Out with the old
Dec. 31st, 2007 10:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greatbearSo here I am, at the end of '07. It hasnt been such a bad year for me, measured against the past few. While I did not make resolutions in the traditional sense, I did make some efforts to better my life, and hopefully Jeff's as well.
I wanted to take time for some real vacations and travel. To that end we got a new travel trailer and made a few trips with it, the biggest being a week in P-Town. Having lots of luck aside from burning out the transmission in the old truck, I plunked down some serious coin on a new truck to make our trips much more enjoyable. Next year will hopefully find us on the road going places we've been wanting to for a long time.
I had hoped to make some progress bettering myself physically and mentally, given the injuries and incredible losses I had been dealt with since the last year. While I have made incremental progress there, I've a way to go still. '07 was not without some dark clouds either. I lost some friends, but I think I made some new ones. I want to continue with that last point.
Today I spent the day being my usual self, adding a second alternator to the new truck (reasons for this will possibly be in a future post that will only be of interest to gearheads), and dropping a nicely built LS6 454 into a pretty schweet '70 El Camino owned by a friend of a friend. I still smell of oil and solvents. I guess it's a comfortable feeling for me to bid farewell to this year with me being me. It's what I do best.
Happy New Year to all of you on Livejournal that have followed my life through these pages. You've made a huge, positive impact on my well-being. I only can hope that it continues.
Cheers!
I wanted to take time for some real vacations and travel. To that end we got a new travel trailer and made a few trips with it, the biggest being a week in P-Town. Having lots of luck aside from burning out the transmission in the old truck, I plunked down some serious coin on a new truck to make our trips much more enjoyable. Next year will hopefully find us on the road going places we've been wanting to for a long time.
I had hoped to make some progress bettering myself physically and mentally, given the injuries and incredible losses I had been dealt with since the last year. While I have made incremental progress there, I've a way to go still. '07 was not without some dark clouds either. I lost some friends, but I think I made some new ones. I want to continue with that last point.
Today I spent the day being my usual self, adding a second alternator to the new truck (reasons for this will possibly be in a future post that will only be of interest to gearheads), and dropping a nicely built LS6 454 into a pretty schweet '70 El Camino owned by a friend of a friend. I still smell of oil and solvents. I guess it's a comfortable feeling for me to bid farewell to this year with me being me. It's what I do best.
Happy New Year to all of you on Livejournal that have followed my life through these pages. You've made a huge, positive impact on my well-being. I only can hope that it continues.
Cheers!
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Date: 2008-01-01 03:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-02 04:42 am (UTC)Happy new year, Bud.
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Date: 2008-01-02 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-01 03:58 am (UTC)If I had the time, the money and the room, I'd have an old pleasure mobile of vintage to restore and have an occasional fun cruise in.
These are the cars of choice.
76 Honda Accord, blue on blue - 5Spd, just like the one my Dad had.
an original 74-79 Civic, 80-83 Civic would be second choice (owned an 83 DX hatchback for 6 years)
1968 Chrysler Newport or preferably 300 2 door convertable, 2 door hardtop second, red preferably (had the 4 door Newport special in HS, 383 w/ 2bbl carb)
1968-69 Dodge Charge RT
1964 Dodge Polara 500 2 door or convertable or the 330 wagon w/ push button tranny (parents had one w/ the 226 CI straight 6 that they bought new)
And of course the Mustang, 67-68 especially and the 67-69 Cougar XR7
70-74 Cuda/Challenger twins
71 Plymouth Belvedere Roadrunner
70's era MGB's
Older Rabbits, especially those built between 1975-1980
Old air cooled bugs and buses, especially those up to about 1967 (buses) 65 or so for the bug, but the earlier the better
And I have a love affair for some, well, not so great cars.
Chevy Vega (lesser extent) Chevy Chevette (better than the vega but both had their good qualities)
The Yugo, (based on the Fiat 124-127 models), especially the GV Plus and GVX grade.
:-)
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Date: 2008-01-02 05:15 am (UTC)I tried time and time again to acquire a friend's '68 Imperial. That car was cool on so many levels, and he took great care of it.
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Date: 2008-01-02 04:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-01 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-02 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-01 05:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-02 04:58 am (UTC)Truck has a 120A in it already. Thing is, aside from all the electronics and electrical nonsense the truck has, it has both glow plugs and an electric intake heater. Once started, the glow plugs continue for a short time while the intake grid takes over. The other day I measured the alternator output after starting as well as when it was all going. Impressively, the alt was kicking out a bit over 120 amps at idle (another reason for GM going with the Bosch alt instead of the Delphi). Thing is, it was all pouring into the intake heater for the couple minutes it was engaged. The voltmeter does not make it quite to 12 volts during this period. Adding the second alt made the voltage go right to 14 volts upon cold start, with about 150 or so amps piling into the intake heater grid. After about 30 seconds, the grid current began modulating to about 65 amps, something it would not do with the reduced voltage. I think the most impressive part of all this is the heater grid being switched on and off and modulated by switching MOSFETs instead of a set of solenoids like the old Dodge has.
The other reason behind the addition is that I plan on installing a pretty big (2000 watt or so) power inverter for use when camping as well as working and emergency uses. The big alts make life easier there too. The trailer will be fitted with a pair of 220AH 6 volt golf cart batteries that will make extended 'dry' camping or boondocking feasible as well. Recharging those monsters after they've been drained will be a sizable load. All this electrical mayhem will be easier for two alts to handle, and if one bites the dust, life can go on till it gets replaced.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-02 04:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-01 01:55 pm (UTC)woofda
Date: 2008-01-01 10:39 pm (UTC)Very cool. I'm totally covetous of that gay-rage.
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Date: 2008-01-02 04:40 am (UTC)The lift in the pics is something that I am dying to install here at home. Problem is, my garage as it is has only an 8 and a half foot ceiling. I have plans for an addition with a 12 foot ceiling and a higher door. If I can get it through zoning, it's going to happen soon.
I enjoy your car/bike posts, btw.
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Date: 2008-01-02 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-01 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-02 04:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-02 05:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-01-01 04:09 pm (UTC)And if your travel trailering happens to find yourselves out in the midwest, give a shout!
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Date: 2008-01-02 05:02 am (UTC)As for the Elco, it got mostly wrapped up today, but I was not there for it. I wanted a ride!
Rest assured, if I get out yer way, you'll know it.
working on da cahs...
Date: 2008-01-01 10:37 pm (UTC)I'm wearing a fleece, that inspite of repeated washings, still smells faintly of LHM hydraulic fluid. Just SAYING LHM brings that fragrance to my nose. It's a cologne called "Citroeniste".
Re: working on da cahs...
Date: 2008-01-02 05:07 am (UTC)Gear oil is nasty though. Especially when drained out of an axle that has 200k hard miles on it. :-&
Re: working on da cahs...
Date: 2008-01-02 07:34 pm (UTC)It's rather funny how a car can produce a fluid that smells remarkably like something that could be found in a baby's diaper.