Sunshine Coast PCYC Motoring Jamboree

A fine, warm winter morning greeted Damian as he rolled Booger Mobile out the shed door and into position, waiting for Scottie to arrive. Unlike previous events where the boys had to be ready to leave by 5am (necessitating Booger Mobile to be pre-loaded onto the trailer), this event had a much more civilised start time, so they were able to load it in the morning!



Of course, the morning load time also allowed Damian to take another classic Booger Mobile shot, including a pretty sunrise sky!!


The boys arrived and began setting up, when lo and behold a very similarly coloured car pulled up beside them!! Scottie meanwhile, was doing some last minute polishing...

And more polishing... (Damian had chamoised the car down before commencing on the photos!)

Booger Mobile was entered into the competition in two categories - Classic Cars (which the boys agreed they had no chance at all of winning), and Special Interest (which they thought they might have had a chance with depending on the mood of the crowd!)

This gratuitous boot-open shot was included just for Kaye!

The sun shone, sometimes the breeze blew, sometimes it was stinking hot!! The crowds started to pour in around 10am, and the day got under way!

Always important to get a gratuitous sponsor shot in! Thanks again to Drift Bodyworx and Blow-In Shopfitting!

At the end of the day, Booger Mobile narrowly missed getting a prize in the Special Interest category, however the boys did manage to pick up a new sponsor (stay tuned for that one!), details from a potential sponsor or two, and some donations in the tin!

All in all, a good day was had, the word was spread about Camp Quality (with Damian again taking over the microphone - unaccustomed to public speaking as he is!!), and the boys got to have a laugh with other competitors!

Thanks to all who attended, those who donated, and to potential sponsors - Damian will be in contact with you shortly!

See Booger Mobile on Sunday 30 August 2009!

Booger Mobile will be on display on Sunday 30 August 2009 at the following event:

Sunshine Coast PCYC Motoring Jamboree

Youth Avenue, Nambour

Sunday 30 August 2009 @ 10:00am

Gold Coin Donation entry

Hope to see you all there!

Road Trip!! BM gets an engine!!

Damian got up early, rounded his boys up and piled into the mighty Patrol. Saturday was arranged to collect the 250 pre-crossflow engine (with extractors) that Damian had purchased on ebay the week before - from Hervey Bay!

Leaving home just after 5:30am, Damian met Scottie with his daughter in tow (and Damian's trailer which had been borrowed earlier) at the Rustic Cabin at Landsborough. Switching the trailer to the Patrol, everyone piled in as the GPS predicted an arrival around 8:40am in Hervey Bay!

Arriving right on time, the boys loaded up the complete 250 pre-crossflow, a second engine in pieces, and extractors to fit the complete engine (as per the ebay transaction).

Simon (shown below posing with the engines) then surprised the boys greatly by advising that he didn't want the money from ebay, and that they could have the engines for FREE as his donation to support Team Booger Mobile get to the esCarpade! He also threw in the full exhaust system, as he was going to replace it anyway with a new exhaust for his flash new 250 crossflow...



Needless to say, the boys were blown away by Simon's generosity, and would like to send out a huge thank you to Simon for his donation to Team Booger Mobile. Below is a photo of Simon's pride and joy - a nicely turned out XP Falcon.



Heading back towards Brisbane, the boys stopped at Gympie for refreshments, then headed out to visit one of the local Camp Quality families on the way through. While there, Scottie managed to scrounge several useful items from various vehicles and engines that were lying around, and Damian grabbed some more choko's to plant at home (after the last choko - the one from the Nambour Swap - was inadvertantly eaten rather than planted).

Continuing the journey home, the boys stopped back at the Rustic Cabin for Scottie to collect his car, then headed down the highway to Damian's house - home of Booger Mobile!

Using an elaborate set of wooden ramps, the engines were carefully removed from the trailer and stashed safely on the floor of the shed.

Damian's wife Tricia attempted to exit the photo, but succeeded only in having her lovely legs make a special guest appearance!



Booger Mobile opened it's bonnet wide, attempting to entice the engine in, but alas, the boys will have to fit it themselves after some preliminary work - replacing some gaskets/welsh plugs etc - much easier to do while the engine is on the floor of the shed!!

Once everything was unloaded, the XD Falcon was moved into position ready to go up on blocks, and the trailer put away down in the back shed. Scottie was preparing to head home, when suddenly - no steering!!

A quick look showed that the steering arm had suddenly snapped - luckily it happened in Damian's back yard rather than at 100kph on the highway!

Scottie's very understanding wife Katie came down to collect him, and they headed off... If Scottie can find a replacement part on a Sunday, he'll probably come back to fix his car!

All in all a great road trip - just over 500km, around 2/3 of a tank of diesel, one complete motor, one spare motor, extractors, exhaust, sundry parts scrounged - PRICELESS!!

Oh, and there are rumours of a new sponsor... watch this space!

Qld Corvette Club Concourse

Sunday morning arrived and so did Scottie - Booger Mobile had been loaded onto the trailer previously and spent the night shivering in 7 degree temperatures!! Covered in dew it made for an eerie sight in the pre-dawn!


Damian and Scottie hooked Booger Mobile up to the mighty Patrol tow vehicle and headed down to the Gold Coast for the second time in as many weekends - this time as guests of the Qld Corvette Club at their annual Concourse/Show'n'Shine. The Qld Corvette Club are proud supporters of Camp Quality, and have been for a number of years.

Arriving at the beachfront at Surfers Paradise, Damian manouvered the Booger Mobile into position - the first spot, and he and Scottie began setting up ready for the arrival of the spectators!

Scottie took the time to relax under the tree while the boys waited for the arrival of Team Green Machine, who were also coming along.


Damian's Patrol looked right at home parked on the foreshore, and made him wish that he went driving up the beach more often!

As the sun rose and the waves rolled in, the boys enjoyed a morning coffee and waited...


The Drift Bodyworx and Blow-In Shopfitting stickers glistened in the morning sun!


A short time later, Damian remembered to put the orange flashing light on the roof!

And the waves continued to roll in!

The boys were eventually joined by Team Green Machine (later in the day renamed to Lisa and the Leo's by Damian) in their bright green 1989 Ford Fairlane. A healthy rivalry developed then, with Team Green Machine making note that at least their car had an engine, but Team Booger Mobile countering that their car is Classic, not PLASTIC!!

Always one for comparisons, Damian decided to compare front ends between the two vehicles...


Seems that there were plenty of opportunities for Damian to photograph Booger Mobile with the ocean in the background...

And a gratuitous rear end shot!

The mighty Booger Mobile on display - calling out "come and look at me!!"

Later in the day, a chick with a bird was wandering along minding her own business, so Damian asked if she'd mind being photographed for the blog!! Luckily she said YES!! (It's a Macaw by the way...)

More angles, more fantastic Booger Mobile shots, and more waves in the background!

Waves through the windows (with a little photo trickery to get the Cadist Consulting logo the right way around!!)

Later in the day, the Booger Mobile was still shining brightly... pity the boys couldn't say the same for the tired old orange light!!

Later in the afternoon, Scottie and Damian loaded all the gear back into Booger Mobile and headed back home. Plenty of donations in the tin, a lot of laughs with the crew from Lisa and the Leo's (who are actually doing this year's CQ esCarpade), and plenty of balloons and business cards handed out!

Thanks to everyone who managed to get down to see Booger Mobile, and of course a massive thanks to the Qld Corvette Club for inviting the boys down!!

Auto transmission located!

The search for an engine/transmission sponsor has ended, with the boys deciding that Damian should just go ahead and purchase each... A 250 pre-crossflow engine has been purchased, but not yet collected, so the search began in ernest for a Borg Warner Model 35 (BW35) automatic transmission.

After several calls to wreckers, scouring ebay etc, it transpired that to purchase one was going to cost several hundred dollars. It turned out that XD Falcons generally had BW35 Auto's in them (those that didn't had C4 Auto's, each useful, but BW35 slightly easier to fit into an XM Falcon), so Scottie checked out ebay and found that there was a complete, registered (until 16/8/2009) XD Falcon Station Wagon located not too far from Damian's house.

Damian stalked the auction, watching two punters try to outbid each other, then with just a few seconds remaining, swooped in and stole it out from under them for the bargain price of $405!!

Damian collected the (still registered) XD Falcon today and drove it home. Under the bonnet, lots of goodies for the boys to use!! A brand new battery, windscreen washer bottles, distributor, potentially the radiator... so much to choose from!!


Damian slid under the XD and found the telltale sign of a BW35 - the Borg Warner Model 35 ID plate, located on the passenger side of the transmission!


Turns out that there are also two brand new tyres on the front, and the rims are quite nice (for stock rims), and there are five of them!! Looks like the boys have themselves a set of rims to use also!

Finally, there was also a CD player and speakers in the XD. Literally IN the XD. The speaker boxes were rolling around in the boot area, as Damian discovered turning a corner on the way home only to hear roll, roll, roll, BANG!!

All in all, a good purchase. For only slightly more than the cost of the BW35 transmission on its own, the boys have a whole car load of goodies that can be potentially used (and a 250 crossflow engine that will be on ebay shortly!!)

Looking forward to seeing everyone down at the Gold Coast tomorrow

Booger Mobile's next outing!

The next place for you to come and see Booger Mobile is as follows:

Queensland Corvette Club Inc
Annual Concourse/Show'n'Shine
Sunday 16 August 2009, from 8:00am.
The Esplanade (opposite Cavill Mall) Surfer's Paradise.
Spectator's free!!

Booger Mobile is appearing as special guest of the Qld Corvette Club Inc, who are proud supporters of Camp Quality!

Donations pass $1000!!

Thanks to the generosity of all who have given so far, Team Booger Mobile's donation total has now passed $1000, and this doesn't include the money from Sunday's All Ford Day at the Gold Coast (which will be counted by the Camp Quality office on Thursday!).

Special thanks to Kaye who is doing some fundraising of her own over in Perth to assist Team Booger Mobile reach their goals!

Gold Coast All Ford Day

The alarm went off at 4am, waking Damian from a restless sleep. He staggered out of bed and put the kettle on, before having a quick shower to freshen up. Brewing some coffee, he noted that Scottie had emerged from the guest room and had begun to take stock of the situation.

It was the morning of the Gold Coast All Ford Day, and it was time to go! Slurping down a fresh coffee, the boys collected the few remaining items on their list and headed off into the dark of night.

Arriving at the Carrara Stadium just on daybreak (no thanks to Damian's GPS which decided that the best way to a main road was through a winding residential area), they boys were first to arrive (as far as entrants go) and parked at the main entrance, passing the time by wiping the dew off Booger Mobile and polishing the chrome!



Finally the gates were open, and the boys had a prime location on the end of one of the rows, clearly visible from the front gate. It was going to be a great day!

Ignoring his shadow on the table, Damian took a photo of the Camp Quality goodies (and Blow-In Shopfitting stickers/fridge magnets) that were put on display. The balloons proved to be a big hit!!

As the sun came out, the day began to warm up, and the crowd started to filter in. Booger Mobile was entered into the competition in the Early Falcon category.

The crew from Shannon's Insurance had a truck there that had an upstairs viewing platform - it wasn't open to the public, however Damian asked very nicely if he could get a quick photo of Booger Mobile from up above, and the nice Shannon's man obliged!!

During the day, the boys met another couple of esCarpade entrants who had come down to see Booger Mobile, and Quintin (another Camp Quality volunteer) popped by, taking a photo for the boys. Damian seems to have sprouted some extra ears!!

All in all, a great day was had. The sun shone, the birds chirped, Damian got to plug Camp Quality and Booger Mobile on the roving microphone (thanks Stuart!), some donations were made into the tin, the balloons disappeared, and the boys were offered a pair of XP 5-stud axles! Things were good!

At the end of the day, Booger Mobile didn't win the coveted Best in Show prize (no surprises there really, it's not a show car!!), however Damian did manage to spread the word about Camp Quality, Scottie gleaned some further information about mechanical things for the Booger Mobile, and thanks to Brett (another entrant/visitor to the event), they also collected a nice pair of 5-stud axles on the way home!

The trip back to Brisbane was uneventful, and went very quickly. Booger Mobile is being left on the trailer this week so that it's ready to go next Sunday for the Queensland Corvette Club Annual Concourse/Show'n'Shine on Sunday 16 August 2009, again at the Gold Coast. Stay tuned for further details during the week!!

Many thanks to all the people who came to see Booger Mobile, made donations, offered advice, kind words or just a good laugh! Hope to see you at the next event!!

Ready for Gold Coast All Ford Day!!

Scottie arrived mid afternoon to get a few finishing touches on Booger Mobile ready for taking to the Gold Coast All Ford Day on Sunday 9 August 2009 at Carrara on the Gold Coast.

Damian attached the Drift Bodyworx sticker on the bonnet, ably assisted by Scottie. It was quite tricky due to the shape of the raised section of the bonnet.


Turned out pretty good though, don't you think?



Booger Mobile was also sporting some (fake) BOOGER number plates! Perhaps someone would like to sponsor the $3000 that it would cost to purchase said plates!! (Kidding!)



Quick test of the magnetic signage was also undertaken, and Booger Mobile was READY!!

After loading Booger Mobile onto the trailer in the daylight (hooray!!), the boys settled into a few quiet drinks and some further paperwork in readiness for the big day!

Remember to come and see Booger Mobile!!

Gold Coast All Ford Day

Carrara Park - behind Carrara Stadium

Sunday 9 August 2009

Gates open 9am!!

Booger, buffs, bibs and bobs!

Sunday rolled around and Scottie arrived bright and early to get started on rubbing back some imperfections in the paint, ready for a cut and polish.

You can see the spots on the boot lid that were rubbed back (wet rubbed with 2000 grit sandpaper).



The whole roof was also rubbed back...




Meanwhile, Damian was attaching then cleaning the door trims. Both the boys were dubious that the colour would suit, but they have turned out surprisingly well!!

Wet rubbing of the bonnet, along with a nice shot showing how the paint appears different colours in different lighting conditions...

During the rubbing back, Booger Mobile started bleeding (all over Damian's shed floor!)

Once the rubbing back was completed, Scottie got to work using his special cutting compounds and his flash new buff...

And after the cut and polish, the boot looked something like this!

While Scottie continued buffing, Damian was rubbing back chrome door handles with steel wool! (In case you can't tell, the one on the right has been done.)

Nice shot of the bonnet part way through the cut and polish procedure!

Damian got the four door handles finished, then realised that there were still four window winders to be done! D'oh!! Here's the finished product!

And attached to the door... (Sadly the arm rests appear to be off another vehicle - Damian might need to get some vinyl paint and sort that mismatch out!!

Scottie's buff decided to join the action and turn itself green for the occasion!

Once the bonnet was finished, it was so shiny that Damian could take his wife's photo using the reflection!

Time to push the car out of the shed again ready for washing (and boy will the boys be glad when there's an engine in the car!!)

The water beads nicely on the freshly waxed paint!

Gratuitous artistic shot of beading water on the roof...

And this one is for blog follower Kaye who requested a shot with the boot open!

Here it is, all polished and waxed, ready for it's next big outing!!

And from the side...

As you can all see, Scottie has done a fabulous job cutting and polishing, then waxing Booger Mobile. Damian did his best with the door trim, chrome bits and various other bits and pieces.

Remember - come and see Booger Mobile at the Gold Coast All Ford Day... Hope to see you there!