--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00001 Date: 01/08/98 From: STACY FITZGERALD Time: 05:21pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Chevy Nova(Head)wanted My brother has a 1976 Chevy Nova 4 door, 250 Automatic that has a cracked head. Does anybody have on or know where i can find one at a decent price? --- ViaMAIL!/WC4 v1.40a * Origin: CyberGold Online - (601) 582-5748 Hattiesburg, MS (1:18/214) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00002 Date: 01/08/98 From: CHRIS ZYCHSKI Time: 12:33am \/To: RONNIE THOMPSON (Read 0 times) Subj: REVERSE QUESTION RT>on steering. What kind of vehicle do you drive???? A 1986 Fiero??? Har! -cc * SLMR 2.1a * He who dies with the most toys is still dead. --- Renegade v5-11 Exp * Origin: The Bearsville BBS * Warren, MI * (810) 582-9429 (1:120/650) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00003 Date: 01/08/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 09:01am \/To: BILL MITCHELL (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation Bill Mitchell wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: RJT> It's a rigged game, no matter what. One of the things that RJT> really bugs me here (in PA) is that if you don't have insurance RJT> for like 90 days your costs go up, and you get stuffed into RJT> the "assigned risk" category for at least six BM> Not only that, but here it's a minimum of seven days, usually BM> longer, before a policy comes in force if you go for a new BM> policy. Well that stinks! What the heck are you supposed to do when you buy a car? RJT> months. How's that supposed to work when I have just put a RJT> vehicle into roadworthy condition? I've got this truck I've RJT> been working on for a couple of years, now, ferinstance, and RJT> another one I want to sell that's sitting out here in the yard, RJT> not currently registered _or_ insured. Why should I have to RJT> spend the money for something that isn't being driven? BM> Here you either register and insure it, or it must be kept BM> inside a closed garage. And you will run into problems when BM> registering it if you had previously registered it and let the BM> plates expire. The only way to avoid a hassle is if you can BM> prove you turned in your old plates to DMV. We're _supposed_ to do that, but I've seen more collections of old plates nailed to garage walls here and there... I dunno what's going to happen when I go to register that truck I'm building, if I'm going to be able to use the plate I have now or if I'm going to be forced to buy yet another one. BM> I've had them try to revoke my license because my insurance was BM> cancelled and I didn't turn in my plates. The cancellation was BM> because the provider screwed up the policy and had to cancel it BM> and then issue a new one. They tried to hit me for being BM> uninsured because the two policies had different start dates. BM> Only notorized letters atesting to the fact that the insurance BM> didn't lapse and that the company screwed up prevented a six BM> month suspension. I had a situation a while back where we switched companies and the old one got ticked and notified the state that we'd lapsed, and got a similar nastygram in the mail. We had to send copies of stuff into them to get it all straightened out. Not "you appear to be uninsured, please provide proof that you are", but "we've received notice that you're uninsured, so here's all this nasty stuff like suspensions and whatnot going into effect NOW and in the meantime try and prove that you're okay". Grr... RJT> inspection sticker, so a while back the state decided that RJT> inspection stations were also required to see proof of RJT> insurance before they'd be able to pass you. You can't RJT> _register_ a car without insurance, either. I dunno why they RJT> keep pushing things like that... BM> Same here for over fifteen years. Their attempts to prevent BM> uninsured vehicles only catch law abiding good guys. The others BM> simply don't bother with legal plates. Even now, if I wanted to, I could go out and "buy" a sticker off the street without too much trouble. RJT> got hassled good by one local police chief who sent a guy over RJT> to tell me that it had to be removed. I pointed out to the RJT> officer that it was sitting on private property, with the RJT> permission of the owner, and that if he could tell me BM> Here they would simply come and tow it, and you would have to BM> register it to claim it, or, remove it to a closed garage, and BM> you'd probably need a court order to do that without BM> registration and insurance. That _really_ stinks. RJT> Some place I hear about you can't even do that, keep an RJT> unregistered vehicle on your own private property without BM> I used to be able to keep cars here when I was in business my BM> house was grandfathered as a vehicle repair location. But I've BM> been out of the business for too long and the grandfather BM> clause no longer applies to me. I can, though, still park BM> commercial vehicles on my property under a different BM> grandfather clause. Otherwise, we aren't allowed to park BM> commercial vehicles on our own property either since being BM> zoned residential. Jeez! I'm sure glad I don't live in that state, though it appears that others aren't too far behind... :-( email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00004 Date: 01/08/98 From: ROY J. TELLASON Time: 09:08am \/To: BILL REYNA (Read 0 times) Subj: Oil/Lube places Bill Reyna wrote in a message to Roy J. Tellason: > I went to one of those places one time, with good > results. We then some time later on took another > vehicle there, at my insistence, and it turned out > to be a big mistake. I shoulda know there would be a > problem with the place when the Castrol sign outside > went away, replaced by some other brand. BR> [----------^^^^ you said the above ^^^^-----------] BR> I used to go those places because I had a co. car and they BR> basically had the contract(?) for basic maint.. After BR> sitting/waiting for the car, reading the magazines, watching BR> TV, etc. I saw they had "boxes" of replacement oil pan plugs BR> plus those for stripped plugs. Needless to say, I dodn't BR> bring my personal vehicle there as from time to time, I saw BR> the boxes become less full. Oh yeah they say they check BR> "all" the fluids and replace them to proper levels, yeah BR> right! -_-_-Bill Speaking of which, when I had that battery store I had to tell people constantly not to let those places mess with adding any water to batteries. They had no idea of what the proper levels were, and would constantly over-fill them, which led to lots of corrosion problems... email: roy.j.tellason%tanstaaf@frackit.com --- * Origin: TANSTAAFL BBS 717-432-0764 (1:270/615) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00005 Date: 01/08/98 From: JAY EMRIE Time: 08:39am \/To: RONNIE THOMPSON (Read 0 times) Subj: 1994 Ply Battery Drain RT> -=> Quoting JAY EMRIE to RONNIE THOMPSON <=- RT> RT>Jay, I might be shooting in the wind here, but I remember a couple years RT> RT>ago, hearing of a bunch of Chrysler vehicles, in which Chrysler had actu RT> RT>put in security systems, but had not activiated them as it wasn't on the RT> RT>"option list". IF the person who bought the car wanted a security syste RT> RT>the dealer could activate the thing and charge some outrageous fee, clai RT> RT>they had "installed" a security system. Any chance that there might e RT> RT>on this vehicle and it may be causing problems?? How you check to see i RT> RT>this particular one has it, I don't know. Perhaps with the VIN, and a n RT> RT>shop foreman or service advisor, at a Chrysler dealership. RT> JE> Hmmmm? Wonder how the system could possibly drain the battery - RT> JE> intermittently? We will check it out. Can't afford to leave any turns RT> JE> unstoned. Thanks. RT>Maybe, as in some motherboards that act flakey, it has a chip in it that RT>has gone bad and is activating part of the time. I've known of a lot of RT>motherboards that were this way and it makes diagnosis a pain in the rear. RT>Please DO let us know what you find out, as to the problem. Definitely will let all know IF and WHEN it is resolved. * OLX 2.1 TD * A wife is a woman who generally speaking really is. --- RemoteAccess 2.50+ * Origin: Northern Lights! * San Antonio * 210-499-6299 V34/VFC (1:387/23) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00006 Date: 01/08/98 From: BILL MITCHELL Time: 12:27am \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation RJT> It's a rigged game, no matter what. One of the things that RJT> really bugs me here (in PA) is that if you don't have RJT> insurance for like 90 days your costs go up, and you get RJT> stuffed into the "assigned risk" category for at least six Not only that, but here it's a minimum of seven days, usually longer, before a policy comes in force if you go for a new policy. RJT> months. How's that supposed to work when I have just put a RJT> vehicle into roadworthy condition? I've got this truck I've RJT> been working on for a couple of years, now, ferinstance, RJT> and another one I want to sell that's sitting out here in RJT> the yard, not currently registered _or_ insured. Why RJT> should I have to spend the money for something that isn't RJT> being driven? Here you either register and insure it, or it must be kept inside a closed garage. And you will run into problems when registering it if you had previously registered it and let the plates expire. The only way to avoid a hassle is if you can prove you turned in your old plates to DMV. I've had them try to revoke my license because my insurance was cancelled and I didn't turn in my plates. The cancellation was because the provider screwed up the policy and had to cancel it and then issue a new one. They tried to hit me for being uninsured because the two policies had different start dates. Only notorized letters atesting to the fact that the insurance didn't lapse and that the company screwed up prevented a six month suspension. RJT> inspection sticker, so a while back the state decided that RJT> inspection stations were also required to see proof of RJT> insurance before they'd be able to pass you. You can't RJT> _register_ a car without insurance, either. I dunno why RJT> they keep pushing things like that... Same here for over fifteen years. Their attempts to prevent uninsured vehicles only catch law abiding good guys. The others simply don't bother with legal plates. RJT> got hassled good by one local police chief who sent a guy RJT> over to tell me that it had to be removed. I pointed out to RJT> the officer that it was sitting on private property, with RJT> the permission of the owner, and that if he could tell me Here they would simply come and tow it, and you would have to register it to claim it, or, remove it to a closed garage, and you'd probably need a court order to do that without registration and insurance. RJT> Some place I hear about you can't even do that, keep an RJT> unregistered vehicle on your own private property without I used to be able to keep cars here when I was in business my house was grandfathered as a vehicle repair location. But I've been out of the business for too long and the grandfather clause no longer applies to me. I can, though, still park commercial vehicles on my property under a different grandfather clause. Otherwise, we aren't allowed to park commercial vehicles on our own property either since being zoned residential. --- * Origin: The Right Place, Fort Lee, NJ USA(201)947-8231 (1:2604/539.11) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00007 Date: 01/06/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 06:46pm \/To: MARC GERGES (Read 0 times) Subj: Forced Induction -=> Quoting Marc Gerges to Alan Morrison <=- MG> The Eclipse is _more_ _expensive_ than the Firebird in the US? MG> OK, that puts it in a new perspective. The AWD Turbo version is about $3,000-$4000 higher than the F-bodies. MG> That's why I prefer test times taken at a road course instead of just MG> measuring various values you can't really put into relation. That is preferable, but not without problems. They would have to test at the same track every time, which may not always be available. Also one track might favor smaller cars, another may give high horsepower an unfair advantage. The standardized test for pure grip here is a 300 foot diameter skidpad. An average of 2 runs in opposite directions, measured in G's (gravity). Also typical is a 600 foot slalom course (which favors smaller cars). I would prefer a road course to either of these, but the reporting entity would need their own facility for comparison on more than a few models at a time. AM> If it costs more, why prefer it when it can't stay ahead of the V8 AM> car on a twisty road? Not all V8 cars are huge beasts with 600 AM> pound engines. A typical F-body has a V8 with aluminum heads, and AM> weighs about the same as a Turbocharged AWD Eclipse. MG> But when the Eclipse is AWD (not sold here) and the F-body has a live MG> rear axle... mmmh... :) It is a strong unit for acceleration that gives pretty good handling. On a bumpy surface it may be less responsive than an independent rear as it has more unsprung weight. Still, those that think it won't handle as well as some smaller cars with IRS are often surprised. The smaller Eclipse gets slalom numbers within a MPH of the F-bodies (Camaro's & Firebirds). The F-bodies typically beat the Eclipse on the skidpad. AM> BTW, the newer F-bodies and Corvettes are all-aluminum as are many AM> other V8's such as the Cadillac Northstar and Oldsmobile Aurora. MG> The Northstar is known as quite a good engine here. The Oldsmobile MG> isn't sold here. The Corvette's engine is appreciated here as being MG> nice but old-fashioned. The typical euro V8 is an expensive engine, MG> but with 4 valve heads, 4 cam shafts etc. Yes, the ZR-1 Corvette had a DOHC 4 valve engine in it, which was sold as an option. It almost doubled the price of the car, but was an excellent engine (designed by Lotus). But the current Corvette runs almost the same numbers with an aluminum 2 valve engine and gets better mileage. The real kicker is the price, which is about $20,000 less than a ZR-1. (See my post on GT Racing about Lotus using the ZR-1 engine.) DOHC 4 valve setups are great for high RPM applications, like racing, but on the street a V8 doesn't need to turn more than 6,000 RPM. All that cost and complexity is wasted when you can make similar power for less money, and it is more efficient to run. MG> Mmmmh... my 90 hp normally are way enough to pass on two-lane roads. MG> And when they aren't, the other car is driving fast enough I don't MG> need to pass it. :-) I don't know what you're driving... Or how much it weighs. But to have similar power-to-weight ratio as an F-body, it would need to weigh close to 1,000 lbs (454 KG). (there are 2.2 lbs. per KG.) --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00008 Date: 01/06/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 07:31pm \/To: JOHN FAERBER (Read 0 times) Subj: Monza diagnosis -=> Quoting John Faerber to Alan Morrison <=- AM>It's a 1975 Monza with the 350 and a Holley carb on a Performer intake. AM>Other than that it is nearly stock, with single exhaust and automatic JF> Hmmm.... I thought the Monza came with a 305 as that was the largest JF> enigne that GM could stuff in there (have to raise the engine to JF> replace some of the plugs?) Of course if the 350 was made from the 305 JF> block, that could be what my understanding was. Help me out with this JF> if you would. Thanks! OK, first off - all small blocks Chevys from 262 to 400 have the same external dimensions, (not including the new Gen III ones which is a total redesign). In 1975 when the Monza was introduced they were going to use the new 262 V8, but it would not meet California smog requirements. So in 1975 only, the CA Monza's got the 350 engine, which bolts in to the same mounts, etc. In 1976-1980 the 305 was the only V8 offered. Also the Buick, Olds, and Pontiac models had a V6 as the largest engine. BTW, I don't have to raise the engine to change plugs. The manuals say to do this, but that is probably on a fully optioned car where the mechanic wants to use his air-ratchet. The tightest spot is in line with the steering column, but is easily accessed with a 5/8 wrench! --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00009 Date: 01/06/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 07:51pm \/To: ROY J. TELLASON (Read 0 times) Subj: Motor Trend, bribes? -=> Quoting Roy J. Tellason to Alan Morrison <=- AM> Vega GT Kammback wagon. Wasn't a bad little car, right up there AM> with the '78 Datsun B210 I got later. RJT> I forget what year ours was, but it had the aluminum block *without* RJT> the sleeves in 'em. All the Vegas had the Silicon-Aluminum alloy engine with a cast iron head, I believe, except the Cosworth Vega. Later years of the Pontiac Astre had the Iron-Duke 2.5 liter. AM> Yep, aluminum was etched away so the pistons ran on the Silicon AM> in the alloy. RJT> From what I understand the differences in the cold engine to warm RJT> caused it to wear in such a way that eventually the cylinder bores RJT> became rather oval-shaped, rather than staying as round as they RJT> should have. The car did tend to use quite a bit of oil later on. I RJT> was told that the iron sleeves were put in there to take care of this RJT> problem. All bores (or pistons) will wear more on the axis with the crankshaft rotation. I don't know if these wear more than an iron cylinder, but silicon is very hard, as is glass which is also silicon. But when one got rebuilt, they installed iron liners (which is common on alloy engines) rather than purchase special equipment to etch away the aluminum as was done at the factory. As for oil usage, I installed a short-block for a friend who later told me it still used oil until he had the head reworked. I didn't want to work on his car but he asked me to install a short-block, which I did, since he was going out of town when he joined the service. AM> For a couple of bucks, the bronze door pin bushings can be AM> purchased at most auto parts stores. RJT> No, I'm talking about the post that engages the door latch! Oh... You can get those also, but I've never had to do it. Worn hinge pins usually make it hit the striker, so it should last if they are in good condition. RJT> I'm not too partial to GM stuff these days, having had a run of bad RJT> luck with an assortment of vehicles, but if I got the chance to pick RJT> one of those up for cheap and it wasn't a major restoration job I'd RJT> probably go for it... I've never cared for anything but the V8's myself. The Japanese do have some good small cars, but I would try a Saturn first if in need of an econobox. I've seen a lot of Jap fours warp heads and such when run hard, which I would do. That is why I have stayed with the Chevy V8's which take all the abuse I give 'em. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1D00010 Date: 01/06/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 08:13pm \/To: MARK LOGSDON (Read 0 times) Subj: Active Handling -=> Quoting Mark Logsdon to Alan Morrison <=- AM> I didn't do a point by point comparison, though. I noticed many AM> Fords and saw the Cavalier name on Vauxhauls. Both were common ML> There's supposed to be a "sporty" version of the Vaxhaul Cavalier ML> that does about 150 mph. That's stock too. I'm not up on these, but you see Vauxhauls and Opels running in some European racing. They occasionally run with the BMWs and Mercedes in the Touring car championships. I've seen the Opels closer to the front than the Vauxhauls... The Cadillac Catera is an Opel Omega derivative. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627)