The Car Thread ... !

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm not sure whether anyone likes to watch reviews of old classic (mostly - though not exclusively - British classic cars) cars; if so, I strongly recommend Steph at @idriveaclassic; she has her own YouTube channel as well.

 

[SactoGuy18]

By the way, I should take back everything I should say about my 2016 Scion's supposedly rough ride. The street I live on has a lot of pavement breakup issues and a neighbor of mine (who drives a much-nicer-riding 2019 Honda Accord EX sedan) is also complaining about the poor quality asphalt on the street.

My car actually rides really well on decently paved streets in Sacramento. It's just street near my home that is terrible. Hopefully, the County of Sacramento will see it fit to completely resurface the street at the same they they are putting in water meters.

 

[bunnspecial]

Arrrgggg...

Been talking to my mechanic daily for the past two weeks. He knew that since my wife was coming to town with me for Thanksgiving, the plan was for me to pick it up this weekend and drive it back today(Sunday).

I'm calling/texting back and forth on Friday and he's reporting to me that the O/D isn't working and I finally hear that they're building a new O/D harness. I then hear it's complete and he's about to take it for a test drive, and will report and I'll be "good to go" Saturday morning.

Saturday morning arrives. No response to my calls or texts, nothing. We go down to the shop about 11:00 and I knock on the door, etc and no answer. We drive around the block, and I see someone going in the door of the shop, so I stop again and go in. Finally, after gabbing a bit, the mechanic appears from the back of the garage. He reports to me that he'd taken my car out the night before and it had "no power" and was "stumbling over itself." He says he's going to readjust the valves, hope that fixes it, and that he'll drop it off that afternoon/evening.

Not a peep, so I text him again about 6:00. He tells me that it still has no power and is backfiring and he feels like he's missing something obvious. I mention the suspects-point gap, timing, vac leaks(inc. a vac port on the intake manifold that he does say the cap is still on) but says he's not going to bed until it's done or he runs out of ideas. Not another word...

Needless to say, we left without the car.

With that said, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about something. The distributor spins CCW, and most American distributors spin CW. Consequently, it's easy to swap plug wires 2 and 3 and get exactly what he described. Sure enough, I look at photos I had from the last time I saw it, and spot that.

I texted it to him this afternoon, and he reports back(while we're 3 hours down the road) that it's running perfectly and exactly like it should.

Incredibly frustrating, though, after 6 months and adamant "it will be ready at Thanksgiving" promises that it's not.

 

[44267547]

I’ll give my impressions once they arrive, but Pretty stoked about this order. Picked up a set of new aluminum service ramps by Titan.

Arrived. [Finally].

This isn’t a review of these ramps, it’s to merely to provide feedback on the integrity of the build quality with the welds and overall construction. I mean, when you have 3000 pounds hovering above your body, I would think the most important thing with making this type of purchase is safety. So here’s my thoughts:

Each aluminum ramp weighs approximately 25 pounds, and is capable of supporting 3000 pounds as a set.(Obviously only accruing for half the vehicle weight, being it’s not totally elevated off the ground.) They elevate the vehicle total of 9.5 inches off the ground. They’re super lightweight and they’re stackable, which really is minimal for consuming space in my garage. They look sharp too.

I also suspect my ramps were recently made within the last three weeks, as you can literally smell the odor of fresh beaded welds When I unboxed them.

I went over all the welds on the ramps, I didn’t see any cracking or issue with ‘splatter’ points. I haven’t tested them yet, I’ll probably put the Prius on them first to see how they hold, and then the Scat Pack being the heaviest at ~4300 pounds, which I will test in the spring when it’s out of storage. But really these were intended for the Cobra and the Camaro for undercarriage detailing being how low they sit.

Anyways, if anyone is considering purchasing service ramps, they’re made from a company [Titan] out of Tennessee. I have nothing negative to say about the quality and I think these will serve me for a long time. The only delay was with the shipping, but that was due to the pandemic, as it took a little over two weeks to reach me.

 

[Nütztjanix]

Arrrgggg...

Been talking to my mechanic daily for the past two weeks. He knew that since my wife was coming to town with me for Thanksgiving, the plan was for me to pick it up this weekend and drive it back today(Sunday).

I'm calling/texting back and forth on Friday and he's reporting to me that the O/D isn't working and I finally hear that they're building a new O/D harness. I then hear it's complete and he's about to take it for a test drive, and will report and I'll be "good to go" Saturday morning.

Saturday morning arrives. No response to my calls or texts, nothing. We go down to the shop about 11:00 and I knock on the door, etc and no answer. We drive around the block, and I see someone going in the door of the shop, so I stop again and go in. Finally, after gabbing a bit, the mechanic appears from the back of the garage. He reports to me that he'd taken my car out the night before and it had "no power" and was "stumbling over itself." He says he's going to readjust the valves, hope that fixes it, and that he'll drop it off that afternoon/evening.

Not a peep, so I text him again about 6:00. He tells me that it still has no power and is backfiring and he feels like he's missing something obvious. I mention the suspects-point gap, timing, vac leaks(inc. a vac port on the intake manifold that he does say the cap is still on) but says he's not going to bed until it's done or he runs out of ideas. Not another word...

Needless to say, we left without the car.

With that said, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about something. The distributor spins CCW, and most American distributors spin CW. Consequently, it's easy to swap plug wires 2 and 3 and get exactly what he described. Sure enough, I look at photos I had from the last time I saw it, and spot that.

I texted it to him this afternoon, and he reports back(while we're 3 hours down the road) that it's running perfectly and exactly like it should.

Incredibly frustrating, though, after 6 months and adamant "it will be ready at Thanksgiving" promises that it's not.

Man, that's disappointing! But on the other hand, it could have been something severely wrong with the engine. So, while frustrating, it's not that bad in the end.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Arrrgggg...

Been talking to my mechanic daily for the past two weeks. He knew that since my wife was coming to town with me for Thanksgiving, the plan was for me to pick it up this weekend and drive it back today(Sunday).

I'm calling/texting back and forth on Friday and he's reporting to me that the O/D isn't working and I finally hear that they're building a new O/D harness. I then hear it's complete and he's about to take it for a test drive, and will report and I'll be "good to go" Saturday morning.

Saturday morning arrives. No response to my calls or texts, nothing. We go down to the shop about 11:00 and I knock on the door, etc and no answer. We drive around the block, and I see someone going in the door of the shop, so I stop again and go in. Finally, after gabbing a bit, the mechanic appears from the back of the garage. He reports to me that he'd taken my car out the night before and it had "no power" and was "stumbling over itself." He says he's going to readjust the valves, hope that fixes it, and that he'll drop it off that afternoon/evening.

Not a peep, so I text him again about 6:00. He tells me that it still has no power and is backfiring and he feels like he's missing something obvious. I mention the suspects-point gap, timing, vac leaks(inc. a vac port on the intake manifold that he does say the cap is still on) but says he's not going to bed until it's done or he runs out of ideas. Not another word...

Needless to say, we left without the car.

With that said, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about something. The distributor spins CCW, and most American distributors spin CW. Consequently, it's easy to swap plug wires 2 and 3 and get exactly what he described. Sure enough, I look at photos I had from the last time I saw it, and spot that.

I texted it to him this afternoon, and he reports back(while we're 3 hours down the road) that it's running perfectly and exactly like it should.

Incredibly frustrating, though, after 6 months and adamant "it will be ready at Thanksgiving" promises that it's not.

That’s frustrating. But glad to hear it’s fixed. So when are you picking it up?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Arrived. [Finally].

This isn’t a review of these ramps, it’s to merely to provide feedback on the integrity of the build quality with the welds and overall construction. I mean, when you have 3000 pounds hovering above your body, I would think the most important thing with making this type of purchase is safety. So here’s my thoughts:

Each aluminum ramp weighs approximately 25 pounds, and is capable of supporting 3000 pounds as a set.(Obviously only accruing for half the vehicle weight, being it’s not totally elevated off the ground.) They elevate the vehicle total of 9.5 inches off the ground. They’re super lightweight and they’re stackable, which really is minimal for consuming space in my garage. They look sharp too.

I also suspect my ramps were recently made within the last three weeks, as you can literally smell the odor of fresh beaded welds When I unboxed them.

I went over all the welds on the ramps, I didn’t see any cracking or issue with ‘splatter’ points. I haven’t tested them yet, I’ll probably put the Prius on them first to see how they hold, and then the Scat Pack being the heaviest at ~4300 pounds, which I will test in the spring when it’s out of storage. But really these were intended for the Cobra and the Camaro for undercarriage detailing being how low they sit.

Anyways, if anyone is considering purchasing service ramps, they’re made from a company [Titan] out of Tennessee. I have nothing negative to say about the quality and I think these will serve me for a long time. The only delay was with the shipping, but that was due to the pandemic, as it took a little over two weeks to reach me.

View attachment 1683030View attachment 1683031View attachment 1683032View attachment 1683033View attachment 1683034View attachment 1683035

Now you can start polishing the exhausts as well! Enjoy your ramps.

 

[bunnspecial]

That’s frustrating. But glad to hear it’s fixed. So when are you picking it up?

Well, I thought it was fixed, except I'm getting zero response from the shop now. They won't answer the phone, texts, Facebook messages, etc.

That was part of the issue. It is 300 miles away. I had a perfect chance at Thanksgiving. Now Christmas is going to be the soonest, but I'm also rolling the dice with weather. This car is rust free, and since I intend to keep it that way I don't drive it on salt. Even cold weather in a British car is miserable to put it lightly.

 

[Nütztjanix]

Well, I thought it was fixed, except I'm getting zero response from the shop now. They won't answer the phone, texts, Facebook messages, etc.

That was part of the issue. It is 300 miles away. I had a perfect chance at Thanksgiving. Now Christmas is going to be the soonest, but I'm also rolling the dice with weather. This car is rust free, and since I intend to keep it that way I don't drive it on salt. Even cold weather in a British car is miserable to put it lightly.

I guess a trailer isn't an option, is it?
Did you do some kind of conservation on the car, like wax (the clear type - not the black bitumen based stuff that hides everything underneath, mostly rust).

 

[Apple fanboy]

Well, I thought it was fixed, except I'm getting zero response from the shop now. They won't answer the phone, texts, Facebook messages, etc.

That was part of the issue. It is 300 miles away. I had a perfect chance at Thanksgiving. Now Christmas is going to be the soonest, but I'm also rolling the dice with weather. This car is rust free, and since I intend to keep it that way I don't drive it on salt. Even cold weather in a British car is miserable to put it lightly.

Indeed. Old cars are never as warm as new ones.

 

[bunnspecial]

Trailering is an option if necessary, but I'd prefer to drive it for a couple of reasons. One of those is that the engine still needs a good, long ring seating break-in and this drive is just the right distance and conditions to do that.

The second is that we're talking a pretty dramatic difference in cost. It would be $50 in gas to drive it back, and probably close to $1K to have it hauled. There are issues with DIY(rental) car hauling options. I'm not wild about a tow dolly, but could make it work if needed, and taking the drive shaft off isn't a HUGE job. These cars are actually small enough that a lot of other hauling options get tricky. Many flatbeds with tracks can't take a car with a wheelbase that narrow. I've seen ones that can, but you also run into an issue with the wheel guard keeping the door from opening.

I'm just not going there with even trying to rust proof the underside. There's a goopy bitumen type wax on it now, but I still don't trust it. British steel rusts if you look at it crosseyed. This car does not and will not see salt as long as I own it. The brine they use now is especially nasty.

 

[44267547]

Now you can start polishing the exhausts as well! Enjoy your ramps.

Apple fanboy, you had me cackling. It’s true, I’ll probably polish the exhaust. That was a very accurate response on your behalf.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Apple fanboy, you had me cackling. It’s true, I’ll probably polish the exhaust. That was a very accurate response on your behalf.

Don’t forget the inside of the pipes! A soft mop on a drill should do it! I’ve done so many miles this week my car is a disgrace. I’ll have to put that right at the weekend.

 

[Nütztjanix]

Trailering is an option if necessary, but I'd prefer to drive it for a couple of reasons. One of those is that the engine still needs a good, long ring seating break-in and this drive is just the right distance and conditions to do that.

The second is that we're talking a pretty dramatic difference in cost. It would be $50 in gas to drive it back, and probably close to $1K to have it hauled. There are issues with DIY(rental) car hauling options. I'm not wild about a tow dolly, but could make it work if needed, and taking the drive shaft off isn't a HUGE job. These cars are actually small enough that a lot of other hauling options get tricky. Many flatbeds with tracks can't take a car with a wheelbase that narrow. I've seen ones that can, but you also run into an issue with the wheel guard keeping the door from opening.

I'm just not going there with even trying to rust proof the underside. There's a goopy bitumen type wax on it now, but I still don't trust it. British steel rusts if you look at it crosseyed. This car does not and will not see salt as long as I own it. The brine they use now is especially nasty.

When talking about trailering, I was thinking something like this:



I do admit this is a somewhat luxury trailer, though.

 

[44267547]

When talking about trailering, I was thinking something like this:

View attachment 1685544

I do admit this is a somewhat luxury trailer, though.

That’s not even remotely close to being a ‘luxury trailer’. That’s an open faced trailer that provides no protection and is exposed to all elements.

A luxury trailer is a fully enclosed trailer, that has multi strap points for more security, A Stronger suspension that provides a better ride quality to keep the vehicle from sliding around, LED lighting, and some are insulated to help main temperature control.

I’ve had two vehicles (Cobra and Camaro) shipped in a 26 ft trailer fully enclosed in the last six months, both of which are a safer bet when shipping anything long hauling over hundreds of miles.

These are examples of luxury trailers:

 

[Nütztjanix]

That’s not even remotely close to being a ‘luxury trailer’. That’s an open faced trailer that provides no protection and is exposed to all elements.

A luxury trailer is a fully enclosed trailer, that has multi strap points for more security, A Stronger suspension that provides a better ride quality to keep the vehicle from sliding around, LED lighting, and some are insulated to help main temperature control.

I’ve had two vehicles (Cobra and Camaro) shipped in a 26 ft trailer fully enclosed in the last six months, both of which are a safer bet when shipping anything long hauling over hundreds of miles.

These are examples of luxury trailers:

View attachment 1685631View attachment 1685632

Okay, let me put it more exactly then:
It is somewhat „luxury“ compared to what 99% of normal people use for their cars.
I thought that was obvious regarding the context.
Also, it does have multiple strap points (every 10 cm down the sides, a winch in front, and barriers to fix in front and behind the wheels). How you judge the suspension from the image I posted is beyond me.

 

[44267547]

Okay, let me put it more exactly then:
It is somewhat „luxury“ compared to what 99% of normal people use for their cars.

You used the word ‘Luxury’, what you posted what others may consider ‘somewhat’ luxury isn’t by quite a few standards . There’s nothing luxury with an open face trailer with no enclosure, it’s just a cheaper method. I realize I nitpicked your post, but Perhaps it’s a matter of interpretation [Being your from Germany] how you define luxury. Even when I ordered delivery for transportation over multiple cars, its classified as ‘luxury’ with the trailers I posted. Thanks for clarifying though.

 

[Nütztjanix]

You used the word ‘Luxury’, what you posted what others may consider ‘somewhat’ luxury isn’t by quite a few standards . There’s nothing luxury with an open face trailer with no enclosure, it’s just a cheaper method. I realize I nitpicked your post, but Perhaps it’s a matter of interpretation [Being your from Germany] how you define luxury. Even when I ordered delivery for transportation over multiple cars, its classified as ‘luxury’ with the trailers I posted. Thanks for clarifying though. -- [emphasis mine]

Wow! That's classy!

 

[44267547]

Wow! That's classy!

Haha. Well, again, everybody interprets things differently over text. I wasn’t denigrating you by any means, just pointing out the differences of the picture you posted wasn’t luxury by others standards of how they would trailer there ride if they wanted ‘luxury’. No biggie. Thanks!

 

[Nütztjanix]

Haha. Well, again, everybody interprets things differently over text. I wasn’t denigrating you by any means, just pointing out the differences of the picture you posted wasn’t luxury by others standards of how they would trailer there ride if they wanted ‘luxury’. No biggie. Thanks! -- [emphasis mine]

I'll give you that. Might be the reason for all this in the first place. I added a "somewhat" to my initial post to indicate I wasn't using luxury in the literal sense, especially regarding the context. You seem to have misinterpreted that, just as I seem to have misinterpreted your reference to my country.
So, in my view, back to topic.

 

[D.T.]

I'll give you that. Might be the reason for all this in the first place. I added a "somewhat" to my initial post to indicate I wasn't using luxury in the literal sense, especially regarding the context. You seem to have misinterpreted that, just as I seem to have misinterpreted your reference to my country.
So, in my view, back to topic.

I totally followed your post(s),no issues with your use of language (or certainly not your home country ...). 🙂

 

[44267547]

Coming spring 2021. 😎

Had fun with the editing here, I let it run it in storage for a little bit today.

Recap:

Purchased back at the end of September:

The Car Thread ... !

Eeeh … okay. 😮 But now I'm curious as to how they found out. You're not going to tell me that it's part of your MOT to measure the size of the letters on the number plates? Are you?

forums.macrumors.com

I wanted to capture some really nice photos, but with the shorter dark days at 3:45, two snowstorms, and just a busy schedule, it just didn’t happen. So I’ll introduce it in the spring. But the short version is, 650 HP supercharged Camaro SS (With a 93 Tune) with loads of other mods’, 5000 miles, one owner, it’s completely geared for the track and street use, with the exception it does need some drag radials. It’s by far my favorite car. I’ve only driven it less than 100 miles since I’ve owned it.

Of all my cars, this one really puts a smile on my face in a different way, and I think partially because the story behind it and it’s a true sleeper that I’ll never sell.

 

[44267547]

Introducing the 2021 Ford F-150 ‘Tremor’.

Still powered by the TwinTurbo 3.5 L eco-boost, producing 400 HP/500Tq, mated with 10 speed automatic transmission.(Also, the Ranger will also receive a similar variant in this trim.)

It’s upgraded in almost every way with new control technology (The trail turn assist is really sharp, the video demonstrates that) , shocks, suspension, four-wheel-drive transfer case from the Raptor is included with the Tremor, new 18” matte black wheels/tires, Rock crawl mode, interior upgrades and a lot more.

So this leads me to think, the ‘Tremor’ in someways, is direct competition with the Raptor, which now I’m inclined to believe the Raptor when it is revamped, will include a V8, to distinguish between these two models and compete against the new Ram TRX. (Which Essentially is a Dodge Ram with a hellcat engine.) Of course the Tremor pricing hasn’t been released, but I would say it will range in the ~55k-60k range.

Ford From the Road

The official home for stories from Ford. Get the latest news, in-depth vehicle features, media site information, and meet the people and ideas driving our company forward.

media.ford.com

 

[Apple fanboy]

Introducing the 2021 Ford F-150 ‘Tremor’.

View attachment 1689939

Still powered by the TwinTurbo 3.5 L eco-boost, producing 400 HP/500Tq, mated with 10 speed automatic transmission.(Also, the Ranger will also receive a similar variant in this trim.)

It’s upgraded in almost every way with new control technology (The trail turn assist is really sharp, the video demonstrates that) , shocks, suspension, four-wheel-drive transfer case from the Raptor is included with the Tremor, new 18” matte black wheels/tires, Rock crawl mode, interior upgrades and a lot more.

So this leads me to think, the ‘Tremor’ in someways, is direct competition with the Raptor, which now I’m inclined to believe the Raptor when it is revamped, will include a V8, to distinguish between these two models and compete against the new Ram TRX. (Which Essentially is a Dodge Ram with a hellcat engine.) Of course the Tremor pricing hasn’t been released, but I would say it will range in the ~55k-60k range.

Ford From the Road

The official home for stories from Ford. Get the latest news, in-depth vehicle features, media site information, and meet the people and ideas driving our company forward.

media.ford.com

Really not for me. Not a fan of pick ups. The front of that thing is taller than my car.

 

[44267547]

Really not for me. Not a fan of pick ups. The front of that thing is taller than my car.

For years, I tried to convince myself that I wanted to be a ‘truck guy’ with never owning one. I don’t know if you were following or not back around the May timeframe, but I was considering purchasing my first truck, which would’ve been a Ford Raptor. And I just can’t come to terms that trucks fit my profile, being there overkill for what I would need (Even though I think the four-wheel-drive was the biggest feature I wanted versus cargo), I live in a state where trucks dominate heavily given we average about 100” of snow mainly in three months.

I would rather have an AWD sedan with a set of winter/all seasonal tires tires, simply because I don’t want anything that big, and there’s something about trucks I just generally don’t find attractive, even though I do think they’ve come along way with styling.

Speaking of trucks, I think this is kind of amusing:

My neighbor has a Ford F-350 for his deck construction business. And when I am snowblowing snow to clear the driveway, he just uses his truck to flatten over the snow in his driveway. I’ve never seen him even get out his snowblower.😁