A home for my car thoughts

An interesting note.

The gas prices as of the time of this post:

Cheapest - 2.089 A Gallon. In Broken Bow, OK.

Most Expensive - 4.049 A Gallon. In Kailua Kona, HI.

National Average - 2.839 A Gallon.

posted by Mike @ 8:43 PM 7 Hits

Sprint update

I have finally got the clutch swapped over and she runs like a dream. It obviously took me a long time to accomplish this. Reason being, this is my first clutch job, I'm doing it at home without many of the right tools. And I lifted the car in the air with a forklift, if that says anything. My Dad also just bought a quad and has been tearing the driveway up with it. After some negotiation I managed to convince him hat drifting won't mess it up any more than the quad does. So now I get to drift around the shop. Soon my skills will surpass the skills of any body I know.

On another note, I am still in the process of removing the vital insides out of the other metro. The caved in windshield is giving me some grief, but I will prevail in the end.

More to follow later.

posted by Mike @ 8:26 PM 4 Hits

Lets just say...

That if I went into the world of making music, what would be a good DJ name for me? I am curious what name other people would think suits me best.

By the way, DJ Vtec is already taken.

posted by Mike @ 9:45 PM 11 Hits

A new look

I have decided to take a more serious aproach to my blogging out look. I intend to post more useful information instead of just whatever. Because of this you might not see as many posts, but they will be of a better quality.

posted by Mike @ 8:56 PM 16 Hits

Carbon Fiber

Car manufacturer's are ever increasingly using carbon fiber materials in both manufacturing and in creating many after market parts such as wheels, hoods, bumpers, and even brake pads. Corvette is using it now for their front fenders, front wheel houses, and floor of their new Z06. The new Maybach 57S will offer a carbon fiber interior trim option.(For looks mostly) The Porsche GT, to be discontinued this year, has offered a frame largely made up of carbon fiber for a while now. The Ford Gt will offer seat frames and a rear deck panel of carbon fiber.

What is carbon fiber? Its basically many fine strands of pure carbon fiber that is very strong and reasonably flexible.

So why use these materials? GM's Corvetts and Saturns (until recently) have long used fiberglass to make their cars light, but this material is not strong. Hence Corvetts literally disintegrate upon any substantial impact. Carbon fiber is very strong, but much more expensive. That's why it is pretty much only used on high end cars and aftermaket performance stuff. The price is the biggest reason it isn't used very widely today. But that is changing, and it is seen in the use of carbon fiber in some newer cars. With brake pads, you will pay up to 80 dollars or more for all 4 wheels(depending on your car). The big advantage to the brake pads is that they can withstand an amazing amount of heat, they last for a long time, and give off very little brake dust.

So for the average person out there, they wouldn't care less about paying extra money for a carbon fiber hood, or brake pads, or wheels. But for those of us into performance, the technology of carbon fiber is a very interesting development.

posted by Mike @ 10:02 PM 7 Hits

Removing a fuel tank.....

This is definitely a task to be done carefully. 1st you should make sure that you got all the gas out. (mistake number one) And that you have more help than your not very strong little brother. (mistake number two) And it would probably be wise to use more than a forklift to lift it into the air.

If you haven't figured it out, I removed a fuel tank today out of my other more recent project car that is supporting the other project car. I spilled like $9 of gas on the shop floor and on the ground outside. But it is out, as well as the engine. The clutch on the sprint burnt up with an amazing amount of smoke. I never knew quite how much a clutch could smoke. But it just barely got me home. And since a new clutch is around $80, I will pull the clutch out of the recently removed engine an tranny, swap it over, and continue to try to destroy the other engine by having more fun than should be allowed in a car.

posted by Mike @ 8:59 PM 9 Hits

I left... And now I'm back. And in between I had a ton of fun on the other side of the border with people I don't get to see often enough. Even though some live within the hour. I know my sister is going to put up a lot of pictures, some of which will be very embarrassing for some of the involved people, yet I am sure they are going to bring to life many recent memories I wish to remember forever. More to follow later.

posted by Mike @ 7:13 PM 15 Hits

Retro

I've posted this before but some have never seen it and I have acquired a lot of new fans since then. So here it is.

http://www.whiplashdvd.com/trailers/drifting.wmv

This also acts as a disclamer to all those who say you can't drift a front wheel drive vehicle.

posted by Mike @ 7:56 PM 5 Hits

Because of peer pressure....

1. Where were you when it turned 2006?
Probably sleeping, but I'm not sure.

2. How did you get the idea for your myspace name?
My Seester.

3. What song are you listening to right now?
The one playing in my head over and over and over and over........

4. Has the death of a celebrity ever made you cry?
No.

5. What color underwear are you wearing?
I think grey.... But I'm not going to check to make sure.

6. Do you own a iPod?
No. But I should.

7. What did you do this morning?
Went to college.

8. What does your dad do for a living?
Own a HVAC Company.

9. Where do you work?
Depends on what I'm doing.

11. What are the last 2 digits in my phone number?
73

12. What was the last song u listened to?
Track 10 of the progressive Trance Vol 2 CD

13. Who was with you?
The Computer.

14. What was the last movie you watched?
I Robot.

15. What do you dislike at the moment?
The burn on my arm.

16. What food do you crave right now?
Mountain Dew, if that counts.

17. Did you dream last night?
Ya. But its kinda hazy.... I think......

18. What was the last TV show you watched?
Fifth Gear.

19. What is your favorite piece of jewelry?
Who knows? Am I supposed to like jewelry?

20. Name someone on your Top 8 who is like you?
I don't have a top 8 of people.

21. What was the last thing you ate?
Chicken, For dinner.

22. Who is your best friend of the opposite sex?
I not going to answer that lest anyone jump to hasty conclusions.

21. Who last text messaged you?
My stupid Nextel people with a stupid add. Even though I keep telling them to take me off their stupid list.....

24. Are you on any medication?
Not really.... No.

25. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
The side with the most blankets.

26. What color shirt are you wearing?
Green.

27. What color is your razor?
Blue and white and metal.(For the blades)

28. What is your favorite frozen treat?
Ice cream sandwiches.

29. How many piercings do you have?
None I hope.

30. What's your favorite store?
Store store store store store store....... Not sure... Maybe.... Carquest! Ya. thats it. They pretty
much know me by name there.

31. Are you thirsty right now?
Not for water.

32. Can you imagine yourself ever getting married?
Eventually. Got to find a Girl first.

33. Who's someone you haven't seen in a while and miss?
A lot of people.

34. What did you do last night?
Worked, ate, burned a CD, this..... And I slept for while too.

35. Do you care what people think about you?
Depends on which people.

36. Have you ever done something to instigate trouble?
Nothing very big....

37. Do you like your hair?
Sure, why not.

38. What is your fav shampoo?
Whatever I happen to be using.(As long as it works.)

39. When was the last time you went to the mall?
When I went to go see Pride and prejudice, A long time ago.

40. What are your font colors on MSN?
Don't have any.

41. Have you ever kissed a member of the same sex?
Thats a Gay question. Of course not.

42. Where do you live?
In a emission free state.

43. Are you an aggressive driver?
Some say so.

44. Who is your cell phone carrier?
Nextel.

45. Do you like the person who posted this last?
Probably if I knew them. But out of all the people in this world, the chances are pretty good I
might not even know them.

46. Do you know their Birthday?
Maybe. Probably not. I don't go around memorizing people's birth days.

47. What is the thing that you would most like to change about you?
My Muscles.

48. What color is your car?
Black with a red pinstripe

49. What do you smell like right now?
Like I just got out of the shower.

50. What is your favorite color?
Depends on what its on.

51. Do you like mustard?
Depends what its on.

52. What do you tell yourself when times get hard?
To read the bible more.

53. Would you ever sky dive?
Yes.

54. Do you sleep on your side, tummy or back or head?
All over.

55. What character from a movie most reminds you of yourself?
Nobody comes to mind.

56. Have you ever bid for something on eBay?
No, but boy do I want to! Theres so much cheap stuff there.

57. What do you think of Angelina Jolie being pregnant?
Don't know who she is.

58. Do you enjoy giving hugs?
Not really.

59. Would you consider yourself to be fashionable?
Not really.

60. Do you own a digital camera?
No.

61. What celebrities have you been compared to?
Harry Potter, shriek, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Kip, The list goes on.

62. Who is your favorite Star Wars character?
Yoda.

63. Does it annoy you when someone says they'll call but never do?
Nobody ever says that to me.

64. What books, if any, have made you cry?
When I was little, Where the red fern grows.

65. What are you allergic to?
Riced out Honda's with stolen stereos.

66. Are you a jealous person?
Sometimes.

67. If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name be?
The possibility's are endless.

posted by Mike @ 10:43 PM 16 Hits

She runs!

The project car I have been working on, which most of you know about, is nearing completion. After spending a large sum of money on a new starter, fighting with grounding issues, and other electrical difficulties, I finely gave up and decided to start it the old fashioned way. So I convinced my dad to pull me around the shop too pull start it. It started right up with a quiet purr. So after flying around the shop a few times, drifting 1 1/2 times,(I lost it the second time and spun out right where my dad could see me, he thought it quite funny) I realized my front tire was falling off. Somewhere along the line I must have forgotten to tighten the lugnuts. No big deal, I tighten them and am off again. Confident I've worked the bugs out of the system I Head out to the field. I drive kinda slow until I get through the bumpy part, and as soon as I can I gun it, 25mph in 1st, 45mph in 2nd and 55 in 3rd(approximately) then I get to the end the field and after slowing down a little bit I decide to drift again. I was successful, but in the process the car dies. Like 1/4 mile from home. After a few anxious attempts to start it, it finally comes to life, and I go home, finish bolting the seat in, put the seat belts back in, and am looking forward to driving it again.

I have pictures of this as well as of the other car I bought the front half of too, but it will take me a while to get them on here.

posted by Mike @ 10:25 PM 13 Hits