Saw a car with yellow headlights last night on I80.
It was a Porsche 911, the kind with a whale tail spoiler.
It passed me and I saw it again in Iowa City pulled over by a cop. I wondered if he was going too fast or if it was because of his yellow headlights.
He passed me again later and I thought it would be amusing if I saw him pulled over again, but I didn't.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Really? Me?
I work for a government agency and I work with the public. It's a hectic and action packed day. Customers can amaze you with their stupidity or with their heroism. You see people that are easy to judge harshly, or to pity and many who just simply humble you.
On my way to my car after work, a pretty young woman pushing a baby stroller and walking a little white dog came up to me and said she just wanted to say I was the best employee she ever saw. She said she was often frustrated when she had to come to our office because of the long wait times in line but I was always friendly. Me? Always friendly?
How can you hate your job when people say things like that to you?
On my way to my car after work, a pretty young woman pushing a baby stroller and walking a little white dog came up to me and said she just wanted to say I was the best employee she ever saw. She said she was often frustrated when she had to come to our office because of the long wait times in line but I was always friendly. Me? Always friendly?
How can you hate your job when people say things like that to you?
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Brake Job
I replaced the rear rotors and brake pads on my Mustang today. I even rented the brake caliper tool set from O'Reilly's Auto Parts, which is supposed to make this job a breeze.
I could have taken it in to have it done but the place that did my oil change and pointed out the need for new rear brakes suggested a Brembo kit. Expensive and flashy, and I am not about the looks and I am sure Brembo brakes perfom just fine, so long as they aren't more prone to warping because of the slotting and drilling, but I'm very happy with my plain rotors. And the ceramic pads.
When I look for brake parts for my 08 Bullitt on Tire Rack they suggest Brembo kits. No pad repacements, no rotor replacements. When I ask them for brake stuff for a 08 Mustang GT, they offer me plain rotors and ceramic pads. So I ordered them. I thought I could get the shop to put them in and then I decided, no, I am going to do it. I watched some YouTube videos and read some forum posts. It didn't seem that bad.
So I got the car out, expecting this all to take an hour, maybe two, tops. I put it in first gear, put a brick behind one of the front wheels, and went to work.
The calipers aren't that bad to take off. But the 15 mm bolts holding the caliper bracket on were a bitch to get off. I ended up breaking them open by banging on the wrench with a rubber mallet. Taking the old rotors off is a breeze and putting new ones on is no big deal. The retaining clip had already been removed per the instructions that came with my Kazera wheels I use for autocross.
Now to depress the piston in the caliper. This is necessary because new pads are much thicker than old ones, which is why they are worn out. I didn't think they looks all than worn out, but what do I know? They looked about 5 mm thick and the one YouTube guy said 3 mm is when they should be replaced.
That guy also made using the caliper tool look easy. He just did it with his hands, twirling one part back and then cranking the screw down to push the piston in.
Well, I was a little baffled as to how to assemble the tool, since there is a plate with a hole in it that sits against one side of the calipers while a round thing with two pegs fits into the piston head and a screw pushed the piston in. Everything is on YouTube and I did find a video which showed a guy flipping the T handle to one side and putting the plate on over that end.
It was hellishly hard to turn the piston. The man in that video must have had super human strength, which I do not. I did manage to find leverage against the hub as I rested the caliper on top of a jack stand and slowly get the piston to turn in. If you don't turn it in far enough, you can't get it over the new brake pads. It has to be lined up just so, to fit over a notch on the pad. It really hurt my hand to push on that T handle.
I pumped the brakes back up after getting everything back together and put away. I went for a ride. The car moved, the brakes worked, first at slow speeds and then stopping from 30 and then 40 mph. There was a high pitched noise that seemed to go away after pulling away from a stop sign, so I guess I'll have to watch for that.
So I did a very butch thing of working on my car. It took five hours. Mechanics earn every cent they get and they also have nice power tools to make taking bolts off a lot easier. I am exhausted and my hands hurt. I'm still a little worried about whether the job will hold up and should at least have the torque on the bolts checked. I want to get the OEM rotors machined and get some OEM pads to put back on with them.
And I'll have a shop change them back.
I could have taken it in to have it done but the place that did my oil change and pointed out the need for new rear brakes suggested a Brembo kit. Expensive and flashy, and I am not about the looks and I am sure Brembo brakes perfom just fine, so long as they aren't more prone to warping because of the slotting and drilling, but I'm very happy with my plain rotors. And the ceramic pads.
When I look for brake parts for my 08 Bullitt on Tire Rack they suggest Brembo kits. No pad repacements, no rotor replacements. When I ask them for brake stuff for a 08 Mustang GT, they offer me plain rotors and ceramic pads. So I ordered them. I thought I could get the shop to put them in and then I decided, no, I am going to do it. I watched some YouTube videos and read some forum posts. It didn't seem that bad.
So I got the car out, expecting this all to take an hour, maybe two, tops. I put it in first gear, put a brick behind one of the front wheels, and went to work.
The calipers aren't that bad to take off. But the 15 mm bolts holding the caliper bracket on were a bitch to get off. I ended up breaking them open by banging on the wrench with a rubber mallet. Taking the old rotors off is a breeze and putting new ones on is no big deal. The retaining clip had already been removed per the instructions that came with my Kazera wheels I use for autocross.
Now to depress the piston in the caliper. This is necessary because new pads are much thicker than old ones, which is why they are worn out. I didn't think they looks all than worn out, but what do I know? They looked about 5 mm thick and the one YouTube guy said 3 mm is when they should be replaced.
That guy also made using the caliper tool look easy. He just did it with his hands, twirling one part back and then cranking the screw down to push the piston in.
Well, I was a little baffled as to how to assemble the tool, since there is a plate with a hole in it that sits against one side of the calipers while a round thing with two pegs fits into the piston head and a screw pushed the piston in. Everything is on YouTube and I did find a video which showed a guy flipping the T handle to one side and putting the plate on over that end.
It was hellishly hard to turn the piston. The man in that video must have had super human strength, which I do not. I did manage to find leverage against the hub as I rested the caliper on top of a jack stand and slowly get the piston to turn in. If you don't turn it in far enough, you can't get it over the new brake pads. It has to be lined up just so, to fit over a notch on the pad. It really hurt my hand to push on that T handle.
I pumped the brakes back up after getting everything back together and put away. I went for a ride. The car moved, the brakes worked, first at slow speeds and then stopping from 30 and then 40 mph. There was a high pitched noise that seemed to go away after pulling away from a stop sign, so I guess I'll have to watch for that.
So I did a very butch thing of working on my car. It took five hours. Mechanics earn every cent they get and they also have nice power tools to make taking bolts off a lot easier. I am exhausted and my hands hurt. I'm still a little worried about whether the job will hold up and should at least have the torque on the bolts checked. I want to get the OEM rotors machined and get some OEM pads to put back on with them.
And I'll have a shop change them back.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Brake pads and rotors
When I got my first Mustang at age 50, a blue V6 with Pony package, I told myself I just wanted a nice car, I didn't want to race. Then I went to the local race track and watched some drag racing. Then I went back and raced. That was all it took. There I'd be every Friday night or Sunday afternoon I could get to the drag races for my adrenalin fix.
Soon I realized that I really needed a V8 if I was going to be serious about racing. And I had become as serious as a heart attack about it. I traded the pretty blue Pony car for sinister looking black GT.
I hadn't grown up around car people so things like changing oil and tires were beyond me. I was flummoxed by just checking tire pressure, I didn't know if I could trust a tire pressure gage's reading and I thought I was just letting the air out of the tire trying to check it. I learned to go way outside my usual comfort zone to do these things anyway either by researching them on the internet or from the people around me at events. I bought drag radials for the rears and changing those out became my pre-race ritual.
I got involved in autocrossing and attended a couple of track day weekends. I always enjoy driving these events, even if I am disappointed in how I do compared to other people.
I indulged myself in these automotive pursuits because I am getting older and haven't really lived all that much. I really feel alive when I do this. As my employment situation becomes more precarious, I know I may have to give it up abruptly. I wouldn't be able to afford $5/gallon gasoline if I lost my job tomorrow and I am not saving that well for retirement with the money I've spent on the Mustang. I've told myself this is the last summer I will do this, my last muscle car summer but every time I drive that car I tell myself, no, just keep going, don't sell/trade it. Hang on as long as possible.
When I got my summer tires mounted, the shop said my rear rotors and pads were close to needing replacing. I've ordered rotors and pads from Tire Rack and will install them myself. I'm studying YouTube videos now and last year, someone from my car club let me help him change his brake pads. I have a couple of weeks off before there are any events until the middle of May.
Soon I realized that I really needed a V8 if I was going to be serious about racing. And I had become as serious as a heart attack about it. I traded the pretty blue Pony car for sinister looking black GT.
I hadn't grown up around car people so things like changing oil and tires were beyond me. I was flummoxed by just checking tire pressure, I didn't know if I could trust a tire pressure gage's reading and I thought I was just letting the air out of the tire trying to check it. I learned to go way outside my usual comfort zone to do these things anyway either by researching them on the internet or from the people around me at events. I bought drag radials for the rears and changing those out became my pre-race ritual.
I got involved in autocrossing and attended a couple of track day weekends. I always enjoy driving these events, even if I am disappointed in how I do compared to other people.
I indulged myself in these automotive pursuits because I am getting older and haven't really lived all that much. I really feel alive when I do this. As my employment situation becomes more precarious, I know I may have to give it up abruptly. I wouldn't be able to afford $5/gallon gasoline if I lost my job tomorrow and I am not saving that well for retirement with the money I've spent on the Mustang. I've told myself this is the last summer I will do this, my last muscle car summer but every time I drive that car I tell myself, no, just keep going, don't sell/trade it. Hang on as long as possible.
When I got my summer tires mounted, the shop said my rear rotors and pads were close to needing replacing. I've ordered rotors and pads from Tire Rack and will install them myself. I'm studying YouTube videos now and last year, someone from my car club let me help him change his brake pads. I have a couple of weeks off before there are any events until the middle of May.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Toyota MR2 Spyder
The guy with the Spyder stopped by and parked outside where I could see him and when I waited on him he mentioned he had dropped the price again. The car is beautiful, like a mini Porsche. I've never seen one at our autocrosses, so it would be unique, most likely.
Tonight I have to go to Mustang Club. Wouldn't it be a bitch if I ditched the Mustang now and didn't renew my membership? Yeah, I'm the treasurer, no I don't have a Mustang and I'm not even a member. Hee hee.
Tonight I have to go to Mustang Club. Wouldn't it be a bitch if I ditched the Mustang now and didn't renew my membership? Yeah, I'm the treasurer, no I don't have a Mustang and I'm not even a member. Hee hee.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Uh Oh
Ex complains I never call her. Wants to share a room in Little Rock. Used to get after me all the time, am I seeing somebody, have I had any dates?
I lied, said no. Everybody else is so circumspect, so I am too. Oh, no, nothing's going on, we're just hanging out.
I told her I spend a lot of time on the phone (required for LDR's) but if I wasn't involved in October, we could totally share a room. But what if I am involved by then? Do I have what it takes to be monogamous? I kind of doubt it. I don't expect anything from anybody when I'm not around, so why should they expect anything from me?
And I'm happy to tell you what my problem is: I still have it hard for a married woman. Or maybe a couple of them. Because if I got with them, I'd be off the hook for most of the relationship stuff. Because they'll never leave their husbands and I'd be kind of freaked out if they did for me. Because I just want these few intense moments and then walk away. I don't want to connect and I don't believe anyone will really love me, because I'm don't believe love is a real thing.
In The Once and Future King, a fish tells young King Arthur: "Love is a trick played on us by the forces of evolution. Pleasure is the bait laid down by the same. There is only power. Power is of the individual mind, but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end, and only Might is Right."
When I read that as a youngster, I felt the sucker punch of a great truth. I felt the horror of not being a man, not being powerful and of not being able to fully participate in life. I would never be Mighty and I would never be Right.
Until I found the butch-femme people and BDSM and learned there were beautiful, feminine women who were all too happy to make me feel Mighty and Right.
I lied, said no. Everybody else is so circumspect, so I am too. Oh, no, nothing's going on, we're just hanging out.
I told her I spend a lot of time on the phone (required for LDR's) but if I wasn't involved in October, we could totally share a room. But what if I am involved by then? Do I have what it takes to be monogamous? I kind of doubt it. I don't expect anything from anybody when I'm not around, so why should they expect anything from me?
And I'm happy to tell you what my problem is: I still have it hard for a married woman. Or maybe a couple of them. Because if I got with them, I'd be off the hook for most of the relationship stuff. Because they'll never leave their husbands and I'd be kind of freaked out if they did for me. Because I just want these few intense moments and then walk away. I don't want to connect and I don't believe anyone will really love me, because I'm don't believe love is a real thing.
In The Once and Future King, a fish tells young King Arthur: "Love is a trick played on us by the forces of evolution. Pleasure is the bait laid down by the same. There is only power. Power is of the individual mind, but the mind's power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end, and only Might is Right."
When I read that as a youngster, I felt the sucker punch of a great truth. I felt the horror of not being a man, not being powerful and of not being able to fully participate in life. I would never be Mighty and I would never be Right.
Until I found the butch-femme people and BDSM and learned there were beautiful, feminine women who were all too happy to make me feel Mighty and Right.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Does it have to be the last?
As I changed my wheels this morning and admired my sleek black car in the sun, I thought to myself, "I am NOT trading off this car." The offer to buy the other car has probably evaporated, so things will probably stay as they are for now.
I guess I forgot through the long bitter winter how much fun I have with that car. Sometimes I get new car fever and search the inventories of local dealers. But I remind myself that any new car will probably have some drawback that will make it less fun. The new Mustangs are harder to drive, Sam Strano said so. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a car he won a championship in.
I may not be the fastest with my "get it in second and leave it there" strategy, but I doubt I would do much better rowing back and forth through the gears on a six speed.
I still have a longing for a convertible, and if I got an automatic, I probably wouldn't want to try to race it. I'd like to have the new Mustang because the engine gets much better mileage. I guess I could wait on that until next year when maybe I could find a 2011 for a little cheaper than they are now.
I hope the weather is nice in October since I guess I'll be driving my current Mustang to Little Rock. I've been caught in snow in it before, so it's not the worst thing in the world.
If they still had drag racing at our local speedway, I'd probably still be doing that and would have jumped all over that Shelby at our local dealer. I'd have drained my bank account and still had payments. Guess I'm lucky they did quit them.
I guess I forgot through the long bitter winter how much fun I have with that car. Sometimes I get new car fever and search the inventories of local dealers. But I remind myself that any new car will probably have some drawback that will make it less fun. The new Mustangs are harder to drive, Sam Strano said so. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a car he won a championship in.
I may not be the fastest with my "get it in second and leave it there" strategy, but I doubt I would do much better rowing back and forth through the gears on a six speed.
I still have a longing for a convertible, and if I got an automatic, I probably wouldn't want to try to race it. I'd like to have the new Mustang because the engine gets much better mileage. I guess I could wait on that until next year when maybe I could find a 2011 for a little cheaper than they are now.
I hope the weather is nice in October since I guess I'll be driving my current Mustang to Little Rock. I've been caught in snow in it before, so it's not the worst thing in the world.
If they still had drag racing at our local speedway, I'd probably still be doing that and would have jumped all over that Shelby at our local dealer. I'd have drained my bank account and still had payments. Guess I'm lucky they did quit them.
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