Michael called me and picked me up to look at another Opel to use as a parts car. Registered on Craigslist for $400. One complete car and almost every part from a second car. Here’s the story:
The guy had bought two Opels in 1995 with the goal to restore one of them. One of the cars had the roof cut off of it to turn it into a convertible, but the previous owners did a bad job of it. The guy took that car and chopped it into six pieces, removed all of the relevant and salvable parts and stored those parts next to the Opel that still had a roof. This Opel (with the roof) has some nasty rear quarter panel damage. He had kept the rear panel of the roofless Opel, but had never placed it on the keeper. This rear panel still has the trim piece so that’ll offset some of the cost. All in all, it would give us two replacements of all parts. Two engines, two drive shafts, two transmissions (one of which I’m commandeering for Tollsten, my own Opel), two front ends, two rear ends, and all glass, lights, wiring harnesses and a bunch of other stuff.
When we started talking price the seller informed us that he already had an offer of $500, and if we could offer him $600 we could take it, which I feel is kind of bull-shitty. Michael gave a call to his wife for the final go-ahead and then we made a counter-offer of $550. He accepted, we borrowed a truck, grabbed the trailer and started to haul it home. As we were loading the car onto the trailer, come people on the road saw us and offered us $1000 for just the car. It was very tempting, but in the end Mike didn’t like the feel of these people and decided to keep everything. I agree that it was better to keep the car. It’s good piece of mind.
We finally unloaded the car at Michael’s lace and I went home. We still need to inventory everything we have and find out if there is still anything we need. I know we still want brakes from a BMW, but I think we have everything we need not pertaining to brakes/suspension.
We also looked into getting a fuel cell, but they’re hella expensive, so we’ll use the OEM fuel tank (of which we have one from the parts car, and one in a shop somewhere in Roseville) for now.
Also, sometime between the last journal entry and this one, Michael cleaned out the carburetor that came with Project Phoenix, installed it, and ran the car. That carb works fine from what Michael tells me so that’s good. I wish I had an exact date of that piece of news, but it’s not the end of the world.
The next couple of times I go out to Michael’s to work on cars won’t be dealing with Project Phoenix. We need to strip one of Michael’s trucks, and the Opel so they can be sold on Craigslist. He wants to clear out some of the cars in his back field.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$364
Today
None. Will include items
parts car when installed
$0
Total Expenses
$364
Budget Remaining
$136
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
Parts car and
additional parts
$550
Total Expenses
$1,790
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$2,154
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Hard-Copy Journal for 21 June, 2013
Got to Michael's house fairly early and began installing my carburetor onto Project Phoenix. Mike got home from work shortly thereafter. He didn't see me working on the car, but he did see that the garage was open. This made him certain that his Harley was stolen. This was amusing to me. He helped me finish installing the carb. We also installed the fuel pump. He then rigged a wiring harness to see if we could get it to run. It runs very well indeed. No undue noise. No smoke. We then took the car off of the tire stands to see if it could move under its own power. The moves in reverse and in first gear. This is very promising. We also tested that the emergency brake works. It does marginally. So, things that work: Engine, Transmission, Clutch, Parking brake.
Michael then went to sleep and I continued by removing the remainder of the interior that I could easily remove. All major components are now out of the car. Still need to remove the sound deadening foam from the floor and the heating box thing from the passenger well. I also removed the rear trim piece to sell. That was an annoying part to remove. It was too hot to do anything else.
No additional costs to report.
Video of Project Phoenix finally running.
Michael then went to sleep and I continued by removing the remainder of the interior that I could easily remove. All major components are now out of the car. Still need to remove the sound deadening foam from the floor and the heating box thing from the passenger well. I also removed the rear trim piece to sell. That was an annoying part to remove. It was too hot to do anything else.
No additional costs to report.
Video of Project Phoenix finally running.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Hard-Copy Journal for 20 June, 2013
I pulled off the carburetor from my Opel this morning. I also removed the battery and found my old clutch cable. I'll be bringing each of these over to Michael's tomorrow morning. Following are the goals for tomorrow:
Also, I found out that I'm missing my 13mm wrench from my tool set. That is essential for the Opel. I'm also missing my 10mm socket for the 1/4" ratchet. Again, essential. I'll have to replace those, probably next month. I should also buy a super cheap set of metric wrenches that I can brake in half to get to the hard to reach areas of the engine bay.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
Primary Wire
$8
Fuel Pump
$54
Fuel Line
$2
Total Expenses
$364
Budget Remaining
$136
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,604
Photos from today.
.jpg)
Carb as attached to my own Opel.
.jpg)
Carb without air filter on it.
- Install carburetor
- Finish stripping major components of interior
- Remove rear trim piece and take picture to be able to sell it
- See if I can get e-brake to function
- Make Michael happy by getting the lights to flip
- (Maybe) Try to get car to run with carb. I kinda want to wait until we're both there for that though.
- Above ^ Fist need to install fuel pump if Michael hasn't already done so.
Also, I found out that I'm missing my 13mm wrench from my tool set. That is essential for the Opel. I'm also missing my 10mm socket for the 1/4" ratchet. Again, essential. I'll have to replace those, probably next month. I should also buy a super cheap set of metric wrenches that I can brake in half to get to the hard to reach areas of the engine bay.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
Primary Wire
$8
Fuel Pump
$54
Fuel Line
$2
Total Expenses
$364
Budget Remaining
$136
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,604
Photos from today.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Hard-Copy Journal for 18 June, 2013
I finished the article for The Blitz and went to Michael's to get the photo of the both of us with the car. When I got there we wrenched on the car a little bit. Michael had put his spark tester on one of the plugs and we found it does indeed have spark. He then decided that we need to see if it ran, but we still haven't cleaned out the carb. He heard of a technique of testing if a car runs without the use of a carb. If you soak a rag in gasoline and place it over the intake, the air passing through the rag would also pull some gas vapors into the engine which, in theory, would allow the engine to run. What could possibly go wrong? We try it and sure as shit the car fires right up. I was in charge of the gas rag so after about 3 or 4 seconds I pull the rag off. The car sounded solid. No coughing or sputtering, no visible oil leaks, and the exhausts sound great. I think we're going to keep the exhaust. We tried it a second time, but there was some blow-back through the intake which caught the rag on fire. I threw the rag on the ground, blew out the fire on the intake, then stamped out the rag. Apparently using a gas-soaked rag as a makeshift carburetor isn't the best of ideas. Anyway, we learned two things about the car. First, it runs so we don't have to buy another engine. Second, flame leaps up through the intake. This is not ideal. We'll have to figure out why later.
After the fire fiasco we decided to curb the rest of the work today. I also had a class to get to. He took me to lunch where he reviewed the article I wrote. We also discussed ideas for the theme of our car since so many people have already done the A-Team theme. These ideas can be found on the last page of this notebook. We also made a To-Do list for the remainder of June.
To Do List For June:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
::Theme Ideas::
This is how we brainstormed to get the idea for Project Phoenix.
After the fire fiasco we decided to curb the rest of the work today. I also had a class to get to. He took me to lunch where he reviewed the article I wrote. We also discussed ideas for the theme of our car since so many people have already done the A-Team theme. These ideas can be found on the last page of this notebook. We also made a To-Do list for the remainder of June.
To Do List For June:
- Get the carburetor from my Opel so we can test the engine for the LeMon Opel.
- Try to get the brakes good enough so we can move and stop it easier.
- Finish Stripping the interior.
- Test the transmission and clutch.
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$1,240
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
::Theme Ideas::
This is how we brainstormed to get the idea for Project Phoenix.
Hard-Copy Journal for 15 June, 2013
Received an email from Mike with TinyVette today asking me to write an article for The Blitz.
"500 or more words on what possessed you, your plan, and when your first race will be. Plus 1-2 photos, preferable one with both of you in the photo."
The Blitz is an Opel Magazine that (I believe) is funded by Opel GT Source and Mike is the editor. I'm kinda flattered that he wants to tell our story. That's all for today. No work on the car; no costs to report.
::Below is a copy of the article I wrote for The Blitz::
Infancy of an Opel LeMon
by Robert Ferris
Our little project began two or three years ago with a bottle of brandy, a box of cigars, and an argument. “Which car would be the most fun to make into a track toy at the lowest cost?” A little background first:
Michael and I both love cars with equal zeal. However, one could make a comfortable living taking two to one odds that the car I find wonderful is one that he finds deplorable. While Michael loves the gurgle of huge American Muscle, I love the buzz of tiny European Sports Cars. Hence the need for a bottle of brandy and a box of cigars; this was going to take a while. For every Trans-Am or C4 Corvette he suggested I countered with an Alfa Spider or MG-B. As the evening progressed we both started giving more and more leeway to our original ideas until he made a suggestion that I’m embarrassed I did not come up with myself. “What’s that small car that looks like a toy Corvette?” A consensus was reached. The Opel GT was our answer and finally the evening (or indeed morning by that time) could come to a close.
The issue was forgotten for almost a year until I learned about the 24 hours of LeMons which brought the topic back to the forefront of our minds. Immediately Michael jumped onto Craigslist and kept the search up until he found a good runner. It was too much money for LeMons, but it didn’t stop me from buying it for my own personal use. That is where I caught my Opel Bug, but I digress. Michael kept looking for another properly priced GT for LeMons, but life got in the way. My funds dried up, and I became too busy with school to think about racing. I thought the whole idea would be tabled for at least the three remaining years of my academic career. Another year went by without talk of Opels nor LeMons. However, shortly after my 30th birthday Michael called me up and told me to get down to his place because he had a surprise for me. He did the whole blind fold thing and had me walk around and finally revealed the 1971 Opel GT that we’re going to use. Becoming a co-owner of a race car is a hell of a birthday gift let me tell you.
As this car is LeMons priced, it’s not running at the moment. The history of the car is hazy at best, but it’s obvious that there was an engine fire. The good news is that the more we work on it the more we realize how much this car was loved by its previous owner. Little clues abound, like the electronic ignition system and the electric fuel pump (which we suspect might be the cause of the fire). It also has a lowered suspension, a quad-tip exhaust, and remnants of an Opel Club sticker on the rear window. Because of these little clues we’re confident that this car was well maintained before the fire. Since we were (and still are) very much in our infancy when it came to transforming our car into something that we could run in LeMons we felt in over our heads, but we were able to find some guidance.
As I mentioned earlier, I bought an Opel GT about a year and a half ago and with that, I also became a member of the NorCal Opelers which gave me a great contact for this project: Mike and Alan from team TinyVette. Michael and I had a meeting with the TinyVette crew and they gave us some great direction. We now know which brakes we should get. We know that sway bars are a great thing to buy right away. We know what kind of budget we should set for the roll cage and other safety equipment and where we should have it done. With their advice we no longer feel out of our depth, but it also shows us precisely how much work there is to be done.
Because Michael and I have almost exactly opposing schedules at this point in our lives, this work is probably not going to go as quickly as we’d like. We want to be as realistic about this adventure as we can be, which is why we’re aiming for an entry in the Thunderhill event of 2014. With over a year to prep the car, we can be sure to tick all the required boxes without the stress of looming deadlines. And with the help of the TinyVette crew, we can make sure that we know what all those boxes are. So keep an eye out for us in 2014.
::Below are the photos I submitted for this article::
.jpg)
Opel on the Stand ready for work. 2014 here we come.
.jpg)
Proud parents of this infant race car.
"500 or more words on what possessed you, your plan, and when your first race will be. Plus 1-2 photos, preferable one with both of you in the photo."
The Blitz is an Opel Magazine that (I believe) is funded by Opel GT Source and Mike is the editor. I'm kinda flattered that he wants to tell our story. That's all for today. No work on the car; no costs to report.
::Below is a copy of the article I wrote for The Blitz::
Infancy of an Opel LeMon
by Robert Ferris
Our little project began two or three years ago with a bottle of brandy, a box of cigars, and an argument. “Which car would be the most fun to make into a track toy at the lowest cost?” A little background first:
Michael and I both love cars with equal zeal. However, one could make a comfortable living taking two to one odds that the car I find wonderful is one that he finds deplorable. While Michael loves the gurgle of huge American Muscle, I love the buzz of tiny European Sports Cars. Hence the need for a bottle of brandy and a box of cigars; this was going to take a while. For every Trans-Am or C4 Corvette he suggested I countered with an Alfa Spider or MG-B. As the evening progressed we both started giving more and more leeway to our original ideas until he made a suggestion that I’m embarrassed I did not come up with myself. “What’s that small car that looks like a toy Corvette?” A consensus was reached. The Opel GT was our answer and finally the evening (or indeed morning by that time) could come to a close.
The issue was forgotten for almost a year until I learned about the 24 hours of LeMons which brought the topic back to the forefront of our minds. Immediately Michael jumped onto Craigslist and kept the search up until he found a good runner. It was too much money for LeMons, but it didn’t stop me from buying it for my own personal use. That is where I caught my Opel Bug, but I digress. Michael kept looking for another properly priced GT for LeMons, but life got in the way. My funds dried up, and I became too busy with school to think about racing. I thought the whole idea would be tabled for at least the three remaining years of my academic career. Another year went by without talk of Opels nor LeMons. However, shortly after my 30th birthday Michael called me up and told me to get down to his place because he had a surprise for me. He did the whole blind fold thing and had me walk around and finally revealed the 1971 Opel GT that we’re going to use. Becoming a co-owner of a race car is a hell of a birthday gift let me tell you.
As this car is LeMons priced, it’s not running at the moment. The history of the car is hazy at best, but it’s obvious that there was an engine fire. The good news is that the more we work on it the more we realize how much this car was loved by its previous owner. Little clues abound, like the electronic ignition system and the electric fuel pump (which we suspect might be the cause of the fire). It also has a lowered suspension, a quad-tip exhaust, and remnants of an Opel Club sticker on the rear window. Because of these little clues we’re confident that this car was well maintained before the fire. Since we were (and still are) very much in our infancy when it came to transforming our car into something that we could run in LeMons we felt in over our heads, but we were able to find some guidance.
As I mentioned earlier, I bought an Opel GT about a year and a half ago and with that, I also became a member of the NorCal Opelers which gave me a great contact for this project: Mike and Alan from team TinyVette. Michael and I had a meeting with the TinyVette crew and they gave us some great direction. We now know which brakes we should get. We know that sway bars are a great thing to buy right away. We know what kind of budget we should set for the roll cage and other safety equipment and where we should have it done. With their advice we no longer feel out of our depth, but it also shows us precisely how much work there is to be done.
Because Michael and I have almost exactly opposing schedules at this point in our lives, this work is probably not going to go as quickly as we’d like. We want to be as realistic about this adventure as we can be, which is why we’re aiming for an entry in the Thunderhill event of 2014. With over a year to prep the car, we can be sure to tick all the required boxes without the stress of looming deadlines. And with the help of the TinyVette crew, we can make sure that we know what all those boxes are. So keep an eye out for us in 2014.
::Below are the photos I submitted for this article::
.jpg)
.jpg)
Hard-Copy Journal for 10 June, 2013
I Received a text from Michael stating that he had bought a trailer for the Opel. It apparently has electric brakes, but they don't work at the moment. It's certainly big enough and it is open along the center so we might be able to get under the Opel easier.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$40
Today
Trailer for Opel
$1,200
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$40
Today
Trailer for Opel
$1,200
Total Expenses
$1,240
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$1,540
Hard-Copy Journal for 5 June, 2013
Setup a Meeting with TinyVette.Want some guidance.
Questions to ask:
1) Q: Should we get the Roll Cage first and then the seat?
2) Q: What kind of wheels should we get? Tires, cost?
3) Q: Should we keep the heater core to act as a secondary radiator?
4) Q: How much fuel do they go through? Is it available on site?
5) Q: Should we sell our nifty quad-tip exhaust and buy some cherry bombs instead?
6) Q: Can we pit for your next race?
7) Q: Should we wait to remove the windows until right before the race?
8) Q: How does one remove the motor?
9) Q: Have you ever had to replace the motor on race weekend?
10) Q: Should we make structural improvements?
11) Q: Should we get a shock tower brace?
12) Q: Should we get anti-roll bars?
13) Q: Should we save our wiring loom? We have a replacement and our original has a significant amount of fire damage.
14) Q: What kind of carburetor are you running?
15) Q: What should we do about out lighting? Also, we have some Manta lights, should we use those or are they worth saving?
16) Q: Should we keep our original fuel pump or change it to electric?
17) Q: Is our rear trim piece good enough to sell and if so, how do we remove it?
Those were the questions we asked while we were crawling around TinyVette. We then took them out to lunch where a few other things transpired. They told us that the oil cooler they have came from a Volvo and their brakes came off a BMW. There is an article in "The Blitz" that goes into more detail about the brakes. They told us that we'd have to get longer lug rods. We told them that our starter was toast and Alan gave us a spare that he'll never use. Super nice guys.
After that we went back to Micheal's. We worked on the car for a while. Before I got there he had stripped the passenger side. Following are things we did after we got back.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$0
Today
Lunch w/ Mike & Alan
$40
Total Expenses
$40
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$340
P.P.S. We found that the car had an electric fuel pump. It was spliced and re-spliced into the electrical system and looks like it could have been the initial cause of the fire.
SAMPLE PHOTOS FROM TODAY:
.jpg)
Weber Carb.
.jpg)
Engine Bay complete with melted fan
.jpg)
Stripped Interior. It's starting to feel like a race car.
.jpg)
Good looking profile.
.jpg)
Good looking quad-tip exhaust.
.jpg)
The new (to us) starter is in and ready to turn the engine.
.jpg)
Our old starter which ended up not being broken.
Questions to ask:
1) Q: Should we get the Roll Cage first and then the seat?
- A: They got their cage, seat, belts, and steering wheel all at the same time from evil-geniuses. It cost them a total of $2,200.
2) Q: What kind of wheels should we get? Tires, cost?
- A: They bought 15"x7" rims for their car, but they're heavy. Tires have to have a tread wear rating of 190 or better. They cost about $125 per corner for their car. The tires last three weekends for them. They said the size wheels we have may be difficult to find tires for. Also, they talked at some great length about lug-nut studs, but I don't remember much about that. Will have to ask again later.
3) Q: Should we keep the heater core to act as a secondary radiator?
- A: No, but there is still a problem of overheating. They have an oil cooler and they also increased the size of the opening in their air dam.
4) Q: How much fuel do they go through? Is it available on site?
- A: They go through about seven gallons per stint. 2 hours per stint. About 84 gallons of fuel per race. It is available on site, but it is much more expensive. Should bring our own containers and when it is empty, go into town and refill the containers.
5) Q: Should we sell our nifty quad-tip exhaust and buy some cherry bombs instead?
- A: They don't think we can make enough from the existing exhaust to offset the cost of cherry bombs. They suggested we try to trade for parts.
6) Q: Can we pit for your next race?
- A: Absolutely. They'll be at Buttonwillow at the end of the month [June 2013], then at Thunderhill in September.
7) Q: Should we wait to remove the windows until right before the race?
- A: The windows (windshield included) should be removed prior to the cage going in. The windshield we have is cracked so they recommended getting a Lexan one (not plexiglass)
8) Q: How does one remove the motor?
- A: You have to disconnect it, lower the motor onto a some sort of dolly, like a piano dolly, then raise the nose of the car 3-5 feet and pull the engine from the underside.
9) Q: Have you ever had to replace the motor on race weekend?
- A: No, we don't bring a spare motor with us and it's never blown up.
10) Q: Should we make structural improvements?
- A: The A-arms sometimes deform after hard driving so it's a good idea to have the channels of those A-arms welded closed.
11) Q: Should we get a shock tower brace?
- A: They don't have one, but it might be a good idea. It would significantly improve the torsional rigidity of the front end. Don't have to worry about the rear because the roll cage is rigid enough.
12) Q: Should we get anti-roll bars?
- A: They got their sway bars before their first race. Be sure to bribe the judges so they don't penalize you for it.
13) Q: Should we save our wiring loom? We have a replacement and our original has a significant amount of fire damage.
- A: It's not a bad idea to save it. If for nothing else it can be a good reference.
14) Q: What kind of carburetor are you running?
- A: They had a Weber like ours. Ours in solid enough but be sure to carefully thread the fuel inlet to put a better nipple on it.
15) Q: What should we do about out lighting? Also, we have some Manta lights, should we use those or are they worth saving?
- A: You only need a high brake light so maybe we should save the Manta lights.
16) Q: Should we keep our original fuel pump or change it to electric?
- A: They still use their original mechanical fuel pump.
17) Q: Is our rear trim piece good enough to sell and if so, how do we remove it?
- A: They can sell for up to $300 so yeah, sell it. There are several bolts on the inside of the back panel that have to be unbolted before it just pops off.
Those were the questions we asked while we were crawling around TinyVette. We then took them out to lunch where a few other things transpired. They told us that the oil cooler they have came from a Volvo and their brakes came off a BMW. There is an article in "The Blitz" that goes into more detail about the brakes. They told us that we'd have to get longer lug rods. We told them that our starter was toast and Alan gave us a spare that he'll never use. Super nice guys.
After that we went back to Micheal's. We worked on the car for a while. Before I got there he had stripped the passenger side. Following are things we did after we got back.
- Removed the Radiator. The coolant looked brand new!
- Replaced the starter and found out that our original starter is fine, it's just the wiring that was bad.
- Removed the carburetor and kinda cleaned out the intake
- Engaged the starter and found that the engine turns easily. More good news
- Removed more of the interior. Most significantly, the dash.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
Previous
$300
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
Previous
$0
Today
None
$0
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
Previous
$0
Today
Lunch w/ Mike & Alan
$40
Total Expenses
$40
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$340
P.P.S. We found that the car had an electric fuel pump. It was spliced and re-spliced into the electrical system and looks like it could have been the initial cause of the fire.
SAMPLE PHOTOS FROM TODAY:
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Hard-Copy Journal for 6 May, 2013
Rob's introduction to the project.
Michael texted my that he had a surprise for me at his place and that I should come when convenient. School conflicted, but I blew off a study session anyway to see what he had for me. Showed up at about 1:30 PM to find a 1971 Opel GT for use at LeMons. Exciting Times. He spent $300 for the car. It has enough parts that can be sold or traded to bring the LeMons budget down to $0 I believe. Also has some parts that I can use on my Opel. Lot of work to do, but no expectations on racing until 2014. He thinks June, but I think September because of locations. June is Buttonwillow race and that is far away. September is Thunderhill which is closer and at least I have some knowledge of that track. It was located at the side of his house. We didn't work on it today, but we did move it to the main driveway and placed it on tire stands to elevate it a bit. I had to get back to school for D.E. class.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
1971 Opel GT
$300
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
None
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
None
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$300
SAMPLE PHOTOS FROM TODAY:
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My first view of the 1971 Opel GT.
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Interior with extra bits.
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Rear Quarter view of Car.
Michael texted my that he had a surprise for me at his place and that I should come when convenient. School conflicted, but I blew off a study session anyway to see what he had for me. Showed up at about 1:30 PM to find a 1971 Opel GT for use at LeMons. Exciting Times. He spent $300 for the car. It has enough parts that can be sold or traded to bring the LeMons budget down to $0 I believe. Also has some parts that I can use on my Opel. Lot of work to do, but no expectations on racing until 2014. He thinks June, but I think September because of locations. June is Buttonwillow race and that is far away. September is Thunderhill which is closer and at least I have some knowledge of that track. It was located at the side of his house. We didn't work on it today, but we did move it to the main driveway and placed it on tire stands to elevate it a bit. I had to get back to school for D.E. class.
COSTS SO FAR:
=========================
LeMons Budgeted Items:
1971 Opel GT
$300
Total Expenses
$300
Budget Remaining
$200
=========================
Off Budget Items:
None
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Misc. Items
None
Total Expenses
$0
=========================
Grand Total Expense:
$300
SAMPLE PHOTOS FROM TODAY:
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.jpg)
.jpg)
Background for LeMons.
For those who don't know, the 24 Hours of LeMons is a "crap cans" race league for endurance racing with super cheap cars. The name is an obvious play on the name 24 Hours of Le Mans which is a world famous endurance race that takes place in France every year along with the word "Lemon" which is, of course, a term for a crappy car. The official website for this race league can be found here.
In a nutshell, the specifications for this race are as follows:
You cannot spend more than $500 on a race car. This budget includes the cost of the car, the costs to get it running and driving, and the cost of decorating it. However, there is a limitless budget on required safety equipment such as a roll-cage, racing seat, fire suppression systems, wheels, tires, brakes, etc.
There are several races which take place across the country. Most of these races take place over a weekend with two 12 hour endurance races. A very small number of these races are true 24 hour long single races, but I doubt we'll do one of those.
This racing league has grown in popularity since its inception with races now having often more than 150 cars on the track at any given race. I still haven't been to one, but I'll be helping a part of the pit crew for another team (Team TinyVette) in September at The Thunderhill Raceway in Willows Ca. I hope to gain some much needed experience in this race series before we enter our car next year.
In a nutshell, the specifications for this race are as follows:
You cannot spend more than $500 on a race car. This budget includes the cost of the car, the costs to get it running and driving, and the cost of decorating it. However, there is a limitless budget on required safety equipment such as a roll-cage, racing seat, fire suppression systems, wheels, tires, brakes, etc.
There are several races which take place across the country. Most of these races take place over a weekend with two 12 hour endurance races. A very small number of these races are true 24 hour long single races, but I doubt we'll do one of those.
This racing league has grown in popularity since its inception with races now having often more than 150 cars on the track at any given race. I still haven't been to one, but I'll be helping a part of the pit crew for another team (Team TinyVette) in September at The Thunderhill Raceway in Willows Ca. I hope to gain some much needed experience in this race series before we enter our car next year.
I'm back!
I simply lost interest in posting on this Blog because I really had nothing to write about that I was particularly proud of. Three years, eh? I can't say that nothing has happened, but I don't know where to begin. I'm still in school. I'm still madly in love with my wife, Rebecca. I still love cars. I still enjoy riding motorcycles. I've lost contact with pretty much all of my friends of the past. I've made a few new friends through school. I've been depressed. I've been happy. I've moved two times. I've bought two motorcycles and sold the first one. I've bought a classic car. Both of my grandmothers have passed on. I've learned a great deal about math and physics. I still don't talk with my family nearly as often as I should. I still play the Movie Quote Game. I still play video games. I don't like Michael Crichton as an author as much as I used to. I have a new appreciation for great science fiction...
And a great many other things are the same.
And a great many other things are different.
That being said, I believe the purpose of this weblog is one of those things in my life that is due for a change. This has been primarily a place to share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences of anything and everything that happens in my life for those who care to read them. However, as with all of my journals I've ever started, my interest waned and I stopped all together. Therefore, I'm just going to focus on one aspect of my life and try to stick only to that. With that kind of specific goal, I hope to be more consistent with this journal.
As all of my family knows I would love nothing more than to be a super famous racing driver. I finally have a chance to race on an extremely amateur level. I'm co-owner of a car that will race in the 24 Hours of LeMons. The other owner, in fact the individual that bought the car and gave me co-ownership as an awesome birthday present, is my good friend Michael Pendley. The story of that car, the transformation thereof, and the race(s) it does will be what this weblog is about from now on. I have a hard-copy journal with a few entries and I'll be placing each of those entries in this on-line journal. I'll also include any pictures/video that I take of this project.
This project is moving slowly, so don't have high hopes of a regular update schedule. What I write in my hard copy journal will end up here. I hope you all enjoy.
-Rob
And a great many other things are the same.
And a great many other things are different.
That being said, I believe the purpose of this weblog is one of those things in my life that is due for a change. This has been primarily a place to share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences of anything and everything that happens in my life for those who care to read them. However, as with all of my journals I've ever started, my interest waned and I stopped all together. Therefore, I'm just going to focus on one aspect of my life and try to stick only to that. With that kind of specific goal, I hope to be more consistent with this journal.
As all of my family knows I would love nothing more than to be a super famous racing driver. I finally have a chance to race on an extremely amateur level. I'm co-owner of a car that will race in the 24 Hours of LeMons. The other owner, in fact the individual that bought the car and gave me co-ownership as an awesome birthday present, is my good friend Michael Pendley. The story of that car, the transformation thereof, and the race(s) it does will be what this weblog is about from now on. I have a hard-copy journal with a few entries and I'll be placing each of those entries in this on-line journal. I'll also include any pictures/video that I take of this project.
This project is moving slowly, so don't have high hopes of a regular update schedule. What I write in my hard copy journal will end up here. I hope you all enjoy.
-Rob
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Been a while.
So I see it’s been like 8 months since I’ve written one word in my web log. The crazy part is that I’ve had all sorts of stuff to write about. I’ve had no less than three life changing events happen to me these months. First of all, I got married. Second, I started going back to school. Lastly I’ve received my motorcycle license. Each of those points will be getting their own post in the coming week or so, but for now I’m just going to fill you in by telling you what’s happening with my life right now.
I’m still unemployed. People are still not building, so fire sprinkler companies are still not hiring. There’s a little over a half dozen fire sprinkler companies around the Sacramento area and I’ve been keeping my feelers out with periodic phone calls and such, but to no avail. As it stands now, I think that by next semester I’m going to go to school full time using the financial aid, and get myself a part time job in whatever I can find. Hopefully I can find a part time design job, but I think I’ll have to take a retail job.
I’m still kind of active in my R/C Drift Club. Since I’ve been spending my money on other things though, my Drift Car has been non-operational for a couple of months. I still show up to some of the meets, hang out with the guys, and generally have a good time. The club’s size is dwindling, our influence is growing. We’ve made sort of an alliance with another drift club from San Jose, and we’ve had a couple of competitions with them. There is a good possibility that our club will be featured in an R/C magazine in a couple of months, it’s still in the planning process so it might not happen, but if it does, I’ll be sure to post the article.
Outside of those few things, and the other main ones that I touched on in the beginning of this post are what I’m about lately. Going on a 8 month vacation may sound awesome, but I’m getting more than a little stir-crazy. I cannot wait until I can become a contributing member of the community again.
Anyway, until my next post,
-Rob
I’m still unemployed. People are still not building, so fire sprinkler companies are still not hiring. There’s a little over a half dozen fire sprinkler companies around the Sacramento area and I’ve been keeping my feelers out with periodic phone calls and such, but to no avail. As it stands now, I think that by next semester I’m going to go to school full time using the financial aid, and get myself a part time job in whatever I can find. Hopefully I can find a part time design job, but I think I’ll have to take a retail job.
I’m still kind of active in my R/C Drift Club. Since I’ve been spending my money on other things though, my Drift Car has been non-operational for a couple of months. I still show up to some of the meets, hang out with the guys, and generally have a good time. The club’s size is dwindling, our influence is growing. We’ve made sort of an alliance with another drift club from San Jose, and we’ve had a couple of competitions with them. There is a good possibility that our club will be featured in an R/C magazine in a couple of months, it’s still in the planning process so it might not happen, but if it does, I’ll be sure to post the article.
Outside of those few things, and the other main ones that I touched on in the beginning of this post are what I’m about lately. Going on a 8 month vacation may sound awesome, but I’m getting more than a little stir-crazy. I cannot wait until I can become a contributing member of the community again.
Anyway, until my next post,
-Rob
Saturday, August 8, 2009
New chapter.
Well, as my family knows, my job has come to an end. This is not very fun and I was nervous about being able to stay in contact with everyone, but it seems like that won't be too much of a problem. I just got a new phone (916) 601-2348 and it's very nice and shiny. It's an iPhone so it has all the Internet access things I'll need. My updates should be a bit more frequent, but they'll also be a bit shorter I think.
This is a fairly exciting new chapter in my life. I haven't liked my job for the past few years (anyone can see this by reading through some of my older posts) and I don't really know what's coming next. While talking with Rilla, I was able to realize that the whole world has been opened up to me. Perhaps I'll get a job on the east coast! Maybe I'll become a super famous racing driver in Germany (not too hopeful on that one though). All I know for certain is that I'll no longer need to put up with my old bosses. I'm looking forward to whatever comes in the future.
One last thing I need to tell you all before I finish this up and that is about my email. My old work email is obviously not being used any more so you'll have to use my new one: robsracing@gmail.com
Now that I am not working, I'll be spending a lot of time planning the wedding and I'll be sure to post small updates about that as they arise.
Good night all.
This is a fairly exciting new chapter in my life. I haven't liked my job for the past few years (anyone can see this by reading through some of my older posts) and I don't really know what's coming next. While talking with Rilla, I was able to realize that the whole world has been opened up to me. Perhaps I'll get a job on the east coast! Maybe I'll become a super famous racing driver in Germany (not too hopeful on that one though). All I know for certain is that I'll no longer need to put up with my old bosses. I'm looking forward to whatever comes in the future.
One last thing I need to tell you all before I finish this up and that is about my email. My old work email is obviously not being used any more so you'll have to use my new one: robsracing@gmail.com
Now that I am not working, I'll be spending a lot of time planning the wedding and I'll be sure to post small updates about that as they arise.
Good night all.
Friday, July 10, 2009
This week can't end fast enough.
Wednesday night some jack-ass broke my passenger window, grabbed my CD's, Registration & Proof of insurance, and my small folding kite. All I got to say about that is "Why?" I can understand wanting to steal someone's CD's. But my Regristration and proof of insurance?! What the hell can that DO for someone who isn't me? I really hope I can find this punk ass kid... I had like 80 CD's and at about $15 a pop, that comes to like $1,200 worth of music. That's a goddamn felony. Can you imagine it! Getting a strike on your record and losing your right to vote because you stole some CD's. I'm absolutely fuming about this. I actually feel vengeful. I don't want justice, I want revenge.
Anyway, I was also gonna write about the wedding plans today, but something happened there that made my blood boil too, and before I write something that I regret writing, I'm going to give a few more days to let myself cool off. I just want this thrice damned week to end.
Here's that video of my RC Drift car goin' 'round some fireworks.
Another easy quote today, but I thought it was apt.
"Y'know, it woulda' been worth him keyin' my car if I coula' caught him doin' it."
(Sorry... I'm not sure if that is the direct quote... it might be a little off. It's been a while since I've seen this movie.)
Anyway, I was also gonna write about the wedding plans today, but something happened there that made my blood boil too, and before I write something that I regret writing, I'm going to give a few more days to let myself cool off. I just want this thrice damned week to end.
Here's that video of my RC Drift car goin' 'round some fireworks.
Another easy quote today, but I thought it was apt.
"Y'know, it woulda' been worth him keyin' my car if I coula' caught him doin' it."
(Sorry... I'm not sure if that is the direct quote... it might be a little off. It's been a while since I've seen this movie.)
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Some Stuff.
Rilla really wanted to see the pictures of my new Drift Shell. I posted them on Face Book, but I can't tell if she's seen them or not, and I'm certain that Dad hasn't, so I'm also going to place them here. Check it out.
These are the concept sketches that I used to see what I wanted to do.
These are the final product of all my labors.
Here are some pictures of the lights in action.
It was a monumental undertaking for me. I spent around 10 hours on the buckets to hold the lights alone, and another 4 hours learning how to wire them up properly. I think that I spent about 35 hours in total getting this project complete. It looked good on TV though. One of the people that was on camera with us TIVOed the segment and burned it to DVD. Once I get a hold of that DVD I'll be sure to upload the video and show everyone. It wasn't as much air time as we had hoped, only one 4 minute segment (we were told that there would be 3 or 4 4 minute segments) but there was some breaking news of some sort... no idea what it was though... probably budget crap (a little off topic, but I'm not going to vote for a single incumbent the next time 'round). It was fun none-the-less.
I'll hit y'all up later with video and other stories.
Very easy quote today, but I saw it recently and it made me laugh.
"There is no doubt that our attractions will drive children out of their minds."
"What are those?"
"Small versions of adults, honey."
These are the concept sketches that I used to see what I wanted to do.
These are the final product of all my labors.
Here are some pictures of the lights in action.
It was a monumental undertaking for me. I spent around 10 hours on the buckets to hold the lights alone, and another 4 hours learning how to wire them up properly. I think that I spent about 35 hours in total getting this project complete. It looked good on TV though. One of the people that was on camera with us TIVOed the segment and burned it to DVD. Once I get a hold of that DVD I'll be sure to upload the video and show everyone. It wasn't as much air time as we had hoped, only one 4 minute segment (we were told that there would be 3 or 4 4 minute segments) but there was some breaking news of some sort... no idea what it was though... probably budget crap (a little off topic, but I'm not going to vote for a single incumbent the next time 'round). It was fun none-the-less.
I'll hit y'all up later with video and other stories.
Very easy quote today, but I saw it recently and it made me laugh.
"There is no doubt that our attractions will drive children out of their minds."
"What are those?"
"Small versions of adults, honey."
Saturday, June 27, 2009
More work Drama.
My last post I said that my job seemed all sorts of secure because there's no one else to do the work I do, but it seems like that security isn't quite as solid as I thought. First of all, let me state that I haven't lost my job, nor have I been told that they'll be letting me go any time soon. That being said however, I'm still kinda nervous. My bosses have had a falling out. At the beginning of the month Joel dissolved Accurate Fire Protection. We're finishing up a few jobs over the next 3-4 weeks, then that's all for Accurate Fire. Tom has started up another company that he is going to run with a new partner that has more than 25 years experience in this business with the name "Shelter Fire Protection." If all goes well with Financing to get enough capital to finish the start up of Shelter Fire, then I'll just transfer over to that company. With any luck I won't miss so much as a day of work. Just... kinda keep me in your thoughts... I'd appreciate it.
Outside of that, I've been keeping myself busy with my RC Drift Hobby, and wedding plans. I'm at the office today painting another body shell for my drift car because I'm going to be on TV this Thursday. Good Day Sacramento on ch. 31 has invited us to be on their program. That should be fun. Since the MG shell I have isn't a Japanese Import (I'm not a fan of the Japanese Import/Tuning scene), Jeremy suggested I get one for the TV spot because the Drifting Scene is very much about the Japanese Imports. I followed the letter of the law in this regard, but not the spirit. I bought myself a Honda S2000 shell which is obviously a clone of the classic British Sports car; Two seat, rear drive, convertible sports car. I hope it will look OK, but I think I may have reached beyond my abilities again. I'm putting some pretty intricate hand painting on it, and I'm putting Lights on it. I had to teach myself how to wire up LED's... it's not too hard, but it is time consuming. I also had to custom build some light buckets for the LED's to go into. In all, there's going to be 10 LED's all powered by one 9V battery for this car. Two white lights in each head light, two red lights in each tail light, and one red light in each of the exhaust tips to make them look like they're glowing red hot. I hope it'll look alright... once I'm done with it (probably tomorrow or Monday) I'll take some photos and post them for you.
Oh, if any of you are concerned that my possible lack of employment will delay my wedding again (therefor making you rethink booking a flight) don't worry, we're still going to get hitched if I lose my job. The reason why it was postponed last time when Rebecca lost her job was because she wasn't living with me at the time and I couldn't support the both of us. But we live together now, and if I lost my job, we'd still live together, we're still going to get married. The wedding plans are moving along smoothly. I'll be sure to write more about that next post.
Take it easy everyone.
Mark must be super busy, because he didn't guess on the last quote and it's from his favorite movie American Beauty.
New Quote:
"That's a big Twinkie"
Outside of that, I've been keeping myself busy with my RC Drift Hobby, and wedding plans. I'm at the office today painting another body shell for my drift car because I'm going to be on TV this Thursday. Good Day Sacramento on ch. 31 has invited us to be on their program. That should be fun. Since the MG shell I have isn't a Japanese Import (I'm not a fan of the Japanese Import/Tuning scene), Jeremy suggested I get one for the TV spot because the Drifting Scene is very much about the Japanese Imports. I followed the letter of the law in this regard, but not the spirit. I bought myself a Honda S2000 shell which is obviously a clone of the classic British Sports car; Two seat, rear drive, convertible sports car. I hope it will look OK, but I think I may have reached beyond my abilities again. I'm putting some pretty intricate hand painting on it, and I'm putting Lights on it. I had to teach myself how to wire up LED's... it's not too hard, but it is time consuming. I also had to custom build some light buckets for the LED's to go into. In all, there's going to be 10 LED's all powered by one 9V battery for this car. Two white lights in each head light, two red lights in each tail light, and one red light in each of the exhaust tips to make them look like they're glowing red hot. I hope it'll look alright... once I'm done with it (probably tomorrow or Monday) I'll take some photos and post them for you.
Oh, if any of you are concerned that my possible lack of employment will delay my wedding again (therefor making you rethink booking a flight) don't worry, we're still going to get hitched if I lose my job. The reason why it was postponed last time when Rebecca lost her job was because she wasn't living with me at the time and I couldn't support the both of us. But we live together now, and if I lost my job, we'd still live together, we're still going to get married. The wedding plans are moving along smoothly. I'll be sure to write more about that next post.
Take it easy everyone.
Mark must be super busy, because he didn't guess on the last quote and it's from his favorite movie American Beauty.
New Quote:
"That's a big Twinkie"
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
I've been busy too.
Looks like my *edit* two *edit* siblings have been as super busy as I have.
I've been busy because recently my job has been secured. In these hard times, our company has had to lay off more than half of our field workers, and because there haven't been many new jobs coming in for design, our other two designers and our receptionist have all been laid off too. That means our company is back to the way we were about three years ago. It's just our office manager, Tom, Joel, and me now (our superintendent hasn't been laid off, but he was moved back into field work rather than office work). I've been super busy completing the last few loose ends of my ex-coworkers projects for the past two weeks or so along with the few jobs that have come up. I think I'll have a lot less stress moving forward from now because all of those loose ends have been neatly tied together, but it's still awfully lonely here in the office. It's still a bit of a relief because we all knew that layoffs were coming, but we didn't know who was on the chopping block and now I know so long as the company survives, I've got income. It just sucks that I've had to put in all sorts of Own Time to get everything done.
On a more positive note, as unimportant as it is, I finally figured out how to make my TV play my XBox 360 in HD. It's great to finally be able to read the text on the screen. I'm also still doing my drifting thing just about every other weekend. Here is some video from a chase car from the last big meet up at William land park.
I think I'm getting a lot better. I still haven't gotten bored with it. There's another meet this weekend that I'll be attending in a parking garage. It's a new location for me with an unfamiliar surface, but hopefully I'll still have some awesome skillz on it.
This Saturday, Mike and I are going to be hitting the lake by my apartment. I finally have his boat working 100% and now we just need to test it out on the water. I'll see what I can do to perhaps get some video of it so you can see how that goes too. I'm really getting into this whole RC thing. I wouldn't bet against it that I may get into RC flying before too long... perhaps that will be a better midlife crisis than a motorcycle.
Thanks for being patient with my lack of updates guys.
Quote Time:
"I think 'lagoon' and I think waterfall, I think tropical. This is a cement... hole."
I've been busy because recently my job has been secured. In these hard times, our company has had to lay off more than half of our field workers, and because there haven't been many new jobs coming in for design, our other two designers and our receptionist have all been laid off too. That means our company is back to the way we were about three years ago. It's just our office manager, Tom, Joel, and me now (our superintendent hasn't been laid off, but he was moved back into field work rather than office work). I've been super busy completing the last few loose ends of my ex-coworkers projects for the past two weeks or so along with the few jobs that have come up. I think I'll have a lot less stress moving forward from now because all of those loose ends have been neatly tied together, but it's still awfully lonely here in the office. It's still a bit of a relief because we all knew that layoffs were coming, but we didn't know who was on the chopping block and now I know so long as the company survives, I've got income. It just sucks that I've had to put in all sorts of Own Time to get everything done.
On a more positive note, as unimportant as it is, I finally figured out how to make my TV play my XBox 360 in HD. It's great to finally be able to read the text on the screen. I'm also still doing my drifting thing just about every other weekend. Here is some video from a chase car from the last big meet up at William land park.
I think I'm getting a lot better. I still haven't gotten bored with it. There's another meet this weekend that I'll be attending in a parking garage. It's a new location for me with an unfamiliar surface, but hopefully I'll still have some awesome skillz on it.
This Saturday, Mike and I are going to be hitting the lake by my apartment. I finally have his boat working 100% and now we just need to test it out on the water. I'll see what I can do to perhaps get some video of it so you can see how that goes too. I'm really getting into this whole RC thing. I wouldn't bet against it that I may get into RC flying before too long... perhaps that will be a better midlife crisis than a motorcycle.
Thanks for being patient with my lack of updates guys.
Quote Time:
"I think 'lagoon' and I think waterfall, I think tropical. This is a cement... hole."
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I mean it! Hobbies are fun!
So my last post was about my RC Boat, this post is about my RC Drift Car. I got into this pretty much the same time as the boats. I have a neighbor, Jeremy, that had one, and after playing with it for a bit I decided I had to get one too. One Graig's List later and I had a fairly decent drift car for super cheap. It's a slightly older electric touring car called the Losi XXX-S and it's got a belt driven four wheel drive system which is wonderful for drifting.
Jeremy helped me out a great deal with set up, which was a lot more extensive than I thought it would be, and now it runs extremely well. So far we've locked the rear differential, tightened up the front, gave it a little bit of overdrive to the rear wheels, changed out the shock springs, and changed out the regular plugs on the batteries to a plug with lower resistance to help keep heat down. There's still a whole lot I want to do to it, but the changes we did were the only cheap ones, the rest are triple digit cost and I'm not ready to spend that kind of dough.
Jeremy is also one of the creators of a Sacramento based drifting club and I joined up with them. Every week or so we meet up for practices and such. Last weekend however, there was a fairly large meet with a tournament and everything! I was able to find out just how well set up my car was. See?
Woot 2nd place. Got a trophy an' everythin'!
This group of guys are really awesome. If you remember I tried to get into buggy racing, but the people in that hobby were very competitive and unhelpful. They all felt that their set ups were trade secrets and they didn't want to give their competitors any advantage at all. This drift club is the complete opposite of the buggy club. Everyone is there to help everyone else. Here's a perfect example; I was doing a tandem run (which is when two people are competing against each other at the same time) with one guy, and on our second run his car broke down. Rather than just let him have to forfeit, I helped him out. The belt drive on his car had frayed a servo wire and I took the time and soldered it together for him, then put on a zip tie to make sure that those wires wouldn't rub against the belt again. After that was done, we finished our run and luckily I still won that match up. That wasn't the only example of that day either! These guys are wonderfully laid back just out to have a fun time.
Here are some more pictures of my Car and my Trophy. There's also a short clip of my car drifting around a part of the track.
Jeremy helped me out a great deal with set up, which was a lot more extensive than I thought it would be, and now it runs extremely well. So far we've locked the rear differential, tightened up the front, gave it a little bit of overdrive to the rear wheels, changed out the shock springs, and changed out the regular plugs on the batteries to a plug with lower resistance to help keep heat down. There's still a whole lot I want to do to it, but the changes we did were the only cheap ones, the rest are triple digit cost and I'm not ready to spend that kind of dough.
Jeremy is also one of the creators of a Sacramento based drifting club and I joined up with them. Every week or so we meet up for practices and such. Last weekend however, there was a fairly large meet with a tournament and everything! I was able to find out just how well set up my car was. See?
Woot 2nd place. Got a trophy an' everythin'!
This group of guys are really awesome. If you remember I tried to get into buggy racing, but the people in that hobby were very competitive and unhelpful. They all felt that their set ups were trade secrets and they didn't want to give their competitors any advantage at all. This drift club is the complete opposite of the buggy club. Everyone is there to help everyone else. Here's a perfect example; I was doing a tandem run (which is when two people are competing against each other at the same time) with one guy, and on our second run his car broke down. Rather than just let him have to forfeit, I helped him out. The belt drive on his car had frayed a servo wire and I took the time and soldered it together for him, then put on a zip tie to make sure that those wires wouldn't rub against the belt again. After that was done, we finished our run and luckily I still won that match up. That wasn't the only example of that day either! These guys are wonderfully laid back just out to have a fun time.
Here are some more pictures of my Car and my Trophy. There's also a short clip of my car drifting around a part of the track.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Hobbies are fun!
So my friend Mike has a friend and co-worker named Jim who bought three remote controlled boats from an estate sale for $75. All of them had been neglected for some time and none of them ran. Since Mike knew that I had that RC Buggy, he figured I knew more about this stuff than he did. I was given the offer that if I could get them up and running, or at least could show them what they needed to get them up and running, I could keep one. Well, I got the first boat a couple of weeks ago, and after a dozen or so hours of research and elbow grease, I got it working! Boy, am I glad I live on a small lake (it's more like a large pond).
Check out these pictures! It was super fun.
As you can see, it's kind of an old boat. Nonetheless, it's still a very good boat.
It's an older style K&B outboard 7.5 cc two stroke nitro motor. I found out that they don't make any more. I did find a website that still makes newer models of this motor, and therefore can get some parts for it, but they're all sorts of expensive. Here's to hoping that I don't break it.
This is me just cruising kind of slowly. I never had a real chance to open her up on the water because it kept stalling out on me. I have to learn the proper settings for the carb a little better... then I'll be able to see how fast this sucker really is.
Even without full throttle, you can see that it can cook.
This is me giving it a little too much power as I put it in the water. I almost flipped it!
All of these pictures came from some video that Rebecca took with mom's old Sony Handicam, but as of yet, I don't know how to copy the video on the tapes to my computer. As soon as I figure that out though, I'll be sure to post it.
Check out these pictures! It was super fun.
As you can see, it's kind of an old boat. Nonetheless, it's still a very good boat.
It's an older style K&B outboard 7.5 cc two stroke nitro motor. I found out that they don't make any more. I did find a website that still makes newer models of this motor, and therefore can get some parts for it, but they're all sorts of expensive. Here's to hoping that I don't break it.
This is me just cruising kind of slowly. I never had a real chance to open her up on the water because it kept stalling out on me. I have to learn the proper settings for the carb a little better... then I'll be able to see how fast this sucker really is.
Even without full throttle, you can see that it can cook.
This is me giving it a little too much power as I put it in the water. I almost flipped it!
All of these pictures came from some video that Rebecca took with mom's old Sony Handicam, but as of yet, I don't know how to copy the video on the tapes to my computer. As soon as I figure that out though, I'll be sure to post it.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Small Update.
I really don't have much to post from the past couple of weeks. I've been pretty busy with work. It seems as if the less there is to do, the more things go wrong with the projects that are currently being installed. We've had trouble with the past three jobs, two of them have been fixed and are all good. The third is still in the works. I just had a huge meeting with the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction... or the Fire Department, that's probably easier), my bosses, and the GC (General Contractor) and we still don't have 100% of the answers that we need. We'll have our answers by Thursday hopefully. Well, things will happen one way or another. My job has also moved into estimating a lot more lately. Since we have very little in the way of new design coming in (until the banks start lending, then I'll be hurting for time) I've been going out and surveying potential bids for a while. Kohl's department stores have taken full advantage of Mervin's going out of business. I've surveyed 6 ex-Mervin's in northern California that are all going to become Kohl's stores. It would be pretty stellar if we got all of these. These would be cake walk TI's (Tenant Improvements) to design and tons of work for our field guys. Each of these TI's have almost 800 sprinkler heads. It would be really good work.
Not last weekend, but the weekend before, I took my NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) exams. I took 34 elements and if I pass 30 of them, I'll be NICET Level II Certified in Fire Sprinkler and Suppression Systems. I know, I know, it's a very specialized field, but hey, it'll be $1 an hour for each level while working here. And even if I get a job elsewhere, it wont look bad on my Resume... if anything, it'll show them that I'm willing to get it for their field too. Most of the test went really smoothly. There were one or two sections that I had problems with, and one section that I had absolutely no idea to any of the questions. That was material specifications and I didn't think it would be all that inclusive, but all of the questions were about the thickness of copper pipe and tubing. We don't ever use copper pipe or tubing. Copper is all but obsolete now because of the advances of CPVC pipe, but oh well... I'll just not take that one next time. I doubt I passed enough elements to get the Level II, but at least I'm now prepared for the next time I take it.
Outside of work related stuff, Rebecca and I have finally decided on where our wedding is going to take place. We looked at several different places, but the best place we thing will be the Lake Natoma Inn just on the outskirts of old Folsom. They've got some very reasonable rates. All we have to do now is get enough money to pay for it. Yay for brown baggin' it. We already have our photographer, and we got him for a very reasonable rate. However, the way we got him for so cheap is because all he is going to do is take the photos. He'll be giving us all the digital negatives, and Rilla has been gracious enough to agree to do our wedding album for us. She is so very talented at that kind of thing. So all that's left to us, so long as we figure out how to pay for the wedding site is the Cake, Flowers, and the person to do the actual wedding ceremony. It's a very exciting time for Rebecca and me. I think either this weekend, or possibly next, I'm going to buy all the materials for my cape, and take them down to a Tailor that can actually make it. I'm pretty friggin' stoked about that.
Well, I don't really have any other stories other than those. Except I saw the Pink Panther 2 last week. That was a pretty stellar movie. Not quite as funny as the first, but there was a scene that had me laughing without break for about 6 minutes. Heh, Steve Martin is my comic actor, even possibly my favorite actor out right. Good times.
Anyway, Thanks for reading. I'll be posting another sometime this month.
Movie Quote Time:
1) "I'm going to come back from the dead."
"And what makes you think you can do that?"
"Because I'm rich."
2) "I have to go now, as someone is staring at me through binoculars."
3) "Hello, this is Harris. I'm in right now, so you can talk to me personally. Please start talking at the sound of the beep."
4) "I've got culture coming out of my ass."
5) "You son of a motherless goat!"
6) "Who presents this woman? This woman? But she's not a woman. She's just a kid. And she's leaving us."
7) "Ladies and gentlemen, I can envision a day when the brains of brilliant men can be kept alive in the bodies of dumb people"
8) "I find a little giggle-gas before I begin increases my pleasure enormously."
9) "A twelve-gauge, double-barreled, grenade-launcher of LOVE!"
10) "Women have choices, and men have responsibilities"
Not last weekend, but the weekend before, I took my NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) exams. I took 34 elements and if I pass 30 of them, I'll be NICET Level II Certified in Fire Sprinkler and Suppression Systems. I know, I know, it's a very specialized field, but hey, it'll be $1 an hour for each level while working here. And even if I get a job elsewhere, it wont look bad on my Resume... if anything, it'll show them that I'm willing to get it for their field too. Most of the test went really smoothly. There were one or two sections that I had problems with, and one section that I had absolutely no idea to any of the questions. That was material specifications and I didn't think it would be all that inclusive, but all of the questions were about the thickness of copper pipe and tubing. We don't ever use copper pipe or tubing. Copper is all but obsolete now because of the advances of CPVC pipe, but oh well... I'll just not take that one next time. I doubt I passed enough elements to get the Level II, but at least I'm now prepared for the next time I take it.
Outside of work related stuff, Rebecca and I have finally decided on where our wedding is going to take place. We looked at several different places, but the best place we thing will be the Lake Natoma Inn just on the outskirts of old Folsom. They've got some very reasonable rates. All we have to do now is get enough money to pay for it. Yay for brown baggin' it. We already have our photographer, and we got him for a very reasonable rate. However, the way we got him for so cheap is because all he is going to do is take the photos. He'll be giving us all the digital negatives, and Rilla has been gracious enough to agree to do our wedding album for us. She is so very talented at that kind of thing. So all that's left to us, so long as we figure out how to pay for the wedding site is the Cake, Flowers, and the person to do the actual wedding ceremony. It's a very exciting time for Rebecca and me. I think either this weekend, or possibly next, I'm going to buy all the materials for my cape, and take them down to a Tailor that can actually make it. I'm pretty friggin' stoked about that.
Well, I don't really have any other stories other than those. Except I saw the Pink Panther 2 last week. That was a pretty stellar movie. Not quite as funny as the first, but there was a scene that had me laughing without break for about 6 minutes. Heh, Steve Martin is my comic actor, even possibly my favorite actor out right. Good times.
Anyway, Thanks for reading. I'll be posting another sometime this month.
Movie Quote Time:
1) "I'm going to come back from the dead."
"And what makes you think you can do that?"
"Because I'm rich."
2) "I have to go now, as someone is staring at me through binoculars."
3) "Hello, this is Harris. I'm in right now, so you can talk to me personally. Please start talking at the sound of the beep."
4) "I've got culture coming out of my ass."
5) "You son of a motherless goat!"
6) "Who presents this woman? This woman? But she's not a woman. She's just a kid. And she's leaving us."
7) "Ladies and gentlemen, I can envision a day when the brains of brilliant men can be kept alive in the bodies of dumb people"
8) "I find a little giggle-gas before I begin increases my pleasure enormously."
9) "A twelve-gauge, double-barreled, grenade-launcher of LOVE!"
10) "Women have choices, and men have responsibilities"
Friday, February 20, 2009
Akta
I saw this on Rilla's blog, and I thought I'd try it myself.
1. IF SOMEONE SAYS, "IS THIS OKAY," YOU SAY?
Destroids in Danger
2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Let it Be
3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Dreams be Dreams
4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Adventure Today
5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Bored
6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Geeks in Love
7. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
The Old Dun Cow
8. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Can't by me Love
9. WHAT IS 2+2?
You're My Best Friend
10. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Ticks & Leeches
11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Headtrip
12. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
I've Got Some Falling to Do
13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Sugar
14. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Swing a Cat
15. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Sandy Face
16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Wasting Time
17. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Heart Too Hot to Hold
18. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Running to Stand Still
19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Take Me to Your Leader
20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Get Back
21. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Akta
I had a couple of good ones in there, the wedding dance one made me a little nervous ;)
1. IF SOMEONE SAYS, "IS THIS OKAY," YOU SAY?
Destroids in Danger
2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Let it Be
3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Dreams be Dreams
4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Adventure Today
5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Bored
6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Geeks in Love
7. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
The Old Dun Cow
8. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Can't by me Love
9. WHAT IS 2+2?
You're My Best Friend
10. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Ticks & Leeches
11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Headtrip
12. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
I've Got Some Falling to Do
13. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Sugar
14. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Swing a Cat
15. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Sandy Face
16. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Wasting Time
17. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Heart Too Hot to Hold
18. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Running to Stand Still
19. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Take Me to Your Leader
20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Get Back
21. WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Akta
I had a couple of good ones in there, the wedding dance one made me a little nervous ;)
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