Don pic up a 256 mb memory card for it . This way you can get the video of first run and down load it . Then we all get to hear the rumble down there from Florida.
Oh and you will take hundreds of pics before card is ful l.
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Don pic up a 256 mb memory card for it . This way you can get the video of first run and down load it . Then we all get to hear the rumble down there from Florida.
Oh and you will take hundreds of pics before card is ful l.
I think he already fixed me up with that. I am such a computer/electronics genius ( :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: ) that this all means nothing to me, but the card reads 4 gb, and Dan said it was good for hours and hours, plus tons of pictures. It also has a rechargable battery which is good. I was spending money all the time on AA batteries for the other one. Oh yeah, it has sound too, so that is cool.
Giving me something sophisticated is like giving a monkey a machine gun.:eek:
Don
Giving me something sophisticated is like giving a monkey a machine gun.:eek:
Don[/QUOTE]
What's that supposed to mean?:mad: :mad: :LOL:
Present company excepted. :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
Yep Denny, I was really surprised. They are both good about taking care of the old man. Just last week Dan convinced me to drill the bolts on my wishbones so that I can safety wire them. I explained to him that he was missing the point, if something happens to me, all the stuff I've accumulated in the shop will be theirs. He said "Yeah, I know. Why do you think I'm trying to keep you ALIVE !!" :LOL: :LOL:
Don
Quote:
Originally Posted by Itoldyouso
And it's probably one of the XD cards that's smaller than a postage stamp. Someday I'll tell the story about how these cost me a pile.:D
Hey Don, I know you played with this before on your T. How much can you expect the rear to drop by removing leafs? I know it is all relative to the condition of the spring pack and other thing's, but just a general idea. Mine has 6 leafs and I would like to bring it down about 1.5 to 2 inches.
Ron
BTW Denny, I never run out of ammo. I must say that is incredible how you do that.
Thanks Denny. Every time I put up a new screensaver, you keep coming up with a better one. Cool.
I don't have a lot of time these days to do much on the T, with this upcoming move. Movers are coming Wednesday the 13th, so I have a lot to get ready for them. But I am going to try to sneak over and get little things done to keep making headway.
Today I installed the tie rod I painted yesterday, and set my toe in. I set it at 1/16 inch, but it may change when I start testing the car. I have seen figures of 1/16 to 1/18 toe in, but these straight axled cars are weird.......no two are alike.
My '27 developed a shake after being on the road for a few years. It would begin to shake after hitting a pothole, and the only thing that would stop it was to hit the brakes for a second. I did everything like new tires, kingpins, reset the caster, etc. Finally, I read an article where the author said sometimes you actually have to go negative on the toe in, and toe it out slightly. Sounded crazy, but I tried it, and the shake never came back. It only took a very slight amount of toe out to do it, and tire wear and all seemed to be fine. Goofy things that work sometimes.
Here is a shot of my tie rod all installed and front end completed. I ordered some parts for the rear spring u bolts last night from Macs Auto parts, and when they show up I can finally bolt the rear spring down for the last time.
Don
Don
whoops..........forgot picture.
BTW, I know my ackerman is not what all the books tell you it should be, but I had no choice. There is no room behind the axle for a tie rod (too much stuff there) and the front was the only place it could go. I really expect no serious problems, as tons of T buckets are running around with similar setups. Even Total Performances supposedly corrected steering arms only work with their small disc brake setups, so I couldn't utilize those.
Tires may scrub a little on turns, but that is the price I have to pay for wanting a low car, I guess. I've always said, there is the perfect world and then there is the real world. Sometimes we have to do things that the experts say will not work, and sometimes they still work fine.
Don
Ackerman, schmackerman. It still drives, it's safe, and it looks cool. Of all the things that can happen in a steering set-up, Ackerman isn't the worst. Negative caster would be a real trip . . . :LOL:
That's the way I feel Jack. :LOL: :LOL:
Ron: I don't know if there is any rule of thumb of drop vs leaf removal. It all depends on which leaves and how many you remove, I guess. More than anything, it just softens the ride I think, but some lowering has to happen, I would imagine. Like Denny said, you just have to try and see.
The reason I left my rear spring pretty much intact is because it was really bouncy when I removed a few of the leaves, and the ones I left on the top of the spring pretty much only contribute to the height of the rear, not the softness so much. I may have to do something different once it hits the road, but for now I can push down and it deflects a little. Tire pressure will be a big factor in ride too, I am going to play with that also.
Bob, it is one of the small memory cards like you described. Come on, inquiring minds want to know the story.:D :D
Don
Hey Denny, how do you like the new avatar???????
Ron: I just remembered something. In a typical T or A rear spring setup, sometimes the rear settles down the first time you put some power to the car. My '27 settled down a couple of inches the first time I popped the clutch, and never came back up. I guess the leaves have to orient themselves and settle. Just a thought.
Don
You better stop washing your car with hot water:LOL: :LOL:
Don you and Denny have me tripping no just kidding . 4gb man am I behind times here . You know who the real friends are on moving day . Good friends have kept me from movers but damage is about the same . So good luck and just close your eye. Just one eye LOL . Then get back on the T when your done .
Hmmmm... Correct Ackerman is not 100% necessary; in fact, the trend in oval track racing is toward zero Ackerman. Also, if you think about it, a short bed pickup truck and a king cab pickup truck (two dramatically different wheelbases) both use the same front spindles and steering components. The Ackerman angles cannot be 100% correct on both of them so some compromise had to be made.:rolleyes: However, after having said that, you will not find a production vehicle anywhere in the world with negative Ackerman.:HMMM: Aside from increased tire scuffing on corners, negative Ackerman can enhance the effects of other problems like incorrect caster, poor alignment, worn kingpins, etc. Notice I said enhance, not cause. The worst problem that negative Ackerman may cause is unpredictable steering input in a corner. As long as you are just cruising at moderate speeds, you will never feel anything strange. I like to find a curvy road occasionally and give it Hell. In that situation, as different wheels load and unload because of weight transfer, negative Ackerman can cause the car to suddenly dart left or right and you find yourself fighting to react and regain control; not fun...:eek: I agree with Jack up to a point; negative caster would be a much worse situation on a lightweight car (although some old Cadillacs had 2 degrees negative caster to make them easier to steer at low speeds) and what you have is not necessarily unsafe. Just be aware of what to expect if you ever decide to run the car in a streetkhana / gymkhana.
Your steering arms look like the bolt-on type. If they are forged steel (not cast iron) you can safely heat and bend them down to get the tie rod under the wishbones and put it on the back side,.. if you ever decide you want to do that...;)
For now, you have bigger fish to fry. That thing is beautiful and we're all anxious to see it finished.:)
Thanks for the input and nice words guys. Yep, the arms are the forged, bolt on ones, but to bend them enough to clear the lower part of the wishbone would put them about one or two inches off the ground. The lowest part of the car are the two gussets I welded under the wishbones. That, plus there is so much other stuff fighting for space back there.
I think I have enough caster dialed in (7 degrees) that tracking straight should be not a problem, and I am a conservative driver on turns and all, so road manners should be acceptable. I will have to play with front and rear tire pressures to find the best compromise, I bet.
I never knew tire pressures were so critical until I installed a new engine in some guys vette. I pumped the tires up to 32 pounds when I was done working on it, and on the drive home it was all over the road. Worst handling car I had ever driven. I read the door sticker and it gave like 22 to 26 pounds on one end and something else on the other, so I lowered it to those numbers and it was a totally different car.
Don
Interesting reading J.Robinson, I had the darting left syndrome on the first run out this year. Got home and looked underneath and the mount for the strut on the left front had pulled out away from the frame changing everything in the front steering. I jacked it back and welded it up and the car drives great now again. It will scare the hell out of you in a hard right turn to suddenly change lanes. Thank you for explaining what was going on.
Don, good luck with the move, don't hurt your back let the boys lift all the heavy stuff. You can borrow my truck for your move, just pay for the gas..........LOL (cheaper to hire out)
Brad
I'm sitting among boxes right now Brad. Good time to clean out stuff I don't need. Trouble is, I keep finding interesting stuff, like old hot rod magazines I haven't seen for a whiile, and get sidetracked.:D :D
Oh. well, I have a week till the movers come. :eek: :eek: :D
Don
I know just what you mean, Don. I've been trying to clean out my little 2 bd room bunalow for a couple weeks. Keep getting side tracked by the magazines I've accumalated over many years (and don't really need cause it seems everything is on the Net) and odd parts I've collected. Memories and all. Today I finally decided to trash anything I can't use in the next few months. Yeah, like that's working:LOL: :LOL: :HMMM: :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Itoldyouso
I went to the driveline shop and gave them the dimensions of my driveshaft yesterday, and today they called........it was ready. Looks good, but I should have thought to tell them not to paint it. Now I have to strip off the black paint they bugbombed on and paint it orange. No biggie, the paint is still fresh, so it should strip pretty easily.
While I was there, the owner of the place came out and said he wanted to show me something in the back. What it was is a 1917 Model T rod he has been building for a few years. He is going to use it as a shop truck, which is why the bed is big and strong. The whole body and bed are handmade from aluminum, and he has done a nice job.
The engine is a 2.8 Chevy V6, with automatic and 9 inch Ford rear. His engineering is well thought out and solid, so I thought some of you might enjoy seeing what "thinking outside the box" can yield. (come to think of it, this rod IS A BOX !! :D :D ) But it is still pretty cool.
Don
That is really nice, that guy does some great work.
Lemmie see, where have I heard of "Thinking outside the box" before...:D
Is that what they call a telephone booth cab. Don how much did they soak you for that drive shaft. (all 17inchs)
Brad
Yeah, I think that is what it is called. It sure looks like a phone booth.
$ 218.00, with tax. Not bad, considering I had nothing to start with, so they had to supply all the yokes, u joints, tube, etc. and it is ready to install.
I am heading over to the shop now to make sure it fits. My Son says I am crazy to paint it, as you never see one inch of it, and they did spray it black. I'll have to see once it is in place.
Don
Don, that's a neat truck the driveline shop owner made. Outside the box, but cool.:)
Yep, I agree Duane.
I just got back from installing the driveshaft, and it actually fits fine. :) I have mismeasured one or two in the past, so I always hold my breath. I think I am going to leave it black. No reason to put the relatively expensive orange paint on something that will never be seen. They seem to have done a pretty good black job on it, and when I look at it more tomorrow I will probably still feel it is ok.
I'm still getting blurry pictures with the new camera. Have to read the instruction manual and see what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I need a tripod. But here is the driveshaft in all it's blurry glory. :confused: :confused:
Don
Actually, Don, I think the black drive shaft looks good. Goes with the overall color scheme, matching the frame and breaking up the orange trans and orange rear.
I agree, I think the black looks good. Boy, that guy has put in some time on that truck.
Yeah Ken, I think he said he has been working on it since '98. Wonder how much aluminum he has bought in that time? I guess it runs already, because he said the little 2.8 will light up the tires. :)
Don
No need for a tripod Don, Just hold yer hands a little more steady.
I also agree that black looks better on the drive shaft.
Yeah, I even hold it half way down until it beeps, then push the rest of the way. I never had blurry problems with the old one, not sure if this one is more sensitive, or if I have it on some wrong setting, or what.
I'm gonna do some reading and experimenting to see whats what.
Don
Old folks shake, or not enough beer..................LOL
Brad
If you're shooting inside without a flash, it's pretty hard to hold the camera still. With a flash, even some movement shouldn't blur the photo - the flash is too fast.
If you're using a flash and still getting blurs, it's likely that the camera is focused on the wrong place.
You may want to quit holding the button down halfway. That locks everything in, and if the focus is in the wrong place, it locks it in the wrong place. Let it focus, then hit the button.
. . . or, let the kid take the photos . . . :LOL:
(sorry - I had to . . . )
Try putting down the beer and holding the camera with both hands.........Quote:
Originally Posted by Itoldyouso
All good suggestions. I've wondered myself if something might be wrong with the camera itself, because as many pictures as I took with the other one, blurriness was not the issue. The pictures were pretty forcused, but were just getting darker.
I thought the deal with holding the button half way down til it beeps is that it locks the picture in, but maybe that is causing it. Whatever it is, it sure is a pain in the neck.
Hey Bob, I'm a redneck. You know, "here hold my beer and watch this." lol
Don
mine gets blurry when the batteries start to die. And my camera eats batteries like crazy.
"I'm still getting blurry pictures with the new camera. Have to read the instruction manual and see what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I need a tripod. But here is the driveshaft in all it's blurry glory."
Put your glasses on....:LOL:
Well there's your problem
JUst got back in from loading some stuff in the car for the trip on Tuesday.....can't do that without a couple of beers :D
Looked at the pictures just a few seconds ago and they look great now.
I think I have the problem solved. On this one, it works best to just push the button all the way down, and a second later it snaps it for you. I think I was double exposuring the thing by holding it half way down.
We have a new member of the family.......well, till Monday, anyways. Dan was on the way to the shop today and when he was sitting at a traffic light he saw something scurry under the car in front of him. At first he thought it was a rat, but then realized it was a little kitten. He made the driver sit there while he climbed under her car and retreived the little guy. It had climbed into the inside of the car wheel, and one revolution would have crushed it against the caliper.
Poor thing is scared to death, and I just gave him a saucer of milk which he drank down in a heartbeat. I think someone left him off, and lucky for him Dan was there. In fact, we named him Lucky. :D :D
Dan already has two cats, and so do I, therefore we can't keep him. Monday I will take him to the Animal Rescue League. They do not put animals to sleep if they are not adopted, but just keep them forever if need be. I adopted both of mine from there.
He's a cute little devil, and should steal someones heart. He will have no trouble being adopted, I'm sure. Looks like he is going to be sort of long haired. Here is a picture on my UNBLURRY camera. :D
Don
Don
Yeah, I love them too. They really don't ask much of us, and give so much loyalty in return. I'm starting to worry.......this one is beginning to grow on me. How could you refuse a face like this?
Don