How (and why) to Ramble on your goat sideways
10-02-2011, 11:31 PM
#9842
I feel mildly accomplished today. For the first time in a couple of months, I spent a few hours on the car doing odds and ends. I fixed the screwed up soft top that the bodyshop gave me back from getting the side of the car fixed. I had to half uninstall the interior top bracket to reinstall the nylon straps that limit the travel of the rearmost top hoop that supports the vinyl when the top is up. That took me about an hour. I had to address a coolant leak coming from one of the turbo water lines. No biggie. Washed the car to get the acres worth of Road Atlanta red clay off the car from going to Petit Le Mans. I got to another issue that was given to me by the bodyshop- my right side skirt not being attached properly. I took the rear wheel off to get to the fastener and to see how loose it was. It turns out they removed it and kinda 1/4-assed the install....they never removed any of the old trim tape. Instead, they just added some in a few places over the old tape and installed the skirt. What ********. They really did a half-assed job when coupled with the soft top straps, the clear over the rock chips on the front fender, overspray on one of my SSRs and on my spoiler, my throw out bearing now making my car sound like a supercharger (was NOT doing this before going to the shop..I know they did it), the super shitty "detail" they did...after I expressly told them NOT to wash the car...I spent twice the time cleaning their crap opposed to if they never washed it at all..oh and the missing right tag light and no bulb in the left tag light housing. I'm doubtful that I'll even take it back to them to fix their fuckups let alone of I ever need exterior repair work. This shop used to be good...had my 99 worked on there, my GF had her MINI and her MSM worked on there without a problem in years past. Oh well.
My other thing was ******* with the clutch. For the past few months, it seems there has been a degradation in operation. In the past few weeks, reverse has come with a hard "clunk" most of the time and no matter what I did, upper-rpm gear changes were slow and difficult. I was also getting some grinding/missing gears much more than I should have been. I knew it wasn't a dead master/slave and I just replaced the rubber line. So I decided to simply bleed it to see if I could get it feeling any better. After pulling the bleeder valve completely out, the fluid stopped draining out, yet, the master was still nearly full. Hmmm. **** it, pull the hard line out of the slave and let it drip. Well, that kinda worked...but it eventually stopped dripping with about 1/8th the master full. That's what I saw something odd. When I put some light in there to really see the color of the fluid, I noticed a metallic flake to it. This made me really want to get all the fluid flushed out. There was also some dark matter on the bottom of the res. and some kinda goopy gunk. I figured that whatever it was, was blocking the line somewhere and preventing proper slave actuation. I finally managed to get the master empty and ran about another res. worth of fluid through the lines and **** feels 10x better now. I also adjusted the pedal so my engagement isn't at the floor anymore. I also noticed a strange behavior from the fluid I first drained out into a plastic cup...when tilted over to expose the bottom of the cup, some fluid would migrate uphill away from the main body of fluid. I'm guessing there was water mixed in there.
I still need to remove the coolant reroute, change the oil, get an alignment and I think the engine mounts are toast and want to get the AWR mounts. After that, I really want to replace the suspension bushings and eccentric bolts.
My other thing was ******* with the clutch. For the past few months, it seems there has been a degradation in operation. In the past few weeks, reverse has come with a hard "clunk" most of the time and no matter what I did, upper-rpm gear changes were slow and difficult. I was also getting some grinding/missing gears much more than I should have been. I knew it wasn't a dead master/slave and I just replaced the rubber line. So I decided to simply bleed it to see if I could get it feeling any better. After pulling the bleeder valve completely out, the fluid stopped draining out, yet, the master was still nearly full. Hmmm. **** it, pull the hard line out of the slave and let it drip. Well, that kinda worked...but it eventually stopped dripping with about 1/8th the master full. That's what I saw something odd. When I put some light in there to really see the color of the fluid, I noticed a metallic flake to it. This made me really want to get all the fluid flushed out. There was also some dark matter on the bottom of the res. and some kinda goopy gunk. I figured that whatever it was, was blocking the line somewhere and preventing proper slave actuation. I finally managed to get the master empty and ran about another res. worth of fluid through the lines and **** feels 10x better now. I also adjusted the pedal so my engagement isn't at the floor anymore. I also noticed a strange behavior from the fluid I first drained out into a plastic cup...when tilted over to expose the bottom of the cup, some fluid would migrate uphill away from the main body of fluid. I'm guessing there was water mixed in there.
I still need to remove the coolant reroute, change the oil, get an alignment and I think the engine mounts are toast and want to get the AWR mounts. After that, I really want to replace the suspension bushings and eccentric bolts.
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10-03-2011, 09:22 PM
#9843
Diagnostic tool for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
https://www.radioshack.com/product/i...uctId=12125039
https://www.radioshack.com/product/i...uctId=12125039
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10-04-2011, 10:58 AM
#9844
Piece of **** city of Danbury is trying to get me to pay personal property tax for a vehicle I sold almost 3 years ago!!!
I called and told the lady there must be a mistake and she said they have no proof of it being sold. Ohh really? Turning in the ******* plates and signing over the title isn't proof enough?
She said they're going to run a carfax on it and shell get back to me. If she says anything other than sorry for the mistake or misunderstanding and that its taken care of, I'm going to go down there and scream in someone's ******* face!!
I called and told the lady there must be a mistake and she said they have no proof of it being sold. Ohh really? Turning in the ******* plates and signing over the title isn't proof enough?
She said they're going to run a carfax on it and shell get back to me. If she says anything other than sorry for the mistake or misunderstanding and that its taken care of, I'm going to go down there and scream in someone's ******* face!!
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10-04-2011, 11:38 AM
#9845
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
Diagnostic tool for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
https://www.radioshack.com/product/i...uctId=12125039
https://www.radioshack.com/product/i...uctId=12125039
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10-04-2011, 12:11 PM
#9846
Boost Czar
iTrader: (62)
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Chantilly, VA
Posts: 79,490
Total Cats: 4,079
Piece of **** city of Danbury is trying to get me to pay personal property tax for a vehicle I sold almost 3 years ago!!!
I called and told the lady there must be a mistake and she said they have no proof of it being sold. Ohh really? Turning in the ******* plates and signing over the title isn't proof enough?
She said they're going to run a carfax on it and shell get back to me. If she says anything other than sorry for the mistake or misunderstanding and that its taken care of, I'm going to go down there and scream in someone's ******* face!!
I called and told the lady there must be a mistake and she said they have no proof of it being sold. Ohh really? Turning in the ******* plates and signing over the title isn't proof enough?
She said they're going to run a carfax on it and shell get back to me. If she says anything other than sorry for the mistake or misunderstanding and that its taken care of, I'm going to go down there and scream in someone's ******* face!!
I didnt get all
up in here
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10-04-2011, 01:05 PM
#9847
So you ignored it and that was all? If so your lucky.
I traded the GMC to my buddy that painted my car. He in turn sold it off to another guy after he decided not to fix the blown motor. He now lives in SC and the guy he sold it to isn't exactly easy to find. I turned in the plates and signed the title over to him, but last I knew he hadn't registered it yet due to the motor issue.
This has been going on since I let him have it. I've been paying the property tax on it, seeing that its a unregistered motor vehicle still in my name. Last year I actually paid it just because I didnt want to call or go down there and get in an argument. I really couldn't believe it when I got the notice the other day.
Well in any case she called back and said its taken care of. Although she was a bit of a bitch during the first conversation, I did apologize to her for getting loud. Saying that it was starting to look like I'll be paying this for the next 5, 10, 15 years and so on at this point. She understood. Thankfully cause the last time I was at city hall I was a bit rough with the door. lol
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10-04-2011, 05:49 PM
#9854
Diesel exhaust smells totally different nowadays. Used to smell slightly pleasant and skunky; now it smells like jet exhaust and gives me a headache. I'm talking buses, big rigs, and other heavy equipment.
Contrarily, my buddy's brand new bone stock emissions compliant California Cummins is virtually odorless, even when standing right next to the pipe.
Contrarily, my buddy's brand new bone stock emissions compliant California Cummins is virtually odorless, even when standing right next to the pipe.
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10-04-2011, 06:01 PM
#9855
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
For instance, any time I smell the particularly unique combination of diesel exhaust, saltwater, and rotting marine life (something which I expect most people would find unpleasant) it evokes a strong and very pleasant memory from my childhood.
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10-04-2011, 06:46 PM
#9858
Boost Pope
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,019
Total Cats: 6,587
I suppose I walked right into that one...
No, that would be holidays spent with the family down in Puerto Rico, and particularly, at the Isleta Marina.
No, that would be holidays spent with the family down in Puerto Rico, and particularly, at the Isleta Marina.
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Holy ****. Excellent!
10-04-2011, 07:34 PM
#9860
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Birmingham Alabama
Posts: 7,930
Total Cats: 45
Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. I've never kept the fact that I'm an atheist from my family, but I guess it just never came up, and honestly it's none of their business. All of my family is super christian, church several days a week, a lot of christian rock and pop music (which makes me want to vomit), those kind. Apparently one of my aunts finally found out, and now word I'm sure is spreading through my huge family on my moms side. I've already had contact with some of them telling me I am wrong, there is in fact a god. They can tell me stories of how god has saved their lives on several occasions. I just kindly told them in so many words, they can believe what they believe and I respect them, as long as they can respect my beliefs as well.
I'm sick and tired of getting this "poor misguided child" attitude from them all, like I'm a fool and haven't thought about it, or I just haven't been properly introduced to the religion. I'm pretty sensitive about this kind of thing, since it's been wearing on my nerves for many years now. I don't want to be viewed as a dick, and I do like my family, but I'm quite sure if they keep it up I'm going to snap on all of them and tell them to **** off and take their ancient superstitions with them.
Any of you experienced this? Just curious, as I'm used to alienation in my family. I've always sort of been the outcast among them anyway.
I'm sick and tired of getting this "poor misguided child" attitude from them all, like I'm a fool and haven't thought about it, or I just haven't been properly introduced to the religion. I'm pretty sensitive about this kind of thing, since it's been wearing on my nerves for many years now. I don't want to be viewed as a dick, and I do like my family, but I'm quite sure if they keep it up I'm going to snap on all of them and tell them to **** off and take their ancient superstitions with them.
Any of you experienced this? Just curious, as I'm used to alienation in my family. I've always sort of been the outcast among them anyway.
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