What Is On Your Mind?

@AkaiKitsune Totally!

This will piss off you car people as much as it did me.

One time a friend of mine was driving on a two lane freeway, speed limit being 120km/h so roughly 75mph. There was a Ferrari holding up a line of cars forcing everyone to pass this numbskull. They were doing about 80km/h (50 mph) and it wasn't until he passed them that he realized what the car was.

The kicker? Two elderly Chinese ladies driving it, they could barely see over the dash, and they were just putting along in a car that was meant to be pushed to the limits. He remarked that Enzo, if he saw that, would've ordered the car to be returned. I said he's probably rolling in his grave.

Those cars were never meant to be status symbols, they were made to be pushed to the limits. It's so sad, but you see it everywhere here. BMWs, Audis, Jaguars, and other nice brands are as common as a Honda around here and people just neglect them. Half the time they aren't even washed and are driven around like a grocery getter. Fucking winds me right up, and it's the same with those guys that roll around on Ducati's or GSXRs/Hayabusas. I saw the same shit with a Yamaha R1M and remarked to it's owner that he shouldn't be riding it, he was choked.

One time we had a Hayabusa in for service since it was running like crap, it had low compression since the valves carboned up and pounded the crap out of the seats. Oh, and let's not forget the poorly maintained K&N air filter and full Yosh exhaust system, because, you know, he needs more power than stock but will never use it.

I'm just waiting for an idiot to get their hands on a Kawasaki H2 Ninja, just so they can bin it. Bound to happen.

Rant over.

 

I was talking more about people like office workers, soccer moms and spoiled princesses, but you just reminded me about how many old people I see driving things like WRXs, GTRs, Evos and 350Z/370Zs here. It's both scary and depressing.
That said, I chatted to an old guy at the petrol station about his WRX. Was a silver '98 with a big exhaust, nice alloys, a vented hood + fenders and a full roll cage. He told me that he built the engine about 4 years ago and had recently rebuilt it with forged parts and it's mostly used as a track car now. Awesome old dude.

You also just reminded me about these pictures I saw last night.

 

There's more car in between you and the front bumper or the rear bumper than the door, no matter what seat you're in.

 

Depends on the car. SmartCar's there's probably more room between you and the side than between you and the back.

 

Same here. Will see again this week and mighty damn Monday will need to end quick.

 

measured my sculpture to see if it'll even be able to fit in a certain gallery if I can get it accepted and it's 8' 10" and weighs about 115 lbs. damn.

 

I always have to laugh whenever an Alpha wants other guys to treat them as such, then backpedal once I tell them how Alphas are treated by Beta males in a pack.

Makes me chuckle.

 

What nightmares are made of...

On the flip side though it's so neat when you find someone who actually built their stuff up, or is an actual enthusiast. I had a '73 RD350 and every two weeks I was stopped to chat at the station filling up because people just loved it or they had one/their brother had one/friend had one/wanted one new/etc... I once met a guy that way who knew a lot about smokers and told me a few tricks to increase crankcase compression to increase scavenging efficiency, a few notes on porting and stuff about compound ignition curves...all really neat stuff.

 

I wish I knew more people IRL who I could enthuse about cars with. Most people I meet and get to talk to about cars know fuck all about them but still try to bullshit to sound clever.

 

@AkaiKitsune Oh geez I totally feel you on that, I have a good friend who knows his stuff and a few people at work that do as well, albeit about two wheeled contraptions. That said aforementioned friend has a big truck that makes something like 425hp and will do 125mph but I feel stupid when he talks about it, I don't know much about car stuff, lots of terms I need to learn.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I got that GK76A sorted out, it dyno'd at 61rwhp. Kinda short of my RZ350's 63 but for a diesel it's pretty good. I was gonna buy that bike but I'm holding off, parts are a nightmare and the engine is known for cam oiling problems so screw that!

 

Yeah, I fully accept that I barely know anything and I'm still learning so I feel a bit stupid around people who really do know stuff, but some of the shit I've heard people come out with... I had a guy at work insist that R33 and R34 Skylines have superchargers. Despite telling him several times that they most certainly don't, and I should know, he still wouldn't have it. I had a friggin car dealer talking absolute bollocks about my car. "Is that an auto or manual? Cause I know manuals are really rare. Is it imported?" I was busy inspecting an Impreza, so I didn't have the patience to tell him that they're all imported and the autos are rarer than manuals. Stuff like that. I've also heard supposed car enthusiasts say that dump valves don't do anything besides make noise. In relation to a MKIV Supra, someone said to the owner "oh yeah, my wife used to have one of these. The 2.3L V6 version." FYI, there never was a 2.3L V6 Supra.

The other week, one of the resident assistants came over to see what I was doing while I was topping up my oil. Opened with "Wow, that's a nice car. What is it?" I told him it was a Skyline. "...Skyline...?" He looked thoughtful for a moment before I realised that he had no idea what a Skyline was. I told him "a Nissan Skyline". "Oh, Nissan? Ah..." Cue the usual "Oh, just a Nissan" expression. "So" he said, looking at the engine, "did you build this yourself?" I looked at the engine bay, rusted strut tops, oil smeared rocker box cover, dirty plastic covers and clips, lack of turbo and intercooler, and shitty body kit. Then back at him. He wasn't joking. "Er, no. It came like this when I bought it." He continued "aw man, I bet it's fast, right?" Return to looking at the half empty engine bay with absolutely nothing indicative of performance present. "Eh, it's not considered to be, no". He looked at me like he thought I was lying.

And another time I turned up to work early, and another guy came over to have a look. "Dude, since when did you have a Skyline? They're like my favorite cars!" "Oh really?" "Yeah man!" He points at the badge on the side "Aw sweet, GT version?" There isn't a "GT" version. "GTS" I correct him. "Duuude, niiiice". What I didn't tell him is that the GTS is basically the shittiest version you can get. Even Skyline enthusiasts take the piss about them.

I swear, I have no problem with people wanting to learn more and asking innocent questions, but when they start trying to big up their or my ego with inane shit when they clearly don't have a clue, it kind of irritates me. I know they're chatting shit, they know they're chatting shit, it's just a waste of time all round.

I don't know, am I being too harsh and judgmental about these people? I just realised how much of an elitist prick I sound writing these out.

 

I might be going to dallas sometime in May, anybody know of anything fun (maybe free) to do around there?

 

Not May, but July 1-3 I might be in Austin for RTX

 

Nope, you have my sympathy. I mean on one hand, true, they probably just want to start a convo but be real.

I had a similar run in with a guy when I went to fetch beer at the liquor store. Claimed he had an RZ like I, turns out it was an LC, not an RZ...I mean still a cool bike but he didn't know what he had. Then he starts talking about mods and it quickly becomes apparent that someone else did the legwork as he didn't know what he was talking about. Irritating me a little more he informs me he winds it out to 11,500 to "get every last horse".

I'd asked him if he'd ever dyno'd the thing to see if he was actually making power at 11,500 as I'm sure that even with good expansion chambers it wouldn't make anything over 10,000 without porting and that there's no point as those crankshafts do not last long when they're spun that much past redline. At that point you need a welded, very well trued and balanced crank with the pistons and it's a good idea to lose the flywheel magneto to take some loading off the crank. I asked if that work was done and of course he sidetracked and filled my ears with the "it's the fastest two stroke around" bull. Yeah, uh, sure. Having a motor built like that means it would be for racing and that it would be rebuilt every race but anyway...people are silly sometimes.

 

hmmph, ton of bruising on my shoulder where I had to lift and move my sculpture. huge difference between 100+ lbs of wood and steel and 100+ lbs of rice or sand or potatoes. steel is a lot harder >.<

 

RELEVANT TO THE HOARD

 

I know nothing of cars. I drive a 2006 Kia spectra. I have a subwoofer in my small ass trunk. That's about all I got.

 

don't know if I'm having just a really bad headache in one specific part of my head or if it's a stroke, probably not a stroke

EDIT: yep, definitely just a horrible headache

 

http://www.partyattheblock.com/

 

So I got back from a con. Everything hurts but it was so nice meeting up with a bunch of friends again. brb, gonna die now cause of how tired I am.