Ace-Garageguy

The first really idiotic design stuff I encountered up close and personal was on the Triumph Stag engine, which I worked on at a dealership when they were new. The engine was a SOHC V8 derived from a joint Triumph/Saab inline 4. Saab's little 3-cylinder 2-stroke ring-dings were legendary, but there was just too much reinventing the wheel on their OHC 4-stroke 4, and Triumph really should have known better. The water pump was buried under the intake manifold on the V8 because the designers of the 4 were trying to save length for FWD installations (Saab 99). The timing chains were barely adequate and stretched early. The cylinder heads were retained by studs that went in at different angles. When the heads inevitably warped and blew head gaskets, the studs often seized in the block. Because they went in at different angles, they had to be removed before you could get a head off...but they were too short to get a standard stud puller on. Of course they were provided with a little slot for a screwdriver on the top end, but it failed if the stud was the least bit reluctant to turn. AND...because the head studs went in at different angles, you were severely limited in how much meat could be removed from a warped head. Engine swaps were almost a necessity. I personally did 3 SBC swaps, one SBF, and have seen aluminum Olds, Buick, and Rover V8 swaps, and a few V6 Buicks. If you ever encounter a SBC or SBF equipped Stag, IF there's no hole in the hood, I probably did it. I built custom headers for all of mine, so the engine sat lower in the bay, and no need to cut a hole in the hood for air filter clearance. Stags had a multitude of other designed-in problems including power steering rack seal issues, window regulators, etc., but I loved them anyway. With styling by Giovanni Michelotti, a full convertible top, an optional hard top, and an integral padded roll bar, they were striking visually and comfortable, and though the OEM engines were junk, they sounded heavenly.

Alarm for smoke where you are sounds kinda like Twiki checking out the babe...

Old-school engine guys will recognize these valve lapping tools. Impulse purchase at the parts store today 'cause they were cheap and the cups on my old ones are hard as little rocks. I have to do a head for the Neon, because the bozo who sold it to me swore he'd just done the timing belt and he hadn't. It stripped a couple of teeth just idling in the driveway. Unfortunately it's an "interference" engine, so it bent some valves. I've been putting it off but finally decided to just get on with it. I have a buildable junkyard head on the bench. It'll be fun to have little blue car running again. I really like Neons.

Sorry to read about the trials you're having getting work done, but sadly, it's becoming pretty universal. Finding quality- and competence-oriented craftsmen has always been a challenge, but it's worse now than ever. I speak from very expensively acquired experience in multiple fields over decades.

"Manipulated" by trying to make you think you're the bad guy is one of the favorite tactics of narcissists...all while they play the innocent victim.

"Wrong" is difficult if not impossible to counteract if the one who believes something that's wrong has his mind made up and closed to reason..

Also sprach Zarathustra

Some fairly late-model Jeep service manuals show pulling the front bumper to do the headlights, but it's possible to pull the plastic fender liner down and get to the backside to swap bulbs on some models. Half an hour instead of half a day.

Big strange orange fireball in sky. Very scary.

"People aren't getting stupider, it's just the stupid people are getting louder"...and the www has given them a global reach.

Theater hopping doesn't have the potential downside of bar hopping.

False teeth shouldn't be swallowed.

Rain and high 80s forecast all week...

Statistics are frequently manipulated and spun to "prove" lies and misinformation.

Far as I've come and as much as I've seen, one would think I would have learned to not trust to the point where my future was vulnerable...

Well...sad as I am to say it, that may not happen now due to a case of misplaced trust. But life goes on...

"Anymore" is still next to impossible to begin a correct English sentence with.

Clear skies between rain long enough so I could mow the front lawn and start shoveling the pine needles out of the drive in preparation to get some cars running. Started and warmed up the old GMC and took her around the block a few times. Need to rebuild the Rochester 2GC I swapped in for the dead EFI, as the Chinee needle and gaskets I used last time have all turned to goo. Now deciding whether to put another "offshore" garbage kit in her for a couple more years, or try to find a US-made NOS kit (for 4 times the price) that will probably outlast me.

A very wise man once told me that "true humility is knowing and accepting your actual size".

Yup, yup, yup...

Cheep Chinee set of 1/4" indexable cutters for the Unimat, will work fine with the Sherline too of course. They LOOK OK, and come in a nice little wooden box, but only time will tell if they're decent.

I've always kinda liked those. Looks like an early '70s Cougar and a Fiero got together... LS swaps in late model Fieros make pretty fine little cars, so if this thing was built well, it should be fast and capable...though I don't expect the added length does much to improve handling..

Still raining here off an on, forecast all next week too. So far must be be of the wettest, coolest springs on record.

Fast occasionally to lose weight, but too much can slow the fat loss process.

"Owned" is what mistakes and transgressions should be, but never willingly take an unjust whipping.