12/10/09

I just want to start by saying it is 0615 h and I've already been here forty five minutes. I'm stuffing a Super Sonic Breakfast Burrito in my face as we speak. OK, so I stopped off at Automotive Machine on the way home from work yesterday. I made a payment on my parts but didn't even ask if I could take any of it with me. I did take a look at some of the stuff and have to say, “Wow!” The ports in the head look awesome. I love how they knife-edged the runner between the numbers two and three exhaust ports. It is really going to be a shame to cover it up with a manifold. No, I didn't take any pictures of it. I'll do that when I actually have it in my hot little hands. The intake ports that they opened up look really cool too. This engine ought to be a real hoot to have in Shichi. I think it will probably flow just like the $1,000.00 cylinder head due to (tee hee, I said doo doo) the slightly larger valves and better intake runner shape from the factory. The $1k head still had a little shrouding left over from the swirl port thingies because of the water jacket. Yes, I predict this engine ought to run like the $1k head on the stock A-15 bottom end right before it lunched the number four piston. Hell, it might even be better since I'll be running a warmer thermostat and we did get a slight bump in displacement. It might not be making the same compression as the $1k head because we only shaved 0.015” from the deck and head combined. I know we took a lot more off of the $1k head. But still, that other combination was quite drivable... until it shat the piston of course. Oh, another thing which is going to be a shame to cover up: the wicked lightweight blue valve spring retainers and red rocker shaft spacers! I wonder how long a clear vacuum formed valve cover would stay clear. Not very, I would imagine. How cool would that be though? You know, until it was stained and leaky from all the hot oil splashing on it. Well, at least Juan should be able to see them through the fill cap when that comes off, if I want to show them off that is. Speaking of valve covers, I need to go buy a couple sets of water pump studs and nuts for that thing. I like having studs in the valve cover to hold the gasket in place. Besides, those silly Phillip’s Head screws the engine comes with are always too short and a real pain in the ass to install. And speaking of pains in the ass, John has cast aspersions on Fifi's gas mileage. How dare he?!?!?!?! OK, so I might be remembering Ms. Clio's mileage as being better than 20, but I thought Fifi was right around there too. I'm certainly going to check when next I fill her up! I'd still bet that even if she’s only getting 17 around town, she’d average 20 on a road trip. Anyhoo, it is now 0800 h and the Bored Meeting is beginning. I've got another three hours to kill in this little phone booth thingy. I stepped out for a moment to talk to “Clip Board John” from telecom. He has to baby sit the Bored Meeting as well, just in case the phone quits working or something. I'm sitting here in case the video projector quits. I've done the secret code to swap projectors before, I think I could finger it out again in a pinch. Thing is, it’ll be with the whole Board of Directors staring at me and Chuck breathing down my neck. I won't be able to relax and think it through. Feh, it’ll be fine. OK, something weird just happened. I thought I'd lost this version of the rant and ranted some more. When I went to close the new rant, I found this one. I liked this one better so I'm going with it. The only thing different about the other one was I went off on “Twin Clutch” transmissions. Here’s the gist: if it only has two pedals and can choose its own gears, it IS an automatic. Automatics are no fun to drive. I will not own an automatic. So, having said all that, I think I'm done for the day.