Fitzy's GP is back!

[Wrongway]

On 7/22/2023 at 10:35 AM, JUSTA6 said:

Would look at Fords all day before RIDING in a Prius.

I wouldn't even drag a Pruis with my ford! Be afraid it might catch something! 

That falcon ute was kind of cool. Thanks for sharing the pics bro.

[64 kiwi boni]

7 hours ago, Fitzy said:

I hate breaking promises and I did pledge to all that I would do it, but it's well used character has me by the goolies. Tragically committed to crappy paint.

mate!!! at the end of the day. its your car, do what YOU want. not what we expect you to do .

i get told all the time now i over think shit ! ...

 

and i am pretty sure in the fine print at the bottom of each fp page .. it says...

justA enjoy your car 

[Fitzy]

Once the dual curcuit master goes in, I'll be a lot happier piloting that thing down the mountain road that connects us to Cairns. I'm back to work tomorrow for my final fulltime swing. From now on, it's 2 or 3 days a week until they get sick of me. Can't wait - more GP time comin' up.

[Fitzy]

Good ol' Rockauto. It's like I put the credit card away and the parcel turns up almost immediately. One dual curcuit master cylinder. The brake specialist can't do the job 'til September, so I'll book it in this week. I'll get them to go over all the brakes just for absolute peace of mind.

[Fitzy]

Once again, nothing Pontiac related to talk about but I found something interesting today which may be of benefit to the wider audience.

My Isuzu Rodeo pickup never seemed to get to proper operating temperature (according to the temp gauge.) I always suspected a dud thermostat but assumed that the gauge might be out - the vehicle is 32 years old after all. Curiosity got the better of me so I bought a new thermostat & gasket. Today I got around to actually doing the change out and when I withdrew the old thermostat I could see immediately that it looked 'wonky.' Upon closer inspection it is actually stuck open and is skewed in it's housing. Seems I was right after all. But of course, it's never plain sailing, is it? They sold me the wrong gasket. Fortunately I'm off to Cairns tomorrow to see my accountant so shall drop in and get the correct gasket whilst simultaneously shoving the incorrect parts up the salesperson's clacker. One job.

See the pic - the arrows point to my workbench surface which is clearly visible through the opening.

Now I wonder for how long has the car been running and never being at correct temp? Cold engines wear quickly. Fortunately, I've hardly driven it since purchase and the old owner died so I may have gotten away with it. I am looking forward to test driving it and seeing how she runs at proper temp. I guess the takeaway from this is if you suspect your car isn't getting warm enough, check the thermostat. They are a reliable little thing but nothing lasts forever. I have heard of people living in hot climates who simply remove the thermostat altogether - not a good idea. Not only does the thermostat allow your engine to warm up quickly, it also helps keep it cool by restricting the coolant flow allowing the coolant to pass through the radiator more slowly and thereby dissipating more heat.

[64 kiwi boni]

mate, grab your self some gasket paper and make your own gasket !

 and once again your going to beat me too the basic brake upgrade... but paul is going to want all the details as he wants to do this too !

i bet your going to find the brakes are wayyyyy better ! ppl bag drum brake front ends, but with a dual master, those front slave cylinders are getting pressure first and that makes for better controlled braking !

[Fitzy]

That's good to hear but I have always driven in a manner that requires very little use of brakes - scanning the road ahead as far as you can see, maintaining a safe distance from the car in front and easing up to a red light or stopped traffic. Down a hill - keep it in a lower gear. I know we all know this but I have so many jerks right up my clacker who can't wait to get to the next red light. Brakes perform a negative function and should be considered that way. But...you're right - when you need brakes you want the best to be under your foot. I am looking forward to the upgrade.

[Fitzy]

Bloody rain! This is supposed to be the dry part of the year in these parts - today the rain was almost biblical. As a result the GP keeps looking at me wondering when we're going to go somewhere. We're not - not in the rain, anyway.

The GT Mow was playing up so I got it into the workshop, put some music on and  gave it a birthday and adjusted a few things, a squirt of oil here, a little emery there and now it goes like a stock car. Happy wet days.

[Ringo64]

5 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Bloody rain! This is supposed to be the dry part of the year in these parts

Odd because we're in our "wet" season that you should be able to set your watch to the rain every day but none.

[64 kiwi boni]

7 hours ago, Ringo64 said:

Odd because we're in our "wet" season that you should be able to set your watch to the rain every day but none.

Yes ringo ! 
I remember when we were in Orlando … 4 pm rain … weird how it does that ! 

[Fitzy]

Clearly the weather isn't the reliable phenomenon that we all once knew.  I remember breaking the ice on puddles as a kid growing up in Melbourne. Try that now and all you'll get is a wet, sore foot. Greece & Italy are in flames - they're not used to it but that's an annual occurrence here. The government's reaction will be to exclude certain areas where you can drive your ICE vehicle - there will be 'electric only' zones. I believe that in certain European cities, diesel vehicles are now excluded from inner urban centres. Interesting times ahead.

On 8/3/2023 at 3:45 PM, 64 kiwi boni said:

 

but with a dual master, those front slave cylinders are getting pressure first and that makes for better controlled braking !

Hey Kiwi, when you plumb the dual master in, do they split the braking into 2 triangles like a factory system, so that in the event of failure, you'll always have 3 braked wheels, or do they split it fore & aft? Your comment makes me think that the fronts & rears become separate.

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, Fitzy said:

Clearly the weather isn't the reliable phenomenon that we all once knew.  I remember breaking the ice on puddles as a kid growing up in Melbourne. Try that now and all you'll get is a wet, sore foot. Greece & Italy are in flames - they're not used to it but that's an annual occurrence here. The government's reaction will be to exclude certain areas where you can drive your ICE vehicle - there will be 'electric only' zones. I believe that in certain European cities, diesel vehicles are now excluded from inner urban centres. Interesting times ahead.

Hey Kiwi, when you plumb the dual master in, do they split the braking into 2 triangles like a factory system, so that in the event of failure, you'll always have 3 braked wheels, or do they split it fore & aft? Your comment makes me think that the fronts & rears become separate.

Yes mate . The master cylinder we have only have front and rear ports so if you lose one corner you will lose that other wheel too . But you will still have two wheels braking ! At the moment if we lose one we lose all !!!!!

But ! The cool part of the dual system is the front brakes will come in first !

provinding better and more efficient braking 

[64 kiwi boni]

8 minutes ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Yes mate . The master cylinder we have only have front and rear ports so if you lose one corner you will lose that other wheel too . But you will still have two wheels braking ! At the moment if we lose one we lose all !!!!!

But ! The cool part of the dual system is the front brakes will come in first !

provinding better and more efficient braking 

On my hq I have good old Ozy Pbr master cylinder and they have 3 ports 1 for each front wheel and 1 for rear !

I used those pbrs on all my tri fives … 7/8 and inch ones and they work bloody great !!
Pretty sure both ford and Holden used them right through the 80 90 and 00 

Edited August 5, 2023 by 64 kiwi boni

[Fitzy]

Fun fact: PBR stands for Paton's Brake Replacements - we're talking Dark Ages here, prolly 60s & 70s. Good, solid dependable components.

The rain stopped today. I test drove the ute and what a difference. Temp gauge shows about 1/3 and doesn't waver - it's never gotten anywhere neaar that in the past. I will add some engine flush to the oil and give it a long high speed run to get it thoroughly loosened up and then will change the oil & filter. Cold engines produce sludge because they can't burn off combustion byproducts. There could be years worth of crap in there.

GT Mow runs like a train. All I did was blow out the air filter, wash the prefilter, clean & gapped the plugs and adjusted the air gap on the coil packs AND sanded the surface rust off their faces where they pass the magnet on the flywheel. I gotta admit, they were pretty rusty. I will adjust the valves and change the oil next time I get bored.

Blew the dust off the GP and took it for a decent run, so it's happy too. A day of mechanical harmony. Should I be touching some wood?

[64 kiwi boni]

I think you should ! 

[indymanjoe]

Hmmmm i wont go there..this time LOL

 

[Fitzy]

Yeah, yeah I get it. 'Wood' doesn't carry the same connotation here as in the US. If I was going to, ahem 'touch wood' I certainly wouldn't be broadcasting it here! I did however drag my knuckles across some timber so as to maintain my current run of luck. My birthday today, so got taken to Brisbane (1500km south of home) and we will fluff about here for a few days, eating & drinking too much. Surely, that's what birthdays are for?

[Wrongway]

Happy birthday brother 

[64 kiwi boni]

happy birthday mate 

now... birthday pressy..... YOUR in brissy, sea food !!! OYSTERS KING PRAWNS SCOLLOPS ! 

then  day two .... steak!!! nice marbley scotch fillet with pepper corn sause with a side of skin on twice cooked wedges lots of garlic butter !... oh and a salad and beers 

day three,,,, pizza ! chips n beers ,,... num num !! . 

day four ,,,, indian green curry... medium heat, with a side of nahn bread and beers 

day five ... thai wagu steak with soy sauce , wong tongs and stick the rice up ya bum and beers  ! 

day 6 ... refer to the top menu !!.... dont forget the beers !!! its your birthday !!! woop woop 

 happy birthday mate 

[Fitzy]

We had a tremendous meal at a Middle Eastern restaurant - just fabulous. Anyway, whilst walking back to our hotel, I saw this sign. Now, I don't care what sort of trouble Wrongway has gotten himself into, but don't listen to them, mate. You stay right where you are - we're all behind you and shall stand with you. You're not going anywhere. Your friends at FP will fight to keep you where you are.

 

[indymanjoe]

Happy Birthday! 

[JUSTA6]

7 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Yeah, yeah I get it. 'Wood' doesn't carry the same connotation here as in the US. If I was going to, ahem 'touch wood' I certainly wouldn't be broadcasting it here! I did however drag my knuckles across some timber so as to maintain my current run of luck. My birthday today, so got taken to Brisbane (1500km south of home) and we will fluff about here for a few days, eating & drinking too much. Surely, that's what birthdays are for?

Happy Birthday!!  Hope you have a great time N better weather.

[Fitzy]

Thanks Everyone - 61 now. When do I have to start acting like an adult - is it anytime soon? I hope not.

Weather is pretty grim - a few showers, bit gloomy but not too cold. Took the hire car up through the mountains just south of Brisbane today. Am now sitting with a pint of Guinness to keep me company and am contemplating what we'll have for dinner this time. What a treat it is to be surrounded by a selection of cuisines all within walking distance - one of the few benefits to city life.

[Wrongway]

On 8/6/2023 at 6:45 AM, Fitzy said:

We had a tremendous meal at a Middle Eastern restaurant - just fabulous. Anyway, whilst walking back to our hotel, I saw this sign. Now, I don't care what sort of trouble Wrongway has gotten himself into, but don't listen to them, mate. You stay right where you are - we're all behind you and shall stand with you. You're not going anywhere. Your friends at FP will fight to keep you where you are.

 

Love that sign! But I'm here to stay! 

[JUSTA6]

On 8/6/2023 at 1:38 AM, 64 kiwi boni said:

happy birthday mate 

now... birthday pressy..... YOUR in brissy, sea food !!! OYSTERS KING PRAWNS SCOLLOPS ! 

then  day two .... steak!!! nice marbley scotch fillet with pepper corn sause with a side of skin on twice cooked wedges lots of garlic butter !... oh and a salad and beers 

day three,,,, pizza ! chips n beers ,,... num num !! . 

day four ,,,, indian green curry... medium heat, with a side of nahn bread and beers 

day five ... thai wagu steak with soy sauce , wong tongs and stick the rice up ya bum and beers  ! 

day 6 ... refer to the top menu !!.... dont forget the beers !!! its your birthday !!! woop woop 

 happy birthday mate 

You've celebrated your birthday here before Chris I can tell. 😎