johnc

From http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/nyregion/15annoyances.html

A digression... While working at an aerospace company I had to deal with a cost accountant while writing some accounting software. They guy had just bought a new Suzuki Swift and was constantly bragging about how he was getting 36 mpg driving to a from work. It got to be really irritating to me and the other programmers working on this project. So, I decided to do something about it. Once a week for a month I added 1 gallon of gas to the Suzuki's fuel tank. Mr. Cost Accountant began crowing about how his car, "now that the engine was broken in" is getting 48 mpg! And then, after a month, I stopped. The next week Mr. Cost Account was concerned. His fuel mileage had dropped 25% and he felt something was wrong with the car. Over the next three months the car went back to the dealer at least half-a-dozen times while Mr. Cost Accoutant fought with Suzuki to get his car "fixed." He lost that war and was a beaten man. After a year he traded the car in on a Toyota Starlet.

I guess I should update you folks... Last week I approved the plug and Benchmark Compsites is making the mold. It should be done this week and I'm going to have a hood built immediately. Stan and I talked about pricing and we won't be able to hit my $500 target for a fiberglass hood with a stock inner mounting frame and a layer of CF on top for two reasons: 1. The original idea of having the whole top of the hood covered with CF won't work at that price point because the hood width (including the scoop contours) is greater then 48" so two sheets of CF are needed with the additional work to layup a clean seam. 2. Adding the inner frame (so you cna use the stock hinges and hood latch) requires a few hours of additional work to reinforce the hood where the frame passes under the scoop. So, we should be able to hit the $500 price target with a pin on fiberglass hood that has a layer of CF over the whole cowl scoop area and the rest primed for paint. A similar look to this: FYI... I will also offer a fiberglass only hood for less money and a full CF hood for more. The inner OEM mounting frame will also be offered as an option along with Nomex honeycomb and my other hood options.

Well... yes according to the IMSA rules but in reality the suspension geometry front and rear moved in ways the stock or modified OEM 280ZX suspension could never hope to. On the GTO car the front strut style front suspension was retained but the LCAs, struts, and strut towers were custom as were all the mounting points. For the rear they had custom steel box section semi-trailing arms with fully adjustable pickup points mounted to custom tubular steel sub frames. Additional suspension links were added in the rear to better control camber changes. On both front and rear the suspension mounting points were inches away from the originals measured fore/aft, side-to-side, and vertically. So, comparing these IMSA GTO cars to a stock 280ZX is like comparing a NASCAR Monte Carlo to what you can find on your local Chevy dealer's lot. Here's a general overview of the GTU and the GTO cars: http://zhome.com/History/Electramotive/ElSh28zx.htm http://zhome.com/History/Electramotive/DevTrubo.htm

Bakc to the original point of this thread, it looks like the Italians did not notify the US of the rescue: http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1675476,00.html And the Italians are starting to get disgusted with Guiliani:

I've always thought this arguement (meddling) was a red herring. Arab countries meddle with each other's politics, finances, and religion far more then anything the West is doing now. Some examples: Syria, Jordan, and Lebannon (financial, politics, religion), Iraq and Iran (financial, politics), Shites and Sunnis (religious), Turkey and Iraq (religious), Gulf states (financial), Iraq and Kuwait (financial), Iraq and Saudi Arabia (politics), and many more. Compared to the meddling that West did prior to and immediately after WW2 what goes on now is almost non-existent. Now, if the arguement is that the "Arabs" are angry with us for past meddling and want some type of revenge, then I would agree, but the key word here is "revenge", not meddling.

We? Civil War? That's a couple big assumptions in that one little sentence. Even the most liberal commentators out there haven't made that declaration yet. A recently as yesterday the most liberal weekly in Australia was asking: "IRAQ: Is there a threat of civil war?" http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/617/617p13.htm Pete, I can't possibly image you to the left of a weekly who's main mission is: We? Forgot about the UN and Hans Blix already? Forgot about the delaying tactics of France, Germany, and Russia? Here's just one last minute example: http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/2003/0213rusun.htm

I also have pretty extensive race track fuel mileage records for my 240Z from 1998 through 2004. In its IT/BSP configuration it would use about 7 to 8 gallons per hour of a 92/100 octane unleaded fuel mix. Using the 2.5 mile WSIR track and lap times in the 1:34 range (with a top speed of 128mph and a max rpm of 6,500)that works out to a 14.1 to 12.3 mpg. In its "science experiment" configuration it would use 12 to 14 gallons per hour of 112 octane leaded fuel. Again, using the 2.5 mile WSIR track and lap times in the 1:28 range (with a top speed of 142mph and a max rpm of 7,500) that works out to a 8.4 to 7.2 mpg.

The Italian side of the story is starting to fall apart: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050311/ap_on_re_eu/italy_iraq_hostage And now Guiliana's story is changing: Then how did the bullet that killed Calipari pass through the windshield? Were the soldiers shooting at the car AFTER it passed through the checkpoint? And now this meme is starting to circulate: http://occhronicle.blogspot.com/2005/03/guiliana-sgrena-italys-tawana-brawley.html

Exactly. I can get a 27% improvement in fuel economy in my F350 by dropping towing speed from 75 to 65mph. Its hard to do, but I just put the cruise on and try not to notice all the trucks passing me.

Here's a current example that I'm working on right now: I have a customer that's starting a new project with me. He's swapping a 20B three rotor engine into a 3rd gen RX7. He's an intelligent guy and has been customer of mine in the past, but he keeps saying, "This should be the easiest engine swap out there, everything I've read on the Internet..." So, two days ago I drove exactly 1/2 mile to pickup the engine that the customer bought off eBay. 1.5 hours later I was back at the shop because the guys that imported the front clip couldn't get their forklift started. Later that day I drove 15 miles to pickup the car from another shop that didn't want to do the swap. 2.5 hours later I'm back at the shop after being stuck in traffic behind a pallet truck that spilled its load. So far I've billed the customer 5 hours and all he's got to show for it are the car and the engine in the same shop.

Again, I don't think torture is right and, although I can't find the link, I've read a number of research reports where information gathered through torture tends to only reinforce the torture's preconceived ideas. The person being tortured tends to tell the interrogator what they want to hear. Without hindsight Atta would be an immigrant doing something vaguely suspicious and with our pre-911 mindset nothing would have come of it. If we had enough information to indicate that Atta was a real and immediate threat, torture wouldn't have changed anything because our pre-911 mindset wouldn't have believed him or Al Queda capable of what they eventually did. Atta would have told us what we wanted to hear, and I don't think the interrogators would have asked about flying 4 passenger jets into various buildings.

Rendition is the practice of sending captured terrorist suspects to other countries for interrogation. Yesterdays WaPo has a pretty thoughtful article about the practice. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18709-2005Mar8.html I agree that torture is not only wrong but generlaly not very effective. But, given the above example and the hindsight we all now have, torturing Atta would have been the right thing to do.

Exactly. The later cranks were (are) fine. What was needed was a better way to dampen the harmonics. The early CP racers were stick with the stock harmonic balancers which weren't up to the task of constant use at rpm levels above 7,000 rpm.

I agree, its a shame because the guy was on our side. He was doing his job and protecting someone who is now using his death to further her agenda. Its not about the Italian agent who got killed anymore. Its about how his death can used to slam the US. 300 to 400 rounds? Handfuls of bullets sitting on the seats? Tanks firing at the car? US soldiers intentionally targetting Giuliana (and then missing) because she is an Italian leftist journalist? Give me a break!

Caveat Emptor. Ultimately its up to the customer(s). When you first feel uncomfortable about the work you see or something the vendor said, start asking questions. A good thing to say is, "I'm uncomfortable with how you built (installed, wired, plumbed, etc.) this part. Can you explain to me why you did it this way?" Don't ever, ever say, "That's not right! I read on the Internet..."

Go here: http://www.betamotorsports.com and then Products > 240Z Composite Body Parts.

This whole "hail of bullets" claim from Giuliana Sgrena is becoming a joke: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2005/s1317277.htm A .223 bullet fired at any vehcile is just going to go right through it and not plop onto the seat. And, for a vehicle supposedly shot at with 300 to 400 rounds, its looking awfully unscathed: http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/070580.php

It depends. Most of the fans that can go both ways have a compromise blade design. Some of the fans (SPAL in particular) have fan blades designed to be more efficient either pulling or pushing based on the application. My Mercedes 420SEL had an electric pusher fan in front of the radiator with a completely different fan blade shape then the puller fan I had on the back of my 240Z's radiator - both were made by SPAL.

Its not that hard. You just need to follow a couple simple rules: 1. Be absolutely honest in all dealings with your customers. 2. Always remember Clint Eastwood's quote from Magnum Force: "A man's got to know his limitations."

Pinion gears, side gears, I guess it all runs together in my head when I'm trying to type and think at the same time...

Bumpsteer - When the back of your head hits the bull's butt as you launch out of the gate and you don't remember anything until you're looking at the inside roof of the ambulance.

FYI... Nissan Comp in the USA sold a R190 open 4 side gear diffs (had one in the shop a few years ago) as well as the R192 with the 2 side gear LSD. For either diff you could also order a 4 side gear LSD for about $800 extra. I was told the the 4 gear open diff R190 was used for a racing off-road 720 pickup application where they really didn't want a LSD up front for handling reasons but they were blowing up the open 2 side gear R180s.

R190s are the race diff sold by Nissan Competition and just about perfect for 90% of the HybridZs on this board. A little bigger and heavier then the R180 but without the halfshaft angle problems of the R200. But, parts for the R190 are getting scarce and ring and pinions are expensive. FYI... Nissan Comp is blowing out new 4.875 and 5.143 R&Ps for the R190 right now: $185 and $205 respectively. They are also selling new R180 4.875 R&Ps for $212.

That "might" be true for the BAR folks, but the CHP officer standing there can order whatever he wants and the one I talked to was very interested in the results of the tests. I didn't see any dyno equipment but they did have two 3' x 4' blue boxes up against the curb. Maybe those were the dyno cells.