Gearhead Thread

[Tomahawk]

this is fairly rad

http://mrmotortweeter.blogspot.com/2010/02/revuu-rear-view-helmet.html

Genius, but I'd use these instead:

http://www.amazon.com/Rearview-Spy-Glasses-Mirror-Vision/dp/B000NPGMHM

[Seabiscuit36]

ha, i have some Spytech glasses like those. 

[Seabiscuit36]

So i got a new toy for the 4Runner, picked up a BajaRack  They make 4Runner specific racks, and we needed some extra room to get gear onto the beach and offroading.  It should be here in a few days.  Eventually I'm planning on doing a 3"/2" Lift and putting some larger tires(waiting on the old tires to wear out before upgrading).  I didnt get the lightbar yet, mostly because i didnt feel like dropping 200 more bucks than what i spent for the rack itself.  Here's what it looks like with the lightbar.  This is the look i'm eventually going for minus the fog lights on the bumper

[Seabiscuit36]

I occasionally look at some of the government liquidation sites, to see if i can find a good deal on a vehicle to beat up.  Saw this old Suburban today, and take a look at the front driver's side window..wtf
http://www.govliquidation.com/auction/view?auctionId=3435440

[General_Failure]

I hope they thoroughly cleaned the seats.

[Seabiscuit36]

definitely a headshot.  Impressive

[PhillyPhanInDC]

So, I've rid myself of all the projects over the past few years, and now have the kid hauler for the wife, a 2010 Mazda CX-9. I've been looking for a good, solid commuter that seemed extremely plentiful when I was younger, Camry's, Corrollas, Accords, etc., and they are few and far between. Thanks to the average D.C commute, everything down here has about 200,000 miles.  I'm not looking for anything expensive, this is the first time in my life where the only payment I make is for the house, and I want to keep it that way. I've always found the best used cars can be found through a friend of a friend deal, or a coworker. Any one know of any nice, used cars for under $10,000? I did manage to find a nice '95 Accord Coupe with a 5 speed and 80,000 miles. Any one have any experience with a fifth gen Accord? It's a good price, about 4k, so I will probably go snag it. Then I'll be looking for a toy, maybe a Toyota 4x4 P/U or a Jeep to bash around in.

[DH]

I learned how to drive on a 95' Accord that my sister then ended up using as her everyday car once she learned..Had she not moved, she probably would have kept it because it rode so well. Highly recommended - those things last longer than forever.

Edit: Make sure though that the 80K miles is legit. Those 90's Honda odometers are pretty easy to turn back...

[Diomedes]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1297473/Incredible-images-construction-work-1-900ft-long-Hoover-Bridge.html

[PhillyPhreak54]

Impressive.

I dig shtein like that. I love watching Modern Marvels when they detail projects like that or super structures and ships.

[Diomedes]

more cool photos of a different bridge project:

new Willis/3rd ave bridge floated under Brooklyn Bridge on its way to installation

http://jalopnik.com/5597637/willis-avenue-bridge-river-floating-gallery

[Diomedes]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypJcwktn6vs&feature=player_embedded#!

[Diomedes]

I may have mentioned that I recently bought a '96 F250 with the inline six.  Since then, it's been sitting at a friend's house as I work on it when I get the time.  It's got a laundry list of problems that need attention before I temp tag it and haul it in for the inspection that will inevitably add to said list.  Problem number one:  EGR system failure.  The DPFE was busted completely, and the gooped up repair had failed too.  Imagine that.  This weekend I finally got all the parts together and installed them.  Wow, what a difference.  It no longer throws the error codes and it runs much much bettter.

I also replaced the headlight/grill undercarriage thing using junkyard parts.  [I LOVE CRAZY RAY'S]  Had to replace it because the adjustor for the headlights is housed in this plastic piece, which was busted up from a prior fender bender.  Can't adjust the headlight beam to the proper spot, can't pass MD inspection.  So that project is almost finished, just need to put it all back together.

In short, I made a hell of a lot of progress.

Best of all, Saturday morning when I showed up at my friend's house where I keep all my projects and from whose garage I work on everything, I found to my great surprise that my '79 R100/7 was returned after years of being in the custody of a very talented mechanic friend.  I had originally started a resoration of the bike myself but when I got to the point of putting it all back together, I foundered on the wiring harness.  What a tangled mess.  Back then, I asked for help and was lucky to have a BMW master mechanic friend take the project on.  He's had the bike for years since, making the slowest, poking progress imaginable; his projects tend to grow roots.  But I was patient.  I never pressured him because I've always had a second bike on the road, so wtf...he can take all the time he wants.  Free storage, for all I care. 

Yeah well yesterday it came home unexpectedly and motherfarger, it's gorgeous.  I knew the paint was great, as I had all that done.  But I didn't have it all put back together like it is now, and I didn't anticipate all the trick parts.  Billet triple clamp.  Braided steel brake lines.  Stainless hard lines on the front calipers, etc.  It's easily the nicest thing I have every owned, a real gem.  In fact, while he had it, he put it in a couple shows and won awards.  It's so farging nice, it almost shouldn't be ridden.

But farg that.  It's a motorcycle, not a trophy. 

Here are a couple phone pics. 

Mock away.

1979 R100/7
(not a true /7:  it's converted from an RT, after I took the fairing off the hard way one rainy night.)
here is a very clean version of what my bike originally looked like.  Which is to say, mine was nasty by comparison, though in self defense I have to point out that my bike never had a fuzzy white seat cover.   Jesus.  It had a great big western saddle looking monstrosity.  To bring the point home about how bad mine was when I got it: it had a trailer hitch and came from Florida. 


now:


yes, thats the F250 in the background.

[shorebird]

Holy crap man, that thing is a friggen' beautiful machine! Looks well worth the wait to me. Goddamn, I'd be parking it in the living room for a while, just so I could sit there and look at it.

[shorebird]

By the way, that must be the truck in the background of 2nd pic. 300 straight 6, right? 3 speed manual trans? Those things are beasts when running good.