Richard Cranium

I would be slightly hesitant of a finished basement because it covers up the foundation. Just recently after 40 years I have a bowing basement wall. If the wall was finished I probably would not have noticed. Over all I love my basement. In fact I would love to buy a house built into the side of a hill with an exposed wall. I would put a garage door in and make the entire basement the garage. Whatever you do, when you find something you are interested in, hire an inspector to look for all the shit you never thought to look for.

Hell I could use something like that too.

Beautiful dogs, I love boxers. If we didn't already have two dogs I might look into adopting one.

I just read through this for shits and grins, and it raised a question for me. Assuming the SHTF, and I survive the chaos that ensues. Guns won't be the problem, replacement ammunition will be. If I was going to keep a SHTF weapon or two, what would be the most popular calibers to make the most likely ammunition to find replacement? I know .45, .40, .32, 9mm, etc... are all pretty common, what is the most common? Same question for long gun ammo. It would be just my luck if this all happens that when the ammo runs out all I can find is the wrong size.

That's because the career centers hire welders to teach people to weld. Sounds like you were expecting a welding engineer. If you were a maintenance man somewhere and needed to know the basics of how to weld a broken part back together you should have been satisfied. I took our welding class last spring and enjoyed the hell out of it. I've done a few small projects since then and had a lot of success. They're not pretty, or even professional, but they are still holding. Our guy couldn't tell you shit about metallurgy either. He's just a country boy who went into the Navy and spent a couple of hitches welding shit together. They never taught him any real metallurgy.

Sorry to raise this from the dead, but I have a new answer .... My own. I made my first batch of rootbeer last weekend. I can't get enough of it. I used an extract that can be picked up at most home brew stores. It made 4 gallons, I'm not sure how much I've polished off so far but it won't last much longer. I have already ordered some other extracts to try and see which I prefer the most.

I don't know what to say. At least they both got arrested and no one got killed.

Hmmm, between the new trans and the 9" that drive shaft might be right up my ally. Let me check my finances, I might be interested. Is it complete with U-joints?

Sorry, but that is FUNNY! I can see myself doing that. No sweat Clay, I'm sure it is different being a parent. My thought is there is a limit of what you can do to keep your kid safe from harm. There is inherent risk in any activity, including riding buckled up in the back seat of a car. In my mind the difference between the back seat where there is no air bag, and the front seat of your vette with the airbag disabled is minimal. If the air bag is enabled, then I am with you completely, absolutely not, that is some scary shit. Either way this is all academic. She's your daughter, you have to live with every decision you make. If it makes you uncomfortable, then don't do it. Acceptable risk is different for everyone.

I love my stamped concrete patio. It turned out great. I used a company called Professional Precision Concrete (PPC). Since I did my driveway at the same time they cut me a 10% discount, then I beat them up a little on price by telling them what the competition was bidding. It got them to come down another few thousand. My biggest problem was getting companies to bid on what I wanted. PPC was the only company to bid exactly what I described. I actually had one contractor say "Oh, you don't want that" when I described the patio idea I had. Evan, I love what you did with yours. I wish I had done a fire pit with mine, that's the only mistake I made.

Not a bad start to an intro. What mods do you have, and what kind of racing do you like to do?

Did you do what the nice man told you to do?

How the hell did us old guys survive childhood? No front airbags, no seat belt laws, kids standing on the front seat leaning forward with our hands on the dashboard. Clay, pull the passenger airbag fuse, buckle her into her booster seat and let her learn to enjoy life in the front seat. It'll be a bonding experience. I can't speak to the legality of it all, but I would say you are being as safe as a parent can reasonably be. Although you are right about no room for the power wheels in the 'vette.

Interesting point. I know the county auditors office certifies and verifies the accuracy of the pump, but I don't think they ever test samples to ensure that what is being dispensed is what is advertised. Another concern I've had with all stations is with rising prices I believe fewer people are using premium grades in general. Which means that gasoline sits in the tank longer. I've wondered some times if I had gotten a tankful of old gas that just doesn't burn right.

The cheapest car you can find that runs well. I hate to say it but you don't need longevity out of a first car. Most male drivers will get stupid within the first year or two of owning a car and the car will not survive (hopefully the driver does). That means many first cars die a horrible death in about 10 - 12 months give or take. The faster the car the worse things end. So the smallest engine possible is a plus, and enjoy decent gas mileage while you have it.

Hey guys, I need some advice from some one who has dealt this this before. Or if there are contractors on the board who do this work. I came to the conclusion last night that 2 walls in my basement at starting to bow. They are cinder block walls and I have horizontal cracks running the majority of the distance. I spotted the crack in one wall last fall and I've been living in denial that it was happening. I looked again last night and the crack is visibly larger, so I am positive on my diagnosis. I've seen some repairs on similar walls, but I don't know anyone who has dealt with it directly. Has anyone had to have this problem fixed and have a recommendation for a contractor? Thanks guys. BTW, I know this will be expensive, I just don't know how expensive.

This is what I have been using. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=590&pictureid=4850 I hardly use it anymore though. I was thinking about selling it, but didn't want to take a huge loss on it since the case alone was $300.

Great, please do. I's sure you can wrestle up quite a few volunteers here too as well as participants.

Good lookin' car. I've always had a soft spot for 1st gen F-bodys. Kilcare and Trails both run test and tune sessions during the week. I run just for fun too, but I'm nowhere near your class. You'll like the club track days too.

The rubber is here now. Stickies and skinnys for the shineys. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=371&pictureid=4840

Hey, I just noticed I'm a senior member now. Thanks. Now I return you to the previous thread topic.

If you are looking to learn the basics of welding, another option would be to look at the local career centers. The high school I teach at offers welding as an adult education course. I took the course myself last year and enjoyed it enough I decided I wanted a welder of my own and went out and bought one. They concentrated mainly on mig and stick welding, but he also teaches tig welding.

The pirates are ranging further and further from their coast. They are using motherships to launch raids from. As far as I am concerned this is a crime in international waters. They should be tried and punishment delivered by whatever naval force captures them. I believe the historical punishment for piracy was hanging. To hell with hauling them all the way to America, then trying them and incarcerating them here.

I guess that would explain a miss. Is the oil not draining from the head back down into the block? Why would it be pooling in the head? Sounds like pulling that valve cover will be a MESS when that pool of oil gets loose. Can you vacuum it out somehow before removing the cover? I know exactly shite about them fereign cars, but that doesn't sound like a valve cover gasket to me.

Just out of curiosity, what constitutes "active participation in CR meets"?