The Right Tool?

I am watching one of the great car movies: The Fast and the Furious. And in the scene where Brian drops off the Supra at Torretos shop an amusing thing happens.
Dom-"If you can't find the right tool in this garage, Mr. Arizona, you don't belong near a car."
And while he says that he shakes a crowbar/wrecking bar at Brian.

A WRECKING BAR. granted I have used one in my own garage on rare occasion but that is just too funny. I doubt many people have wrecking bars in their garage to begin with!!

Along the same lines is a rather amusing add from when the Saturn Ion Red-Line was just released that featured a picture of a "car-guy" standing in front of a peg-board wall with a jumble of tool outlines on it. In the "guy's" hand is an adjustable crescent wrench. Another of the actual auto enthusiasts anti-tools.
Link To Said Saturn Ad

Bad Driving? I think not...

I recently came across this video while browsing the car blogs-
HmmVVE Driving
At first I thought what most of these people were saying in the responses; namely that these are some dumbass americans giving the rest of us a bad name. But then I started paying more attention to the details of the video.
1) The hummer is constantly honking it's horn. Assuming this IS an American hummer I would know that the vehicle is not equiped with any sort of emergency lighting (ie- police light bars, ambulance lights, etc...) So if they were actually in a hurry trying to get somewhere or getaway from something the other vehicles would have very little warning other than the sad little horn those GMs have.
2) Everybody on the streets appears to be completely oblivious to a 3-ton, 7 foot wide, camo painted vehicle rushing down the street. Pedestrians, vehicles, even the bus (which doesn't appear to have any mirrors anyway) are completely un-phased by the appearance of the vehicle. As the voice comments towards the end of the video- "There goes a guy just picking his nose; not a fucking care in the world"

Then in the responses the majority of the people insult and belittle the video. It's annoying. My favorite reply is quoted as such:

I love reading some of these comments from safe little sissys who have never been to Iraq. To stop, for any reason, is to make yourself an easy target. RPGs and IEDs hit stationary or slow targets more easily than they do ones moving fast, DUH! I led a convoy security team in Iraq. Most Iraqi drivers do there best to get the hell out of your way for two primary reasons. One, they understand your sense of urgency and common sense tells them you are at risk. Two, they do not want to be anywhere near you when some "freedom fighter" as so many of you like to call them, desides to hit you. Because the Iraqis know, unlike most of you, that their "protectors" and "freedom fighters" kill far more of them with their bombs than americans. By the way, how do you call people who threatened voters, tens of millions of them at that, freedom fighters? At this point in the war Iraqis who do not get out of the way are very dumb or part of an ambush. Speed is life. Hairy vag is like most Britts I knew in Iraq. They believed that if only we were more like they were in Basra and Northern Ireland, that is to say more gentle, the locals would love us and the insurgency would go away. These people hated us long before we were in Iraq.

It is probably about as founded as the anti-american responses but to me it is much happier thought (since I am an American whether I like it or not)

Don't get me wrong- I am not a supporter of "the War" or the bush administration, but I do believe in supoprting people whos lifes are in danger, aka soldiers. They are just doing their job and making a living while trying not to get shot or killed while they are there. Two of my good friends from High School did tours in Iraq with the US Army and neither of them ever want to go back; for them it was one of the most horrible experiences they ever had.
I believe this bumper sticker says it best:

Project Jeep; 1/3 complete!

Whew. What a day.
I sucsessfuly pulled the motor/tranny/Tcase combo out of the comanche today. By myself. It was quite a chore I must say as the whole unit probably weighs 2 or three times more than I do!

Right now the donor cherokee is in the garage awaiting a similar treatment while the Comanche carcass waits outside in the snow for the crucial transplant bits. I am very hopful that everything comes apart as easy on the cherokee as it did on the comanche. Both were residents in the more salty areas of the midwest so they are both quite rusty I just hope it's not to crazy on the cherokee seeing as I have never washed it (well there was this one time...but it barely counts)

Thats all for now.
-G :)

BUggered Jeep

So i had a short day at work today and I took advantage of the time to continue my Jeep engine project. I managed to get a couple (flimsy) straps to hold the engine on the hoist and then removed all holding devices and cabling.
I eventually got the engine up in the air but sadly about half way out of the front end the strap snapped and the engine dropped down. The bad part is that when the strap broke something got messed up inside the engine hoist and now I have no lifting power. Totally buggered.

So a little discouraging. I was minutes away from having the engine out too. Oh well. I will try again tomorrow to see if I have any power.

Now I need to sleep but pete and matt are here so I feel resposible to stay awake till they leave. I will endeavor to listen to some Avenged Sevenfold for now. I have found them to be very neet.

adio
-G :)

Project Jeep: underway!

Well for the last three days I have been slowly progressing on "Project Jeep" It's a 1988 Jeep Comanche which I purchased this summer and then found out it had a busted tranny.
A rough guide of the project is as follows:
1) Removal of engine/tranny/Tcase
2) Prep of Chassis (if there is anything but rust)
3) Sourcing of new engine/tranny/TCase
4) Preping new engine
5) Reinstall of engine.

It is a very daunting task and I have picked about the worst time of year to do all this...whoops. Hopfully Janes house doesn't sell halfway through the project! LOL
Currently I have an engine/tranny/Tcase combo in my Jeep Cherokee which is earmarked for the swap. I am just hopful that everything important runs when I am done with it all!!
WHooHoo!!

-G :)

PS- Sno*Fall was a bust this year, as there were only 6 entries Tim didn't want to waste the workers time for only that many entries. Me and Father have also decided to not attend Sno*Drift this year either since the 10 hour drive isn't worth it to road marshall. :(

Rally Ho!

Wow i just posted this morning? weird.

anyway, after much investigation and random internt browsing I think I'm going to go ahead and apply for a Rally-America competition license. I know I have wanted to road race forever but the simple answer is that Rally is easier and cheaper to start in...not to mention having a competitionj license will make an SCCA license much easier to get if I ever get that rich.

The license costs $100 and a driving suit will run somewhere in the $400 range, a legal helmet I already have...the only thing left would be a HNR and a car...both of which would be rediculously expensive!

thats all for now,
-G :)

Rally goes bust

Well just in case you didn't notice that I am online this weekend; the 2007 Sno*Fall TSD was canceled due to sub-standard attendance. :(

I was relaly looking forward to the two day rally extravaganza! Plus it would have furthered me and Dad's point lead in Class C. oh well, we will just have to wait for the next rally i guess!

Other than that I noticed the 2007 AKA rally is now accepting reservations...at $1500+ per person it's a bit crazy but it could be cool. Better than the 28,000 POUNDS STERLING that the Gumball3000 costs this year. If i can find somebody willing to front a big chunk of change perhaps i will do the AKA...if only I oculd convince Sam to "borrow" me the GTO I would do it in a heartbeat! LOL I think my little 2.5L leaves a lot to be desired against supras, subis, porsches, and lambos. *shrug* maybe in the next life.

Thats all for now motorheads.
-G

I Blame the Internet

After long thought and "introspection" I do indeed blame the internet for much of my own lifes current stagnation, along with the lives of so many people I know and live around. For people of my generation and stature, who have "grown up" with the internet and TV and video games, It is often a hard vice to rid oneself of. If only the internet were a dump truck I could hop in and drive it out of my life!

One can get so wound into the ensnaring mesh called the computer age so easily. When you can conduct all manner of communication, find dates, buy car parts, buy groceries...why leave the house? Why strive for more? I find it rather sickening at this point, since I am indeed writing this on a blog; a brainchild of the internet community itself.

So what about myself? "I thought you were a car guy, Gabe?" You're right! I am a moderistic car guy...with massive internet experience before I got into cars...it actually helped my budding enthusiasm for cars by giving me access to WRC footage and BB's for rally people. So for that I thank it. But now I sit on the ocmputer for hours every day browsing eBay looking at "what I might be able to get" and parts that I could never get access to around here. For that; I hate it!

Instead of actually going out and doing something productive i sit here on my ass dreaming about what I would have if I actually wnet out and did something with my self. WTF!? Is that not a totaly stupid and irrational train of thought? It is assinine! So from now on I am doing everything within my will power to change all this in my own life. (as for my friends; I am not their owner or guardian...I can only change so much)
So. I am hoping to turn another page, and move on. This Blog may suffer and my eBay raitng may suffer, and I am all the happier for myself.

thanks,
-G

What is modern chivalry?

I was browsing the web, in my usual manner, and after many train-of-thought google searches I came upon this website promoting the author's yet unfinnished book about modern chivalry-here.

I read through most of the short prose he has and then did some of my own reading on the subject. I got to thinking and the end result was that I agreed with his views. True it is an all male kind of thing, but in the end why is that bad? I found one bit on a British site that asked for women's input;

I like it when gentlemen hold the door open for me. I'm sorry, it is sexist, but I like and appreciate that level of courtesy. I don't assume that a man holding the door open for me believes I'm too weak and feeble to do so for myself. In return, all I can promise is I won't let the door slam back in his face (or anybody else's).

I cannot defend this position, so I won't try to. Gents, I appreciate the quandary you are in. But any woman who berates you for your courtesy is:

• Overreacting
• Aggressive
• Rude

So, thank you to all men who have extended this courtesy to me in the past, and may it continue!

I know that in a discussion of personal beliefs there is no right and wrong, but I do believe the base ideals behind this should matter to people.

Chivalry spells out certain ethical standards that are needed to foster the development of manhood. Men are called to be: truthful, loyal, courteous to others, helpmates to women, supporters of justice, and defenders of the weak. They are also expected to avoid scandal.

That is it in a nutshell. But shouldn't these standards be standard? I certainly wish they were!! and not just in men, in EVERYBODY. truth, loyalty, justice...sounds a bit like some documants involving the phrase "our forefathers," right?

What the site says on a grander scale is that a base key to solving problems is understanding and respecting yourself and then doing the same to ALL persons you encounter in your daily doings. That sounds pretty damn good to me. I end this repetative post with the book's author's closing words.

We often take who we are for granted—as if our beliefs and behaviors are fixed in stone. The truth is that we are creatures constantly in the making. We either move forward in our development, or backwards. Staying still is the same as going backwards. Why? Because the movement of time never holds still. We either progress with it, or are left behind.

-G

Hello Again

Ahoj all. I hope you all had a happy holiday season. Mine was okay, but a little heavy on the driving. Surprised? :)

I have not been up to much lately since the holidays put my regular life on a sort of standstill. I have spent the last several nights thinking about car mods and watching GiS 3, 5, 6 and 7 all of which are spectactular exhibitions of driving. I would relaly love to meet up with those guys and find out how they do alot of things. I have noticed that all the cars they use have been "featured" in the very subjective reviews. Slightly confusing. Either way the Gatebil shows are my favorite part since it is just the kind of thing I would love to have here in the states.

I am also back in "move the hell away" mode. After late nights talking to my brother and some friends I have again started the trying to move process. It is really stressful for me but I need to do it and wish i had more direct support of it. (rather than my dad always saying how nice PF is. fuck that)

So anyway, happy non-holiday season for now. 10 days to the next TSD and two weeks to Sno*Drift! Hope to see all you gearheads out on the roads!
-G :)