zeitgeist57

Can we please get some additional details around this guy? It's 2020: not the hero we want, but the hero we need. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36096/airline-pilots-landing-at-lax-report-a-guy-in-jetpack-flying-alongside-them-on

Went early Sunday morning on my first dedicated 555 run with the Volvo. Made my son throw up. It was a blast and the weather was perfect. On the way back home from Zanesville on 70W, we stopped in to IFO at National Trails. I have never been there, and with my 9-yo son getting huge into cars, I'm glad we went. It honestly reminded me a bit (a tiny bit, very tiny) like ALMS Sebring, where there's track action going on in the background and a carnival-like atmosphere: more than just the vendor stations and show cars, there were a bunch of yokels in jacked-up trucks, pit bikes, parading around the grounds. Even Hector from F&F was there signing autographs. My son really liked the drag racing. He seemed tickled when JP ripped the HoboEvo to 150mph and I told him that "Daddy knows the owner of that car". Of course, Ronnie Nutter showed up in his '64 Impala ragtop, stuntin' on everybody with 3-wheel motion. I saw a few carguys I know there. Surprisingly YOUNG crowd, despite people in their 40s-50s talking about how kids-these-days aren't much into cars. My son and I were masked up the whole time; hoping COVID doesn't bite everyone in the ass. Glad something was going on in 2020 for the local car scene.

LOL that’s great^^^

I've definitely embraced MotorTrend's app. I'd probably watch more if I signed onto my personal computer as well, while I'm WFH these days. Hoonigan - they're geared towards "kids these days" but many of their projects have gotten my attention. Larry Chen and Hoonigan AutoFocus are really, really good...he's doing more car features with Jay Leno and I think Larry has a great eye. Soup Classic Motoring - this guy's stop-motion car restoration videos are an absolute gem on the internet, and I drop whatever I'm doing when I receive notification of a new vid from that guy. TheSmokingTire - Matt Farah and Zack Klapman's reviews are good. I don't have the patience for 2.5hr+ podcasts, however. RegularCars - still quality entertainment, with some insightful comments around the era of a subject car, depending on the year and the category. CarPervert - Jonny Smith has a great British wit to him and I'm a fan of his reviews. Mighty Car Mods - Still love those guys. Project Farm, AvE - great product, engineering reviews. Ted's HoldOver - this guy is a farm-country sniper with air rifles. I do love me some shitbox projects...BUILT OFFICIAL, 79th Productions, Budget Buildz, and a few other things that YT suggests. LUCORE AUTO Harry's Garage is really good as well. I especially love his roadtrips...Harry's arctic trip in an old Rolls Royce, and Lotus/007 retrace trip were both really cool.

Just beautiful. Great work as always, Tim!

I know there are some RT/10s and GTS's in the $30s, but a quick pull-up on AutoTempest shows 1g/2g pricing similar to the 3g 2002-2008 models (high-$30s/low-$40s) for what looks to be a superior platform. Is the 3g not as fun to drive/maintain as the older, simpler 2g? I'm a convertible fan and it seems like the 8.3L and more modern, Mercedes-influenced components would be a better car for the same price.

My '79 has half the mileage (52k miles) and I've done a few more things to it over the '78 that makes it more desirable for me to keep.

CR, I know I shared a lot about my first lowrider: http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125091 Long story short, my parents bought the car from me in the spring of 2018, and kept it in a westside garage in Cleveland where they took it on cruises. As soon as I sold it to them, I regretted not having a land yacht...ended up buying my current 1979 Mark V last January. Just spoke to my dad and they need to move it out of the garage as the place is getting repainted...and he's over the experience. Just one less thing he wants to deal with. I joked that, at 75 years old, he's sounding like a grumpy old man. I'm getting it back from him this weekend. I'm going to take the air-ride suspension out of it (will have coil springs reinstalled, I'm going to use the airbag setup on my '79). Will look like the pic above and will be sold with my gold-accent Lincoln Turbine aluminum wheels as well. ~112k miles. Some body rust but nothing all the way through. Carb rebuilt last year and many newer parts. If I haven't taken this down, it will mean it made the trip from CLE to C-Bus flawlessly and will be ready for sale. $2500 CR price with 2 sets of wheels. Will be available as quickly as I can get the coil springs reinstalled; just gauging interest for now.

I'd rather have a Typhoon... ...but since these came out, they've always looked phenomenal with ANY step-up in wheels, from C4 ZR1 to whatever.

FYI, the headlight relay was totally cooked. The wiring harness was a little crunchy too. I don’t know why....guessing that a ‘70s Dodge 2906336 relay can eventually just crap out. Since a replacement was $50+, I got a more generic AR109 relay from NAPA and rewired the factory harness. Everything works as it should now. :thumbup:

That’s very impressive. :thumbup:

You’re right, Aaron. What I should’ve said is the XC90 DEM starts out giving power to the rear wheels and engages them earlier depending on the driving conditions. An enthusiastic addition of RWD power, instead of a “More RWD bias“.

DOOD...you're turning it up to 11 with that turbo kit! Well written article, Wags. Question I've always wondered: do COMP Cams and some of the parts providers give you the stuff for free, or what is a usual discount? I know not every magazine/YouTuber is super-sponsored, but curious what the general deals are.

Sony XAV-AX1000 - $212.04 for an "open box item"...it was in perfect condition and I had to cut the tape to get it out. Looked brand new. Antenna adapter - $3.27 Metra Wiring Harness - $3.71 Scosche Dash Kit - $6.55 Crutchfield ReadyHarness Service - $24.99 Now that I'm looking at my email invoice, I think I stumbled on some super sale when I ordered it back on 5/26. Paid $268 shipped for everything. I've wired car stereos many times (just did my '79 Lincoln earlier this year with all new speaker wiring too) but if you're plugging an aftermarket stereo into a factory wiring harness on a new car, thay ReadyHarness Service is a no-brainer for the cost. wires are cut/crimped to perfect length, and plugs right in. EDIT: Just checked Crutchfield and their out of inventory. You can also easily plug in a backup camera which I didn't do but thought was a nice feature. Also plugged in a mic and phone calls are crystal clear for me and whomever I'm talking to.

My bad...if I sounded political it's definitely due to arguments about in-person vs online schooling for kids. Just a mess all around.

Thanks, Steve - I may have said this before, but I try to put as much detail as I can so even I remember these projects years later. I was looking at my old CTS-V, BMW, Corvette, and Passat posts recently...

I want the Buckeyes to play, but I don't see how a one-sided fight works here. It's the same argument I see with parents trying to get their kids back to school: it's not the students that get people worried, it's the support staff, teachers, coaches, crowds, etc that are older and immuno-compromised. It's not death that stops schools from making money in NCAA sports: it's Reputational Risk...the fear of getting sued by the family if an aunt or uncle dies as a result of that school exposing them to COVID.

It's been awhile since I updated this thread (THANKS COVID) but good updates to report: - Sold the CTS-V. This is the new family hauler for me with the babyseat base LATCH'd to the backseat...and I have to say even with the LS/6-speed I don't miss the V that much. It was a great car, but I've been customizing the Volvo and considering the cost I've grown to really like this car. - Swapped out the HU-650 Volvo stereo as it would cut out randomly. Checked online and a lot of strong recommendations for good ol' Crutchfield. I haven't ordered anything from them in almost 20 years but they had a great deal on a CarPlay-enabled Sony unit, with pre-wired harnesses for the Volvo and Scosche install kit for less than $300 all in. Considering I was looking at cheap Chinese crap from Amazon and eBay, I couldn't be happier with this thing. Sounds awesome, great to have my phone playing Spotify while the Sony unit shows Waze directions...it's been an awesome leap forward for a 2005 car. - The big thing: got the AWD system fixed (vid above). Ever since buying this thing last year, the Haldex system has not worked. This is a common thing for older, normie-driven Volvo's if you don't keep up with the maintenance. I replaced the rear-diff filter, pump, and fluid. Figuring the DEM was fried, and also seeing research on SwedeSpeed that some other guys use V8 XC90 DEM's as an upgrade (see the YouTube video below), I looked for a couple of months on the right DEM and picked one up on eBay for $150. Installed it last weekend, and proceeded to do an embarassing dad-dance. https://i.imgur.com/m2NTUNh.mp4 Drove the Volvo around and there is now a RWD-bias my son and I can feel through corners and under acceleration. It's still an automatic, but the fun-factor on this thing just went up 10x. I'm very happy with the way this worked out! :woowoo: Quick explanation on the Haldex AWD system, in case you care: There is an angle gear (FWD diff that sends power to the rear driveshaft) that's always spinning. The rear diff uses a computer (DEM) to sense driving dynamics and tell a hydraulic pump (AOC unit) to pressurize a wet clutch pack to engage the spinning driveshaft to the rear wheels through the diff when AWD is needed. There's even a tiny fluid filter to keep the fluid clean. When the fluid is dirty, or any wear issue causing the pump voltage to spike, the DEM is easily fried. These are available new for up to $1500(!!) but junkers sell them for $150-250 on forums and eBay.

I gotta say, from my early days on CR, that the Grand Prix folks had some impressive rides. It was pretty cool how much of a performance following that Platform had for a hot minute

That’s an improvement! Chin spoiler for the Volvo was lost in the mail. Got a refund from China. Working on fixing the Haldex AWD system (XC90 rear-diff computer, ViDA cable)

"Connects to all attachment-capable Troy-Bilt, Remington, Yard Machines, Craftsman, Bolens, Hyper Tough, Snapper and Cub Cadet string trimmer power heads that accept TrimmerPlus® attachments" Take a look at one of the product links he shared...there's a product diagram that may give you an idea of whether your item is compatible.

Every announcement shouldn't be a surprise at this point, but it is...because we're reminded of the new depths this quarantine is causing for business and socialization.

Thanks, bud. GLWS. :thumbup:

Morgan, I have a YardMachines Y2560 trimmer https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/outdoor-power-equipment/string-trimmers-edgers/yard-machines-reg-16-25cc-2-cycle-curved-shaft-gas-trimmer/rm2510s-41ad110g900/p-1444441256263.htm It does have a coupler in the middle of the shaft, held together with a bolt. Any idea if these are compatible?