The Improbable Car Company

convoy_dvnprt, posting in motor_furs @ 11:21pm: The Toyota Prius. Totally uncool car.....
.....however that hasn't stopped the Casual Mafia from trying to liven up its image.....




This made me laugh in the final hour of 2009.

shep_shepherd, posting in motor_furs @ 6:26pm: Polo A Go-Go!
My father ordered a new Polo SE 1.6 TDI 75PS manual 3dr in Flash Red with Titan Black 'Strata' interior trim from his local VW dealership yesterday. He won't be able to take delivery of it until this time next month, though, as it will have to be made from scratch; at the moment, there are very few examples of the model in this country, let alone anything with the exact specification he wanted*, due to the model only having been introduced to the UK market in October. Let's hope he's happy with it when he does take delivery - I won't hear the last of it if he isn't, as I recommended the model to him...

In the meantime, here's a library shot of a similar car for your delectation. His will have fewer doors and no front fog lights, though:



I look forwoof to seeing it in the metal and introducing it to The Volvo ;)



*He had to forego the optional centre front arm rest, as it would have taken three months to get hold of a car with the option, as VW aren't making them yet! At least one can be fitted later on if he wishes.

svxkitty, posting in motor_furs @ 1:29am: Time for Timing Belt (2002 2.0 Turbo WRX Wagon)
So, driving back home today my car started making funny noises. It sounded like a belt so I kept driving thinking if it was my alternator belt I'd want to get home before it eats itself and the car dies. When I got back home I figured out it is a belt, just not the one I thought. Seems that one of the timing belt idlers went bad. Taking off work today to get the car apart, stranded here until new belt and tensioner arrive.

I'm betting it's this guy

fire_lupine, posting in motor_furs @ 12:49am: Belts?
A friend has a ford ranger...it makes a horrid squeeling sound that goes away ( for the most part) when he either A: Shifts...or B: turns off the heater...

Any ideas what is causing this?

soontobe_anchor, posting in ljcarclub @ 11:38pm: need advice buying a used car
I'm trying to decide between a 2005 Hyundai Accent with 60k miles on it ($5700) and a 2002 Kia Rio Cinco with 26k ($3800).
The Kia is supposedly still under its powertrain warranty (but the bumper-to-bumper one expired) but it didn't drive as well- brakes were softer, engine didn't sound as great, etc. The Hyundai's A/C was cool but not blowing, and the guy called me back and told me that it was a fuse for the fan and that they'd fixed it since I left. I would be buying the Kia from a private owner or the Hyundai from a wholesale dealer who doesn't offer any sort of warranty options.
I'm a 21 year old college student who needs this car to last a while.
helllp

P.S. Sorry if this is not the right place for such a question. Just let me know and I'll delete it.

xanthousdrgn, posting in motor_furs @ 1:45pm: I think I may be addicted to buying cars.  I own six vehicles (one not shown becuase it has no title even though I tried to get it back so it's pretty much just junk and I have to get rid of it).  I get them way under bluebook value for the most part, but usually they have some problems which I can fix and have.  I've bought three in the last seven months.  They are vehicles I"ve always wanted so I am enjoying it, but is it too much?  I plan on probably selling the Durangos before I get anymore, but I still need to finish painting my red durango first before selling it :p.  I'm doing the bumpers, fender flairs and connecting it inbetween to make it look really nice because I like 2-tone way more.  I'm also sort of supposed to have a dealers license becuase I"m buying them so fast :(.



   

   

kinneycoyote, posting in motor_furs @ 11:04am: Seem I'm not the only one who thought the same thing when first seeing the blue FJ.

shepherdwolf, posting in motor_furs @ 8:08pm: TRAGEDY
I had a bad mileage week. :6 It was a combination of winter gas, stop-and-go traffic my entire workweek, and several days of slushy snowfall, in which I spent a great deal of time spinning tires in an attempt to keep the vehicle headed in a direction approximating forward.

As a result, I posted the single-worst mileage tank since I purchased the vehicle: 22.7 mpg. :6 BLEH. I do miss summer.

For those who follow this sort of thing: is there still a marked difference (or any difference) between winter and summer gas?

gaz_a, posting in motor_furs @ 1:19pm: "We'll get out and watch"
Pea-roasted from my LJ, apologies for the dupe to those who watch both:

shep_shepherd, posting in motor_furs @ 1:59pm: From the Shep Shepherd Newswire:
Ford agrees the sale of the Volvo Car Corporation to Geely Motors:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8428066.stm

I hope that they make more of the company than FoMoCo ever has.

award, posting in motor_furs @ 8:57pm: Snow makes me early for work.
And the good thing about arriving for work at 6:50am this morning is that the car-park was literally deserted AND covered in snow. *giggles insanely*

I span out once but my got what fun I had! Thank you Mr. BMW for refusing to change your cars to front-wheel drive, like everyone else, because you know that front-wheel drive is for the feeble. Rear wheel drive is what you need for industrial-strength fun!

It's a stark contrast to when I am actually on public roads in icy weather though. There I use the same touch on the controls as I would on a live nuclear bomb and first gear very rarely gets a look in (unless there is someone behine me I don't like). Sadly the dozy lass in the Ford Ka was not so careful. She was the one driving with no headlights on and gassing on the phone!

Looking forward to tomorrow morning...I will be in bright and early! ;-)

krado, posting in motor_furs @ 7:32pm: Is this considered as fursuiting? :P

( More screenies )

Screen cap from Top Gear Season 14 Episode 5. Roary only likes James May.

twizler_skunk, posting in motor_furs @ 10:55pm: A little pre engine build home work
I hear a LS1 rod will fit a volvo b230ft engine with only a little loss in stroke. The measurements i'v seen look realy close, But i cant find the ls1 rods thickness listed anywhere. Thats where i need a bit of help. Any one got a rod laying around? I need big end thickness.

pixel @ 5:43pm: A product review (of sorts)


This is the Toro cr20E snowthrower, an early-to-mid 90's model. It has a 20" clearing width, a 2-stroke engine and electric start.

This particular version of it is a spiteful machine fueled by gas, oil and hatred. It only runs when the operator despises its very existence. My family bought this thing new, and it was terrible then, an the intervening years have done nothing it improve its disposition. It will fail to start during terrible storms, or develop some malady or another at the point when said malady would be most problematic. If you make the mistake while using it of being glad of it because it is easier than shoveling, it will chose just then to clog, or run out of gas.
Every fall is a fight to fix whatever new and inventive issue(s) it has come up with while in storage. After leaving it behind the shed for at least a year or two in favor of a newer machine, my mom passed it off on me. Whereupon I got to try and revive the damned thing from its slumber, and put it back to work trying out all the new terrible ideas it had.
Parts were replaced or cleaned, things were adjusted, fettling was done and it was convinced to run. This angered the snowthrower so much that the first storm it simply died every time it was asked to move more than 2" of slush. This resulted in it behing thrown across the driveway in favor of a regular shovel.
The 2nd storm of the season (after having the bent axle resulting from said toss straightened) the electric start packed up, and the pull start handle started cracking, lying in wait for an uncareful pull so it could snap in half. Despite these efforts it was manhandled into clearing the driveway, and stuffed back into the garage to plan it's next assault on my blood pressure.

So if you don't want to actually shovel your driveway, but want to overwork your heart and keep your heart attack risk dangerously high, this is the machine for you.

pixel @ 4:45pm: A rousing round of FAIL
Got a call from the interviewer for the job I posted about while I was in the shower this morning. Her message said she knew I had an interview this afternoon, but she'd already filled the position that morning (it was 9:50am). Who had asked for an afternoon appointment because they were to busy to do interviews in the morning? Her.
Feh. Thanks for not even bothering to interview your other candidate. I did send a polite email asking her to keep me in mind if the person chosen doesn't work out.

Tried to apply for another job today. Found it on careerbuilder, the "apply now" link brought me to retailjobs.com where I had to sign up and fill out a resume to continue. From there I could then click another "apply now" link that brought me to random unrecognizable URL with the company I was supposedly appliing for's logo at the top. First page was standard stuff name, address, contact info, age. The next page has an unsecured http page asking for my social security number. Um. Right. You, random page that claims but doesn't prove to be from this company, you want all of my info and my social security number to apply for a job? No thanks, if I decide to apply I'll go do it in person where I know the company is the one it claims to be.

And now, I go eat a brownie.

accordion_hero, posting in gearheads @ 2:24pm: Somebody Stop Me
Brake line sizing question. I think I may already have my answer but I'll ask anyway.

A lot of 80's GM cars are 1/4" line front to back and 3/16 to each wheel. So I had it in my head for a bit that this was standard practice across the board.

My 1971 Lincoln MkIII is 3/16 all around. At first glance, I reflexively thought it seemed too small for such a heavy car (5000lb+) with such large brakes, front disc and massive rear drums. I though it might have something to do with the ABS system, which i have since removed, which controls only the rear brakes. My knee jerk reaction was to say, "hey as long as I'm redoing the lines I should go to 1/4 to the rear junction."

There's an interesting discussion here:

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/somebody-stop-me-12471.html?highlight=brake+line

Apparently a lot of older Ford and Chrysler were all 3/16 and many hot rodders use all 3/16 with no perceivable difference. My 66 Dart may have been all 3/16, I don't recall. Some newer cars appear to be all 3/16 as well.

So from this I gather "upgrading" the rear line to 1/4" would have zero effect. Further, since I have removed all the stock valving (prop valve, metering valve) and replaced it with an adjustable prop valve from Summit, which restricts flow to the rear lines, then sizing-up would be silly. Why install larger line only to install a flow restrictor?

Since fluid is theoretically incompressible, the displacement caused by my pushing the pedal and moving the master would not be effected by the size of the rear line, unless the line was so small as to act as an orifice or restriction. In that case, it would not limit the pressure to the rear line, just the flow rate, which would make the brakes sluggish and slow to respond. Incidentally that is what a proportioning valve does, it limits flow rate not max pressure.

accordion_hero, posting in motor_furs @ 2:23pm: Somebody Stop Me
Brake line sizing question. I think I may already have my answer but I'll ask anyway.

A lot of 80's GM cars are 1/4" line front to back and 3/16 to each wheel. So I had it in my head for a bit that this was standard practice across the board.

My 1971 Lincoln MkIII is 3/16 all around. At first glance, I reflexively thought it seemed too small for such a heavy car (5000lb+) with such large brakes, front disc and massive rear drums. I though it might have something to do with the ABS system, which i have since removed, which controls only the rear brakes. My knee jerk reaction was to say, "hey as long as I'm redoing the lines I should go to 1/4 to the rear junction."

There's an interesting discussion here:

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/somebody-stop-me-12471.html?highlight=brake+line

Apparently a lot of older Ford and Chrysler were all 3/16 and many hot rodders use all 3/16 with no perceivable difference. My 66 Dart may have been all 3/16, I don't recall. Some newer cars appear to be all 3/16 as well.

So from this I gather "upgrading" the rear line to 1/4" would have zero effect. Further, since I have removed all the stock valving (prop valve, metering valve) and replaced it with an adjustable prop valve from Summit, which restricts flow to the rear lines, then sizing-up would be silly. Why install larger line only to install a flow restrictor?

Since fluid is theoretically incompressible, the displacement caused by my pushing the pedal and moving the master would not be effected by the size of the rear line, unless the line was so small as to act as an orifice or restriction. In that case, it would not limit the pressure to the rear line, just the flow rate, which would make the brakes sluggish and slow to respond. Incidentally that is what a proportioning valve does, it limits flow rate not max pressure.

supertex, posting in ljcarclub @ 10:29pm: cuz everybody's doin it...
( more power & beauty under cut )

award, posting in motor_furs @ 12:29pm: Cold? Get a BMW.
Oh did I feel smug this morning. Both my boss and another co-worker's cars, an Saab 93 and an Audi A3 respectively, were suffering from the cold wheras my old (1992) Beemer is unaffected as usual.

The Saab 93 is a dreadful car in any of it's layouts (I have driven the convertible, saloon and estate at one point or another) but surely an Audi can cope with a bit of frost?

It seems not. Even my Dad's bomb-proof A4 sounds poorly in a morning now.

Aside from an initial clatter (I suspect one or two tappets are not getting enough oil) that dies as soon as the engine settles to idle (about a second after turnover), my BMW is as reliable as if it were a summer's day.

Also, the works car-park is still covered in ice and snow. At 7am this morning it was deserted so...do I even need to finish? ;-)

shep_shepherd, posting in motor_furs @ 3:06pm: Adieu, Saab
GM is to 'wind down' its Saab business, something which, sadly, I thought was inevitable, given the current state of The General and the fact that the Saab brand lost its way some years ago:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8421007.stm

Let's hope that Volvo Car Corporation has a happier future, even though it will most likely fall into the hands of the Chinese before too long, something which I now concede may actually be good for the company.