Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Oklahoma has very little draw after a life in the mountains.
 
Thought of the day...just happy that I finally found these wheel bearings for my '88 Audi Coupe. Been searching for months and months :/
 
Oklahoma has very little draw after a life in the mountains.
There are several mountain ranges in Oklahoma. They aren't as grandiose as the Rockies, but are beautiful in their own right. Plus, I don't think the plains get the respect the deserve. North central/east Oklahoma has some interesting views or on the plains.
 
There are several mountain ranges in Oklahoma. They aren't as grandiose as the Rockies, but are beautiful in their own right. Plus, I don't think the plains get the respect the deserve. North central/east Oklahoma has some interesting views or on the plains.

I agree. The rockies are great, but there are nice bits of Oklahoma such as the Talimena scenic byway which runs on a ridge from Talihina, OK to Mena, AR.

I also do enjoy some good wide open spaces, there is a more subtle beauty to the great plains.

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That said endless farmland gets pretty damn boring no matter what.
 
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I have driven through Nebraska 4 times, which was 3 too many. Though their the 55-60mph speed limits annoy me way more than the farmland.

They are both part of the same problem. :p
 
How many more cars is public going to have to buy before 50% of the threads in Post Your Car belong to him?
 
Half a dozen? :p

It also requires multitasking ability to be able to attend to several cars at one time. I considered having the MX-5 inspected today, but I'll rather wait for nicer weather so I don't have to wash salt out of the underbody.
 
It's actually a little inconvenient that the Polo won't be done by Monday. I had a brilliant plan that would enable me to move all cars where they should go, and I wouldn't have to walk anywhere. It goes as thus. The 205 and Mazda are at home, the 405 is at a car club garage and the Polo is at the school auto shop.

Drive the 205 to the auto shop, leave it there and take Polo to MOT station that's next to the car club garage. Take 405 and drive it to the school auto shop. Take 205 from there and leave it at the car club garage where interior swap will be done. Have Polo inspected and drive it home. Bonus possibility is to repeat MOT trip in the MX-5 on the same day, depending of schedule.
 
Tried to change the rear braked on my Prelude today and stripped the head of a bolt on the brake assembly. Can't get the pad carrier off so the disc wont come off. The rear discs are so corroded, I don't feel it's really safe to drive the car until their replaced. Looks like I'm daily driving the Miata for a while longer until I can get it to a shop to fix. I have neither the tools nor the knowledge on how to deal with that.
 
Could you grind the bolt head off, yank the pad bracket, then get the bolt out with PB Blaster and vise grips? Or weld a nut on it.
 
Could you grind the bolt head off, yank the pad bracket, then get the bolt out with PB Blaster and vise grips? Or weld a nut on it.

I believe both the hub and pad carrier are threaded so grinding the head off won't help much. I also don't own welding equipment so I would need to have a shop do it.

I could also do the (probably) irresponsible thing and view the corrosion as turning the discs into slotted discs. I mean, the pads still have a fair amount of life left and the discs aren't dangerously thin.... But that probably wouldn't be safe which I why I would like to get it fixed.
 
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S197 Mustangs seem to have dropped dramatically since the last time I looked (two years ago).
 
S197 Mustangs seem to have dropped dramatically since the last time I looked (two years ago).

A new bodystyle, if popular, tends to do that to the previous few generations of car.

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Tried to change the rear braked on my Prelude today and stripped the head of a bolt on the brake assembly. Can't get the pad carrier off so the disc wont come off. The rear discs are so corroded, I don't feel it's really safe to drive the car until their replaced. Looks like I'm daily driving the Miata for a while longer until I can get it to a shop to fix. I have neither the tools nor the knowledge on how to deal with that.

Is this one of the caliper bolts or something else that stripped?

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Could you grind the bolt head off, yank the pad bracket, then get the bolt out with PB Blaster and vise grips? Or weld a nut on it.

Could also use a cheap propane torch and water to go through heat cycling to break it loose. I'd skip the PB Blaster and go straight for the Kroil or SeaFoam Deep Creep. Those can be used in conjunction with the propane torch as well.
 
Swapping the Kosei's off the Miata yesterday for the winter, broke one of the center caps. Called Tire Rack, a replacement is $21. For a tiny little bit of plastic? Seriously?
 
Is this one of the caliper bolts or something else that stripped?

Well, at least on this car, the caliper bolts to a piece that holds the brake pads via the bolts that can slide in and out. That piece then bolts to the hub/knuckle. The stripped bolt is one of the ones that holds the brake pad piece to the hub/knuckle.
 
Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Today I learned that Cooper Cobra GT tires grip poorly to stop a station wagon in rainy 35?F weather. :p
 
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Went go karting with a friend,
a) I am bad at modulating throttle on electric go-karts and terrible at racing lines
b) It's fun to slide them around corners
c) Z felt like a fucking limo after that
 
I was always better at going sideways than going quickly too. It's more fun, too.

I haven't actually been in a gocart since I got my license so I can't really compare.
 
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