Geeto67

So I had a weird conversation with my father last night. For reference, my father's gearhead status is unquestionable, he raced in NHRA with a 1962 409 in '62, SCCA with a 1969 z/28, Built and raced sonerai racing airplanes powered by VW engines... One thing I have always known is he LOVES new technology. He's not really nostalgic for owning old tech - He bought a c4 ZR1 in 1990 as soon as he heard GM had made a 4 overhead cam engine, he was #7 on the volt waiting list, he's constantly pushing me to put fuel injection on my GTO, he's not an oldster lamenting the loss carbs and 4 speeds. So he calls me last night while I am on the way home from work: Dad: "did you see the new mustang?" Me: "the Mach E? yeah" Dad: "Is that what they are calling it? the Machey? that's stupid" Me: "no dad, It's Mach E, like Mach 1 but E for electric" Dad:" oh, well it's still stupid. Anyway, 460 hp electric. instant torque, no wheel spin, it's fast, it has room, and it can carry the dog." Me: "Tesla has a car that already does that, it's the model X" Dad: "Tesla's are too expensive, plus that Musk guy is a bozo" Me: "460hp is top of the line, it will probably still be $60-$80K" Dad: "that's too expensive, why didn't chevy build this?" Me: "they built the bolt instead" Dad: "Still, it's all going electric, let the middle east choke on the oil. It's a do it all sports car. I am excited. I want to drive one" me: "its not a sports car, it's a cross over. Jack of all trades master of none". Dad: "who cares it has 460hp and can haul the dog" Me: "and you are going to take the dog on a 12 second 1/4 mile pass?" Dad: "well...no...but it's gonna be fast, I'm going drive one". Me:"um...ok" So I think I found part of this car's demographic. Tech savvy/curious baby boomers with dogs. Either that, or my dad is secretly a Karen.

no they were the only other horse breeds I could think of off the top of my head that weren't already a car name. I almost said Palomino but I remembered that was the name of one of the cars in the video game interstate 76 when they couldn't get the licensing from ford to use mustang.

yes, but that wouldn't make for a very interesting discussion. It's supposed to be fantasy.

Once upon a time Ford leveraged the "mustang" name's good will by naming their cars after horses and ranching. The Pinto, the Bronco, the ranchero, the maverick, etc... I don't know why they couldn't restart that tradition by calling this the Clydesdale or an Appaloosa. I get why they want to connect it to the mustang, it's the only ford name worth a shit when it comes to cars, and they want to stick that west running horse badge and triple taillights somewhere. I like it better than most of the small crossovers out there, but then again I don't like cross overs, it's just a dressed up name for minivan.

A 1965 corvette coupe with an LS swap and a 6mt. I don't need something rare or numbers matching, I don't need something super powerful, I have always loved the look of mid year corvettes. It's a $50K car right now when one comes up for sale, but by the time I am done repainting it the color I want, with the interior I want (either dark blue with a red interior or green with a saddle interior), and put AC, a posi, and a radio into it figure $60-75K. So why a car I can kinda sorta afford now instead of something really expensive and stupid? because it is gonna get ruined. If I have learned anything about a DD in ohio, the road salt is going to eat the shit out of the frame and all the metal pieces, and I would need to have fuck you money so I wouldn't feel bad about turning a $75K car into a pile of rusty shit in 5 years. Oh and since the body is fiberglass it won't look like rusty shit while I drive it. after the frame gets to bad to fix, slide a Chris Alston chassisworks powdercoated frame under it with c6 suspension and rinse and repeat. As a second place runner up I think a factory five 1933 ford with a coyote mill, 6mt, and IRS would be fun to DD. same thing $60K car turning to absolute shit because of ohio winters and honestly I wouldn't even feel bad about it.

my neighborhood streets were a solid sheet of ice like glass till I hit the main road. time to work from home.

I sent you a pm re: the small tools, haven't heard back. are you keeping them?

Dude come on, this bit is so hackey it's the equivalent of your "cool" uncle pulling a quarter out of your ear before letting you smoke his weed at your house party that he crashed to pick up high school chicks. It's so old and hackey I think the bit actually retired with Leno for late night as well. But please, don't let me stop you from standing up for a group of people, who keep having to fire people because their employees and affiliates keep using the N-word on twitter, to make them seem more "legit" by showing how they can edit video to make all their protesters seem stupid. see, now that's funny. :lolguy:

meh....it's the same bit that late night hosts do with "people on the street" and world or US history. derivative, unoriginal, and slightly nefarious when used by an organization with a well documented problem with racism and white supremacy.

go the explorer 8.8 route. If you want to use the car like a car, you are going to want the rear disc brakes eventually anyway. less unsprung weight, easier and cheaper to service when they need it, it looks cool and adds resale value, and more consistent braking for when you want to do auto-x or a long road trip with the car. you don't have to spend all the monies....if you have disc front now, then it's what? a master cyl and/or a proportioning valve on top of the rear disc setup?

curious what made him a complete asshole? can you be specific about it? I mean you are dealing with a drug addicted and possibly mentally ill person - what is it that you were expecting that he surprised you enough to call him an asshole?

if you can get your 60ft time down to 1.8, and the thing to hook with both then you might even touch 12's. did you swap in the T5 yet? if so, put in a 3.73 rear and a limited slip unit, and get yourself some drag radials and that thing is going to fly....for an old car. congrats!

what are all the small tools you have and how much do you want for them as a lot?

so, what are you going to do? follow every one to see if they are legit or "scamming"? Most shelters can provide a free cell phone to homeless so just having a cell phone isn't an indicator they are scamming. Most homeless people have friends and family too, and some of them have cars, so just talking to someone with a car isn't scamming either, and many of them have surrogates that pay bills for them, so seeing money exchanged isn't necessarily a "scam" either. Also some have chemical dependencies, are you sure you weren't watching a drug deal? Here is my take on it: If they are legit homeless - your life is already better than theirs so show them some compassion and empathy and treat them like a human being. If they are scamming people by pretending to be homeless - well normal well adjusted people don't do this sort of thing so your life is already better than theirs so show them some compassion and empathy and treat them like a human being. I can tell you from personal experience, don't give cash to anyone asking for money. Most homeless can get meals, clothes, and a cell phone through charitable organizations and assistance programs, so any cash money you give them probably goes directly to any kind of vice they might have and not to improving their overall welfare. If you really feel like you need to offer something, offer to buy them food, a cup of coffee or water, or ask if they need a blanket. When I used to drive a lot, I used to run into rubber tramps (homeless living out of their car), and would often offer to put gas in their car or buy a hot meal rather than give cash. I have had people decline the offer, and I have to wonder if it is a scam or not, because a scammer might not have much use for a sandwich or a cup of coffee. Either way, sometimes just having someone to talk to improved things. Don't put gas in the gas can. Gas in a can is a commodity that can be sold, gas in a car means if they really intend to "resell" it, they are going to have to siphon it out and that is work (and often means they get a mouthfull of gas). As for calling the cops: most laws criminalize the homeless and it can often make their lives worse (yes worse than living out doors). Leave that for the karen's of the world. remember you are dealing with downtrodden people who are sometimes desperate (even if you think they are scamming), so unless the person looks violent or unstable, it's better to leave them be. final note I will give you, always size up the situation. Don't make eye contact (because they will approach you) and if the person looks unstable, maybe think twice about engaging beyond "I can't help you" or "sorry I don't have any money". Most homeless are harmless, but there are some who are desperate, mentally ill, or chemically dependent - all which can manifest in violence. your personal safety is paramount.

I did the same thing, north on PCH out of San Francisco on a borrowed electraglide with the wife on the back. Foggy but we could see the ocean, and it burned off pretty quickly. After a hike in Muir woods we got caught in a light rain right around stinson beach. loved every minute but, weather could have been better. convertible, because you are probably going to need to put the top up more often than you think, but it's the kind of environment you want to be outside in as much as possible, even with the heat cranking.

Its like the porsche IMS bearing, very few cars affected but it scares the crap out of a lot of people. The floor/chassis cracks where it meets the subframe. The weakness is in the floor. read this it covers all the cracking issues in detail: http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=555302 If it hasn't cracked yet, I believe there is an epoxy in solution that prevents the cracking. Once it is cracked it needs to be welded, but before you might be able to DIY in your garage.

I just liked the way the commander looked. Like a Cherokee that got fat. I thought the reason the commander sucked was it was underpowered, was the hemi even out when they were out? Or was it magnum powered? SRT8 commander would have been fun. Still I think 22 years of bronco teasing wins.

Grand wagoner is vaporware. It will never happen. Shoukd have called the commander the wagoner, and then hellcat-ed that. But they have been talking about a new bronco since 1997. Heck the concept ford is working off of is from 2004. I'm all for taking your time and getting it right, and I am actually excited to see something back in the market that isn't a jeep but is a real midsize SUV since the blazer, FJ cruiser, and explorer all either died or went to crossover purgatory. But come on ford, enough already... Let's see something besides muddy car covers and vague patent drawings. Also I'm with panduh, v8 option or GTFO.

so how does that work - just have to go hat in hand to the other dealers for their inventory and work out a trade? or just wait till parts trickle in slowly?

In the time that Ford has been teasing the bronco, Jeep took from rumor to showroom the jeep gladiator. When Jeep, a brand that is notorious for being stodgy and slow to innovate, beats you to the punch it should probably be a wake up call that your process sucks.

me too. From an insider's perspective in the supply chain - how is it still looking for warranty work? has it started to backlog yet?

Be clay: be smart enough to know that a lot of these things are dependent on the situation but instead of adding meaningful insight to the conversation play to an audience with pithy nonsense. How does it "belong" in the kitchen? it was a civil conversation where people were expressing their views - not really a lot of name calling or chest puffing. Claim some moral bullshit victory, but really it boils down to you having your own opinion and because you disagreed you felt the need to do the selfish thing and blow that shit up despite the other participants having a civil and insightful conversation. Whether you agree or not, it's important to have these conversations. Yes you aren't going to "change" anybody's mind - change has to come from within - but interaction with people about topics helps people evolve and develop empathy. Having a discussion about these sorts of topics where multiple view points are expressed is how people grow and seek knowledge, being challenged on what you say or believe is necessary. When you frustrate that discussion because you are uncomfortable with it, or because you disagree you are just hurting all those who found value in the conversation for your selfish ends. Remember this is a communication medium - it was built exactly for this type of interaction. Say what you want about my long posts, but at least I make an effort to contribute and interact. here is the way in which I challenge you: how is this stupid shit? If you are a worker in america, how unions interact with the companies with which they negotiate affects you. Maybe it's not directly, but certainly indirectly through raising the standard of living or helping employment laws get passed. If you have health insurance through your employer you have a union to thank for that: the federal government exempted employer-paid health benefits from wage controls and income tax as a way to keep manufacturing job unions from striking post WWII, thus creating a demand for employers to provide it as a form of compensation. Considering every time a large union strikes it moves the needle on employee rights in this country I would say discussing the various viewpoints doesn't seem like stupid shit at all.

it's not about qualifications, sometimes it's about contracts. The company may have a contract with a maintenance company for facilities work, and that company is covered by their own union. The company may want to exclude the functions of that company from the union contract of it's own employees to protect itself. So you end up with having to wait for maintenance to plug something in. Sometimes it's about insurance where the company or the subcontractor for facilities's premises liability policies might require that all electrical functions be handled by a licensed electrician and since it is a union shop - that's how it sorts out, it's not requiring a union person, just a designated qualified person. Point is, you at the end of this complex pipeline don't see what is going on and only get told some nonsense about how you aren't allowed to plug in something at your desk because "union". And sometimes they just require it because they don't really want you plugging in a toaster or a coffeemaker at your desk and they want to make it tough for you to do so bu giving someone else the authority to plug stuff in. it's easy to blame the union, because again, it looks like they are to blame, but they may not be and you may not have all the information. Years ago when I used to still litigate cases I did premesis liability defense for a lot of franchise businesses. You would be surprised at how many insurance companies get involved in a case where you slip and fall in an icy mcdonalds parking lot. It doubles if you have a car accident in that same lot as well due to icy conditions. I remember one where a guy slid from the street into a wendy's parking lot and into the side of the building - you had the business's insurance, the landlords insurance, the maintenance company's insurance, the state, and the motorists insurance all for a 30mph icy slide into an empty building. unions are a product of their own environment. You had companies that abused their workers through the whole industrial revolution, and then came employment laws, so large companies had to get "sneaky" and pedantic to get around those laws which gave rise to the need for unions to advocate for the workers collectively. You want to blame the union for being pedantic, but that is how they had to get because there is always someone in upper management looking for that loophole that will allow them to make slightly more money at the expense of the worker. Nobody is saying that unions aren't infallible and incorruptible, yes they have their own problems too, and are often the same problems as the company. This isn't a good guy bad guy situation where the big corporation is always the bad guy and the worker is always the underdog good guy. This is more a complex relationship where sometimes both are the good guy and sometimes both are the bad guy, and even cases were sometimes you get a weird situation. At the end of the day, there will always be a need for a union as long as workers need an advocate where their interests are adverse to the company and they don't individually have the leverage to advocate for themselves. And yes I agree, if your union is doing shady shit, speak out about it. If your company is doing shady shit, speak out about it and sometimes yes leave that company.

you are comparing me to a celebrated writer, novelist, and journalist so.....thank you? I guess?

yeah I know the optics of it don't look good but a couple of things: - sometimes these things aren't dictated by the union, sometimes they are the product of the insurance policy that the company has on the facility. Is it overkill? yes it is, but keep in mind for every guy that thinks it's stupid that the union electrician has to plug in his brought from home pencil sharpener, historically there is an office fire that was caused by some employee being careless with what and how much he plugs in at his desk. - part of defining roles in a union contract is so that management can't do defacto layoffs by transferring roles to other employees in other departments until a department or whole swaths of a workforce are eliminated. Or in other instances setting up individual employees to fail by pulling them off their usual work detail to do other tasks they aren't assigned or trained to do and then firing them when they fail at that other task. Does it sound nitpicky? yes, and maybe if large employers didn't have a history of abusing the workforce by doing sneaky shitty things like this (and we aren't even going to talk about how these techniques were used to often promote racial or gender discrimination in employment - which they were for a long time) then maybe these lines of demarcation wouldn't be necessary.