Here are the plans I have for the Crown: Fix brakes (possibly replace master cylinder) Fixed & replaced Bodywork/new paint job (needs missing chrome part on front) Install parking break Install wing mirrors to replace current side mirrors Repair/replace gauges (the temp. gauge is the only one I really need and it works; fuel gauge works at full tank and 1/4 tank, again, this is all I really need) Suspension (may dump the front; rear sus is OK as is) Sadly, this car is a poor candidate for classic restoration – she’s a bit rough and it would be quite expensive. Plus, it just doesn’t fit this car’s kick-ass demeanor.…

mooban def: a village or community (Thai) (note: I previously wrote about my new ride here) Maybe I should say the legend “continues,” since I’m told it’s quite possibly run a million kilometers over the past 36 years, but the legend of the Kujira Crown began for me on September 1, 2007. I happened across this ad shortly after it was posted on the Thai Visa forums: 1971 Toyota Crown Deluxe. RB20 Nissan 2 litre, 24 Valve Fuel Injected 6 Cylinder. 5 Speed Manual Airconditioning (but needs a re-gas) Registration expired, can be updated. Owner Book and change of ownership papers supplied. This is a tired old car, with brakes,…

There are several ferries running from Trat to Koh Chang. We chose the Center Point Ferry because it was the only one that looked like it wouldn’t sink if hit by a stiff breeze. The signs for it on the roadway emphasized the fact that they were using Japanese ferries, which was somehow very comforting (I don’t know how I would feel about trusting my life, wife, and car to a ferry made in, say, Kazakhstan or Luxembourg, you know?). It might be since I rode the ferry so many times between Awaji Island and Osaka, but I guess it’s the same thing applied to electronics or cars. Ferries are…