New Guy Dean

[DeanD3W]

Hello,
My name is Dean Watts. I live in Camas Washington, near Portland Oregon. I'm 48 & a life-long car and motorcycle nut. I've let other priorities keep me from building for much of my life. When I was 16 I started on what was eventually a partially completed a '30 Model A Coupe street rod - sold to help pay for college. After a BSIE degree I spent 5 years in the Navy getting nuclear power and submarine training then 5 patrols on the USS Ohio, SSBM 726 Blue.

After the Navy time, I went back to school again and was part of Oregon State U's 1995 team that built Formula SAE car. I did the welding and sheet metal work (no compound curves except a hammer formed dashboard).

My wife & I have 5 kids < 12 years old & I just quit my job after 15 years at HP. I've started a business that I hope will feed the kids & I plan to move towards automotive/motorsports work over time. I've collected a few parts to get going... A 2007 Honda XR650L that will get reworked first, a 1970 roughusty MGB GT that will be a track day/autocross/street car with a 2.4L Solstice engine and transmission, and another Street Rod project or two that will come next... Then there's a boat I have plans for that I want to scale up and build, but that's really out there in the future. For about 4 more years I'm also a Coast Guard Reservist.

I plan to start collecting tools (only a TIG welder so far) and I hope to learn a lot here. Thank you.

Sorry for the long intro.

Dean
www.d3w-engineering.com