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The Car Talk Thread

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    antriebantrieb Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited October 9, 2006
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    dragon300zxdragon300zx Registered Users Posts: 2,575 Major grins
    edited October 9, 2006
    Damn Zack,

    I wish I coulda started my own junk yard when I was your age. But my parents where always worried about what the neighbors would think. :cry . Oh well Enjoy it while you can.

    But seriously it's good to see someone who cares about cars and doesn't see them as 4 wheels and an engine. Anyone can driver a new car, but it takes a driver to handle older cars.

    Oh and I want my own junk yard :dragon
    Everyone Has A Photographic Memory. Some Just Do Not Have Film.
    www.zxstudios.com
    http://creativedragonstudios.smugmug.com
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    ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,916 moderator
    edited October 9, 2006
    Oh and I want my own junk yard :dragon

    Get to work you lazy slacker lol3.gif
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
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    DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited October 10, 2006
    NERD!!

    101338140-Th.jpg
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


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    NHBubbaNHBubba Registered Users Posts: 342 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    ian408 wrote:
    Say what you want about Craftsman tools but a) they are warranted for
    life and b) there's a Sears or OSH (and I guess Kmart now) almost anywhere
    you're likely to break one as opposed to the tool truck--who knows when he
    will be in your neighborhood.
    I was raised a Craftsman faithful.. Unfortunately I've reacently learned that many of the Craftsman hand-tools are now manufactured overseas. The 'Made in the USA' aspect was a large reason for buying Craftsman.. now that they are not I may have to start shopping another brand.. even for replacements covered under warranty!
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    dugmardugmar Registered Users Posts: 756 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    Once you put a snap on wrench in your hand it is tough to go back to anything else.
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    antriebantrieb Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    dugmar wrote:
    Once you put a snap on wrench in your hand it is tough to go back to anything else.
    I agree. My friend that is helping me with my 530 is a mechanic and he only uses Snap On. After using his tools, I hate my Craftsman
    Photography runs in my blood :andy

    http://zwilliams.smugmug.com/
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    antriebantrieb Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    Ok so who knows about torque curves?

    101502096-M.jpg

    Is that a good one? Looks pretty flat to me...
    Photography runs in my blood :andy

    http://zwilliams.smugmug.com/
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    marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    antrieb wrote:
    Ok so who knows about torque curves?

    Is that a good one? Looks pretty flat to me...
    It depends on gearing, but assuming 6000rpm shift points (and not 6500) that's a great curve.
    Erm, I was fooled by the scale. It's a good curve, but for reference my 380SE with it's peak of 196lb-ft as opposed to the 202lb-ft there has about 28 more lb-ft at 1000rpm, though this curve is nice in that it doesn't drop much.
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    marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    NHBubba wrote:
    I was raised a Craftsman faithful.. Unfortunately I've reacently learned that many of the Craftsman hand-tools are now manufactured overseas. The 'Made in the USA' aspect was a large reason for buying Craftsman.. now that they are not I may have to start shopping another brand.. even for replacements covered under warranty!
    Yeah, Craftsman professional was great until they got bought out and production was shipped overseas, then they bougth it back (or brought it back, or something I was never really sure what happened) and it still never was how it used to be. Nowadays Craftsman is junk.

    As far as Snap-on, the main reason mechanics use them is that they are pretty good but also extremely convenient because the snap-on truck comes by. There are better (or at least better for the money) tools out there. Wiha screwdrivers are MUCH better than Snap-on (better types of steel available, better handles, better cut bits) and Hazet wrenches are just as good as Snap on wrenches and quite a bit cheaper. The BMW dealers all have a Stahlwille truck to suppliment their Snap On truck, though IMHO Hazet is generally better than Stahlwille (and every Mercedes unique tool is made by Hazet). As far as ratchets I'm not sure. I know Snap-On ratchets are tough and I know they are the ones to have come up with the idea, but they are too stuck in the past. The European companies are more willing to take risks with different grip materials or for instance Facom making spline drive in normal sizes which is much better than square drive (though sadly it looks like now that Stanley bought Facom there is no more Facom coming to the US).

    I mean, sure most US mechanics use Snap-on, but then, that doesn't mean much since you don't see them in Europe, the McLaren F1 was built with Facom tools and Ferraris are built with Beta. So, not to take anything away from Snap-on, but there are plenty of pro quality tools out there.
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    jsedlakjsedlak Registered Users Posts: 487 Major grins
    edited October 10, 2006
    We have a Matco guy come around at the shop.... the tools he has provided seem fine...
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    ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,916 moderator
    edited October 10, 2006
    dugmar wrote:
    Once you put a snap on wrench in your hand it is tough to go back to anything else.

    No bout a doubt it. But you gotta weigh the money you spend on tools vs.
    the time you're using them. At least that's what I think. Like I said earlier,
    if I made my living as a mechanic, that's the way I'd go for sure thumb.gif
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
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    DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited October 11, 2006
    i use duck brand duct tape. nod.gif
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


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    marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 11, 2006
    DoctorIt wrote:
    i use duck brand duct tape. nod.gif
    The best brand (and yes it does actually matter). The Ultimate grade is the best stuff...200mph tape is pretty good...I actually don't know when to use which.
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    wholenewlightwholenewlight Registered Users Posts: 1,529 Major grins
    edited October 11, 2006
    The best brand (and yes it does actually matter). The Ultimate grade is the best stuff...200mph tape is pretty good...I actually don't know when to use which.

    anyone try this tape?
    101767059-L.jpg

    Saw it at home depot but haven't tried it yet . . . ne_nau.gif

    101767164-M.jpg

    I use Gorilla Glue all the time - love it.
    john w

    I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
    Edward Steichen


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    DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited October 11, 2006
    The best brand (and yes it does actually matter). The Ultimate grade is the best stuff...200mph tape is pretty good...I actually don't know when to use which.
    rolleyes1.gif you are a nerd! what have I done, I've started a duct tape conversation! lol3.gif
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


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    dragon300zxdragon300zx Registered Users Posts: 2,575 Major grins
    edited October 11, 2006
    DoctorIt wrote:
    rolleyes1.gif you are a nerd! what have I done, I've started a duct tape conversation! lol3.gif

    For good duct tape resourses check out.

    http://www.redgreen.com/
    http://www.ducktapeclub.com/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape
    http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030201/tips/8.html (the new treatment for warts)
    http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/RFIDWallet.php (how to block RFID with duct tape)
    And more just google it. :D
    Everyone Has A Photographic Memory. Some Just Do Not Have Film.
    www.zxstudios.com
    http://creativedragonstudios.smugmug.com
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    marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 11, 2006
    Well, I'm gonna try a Beta ratchet set...kinda an expensive way to find out if I like it, but how bad can it be? NASCAR R&D down the road from me uses them, and Ferrari dumped Facom in favor of them when Stanley bought Facom. I guess I shall see. To get equivalent stuff from SnapOn would have been about 30% more expensive...and it wouldn't have had a neat and tidy case for me to keep it in.
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    antriebantrieb Registered Users Posts: 285 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2006
    :antrieb
    :crash


    edit: :(
    Photography runs in my blood :andy

    http://zwilliams.smugmug.com/
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    gusgus Registered Users Posts: 16,209 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2006
    ian408 wrote:
    No bout a doubt it. But you gotta weigh the money you spend on tools vs.
    the time you're using them. At least that's what I think. Like I said earlier,
    if I made my living as a mechanic, that's the way I'd go for sure thumb.gif
    I spend all day & some nights with a pouch full of cheap crap. If i spend more than $15 on a spanner/wrench then i feel ripped off. All my gear i work on is either sitting in the open/salt spray or buried underground. I jump on them...put 4 foot lengths of pipe over them...hit stuff with the gas spanner with them still in position, i generally treat them like the crap they are. Most are approaching 5-10 years old. If i lose one i buy another. Their real death is a direct electrical short phase to phase...dat kills 'em dead no matter what they cost.

    Tools are the easiest thing to over think i recon.
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    marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2006
    antrieb wrote:
    :antrieb
    :crash


    edit: :(

    No smilie for you!
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    marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 12, 2006
    gus wrote:
    I spend all day & some nights with a pouch full of cheap crap. If i spend more than $15 on a spanner/wrench then i feel ripped off. All my gear i work on is either sitting in the open/salt spray or buried underground. I jump on them...put 4 foot lengths of pipe over them...hit stuff with the gas spanner with them still in position, i generally treat them like the crap they are. Most are approaching 5-10 years old. If i lose one i buy another. Their real death is a direct electrical short phase to phase...dat kills 'em dead no matter what they cost.

    Tools are the easiest thing to over think i recon.
    I'm sorry Gus, but you are such an Australian. On the electrical short aspect, why don't you just use these? http://www.procarestores.com/product/general_catalog/product_info.php?products_id=000520110

    or are you dealing with more than 1000V? Cause if you're not, Knipex makes pliers, Beta makes wrenches (I'm sure someone else does too, I just haven't really looked), and Wiha makes screwdrivers that won't die from the short and won't kill you.
    I know when I first started buying good tools it just made life more enjoyable, so that's why I do it (plus, cheap sockets and screwdrivers have a tendency to round things out and then not grab them).
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    NHBubbaNHBubba Registered Users Posts: 342 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2006
    So I am totally pumped. I've had my heart set on buying an early model Mazda Miata/MX-5 for a while now.. ever since I faced facts and realized I'd never get what I wanted on trade for ol' Truckzilla. Well I finally found not one, but two reasonably priced examples in my area. ('Tis totally the time of year to get a deal on a rag-top!) The other morning I did an external inspection of one right in town.. and liked it quite a bit. I know a guy who knows the potential-future-previous-owner.. and won't shut up about how well this guy took care of his car. Garaged/put up every winter, regular maintenence, etc etc. Specs are: '97, 94k miles, excellent condition. I have a test-drive scheduled for this PM. I'm stoked!

    ..Then this AM I find viable candidate #2; a local dealer that is actually asking a reasonable price on a '96 w/ just over 100k on the clock. Haven't checked it out in person yet, but the pix look fantastic. And the carfax checks out.

    Me thinks I may be a multiple automobile owner by the end of the weekend! wings.gif
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    marlinspikemarlinspike Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2006
    NHBubba wrote:
    Me thinks I may be a multiple automobile owner by the end of the weekend! wings.gif

    If you ever plan to modify it, ask on here and I'll relay your question to my friend. He races his in SCCA.
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    NHBubbaNHBubba Registered Users Posts: 342 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2006
    I've already discovered and become a semi-regular surfer of miata.net. That site is simply awe-inspiring. .. I also have a few friends that are also early model Miata owners.. they have been very helpful about mod suggestions.. for a car I don't even own yet!

    I may SCCA.. although it isn't likely. My uncle is active in the New England chapter and races most weekend in the summer. He runs an HS Tiberon (and usually comes in dead last!). He has actually encoraged me to co-drive his car some weekend. I would likely do that before I ran a Miata simply because his car runs in a lower, less stressful class. The stories I get from other Miata drivers who want to do casual autocrossing about the compeditiveness are pretty intense.

    ..Although when I told my uncle I was looking for a Miata his first reaction was a big grin and "So you wanna go racin' uh?". He was disapointed when I told him the apeal was actually fuel efficiency. .. Maybe I'll loan him my car some weekend just for kicks.

    Most of the mods I'd be after would primarily comfort and functionality centered, not performance. Part of the apeal of this vehicle is that it will be fairly good for daily commuting. (My commute is now ~100 mi/day.) I wouldn't want to aply any mods that hurt reliability or fuel efficiency (ie forced induction, which I gather is very popular!). Tops on the short list include a good outdoor car cover, an aftermarket MP3/WMA deck, a bracket for my sirius receiver, and a custom exhaust system to relocate the spare under the vehicle.
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    ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,916 moderator
    edited October 13, 2006
    One of the guys in our Austin office has the 5.0L version of the Miata. That
    thing is a trip. It needs bigger breaks though.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
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    NHBubbaNHBubba Registered Users Posts: 342 Major grins
    edited October 13, 2006
    5.0L 'version' huh?
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    DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited October 13, 2006
    ian408 wrote:
    One of the guys in our Austin office has the 5.0L version of the Miata. That
    thing is a trip. It needs bigger breaks though.
    eek7.gif

    bigger brakes isn't all it needs.
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


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    ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,916 moderator
    edited October 13, 2006
    DoctorIt wrote:
    eek7.gif

    bigger brakes isn't all it needs.

    No, read what I wrote...breaks. You'd think the torque in that motor
    would rip it apart. It's pretty impressive to be sitting in that thing when
    he stabs the gas thumb.gif

    I think there's a kit or at least a list of parts/suggestions for doing the
    upgrade. The effort required was pretty substantial.
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
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    DoctorItDoctorIt Administrators Posts: 11,951 moderator
    edited October 13, 2006
    ian408 wrote:
    It's pretty impressive to be sitting in that thing when
    he stabs the gas thumb.gif
    Impressive or scary? I do remember reading about that "kit" in Car&Driver years ago.
    Erik
    moderator of: The Flea Market [ guidelines ]


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