Pop N Wood
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Posts posted by Pop N Wood
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What's funny to me is how people try and change the subject and fail at seeing a clear argument.
I sure hope that wasn't directed at me.
I am sure your arguments are very clear to you. But you are only looking at part of the problem.
I am 100% certain the engine on my Toyota will outlive the life of the chassis. 8 years old, 85K miles, engine run likes a top and the body is banged to ****. I figure in 8 more years when the truck has 130K miles on it, the engine will still be running fine, but the truck will look so bad even I won't want to own it anymore.
So tell me, what advantage do I have to keep the engine running beyond that? What is your clear argument for that?
And from what I can tell, the above applies to the overwhelming majority of drivers. 98% of my neighbors don't keep a car beyond 3 years. What is their clear incentive to go from $10 an oil change to 20 or 30? Is the trade in value on their upside down lease going to skyrocket because they have a fistful of overpriced oil change receipts?
Your arguments are a solution in search of a problem. That is the entire point of my argument. Dino oil allows my engine to do everything I want it to do. Why **** with it? Why try to fix something that isn’t broke?
I work as a defense contractor. I design and build weapon systems that the government pays billions of dollars for. Systems that can be used to target and deliver weapons of mass destruction. Seems like cost is the last of their worries. Yet as an engineer evaluating cost some how manages to consume an incredible portion of my time. In many cases it is the most demanding trade I have to make. Why do you suppose that is?
Cost is always and issue, and in many cases it is the key discriminator. Yet that makes the problem too difficult for most people to evaluate so they often resort to such simple minded arguments like “this is betterâ€.
Have fun enjoying your “added protectionâ€. I will give the money I save to Jim Beam instead. Let’s see who has the bigger smile on his face after that.
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Before you start throwing money at parts, wire brush your battery terminals and fully charge the battery with an external charger overnight. "Looks clean" doesn't count. Take a wire brush to them. Then check all your other connections.
If that doesn't work, then try jumpering the two main lugs on the solenoid with a screw driver. That bypasses the starter relay, S wire and the contacts in the solenoid itself. If jumpering the solenoid doesn't work, then you have a bad ground or a bad starter. Plain as that.
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Maybe he was using those double secret drop tube dampers.....
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Maybe he was using those double secret drop tube dampers.....
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Funny how people always try to ignore costs when they argue what is "best".
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I have been on the losing end of trying to help self destructive family members.
You can take solace in the fact you did a good thing and by remembering the saying "he who steals my purse steals trash". Also remember, especially when it comes to addicts, sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better. Until he wants help there is not much you can really do for him. With addicts, that simply doesn't happen until they can recognize that their problem is causing as much trouble in their own lives as it has for all of those around them. That can take years.
Do him a favor and put him in jail. When you see him agian, let him know you still want to help him, but that until he cleans up his life you will hurt him should he come around your house or your family. I would also change all the locks and get new credit cards.
Good luck.
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How do you tell if your calipers are "flexing"?
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.... What I came away with was M1 0-40 was the best all around oil for general purpose grocery getter, hammer it on the street, extended drain interval, kind of driving.....
Better in what sense? And how good is good enough?
Premium gas is "better" than regular, but if your car doesn't need it you are wasting your money buying it.
Synthetics are "better" in that they last longer and don't break down with temperature as readily. But they sure cost a lot more and may add so little to the longevity of the engine that what they provide doesn't offset the cost. At least that is what every study I have ever seen says.
As long as it has the SAE seal of approval on it then it is good enough for a street car. Figure those guys must know something.
And don't the synthetic manufactures recommend chaning the filter every 5K miles anyway? So they are not saving that much work.
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A 1/16" to 1/8" set of washers under the hinges might do it, or even better a plate. But still it is a patch, the bottom line is the stripping doesn't fit. I will check out the door hinge system next time I am up at the Z's home.
Won't that then make the door skin no longer align with the fender?
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do a search on lock codes. We have at least one locksmith member. Maybe he can hook you up.
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Threre is just something too cool about a magnet that can hurt me.
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I bought one from MSA maybe 15 years ago. Has served me well. It has a cut out for a drivers side fender mirror but not passengers mirror. It fits over the passenger mirror no problem. it is loose enough that it might stretch over a g nose. Call MSA and ask them if they know.
Only issue is the antenna poked a hole in the cover. Don't see any way to prevent that though.
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That is really not a lot of HP for such a complicated engine. I would rather have a supercharged american V8
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For a rental with no natural gas a portable propane heater is probably your best bet. Wal-Mart sells the things that hook right on top of a gas grill tank. They are cheap and kick out some BTU's, but not so many BTU's that they need to be vented.
Keep in mind that too big of a gas or kerosene heater and it will have to be vented to be safe. Not hard to do actually. Many gas heaters only need a single, plate sized hole in a side wall. In fact, maybe you could buy a gas fireplace that has a single side vent, run it off propane then take the whole rig with you should you move. Would fit against a side wall and not take up too much space.
Woodstoves are probably the cheapest option. And that is something that could be run unattended. Any of the portable heaters should be shut down when you are not at home. Never leave a propane tank in a garage. The valves can leak and blow up the garage. Happens all the time.
Electric heat is pretty expensive to run, especially in a poorly sealed garage like mine.
If you owned the place and had natural gas, then getting a used furnace or heater is a viable option. Just keep in mind if you rig your own gas lines you could be in serious trouble with your insurance company should anything happen. In most states there is no legal way for you to run your own gas lines and plumbers charge ridiculous prices to do it legally.
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Good news indeed. With one good eye he will still be able to see the smile on his future childrens faces.
Who needs more in this life?
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JohnC had some pretty good quotes about racing with ABS. Might try a search.
ABS is only as good as the engineers that programed it, and most of them did not anticipate the brake temp levels encountered while racing. John mentioned Camaros that would spin off track when the computer sudden thought the car was in snow. At least that is what I remember from his posts.
Guess a good driver running the car on the edge doesn't want the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly changing it's braking characteristics.
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Sounds like a plan. Probably a good idea to not wait till spring. Looks like the auction above will close with no bids, so might even get the same deal.
There is a good bit of work to get the Z ready though. A dead engine will be hard to work around.
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Jeez. Come to a hybrid site hopeing to find for some open minds.
http://popularhotrodding.com/tech/0409phr_gmpp/
500 hp with a stock LS1, cam and carb. Suppose to be streetable too. Try that with a first gen SBC.
The article is actually a little old. I have seen other articles mentioning spark controllers for a carbed LS engine.
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I didn't need a parts car. I used a Willwood clutch cylinder, JTR stuff, and Johns cars stuff. I guess that some have the time to deal with it, but I dont have the time so I just spend my hard earned money on new and aftermarket parts to fill in the gaps.
Hear that. Parting out a Camaro is not really an option living in the burbs with a one car garage. Just found out the Camaro engines come out from underneath. That would be a pretty good trick in my driveway. Guess I could dig a pit in the backyard.
I don't even like the idea of Johns Cars pieces. But as a time saver I may have to reconsider.
But I would still like to find out how people found their parts cars. Might be a cheaper source of a drivetrain if I work it right.
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Sounds like you will be replacing some exhaust pieces. What exhaust manifolds do you have? Are they factory type cast iron? Cast iron doesn't weld well. Maybe time to upgrade to some block huggers.
You definitely don't want exhaust leaks under the hood. Think carbon monoxide.
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How did you guys find your parts cars?
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If I were you I would consider the 385 fast burn engine over the ZZ4. Only another 30 HP over the ZZ4, but better heads. Add a cam and roller rockers and you get 430 HP.
In my opinion, the big differnce between the two engines will be price. Pull a used LT1 and you get a complete, fuel injected engine and tranny combo for well under 2 grand. A complete ZZ4 combo might run $7k for just the engine, and that will be carb'd and not FI.
http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/1578/SDPC-High-Performance-Series-Street-and-Strip-Engines.htm
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Thanks for the input. Just trying to get an idea what the market price for such engines are.
I have been watching the Bristol place for a year or more now. This is their standard price for such items and they get low mile deals like this all of the time. This aution will most likely end with no bids. Most of them do. Leads me to believe I could probably call them and get a better pick up price. Their 99.7% positive feedback rating, and the fact they have sold thousands of these, makes me believe they are about as safe as any ebay dealer. They do have a pretty complete package. They even include the pedals.
The price with an auto is $600 less. They have an 02 Fbody with auto and 39K miles on auction now for BIN of $4200. So it's not like if I let this deal go I will not see another one again. So the $4k qwik240z payed is ball park. Except IIRC you have a Corvette motor which for some reason commands a good bit more.
The smart thing for me to do is wait till spring to pick one up. I need to get the Z licensed first, that way the motor swap won't be an issue with the safety inspection. That should keep me busy until after the snows are over. With enough prep work over the winter I wonder if I could get one installed within their 90 warranty period.
But having that thing sitting in the garage would be a hell of a motivator....
Leading Synthetic Oils
in Miscellaneous Tech
Posted
This Manhattan is tasting pretty sweet.
How's that added protection treating you guys?