be on the road is approaching. What started off as a simple project quickly became something which depleted me of my sanity and any expendable income. It’s been a long time in the making, with many lulls along the way where I felt too overwhelmed to continue, but I’m beyond excited to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
A few days ago, Dylan visited me while I was messing around at the shop and filmed this update so we could share all the progress I’ve been making. I was trimming up my front bumper to fit over the Street Faction bash bar and intercooler, as well as tying up some more loose ends and making a mental note of what’s left to do.
We’ve talked about making a video on my car since the first day I joined the Checkpoint team. Despite my dreams to join the feature-video alumni, there was always such a long to-do list for this car that it felt like it would be a long time before it happened. I felt discouraged after watching so many estimated due dates pass me by, but in recent months I have been pushing myself harder than ever to step up to the plate and upgrade myself from having a garage ornament to a real running and driving car.
There are just a few more things left to do before it’ll be ready for the first test drive since reinstalling the engine. I feel it’s pretty difficult to determine the point where a project car will be fully “finished”, but for now my goal is to have the car able to run, drive, and drift without anything breaking or blowing up. The next big step will be getting the car insured and repainted, which I’ll probably get started on during the fall and winter months. I’m really looking forward to the next update video, which will probably be done when I take the car for its first drive within the next couple of weeks, baby steps.
The car isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s been a journey of self-discovery and showing myself what I was capable of. I’m grateful that I hadn’t taken the easy way out because without the struggle I wouldn’t have all of the knowledge that I gained along the way. If there’s anything to take away from my experience, it’s that hard work will always pay off and not to give up on yourself.
Thank you to everyone who lent a hand to help me get to this point and encouraged me to keep going.
Check out our ‘Enjoy Good Taste’ shirt and hoodie that are available in-store, our newly released Horn Buttons, alongside the remaining Japanese inventory and the rest of our branded gear!.
Visit the store here:
https://checkpointjapan.bigcartel.com/products
Enjoy!
Checkpoint Japan 