Last Indian

3 hours ago, Frosty said:

Last Indian, every retiree I know tells me the same thing. They are busier now than when they were working. Okay I accept that for a moment. Does that mean any of them want to go back to their old job? The answer is a universal heck no.

So that means they have filled their career/working time with hobbies, spending time with the grand kids/family, volunteer/community service work, honey do list, doctors appointments, or bucket list activities. Essentially things they enjoy doing (for the most part). Also, ever day for a retiree is essentially Saturday.

So what am I missing? Besides the reduction in pay and benefits?

Buddy you are correct! That’s the same story I always got too! What I meant by implying busier is that before retirement we perceive more “free” time when we retire and, at least for me, that wasn’t the case. Do I enjoy retirement? Yes! Would I go back to the work I did, in a heartbeat! I loved what I did, but as my wife always told me, “you don’t work you play all day”! As I think I told you before, because of the type of R&D work I did and all the different types of machines I was involved with there was never a boring minute! That said, when the time comes for you to retire I know you’ll enjoy it! And I will wish a very long, healthy, fun filled retirement for you!

3 hours ago, Frosty said:

I am enjoying Last Indian''s fab work here too. I am impressed. I'd love to have that much spare time on my hands to begin with.  I hope to get there some day.

 

Frosty, I hate to disappoint you, but it only gets worse! I use to think like you because I would work 10 hours, once in a while 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Still I would do major car construction, add on to a house, by myself, 4 times and so no. Now retired 2 years, still physically fit, haven’t slowed down and I feel like I can’t find time too scratch my, well you know! I feel a little like ! 

Justa, cars all put up? I put the Indian up Sunday, it was a beautiful day! 

I’m not sure how this new cover/add on piece will turn out. We’ll see what I looks like on the car. Hoping to at least get it in primer before winter! 

About 10 to 12 years ago I saw a front bumper cover add on that I thought looked good on the 97-03 generation GP. It seemed to improve what I always thought was the visually weak point of the front end. I never proceeded with purchasing it because I was sure there was no way it would stay on or fit right for the long term since it was only held on by two way tape. It was also way over priced. That said, I finally decided to buy it and incorporate it into a new front bumper cover by physical cutting it to fit and bonding it to a new cover. Then meticulously blending it into a seamless one piece cover. This has been extremely painstaking and time consuming. Some of the design of the original piece I have changed, such as the lower bottom lip that runs under the two large air inlets was cut down 1

I wasn’t sure how good the sound would come across, the 3800 with the right setup can sound pretty healthy. 

Some of the roads in this area are fun to drive. Some like the S turns in the video are really good to run to tune a suspension, very similar to some road courses I ran back in the day!

Some are the same ones I used to setup the Z when I raced it!

ahh, those were the days, now in a couple more years if I try that the electric cord will get wrapped around the wheel!

Take a ride with the Indian through some tight cures.

this might work better?!

https://1drv.ms/v/s!ApYhZl8sk2DFnhwmy74uJ57mrln9

12 hours ago, stratman said:

I lack the words to describe this post. You are an incredibly talented man.

Thanks Stratman! I love the Vette! Enjoy the hell out of it!

The Indian’s 3800 engines sound and tires squawking!

This might work better?!

https://1drv.ms/v/s!ApYhZl8sk2DFnhuhvvsQ4dBYqCTx

2 minutes ago, JUSTA6 said:

Seem to be having a prob with windows, can't play your files.  Straight up, I'm techno stupid.   Lotta stuff not working as I'm still on XP and need to upgrade about 10yrs worth of technology.   

I don’t think it’s you, I think it’s me! I don’t know what the hell I’m doing . I need Ringo! 

Take a ride through some tight curves with the Indian.

E8DE385C-D81A-4D7D-BA21-98D7C085FAD5.MP4

22 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Nice job,  great FWD info.

Thanks Buddy!

Didn’t drive the Indian much this year, about 450 miles. 

This video is the Indian’s 3800’s sound! And tires squawking at 30 mph.

7DA51985-CF9C-4509-8ABE-A7E4F22DEECA.MP4

Finally getting back to this been a busy year.

One of the areas that deteriorates in this generation of GP’s is the rocker area. So while mine have been coated internally and foamed filled the the rocker brackets can still be an issue. These brackets carry the polyurethane rocker covers that finish the bottom of the car. These were pulled, sandblasted and coated with a special paint. 

Re-polish of the catalytic shield.
Upgrade of the lateral bars threaded couplings to 316-L stainless steel. 
Repainted engine.

If the dinosaurs could think and reason, this must be how they felt as the giant meteor hurled towards Earth. Knowing the end was near! 😩

On 10/17/2017 at 12:16 PM, Frosty said:

I've driven thru Wickliffe a couple of times on I-90 on my to and from Warren, PA. Of course, I don't remember a thing about it since it was well over 15 years ago.

It’s a little bit like Midland Michigan and Dow Chemical. Except Lubrizol is smaller and so is Wicklife!

10 hours ago, Frosty said:

Last Indian, I am with you. The UAW is just the tip of spear.

I have expressed in numerous other threads that just because EVs are being built, where is the supporting infrastructure we need to support our driving life styles in EVs? Where are the charging stations that need to be as common as gas stations? What about certified service stations that know how to work on high voltage electric and perhaps fuel cell technology safely? What about the necessary upgrades to the power grid needed to support this massive shift from fossil fuels to electric vehicles? How are the power companies going to generate that huge increase in demand?

So when I hear countries like France, China, and the UK want to have totally emissions free vehicles by 2025-2040 and stop selling fossil fuels completely, I think they are out of the freakin' minds. The billions that have to be invested in such a relatively short period of time is amazing and no one seems to comprehend that it will be private enterprise AND taxpayers combined who will have to pay for it.

This will also mean a fundamental paradigm shift in job and skills for our kids and grand kids. More computer, electrical, and integrated circuit knowledge combined with mechanical knowledge - just to repair these vehicles.

 

Frosty you hit the nail on the head! A Tesla in a combustion engine world appears great and cheap from an energy standpoint, but just watch what happens when the shift to all EVs takes place! Right now more than .40 cents of a gallon of gas is tax, about a fifth of the overall unit cost, but the tax on electric consumption is between 25 % & 30 % right now. Without gas consumption at its current levels something will have to change. So add 20% to 25% or 30% and you’ll have 45% or 50%, but wait you’ll consume about half as much energy by unit so the tax rate per unit will have to be even high, but now on your whole bill not just what you use for your car! And it gets worse! This will be the proverbial carrot in front of the horse, once they have gotten everyone to change, or should I say forced, the cost and added cost will skyrocket and be implemented! Fees for battery disposal, waste stream charges, electronic disposal fees and the list will go on and the fees will dwarf what is charged now. 

Wait till you see the problems that occur with these cars from winter temperatures and salt. Plus whatever mileage you think you’ll get, cut it by a third in winter, maybe more. Between needed heat, and the impact that cold has on components and the fact that electrical energy is zapped at low temperatures, things aren’t as electrifying as folks would have you believe.

Think about this for just a little while! How efficient is it to spend money to acquire and refine an energy that will do work, but instead consume that energy to make another energy to do the same work? No matter what anyone says with regard to the efficiency of a power generation plants, it’s not! As that statement defies physics at its core. Oh I know that gas and diesel cost more for a unit of work than electricity, but only because the profit margin is ten fold that of electricity for the manufacture. In the end we’re just screwed!!

Frosty I feel bad for all of us, but for you guys (UAW) the most! Unfortunately yearly all Americans are clueless as to what the ramifications of this is going to be! The ecological waste streams will more than triple. After about ten years into the mainstream production of these cars the maintenance issues will more than double and those costs will make conventional car maintenance look cheap! Two of every three car related industries will be in financial trouble. 
This is all being driven by big energy and the sad part is no one believes it and those that do say it will be cheaper! Have they looked at their electric bill? I could go on, but to what point?
 

7 hours ago, Frosty said:

Wickliffe Ohio - between Euclid and Wiiloughby Hills off of I-90 - about 17 miles NE of Cleveland.

Yes! Lubrizol is in Wickliffe, but actually off RT-2, 90 & 2 split at the Euclid exchange, 90 goes a little South and 2 goes North. you can actually see what we call the oil can from RT-2 on the south side.

Hey I saw my mailman do a loop around the cul-da-sac this afternoon, mail in one out of another than into another, I think it was your package!!  

No. Lubrizol, the world headquarters/R&D.

Well I did work for a chemical additive company for 39 years! perks,You know!

Pro, it will work with Dot 3 fluid or even acidic fluids, gas etc. https://www.thomassci.com/Laboratory-Supplies/Pipet-Bulbs/_/8AFF0743-D0A6-421B-A8B2-85EFD4A9E64C?q=Rubber Bulb

I've used it with dot 3, 4, 5.1 and 5 as well as battery acid, gas, stoddard, textile spirits and lacquer thinner. 

If you what to try one and can't get one or get it easily let me know. I'll get you one!

2 hours ago, Professur said:

What is this vac ball of which you speak? Personally I'm not a fan of vacuum bleeding.  When you lower the pressure on a fluid, any dissolved gas can boil out.  This can lead to more gas pockets in the lines than you started with.  Shouldn't really be a problem unless you're dealing with the worst case scenarios, but my gut won't let me take that chance.

Pro, I couldn't agree more! Basically it's similar to gravity bleeding, but way faster or more like siphoning, but much better. When I ran pure silicone in my Z brake system the silicone was very high end, used in the MK46 torpedo built in Cleveland and used by the US Navy which tested it in the Mariana trench off Seattle. This fluid was horrible to bleed, infinite for air.

Anyway this was the only way I could bleed that fluid. See attached photos. Once you fill the master cylinder you leave the cap just sitting over the opening and you must obviously keep it filled so the bottom outlets don't come uncovered. You simply squeeze the vac ball and release. It then sucks fluid from the master cylinder, fills the ball, squeeze again the check valve closes preventing fluid from going backwards, but pushes the fluid in the ball out into the container. When you release the ball again it sucks more fluid! The bleeder valve just needs cracked a little, but the threads should be coated with anti-seize to prevent air from coming in around the treads.

Frosty, SynPower was the better product in my opinion. It was a full synthetic, but not silicone. Unfortunately Valvoline stopped making it at least three or four years ago. 
For current day I would use the Bosch if you’re not going to use silicone. The Bosch ESI 6 is a synthetic, but I don’t believe it’s a full synthetic, but again they don’t say. Chemical companies are very protective of what they tell about a product for several reasons, so sometimes I can only look at the specs of a product and make a calculated guess based on what I know. 
The Bosch product says it surpasses 5.1 brake fluid and it does! It’s even comparable to Dot 5 (silicone) for wet and dry boiling point, and compared to some Dot 5, its better in that regard. 

Attached are a couple docs about the Bosch product.

https://www.boschautoparts.com/en/auto/brakes/esi6-brake-fluid

Silicone is nice because it is hydrophobic where as ester based fluids are hydroscopic, also, silicone won’t damage paint were as esters attack paint. I ran silicone fluid in my Z, but to tell you to do that is tough. There is a lot more to running silicone fluid as a brake fluid than just buying some at the parts store! So if that were to be your choice I’ll share my experience an knowledge, but for now I’ll assume not.

Also a little FYI, I’m not sure how you do brakes, aka bleeding, but most folks that I know make it way to complicated. The simplest way is fill the master cylinder reservoir, dah, using a vacuum ball with two     check valves, one side in not out the other out not in, a container for brake fluid to bleed into and Tygon tubing to connect tightly over the end of the bleeder valve and the other end to the vac ball. Also Tygon for the other end of the vac ball to the container. Starting with the farthest brake, with Tygon/vac ball connected to bleeder valve loosen the bleeder squeeze vac ball, make sure check valves are in the right orientation. The vac will start to pull fluid, squeeze the ball again, the fluid that entered the ball will be pushed into the container below and new fluid will be pulled into the ball. Prior to starting this you should put anti seize on all the bleeder valve threads and reinstall into caliper. This prevents air from getting pulled around the threads appearing as though there is air in the system. In using the clear Tygon tubing you can see the air bubbles as well as when they stop. If you can’t get the brake fluid or the vacuum ball and Tygon tubing let me know and I’ll get them to you.

ESI6 Brake Fluid Flyer.pdfESI6 Brake Fluid Flyer.pdf

ESI6 Brake Fluid Flyer.pdf