Pleased to Graduate FFR #9506 - Rocky Mountain Drive Video

[GTBradley]

I am pleased to finally graduate FFR Roadster #9506!

I got it licensed last fall, but wanted to get out to the mountains to get some good photos for its graduation. As soon as Rocky Mountain National Park opened up I got a reservation to enter the park and
headed off on a 240 mile tour of the high-country. The day was perfect with some heavy clouds coming in advance of a snow storm - and it was June 8th! Welcome to the continental divide.
Anyway, I'm glad I installed the heater.

I tried out the GoPro and some editing set to music for the special day. I'd like to thank Vspeeds for the idea, his video commute in the Bay area was awesome!
I hope you like it:


https://youtu.be/yEq-DZnCa0w

These photos were taken at Estes Park, CO:


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129759&d=1591824629

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129758&d=1591824618

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129754&d=1591824570

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129757&d=1591824606

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129756&d=1591824595

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129755&d=1591824584

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129753&d=1591824561

[GTBradley]

These were taken at a Colorado Cars and Coffee event at a Sonic Drive-In

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129765&d=1591824722

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129766&d=1591824731

[GTBradley]

Before / After

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129761&d=1591824673

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129760&d=1591824641

[GTBradley]

Taken at the shop that did the dyno-tune


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129763&d=1591824696

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129762&d=1591824685

[frankb]

Great video! Nice job on the car, too!

[GTBradley]

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129791&d=1591848883


https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=129764&d=1591824711

[Al_C]

Car looks great - and.... it has a front license plate!!! (sorry, over reacted on that one) I love the photos. What a great place to take them! Congratulations on a job well done!

[Flyguy561]

Congrats! The car looks great, and the pictures are awesome!

[VAHokie]

Congrats, Bradley! Nice work and a great looking car.

[D02G]

Looks Awesome!!

[GoDadGo]

Nicely Done & The Color Really Pops!
....Congratulations!

[D Stand]

Car looks great! Thanks for sharing the photos and ride along video. Congrats.

[SSNK4US]

Congrats!!! It looks really good!! Nice job!
Color looks like BMW Estoril Blue?

[JB in NOVA]

Wow, beautiful car and beautiful scenery! Congrats.

[bmackrell]

what size wheels & tires did you go with?

[Jjnbm4]

Awesome video!!! With my build still in progress, really helps keep the dream alive. Thank you

[Mark K]

Congrats - the build looks great!

I loved when you sped-up the video at the beginning. Sounded like an old F1 car!

- m

[GWL]

I've got a Rocky Mountain high after that ride. Awesome video, awesome car.

George

[Jetfuel]

Congratulations and thanks for the video...seeing that beautiful car with that scenery just makes me jealous...I know that area and will love to ride my car on those roads again..and again...and again
The before and after pictures “clothes” ....nice touch

Jet

[ydousurf]

Congrats and that was an awesome video, Bradley! Your car looks absolutely gorgeous and I'll take any shade of blue! I'm planning to take the very same drive, since I've done it countless times - I love RMNP! Anyway, to drive it in the car you built, yeah, it's definently going to be on my yearly places to cruise-bucket-list for sure! That trip is no doubt a proven graduation drive too, factoring in the altitude and such. It's so beautiful up there! I so can't wait to drive it in mine in the future. And you can never go wrong with John Denver and Colorado Rocky Mountains! I guess I'll give ya a pass since it's a CO plate ;)
May safe roads always find you...

Dj

[marshc56]

Congratulations!
That is a one pretty car. You can be proud! The video was well done and the music was the perfect choice.

Marsh

[Joecobr]

Congratulations! Incredible car, photos and video!

[KDubU]

Big congrats! She’s a beauty and nice vid.

[tonywy]

I think you had just raised the bar. Beautiful job, and what was really cool is I didn't catch the tag till the end.

[egchewy79]

I'm MK#9503 and you totally smoked me in your build! Looks great! Loving the pics by the lake. Gorgeous.

[RJD]

Beautiful! Well done.

[BTHWarrior]

Awesome build! Love the before and after photos showing you in the same pose and clothes.

[GTBradley]

Car looks great - and.... it has a front license plate!!! (sorry, over reacted on that one) I love the photos. What a great place to take them! Congratulations on a job well done!
Thanks Al, yes, now you know why I liked yours. Personalized helps and I feel like I'm promoting my state too. I just wish I could get the blue ones as the green isn't exactly a complimentary color.

[GTBradley]

Congrats!!! It looks really good!! Nice job!
Color looks like BMW Estoril Blue?
Thank you. No, though I was influenced by the Mini Cooper Electric Blue and the original Guardsman Blue. All I was sure of was that I wanted the American racing colors, blue and white. What we ended up doing was removing all the black tint from the Guardsman formula and using the original Wimbledon White stripes.

[GTBradley]

what size wheels & tires did you go with?
They are the 17" wheels. In the planning stage I was under the impression that with the big Wilwood brakes and the 15" wheels were not compatible with the IRS from FFR; however, I hear there is a mod now and I may do that in the future. Though, I'd keep my 17' wheels for track days, I just love the look of the big sidewalls. Front 17"x9" 255/40ZR, Rear 17"x10.5" 315/35ZR Nitto 555 G2s. I like these tires as they are a good all around choice - good in rain, good traction in dry that you can push pretty hard and they don't wear down as fast as the NT01s. Since I'm driving in all conditions (including snow quite by accident and not recommended!) I think this is a great choice, plus the price and availability are good.

[GTBradley]

Congrats - the build looks great!

I loved when you sped-up the video at the beginning. Sounded like an old F1 car!

- m
Right? I thought the same thing about the Formula One cars. I got they idea to speed it up from Vspeeds where he did it on a beautiful commute to work in SF. The whole thing has that sound and you have to clip it out, but it was a cool way to transition.

[Straversi]

Congratulations. Well done.
I like the tonneau cover Looks like a great feature to have for Colorado’s ever changing weather. The road was made for a roadster. Enjoy.
-Steve

[GTBradley]

Congratulations and thanks for the video...seeing that beautiful car with that scenery just makes me jealous...I know that area and will love to ride my car on those roads again..and again...and again
The before and after pictures “clothes” ....nice touch

Jet
Thanks, when you do it let me know, I'll follow you and make another video.

[GTBradley]

Congrats and that was an awesome video, Bradley! Your car looks absolutely gorgeous and I'll take any shade of blue! I'm planning to take the very same drive, since I've done it countless times - I love RMNP! Anyway, to drive it in the car you built, yeah, it's definently going to be on my yearly places to cruise-bucket-list for sure! That trip is no doubt a proven graduation drive too, factoring in the altitude and such. It's so beautiful up there! I so can't wait to drive it in mine in the future. And you can never go wrong with John Denver and Colorado Rocky Mountains! I guess I'll give ya a pass since it's a CO plate ;)
May safe roads always find you...

Dj
Thanks DJ, when you finish let me know when you want to go drive it and we can get Dave to go too! And, thanks for the pass, officer!:o

[GTBradley]

Congratulations. Well done.
I like the tonneau cover Looks like a great feature to have for Colorado’s ever changing weather. The road was made for a roadster. Enjoy.
-Steve
Thanks, Steve and thanks for the encouraging words and help early on.

The tonneau has turned out to be one of my favorite features! It's so easy to use when you want to "lock" your car up and go in a store, especially if you have camera, iPad, etc lying around - just zip it up! It keeps heat in better too and it was in the high 20s at the top. That whole drive was so fun to drive in this car. I kept thinking to myself that I was really glad I wasn't doing it, yet again, in an SUV.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Well done! Go enjoy it :)

Jeff

[Papa]

I'm still waiting for my chance to get up there with mine! Great video, Bradley.

Dave

[GTBradley]

I'm still waiting for my chance to get up there with mine! Great video, Bradley.

Dave
Thanks, I’m already thinking of doing it again. It was so much fun! It was done in HD but I’d like to see if I could do it in a higher resolution, maybe even 4K.

[NiceGuyEddie]

A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+

(Think of Ralphie's teacher)

;)

[ydousurf]

Thanks DJ, when you finish let me know when you want to go drive it and we can get Dave to go too! And, thanks for the pass officer!:o

Hey Bradley, I still need to meet both Dave, you and Derald R. too! With the panda stuff starting to fade, we'll have to schedule a meet-n-greet sometime, just let me know?
As for my car, I have a multi-year build planned. So, it's going to be a while for me. I'm just starting to get some time to put cycles into my build. I've been acquiring specialty tools and add-on's: Russ Thompson Turn Signal, Drop Trunk, and Pedal(s) and also planning FFMetal, Breeze and other mods. However, I will definitely take you up on a future offer to cruise our rockies for sure!
I know I've watched your video a few times (RMNP views never gets boring) as I did with Dave's! So, keep making them! They're no doubt inspirational to all of us. Again, thanks for taking us along for the ride...

Dj

[lgordon]

Beautiful car, great build! I didn't set my car up for a tonneau cover like yours but I do have very fond memories of driving my MGTF and TR2 with the passengers side closed up. I was tempted!

Congratulations!!

[RBachman]

Fantastic!!!

[GTBradley]

A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ A+

(Think of Ralphie's teacher)

;)
Thank you. I just hope my Red Rider doesn't take my eye out!

[GTBradley]

Beautiful car, great build! I didn't set my car up for a tonneau cover like yours but I do have very fond memories of driving my MGTF and TR2 with the passengers side closed up. I was tempted!

Congratulations!!
...and me and my 63 MGB!

Thank you.

BTW, the trunk lid got here in good condition and I have all the other parts, just need to get someone to paint it now.

[GTBradley]

Hey Bradley, I still need to meet both Dave, you and Derald R. too! With the panda stuff starting to fade, we'll have to schedule a meet-n-greet sometime, just let me know?
As for my car, I have a multi-year build planned. So, it's going to be a while for me. I'm just starting to get some time to put cycles into my build. I've been acquiring specialty tools and add-on's: Russ Thompson Turn Signal, Drop Trunk, and Pedal(s) and also planning FFMetal, Breeze and other mods. However, I will definitely take you up on a future offer to cruise our rockies for sure!
I know I've watched your video a few times (RMNP views never gets boring) as I did with Dave's! So, keep making them! They're no doubt inspirational to all of us. Again, thanks for taking us along for the ride...

Dj
When you get there we'll be ready.

I'm already thinking of a Country Road in West Virginia for my next video.

[WIS89]

Oh my goodness Bradley, she turned out beautiful!! I really love that color, and you did a wonderful job on the finishing touches!

The pictures are also very special. Of course it helps when you have such amazing scenery in which to take them. Beautiful part of the country, and it has to be special driving around in that environment. Thank you for sharing!!

Congratulations on a wonderful build. I know you will enjoy her!

Regards,

Steve

[PeteMeindl]

Wooooohooooo!! That's awesome, Bradley. What a beautiful car and great job to you! It's been really fun to watch it all happen - thank you for all I've learned from you!

The video it great, too!

[DadofThree]

Great Job and Beautiful Car!
Enjoyed the video. The Camper at 3:14 gave us a scare, I'm sure. Happy Trails!!

[Papa]

Great Job and Beautiful Car!
Enjoyed the video. The Camper at 3:14 gave us a scare, I'm sure. Happy Trails!!

I saw that, too! Good thing the audio was covered by John Denver's Colorado anthem.

[Al_C]

Good thing the audio was covered by John Denver's Colorado anthem.

You Colorado guys might think this is blasphemy, but you should make another video with Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain High....

[GTBradley]

Thank you. Yeah, I was wondering if anyone would notice that, they sure took their half out of the middle didn’t they? I’m glad I didn’t need natural audio there, as I had some choice words.

[GTBradley]

I saw that, too! Good thing the audio was covered by John Denver's Colorado anthem.
It was colorful:eek:

[GTBradley]

You Colorado guys might think this is blasphemy, but you should make another video with Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain High....
Al, that is a great idea! Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh was one of my favorites growing up.

[Bob-STL]

Awesome car and great video!

[Big Blocker]

ABSOLUTELY awe inspiring . . . and Mother Nature did a great job of creating that background for you too.

Congratulations on a perfect build and finding the perfect photo-op area.

Doc

Am missing something? "Video Unavailable" shows up when trying to access.

[GTBradley]

ABSOLUTELY awe inspiring . . . and Mother Nature did a great job of creating that background for you too.

Congratulations on a perfect build and finding the perfect photo-op area.

Doc


Am missing something? "Video Unavailable" shows up when trying to access.
Thanks, Doc. I don’t know about perfect, but I sure am happy with it. Part of the background was my scheduling, as I was risking a snow storm coming in that evening, but it made for some awesome clouds don’t you think?
Try this:
https://youtu.be/yEq-DZnCa0w

[GTBradley]

Wooooohooooo!! That's awesome, Bradley. What a beautiful car and great job to you! It's been really fun to watch it all happen - thank you for all I've learned from you!

The video it great, too!
Thanks, Pete. Looking forward to you finishing too and start thinking of a good tune for those awesome drives up in your neck of the woods!

[GTBradley]

Awesome build! Love the before and after photos showing you in the same pose and clothes.
Thank you. Ha! Yeah, I purposely dressed the same way for the after shot...maybe.

[GTBradley]

Just in case you guys are interested in another drive video. This one is a club trip to Buena Vista, CO with our Cobra group. Look for Papa's deep blue MK4 at the first stop. And if you make it through this way-too-long-video (9+ minutes! but it has my favorite Joe Walsh songs, so...) you will have traveled almost all of the 240 miles to and from.

https://youtu.be/hhcl4d1isIc

[ThreeSpore]

OMG! I was all set for red, but now .. the blue look amazing. thanks for the great pics and posts!

[GTBradley]

Thanks. I had to have American Racing colors, fortunately I’ve always loved blue cars.

[460.465USMC]

Thanks, I’m already thinking of doing it again. It was so much fun! It was done in HD but I’d like to see if I could do it in a higher resolution, maybe even 4K.

Great video, and awesome car to enjoy that drive! I'm a John Denver fan, so your song selection was spot on as far as I'm concerned. Well done build! I just ordered a complete kit last week, and looking forward to someday doing a similar drive here in the Pacific Northwest. Congratulations!

[GTBradley]

Great video, and awesome car to enjoy that drive! I'm a John Denver fan, so your song selection was spot on as far as I'm concerned. Well done build! I just ordered a complete kit last week, and looking forward to someday doing a similar drive here in the Pacific Northwest. Congratulations!
Oh how I would love to take this roadster on a drive through the NW! I love that area, Vancouver Island would be nice too. John Denver is essential music in the mountains, I just wish he'd done music for all 50 states as well as he did it for Colorado and West Virginia. I gotta do a drive in the Blue Ridge mountains too - country road, take me home...

Cheers and looking forward to October with you.