About miata93

miata93 · ‎28-03-2022

I took it to mean driving with two hands on the wheel and two thumbs on the iPhone while sporting a BMW badge.

miata93 · ‎21-03-2022

From my Uncle Irv who was a transmission engineer for General Motors: You have to understand the difference between "bread" and "gravy". Always give a problem at least 2 weeks to resolve if you can.

miata93 · ‎21-03-2022

It's about time that there be standardization in EV engineering the same way there is standardization in most consumer products. Electric lighting in a house is not a hard sell because anyone can go down to a store and buy a standard base light bulb and replace it themselves. EV battery technology should be the same way with easily accessible "plug and play" replaceable cells for batteries that are self diagnosing. The technology for this exists today but no manufacturer has the guts to give up their proprietary stance regarding repair and maintenance. Ironically, whoever would do so could probably corner the market in vehicles much like Ford did with the simplicity and high volume of the model T.

miata93 · ‎21-03-2022

Re: SNL, Nice floor mats Mr. Iacocca !!

miata93 · ‎09-03-2022

It was St. Joe's in Pontiac, just south of the loop at the end of Woodward Avenue. As a student I also served at Wayne County General and Henry Ford Hospital. All were excellent in their delivery of health care and would have made the Russian envoy envious.

miata93 · ‎08-03-2022

So how long will it be before you can take delivery on the Ford and flip it to Carvana? Flipping the GMC might still give you the better spread. Your reference to Mig Pilot is genuine: I can remember when I did an "externship" for several months at a hospital just north of Detroit in the suburbs, not far from "Wide Track Boulevard". This was in the late 70's and the hospital was being visited by an envoy with other people from Russia. After a tour of the facilities that included the patients' rooms and ICU they said, "That was all very nice but please show us where the average person, the "proletariats" receive their healthcare." We don't notice the malaise producing bureaucracy as much today because it all simply gets bundled into the prevailing COVID fatigue. It is much easier to blame a microbe than for people to take responsibility for unsustainable strategies.

miata93 · ‎28-02-2022

I recall Dennis Weaver's car being a slant six with the oil light flashing. The semi-trailer was a tanker that was empty.

miata93 · ‎25-02-2022

Maybe I need new reading glasses, but when I saw the emblem behind the fake exhaust that says "Barrister" I thought it said "Pornstar".

miata93 · ‎23-02-2022

The Anatomica Long version of the MoMo would be my choice in that. I like the idea of the Milan front clip.

miata93 · ‎22-02-2022

Just get a MoMo shifter knob. I know that they seem expensive, but they are sooo nice.

miata93 · ‎22-02-2022

That airbox with the valves appears to be some kind of ram-air manifold that is tunable "on the fly". I hope that this technology will find its way into the DIY and tuner aftermarket.

miata93 · ‎22-02-2022

My guess is that the location of the injectors was an accessibility issue. When you look closely at the cutaway photo showing the intake valve, the injector appears to shoot the fuel across the combustion chamber toward the intake valve stem.

miata93 · ‎22-02-2022

I would be concerned also, especially if they have trouble figuring out service on an earlier less complicated model. My guess is that any head work like cams, valves etc. would just have to be shipped back to Bowling Green KY.

miata93 · ‎22-02-2022

I hope that one can change the serpentine belt without having to pull the engine.

miata93 · ‎22-02-2022

Jack, You are overthinking this. Just post it on BaT. Set your own reserve, with the addition of your provenance it will be a record breaker. Be sure to include a full size cardboard poster of Don Johnson wearing a white Armani suit in the promo photos. You can't lose. Just for kicks get a quote from Carvana. It will drive their algorithm nuts and it might trigger some really outrageous astronomical result.

miata93 · ‎17-02-2022

DeLorme® Atlas & Gazetteer The best !!

miata93 · ‎17-02-2022

A good convertible is one the you love driving with the top down. A GREAT convertible is one that you hate driving when the top is up. It is not fatiguing to me to drive a car if the car is engaging to drive and has good road feel. I drove the circle route around Lake Michigan with the top down. The Mackinac Bridge was awesome. When I drove from Mid Iowa to the Chicago suburbs along the Lincoln Highway (US 30), I must have seen only a dozen other cars and trucks on most parts of the road.

miata93 · ‎17-02-2022

The people that laugh probably feel left out and are envious.

miata93 · ‎12-02-2022

Jack, It seems as though Mazda was able to stretch the redline in the Miata ND engines from 6800 to 7500 without changing the bore/stroke ratio. Maybe it's due to exploiting electronic tuning and direct injection. We recently purchased the Mazda3 Turbo. It is more fun and less expensive than our rotor eating Audi A6 2.7T ever was. It lets us stay away from the distracted and the people who don't understand simple Newtonian physics. The engine also sounds great when you open it up. The next and perhaps last iteration of the ICE will have solenoid activated valves which will let you go from a 2 stroke for acceleration down to a 4 stroke 2 cylinder for cruising. As far as the present trend of long stroke "truck engines" in hatches and sedans is concerned, the adage is "HP wins at Bonneville; torque wins at the track."

miata93 · ‎12-02-2022

I did a simulator race for a club event. It seemed so realistic that when the car stopped I thought for a second, "Oh s***, now I have to walk back to the pits".

miata93 · ‎11-02-2022

"you matched the cam to where you wanted the power to be" As well as the rear end gearing.

miata93 · ‎02-02-2022

Whenever I mentioned the Rambler to other people that have owned one they got this glassy eyed look on their face and said, "Oh yeah, the fold down seats...." LOL

miata93 · ‎01-02-2022

I should add that the nitrile on the Firm Grip gloves is only on the business end so the sweat does not become a problem.

miata93 · ‎01-02-2022

I worked with a guy that would test for vacuum leaks with a lit Camel cigarette.

miata93 · ‎01-02-2022

I have had good luck with the black and yellow Firm Grip nitrile dipped gloves available at Home Depot for just over $1 a pair. Although they are sold as disposable, I get many uses out of them by throwing them in the washer on the warm cycle then air dry. They are good until something like Permatex or epoxy stains them or when the elasticity of the nylon webbing wears out from repeated washings. The Grease Monkey gloves seem to be the closest thing to them that are available on Amazon, but I have yet to try them. The old mechanics' trick that I use when I can't use gloves is to saturate my hands with Vaseline and then wipe it off before I start working. That way the Vaseline which is clean occupies the minute spaces where the dirty grease would get in. Cleanup is much easier. Dirty grease will always find a place to settle in dry perfectly clean hands. My Dad would always tell me that the secret to clean fingernails is to keep them short and wash your hair. Sage advice.

miata93 · ‎01-02-2022

Thank you for posting this story! This was my grandpa's car; only his had an aqua blue interior, 6 cylinders and a manual 3-speed. He was a big Detroit Tigers fan and always kept a stuffed tiger on the back ledge. Good memories.

miata93 · ‎31-01-2022

It's great to see someone with this much automotive knowledge and enthusiasm at age 17. For extra credit he should take Jack Baruth on a test drive.

miata93 · ‎31-01-2022

The Saturn in your collection does not surprise me at all. I bought a 1996 SC1 when my kids were in their teens to function as their car. The amount of engineering that went into Saturns was greatly unappreciated. Want traction control? Just add a few lines of code to the ABS module. Enduraflex body panels saved the car from several fender benders as well as trees falling on the car during two separate storms. As evidenced from the samples that I scavenged at the local boneyard, those plastic body panels were supported by an egg shaped metal subframe that protected the occupants in a crash. The transmission even had a spin on canister filter for easy maintenance. It got 38 mpg on the freeway keeping up with traffic. Why can't they make cars like this anymore? It was fun, safe, easy to fix and I miss it.

miata93 · ‎31-01-2022

Close to $100K for a Jeep? No, thanks. I really enjoyed my 2004 Lincoln Aviator back in the day. It came with a Cobra engine and a tuned suspension, but also a long list of TSBs with at least one that should have been a recall. I am more of a value buyer now. It will be interesting to see what kind of TSBs are generated by these vehicles considering their complexity and the history of reliability in their lesser appointed relatives.

miata93 · ‎27-01-2022

I'm laughing already.

miata93 · ‎27-01-2022

This electric car thing will persist until the government declassifies the information on the 100mpg carburetor which has existed for decades.

miata93 · ‎27-01-2022

When I was in college I envied people with Mavericks. I could only afford a beater '65 AMC Rambler.

miata93 · ‎27-01-2022

The only way that anyone will see cars other than white, black or silver is if they are ordered by customers from the factory. Other colors are considered to be too risky for dealers to order for their inventory.

miata93 · ‎27-01-2022

Right on. If you don't have chips for it, you ain't building it.

miata93 · ‎27-01-2022

The Lincoln-badged version of the Maverick should have a name that embodies the "dawn" of a new era in trucks and boldly expresses the remarkable legacy of the 2002 Lincoln Blackwood. That's right. The Lincoln Morningwood

miata93 · ‎20-01-2022

The autocrossers in the Windy City Miata Club rented the proving ground once for a driving school event. This was back around 2000. We were not allowed to drive on any of the real cool parts though.

miata93 · ‎20-01-2022

"hydrogen holds more appeal there because of constraints on electricity production"... Hydrogen is only made available in large quantities from the process of electrolysis. The only advantage of using hydrogen as a fuel is that the only products of its combustion are heat and water vapor. It eliminates the hydrocarbons and CO2 from being the problems that they are in other internal combustion engines that use gasoline or oil for fuel. There is no advantage otherwise. Electrical energy is just being stored as hydrogen. The electricity still has to be produced first.

miata93 · ‎19-01-2022

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't AMC also have facilities near Kenosha WI that included a large proving ground?

miata93 · ‎13-01-2022

This vehicle makes a lot more sense than a crossover that has a 3rd seat row that never gets used.

miata93 · ‎13-01-2022

For a traditional pickup I would agree, but it seems that they are going after a broader market than that. F-100 just seems too commercial when they are pursuing people that would not have considered a pickup previously. Especially when you consider the predominance of F-150's on the road today.

miata93 · ‎13-01-2022

If they made a hybrid AWD version that could tow 3500#, I would consider it.

miata93 · ‎13-01-2022

Thanks Vermillion ! LOL

miata93 · ‎06-01-2022

Jack, I think that you hit the nail on the head. It was the proprietary nature of Apple products that spurred the development of open source and open architecture PC products that competed with Apple. An entire industry of modular and less expensive computer components and software was developed because of Apple's insular "plug and play" approach. Now that CAFE standards and manufacturer ambivalence have weakened brand recognition and loyalty there is a strong case for a modular and interoperable approach to auto making. The key to it will be standardized and interchangeable components such as motors, transmissions, battery packs, inverters etc. Each component should have standards that ensure interoperability with each other much like the Dell and HP computer components have. Costs will be contained by the competition among the various component manufacturers. It is conceivable that even smaller manufacturers of cars and trucks could still jump through the bureaucratic regulatory hoops and still be profitable. With modular construction and standardization cars could again be less expensive, repairable at home and more sustainable. The next generation of hot rodders could probably be coders.

miata93 · ‎04-01-2022

Thanks, it makes more sense now. Congratulations for tackling such a huge project. Be careful out there.

miata93 · ‎01-01-2022

A 1977 Lincoln Versailles with velour interior.

miata93 · ‎31-12-2021

Here is an article to which you refer: https://www.hagerty.com/media/hagerty-community/rides-from-the-readers-1962-studebaker-gt-hawk/ Re: 20-year-old Jake R. Kaywell

miata93 · ‎31-12-2021

Now the turnover in so called bone-yards is to rapid for hobbyists. They get them, strip them and then shred them right away.

miata93 · ‎31-12-2021

On the other hand, maybe you could teach him something.

miata93 · ‎29-12-2021

Sajeev, could you please explain why there would be more play in the 20.5mm ball joints than the 19.5 mm ball joints? Intuitively it does not seem to make sense. Were the 20.5 ball joints defective and loose to begin with when they were installed? To me this sounds like the type of accident made noteworthy by the 911T. Inexperienced driver loosens rear end when turbo lag ends, driver lifts throttle or applies brakes worsening traction and swaps ends. Rear weight and moment of inertia contribute to problem. If the rear alignment had toe-out present it might be unstable to begin with. This is potentially a sub 4 second 0 to 60 car he was playing with. Those images of twisted DOM tubing and jagged edges will stay in my memory for a while. Thankfully, the driver will be alright.

miata93 · ‎29-12-2021

I recently bought a Mazda 3 Turbo. I call it my poor man's Audi A6. I went to the Mazda 3 owners forum website and was disappointed. I expected to find all of these excited owners of new Mazda 3s. Instead 90% of the postings were about how to keep 12 year old beaters on the road. When I thought about it, I said hey this might not be so bad.