charlie8575

Very nice engine, Wayne. Charlie Larkin

Nice job with the height adjustment. What did you do? Charlie Larkin

Another beautiful job. Charlie Larkin

I'm probably going to grab one. I have to be honest, it isn't a bad-looking car. Having rode in a first-generation Azera, I was very impressed with it. I would seriously consider one if I couldn't find something that's still a little closer to my liking. Charlie Larkin

Noted. Thanks for the heads-up. Charlie Larkin

I think you summed up the feelings of all decent people in this world when such horrible things happen. I really wonder how we sunk to such low levels some days, and no one answer- or group of answers ever leads me to what I consider a satisfactory answer. Charlie Larkin

I think that's one of the reasons I build models. Modeling conveys a sense of history and modelers themselves actually become pretty good historians a lot of the time. I always felt as though I fit in well with that general mindset and deportment. I sometimes wonder if that's one of the reasons modeling has fell out of favor- we, as a society, are losing sight of our history, our heritage, and the things that remind us of it, and with those reminders being hidden from the view of the general populace and especially children for a variety of (usually twisted, illogical and intellectually weak) reasons, I do worry sometimes. I think it's incumbent upon all of us to preserve those things of the past in some manner, and make sure they aren't forgotten. Charlie Larkin

Lahmejuan= Armenian pizza. Ground lamb, peppers and onions on lavish. Not Italian pizza, but the concept is identical, and it's been one of my favorite things since I was a little kid. It's really the only way I like lamb aside from shish kebab. You have a decent sized Armenian community in Chicagoland, there must be one good Armenian grocer someplace. Either that, or see when the churches are having their picnics, and go check it out. Charlie Larkin

Well...I never knew that. I feel completely silly now! Meh...point's still valid. Charlie Larkin

I just used A/C Pro in my mother's Lumina, which had the system discharged after the engine was swapped. The worst part of it was getting at the port, but once ready to use, it was a breeze. I've tried a whole bunch of different a/c recharge products over the years. Yeah, this stuff's a little steep, but it's well worth the money. Works VERY well and that air conditioner works very, very well. If there were any leaks, they aren't there anymore. I'm going to give it whirl in my dad's Sable when we get it back, and see if that takes care of those leaks. Charlie Larkin

Well...considering a lot of the people who drive minivans are petite soccer moms, the power gate makes a lot of sense. The doors can go either way. My mother isn't petite, but is only 5 feet tall, and for her to even reach the t/gate on a PT Cruiser is a bit of a stretch. Charlie Larkin

The Irish and Mexican pizzas- not so appetizing. The German pizza: add some sausage, perhaps replace the tomato sauce with brown gravy to go with the spaetzle, and you might be on to something. Charlie Larkin

I went to get gas Saturday. Pre-paid for $70, gave the clerk $80 because it was what I had, and a big difference between cash/credit. With my discount from one of the local supermarkets, I had 50 cents/gallon off on up to 20 gallons. Cool. Put in 18 and a nudge gallons. The clerk had rung in $61.98, I ended up taking $58.85. The signs on the pumps were also advertising cold drinks for 89 cents. Good deal, it was pretty hot out. So, I went in, and got my Sprite. The clerk- under orders from her boss, rang it up at $1.05. "You're advertisting 89 cents, even with tax, that's still only 95 cents." "The owner wants it run at 99 cents and the signs don't matter." Irritated, and too hot to care, I took it, and the rest of my change, and left. About five minutes down the road....I realized the dope clerk, possibly because of her boss again, short-changed me. I went right back. I did out math. She looked at the register record. "Well, I pre-paid $61.98, and it that's what it changed on." "And that amount should have been updated when I stopped pumped at three dollars less than the anticipated amount. Now...does your boss want you short-changing me, too, to enrichen himself as you stated earlier to me, or do I have to call the police?" I got my change, and reported it to the police. Because I got my change, they couldn't do anything, but I told the dispatcher what was going on, and to keep an eye on that station and watch for complaints. I'll be calling the weights/measures inspector tomorrow, and probably Sunoco, too. Charlie Larkin

I'm starting to have that problem with my car, as well. The P225/75R-15 passenger car tire is becoming very hard to find, at least anything even sort of decent, and man are they getting pricey. An off-brand 40,000 mile tire is going for about $100. I remember a few years ago, you could get decent (60-70,000 mile) tires for that price. I've seen several of the less-common tire sizes go out of production in recent years- I would think it would be wise to keep the molds on hand, even for special order. Joe- don't worry too much. So many trucks/SUVs have used 235XLs, that those won't be gone anytime soon. There are literally millions of them. Pete- I'm not sure if they'd have something, but consider trying Diamondback Classics. Their main product line is radial WWWs, but they do offer a line of slightly-customized performance tires in a variety of sizes that seem to be a bit hard to get. Charlie Larkin

I have occasional bouts of sciatica, back gets a little sore once in awhile as a result of a couple of bad falls and a piano coming down a moving truck ramp. When my sciatic nerve kicks in, I can't do anything...sleep, sit, stand, walk, build, read, whatever. Wow, it drives me nuts. Charlie Larkin

I grow....weeds. No, not that weed. I'm strange enough as it is without chemical aide. Charlie Larkin

Sacrilige! One of my friends used to put ketchup on her steaks. I broke her of that (and a lot of other) culinary bad practices. Still need to get her to stop adding salt to everything- woman will put half a shaker on her already salted french fries. Prime rib for me- rare, horseradish, maybe a little pepper or a very small amount of A-1. Serve with green beans, carrots, and a baked potato. Charlie Larkin

Actually, piccalilli, while a relish, is actually green tomatoes and a little bit of pimento, relish is relish- diced pickles, peppers, etc. Slightly different. If you have the opportunity, look up Howard's Foods in Danvers, Mass., I believe they'll ship anywhere. Deep dish pizza- when I was in Chicago in 2000, my friend who was living there and I went to Lou Maniatti's (sp.?) and I'll say this....it beat the pants off of Uno. Don't get me wrong, Uno's is good, but that was phenomenal. Harry- do I even want to know what you think of Greek pizza??? (The way my shop here makes it- and the way I like it, white sauce, ground lamb formed into strips and sliced thin, feta, lettuce and diced tomatoes. Charlie Larkin

There was a little pizza shop in the north-central-west corner of the state (now gone, unfortunately,) that had a taco pizza that sounded awful, but it was absolutely delectable. Don't knock it 'till you try it. Charlie Larkin

Saw all those stories...and I thought it characterized that whole generation to a "T." NBC had a nice D-Day special Friday night I enjoyed watching, and I thought hearing those stories was interesting. I also ended up in the car at 6:30 every night this week, and WBZ radio carries the CBS TV news, and I listed to their coverage of that all week. All it did was make me miss my grandfather and great-uncles, all of whom were WW2 veterans, and I believe Pop was one of the D-Day paratroopers, not 100% sure, though, I'll have to ask my dad. We must never forget. And if I have anything to say about it, and as long as I continue to have any kind of involvement in education in any capacity or level, I'll do my part to make sure nobody does, contrary to a disturbingly large number of "teachers" now who deem such actions irrelevant. Charlie Larkin

The mustard in the tube glue is a clue. Mustard oil is kissin' cousin to mustard gas, and anyone who's studied warfare or history broadly speaking, knows what that can cause. Mustard gas/oil can cause all kinds of respiratory problems, and some people are especially sensitive. As suggested elsewhere.... VENTILATE! And I'd suggest trying other glues. Testors liquid cement does not have mustard in it, as I recall, and works well. Nor does Tamiya. Testors clear parts cement has a solvent that seems to hold fairly well, and doesn't stink too badly. I'm not sure what's in it, though. Tenax is very strong, and the fumes might bother you. Charlie Larkin

Very nice work. Regarding the electronic brain: did you feel a bit evaporated at that point? Charlie Larkin

Very nice, Hessel. The trio looks great, too. Charlie Larkin

Drying time: give it at least a day, possibly two if it's humid where you are. With enamels, I generally wait 2-3 weeks before polishing to make sure they fully catalyze. Alternately, if you have dehydrator, it'll cure fully in 24-30 hours. The curing can also be accelerated with a hair dryer on low. Charlie Larkin

I would think the sound of well-tuned 240Z with a sport exhaust might be a bit more fitting...with the shifts timed to the acceleration. Charlie Larkin