Mikelly

Taxes taxes taxes... Much like the price of fuel we have paid MUCH LESS FOR (When compared to the rest of the world), Taxes are also something we pay less of, when compared to other tax based countries... Schools Libraries Roads Infrastructure Water Resources Sewage Resources Power Grids State Parks Local Parks Local, State, National Governments Police Departments Highway Patrol Sherrifs Departments Free Clinics Public Hospitals Homeless shelters Rescue Squads Fire Departments Local, state and federal prisons Publically funded Nursing homes Mental welfare facilities I'm sure I'm missing a TON of other resources WE as a NATION take for granted. But all the above list are what your and MY taxes go towards. It is real easy to point fingers at our government when you don't look at the BIGGER picture. Example... When you get popped for vandalising public property, it is much like other laws that help govern public behavior... it is geared towards the betterment of the masses, no the few... So when you destroy public property, sure your taxes helped pay for the item, but for the good of the public, your actions warrant penalty... If you don't like the system... I severed an artery last year and could have died... I was very thankful when the local "publically funded" rescue squad came and took me to the hospital... I'll be sure and donate next year, and like this year, I'll continue to pay my taxes. Is our system perfect? Uh, NO. Will our tax base change? Probably not. Will it fluxuate depending on circumstances throughout the years and with who is in office at the time? YES... Will people still piss and moan over it? Yes. Should it bother you? Well it doesn't bother me... But I'm told that I'm one of those rich azzholes! Mike

Well I was just at CCWs website and I found that their prices although up there, are still less than I would have thought... $1800 for a set of four... Might have to go that route, but MAN $450 EACH... W-O-W! Mike 8)

That's a bit flawed... Here's why... We had a surplus of moneys stored in the clinton administration... Which meant the ratio for taxing was to high. This was no different than you or I adjusting our W-2 tax witholdings... President Bush was trying to adjust for that before 9/11 struck. I personally thought it was a dumb move, and that all these $300 and $600 checks being handed out was a bad thing, but like all the other sheeple, I cashed mine and spent it on things I could have done without...I commented way back then that I thought it was a BAD decision to send those checks out... But that was one of his campaign promisses... He kept it. Since the attacks on 9/11, our national economy was crippled. The NY Stock Exchange was closed for days and days and the airlines were grounded for weeks... Not something ANY president, democrat or republican could have predicted... I guess that is what upsets me most with those who are so critical of the president... Everyone seems to forget about WHAT HAPPENED on September 11, 2001 and how it changed the course of our nation. No matter who was at the helm, here we are. Not Bush's fault, although it is SOOOO EASY to look past those that set us on this course. As I've told a couple of you offline, My candidate was not nominated, and I'm NOT a republican, although I have felt compelled to defend President Bush, in the interest of fairness, and keeping facts as they should be, and for his poise and grace during the hardest month of any President, the 30 days following September 11, 2001. Regardless of how funny I think his butchering of the english language is, or how goofy he comes off. My personal belief is that he is sincere in his belief that he is doing good for the country. I really don't care what anyone else thinks, I'm speaking for what I believe, based on my view of Washington and the whitehouse. What I would do if I were Bush right now... I'd get rid of Rumsfeld and Powel. I think both men have steered him wrong and put us on this path. I'd also ditch Ashcroft. I'd Keep Coni Rice, and I'd start looking for a couple of Moderate strongholds to fill the void of the vacancies listed above. I believe Bush has accelerated his war, and made some serious errors, due to the three men listed above, and other key advisors currently on his staff. If he wants to be successful in his next term, I believe these changes are paramount to his success. Mike 8)

Uh that one is gonna be hard. THe widest I've found the Cobra Rs is 10.5. I've been keeping an eye out for a serious deal on some light weight 17X9 and 18X9s on Ebay and I've not seen any wider than 10.5 in the 6 weeks I've bee searching! Mike 8)

Good to hear... I'd be interested in any other driver sims you know of or could provide feedback on... I've got somegames like Sportscar GT, Gran Prix Legends, F1 and a few others... Mike

Have you played this one yet? Interested in feedback on the game... Mike

Thanks John for jumping on that... I needed a good laugh! Mike 8)

Pop-N-Wood, Are you being premature there??? I kill me! Mike 8)

40-50 hours is absolutely reasonable... Lot of work goes into making the modifications to the chassis (hood latch mods, trans tunnel mods, trans crossbrace mod, wiring) and to the parts to make everything work. There is a lot of test fitting, troubleshooting, and headscratching that is required... R200 swaps are easy... Get the unit, the mustach bar, and plan to upgrade your axles while you are at it! They will fail you before the differential will... Mike 8)

Not sure about his, although I remember the pics and his wheels looked very similar to mine, but for the stock Mustang offset you will need spacers for the rear wheels... They will sit inboard to much and interfere with the strut assembly. Did you do to my above link and see the fitment of the 255s? Mike 8)

I'm fortunate in the fact that I don't tend to seek people to do much of my own work, and the few times I've had to have led me to people with a measure of tact and professionalism... I'd have politely asked him to LEAVE! You did well Alex... Better man than I! Mike 8)

I have a connection for some new design turbo exhaust manifolds for the SBC that I can provide offline if you are interested... They are being manufactured by the employee of a well known internal motor parts company... this is a side venture and he has some serious backing, and years of experience with Turbo SBC applications... Mike 8)

Those are REALLY good numbers... That kit isn't a bad alternative FOR the C5/ Fbody crowd... Anyone who has peeked under the hood can tell you that space is very limited... Mike 8)

Crazy, Doesn't work that way... You can't have it both ways... Can't take credit for the republican work done to turn the national economy around prior to Clinton taking office (which he gets 100% credit for and I won't argue for or against that) and then say "NAFTA was a Republican Bill"... It passed under Clinton, therefore it is a part of his legacy. His Legacy... Right along with the stained Dress, Linda Tripp and Monica Luenski!

You can pretty much run any of the cobra knockoffs as long as you get some wheel spacers... If you go to http://photos.yahoo.com/dat74z you can see pics of my grey primered Z with stock Mustang wheels (2002 model 17X8 inches) with 255s in the rear under stock fenders. I used 1/2 inch spacer to get them to clear my coil overs. I also had the cobra Rs (Sold them with my wife's Mustang) on the Z with no fitment issues, as they were the same backspacing but an inch wider... Mike 8)

Well unless you plan to load all the DVD/ MP3/ Video Screens/ AC and any OTHER creature comforts, no matter how bad the car is in the power department, you will lose for being "Too RAW!" Which is WHY I personally discount that competition... Mike

Exactly. This is one reason I'm NOT for these "kits". My fabricator wants me to decide on a seat NOW so I can have it on hand for fitment of the tubes around ME so we can keep the car within legal limits for the Silver State Challenge, and other SCCA/ NASA type events. Having a cage custom made aroung you is really the only way to insure you will get the tubing and the seating position to cooperate with each other... Mike

Both my R200s are open units.. Sorry no LSD of either type! Mike

I agree. Things are obviously getting a little out of hand. I don't appreciate some of the comments that have been made, and some of the tones... The biggest problem we as admins have had is IF we should allow them... We know ALL of these issues are heavy on our minds, and everyone has an opinion. But I've honestly got to say that this simply isn't the place for them... Also, I'd like to think that we as a community can look beyond the personal views individuals have on political subjects, but I know that even I myself have had my eyes opened a bit by some of the comments... And not all are positive... We need to move on, and I tried to get that point across. But I'm as guilty as anyone of commenting... I going to go back into some of these threads and delete my own comments, because I don't feel they serve a purpose on this site, and quite frankly, as one who was for these discussions in the beginning, I'm of the opposing opinion now... Especially after some of the more heated exchanges with one of our other members... Religion and politics are two issues that WILL eventually spiral into conflict... I was of the opinion that this board was sophisticated enough that we could handle such topics, but I sometimes forget that we are JUST HUMANs... I have TWO R200s... Mike

Dan, I don't appreciate that last comment... My reasons for voting who I voted for are mine... They arn't "Utter Bullshit" and only point to WHY some of us can't discuss politics on this board. For every argument that you make against Bush and the republican party, someone will dig up the counter-point... I'd discussed the war at length and why it was necessary, and the reasons are there... You choose the liberal view, I don't. Thanks for saying mine is UTTER BULLSHIT... I guess anyone who doesn't agree with you gets this kinda treatment??? I'm officially DONE. EDIT*** I'm not done... Just dawned on me, as I was getting up some leaves in the front yard... Mr. Baldwin, You say the answer to the question "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?" is Bullshit... Funny, THE LAST TWO WEEKS of the campaign, the democratic BULLSHIT CANDIDATE asked millians of people in Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin that same question... Yup... Pretty sure one of our resourceful members here could find those speeches... This is why YOUR arguments WON't Work, Dan... They are politicians... Your vote and mine won't influence their decisions... So yea, I DID VOTE my PERSONAL conscience, because I hold NO FAITH in them doing ANY good for me personally... Sorry, but the last 30 years of politics have taught me to look out for me and mine... I just took YOUR candidates advice... Can't argue that one can you, because Bush couldn't ask that of many people, because HE KNEW that the answer for most was "NO, I'm worse off..." And, uh, Remember NAFTA??? Yea, uhm that was a democrat driven policy... One that, years later have helped impact joblessness in America... That's my final answer... Mike 8)

Rufus, I probably had the discussion with Denny, but that was about three years ago... I'm 5'8" and I feel a bit cramped as well.. The thing I did was remove my rear storage boxes so you could slide the bar back further. I don't have my cage welded in yet, but should within the next month it should be done and I'll have pics for you. Mike

I found some bitchin' 18X9s on ebay I'm really considering, but they are 27 POUNDS... Man that is a LOT of rotating weight... anyone know weights on their 18s??? Mike

Nope, No offense taken, But all these arguments won't work... See here is the problem with politics in general... Clinton Ran and everyone of the republicans under the sun said "Draft Dodger", and every democrat I knew said "Shouldn't matter"... This time around Kerry is the war hero and EVERY Democrat I know was screaming at BUSH for being a... WAR dodger... Big Corporate America... Yea, and We could break down EVERY asset Kerry and Edwards invest in and tie them into some questionable (Not really, but the spin machine could do that as well...) corporations.. You guys need to just back away from this whole politics issue, as it is just leading us all to finger pointing and DRAWN LINEs... We all know who we all voted for, and for their reasons... Enough said... And for the record, I came from an EXTREMELY POOR FAMILY... My parents STILL live IN the trailer I was raised in. Their pride won't allow me to help them as much as they helped me, so all I can do is buy them things here and there, pay their perscriptions and their utilities when I can, and be there for them... So I'm not "One of the rich getting richer"... I've been on welfare... and I've had food stamps and government cheese. Cast those stones elsewhere... I'm doing VERY WELL now, and I appreciate it, but I'm under no illusion... it could go away tomorrow... and Under Kerry, in my line of work, it very well could have... Clinton did away with thousands and thousands of government jobs, and I saw the cuts run deep... You want to talk intelligence failures??? The lack of manpower to review all the intelligence we gather, that can be traced back to 8 years of clintonian politics... Mike

With my previous incarnation I was able to hit 129 and change in the 1/4 on BFG DRs and I have had TWO differend Z configurations on wide open sections of interstate, with the aid of a trooper friend of mine using a stalker radar gun to verify, that these two different powerplants hit - 160+ with an L6 motor (7400 RPMs and running an electromotive setup) and LOTS of aero tricks and well into the 155mph range with the V8 turning ONLY 3900 RPMs in 6th gear on a T56 w/ 3.70 rear LSD and 26inch rear tires... This was on PUBLIC ROADS (Interstate 95 in the Fredericksburg area) and very STUPID... I don't recommend it. Mike 8)

Well something else to consider with this setup is more available space... Behind the rear wheels on my Corvette I have enough room to do all sorts of interesting plumbing, since I don't run mufflers on it anyway! Routing the pipes, and plumbing the lines seems like it would be an easy fix AND it would certainly make it easy to swap in and out... and depending on who you talk to, HEAT on a turbo can be good OR bad, SO NO, enough ISN'T said... Mike 8)