1/4/07

I thought I had something to say but it turns out I really don’t. I'm going to muddle through though. I installed the armrest thingy in Matilda last night. It involved sixteen screwings of twelve screws to install. The worst part was dropping each screw as I was trying to get it started due to (tee hee, I said doo-doo) the fact that I didn’t have a magnetic screwdriver. I'll have a better assessment of its performance soon as I've only driven with it once so far. It sits just a tad too low for me to truly rest my arm on it and it does block the little cubby where I used to stash Petey, my PDA, while driving. I think it will be a net plus in the long run though. We’ll see. I found a set of headlights for Matilda on e-Bay and put in a bid. If I win them I'll order a set of black “Altezza” taillights. John suggested painting the insides of the lights, front and rear, body color rather than black. I think it would look tits. We’ll need to get some pictures and do some Photoshop work on them to see. Have I mentioned how much I really like that car? Well, I do. I'm thinking about yet another zorst for it though. I'm just about ready to commit to something louder and more rorty. I wonder what removing the center muffler would do. I know the glass pack in place of the rear was too loud and buzzy. I may have to drop some more coin on Steve/John soon. I also wish someone would hurry up and come out with a cold air package for it. That’s the problem with being the first to own a new model I guess. I have to wait for the after market to catch up. What’s really going to cause me to do some head scratching is when someone comes out with a turbo or supercharger package for it! Hoo baby! I recall mentioning that I'm thinking about mounting the fuel pump under George's hood rather than out back someplace. The more I think about it the more I think it will work. See if you can follow my logic, such that it is. The stock mechanical pump was on the engine. The existing pipe either had sufficient siphon or it had sufficient head to keep that fed. If I mount the electric pump no higher than where the stock pump was it should have plenty of fuel supply. I've also been worried about deadheading that pump with the pressure regulator. Thing is, the regulator I bought is exactly the same as the one that Summit sells in the kit with that pump. That tells me deadheading isn’t an issue. My plan is now to mount the regulator directly to the outlet of the pump, block the extra outlet of the regulator, and plumb the other to the carburetor. Adjusting the pressure might prove to be a pain in the ass but Juan should only have to do that once. Another advantage to mounting the pump in the engine bay is I can tap a signal to the fuel pump relay right off of the hot lead to the coil and MSD box as they’ll all be right there together. I'm too smart sometimes. Of course mounting it in the rear moves that much weight over the rear tires. Not that it is all that much weight, mind you, but it is some. No, I think moving the battery will be enough for this car. Have I mentioned I'm moving the battery to the trunk? Well, I am. I'm going to hang it right out as far back and to the right as I can. Of course the place I want to mount it is right above that access plate for the fuel filler hose. That may cause a problem. We’ll see. Oh yeah, I remember that I mounted the fuel pump in the Chickenhawk to the bottom of that access panel when I built that car. I think I mounted it to the rear of the fender on Gil though. Consistency is my middle name, but I'm off to the courthouse to have that changed. Anyhoo, I really need to drop that radiator off to have it fixed soon. I also need an alternator. Oh, a good kick in the ass would probably help as well. Ok, am I going to install the 4.10 rear end? I really don’t see me making any long trips in this car and the lower gear will really help acceleration. But the other axle is already in there and it will throw off the speedometer. I've got to bleed the brakes either way, so that usual argument can be thrown out. I'd have to figure out a way to slow down the water pump to prevent cavitation. I think the drive shaft issue is a wash, as I do believe that 4.10 has the small flange like a regular 1200 axle. In fact, I think it is a regular 1200 axle with a 4.10 ring and pinion. Well, I'm not going to make that decision here and now. We’ll hash it out at the shop when the time comes. I think I've ranted enough for today. Buh bye.