Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

So your dad and company aren't doing the work? What are you having done?

They are replacing the seals and most of the other rubber parts in the car, but since i want to help, and i cant do mechanics, everytime they run out or need something they send me out to get it, so i have myself a little car Russian roulette, getting the silverado first (baller-ass but too damn large) and for 2 days straight a Hyundai elantra (quite like it, very sensible choice)
 
Ah, I thought by "shop" you meant you decided to pay a place to do it. They not willing to teach? Best way to learn is getting your hands dirty. Also handy to have someone who knows what they are doing to show you the ropes.
 
I did a lot of my early driving in my grandmother's 2001 Hyundai Elantra. It was actually quite nice to drive. Plenty of power from a V6 in such a small car.
 
ummm....elantras do not come with V6's
 
D'oh! It was a Sonata...

HYSO9901.jpg
 
I drove about 600 miles yesterday between North Carolina and Michigan. This is kind of a regular thing for me nowadays...

After trying a lot of alternatives, I think I've finally found my favourite way to go. It turns out that U.S. Route 35 is being upgraded from a windy and somewhat dangerous 2-lane road, to a smooth and really quite excellent 4-lane expressway, along a totally new route through the middle of nowhere. Google Maps and Bing Maps don't show it at all.
 
We got the first snowfall this winter today. Only a month now and all the streets will form one, perfectly covered DORIFTOO -track :D
 
I now know that there is possible to powerslide on gravel with a fully standard Subaru Legacy Estate. All you needed was a determined mind and a high-revving 2-liter boxer engine and away the back-end went! First time i try anything like it in a 4WD car.
 
I now know that there is possible to powerslide on gravel with a fully standard Subaru Legacy Estate. All you needed was a determined mind and a high-revving 2-liter boxer engine and away the back-end went! First time i try anything like it in a 4WD car.

The thing is, that with an underpowered 4wd car on gravel (I have experience with a Subaru Justy), you really need to know the road, and it needs to be quite wide. The reason being that you can't really keep the slide going with power, you just need to scandi-flick the car into the corner and keep your boot down in 2nd gear, and hope there is enough power to make the bend :p If you run out of oomph, you will end up with sudden grip, which can make the car unpredictable, and you also need quite a bit of speed and momentum for the slide to start. It's much easier on snow, the grip is more controllable (as in it will spin the tires if you keep the power going), the surface is (almost always) flatter, and it's generally much smoother. :)
 
I tried to slide a 1990 Legacy 1.8GL 4WD in a wet bend once, but all I managed was something akin to a lurch.
 
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For reasons we can't quite understand, now the supporting plate of the carb is broken, and there is water everywhere, also for unknown reasons.

oh the joys of driving a BJL car
 
Sorry, Mitsu is not Japanese Leyland.

It's Mitsubishi. :p Which, in some ways, is worse.
 
Yep, Mitsubishi doesn't have the labor or government issues that BL/AL had/have. They manage to fail without them. But I hear they make good microwaves and cdrom drives.
 
I'm in the process of pricing a full engine rebuild for the Mustang. We have a local engine shop that does very good work. The one good side of winter, I'm not continuously spending money on the car, which means come spring all the money that would have been spent on the car has built up in a savings account and can pay for something bigger.
 
I was driving behind a V12 XJS on the highway today, and eventually went by it. It was by far the best 5 or so minutes of my day.
 
So this Audi A5 is parked on the side of the street, and I think, "hey, sweet car." Then this S5 drives by...and I can't help but think, "HAH! THAT A5 DRIVER MUST FEEL LIKE A HUGE LOSER!" :lol:
 
So this Audi A5 is parked on the side of the street, and I think, "hey, sweet car." Then this S5 drives by...and I can't help but think, "HAH! THAT A5 DRIVER MUST FEEL LIKE A HUGE LOSER!" :lol:

A guy I know just bought a new S5 a few months ago...since he has I haven't seen him take his F430 out once. The S5 has awesome headlights, but he does speed everywhere and drives like a cock in it....which is kinda funny...because he wrecked his old F360 on Mosport.
 
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