The Automotive (& other mechanized vehicles) thread

[lordgalvar]

Been busy on the mustang. I'll do a crazy long write up about some dynamic compression and math stuff some day. I'm converting the Ford 200 over to Toyota Supra 1jz-gte forged rods (they are longer) which will slightly lower my dynamic compression ratio and should let me go slightly higher on the static compression.

The suspension will be done soon...just got to finish grinding through filth and rust off the car and paint

Here are some random photos of paint and new wheels.

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(^like 1/2 of what I painted)

Some of these (those cast motor mounts) were rusting while I was grinding on them. I've never seen rust develop before my eyes....the cast iron would darken and start to rust within 30 minutes...it was crazy...grind and run to the rattle can haha.

The dirty looking thing is the rear fender interior half grinded clean. I've got that one painted already...I'm gonna sawzall off the rear end tomorrow morning and get the ford 9" in there this weekend.

I changed the rubber bushings in the leaf springs to aluminum and hard plastic bearing/bushing hybrids. The front suspension has some of the rubber replaced with roller and needle bearings. I've got all new Bilstein shocks all around. New control arms, adjustable strut rods with heim joints, a new sway bar, Shelby gt coil springs...I'm also doing the shelby/arning drop. I'm also converting the steering over to v8 style.

I found a thinner electric fan so I don't have to move the radiator forward. I've got a transmission cooler now too. Rebuilt the c4 and added a catch can to the puke straw.

Uhhh, what else have I done on it? Broke down the bottom end.

I got a Harbor frieght press to but in the rear bushings...and because I have to cut off the brand new bearings on my rear axle and push on new timkin style ones so I can fit the disc brakes off a Ford explorer (they need a spacer between the plate and bearing).

Painted the spindles (from a 67 mustang) and they look sharp. The front discs are off a 90s mustang GT.

Found a 1978 Fairmont distributor to replace my 1966...this new on is a duraspark/magnetic one. I've also got a new Ford TFI coil. Probably going to have to run some ignition module. Still trying to find the small cap for the new dist because the big duraspark ii is ugly.

I'm kinda thinking about putting some hella fog lamps on the grill for a GT kinda look on the mustang without all the extra chrome. I also kinda want to delete the little side aluminum strips to make it look more sleek I guess? It's my wife's car, so it's up to her I guess.

[lordgalvar]

New wheels acquired and mounted:

I like em!

That junkyard is awesome.

That motorcyclist is hazardous.

Matchin' wheels are always nice.

Agreed!

Always loved squarebacks...there is one a few blocks from me I walk walk by and look at.

I'm trying to snap a photo of this historic vehicle Alfa two blocks down...but it hasn't been out in a few weeks.

I did see this:

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And didn't know what it was...then I saw the brake calipers...it's a Hyundai "rebranded" as something called Tuscani haha. (Just looked it up ..seems it's a Tiburon but in South Korea they are called Tuscani sometimes ..and wikipedia also said this

"Many cars have been modified aftermarket to be rebadged with Tuscani emblems. In Canada, a special edition of the Tiburon is sold as a "Tuscani edition". " )

Speaking of miatas, my neighbor has a Fiat 124...it's really nice looking.

My dad rented a new Camaro SS over the weekend. That thing was crazy fast...like 80-90 in no time. Sounded really good too. Still not a fan of the looks though. We drove it to the drags (he flew in to see me)...but it was just tech inspection...no spectators...he got the date wrong haha. Oh well, March Meets!

[lordgalvar]

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Toothpick in an olive...look at that tiny ford 7.25".

Kinda fun driving the rear end around by spinning the drive shaft. I could kinda tank style steer it.

[dubkitty]

had a car transition...my old car, an 08 Toyota Camry, was destroyed in a rather spectacular 60MPH freeway accident on the way home from the Spiritualized concert in Brooklyn last Friday at 2:30 in the morning. once my insurance was sorted, i went looking for a new ride and wound up with an 03 Toyota Matrix which i love to pieces. 5-speed manual with a 5th gear so long that you can cruise at 70MPH/2200RPM all day long. load bed with folding rear seat that's big enough to fit half a rock band or to sleep in when travelling. it even has a 115V AC inverter in the dash. mileage appears to be a huge improvement over the Camry, too. it's a travelling car, and i'm a traveling boi. and a happy boi.

[Achtane]

Damn man, wha happen?

[dubkitty]

i was driving down I-95 heading for Wilmington, DE. if you're near the East Coast you'll recall that last Thursday night/Friday morning involved tremendous amounts of rain generated by that hurricane down in Florida. i was tootling down the freeway in the pouring rain at 60 mph in the outside lane and trying to gradually overtake a MB Sprinter van in the adjacent (center) lane when i hit a patch of runoff water that was coming off the left shoulder and hydroplaned. the rear end of my car swung round to the right and hit the van amidships; he turned sideways and drove straight into the center barrier at a 90-degree angle, tearing the whole grille/lights/bumper off the van in a huge shower of sparks. he bounced off the center divider and started sliding backwards across the road...after spinning i was also running towards the right shoulder backwards. the van smacked into the right side of the Camry and trashed it pretty good; i think this was also the point where something hit my right front wheel and trashed the steering and FWD drivetrain. we finally slid completely off the traffic lanes and separately nudged into the guard rain with the ass-ends of our vehicles. it was some high-quality NASCAR shit. astonishingly, neither of us were hurt. i think the slick road conditions were also fortuitous in a way, because rather than screeching across the road burning rubber and potentially doing a barrel roll both vehicles slid harmlessly across the rain-soaked pavement. i feel exceedingly lucky...i've never had a wreck at that speed before in my life.

[Chankgeez]

the rear end of my car swung round to the right and hit the van amidships;

So, you're saying you unintentionally unleashed a broadside upon 'em?

At least you're unharmed physically from the battle.

[crochambeau]

Sounds like a wild ride, good to hear you're okay (aside from the obvious hassle of car replacement/etc.).

[dubkitty]

i'm surprised as heck that things turned out as well as they did. there are so many ways it could have been worse.

so i've been turning the Matrix, which i've dubbed the Bluebird, out on the local roads to get my clutch-working chops back up. so far i've gone through 3/4 of a 12-gallon tank @ 330 miles, and if that holds up as 440 miles/12 gallons that's thirty-six miles a gallon. holy shit. that's 18 gallons to go to New York City and back, which took like 30 gallons in the Camry if i worked really hard to keep my speed and RPMs down. this car is now my second best friend after my cat. you won't believe this, but on the way home i hit a half-grown deer a pretty good lick at about 40 MPH--there was no way to avoid it, it just walked out in front of the car like those little fuckers do--and i was sure i'd fucked the car before i'd had it more than a day, but when i stopped to check there wasn't a scratch on her. this car has mojo.

[odontophobia]

I think the Matrix is a cool car. Wish they hadn’t done away with them. Love me some Yotas. Hadbit not been for that accident your camry would’ve outlived you.

I just had a small windshield chip filled yesterday on my 02 Solara. Fully covered by insurance as my last claim before dropping down to PLPD. That 02 isn’t worth too much more these days.

[TraceItalian]

My friend Lurch is trying to get rid of a disassembled mid-70s kawasaki kz1000 with a police interceptor motor, he's appreciative that I got him a job so he's offering me $200, should I take it?

[dubkitty]

turns out i didn't get off scot free from the deer...it ran INTO the right side of the car as i was passing and dented the right side doors. i just can't have nice things, i guess.

[colin]

Shitty luck hitting the deer, and hyproplaning in the Camry. But good luck that you're ok, which is way more important.

My wife has an '07 Matrix, and it's been fantastic for her. She's had it about four years, and it's only needed basic maintenance (tires, clutch, etc.). Super practical car, hatchbacks are the best. I only wish I'd been able to convince her to get an XRS - it could really use a little more power. I love that you can pop open the rear hatch window, we've been able to fit bigger things in her Matrix by having them hang out the window than we've been able to get in my Xterra.

[dubkitty]

yeah, you could pretty much deliver a baby in the back of the Matrix as long as the mother's head was facing the back hatch.

at least now i don't have to worry about fucking up the coachwork. and if i'm feeling affluent i could always get it fixed, but i've got a metric fuck-ton of equipment i need first.

i had the Camry from spring 2014, and never had to do anything to it other than tires and alignment (though one rear brake was going funky). i believe in Toyotas...i liked the Volvos my ex bought in the 00s better, but they cost an absolute mint to fix. at one point i said that we were high-class white trash because we had a dead Volvo in our driveway. to me, Toyotas are to the 21st century what Chevys were to the 60s and 70s: reasonably priced, functional, and when they break you drive them to the shop rather than having to get a tow.

[lordgalvar]

https://www.motor1.com/news/274055/mopa ... ellephant/
I like what they did with that Dodge. Kinda fun. Should be purple though....



The motor though...it may be powerful, but it just don't look that cool with the plastic.

I still think the boss 429 is cool looking...

jon_kaase_custom_built_boss_nine_engines.html

And I think the coyote can be neat looking..