Archive for June, 2010

So new Idea

Friday, June 11th, 2010

I have been thinking of building a roadster, late 20’s highboy Ford maybe, put the Chrysler Firepower Hemi in the garage under the hood, running an Offenhauser intake and perhaps a Holly carb. I have not been sure about the induction of course, I mean some would say go supercharger or turbo but as light as this will be means it may well be unnessacary.

Suspension is looking like the best of things I can gather, I want to go 4 wheel disk brakes power of course, powered steering and all the other little additions that make for a great ride.

Transmission I am thinking a 5speed, although an automatic would be easier to drive, the need for the car to be fun makes a stick shift an important feature to include in the buildup.

It seem like a roadster may not be the best for practicallity but the look the feel and the ease of them really appeals to me, realisically it does not even need to have any windows beyond the windsheild. A small steel box that carries the driver and a passenger for a trip.

Don’t get me wrong muscle cars are beautiful and awesome, but nothing I can build easily on my own. This is something that can be bought and assembeled over a summer for a low cost that ensures that I will not be worrying about the cost of the car all the time. Of course the relative saftey of a car with no fenders and barely a box to sit in has to be thought of as well. Also the lack of appropriate weather is another stumbling block.

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So there was a doings

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

I have aquired from the Dave “Russell: The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell” a man of amazingly wide tastes who’s prediliction to history makes me even more interested in what he has to save. Being a work that Dave is aware of it has an Atheist bent of course, not that I consider this a bad thing, other veiwpoints are the key to developing understanding. Reading it on one side makes me regret not taking more Philosophy in my Bachelor of Arts and at the same time makes me devoutly glad that I did not look into this at a point when I could have made it a large part of my educational path. I spend too much time thinking on things without grappling with what the nature of thought and reality is at its most basic level. Although these ideas are fascinating (And with another 600+ pages to read I will have more to say) so much of it falls under what some would consider not worth knowing.

I do not know if it is the intellectual climate of this City and Province or that of the Country or even world as a whole there just does not seem to be the respect for philosophers that we used to have. Maybe its because we all think now, not just those individuals of ability and station. Making the act of thought beyond the day to day drugery of society something anyone can do diluting the impact of genius in the modern age. Even look at this writing I am doing now, I am intelligent but I have never considered my lazy absorbtion of information something deserving of a term like Genius, like all intellectuals I am one part regurgitation one part actual idea and two parts bullshit. I find it hillarious that my earlier university essays are more coherent than those I write now because I have been taught so well to dodge around the point of any given thing. So much of what academia pushes out could be taken down to a solid sentence or paragraph with footnotes  for proofs, but instead we are taught to create gigantice intellectual monstrosities in order to demonstrate our ability to understand a given point. That last was lifted from Russell perhaps not directly but what I have read is influencing how I say it and what I think does that make this plagerism? I am not wholely sure but I would think not, an idea cannot be owned by one person, a thing or an idea for a thing certianly but the idea that, the Pre-Mycenean Greeks were the people who are depicted attacking Troy in the Illiad cannot, but it seems to me that many want that to be the way of things locking us out of the ability to look at others work and go “Yeah that was good but if I change this right here look at THAT”.

I worry we are trapping ourselves into intellectual stagnation, I look at my life and I compare it to those thinkers and individuals of the past and wonder how I could even aspire to their levels. Living moments in the present like one such as Hunter S Thompson is one thing, but as he himself proves that path leads to ones own destruction. One habit of life of Russell that he shares in one of his papers is that of reading History with his spouse and discussing it. I may lack the spouse but I do think that I need to stop letting myself get into an intellectual funk, I NEED to learn, and with how Education has conspired to only state the obvious maybe that is what I need to change in my life.  Sides I like writing papers and thinking, that will be the best part of teaching, is learning more and more about everything as one teaches, Social Studies is far to broad to know everything, although I plan to make a go of it.

Huh barely talked of the doings, suffice it to say I had a good time, and maybe I will write of it later.

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Dave is about and the new aussie too I suppose I should get off my ass

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Today is Car things

The last few weeks I have been thinking over and over about the Daytona and what I would do with one if I had it, Drawings and thoughts in class have been constant.

Clearly I want another V6 model, I love the torque supplied by the engine allowing the fairly light car to be modestly quick and peppy, this was on my old one with wasted rings that burned oil like an incontenent whore. Clearly the engine has potential in my mind but there are some flaws in the whole platform. Front motor Front drive is not something I have traditionally thought of as a good layout in a performance car, the motor I want in said automobile is a refugee from another automaker who has several versions of the same engine with more horsepower and amenities which is almost a pro when I can find an 400+HP twin turbo version running in stock (Re: Reliable) trim. Thus I come to the positives, I can get one in good condition cheaply, they are a very sporty looking car, most of the mod and changes I want to make can be made cheaply as well if done myself. The often included speed equipment of 4 wheel disk brakes and a basic suspension make it a good base that can be upgraded to better brakes suspensi0n tires ect. I am thinking of using FAST’s direct port injection system and slaving lappy to it for tuning, setting the engine up for port fire will improve fuel economy as well as power as I am not fueling the wasted cylinder as in a bank fire system, as well this should allow the addition of a more efficient (perhaps fabricated) intake to further improve power and performance. As well I would like to have the whole motor switched over to ARP bolts as their consistent grade ratings and huge over built qualities will allow the bottom end of the engine to put up with whatever sort of shenanigans I decide to get up to be it turbos or super chargers, both of which have pro’s and cons. Transmission wise I would love to run a 5 speed, from what I read it should not be possible but in the scrappers with my own eyes I saw a 91 v6 Daytona with a 5 speed gear box showing me the dream combo is a possibility.

The plan right now is to finish school and find a reasonably priced Daytona with a blown V6, I have thought perhaps I may have to buy several just to bring the “keeper” up to spec with some part car beaters.

Step One: Strip the Whole Damn Car Down to the Frame pulling the whole front and rear suspension engine and interior.

Step Two: Frame Re-Inforcement – Boxing up the frame rails repairing any rust or other damage as well as aligning the whole body on a Jig an subtle roll cage may be added at this point to further improve longitudinal stability

Step Three: Wiring – Either replacement of the origional wiring with new, restoration of the origional wiring or a combination using the newer power modules offered by a few manufactuers

Step Four: Insulation- I would like to Dynamat the whole interior floor roof doors ect. As well as back boxing the speakers and running lines for the stereo system

Step Five: New Glass- Whenever possible replace all of the glass including windsheild and hatch, as well as new gaskets even if the use of older “Restoration” style gaskets have to be used

Step Six: Suspension- Hi Perf Struts Shocks and Springs as well as a full poly carbonate suspension as well as custom roll bars of the same shape as origional with a much greater diameter and strength. As well larger beefier Brakes, I am thinking Baer 16″.

Step Seven: The Motor- Mitsubishi 3.0L V6 24Valve DOHC engine Probably the Twin Turbo version with HP Transmission (5 or even 6 Speed)

Step Eight: Interior- Recovered Seats installed, maybe a nicer replacement set of buckets if I locate a pair that match the interior and fit my butt

Step Nine: Tires- I am thinking a 16-18 inch rim with body color spokes and chrome rim

Step Ten: Zoom and like that I am gone Prefrence is Blue or Red but I would be happy with almost any HIP color if I find it.

<This was posted a month before this incorrectly>

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