4/17/08

I know I said I wouldn’t talk about Barbara/Eddie until George was done but Gregg has been talking about how we ought to build the V8 for it and I feel the need to share. We’re thinking about using a 283 crank in a 350 block to make a 302 Trans Am engine for it. A 3” stroke in a 4” bore comes out to 302 cubic inches by the way. A 305 block, according to Wikipedia, has a 3.67” bore but my calculations say it should be more in the 3.73” range. So, using a Wikipedia 305 block with a 283’s 3” stroke, I'd have a 254 cubic inch, 8,000 RPM sum-bitch. Substitute my calculated bore and we’d get a 262 cubic inch buzz-bomb! Yoinks! Hey, 254 cubic inches comes out to just almost exactly three times the stock displacement of a B-210 engine. Of course a 262 is close enough for gubment work so perhaps a 305 block with a 283 crank are the way to go. Then again, that cam and intake are going to be “rumpety” as hell on that small an engine. It might not even idle below 1,500 RPM. Tee hee. Gregg also has me rethinking the Powerglide. A T-5 five-speed sure would be cool in there. It would also be in keeping with my “I won’t own an automatic” stance. Then again, that car is going to be a handful to drive, even without stirring your own gears. We’ll see. I guess I should drop back to a “first things first” stance and not make any plans until I have a block and crank in hand. Ok, so the actual “first thing” would be to finish George, then the Chickenhawk, and then Johnny before thinking about this. But we all know that ain’t the way it’s going to be. Oh man, I just had an emergency Shaq Attack! It was unpleasant to say the least. I'm afeared I might be developing lactose intolerance. I knew as soon as they put Tres Leches Cake on the menu in the Employee Center Cafeteria I would. Dang but that is some good cake. I might just have to move my office to a stall in one of the bathrooms because I'm going to eat that cake. TLC is a pound cake soaked in sweetened condensed and evaporated milk then topped with whipped cream, thus the three milks or “tres leches.” Ok, so it sounds gross but it is damned tasty. Of course, in addition to the intestinal discomfort, it has made me very sleepy and listless. Seriously, I am totally without a single list. And on that pun, I think I'm going to call it a rant. Sorry it was so short today.