Subj: I bother Don Lebentritt
Date: 7/13/00

Greetings:
This will be a short story. Not too long ago, I read an E-mail that Don had posted about putting sway bars on his NSX. Being the curious sort of fellow that I am, I E-mailed him wanting to know how he liked them. Don responded promptly saying that they made a significant difference and that if I wanted to try his car, it would be a good comparison because that was the only mod he had installed. I gave Don a chance to retract his invitation but he said it was sincere and to give him a call. I'm thinking, I can't be that lucky; Don would just let me try his car? There must be something else. Maybe he's looking to become the subject in one of my stories. Either way, I won't pass on a chance to try his car.
It's Saturday, and having just returned home from the track I call Don to see if we are still a go for the drive. He says yes, so I head for his house. I have been putting quite a few miles on my NSX and my poor Accord must think that I have dumped him for another pretty face. You may recall from earlier stories that if I park my Accord in the wrong stall and use a different Honda, he seems to get jealous, for when I first start the engine, it will run ruff for about 15 sec. If he is in the proper stall, I can leave him for weeks (TDY with the military) without any difficulty. I can park him in the wrong stall but use him daily, no problem. When I first brought the NSX home and put him in the Accord stall to inspect/go over the car; without a hint of prior trouble, the battery in the Accord went bad in two days. I could go on with stories of similar incidents, it's more than a coincidence! Well, having said that, the Accord has been in the furthest stall, he has balked being in this stall before (just for one day I might add) so you can imagine my expectations when I left him there for the week while I was prepping for the track. When I started him up, he ran just as smooth as silk. What was different? A few weeks ago at work, I walked into flight operations only to notice everything in disarray. They were preparing for a contractor to remove the carpet and install new. I asked what they were going to do with the old carpet? They said it would be thrown out. I asked if I could take it now. "Sure," was the reply, "It will save the contractor time and he will be able to get the new one in quicker!" So before they changed their minds, I started to rip and tear at it. The carpet was just lightly secured to the floor so it came up relatively easy. Before long I had it removed, plus a few other rolls to use as bartering tools to get someone to haul it home for me. (what does this have to do with my trip to Don's house? It's a long ride to his house and I don't want you to get board :-) The carpet is just a couple of inches narrower that my garage stall and a few feet shorter in length, which is good, because when I have a driving rain, some water seeps under the overhead door. With the NSX on the carpet, it looks like a showroom car. Back to the Accord; Seems my Accord enjoys scratching his feet in the pile, because he hasn't balked one iota sense the carpet was installed. (isn't that something?) Oh, how do I know the Accord is a "he"? Location of the exhaust pipe. Males are on the right, females (i.e., many older Civics) are on the left. That way, the Accord and Civic can go back to back and match and produce a CRX. (I know, I'm a very sick lonely man) When Hondas were becoming more test-tube cars instead of being born, the exhaust pipes changed to the right on Civics; and that is why there are no more CRXs. A few bazaars experiments in adult Hondas yielded the del Sol, but the outcome was negative and the experiments stopped. (It looks like I'm near Don's house, so I can continue my original story)
Don's instructions were excellent and I had no problem finding his house (he must really want to be in my story). His garage door is open and I can see the rear of his 92 Silver/Black. As I pull in his yard, I decide to knock on the door hoping someone else will answer so I can say, "Wow, is that an NSX; mind if I drive it?" To my dismay, nobody answers! I try again, nothing! Now where is Don hiding? Did he finally come to his senses and is hiding in the closet? I go around back and holler through the screen door. Finally a reply comes and Don comes out to greet me. Don is replacing the ceiling molding in his kitchen and has been hard at work. After a few pleasantries, we go out to his car and take it for a test drive. Talking with Don I can see that he is just a very generous sincere person and....like most of us he owns another Honda. Don's car is in better condition than mine and is a pleasure to drive. I think the intent was just to take it around the block, but the block seems to be getting larger and larger. His car definitely handles better than mine did with the OEM shocks but it seems about the same or maybe not quite as good as mine does with the new Bilsteins. We go back to his house, hop in my car, and go for another ride to compare. He is driving my car and not to far down the road we almost have a bird strike. "I see what you mean about animals," he says. I caution him that if he sees a deer or other animal, STOP! This animal attraction that my car has is not just a saying. (I didn't put the Bilsteins on just to make the car handle better at the track ya know) His impression of my car is that it handles good, but not quite as well as his does with the sway bars. (I think we are both trying to justify our purchases) When we pull into his yard I get out my new toy. A Raytek ST-30 pyrometer (Roo, Roo, Roo). This baby has multiple lasers, -25 to 950* F with a response time of 500mSec (give me more power!!) I'm shooting my tires, the exhaust, the brakes, heck I even use it at work to tell when the boss is really getting hot under the collar. (Note: I have seen them listed for $220 - $250. If anyone wants one, I should be able to get you one for $189 plus tax) Don and I go into his house and talk a little. We have been trying to talk each other into getting what the other doesn't have. (I the sway bars, He the Bilsteins) The object of course is to let someone else buy the upgrade so that the other person can try before they buy. We seem to be at a stalemate on this issue so when all else fails.....go eat! Don decides we should go in his Prelude. It is parked beside his house perpendicular to my NSX. He backs a little, goes ahead, backs a little. Don thinks he can make it out. I think discretion over valor is the right call and move my car. The diner that Don has taken us to is done in 50s decor. The food is good, the conversation better and it is DEFINITELY the way to spend a sunny afternoon. To my surprise, Don has picked up the tab for lunch. I thought it should be the other way around. But he insists. Talk about making out like a bandit! Drive someone's NSX and they buy you diner? Well, as I said earlier, that's just the kind of man Don is. (I am doing my best to stall things for Don. It is just too good of a day to be working indoors.) When we arrive back to his house, Don shows me a counter top project he completed. Don isn't a carpenter perse, but the projects he tackles sure look great. I give him a couple of pointers on installing molding, and time my exit so that the only time available for Don is to get supplies at the store for tomorrow's use. I have accomplished my mission. I compared NSXs, gave Don an excuse to get out of the house (I didn't present him much of a choice), and spent the afternoon with another great member from our NSXCA. Thanks Don!!

I think I am the "Black Sheep" of our flock. Every one of you that I have spent time with has been so gracious. I am very thankful for that. I look forward to returning your hospitality. Peter and Sylvia Mills have been working hard to teach me culture. They realize that underneath (OK, way underneath) my crude exterior lies a basically half decent guy. Sometime the training has been subliminal. For instance; Sylvia offered me a snack, out came a sandwich with more meat than I use in a week. (I chuckled and told Pete that if this had happened at my house; It would have been one slice, stretched across the bread.) The sandwich was followed by a pickle, salad, and preceded by the now infamous brownie (with milk, of course). Syl's a class act.
Yes, ......I have a lot to learn. (Guess the story wasn't as short as I thought)
Larry G.