Chaparral2f

Back in the mid '60s I had a real sweet '53 Studebaker coupe. I had built a 455 Buick nailhead to drop in it. Being young and not too patient (smart) when I had it bolted in I decided that I wanted to hear it run. I hooked up a pair of jumper cables, filled it with oil and with a remote starter button in one hand and a coke bottle full of gas in the other I cranked it over, feeding it from the coke bottle. Engine Backfires through carbs. Idiot's bottle of gasoline catches fire. Idiot sees firey bottle, freaks out and flings it away. The bottle lands in a large pile of brush that hadn't been hauled away (by Idiot). The dry brush pile goes up like a torch. I (the idiot) run to where the water hose should have been hooked up but even though I didn't haul the brush away, I did manage to put the hose in the tool shed for the winter. I finally realize that nothing is close enough to the pyre to be in any danger of catching, but my older sister doesn't come to the same conclusion and so she calls the fire department. By the time the firemen arrive, the conflagration had burned itself down to a manageable size, I've gotten the garden hose (just in case) and everything is under control. The most painful part is having to explain to the fire fighters (most of whom I knew) just what had happened. They thought it was pretty funny so I guess it wasn't a complete loss.

This is probably my next project when I get the engine back in the Z31. It looks pretty easy. http://www.roddingroundtable.com/tech/articles/12ewheel.html I saw how you built a beadroller out of a pair of vicegrips. My gawd! I couldn't begin to do that. Joe

I can't believe the amount of good information. (almost as much as there is here) I found this by accident, while looking for plans for an inexpensive english wheel. These guys aren't fooling around. Take a look at the Bugatti project. [link]http://www.metalmeet.com/[link]

Sorry to hear about your oversight, but remember. If we could be shot for rookie mistakes, chances are we would all be dead.

I know that you are right about what to do. (but it sure would feel good to hurt him) However since I should be expected to show some inteligence, I've decided that it would be a shame to have him living out on the streets in winter. So because I am such a charitable kind of guy I've decided that when they catch him I will try to make it possible for him to have a nice warm place to stay for the next several years. We have replaced the Jimmy with a '96 T-bird. It has a 4.6 V8 and is clean and comfortable. We looked all over witha planned budget of about $8,000 but couldn't get anything that was decent. Finally ran across this bird that was a couple years older than I hoped for but it was only $3500. It was really clean and only has 70,000 miles. The wife and I seem to be able to handle emergencies in our lives, its just the cay to day things that are a hassle. Thanks again for all the support. Joe

He could have made a clean getaway, but its really hard to run in those big red shoes

I've read of the problems that some of the members have posted about. In the back of my head I've always been kind of thankful that things have been going pretty smooth for us. Damn, I guess that I should have known that crap doesn't miss you, it only waits until you aren't looking. My wife and I have been feeding our early thirties grandson for about three months now. He has had a drug problem and has been in and out of rehab four or five times. We took him in because we didn't want to see him homeless. While he has been with us we've spent about five hundred dollars on medical expenses for him. He has three kids that are being raised by his parents. He has no drivers licence because he isn't working and paying child support. Today my wife went with me in the truck. It was a short round, only 500 miles, about a ten hour trip. We left the grandson at home and drove my Jimmy into the yard where I work. After a fun day of driving in the rain and snow, we got home about 8:30 tonight. I parked the truck, and went to get the Jimmy to go home. The Jimmy wasn't where I parked it. I called the sheriff and when he arrived gave him the info on the car. Meanwhile my wife happened to see my bicycle propped up around the corner of the building where my car was parked. When we got home, and I found the Z31 pushed out into the driveway and my sportster moved into the center of the garage. I guess that he was going to steal it instead of the car, but I always disable it before I park it for the winter. In the house we discovered that : 1.My 41 magnum was missing. 2.The change jar had mysteriously dissapeared along with a 2lb coffee can full of change that was on the back of a shelf in out closet. 3.My laptop is missing. The officer said he'd get back to us, but I've been sitting here for about three hours getting more and more upset trying todecide whether to have him sent to prison when they catch him or finding him myself and hurting him real bad. What really sucks is that he let my wife, his grandmother, down. I think that if they catch him, and when he gets out of jail, I may just have to cripple him. When i do, it is gonna cause some real problems with the son in law and daughter, but right now I don't really give a rats a** anyway. Thanks for letting me rant, its better to sit here and talk than to get the bike out and chase around looking for him in the cold weather.

Its cars like yours that make me have to go back and redo a lot of stuff that I think looks alright. Gawd, I hope that someday in the far off future mine looks half that good! Great work.

The Hemi isn't in the back, it's in the middle! The car is actually mid engine rear wheel drive. It runs consistantly 11.0 seconds at abut 110 mph. Maybe the POS honda is almost as quick, but you got to remember this car was running 11's while carrying the front wheels 45 years ago. That, grasshopper is why it is known as a WHEELSTANDER. Of course I am prejudiced slightly. I love Hemis but Hondas make me want to puke.

That car has been around for years, and watching that video still makes me think "Chevrowhat?"

Okay Mike, Tell us about this girl so we can see if we approve. After all we are like family here, so we can take a poll to see if she meets our high standards. After all someone has to keep you in line

I had a friend that had a Mastiff. There are too many stories about it to tell. for instance, Mike (the friend) decided to tie it to the porch on a ratty little house he rented and Cleo (the dawg) promptly pulled the porch off the house. i really liked that dog, but my wife vetoed getting it. She said it was too big. So we ended up with a 98 lb pit bull.

My wife has been checking out the sand blasters at Harbor Freight. I guess that she thinks that the steam cleaner isn't getting me clean enough.

Like everything else concerning the enviromental laws what seems to be lacking is any sence of proportion. ie:the enviromentalists choke up at the thought of cutting even one tree, while the timber industry has nightmares of leaving one tree standing. "Can't we all just get along??" BTW, Will the paint cops be happy if I promise to paint my car Green?

Do you know how humilating must be to try and pull your pants up with that big stuck to your a$$?

All he had to do was pass a little gas, then slip a match under the rim and presto, he's loose!")

That is some really great work, those taillights look like they were made for the 280.

Look closely at my avatar. That car is an automatic, and it gave the Ford GT-40s all they could handle. It won at Nurburing and at brands Brands Hatch. It set the fastest lap time at Sebring and Daytona, and sat on the pole at Monza. Of course that was way back in the dark ages of 1967, and we all know that automatic transmission technology has just gone downhill since then. Rudypoochris, have you ever driven a car with a FULL manual valvebody? Mine is and it will shift anywhere I want it to into any gear. so if I wanted to drop into low gear at 8000 rpm, it will go.

Bettie Page? Now that was a hot looking woman!!

What do i call my car????? Are you trying to get me banned?

So, this high dollar car can't be depended on to start?? rthe realon you can't push start a modern automatic isn't the fluid coupling but the lack if a rear pump that is the problem. The early Hydromatics could be push started. You must mean those wussy little pickups that Lexus guys buy to haul ther motorcycles around. My truck has an 18 speed. If it ain't a Peterbilt, it ain't a truck.

Neat! But is the red one as the blue one?

That is the best puppetry that I have ever seen.

What is the problem with automatics? My th350, with a manual valvebody, will do anything that a standard will do (except miss shifts). As far as mopar not being a good transmission, I think that a 727 Torqueflite will handle more horsepower than any of the new cars make.