RebekahsZ

Just got in from Newport Beach. Family trip is in the bag. Sleep in tomorrow (thanks for that link), then make our way to the airport. Next big trip is the GA 1/2-mile, Sep 16.

Made it down to Huntington Bch. Everybody's happy. Stopped by Venice Bch on the way and saw some of the best skateboarding I've ever seen.

Thanks-but I'm working around 3 women with hair to do. We rarely get out of the house before 1200. Like I said, it's a family vacation.

Thanks, bro. This is a family trip and the family (3 women) have been pretty patient with me. Today we slept in after a show at the Troubadour last night. Then we cruised around Beverly Hillssight-seeing. What was interesting to me was how much folks probably pay to live almost as nice as I do in Alabama. If they only knew...and no traffic! We stumbled upon a park entrance with no guard called Greystone Park. Holy smokes, what a place! A mansion from a turn-of-the century oil baron, with grounds open to the public (and obvious disregard for drought-inspired watering restrictions)! It was an oasis for me and I really got recharged from the grime of Hollywood. Then we crossed the hills into Burbank for the Bob's Big Boy cruise-in. Very mild traffic both ways. Great time in a great setting. Car guys are car guys, although I prefer the drag racing set over the show set. But the cars were top notch, folks were friendly, and we even saw a REAL 427 Cobra. No S30s . Good burger and shake at a historic joint and home to bed earlier than usual. We drove the historic Mulholland Drive both ways. Only bad news is that: I fudged up my scheduling big time. Turns out, that this weekend is the LA Roadster Show. But tomorrow I promised the family a trip to Huntington Beach. Looks like I gotta sack up and do the beach and let that bucket-list item (LA Roadster Show and Wally Hall NHRA Museum) wait for another day. If I come out this way again, I will stay in Burbank as someone suggested and just pop over into LA as needed. Hollywood is just a little too closed in for me. But it has been a pretty good location to tour from.

I haven't seen a single S30 since I've been out here. I saw a couple of Z31s at the Sonoma drags, and one Z32 in traffic, but that's it! Went to Troubadour last night for a concert. Rebekah was in charge of Uber rides last night-that was pretty cool and easy. Maybe I will put my first app on my phone. Whole family needed a sleep day, so I'm just getting up and around. Heading to Bob's Big Boy in Burbank for Cruz Night for supper tonight.

If the boots don't sling grease on a 20- minute track session you are golden. The lock nuts are a great idea, but way overkill. If you have it apart in the future, you can delete them. I've driven hard on mine for a couple of years with slicks, track days and LS2 4500 rpm clutch dumps and 1.4 60 foot times and never had one loosen up even without locktite. The old u-joint stubs used to take torque every third pass in the 1/8-mile with a 100hp L24.

I got to the Petersen today. Upper floors were ok, but the extra $20 for the vault tour was well worth it. The only Datsun in the place was Adam Corolla's #85 BRE 510. Beautiful, simple car. Made me want a 510 all over again! After that I want one of those Art Deco Delahaynes. Beautiful stuff. I was expecting more street rods. Wish O had time to go to Wally Hall's NHRA Museum, but I don't. Tomorrow is Bob's Big Boy for supper. And will try to go by Hollywood Hotrods.

Zspeed22-do they clear the steering rod too? How is plug wire clearance?

I haven't been single since the 11th grade. Sounds scary. I saw the Crying Game when it came out-there looks to be a lot of crying here in LA. Pulling up to the Petersen. As we speak.

Cancelled SD portion of trip because of how much driving we are doing, wasn't letting us do any living. Finishing off the trip in LA. Our lodging is a little sketchy, but we were able to walk to the Chinese Theater to start our bus tour today. Achieved a childhood bucket-list item by going to the LaBrea Tar Pits. Very cool. Next time I fart in the pool, Im telling the girls that it's the methane from the tar under the pool! And right across the street from the tar pits is the Petersen. Went to my first wax museum-Madaam Tussauds beside the Chinese Theater. That was wild-I kept expecting the statues to start laughing as I had stare-down contests with them. Tomorrow we hit the Broad art museum for Rebekah, then in the afternoon we may hit the Petersen. I don't even know what day of the week it is! Spending money like a drunken sailor. No offense, So-Cal guys, but as an Alabama boy, LA is kinda gross. I loved surfing in Central CA back in the 90s, but down here there's just too many people and too little green grass and trees. I'm starting to understand the term "rat race." And right now, I'm one of the rats. I bought my house in Alabama for $228k, and it makes most of these Beverly Hills "mansions" look like match boxes. In Alabama, we aren't just keeping up with the Kardashians, we are leaving them in our dust! Next time I do this trip, I think Im gonna stick to small Victorian towns. Or maybe I will just head to Costa Rica.

I consider shooting mine with regularity.

Thanks guys! So far, my wife won't let me pick eateries. She and the girls are using Yelp, and has so far veto-d all my suggestions. Arrived in LA today-Santa Monica was much more urban than I expected. Enjoyed the drive down the coast. There has been virtually no surf, so that has helped with my cravings to rent a board and paddle out. LOVED Pismo Beach! So quiet, so peaceful, so beautiful. LA is making me feel like a rat in a maze, but I should adapt here in a day or two. We came into Hollywood from Santa Monica right up Santa Monica Blvd. Being a gun-toting straight guy, I feel a bit left out of the party. The Mendenhall Museum in Buellton was really as much about painted and enamel signs, auto-memorabilia and antique gas pumps as it was about landspeed. The hostess, Vicky, was incredible, but there was only one Bonneville car there. I did get to study the 32 Ford frame and fiberglass body since it was mostly disassembled. Vicky was very, very knowledgeable about salt flat racing and cars. I hope I get to the Petersen as planned. Tomorrow is a bus tour of Hollywood and vic. We think our Airbnb accommodations here in Hollywood are owned by the Croatian Mafia. If I stop the updates, somebody tell the State Department that I have been sold into the international sex trafficking underground. Which my wife thinks I would enjoy very much!

Looking great! My boots don't have that squished look at the clamp-I hope those don't leak. Also, my companion flanges are threaded so that I don't need a nut on the back side. I torque them to either 35# or 55#, I can't remember. I have to use a crowd foot on a 3/8" torque wrench. I fashioned a big crowd foot pry bar out of a 3" wide chisel to help pop the axles out-it really helps to pry evenly on 2 sides at the same time. It scars up the paint on the diff, but oh well.

What happens if the dust gets wet?

Any chance they could be flipped to install up-side-down?

Made the drive to Yosemite by the dark of the moon. Hiked to the top of Yosemite Z Falls to re-create a day my wife and I spent hiking there 22 years ago. That was day before yesterday and I still can't walk right! Motor toured Santa Cruz and half of Monterey yesterday. Stopped at several fruit and veggie stands-yum! Will do rest of Monterey and Carmel today. There's no swell, so that takes some pressure to surf off of me. Tomorrow is more hiking in Big Sur. Hope my calves loosen up! Probably won't look at Laguna Seca-family isn't really into car (actually somewhat hostile) stuff and I'm gonna be pushing my luck with some of my LA destinations.

I had one slip off at a track day because the CV was worn (it was one I got from a junk yard that had lost grease in the past) and it got hot. When it got hot, the boot got slimy from the heat, which allowed the clamp to slip. It was the loose clamp quietly jingling around that caused me to pit and find the problem. I had brought spare CVs, grease, boots and a vice and press to the 3-day event. I swapped The offending CV, reused the clamp and enjoyed the rest of the track day. It was wear that caused the failure, not torque or power. That's my one and only track day CV failure. These parts are 40 years old.

I think the new boots fit well enough to omit the small hose clamps. Let's all stay on the look out for narrower large hose clamps!?

Yesterday: GGPark, GG bridge, Pier 39, Cable car ride, Sees candy, bunch of art galleries for Rebekah, Lombard St, Marina Dist, Palace of Fine Arts, Presidio, sushi and sake for supper. Today: I scrambled some eggs to save a $100 breakfast ticket, then went to Napa and tasted at Mondovi, then stopped by Sonoma Raceway and watched some drag racing (the Z would have been pretty fast compared to the field), and then watched some drifting-something I'd never seen before in person. Pretty cool stuff-I could get lost in that pretty easy-looks super fun! Tomorrow-hike at Muir Woods, then a little more downtown before leaving SF for Yosemite.

I've spent enough today to pay for a T56 Magnum. How do you guys live like this...? My wife is like: " I'll take one of those, and one of those, and one of those!" Like we don't have any f-ing stores in Dixie!?

Not far. We are near 18th and Judah. Just had brunch at Zazie-omg-so good. Wallet is significantly lighter.

Where are you located, vosslar?

Very neat! Interesting commentary on the 9" solid axle and servicibility. I guess I'm old fashion, but back in my day, guys didn't wear their uniforms unless they retired, and please shave if you are gonna wear a uniform in garrison. Amazing car and concept and amazing company.

Supper in the Cole Valley at a (can I still say Mexican?) place called Padresitos. Great food-very different from what we call "Mexican" food back home. Drove by St. Anne's Catholic Church on the way home-spectacular. Thought about going to confession this week just to see the inside (hint: I'm not Catholic)-just think of all the things I could confess..we'd be at it a while! Beautiful city. Very considerate drivers on both the 101 from the airport and in town. Id have an auto trans here for sure.

Beware, every CV axle I have rebuilt that had lost a lotta grease was toast-got really hot with use due to worn bearing races. But every axle that I have rebuilt that has good boots that hadn't lost grease has been fine with just new grease. Moral of the story-rebuild and use the ones that look the best. Get prepared to use a 3# sledge in anger and to hate c-clips. Your first axle will be hard to rebuild but your second one will be easier. Do one at a time so you don't mix up and put the wrong stub on the wrong shaft. We've all done that and had to tear down a second time and switch them around.