Smokey Yunick

One of my heroes is Smokey Yunick, a brilliant innovator, inventor and racer. Some say he is the biggest cheater ever. I just read something where Smokey explains what he considers cheating, and he puts it in a way that has evaded me for quite some time. I hate cheaters, but I love people who imagine a new way of doing something. Here's how Smokey sees the difference between the 2.

"All along, NASCAR could have gotten me to "behave" by writing rules without ambiguities because I refused to cheat. There was no craft or fun in that. Whenever a rule appeared outlawing something, I instantly gave it up."

That's how I see it too, I would never do anything that is against the rules, but finding things no one else ever thought of is the best part of racing/car building.
 Here's the article, and if you like it, look for the book about Smokey. The man was a genius.
http://www.circletrack.com/ultimateracing/ctrp_0801_smokey_yunick/index.html

Television is a drug

I turn off the cable in the fall after Formula 1 is over because if TV is there, I will turn it on, and then I will waste my time.
This year, I toyed with the idea of not turning it back on because it seemed poor judgement to spend several hundred dollars to watch racing. I gave in though, and had cable installed just in time for the Melbourne Gran Prix.
Oh My God, Formula 1 did not disappoint! Within the first few minutes of practice this morning I learned about some technological  developments that blew my mind.
I love F1.
I am going to make a board on the forum and will explain what they are doing on there.

Beer Reviews

It is going to be a tremendous hardship trying out every new IPA that comes along, but I am willing to take one for the team.
What I consider to be my favorite beer changes all the time, but right now, I have to say that this:

is the best beer ever made. It's not cheap, it comes 4 to a pack instead of 6, but it is fantastic. My only complaint is that it's almost 10% alcohol, so that makes it a little tough to come home, have a beer, and then do work out in the shop. After 1 of these you just want to sit on the couch!
So, my beer rating system will be this: Deadlift is a 10, Bud light is 1. I am not very good at describing the subtle nuances of beer, I just know what I like. I recently tried Alpha Dog IPA, and it is excellent, I would have to give it a 9. If you want to read a review from someone who is very talented at descriptions, go here: www.spocool.com/2011/02/17/alpha-dog-imperial-ipa

Aerodynamics

We had a big blizzard last week, and I was out driving in the worst of it. I could hardly see where the road was, it was cool!
The next day, there were snowdrifts all over the place, and I realized I have an unusual interest in the drifts. I like to see the wind at work, it turns the whole world into a wind tunnel, and the snow is the smoke that helps you visualize it.

Gas Guzzlers

I went to the meeting of the Panhandle Electric Vehicle Association last night.Their website is down, but here’s a link to the nationwide club they are part of:

http://www.electricauto.org/

They were certainly a friendly group of gearheads, and joining would be obligatory for anyone building their own car. I have wanted to make a conversion for a long time, but the last thing I need is another project. I also live so far from where I work at the moment, it’s not quite realistic. They showed the movie “Who killed the electric car”. This is a movie you should definitely see, a perfect example of how cool technology is scrapped for short sighted profits.

French Toast

It will definitely be a while until the book is released now. I made a tactical error in thinking my local publisher/printer would be making my book. It turns out, they don’t want to because “they don’t do cookbooks”. Really, you want to print books by local authors with a local interest, but you still want to put restrictions on what kind of book it is.

So, now I have to learn all about the publishing industry, which is one of those obtuse, quirky professions not based on logic or common sense. Yeah, that ought to be right up my alley.

Some of these guys will only take submissions by e-mail, some absolutely not by e-mail. Some won’t accept submissions at all, you must have an agent first. Most won’t do a cookbook, only typical fiction type works, but I found a few who do. One is a place run by 2 lovely white haired ladies, I don’t think they will get it.
You find the phrase "enough torque to pull the panties off a nun" offensive?
Sorry.
One place requires a minimum of 200 recipes in a cookbook. Really? Mine has half that, and by the time you do all those, you can cook anything. One place is selling a book that is all about French Toast. An entire book about French Toast. Are you freeking kidding me? Here’s all you need to know about French Toast:

Get a shallow bowl, mix up a couple eggs and a little bit of milk in the bowl. Get some regular white bread, preferably a little older and dried out. Toss it in the bowl, and coat both sides with egg mixture. Throw it in a frying pan with some oil, and cook until done, about 3 minutes per side.

Done, 60 words, why would anyone buy an entire book about French Toast?

The Life and Times of Karmann Electra, Part 5

Some assorted details.

Adjustable double Volvo mirrors.

 

 

Adjustable seat brace.

Homemade switch panel with cover over the start and ignition switches.

Serious bracing on the cage.

The tach goes  to 11!

The drivers door latch.