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Re: What happened here

Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:29 pm
by jondee86
I have spent a lifetime making mistakes and learning from them. I take very little
at face value; what people (companies, governments etc) actually do carries far more
weight with me than what they say (promise) they will do. Politicians in particular have
learned that once they have lied and bribed their into positions of power, they have a
number of years within which they are virtually immune from censure. They sell
themselves to the highest bidder knowing that if trouble blows up their party will
close ranks and protect them from harm.

This is tribalism; where one group within a country obtain a position of power and then
set about destroying any other group within the country that might threaten their
dominant position. This process often involves the massacre or displacement of ethnic
or religious minorities. It represents the breaking down of "civilisation" and a return
to the barbaric behavior that existed in earlier centuries. Tribalism has destroyed the
economies and infrastructure in many African countries, and lead to the massive death
and destruction occurring in the Middle East. It has no redeeming features.

There are many parallels to be drawn from current events. However, I digress :)

In commerce there are certain Holy Grails that every business dreams of achieving.
One is the COST PLUS format. This occurs when one service supplier achieves dominance
in a geographic area. A good example is an electricity supply company that owns a local
network. Consumers are obliged to purchase their electricity from that supplier and as
such become a captive market. The supplier calculates his total cost for generation,
distribution and maintenance, and then adds a percentage for profit. That profit is
guaranteed as consumers have no real choice for their electricity supply. The supplier
can set its profit margin at will unless regulated by a statutory authority.

Another is a MONOPOLY. This applies when one individual or business controls either the
supply or manufacture of a product to a specific market. A monopoly may be absolute
when no other supplier exists, or effective where an alternative supplier exists but for
various reasons they are prevented from obtaining more than a token market share.
Once a company achieves a monopoly, they can set whatever price they choose for a
product without justification. The consumer is left with a simple choice; pay the price
or go without. Without the protection of a statutory authority to ensure that prices are
set at a reasonable level, the consumer can be raped without mercy.

The example of John Deere referenced above is a good example of another type of
business arrangement that is highly profitable to suppliers and disadvantages consumers;
the SERVICE CONTRACT. I once worked for a company that sold, installed and maintained
fire alarm systems. These alarm systems are required by Law for most commercial and
residential buildings. City by-laws mandate that automatic fire alarm systems be tested
monthly and surveyed annually. If is usual for the building owner to enter into a service
contract with the company that installs the alarm system.

In the case of the company that I worked for, selling and installing new alarm systems
generated only 20% of the annual profit. Service contracts generated the other 80%,
demonstrating the benefit of tying the hands of your customers so that they have to
come to you for parts and servicing. Everyone from photocopier sales to phone suppliers,
software companies, ISP's and utility companies are hard out trying to get you to sign
a contract that guarantees them an ongoing income stream.

Automotive dealerships know they are going to get screwed when you go to buy your
new car, but they make it all back by tying you to buying parts and service from the
dealership unless you want to risk voiding your warranty. And let's face it, with the
complexity of new cars these days, trouble shooting and fixing even the smallest issue
is getting beyond the skills of the average DIYer... well this one anyway :D

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2020 10:52 am
by Nick94tt
One of the few nicer things of late is a "right to repair" bill slowly drowning in the deadlocked chambers.

Not surprising, it only benefits actual people. :lol:

Though I believe Tesla was forced to open up availability of it's software to general shops and individuals in the last year or two.

I've got a great big **** Denso waiting though. Seems they're keeping toyota diesels out of the US on purpose jn order to bankrupt domestic competitors. (Toyota uses their individually coded injectors. Like Mercedes, you have to own a special tool and pay licensing. Assuming they'd sell you the tool, lol... $1k/yr to be able to swap an injector. Certain bobcat models (skid steers and bucket loaders) are worthless because they cant be serviced once they hit higher hours. Call Denso with a problem and they literally advise you to ship it to Australia for service :lol:

Toyota would have cleaned house with the 90's Hilux here. Plus the frames didnt turn to dust when you looked at them sideways. :mrgreen:

The moment anyone decided science and fact were "optional" things went downhill quickly.

This isn't the place I expected to be involved in a conversation like this. :lol:

Usually all I get is a racist older neighbor who comes down to cry about socialism while demanding help figuring out where his stimulus check is. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2020 3:29 pm
by jondee86
Part of the problem is that the motor industry is now driven by FASHION. You only
need to take a look at the "auto salons" to see how closely they resemble the annual
fashion salons for designer clothing to understand how this works.

Populations around the world have been brain washed into thinking that they must
have the latest and greatest of everything... tv, phone, sneakers, underwear, shirt,
cat, handbag or car. And to stay in the game automakers have to "refresh" their
models each year with cosmetic changes, just so your neighbors and friends and
people you want to impress know that you have the latest model.

It would not be so bad if cars got better looking, but these days each now model
tries so hard to look different that they are getting really ugly. Ugly like a toad or
the dog throwing up on the carpet. WTF was Tesler thinking with that truck ??

There are very few new cars that I would consider buying even if I had the money
because my taste in cars was developed a long time back. When I looked around for
something to replace my AE86 I bought a 2008 E92 coupe as in my eyes it is one
of the best looking cars built in the last 25 years and the 3-Series set styling trends
that are still influencing a lot of new cars today.

In a civilized world, style, elegance and good manners will never go out of fashion.
Toads grab headlines for a short while but are soon consigned to the trashcan of
history. There is a lesson in there somewhere :D

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2020 3:49 pm
by jondee86
Nick94tt wrote:I've got a great big **** Denso waiting though. Seems they're keeping toyota diesels
out of the US on purpose jn order to bankrupt domestic competitors. (Toyota uses their individually
coded injectors. Like Mercedes, you have to own a special tool and pay licensing. Assuming they'd
sell you the tool, lol... $1k/yr to be able to swap an injector. Certain bobcat models (skid steers and
bucket loaders) are worthless because they cant be serviced once they hit higher hours. Call Denso
with a problem and they literally advise you to ship it to Australia for service :lol:

Yeah... it seems that everything on the BM needs to be coded, even a new battery.
Digging into this it appears that coding is needed because the ECU is monitoring so
many functions, it has to be reset after something is changed to prevent throwing
fault codes. Like the ECU monitors the wheel rotations as part of the stability control
and tire pressure systems. If you re-inflate the tires because the pressure was a bit
low, or fit new tires, you have to re-calibrate to avoid codes.

How I managed to live so long without this s**t I'll never know :roll:

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 12:22 pm
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:WTF was Tesler thinking with that truck ??


Billionaire on acid...

In the end some good may come of it, like the push for country wide charging networks and solar / battery development.

They're just about the right size to develop things AND not horde them to protect their own margins.

jondee86 wrote:There are very few new cars that I would consider buying even if I had the money
because my taste in cars was developed a long time back. When I looked around for
something to replace my AE86 I bought a 2008 E92 coupe as in my eyes it is one
of the best looking cars built in the last 25 years


I'm in a similar spot. May have just lost my 94 supra AND 86 coupe. (Way to go neighbor's oak tree :lol: - got the Wife's brand new CRV as well...)

I bought the Supra 20 some odd years ago because I knew they were relatively bulletproof and it could be my forever toy.

Now I'm sitting here waiting for an insurance company to even come out and look at it (covid), wondering how hard they're going to try and lowball me.

Corolla is worth its scrap weight, so the windshield, fender and door probably signed its fate. :lol:

Less worried there because the car was my version of an automotive tech degree. Got more than my money's worth out of it. Plus, to make any real power I'd have to completely redo the driveline anyhow.

One of the few things that may work as a replacement for the supra is an 03-04 Cobra. Mechanically they're sound with similar potential. The build quality and interior is utter garbage though.

It's bad enough that I may end up grabbing something like a frame off restoration '68 chevelle to strip for a pro touring car with a turbo 5.3 lsx, t56 magnum, ford 9 (or 8.8 IRS), and air conditioning.

I could live with an E46 if power were cheaper and bearing replacements weren't regular service intervals... :lol:

I know, all over the place. :lol: I miss having cops roll up at stoplights demanding I do burnouts. (In my old '67 Firebird)

Re: What happened here

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 5:41 pm
by jondee86
Nick94tt wrote:I bought the Supra 20 some odd years ago because I knew they were relatively bulletproof
and it could be my forever toy.

Dayyyymn... that's a big hit :( Hope you can find a way get it repaired and back on
the road. Always had a soft spot for those big ass Supras but they never did drop low
enough in price here for me to be able to afford one.

Same as... I did most of my learning about how cars work on my AE86. Just enough tech
to be interesting and not so much that you need to be a computer tech to sort the wires.
Present car will be bolt-ons only, no messing with wires. Gotta love engine and trans
tunes that you can load thru the OB2 port :D

Electric cars appear to be a move towards developing a "throw away" or disposable vehicle.
Like cell phones with integral batteries that cannot be changed. Certainly, it appears that
it is not economic to replace the batteries in the early model electric cars, and they are
scrapped once battery performance (range) drops below a useful value. Probably not an
issue if the vehicle is 100% recyclable.

I am constantly reminded by events that prove there is an inverse relationship
between technology and people. As technology gets smarter, people get dumber. The
more we rely on technology to solve our problems, the less able we become as a species
to overcome even the smallest of difficulties. This trait is one that is exploited to the
fullest by the auto repair industry. But it scares me when you see front brakes where
the piston has worn right thru the disc and into the fins. Does that screeching noise
not mean anything... sure... turn the radio up :)

Image

Lets see how long we can drive on a flat tire... what can go wrong ?

This is the leverage that manufacturers use to constantly incorporate more and more
sophisticated technology into vehicles. It is all done in the name of SAFETY regardless
of who actually benefits from the changes. No-one can argue against safety... as soon as
a product is described as being in the interests of safety there is no-one who will put
there balls on the line and say... do we really need ten airbags, collision avoidance
systems, self-guided cars ??? If you argue against these "safety" innovations you LOSE.

Is this the way the West was won ?

Yes... the US has always been a hot-rodders heaven. When I was 15 I got my licence
and bought my first car... a 1934 Ford 5-window coupe. I thought is was great and like
every kid I trashed it thru inexperience. Looking back, it was an absolute pig to drive.
But it was rugged and simple... when I bent it I could just go to the junkyard and pull
parts to fix it at the kerb outside my parents house.

Life was good back then :)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 8:03 pm
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:Dayyyymn... that's a big hit :( Hope you can find a way get it repaired and back on
the road. Always had a soft spot for those big ass Supras but they never did drop low
enough in price here for me to be able to afford one.

Same as... I did most of my learning about how cars work on my AE86. Just enough tech
to be interesting and not so much that you need to be a computer tech to sort the wires.
Present car will be bolt-ons only, no messing with wires. Gotta love engine and trans
tunes that you can load thru the OB2 port :D
[/quote]

The AE was an exercise in electrical and machining for me. Long been around the basic maintenance, sound system, and accessory items. Never pulled a motor apart, replaced an entire steering system, or rewired part of a harness. (Or had the confidence to. Now I've got the 4a head lightly ported and ready to go back on the squished car :lol:)

Pretty sure the roof is twisted (the passenger quarter definitely is) a limb folded the targa top about 2 inches inward along with denting the windshield frame and roof behind the top. Generally a deal killer for a unibody car. Nobody wants to take on the liability to chop top a supra. :lol: Given how much the chassis flexes and how integral the roof is (when it's out there's a corner of the dash trim you can put your finger on and get pinched when you start up a driveway :lol:) I'm not expecting much. Put a basketball sized dent in the front driver's fender right where the main fuse box runs the harness through to the cab... Cracked the front end and the spoiler, pinched the hood and doors, etc. Think they'd have to repaint the entire car, probably replace a Volk GT-C...

The funny part is if they do fix it, they make carbon fiber variants for all of the panels, and they're much cheaper. (Fenders, hood, door skins, targa top, hatch) I'm just more into subtle. Local cars are listed from around $65k-$120k, so they may try to repair.

If they total it I may take a crack at piecing it back together myself with some ungodly obnoxious body kit and another few hundred horsepower. :lol:

Image

Had no idea the 86's were worth so much lately either. Apparently rusty beer cans gain value around here. :mrgreen: It may or may not go regardless.

Considering dropping down to "a fast car and a small truck" in the wife's words.

We were literally about to start working on grabbing an acre from a neighbor and putting in a 30ftx60ft building so I could set up a lift and outfit a real setup when everything fell to sh*t in the space of about 3 weeks I think. Had 2 people die, 3 cars die by tree, and had to relocate a friend. :lol:

Cars getting nailed is frustrating but a non-issue compared to shoveling a human being off a deck and having teeth tink around and fall off the shovel.

Re: What happened here

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 3:07 am
by jondee86
Image
Video here... https://youtu.be/KICc24-fRkg

And you can read about it here... http://www.speedhunters.com/2016/08/bui ... drift-car/

The one in the pic is a full custom carbon bodykit and not painted. But if you don't
like the carbon look it can be painted or wrapped to suit your taste. Apparently the
same outfit is now making an e92 version. The F22 car above weighs in at 1200kg
and the LS7 engine cranks out over 800hp / 900ft-lb normally aspirated !!!!

It makes me happy that there are still people in this world that are so dedicated to
their ideals that they can build cars like these with minimal resources. Just a bunch
of talented engineers and craftsmen doing what they love.

Oh, and I have to ask, how did your friend get onto the deck ? Seems a little unusual.

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2020 8:30 am
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:It makes me happy that there are still people in this world that are so dedicated to
their ideals that they can build cars like these with minimal resources. Just a bunch
of talented engineers and craftsmen doing what they love.


Mean bit of work. :D

There have always been real tradesmen scattered about - the harder a place to get by then more they seem to pop up. Have some friends in Zagreb that would figure out how to turn a few bags of cement and a corded drill into a vertical mill if they needed to. :D (very much like the makers on YouTube that build machine shops with an angle grinder and scrap motors - those guys never cease to impress. Plus -ask the average US student about electromagnets and you get a blank state or asked which avenger did it.)

Hopefully this one isn't just going to sit in yet another heated/cooled aircraft hangar or bunker as a talking point for a sheik. Deserves to be thrashed by someone with talent, or at least enthusiasm. Budget is obviously there for upkeep. :lol:

Should point out that that "limited resources" is a bit relative on this one. These guys (customer, not shop.
I know they're doing what they can with what they have. And putting something like that together and have it work is huge) have the kind of budget reserves where if a bracket doesn't fit they can go buy a new HAAS 5-axis to make another one.

Lovingly referred to as:

"F*** You money*

:lol:

I have a few friends that have contracted for that crowd and the excess gets a little disturbing at times. Scratched your new $10k Miller welder? No worries, toss it out. We have 5 in the back in boxes. "Just make sure to set it on fire or run it over so the locals can't use it."

Admittedly, getting flown out to work on a car ON a yacht is a fun story to be able to tell. :lol:

There's a small car sized fully equipped Snap-On artificial reef out there somewhere. Too heavy for the helicopter, it walked the plank when done.

So know that when you reach for your old worn trusty wrench, there's a gearhead grouper or lobster out there that has it better than most of us ever will. :lol:

jondee86 wrote:Oh, and I have to ask, how did your friend get onto the deck ? Seems a little unusual.

Cheers... jondee86


20 gauge shotgun under the chin and some birdshot.

Suffice it to say - when insulin and antidepressants get scarce because of greed, bad things tend to follow.

We were the only local family, none of the others were up to the task, and I wasn't about to let them drop $10k+ for a hazard cleanup team.

So, shovel and a pressure washer. Was good up until the teeth popped out. "And.... now it's real" :? :lol:

Been through enough where I knew I'd be fine with it. Wasn't going to leave that kind of scene for the rest of their family. Resurfaced the deck, cleaned the siding, pitched the furniture.

I'm not all that great at blending in with a sobbing crowd (I tend to process things with humor), so I worked on getting the house ready to sell. Figured it gave people a chance to get outside and zone out for a bit and do some manual labor.

Re: What happened here

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 12:49 am
by jondee86
Here is a bunch of car guys taking a look at an e92 euro fighter. ..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7c41rhAVU
And some film of the guy who drives it doing his job...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW789mcaYLA
Seems that there are quite a number of them working the European drift circuit
and a some in the US also I think. You are right... these cars are a work of art and
I'm sure a few will find their way into car collections. The sheikh who commissioned
the first F22 build did have an unlimited budget but he is a drifter and did race the
car himself. Just shows where the sport has gone since it started out with a bunch
of old cars "slow racing" around a tiny track in Japan.

Image

Maybe HGK will grow into something bigger, after all MaLaren started from scratch...
McLaren's Formula One founder Bruce McLaren was born in 1937. McLaren learned
about cars and engineering at his parent's service station and workshop in his hometown,
Auckland, New Zealand. By 15, he had entered a local hillclimb in an Austin 7 Ulster;
winning his first race in the car.


Never a dull moment around your place by the sound of it. Looking at it from the outside
it appears that the US is going into meltdown socially, economically and morally. When
I read about some of the evil things happening in the US simply because one political
party is desperate to stay in power, I am in disbelief. I never thought that I would live to
see the day that commentators were drawing parallels between Nazi Germany and the US.
But there you are with a wannabe führer tweeting up a storm.

My apologies if you are a supporter, but I'm just calling it how I see it from what we hear
on the news. I'd probably be depressed by what is going down too, and if I had to make
the choice between dying slowly because I couldn't afford to buy the medicine I needed
to stay alive, and ending things quickly... well, I just hope I never have to make that call.
Much respect to you for cleaning up the mess and sparing the others from the sight.

I have found that a lot of folk get very emotionally involved with death and dying. My
view is that such things are simply part of the birth>>life>>death cycle that is inevitable
for all living things. So while losing a friend or relative does perhaps make me wish that
I had known them better or spent more time with them, it does not send me into a dark
pit of despair. Some one has to make the arrangements and tidy up the affairs of the
dear departed... that often ends up as my job.

I think it is because I have more experience in dealing with officials and filling out forms :)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 1:46 am
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:Never a dull moment around your place by the sound of it. Looking at it from the outside
it appears that the US is going into meltdown socially, economically and morally. When
I read about some of the evil things happening in the US simply because one political
party is desperate to stay in power, I am in disbelief. I never thought that I would live to
see the day that commentators were drawing parallels between Nazi Germany and the US.
But there you are with a wannabe führer tweeting up a storm.

My apologies if you are a supporter, but I'm just calling it how I see it from what we hear
on the news. I'd probably be depressed by what is going down too, and if I had to make
the choice between dying slowly because I couldn't afford to buy the medicine I needed
to stay alive, and ending things quickly... well, I just hope I never have to make that call.
Much respect to you for cleaning up the mess and sparing the others from the sight.

I have found that a lot of folk get very emotionally involved with death and dying. My
view is that such things are simply part of the birth>>life>>death cycle that is inevitable
for all living things. So while losing a friend or relative does perhaps make me wish that
I had known them better or spent more time with them, it does not send me into a dark
pit of despair. Some one has to make the arrangements and tidy up the affairs of the
dear departed... that often ends up as my job.

I think it is because I have more experience in dealing with officials and filling out forms :)

Cheers... jondee86


:lol: No. Not a fan. We even got our own secret police the other day. They were importing prison guards from across the country to suit up in full riot gear with no identification to help bust skulls for a photo op. (What's really funny is they couldn't even get that right. Every tin pot dictator knows to tell their storm troopers not to wear t-shirts or insignia that identify them. Like the Florida guys trying to pull off a coup that brought their passports... :lol: ) The channel 9 Aussie camera guy took that gut shot like a champ. Ditto the baton brained reporter. :lol:

The blatant "we're only in this to get reelected and fleece the rest of you for your life's work" is getting so normal - and the deck seems so stacked against them... I'm half expecting them to off the guy on some oddball false flag so they can stay in office. As a sane person, that shouldn't be something I see as a possible outcome. :lol:

The voter suppression is epic though. They're breaking out all the old tricks we'd be sending UN election monitors in for. Best one is a 30-40yr court judgment just ended that prevented them from hiring off duty cops to scare minority voters away from polling locations. So guess who's dumping millions into that. :?

Combining entitled victimhood with mass sheer stupidity was a master stroke.

I explain to my idiot neighbor why things like say... Applying for citizenship can only be done on domestic US soil and not an embassy in a particular scenario. "Bullsh*t, where'd you hear that, the internet?" I load the actual government page to show him the laws verbatim and he thinks it's a lie. :lol:

Suicide is a touchy thing here for a lot of folks. Really wish i could have helped, but didn't get the chance. Stigma here about talking it over.
Personally I won't begrudge a person for making the choice. It's theirs, not mine. I may not agree with it, and I sure as hell don't enjoy cleaning up or the pain it inevitably causes, but the best I can do is hope it was quick and clean.

Honestly pretty pissed about this one because I thought I was getting a hunting buddy when the shotguns showed up. Was making plans to share my tree stand, blinds, and gear. Nein. 3-4 days later got a late night cop knock.

That reminds me. Great example of our "first world" reality. Wife's side lost someone in NY about a week earlier. Between covid and his religion, they literally kicked a shrouded body into a hole and ran a backhoe over top. Truly inspiring.

Re: What happened here

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 4:42 pm
by jondee86
Throughout history one of the defining characteristics of dictators and tyrants is that
they create a small army of elite and fanatically loyal guards to protect themselves from
the population they are abusing. This elite unit answers to no-one but the dictator and
is not governed by any of the rules that apply to ordinary military or police forces.

Nothing new then, just a matter of choosing between black and brown shirts. The end
result will be much the same... repression, disenfranchisement and broken heads.

I have often wondered about how a caste, race or religion can be victimized at some
point, and then for generations assume the role of a persecuted minority as if it was a
career choice. Is it because there is a majority continuously forcing them into that role ?
Probably. But there are countless examples of individuals from repressed minorities who
have managed to break free and achieve great things. So is it a mindset passed down
from parents to children that discourages them for striving to better themselves ?

I'm not a sociologist so I can't answer these questions. I even wonder if the pursuit of
wealth and fame is a responsible goal to be promoting to a whole population. Evolution
teaches us that there will always be a range of skills, abilities and ambition within a
randomized population. This means that perhaps we should aim for creating a society
where being "average" and having a decent life is the goal, rather than separating people
into winners and losers ? This inevitably leads to dissatisfaction, resentment and ultimately
to repression and violence.... oh... that's where we are at right now :(

Haha... I see a video the other day of two hunters in camo with guns perched up a tree
when a bear cub was playing around on the ground and ran straight up the tree past them :)
One guy got his phone out while sitting real still, and showed the bear looking and trying
to figure WTF are these things doing up a tree.

Got to be a good tale to tell the kids when they get home :)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 5:17 pm
by Nick94tt
Sadly, human nature... doesn't excuse the behavior but attempts to.justify.it, I suppose. Take the untouched tribes around the world the never had a word for "liar" or "thief". There's a social purity there where everyone doing what they're good at genuinely benefits the whole.

I think we're at the point where it would take a legitimate SciFi moment to make a difference - someone releases an open source superfood or energy source. Something big enough to upset the status quo and make money an invalid currency.

I've had a few fun nature run ins like that. One of the best was fishing on a bank with headphones and suddenly I realize a fox was sitting next to me, searching the bank. Apparently I was quiet enough that it figured I was harmless. Eventually clapped and chuffed at it to get him to realize I was there.

Had a few brushes with Bobcats and less than friendly snakes, but that's just childhood in Kentucky. :lol:

Insurance adjuster just got back to me almost 2 weeks later. Apparently she cant tell the difference between my.cars. :roll:

Re: What happened here

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2020 5:26 pm
by Nick94tt
What I'm currently sitting in my deck looking at...

Image

Image

Image

Image

Not currently enthused. :lol:

Re: What happened here

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 1:04 am
by jondee86
Is the back window on the Supra busted or is that just a reflection ? If the window has
gone that could be a trick part to get hold of. There is a little JDM Toyota SERA two-door
that has a big "fastback" style back window. Once the window gets busted the car will be
written off even if the rest of the car is perfect.

Looking on the bright side, I guess you got some free firewood :)

This covid thing is a whole new experience for me. Never got called up for the military
or went to war. Never got involved in any kind of big deal earth shaking kind of event. So
seeing what is happening now and how it is affecting people all over the globe is both
interesting and terrifying at the same time. God help us all if ebola ever gets out of Africa,
and the chances are that it will at some point in the future. With a fatality rate of up
to 90% it would make covid look like amateur hour.

On that basis covid could be acting as a wake up call, and will help the world be better
prepared for the next pandemic. If you are a sci-fi buff you will recall that The War of
the Worlds
ends with the aliens being stopped by a microbe rather than military power.

Interesting to read that there are some concerned people in the US calling the Police to
report that their cars are covered in "Antifa Dust". Turns out to be tree pollen... but with
chemtrails and covid all over you have to be careful... right ? I see your problem there :roll:
Social media has robbed people of their critical facilities so that they can no longer tell
the difference between lies and truth, reality and illusion. BS is accepted at face value
and passed on, possibly in the hope that someone else with a few brains can make the call,
saving their remaining brain cells for important stuff like choosing what to watch on Netflix.

Brain washing has become high tech and there are high powered spin doctors employed to
create a blend of half truths and innuendo artfully designed to appeal to specific target
audiences. That's what FB, Google and Utube, Twitter etc do with the data they gather...
use it to profile users and classify them by what kind of propaganda will be most effective
on them. Somewhere Goebbels will be grinning to see how the techniques he pioneered
have made it into mainstream use for population manipulation :) But I digress...

I guess I have been lucky. My mother lived through the "Great Depression". Menfolk fought
in WW2, Korea or Vietnam. But I never starved, lived rough or got shot at. I grew up in
what were arguably the best decades this country ever experienced. Since that time I have
watched the world slowly enter a downward spiral... politically, morally and socially. The
technological advances of the last 50 years have not been matched by improvements in
tolerance and those qualities that would make the world a better place for the average Joe.

Hopefully I will be resting in peace before the **** really hits the fan :)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 2:08 pm
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:Is the back window on the Supra busted or is that just a reflection ? If the window has
gone that could be a trick part to get hold of. There is a little JDM Toyota SERA two-door
that has a big "fastback" style back window. Once the window gets busted the car will be
written off even if the rest of the car is perfect.

Looking on the bright side, I guess you got some free firewood :)


I always loved the little SERAs... like a low budget fwd supra with the awesome little cockpit dash and canopy. Same for the glass roof JDM crx.

Yea, rear windshield is toast on the Supra. Front windshield on the corolla. Adjuster still hasn't figured out which car is the Corolla. :lol:

Already had another oak tree aged and quartered. Going to take years to go through it on my smoker. :lol:

jondee86 wrote:This covid thing is a whole new experience for me. Never got called up for the military
or went to war. Never got involved in any kind of big deal earth shaking kind of event. So
seeing what is happening now and how it is affecting people all over the globe is both
interesting and terrifying at the same time. God help us all if ebola ever gets out of Africa,
and the chances are that it will at some point in the future. With a fatality rate of up
to 90% it would make covid look like amateur hour.

On that basis covid could be acting as a wake up call, and will help the world be better
prepared for the next pandemic. If you are a sci-fi buff you will recall that The War of
the Worlds
ends with the aliens being stopped by a microbe rather than military power.

Interesting to read that there are some concerned people in the US calling the Police to
report that their cars are covered in "Antifa Dust". Turns out to be tree pollen... but with
chemtrails and covid all over you have to be careful... right ? I see your problem there :roll:
Social media has robbed people of their critical facilities so that they can no longer tell
the difference between lies and truth, reality and illusion. BS is accepted at face value
and passed on, possibly in the hope that someone else with a few brains can make the call,
saving their remaining brain cells for important stuff like choosing what to watch on Netflix.

Brain washing has become high tech and there are high powered spin doctors employed to
create a blend of half truths and innuendo artfully designed to appeal to specific target
audiences. That's what FB, Google and Utube, Twitter etc do with the data they gather...
use it to profile users and classify them by what kind of propaganda will be most effective
on them. Somewhere Goebbels will be grinning to see how the techniques he pioneered
have made it into mainstream use for population manipulation :) But I digress...

I guess I have been lucky. My mother lived through the "Great Depression". Menfolk fought
in WW2, Korea or Vietnam. But I never starved, lived rough or got shot at. I grew up in
what were arguably the best decades this country ever experienced. Since that time I have
watched the world slowly enter a downward spiral... politically, morally and socially. The
technological advances of the last 50 years have not been matched by improvements in
tolerance and those qualities that would make the world a better place for the average Joe.

Hopefully I will be resting in peace before the **** really hits the fan :)

Cheers... jondee86


4% of the world's population, 25% of the casualties. All for politics. Go us. Still waiting for the unwashed to realize the EU is (rightfully, and honestly too late) heading towards banning US tourists. They're going to lose their minds and it's going to be hilarious.

In the long term, we might learn something from our unmitigated failings. Short term, I really doubt it. Stupid people out breed reasonable people at a rate of like 10:1 and since we've safety nannied Darwin into submission common sense no longer matters. :lol:

I already did.the shot, shot at, stabbed thing. I lived in Detroit for a while. :lol:

Didn't even get paid for it. :x

Re: What happened here

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 4:23 pm
by jondee86
Here in NZ we have just started the process of repatriating NZ citizens from wherever
they have been stuck since the beginning of the border closures to slow the spread of
covid. It seems that every plane that arrives has asymptomatic cases that only develop
symptoms or test positive after a few days in isolation. Then everyone who traveled on
that flight has to be traced etc etc.

For a lot of years I was in the habit of going to out of the way places for motorcycle
adventure rides... BC Canada, Australia and South America. The flights were boring and
uncomfortable, but not dangerous to my health. Now, the idea of spending 12-14 hours
locked in a tube with 200 others has pretty much put an end to any thoughts of overseas
ravel. Not really an issue for me as I had done what I wanted to do, but a downer for
people just starting out and wanting to explore the world.

It looks like the US will become a reservoir for the virus due to the reluctance of your
governors and government to introduce and enforce measures to contain the spread.
This will allow pockets of infection to survive and spread into areas where containment
had previously kept the infection rate low. And while it is possible that an individual
having survived infection with the virus may obtain a degree of protection from further
infection, I have not seen any proof that reinfection can not occur.

After all, we are used to getting a flu shot every year, and it is likely that covid will
follow the same pattern once a vaccine is available. Lets face it, what pharmaceutical
company in its right mind would develop a vaccine that gave long term (many years) of
protection when they could develop one that needed a new shot every year ?? Profit is
always the name of the game in that industry... the concept of working for the good of
mankind went out the door a long time ago. But enough cynicism for one day :)

I can understand how all Toyotas must look alike to some people, so probably better to
say I got one big car, one small car and a SUV ? This something I have got used to since
all cars came to look much the same and change their model names every year or two :)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:51 pm
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:Here in NZ we have just started the process of repatriating NZ citizens from wherever
they have been stuck since the beginning of the border closures to slow the spread of
covid. It seems that every plane that arrives has asymptomatic cases that only develop
symptoms or test positive after a few days in isolation. Then everyone who traveled on
that flight has to be traced etc etc.

For a lot of years I was in the habit of going to out of the way places for motorcycle
adventure rides... BC Canada, Australia and South America. The flights were boring and
uncomfortable, but not dangerous to my health. Now, the idea of spending 12-14 hours
locked in a tube with 200 others has pretty much put an end to any thoughts of overseas
ravel. Not really an issue for me as I had done what I wanted to do, but a downer for
people just starting out and wanting to explore the world.

It looks like the US will become a reservoir for the virus due to the reluctance of your
governors and government to introduce and enforce measures to contain the spread.
This will allow pockets of infection to survive and spread into areas where containment
had previously kept the infection rate low. And while it is possible that an individual
having survived infection with the virus may obtain a degree of protection from further
infection, I have not seen any proof that reinfection can not occur.

After all, we are used to getting a flu shot every year, and it is likely that covid will
follow the same pattern once a vaccine is available. Lets face it, what pharmaceutical
company in its right mind would develop a vaccine that gave long term (many years) of
protection when they could develop one that needed a new shot every year ?? Profit is
always the name of the game in that industry... the concept of working for the good of
mankind went out the door a long time ago. But enough cynicism for one day :)

I can understand how all Toyotas must look alike to some people, so probably better to
say I got one big car, one small car and a SUV ? This something I have got used to since
all cars came to look much the same and change their model names every year or two :)

Cheers... jondee86


We just have enough gullable selfish idiots to protest and fight just about anything, never mind intelligent decisions based on science and medicine. They've been sold on the idea that it's all a lie and everything's a conspiracy.

So they'd protest painting the stripes on the road yellow with a highly reflective pigment additive. :lol:

We're going to be a reservoir for at least another 6 months post election, depending on the outcome and how long things get tied up over claims of fraud. :lol:

Long term immunity is a no go. That carrier that got swarmed already had sailors retest positive after 4-5 days and stages of negative tests. Same for civilians retesting positive 2 months after recovering. Is what it is. Definitely going to be a new addition to seasonal cycles.

I can understand not knowing a car model for most people. Not so much a professional adjuster. It's the part where she couldn't tell the "gold" car from the black car that had me really laughing.

Re: What happened here

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:11 am
by jondee86
Yeah, that person does not seem to be a good match to the position. Much easier to
deal with a "car guy" who understands how classics can be worth a good bit more than
their book value. Maybe you have a car yard somewhere local that deals in sports cars,
vintage and specialist vehicles ?? Someone like that should be able to give you a pre-
accident valuation to use when negotiating.

I just updated the transmission tune on the BM and found time to road test it today.
Big improvement to the shift quality. Really makes it feel like a luxury sports car now :)
Also going to have a go at programming torque by gear, as I get too much wheelspin
in first gear for it to be useful, and traction control spoils all the fun. I can switch that
off but I prefer to leave it on for wet or loose surfaces. Otherwise second gear starts
in manual mode work good if I am in a hurry.

Messing with cars helps to keep me sane... they are my support animals :P

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 11:57 am
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:Yeah, that person does not seem to be a good match to the position. Much easier to
deal with a "car guy" who understands how classics can be worth a good bit more than
their book value. Maybe you have a car yard somewhere local that deals in sports cars,
vintage and specialist vehicles ?? Someone like that should be able to give you a pre-
accident valuation to use when negotiating.

I just updated the transmission tune on the BM and found time to road test it today.
Big improvement to the shift quality. Really makes it feel like a luxury sports car now :)
Also going to have a go at programming torque by gear, as I get too much wheelspin
in first gear for it to be useful, and traction control spoils all the fun. I can switch that
off but I prefer to leave it on for wet or loose surfaces. Otherwise second gear starts
in manual mode work good if I am in a hurry.

Messing with cars helps to keep me sane... they are my support animals :P

Cheers... jondee86


Sadly the way it works here is I've got a 20% chance or so at a "Diminished Value" claim. (I pay an appraiser to estimate the equity lost in the car now that it's been repaired, regardless of the concept that the repairs should be good as new.)

The other less neighborly (and more entertaining version) is I go after a third party "loss of use". Again, where I pay a grand or more for a property survey. :lol:

Effectively suing the neighbor's home owner insurance for what it would cost to rent my exact car daily, for every day I can't use it - regardless of how often I drove it in the first place.

It's what the exotic guys do in most cases. IE - Ferrari gets banged, they get paid $1000/day (obviously depending on the car itself) while it's being repaired / even the days they spend searching and inspecting other cars to buy a replacement.

Entertainingly enough there's a local renting an 1100hp supra for something like $750/day locally. :lol:

I like my neighbor, but I also like not losing tons of value or the ability to drive my ....ing car. Sadly here in the US, we've got dual systems. You either have the cash and things cater to you, or you don't and you're a doormat.

Nice on the torque management. Really opens up what you can do with the car as a "normal vehicle".

Not familiar with what system you're working with, but if you can toy with the drive by wire throttle activation percentages you might be able to tone down how fast 1st can build power and blow the tires off.

Got a preliminary estimate on the Supra. Something in the $7k-$9k range, but no mention of paint matching a 90's toyota black, or the electronics ruined in the trunk. Apparently stock supra wings cost $1100... :lol:

Truth on the support animal. Cars are/were(lol) a big outlet for me as well.

Re: What happened here

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 2:43 pm
by jondee86
This what the xHD manual for the trans control unit says...
5.11.Torque Limit per Gear
Especially on high power RWD cars limiting torque in the lower gears can improve traction and
make them easier to handle. xHP offers a range from 300 Nm (221 ft lbs.) to the possible maximum
of 1000 Nm (737 ft lbs.) for each gear. It can be used either to limit boost in the lower gears, or to
limit the engine power overall in all gears to protect the drive-train components.

The electronic limiter works by sending a request to the ECU (Engine Control Unit) to lower torque
once the limit is reached. The ECU then takes the necessary measures (close the throttle/lower
boost/lower timing) to stay steady on this limit. It's the same method applied during shifts, when
the TCU (Transmission Control Unit) also takes over the torque control from the engine to enhance
the shifting.

So yeah, the TCU holding hands with the ECU to back the engine torque off during launches. Like
I could try 30% reduction in 1st and 5% in 2nd or whatever it takes to just allow a tiny bit of
wheelspin so that I know I am at the traction limit for the tires. Past the need for doing burnouts
as tires for this car are expensive and I like them to last a while :)

Cheers... jondee86

PS: Looking into this a bit more I see that the MHD tune for the engine has the option of limiting
power by gear by reducing the boost target. Spoiled for choice :)

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2020 10:00 am
by Nick94tt
Nice. I was hoping you'd have that many options. Really let's you dial things in.

Everywhere. I. Go... get teenagers yelling at me to do burnouts.... I usually ask if they've got a spare $1000 for new rubber. :lol:

295/30/18's out back. Michelin Pilot Super Sport 2's. Can't say enough good things about them.

Oh, and the local tire shop had to actually weld together a jig to mount them.

Volk GT-C's strike again. :lol: Not only do they have their very own expensive lugs, they don't fit on some popular tire machines. :lol:

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2020 4:21 pm
by jondee86
I'm a wheel whore... gotta admit that :| Must have picked up at least a dozen sets from
junk yards and private sellers when I was looking for the "right" set of old school wheels for
my AE. The wheels have to still look right to me when they have been on the car for a while
and if not, I keep looking. Ended up with a set of genuine 1980's vintage Watenabe 8-spoke
wheels that came into the country on a Datsun. Perfect... no more looking required !!!

Staying with factory wheels on the BM for the time being. They may not be beautiful but
they are strong and cheap to pick up a spare set. Decent aftermarket forged wheels in the
correct offset are ridiculously expensive in this country. There are a lot Asian made alloys
being sold, but I have questions about the quality and ability to take decent knock. So unless
I chance on a used set of forged wheels for a fair price, I'll stay with the stockers.

I tell myself that grandpa styling is less likely to attract unwanted attention ;)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:04 pm
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote: Staying with factory wheels on the BM for the time being. They may not be beautiful but
they are strong and cheap to pick up a spare set. Decent aftermarket forged wheels in the
correct offset are ridiculously expensive in this country. There are a lot Asian made alloys
being sold, but I have questions about the quality and ability to take decent knock. So unless
I chance on a used set of forged wheels for a fair price, I'll stay with the stockers.

I tell myself that grandpa styling is less likely to attract unwanted attention ;)

Cheers... jondee86


Don't have firsthand knowledge, but Rotas are likely one of those in the middle brands. Supposedly hold up pretty well and bend vs break for some of the local drifters when they hit curbs and potholes.

Personally, I'd check out nengun.com. Odds are you can pick up an epic quality used set and have it shipped in from Japan. Figure that's probably the best access to a decent pool of wheels for where you are.

Of course there's plenty of stock bmw wheels to pick from before they started going 5x112. ^_^

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sat Jun 27, 2020 7:10 pm
by jondee86
Yeah... ROTA do a copy of the TE37 and they sell here new for not unreasonable money.
You can even buy the TE37 stickers for a cheap status boost... LOL.

And I like the "picklefork" design which has been used by the BM factory in days gone by
but hard to find now. VMR do a nice version... they were on a car I tried to buy last year
but some test pilot blew it up before I could clinch the deal. Possibly a good thing as although
it was a really nice car (BM 135i) it came from Singapore and had quite a few mods. May have
been used pretty hard before it came to NZ.

Image

I have an account with Nengun and have used them for springs and filters. I noticed that
they have branched into used parts the last time I was looking on their site, so must go
take a look to see if they can source me some nice BBS Japan RS-GT wheels in the factory
BM sizes / offsets....

Image

I could be tempted :D

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:42 am
by Nick94tt
You're welcome. And sorry. :lol:

Also, that was pretty much the wheel type I was expecting to see.

I hate Te37s... :lol:

They're like the gingers of wheels - No souls. :mrgreen:

Did see these. No branding, but 19x8 and 19x9 in low offsets from a 5 series...

https://www.nengun.com/unknown/manufact ... els-920348

$314 usd is the right price for a wheel gamble. :D

Image

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:54 pm
by jondee86
Nice wheels but not what I am looking for. Car came from the factory with 8Jx18 ET34
and 8.5Jx18 ET37 wheels fitted with 225/40-18 255/35-18 run flat tires. I've ditched the
run flats and carry a space saver plus tools, and at this stage I'm not in any hurry to
change the wheel specs.

Some people would say that the front is under-tired and the rear is over-tired. I'm not
qualified to comment on that. But considering that the factory engineers would have had
access to a whole range of rims, offsets and tires when deciding what to put on the e92,
they would have found the best combination for handling and ride. And suspension tuning
would have been matched the the factory wheel/tire combination.

So while fashions change and taller wheels with shorter tires are all the rage, unless the
car came from the factory with 19's and 30-series I'm not about to change. I've read
enough tales about damaged rims and tires from hitting quite small holes in the road to
put me off up sizing. Plus shorter tires mean stiffer sidewalls and that does not help
ride comfort. Sound like I'm getting old :D

Truth is I like the way this car handles with the factory combo, so if I go after better
looking wheels I will be trying to stay as close to factory offsets as possible. Tires run
pretty close to the guards as it is and I don't want to be pulling or rolling stuff.

Image

Those are the VMR wheels that were on the car I nearly bought. Liked them a lot as
they really looked good on that car. Wheels are on my list but there are a couple of
items that I need to take care of first... just wasted a bunch of money on painting the
house that could have been spent on cars :)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:22 pm
by Nick94tt
jondee86 wrote:Nice wheels but not what I am looking for. Car came from the factory with 8Jx18 ET34
and 8.5Jx18 ET37 wheels fitted with 225/40-18 255/35-18 run flat tires. I've ditched the
run flats and carry a space saver plus tools, and at this stage I'm not in any hurry to
change the wheel specs.

Some people would say that the front is under-tired and the rear is over-tired. I'm not
qualified to comment on that.


Considering they're building a "performance coupe" they have to give idiots that think gas pedals and steering wheels are binary inputs enough out back to hook on hard shifts and just too little up front to lean towards understeer. The difference is the stability tech... Really lets people do things that would wind up in a ditch otherwise while letting a competent driver set a great track time by pushing the fronts for all they're worth.

jondee86 wrote:Wheels are on my list but there are a couple of
items that I need to take care of first... just wasted a bunch of money on painting the
house that could have been spent on cars :)

Cheers... jondee86


They were never on mine. Got the Volks as a commission for selling a friend's car in 3 hours. He was just about to pay them off the night I sold his red wingless 6spd. :lol:

Should have slapped him and told him no, but didn't know better yet.

Understand the project list. We're only here because I actually broke in and fixed the house up while it was on the market. Couldn't get a conventional loan the way it was, so I fixed a floor, some plumbing, some wiring, and I think the furnace...

Figured it'd be hilarious if I had to go before a judge, but apparently my neighbor's kid is a sherrif and was stoked somebody was saving the place. :lol: Actually stopped and welcomed me to the neighborhood about 3 weeks before we bought the place. :mrgreen:

Re: What happened here

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:38 pm
by jondee86
That's one of the things that intrigues me about the US... how the economic tide flowing
in and out throws up large numbers of cheap homes from time to time. Here the price of
homes is thru the roof. A very basic 3-bedroom bungalow on 1/8th of an acre sells for an
average price of around NZ$1,000,000 (US$600,000). Prices only go up unless there is some
major economic downturn, and then drop no more than around 5-10%.

Situation comes about due shortage of land for building as available land is tightly held
and the landowners always limit the supply so they can get top dollar. Then we have a ton
of form filling and regulatory requirements that all add cost. In recent years increased
immigration from Asia in particular has meant that demand has exceeded supply. On top
of which the cost of money is at an all time low and this has encouraged mass speculation
as investors buy property and let it sit empty while they ride the rising market.

If this covid economic disaster can bring about a substantial adjustment that brings the
property market back to a situation where sell price is a bit closer to the cost of building,
I would call that a win for young families struggling to get into a home of their own.

I don't know how it works in the US but I see decent two-level homes with a garage and
1/4 acre of land selling for not much money. Admittedly they may be on the edge of town
or in economically depressed counties, so that might be a factor. Another thing we just
don't see here are properties (commercial, residential or industrial) simply abandoned
and left to rot. Here, surplus buildings will be either refurbished, re-purposed or if no
use can be found for them, they are demolished and the land cleared.

These differences between countries are interesting, and no doubt there are explanations
to be found in the history books. Be kind of boring if all countries were the same :)

Cheers... jondee86

Re: What happened here

Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:08 pm
by Nick94tt
If you head towards Baltimore, MD and know which block is "safe'ish"... you can buy a row home for $5k-$30k usd, put 30-50k into it (far less or far more depending on your labor and materials), and rent the thing out for $1200/month. :lol:

It's what our old realtor did. Had a contractor buddy sign off on all his work and bought up whole blocks.

Our place was a wreck, relatively speaking. It was just worlds better than what else was available. Sat for 7+ years after an old couple smoked theirselves to death.

The term to look for in the US is "REO" - Bank owned properties not required to disclose problems, sold as-is, and just to offset profits for lenders after they forclose.

Around Baltimore, I had to wear a respirator while we were house hunting. Mold was unreal. Went to a few houses advertised as "Move in ready" where a toilet valve had leaked upstairs so the entire toilet fell through the rotten ceiling. :lol:

Another one with a bloody twin mattress, needles, and shotgun shells below another 5ft wide hole in the floor.

Depending on where kn the country you go, an 1/8 acre can be a big lot or someone's lap pool.

Trying for a 20+ acre lot where we can have enough room to grow but be left alone. Not really a city type - just hard to come by around here reasonably.