--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00008 Date: 01/15/98 From: TOM WALKER Time: 05:40am \/To: VERN FAULKNER (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation -> Guy at work was stopped _in his driveway_ for a defective front -> light. Had a light in hand, having just come back from a parts store -> with a replacement bulb. Cop _still_ demanded to see all his papers -> and stuff, and even then, wrote up a fix-it ticket. What is Wrong with that? Operating a vehicle after sunset without operating Lights is Against the LAW. Even to go to the parts store and get a replacement bulb!!! --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: Jim's East County BBS! El Cajon, CA. (619) 561-8424 (1:202/100) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00009 Date: 01/15/98 From: TOM WALKER Time: 05:41am \/To: BILL MITCHELL (Read 0 times) Subj: ENGINE DISPLACEMENTS -> Slant sixes were 225 ci., I believe that was maybe 8.4 to 1 -> compression. The Chrysler Slant 6 was introduced in 1960 in both 170 Ci and 225 Ci versions. In 1970 the 170 was replaced by a 198 Ci version(Stroked 170) The 198 was dropped with the 1975 model year and 1983 was the last year for the 225, At least in the Cars. Don't recall anything about Trucks. --- GEcho 1.20/Pro * Origin: Jim's East County BBS! El Cajon, CA. (619) 561-8424 (1:202/100) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00010 Date: 01/14/98 From: RONNIE THOMPSON Time: 12:25am \/To: CHRIS ZYCHSKI (Read 0 times) Subj: Transmission Repair -=> Quoting Chris Zychski to All <=- CZ> A friend of mine has a 1989 Cavalier w/2.5L (he says) and CZ> 5-speed manual transmission. Symptoms indicate bad throw- CZ> out bearing. This also has been verified by a repair shop. CZ> The question is about the $780 estimated charge to rebuild CZ> said transmission. Does this price sound right to yo'all? IF it only has a bad throw out bearing, why would you rebuild the tranny??? Course, if I was replacing the bearing, I'd also toss in a new clutch, pressure plate, and if that vehicle has a hydraulic cable, I'd replace it at the same time. I'd see no reason to rebuild the tranny unless it is making some strange noises. IF it does need rebuilding and the $780 would be for doing all the work, that's not a bad price at all. Ronnie in NC ... Answers: $1, Short: $5, Correct: $25, dumb looks are still free. --- AreaFix Fido MILITIA * Origin: Thor's Retreat/2 BBS Fayetteville, NC 910.424.0956 (1:3634/37) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00011 Date: 01/13/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 06:39pm \/To: KENNY HENDERSON (Read 0 times) Subj: 1999 Cars -=> Quoting Kenny Henderson to Alan Morrison <=- AM>Acura: A four-door version of the existing CL coupe may arrive. A CL AM>roadster is born to compete against the European two-seaters from KH> My friend Don's Mom rented an Acura 2.2 CL back in September. In KH> the interests of science he took the car out and we drove it pretty KH> hard:) Its just hard to get excited about those types of cars. Yes, I enjoy the occasional experimentation also. ;-) KH> They are dog slow, don't handle well, don't have a roomy interior, KH> They are refined and get decent gas mileage, but they are boring Appears to be a variation on the 2 door Accord. But they are listed as being assembled in Japan while the Accord is mostly Ohio. As you say it looks like one of many similar Japanese models, like the Camry, Civic, Accord, Maxima, Altima... It is listed with the GT and Sportscars in my Buyers Guide. Turn the page and you see a Camaro with 2 more cylinders, 50 to 120 more HP, more interior volume, better looks, and handling, in a package that is within 100 lbs of the smaller CL. Combine the fact that a CL costs $5,000 more for a 4 cylinder than a V6 Camaro, and the V6 CL costs $5,000 more than a V8 Z28... I just don't see it. Did I mention the 200 HP Camaro V6 gets better mileage than the 150 HP (and lighter) Acura? Another similar tale... My niece who just got a 93 Civic for $10,000. I didn't want to burst her bubble, and didn't know the going rate at the time, but she could have gotten a 2 year newer Saturn, or V6 Camaro for what she paid. I drove it and it was OK, but I don't see the fascination of young females with these cars. My best guess is Value is determined by the lightness of control movements! --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00012 Date: 01/13/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 07:06pm \/To: KENNY HENDERSON (Read 0 times) Subj: Escort -=> Quoting Kenny Henderson to Alan Morrison <=- AM> The latest Probe was Ford's version of a Mazda MX6 with a 2.5 V6. AM> Before 1993 it was a Ford design with a 2.2 four or 3.0 V6. KH> Also, a turbocharged 4 banger was in the GTs. (older ones) I don't recall that one, but wasn't a big Ford fan. I mostly knew the Probe from trying to figure out why it won MT-COY for '93. KH> * These cookies don't taste anything like girl scouts! And how do you know this? Hmmmm?? ;) So, did the echo slow to a trickle the last few weeks? It seems the volume is about half what it was before the holidays. I peeked in over at Hot-Rod and Old-Car echos which are also very slow. So where did everybody go? --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00013 Date: 01/13/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 07:09pm \/To: C.A. KLINGEL (Read 0 times) Subj: Monza diagnosis -=> Quoting C.A. Klingel to Alan Morrison <=- AM> The original post also had the following, which may have been edited AM> out of the response you read: AM> No smoke, or noises present, and basic engine condition is good. It AM> has had spark plugs, rotor, and filters changed in the last 10,000 AM> miles. CK> I did miss the original post then. I'll stick with the vacuum leak CK> diagnosis. Well technically I should award you partial credit then Craig, as it did have a vacuum leak as soon as you crack the throttle. This would allow ported vacuum to the Advance unit which had ruptured. As you may already have seen, it was the Vacuum Advance unit, and now it is getting full advance again. This makes quite a difference on initial acceleration like when leaving the house in the morning on a cold engine. Thanks for the response! --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00014 Date: 01/13/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 08:41pm \/To: JOHN FAERBER (Read 0 times) Subj: Injectors -=> Quoting Gary Hall to John Faerber <=- JF> under 20, filled it up on Mon (Jan 5th) with 93 Octane hoping JF> it might clean the injectors some, but am now getting 17.5 MPG JF> Sure is puzzling lower mileage with higher octane gas! It is difficult to get exact mileage from one tank to the next, since driving style may vary. Some days I poke around with light throttle, other days I get in a hurry and accelerate much more. If possible keep a log and check the mileage over a longer period. Trips are a great time to test ultimate mileage. GH> No it isn't all the US companies have issued TSB's saying GH> " use regular grade unleaded fuel only " General Motors says GH> use of a high octaine fuel or octain boosters could cause loss GH> of fuel economy, and COLD drivablity problems. If the octane is increased with alcohol, it will get less mileage since it carries less energy per gallon than gasoline. This should be on the sticker on the pump, but you can smell a sweet odor from the alcohol too. Also alcohol can mix with any water in your fuel tank (or the stations tanks) and carry it through your engine. This may be a good thing, as long as you aren't getting their tanks water, but if severe may cause drivability problems and possibly require changing spark plugs. Had this happen once with some Arizona gasohol which evidently had loads of water in it. I was on a trip and noticed the car start running rough after a bit. After getting to my destination and noticing a drivability problem for the next several mornings, I pulled several plugs which were dark, wet, and fouling. Replaced them and cured the problem. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00015 Date: 01/13/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 09:05pm \/To: ROBERT JENKINS (Read 0 times) Subj: Vehicle Confiscation -=> Quoting Robert Jenkins to Roy J. Tellason <=- -> Yep. Like the fact that this invades our privacy even further, that -> insurance company clerks *do* screw up from time to time (I could get -> into some stories here but...), like this is going to be something -> for remote use in the cop cars and therefore accessible to others to -> abuse, etc. RJ> The easier the cops can bust people without insurance the RJ> lower yours and everybody elses rates will be. Not necessarily... If they Cause an accident without insurance, then fail to pay for the damage caused, and then the claim is turned over to an insurance company, who then settles and pays the claim... THEN the cost would eventually be made up through increased rates. Having to add new systems to police vehicles, and staffing to collect and maintain the data, to control a minute amount of this possibility would also be paid for by taxes... Possibly more expensive to police, and perhaps requiring more officers to handle it in addition to more important crimes of violence, rather than a chance of all the above scenario happening. Knowing your car would be confiscated for a violation would cause a small percentage to attempt evasion. Now we do have a crime, and lives at stake. I'd rather the officers be responding to emergencies, and stopping obvious threats to others safety. If he finds other infractions at the time, they can be handled on these who are more likely to be the cause of an accident. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00016 Date: 01/14/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 04:19pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: IMSA Schedule IMSA (formerly Professional SportsCar, formerly IMSA) has announced their 1998 schedule. How this conflicts with the USRRC (who's board of directors include the big-wigs at Mid-Ohio, Road Atlanta/Sebring, and Laguna Seca) remains to be seen: World Sportscar March 21-22, Sebring 12 Hour April 17-19, Las Vegas April 24-26, Houston May 16-17, Mosport May 23-25, Lime Rock Park June 12-14, Mid-Ohio June 20-21, Road Atlanta September 18-20, Sebring October 2-4, Road Atlanta October 17-18, TBA (USA FIA GT) October 24-25, Laguna Seca SPEEDVISION Cup 1998 Schedule March 18-22, Sebring 12 Hour April 17-19, Las Vegas April 24-26, Houston May 15-17, Mosport June 12-14, TBA June 19-21, Road Atlanta August 21-23, TBA August 28-30, Mosport September 18-20, Sebring October 2-4, Road Atlanta It also appear that CAN-AM racing has returned: The following is a summary of today's article headlines from the moderated rec.autos.sport.info newsgroup: CAN-AM/USRRC-GT: Daytona testing report 98-01-10 CAN-AM/USRRC-GT: Daytona testing top times 98-01-11 USRRC: Panoz selected to the USRRC board You can also retrieve the current as well as past articles on the World Wide Web; point your web browser to http://www.motorsport.com/ for the index of available articles. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 246 AUTOMOTIVE Ref: F1K00017 Date: 01/14/98 From: ALAN MORRISON Time: 04:41pm \/To: ALL (Read 0 times) Subj: Viper/Vette Shootout Viper vs Vette by Dave Emanuel According to inmates at the Institute of Cliches and Inanity, "The third time's a charm." So when the snake charmers that are Viper owners showed up at Corvette Fever's third Corvette/Viper Shootout, the Institute's script had them singing and chanting as they finally emerged victorious. However, cliches are often lost on Corvette owners, who routinely seem more enamored with their vehicles than their spouses. When all the tire smoke had evaporated into the muggy Florida atmosphere, the snake charmers were very quiet and it was the Corvette owners who walked away with the knowing look of victory on their faces, the joyous sounds of an internal combustion symphony ringing in their ears. As in the previous shootout, Corvettes dominated and Jim Formato's black '87 roadster (with hard top in place and Howie Cronce at the controls) took top honors for best elapsed time (10.720). Top speed of the event went to John Lingenfelter, who piloted a 1990 ZR-1 to a trap speed of 134.02 miles per hour. The quickest and fastest Viper - and the only one in the 11's - was Gary Lashinsky's 520-cubic inch, Venom 600 roadster. Although the car is equipped with nitrous, Lashinsky claimed the squeeze was off during his 11.437-second, 124.53 mph pass. Events might have turned out differently had Mother Nature cooperated, but on the day for which Corvette Fever's Shootout III was scheduled, the only sunshine to be found was of the liquid variety. Although the prospect of running high powered cars down a wet drag strip conjures up all types of amusing images, intelligence prevailed and the event was postponed until the next day. Unfortunately, a few contestants couldn't stay; had they been able to, the results might have been different. Perhaps the fourth time will be the charm, in which case the Institute will have an invocation for a new cliche (possibly, at the drag strip). Cliches aside, the day began rather ominously for the Viper contingent. The first two cars to roll to the starting line were a 1990 ZR-1 driven by Dave LaForce of Lakeland, FL and a 1996 Viper GTS Venom 600 owned by Bill Thomas of Naples, FL. LaForce recorded a 12.779 elapsed time; Thomas recorded sound effects for fracturing metal. As the light flicked green, his Viper jumped, shuddered and abruptly stopped after shedding a portion of its driveline. Lashinsky's Viper was the next one to approach the starting line, but the crusader for truth, justice and snakes' rights had the misfortune of pulling up alongside Dale Ashley's 1987 L98-powered Corvette coupe. Ashley's "Silver Bullet" is particularly impressive because it was built at relatively low cost (the operative word here is "relatively") and is a legitimate daily driver. Mike Osucha Racing Engines of Charlotte, NC built the 355 small block which features a TPIS Mini Ram, CNC-ported cylinder heads, TPIS headers and a Mike Osucha camshaft. Naturally aspirated, the "Silver Bullet" rumbles through the quarter-mile in just over 12 seconds. But when the nitrous oxide system is activated, elapsed times drop into the 10s. On his first pass, Ashley stopped the timers in 10.993 seconds - the first 10-second run of the day - while recording a trap speed of 126.36 mph. Lashinsky's marks were 11.650 and 120.59 mph. Driveline shredding again became the order of the day as Ron Misjak of Chicago, IL rolled his 1996 Viper into the staging beams alongside John Lingenfelter in a Georgia-based ZR-1 sporting one of his company's highly massaged LT-5 engines. While Lingenfelter charged to a 10.997 - second ET at a blazing 134.02 mph, Misjak's snake-bitten Viper required 24.716 seconds to trundle only as far as the 330-foot mark. Then, as magically as the previous day's rain had turned to sunshine, the breakage stopped. The next two cars to roll into DeSoto's staging beams were Jim Formato's L98 powered roadster and Ali Dogancay's 1991 ZR-1. Sporting a 421 cubic inch small block, a mechanical roller cam, MiniRam intake manifold, 700R-4 transmission with 10" torque converter and a speed shop full of high performance equipment, the black roadster blasted out the quickest time thus far - 10.735 seconds with a trap speed of 127.82 mph. Dogancay's lightly modified ZR-1 (headers, 4.09 rear end gears, cat-back exhaust system and custom PROM) was no match at 12.796 and 113.09 miles per hour. The thought of Corvettes running against Corvettes and one Viper lining up against another may seem a bit confusing, given that this was a Corvette/Viper shootout. But the ET and MPH clocks constituted the only competition, so the name plate found in each lane was of little significance, save for some ego soothing and bruising grudge matches, and some good old fun humiliating opponents, worthy and otherwise. As the day progressed, car owners tuned and experimented, attempting to improve on previous performances. Most were successful, and in the process, it became patently obvious that building horsepower is far less of a challenge than building reliability. Mike McKenzie of Savage Performance is a case in point. McKenzie had lashed together a Vortech blown 383-cubic inch LT1 and installed it in a 1992 coupe. On McKenzie's chassis dyno, the beast reportedly made something in the vicinity of 500 rear wheel horsepower, a claim to which its raspy exhaust note lent credence. While mortals find such horsepower figures awe-inspiring, transmissions find them obscene. In protest, the car's tortured 700R-4 first refused to shift, then bled transmission fluid on the ground, leaving McKenzie with little for his efforts besides a long tow back to North Carolina. Other more fortunate participants were Chris Petris of the Corvette Clinic (Sanford, FL) with a Vortech-blown, nitrous assisted LT1 (12.188, 115.11); Roger Vinci with a 1995 ZR-1 (12.248, 114.75); Star Scott with a 1994 ZR-1 (12.344, 116.92) and Rich Mendez in a Vortech-blown '92 LT1 (12.900, 110.32). A number of Vipers also turned in credible performances. Ivan Ho's stock 1996 GTS cranked off a 12.167 elapsed time at a speed of 117.50 mph; Fernando Cuellar stopped the timers in 12.253 seconds and 118.53 mph; Henry Hinman, in a 1996 GTS carded a 12.356 ET at 116.64 mph; and Jeff McKee in a 1996 roadster recorded a 12.398 at 113.82 miles per hour. For purposes of fairness and bragging rights, cars participating in this shootout were grouped into three categories - naturally aspirated, supercharged and nitrous oxide-assisted. Corvettes came out on top in all cases. With its 10.720 ET, Formato's car was the quickest naturally aspirated and overall; Dale Ashley took the nitrous-assisted category and his 10.818 ET placed him second overall; Rich Mendez had the quickest of the supercharged cars. For a complete version of this story in print, look for Corvette Fever on your local newsstand. --- Blue Wave/386 v2.20 [NR] * Origin: River Canyon Rd. BBS Chattanooga, Tn (1:362/627)