How (and why) to Ramble on your goat sideways
I'm actually thinking about parking the cub cadet and switching over to a motorless push mower.
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Location: Istanbul, Turkey
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It's official...
I have successfully converted my car to electric steering.
Gone are the mechanical pump, the belt, associated brackets, the reservoir and original plumbing...
I kept the cooler loop in place, measured and had some pressure and return lines made, and the electric pump works like a charm...
I swear the car feels faster, but that was not my original objective.
A local shop built me a 110 Amp alternator for about $80, and I bypassed the ECU and wired in a circuit for the charge warning light.
I also ran 35mm wires from the battery straight to the alternator, and from battery negative to the chassis. I left the original wiring in place, as well.
I get about a 2 volt drop in full lock. That's really not bad, at all.
Didn't take any pics during the install, because I was working frantically to finish up in time. (I did the work at the Mazda service, so I had to button things up before they closed.
So there...
I have successfully converted my car to electric steering.
Gone are the mechanical pump, the belt, associated brackets, the reservoir and original plumbing...
I kept the cooler loop in place, measured and had some pressure and return lines made, and the electric pump works like a charm...
I swear the car feels faster, but that was not my original objective.
A local shop built me a 110 Amp alternator for about $80, and I bypassed the ECU and wired in a circuit for the charge warning light.
I also ran 35mm wires from the battery straight to the alternator, and from battery negative to the chassis. I left the original wiring in place, as well.
I get about a 2 volt drop in full lock. That's really not bad, at all.
Didn't take any pics during the install, because I was working frantically to finish up in time. (I did the work at the Mazda service, so I had to button things up before they closed.
So there...
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Birmingham Alabama
Posts: 7,930
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I ******* hate people! Involved in a minor hit and run this morning. Stupid ******* in a Toyota Tundra pulled out in front of me while failing to yield to me on an interstate onramp. It was a pretty right loop and I had to brake hard to avoid eating the *** of his truck head on, which caused the rear end to come around and hit his rear bumper on the corner right into my rear quarter by the fuel filler. I was sitting facing the wrong way on the shoulder watching him drive off. I tried to turn around and give chase, but the sheet metal was on the tire and I disnt want to get on I20 and have a blowout or cuase a flat.
Oh well.
Oh well.
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Birmingham Alabama
Posts: 7,930
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Nope, it was 4:30am. A car did come around the blind curve about 15 seconds later while I was backing up to turn around. But they saw nothing. I just pulled over up the ramp and beat the quarter back into shape best I could to make it to work on time.
This particular place is pretty bad. I've had this happen many times. People are too goddamn lazy to turn their head and look and they just fly out there. So I guess maybe I should have expected it. Though it looked like he saw me and was slowing, I had my foot covering the brake in case. When I saw brake lights I took my foot off and got back on the gas, then he lets off the brake and rolls rightout there. Left is a concrete wall, right was grass. I was going for the grass but the turn was just too sharp at my speed. I held the slide for a second hoping it would catch and straighten out so I could slide by on the shoulder, but it never did. Had his truck been 3" taller and had I hit him a foot further to the front of my car it would have hit me right in the side of the head. I was probably doing 45 and he was maybe 5-10. Damage is minimal I guess do to my light weight and that being a pretty beefy area of the car.
This particular place is pretty bad. I've had this happen many times. People are too goddamn lazy to turn their head and look and they just fly out there. So I guess maybe I should have expected it. Though it looked like he saw me and was slowing, I had my foot covering the brake in case. When I saw brake lights I took my foot off and got back on the gas, then he lets off the brake and rolls rightout there. Left is a concrete wall, right was grass. I was going for the grass but the turn was just too sharp at my speed. I held the slide for a second hoping it would catch and straighten out so I could slide by on the shoulder, but it never did. Had his truck been 3" taller and had I hit him a foot further to the front of my car it would have hit me right in the side of the head. I was probably doing 45 and he was maybe 5-10. Damage is minimal I guess do to my light weight and that being a pretty beefy area of the car.
Boost Czar
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Location: Chantilly, VA
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Joe Perez:
This morning I had my window down to pull into my parking garage with music blaring--sSpecifically the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (oringal cast) The Point of No Return. A lady walked by while I was letting foot traffic pass through and she yelled: I love your music.
Take notes bro.
This morning I had my window down to pull into my parking garage with music blaring--sSpecifically the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (oringal cast) The Point of No Return. A lady walked by while I was letting foot traffic pass through and she yelled: I love your music.
Take notes bro.
Boost Pope
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Chicago. (The less-murder part.)
Posts: 33,046
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Joe Perez:
This morning I had my window down to pull into my parking garage with music blaring--sSpecifically the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (oringal cast) The Point of No Return. A lady walked by while I was letting foot traffic pass through and she yelled: I love your music.
Take notes bro.
This morning I had my window down to pull into my parking garage with music blaring--sSpecifically the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (oringal cast) The Point of No Return. A lady walked by while I was letting foot traffic pass through and she yelled: I love your music.
Take notes bro.
I, unfortunately, seem to be attracting the opposite sort of attention.
A few days ago, I pulled up to my local ACE hardware store to buy some hardware. Mind you, this is what my car looks like now:
An employee of the store who walk walking by at the time, a Mexican-looking lad perhaps in his early 20s, said to me "Wow, man. Is this the same car that you were driving around with no body last year? It looks great!"
For reference, this is what the car looked like then, except that it probably didn't even have the hood or the headlight covers installed:
?!?!?!
There are a TON of Miatas driving around this town, and unless he's been asking that question to every single person who drives up to his store in one, I have utterly no idea how or why he remembered me in particular as the owner of said car, or even was able to identify the car itself as being a Miata. (I've had people mistake it for all sorts of things, such as a Fiat, an MG, a Triumph, etc., and that's when it's all buttoned up with all of its body panels attached!)
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Were you also wearing a Hawaiian shirt and jorts while sporting a mustache when you were at Ace Hardware?
2 Props,3 Dildos,& 1 Cat
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Location: Fake Virginia
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Joe Perez:
This morning I had my window down to pull into my parking garage with music blaring--sSpecifically the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (oringal cast) The Point of No Return. A lady walked by while I was letting foot traffic pass through and she yelled: I love your music.
Take notes bro.
This morning I had my window down to pull into my parking garage with music blaring--sSpecifically the Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (oringal cast) The Point of No Return. A lady walked by while I was letting foot traffic pass through and she yelled: I love your music.
Take notes bro.
and by that I mean "slighly overweight, slightly over the hill" lady.
not "hot chick that required you to move your seatbelt off your woodie"