Messages

31

General Discussion / Re: A Russian Movie I'd Like to See

« on: March 21, 2017, 01:50:25 pm »

"Leningrad... we have a problem..."

Comrade Cosmonauts were probably thinking, "Oi... We survived the spacewalk, we survived re-entry, we survived landing... now, we will be shot as spies for missing our landing zone!"

32

The Market / 88 GT

« on: March 21, 2017, 01:32:03 pm »

Nope... It's not my 88 GT... Charlie keeps me calm when I get frustrated with all the stuff I have to fix on my 88  GT ...   

Anyway, I found this one on Craigslist. Located in BooFurd.

500 miles on Advanced Auto rebuilt motor, 5 speed (which I really like!), extra parts, sunroof, fastback. Paint is TIRED!!!



He said he's $6500 into the car. Asking for offers, as he wants to sell for a different car.

33

General Fiero Discussion / Re: Some random pics of Fieros here

« on: March 17, 2017, 12:35:45 pm »

Is the yellow one a race car, or just built to look like one?

34

General Discussion / Re: Inventor forge?

« on: March 17, 2017, 12:33:33 pm »

My employer has a "makerspace" near our corporate headquarters.

If you have an idea for an improvement to a process, or machine, or just want to learn about a new technology which could be beneficial for the company, but don't have the tools or knowledge, you can schedule a time. They will have people within the company who know how to do/make/build things onsite.

You go with your ideas, they discuss the ideas with you, then if it appears feasible, will help you design, build, and implement the concepts to benefit the company. The space has the tools and materials, as well as the people who can help.

35

Club Events / Re: St Patrick's Parade, Dublin, GA

« on: March 15, 2017, 02:38:11 pm »

I hope you guys have fun.

My car seems to have had the timing go wonky again. Without a garage to work in, it's been too stinking cold to tinker in the driveway. I'm not going to drive it 200 miles each way and through downtown Atlanta the way it's running right now. 

36

General Discussion / Re: January 2017 Ice Age

« on: March 13, 2017, 12:23:15 pm »

You'll find the definition in the book "How To Speak Australian."

Crikey! Gotta bloody well get that book, mate. 

37

General Discussion / Re: Automobile Casting Call

« on: March 13, 2017, 10:10:37 am »

He replied to my email. He said they could probably use my car for 1 daytime scene, and 1-2 night time shots.

He said:

Because of the color, it would stand out, so we couldn't use it in more than one daytime shot, because the audience would notice the recycling of cars.

I'm not sure why he thinks it would stand out... 

38

General Discussion / Re: January 2017 Ice Age

« on: March 13, 2017, 09:42:28 am »

16C here in the morning

Wait... what's this "C" stuff?    Does "C" stand for "cold"? Is that that crazy metric thing? lol

39

General Discussion / Re: Anyone heard a good joke lately?

« on: March 13, 2017, 09:38:41 am »

^^ wow!  lol

40

General Discussion / Re: Time change

« on: March 13, 2017, 09:37:25 am »

My "real job" is for a manufacturing company. I have to be here 7AM-4PM. It's salary, so I have a little flexibility, but not that much (if I get here at 7:15, it's not a big deal, but I can't take off at 3:45 without asking, etc)

So, I like the DST. I don't have a garage, and now that I have a Fiero to work on ... all the time, it seems... I still have daylight when I get home, rather than working in the dark and cold in the driveway.

We're going to buy the house we currently rent, and plan to add a usable garage. Once we do that, it won't matter as much to me.

41

General Discussion / Re: Automobile Casting Call

« on: March 09, 2017, 09:09:27 am »

hehe... I wonder if there were any Ferrari Testarossas in 1988 Coweta County! lol

42

General Fiero Discussion / Re: Transmission comparison

« on: March 08, 2017, 09:13:33 am »

That old '84 diesel Escort would do 0-60 MPH in about 5.3

... minutes. 

It was SLOOOOW to accelerate. On the good side, it averaged well over 40 MPG, close to 50 MPG sometimes, if I remember correctly.

Unfortunately, it was very hard to find parts. That was back before the internet was widely available, and junk/salvage yards and parts distributors didn't have a strong presence online. The vacuum booster died, so I lost power brakes, and had manual brakes. Heading back to Houston after visiting my parents in Tennessee, the lights got dimmer and dimmer. Somewhere along I-40, they went out. IIRC, it had a generator rather than an alternator. Once the battery died, the engine would continue to run, but there was no way to generate power for headlight, taillights, etc.

It was a 12 hour drive, and I had no lights, so I spent the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Once it was daylight, I finished the drive home. I can't remember if I found a replacement generator or had to get it rebuilt.

Finally, enough stuff broke without replacement parts available, so I ended up buying a 1987 Honda CRX ... with a 5-speed manual.  Forgot that one in the list above. That was a fun little car... two seater, sunroof, red.

43

General Fiero Discussion / Re: Transmission comparison

« on: March 07, 2017, 12:54:39 pm »

Man... Y'all are making me want a manual transmission in my car.    lol

When I was 16, I drove a 1966 Ford Falcon Futura station wagon with a 302 or 351 V8. My dad bought it in about 1982 for either $50 or $100 because the on-the-column shifting automatic transmission had died. The neighbor didn't know how to fix it, and didn't have the money to have a shop fix it. There were four kids, so dad needed a bigger vehicle... station wagon to the rescue. He found a 3 speed manual transmission, cut a hole in the floor for the shifter, installed a clutch pedal, and away we went. When I turned 16, that old hooptie-mobile became mine. The handling was somewhat reminiscent of an early model aircraft carrier, but in a straight line, it would haul butt, as well as kids and groceries.



I also drove Dad's 1960's era GMC truck with a straight six, and a 3 or 4 speed manual. Glass packs made it sound awesome!

My next car was a 1979 Mazda GLC with a 5 speed. It had so much rust, I had to tie the rear hatch down with a rope. Otherwise, it would lift up at highway speed... although, that was effective for scaring off tailgaters on the highway. 



Also had a 1984 Mazda B2300 truck with a 5 speed, and a 1984 Ford Escort with a 5 speed and factory installed 4 cylinder diesel engine... that Escort always got funny looks when I'd pull in between dump trucks and 18 wheelers to fill the fuel tank.



In over 30 years of driving, other than my wife's vehicles and company vehicles, I've only had two non-manual transmission rides... A Monte Carlo (late 70's early 80's model?) when I was 19, and the 1997 Ford Escort I drove from 1997 to 2016. That Escort had 246k miles when the odometer broke, and I drove it 3-4 years after that. It was probably over 300,000 miles. That was the car I had when I bought the 88 Fiero GT/Testarossa replica.

Maybe I'll have to find a Fiero with a 3800SC and 5-speed, and install the Ferrari replica body on it. lol

Photos are from Google, not my cars

44

The Market / Power mirror switch, Harmonic Balancer ?

« on: March 07, 2017, 12:20:12 pm »

Does anyone (or the parts barn) have the switch unit and plate for the power mirrors? I purchased power mirrors from PFF, and plan to put the mechanism into my mirror stalks (Testarossa replica). My car has a black plastic plate glued in between the power window switches, and manual mirrors.




Also, I believe my timing is off again, as when I drove it this weekend, the power had decreased, and it was hard to crank. At Christmas, my dad helped me get the timing set by feel & sound. He's an ASE Master with about 50 years of experience, so he's getting the hang of wrenchin' on cars. 

Anyway, we tried using a timing light, but the timing was off according to the timing mark. That's why dad decided to set it by feel. He said, (and then I saw it posted elsewhere) that sometimes the harmonic balancer can be incorrect... apparently it "shifts" or something.

PFF suggested buying a new one from Rodney Dickman. Before doing that, does anyone have a good one, or should I just spend the money at Rodney's?

45

Tech Tips, Tech Questions / Re: 1227730

« on: March 03, 2017, 10:21:49 am »

What is the advantage of the F23 compared to a 5-speed?

I thought the F23 is a 5-speed... ? Is there another 5 speed?

I have a normal V6 & automatic transmission in my car now, but at some future date, I'm thinking about dropping in a 3800SC and 5-speed manual, (or selling the car and buying a replica that already has that), so I'm trying to learn my options.