Funny Car Updates #22 8/23/00-11/03/00
8/23/00
Well, some real progress for a delightful change.
Found the missing two PermaCool replacement fan motors (saving about $140, thank you), and got the fan pack installed on the Condor.
Took the carburetor off and Randy Laur disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled it. There appeared to be no problem there at all. So what the hell was the problem????
The Condor firing order was wrong!!! We changed it AGAIN to what I'd thought was a Cleveland firing order, and bingo! A real running engine, no popping and backfiring.
Thanks again to Randy Laur for that insight. 'Course I'd run that order 4 times in the past, with zero success. Go figure.
Finally drove it down the street.
The power is underwhelming at this point. The valves now appear quite loose (purposely set so as not to have any hanging open), therefore losing a lot of cam lift. Ditto for the Gremlin valve lash (but big power still). I sure hope there's another 100 HP in that Condor waiting to be discovered. Happily, the fan sensor works well, the manual override works, it doesn't appear to leak, oil pressure is good, and it basically is driveable. It does need some gauges connected, some vacuum lines properly engaged, and a dipstick (well, I'm here already).

And on the FC (finally), Bible Bob came by last night, and we cut out the Lexan windshield and side windows. Per McDannel's cue, I am using Dzus fasteners for the side windows. I'm going to check and see if we can do the same on the windshield. I've devised a way to mount the springs which catch the fastener, so that should be fairly perfunctory.
As I bought a pressure washer a while back, I'm now anticipating that BB and I will be able roll the chassis out, drop the body on the dollies, and wheel the shell out for some deep cleaning on the underside. The fact that the Condor is now movable is enormously helpful. Next stop for the Condor, a windshield.

8/24/00
Have you ever wondered if your mind is normal or different??
Well, do this little mind exercise and find out at the end!!
Free will or synaptic wiring? You be the judge. Check out the following exercise, guaranteed to raise an eyebrow. There's no trick or surprise. Just follow these instructions and answer the questions one at a time and as quickly as you can.
Again, as quickly as you can but don't advance until
you've done each of them...really. Now, scroll down (but not too fast, you might miss something)

What is:

1+5





















2+4























3+3























4+2





















5+1






Now repeat saying the number 6 to yourself as fast as you can
for 15 seconds. Then scroll down.























QUICK!!! THINK OF A VEGETABLE!
Then arrow down.

















Keep going.




























You're thinking of a carrot, right?




If not, you're among the 2% of the population whose minds
are different enough to think of something else. Ninety-eight
percent of people will answer with "carrot" when given this exercise.
Freaky, huh?
Keep this message going. Forward it to people you know and see what they see and if they are usual or not!

Candidly, I first thought of a cantaloupe, but thought, no, that's not a vegetable, and switched to carrot.

In speaking with Randy today, I found that notwithstanding his enormous knowledge and experience, he has bitten the big one from time to time. He told me about putting a new trick driveshaft in his 10-second Chevelle, only to have it blow apart on the first pass, tearing up rear end, radiator, transmission, and killing some valves in the motor.
Randy noted today that the side window Dzus setup looked cool, but that the fasteners weren't going to be long enough. I dug up some longer versions that look to be good. I'll undoubtedly have to scour the fastener catalogs to get the right configuration.
Meanwhile, I've determined Dzus are OK on the windshield, though no one seems to have seen it much. I will be bolting the windshield to the firewall tin in several places as well, just to keep the whole affair solid and stiff.
The Condor made it over to Gary Carter today, who is working on adjusting the valves, setting the timing, checking the carburetion, and hopefully tomorrow will be installing the much-needed dipstick. I think we overfilled the motor, about 2 quarts too much, and this may be contributing to the smoking and drop in oil pressure when hot. Randy also suggests 40-weight oil for a motor with 40,000+ miles on it, not the probably 10-30 in it. He also suggested that maybe a ring or two has stuck (wait until later...), or lost seating on the cylinder walls from the 18-month sitting with water and goo on the pistons. Actually, I did clean the water and oil off the pistons up as much as possible the first day I brought it home, including shooting WD-40 on them, but it had about 5 months of sitting prior to that. Whatever, I'm praying there's a hundred HP hiding somewhere in the setup, or this will be a REAL disappointment. I'm frankly pessimistic here (and with good reason). Oddly, the steering wheel shows about 90º off, and it worries me, I'm afraid Tanner might have done something, like removing the steering knuckle for installing the headers, and left something not right.

The Gremlin is leaking a bit of oil, so I'll take a peek at the pan bolts, etc. I'll also look at the chain around the rear of the transmission. Perhaps it's not bolted down to a cross member at all. There appears to be a loose u-joint as well. The valves could use a little tightening, too.
Had some fabulous luck today with the Gremlin upholstery. The paint guy had blown the A-post trim piece apart on the passenger side, and the dash while re-upholstered was just a bag of broken plastic underneath. Jose sealed up the shifter, built a new rear panel under the back window, found a perfect A-post trim piece, painted it, and found a perfect dash top, painted it, and glued some carpet up. Total? $50!!!!
Is he the greatest or what??
I'll be going to Bob's and Cruiser's again tomorrow night with my trusty portable chair and cell phone, hoping for more interest.
I'm going to the junkyard to find that car Jose did, and see if I can get a few more parts, like the rear window struts, if only to measure for new ones, a rear lock, and some other goodies.

A guy walks into his psychiatrist's office, wearing only saran wrap around himself. The shrink takes one look at him and says: "...I can clearly see you're nuts!"

Perhaps I should use Saran Wrap on the FC.


8/27/00
1. Only in America......can a pizza get to your house
faster than an ambulance.

2. Only in America......are there handicap parking
places in front of a skating rink.

3. Only in America......do drugstores make the sick
walk all the way to the back of the store to get their
prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes
at the front.

4. Only in America......do people order double cheese
burgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

5. Only in America......do banks leave both doors open
and then chain the pens to the counters.

6. Only in America......do we leave cars worth
thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our
useless junk in the garage.

7. Only in America......do we use answering machines to
screen calls and then have call waiting so we won't
miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in
the first place.

8. Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages
of ten and buns in packages of eight.

9. Only in America......do we use the word 'politics'
to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin
meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking
creatures'.

10. Only in America......do they have drive-up ATM
machines with Braille lettering.

11. Only in America......can a homeless combat veteran
live in a cardboard box and a draft dodger live in the
White House.

Son Mike is busy with friends today, so no FC work with him.
I'm going to do a little garage organizing, adjust the Gremlin valves, inspect that driveshaft and chained-down trans, tighten some pan bolts.
Gary Carter is still working on the Condor, and Rob Anderson is anxious for me to get it up there to do the hifi rebuild and cooling rehab.


8/28/00
Superman was feeling bored after a long day of crime fighting and wanted to go out and party, so he called Batman to ask if he wanted to go to a club and pick up some girls. Batman said Robin was ill and he had to look after him. A little disappointed, Superman called Spiderman to see if he fancied a few
beers. Spiderman told him he had a date with Cat Woman.
As a last resort, Superman flew over to Wonder Woman's apartment to see if she was free. As he landed on her balcony, he saw Wonder Woman naked on the bed with her legs open. Superman thought to himself, "I'm faster than a
speeding bullet. I could be in there, have sex, and be outagain before she knew what was happening." So Superman did his Super Thing in a split second and flew off happily.
Meanwhile on the bed, Wonder Woman said, "Did you hear something?" "No" said the Invisible Man, "but my ass hurts like hell!!"

Sorta like contracting.



8/29/00
As I have not yet been able to get the FC off the ground, so to speak, I thought you'd enjoy some airline humor:

Occasionally, airline attendants make an effort to make the "in-flight safety lecture" and their other announcements a bit more entertaining.
Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:

"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are
only 4 ways out of this airplane..."

"We do feature a smoking section on this flight; if you must
smoke, contact a member of the flight crew and we will
escort you to the wing of the airplane."

"Smoking in the lavatories is prohibited. Any person caught
smoking in the lavatories will be asked to leave the plane
immediately."

Pilot - "Folks, we have reached our cruising altitude now, so I am going to switch the seat belt sign off. Feel free to move about as you wish, but please stay inside the plane till we land... it's a bit cold outside, and if you walk on the wings it affects the flight pattern."

And, after landing: "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express.
We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we
enjoyed taking you for a ride."

As we waited just off the runway for another airliner to cross in
front of us, some of the passengers were beginning to retrieve
luggage from the overhead bins. The head attendant announced
on the intercom, "This aircraft is equipped with a video surveillance system that monitors the cabin during taxiing. Any passengers not remaining in their seats until the aircraft comes to a full and complete stop at the gate will be strip-searched as they leave the aircraft."

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Washington National, a lone voice comes over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced: "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

From a Southwest Airlines employee.... "Welcome aboard
Southwest Flight XXX to YYY. To operate your seatbelt, insert the
metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every
other seatbelt, and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more."

Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."

"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation, and in the event of an emergency water landing, please take them with our compliments."

Once on a Southwest flight, the pilot said, "We've reached our
cruising altitude now, and I'm turning off the seat belt sign. I'm
switching to autopilot, too, so I can come back there and visit with all of you for the rest of the flight."

"Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the bag over your own mouth and nose before assisting children or adults acting like children."

"As you exit the plane, please make sure to gather all of your
belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

"Last one off the plane must clean it."

And from the pilot during his welcome message: "We are pleased
to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry...
Unfortunately none of them are on this flight...!"

Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt
Lake City: The flight attendant came on the intercom and said,
"That was Quite a bump and I know what ya'll are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendants' fault.....it was the asphalt!"

Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day. During the final approach the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant came on the PA and announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seatbelts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"

Another flight Attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying XYZ airline." He said that in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for this little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?" "Why no Ma'am," said the pilot., "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land or were we shot down?"

After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the Flight Attendant
came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt up against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.

Part of a Flight Attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of us here at US Airways."

Speaking of flying metal tubes, I got a few more trim parts for the Gremlin at Pick Your Part. That was an interesting experience. All concrete junkyard, every car sorted by make, up on rims, spaced for access. Very cool setup. The last time I'd been through a junkyard, it was the usual oil slop, where-the hell-is-the-car-I-want, etc. I did adjust the Gremlin valves, and BINGO!! Mucho mas power. Just what it needs.
As I'm WAY behind on bids, I will not be getting much done on any vehicles today, other than scaring the pee out of Shawn Keiser in the Gremlin.

Randy is bringing me a couple of Holley 750 CFM carbs for the Condor. Gary Carter is convinced it's WAY under-breathing with the 600 on it. We'll see.

8/31/00
I plucked the Condor from Gary and test drove it to Laur's station to retrieve the carbs. Ran like crap! I mean it does have SOME power, particularly better when on the throttle, just nothing compared to what it should. Plus, it runs REAL bad at low speed. This should have every bit of the Gremlin power, just pulling more weight. VERY disappointing.
I found a radiator leak, and now the upper two fans are not functioning. Didn't appear to overheat on just the fronts and the bottom two, however. So I ran it straight back to Carter and left it.
Carter did nothing on it today, and promises tomorrow to get back on it. I've asked that he run a compression test on all holes, hook up his diagnostic machine, and see just what is goofy. The valves still sound real noisy, so more adjusting appears needed. Maybe that will unleash the beast.
Sadly, the oil pressure is LOW, essentially non-existent at idle when hot, even on the 40-weight oil. It was not overfilled, by the way. The dipstick is functional. We're going to try Laur's Edelbrock carb for drill.
Meanwhile, I'll be getting more window bolts for the Dzus fasteners on the FC, and rumpity-rumping to Bob's and Cruisers tomorrow in the Gremlin with Mikey.
The stock Super Coupe is losing water, but appears not to be having a head gasket problem (wrong...). Our test using block check shows no combustion products in the coolant, but it IS disappearing somewhere. Perhaps another hose, freeze plug, or some little thing. I'm hoping BIG time I don't have to use the spare motor I've had for 7 years for this occasion.

9/1/00
THE FORMULA FOR VIAGRA HAS FINALLY BEEN RELEASED:
2% aspirin
2% ibuprofen
1% Vitamin C
95% Fix-A-Flat

9/4/00
The last two days have seen some progress, some maddening revelations. The driveshaft in the Gremlin has been removed due to a clanking sound, sounding like a bad u-joint. Upon inspection, the rear u-joint had half the needle bearings broken in half, quite dry, obviously toast.
That will be corrected tomorrow with two new joints at Wenco up the street.
The Condor has seen several iterations: it quit the other day on the way home from the shop. No spark. Well, one at first crank, then nothing.
Replaced the coil, not it. Replaced the ECU (module) with the one I had here. Plenty of spark, no start, in fact odd backfiring, etc.
Got another MSD module for $178 (OUCH!!!), no spark.
Rob Anderson dropped by early this morning (7 AM), and took his usual mil-spec approach. Immediately pulled the wiring loom out and apart, found several iffy connections, some outright about-to-go, and some oddities. He rewired a bad connector and promised to rewire much of what he saw.
I had to leave for tennis, and came back to find no start, but a message on the machine saying the distributor rotor was NOT turning! Now there's a fundamental problem! Mind you, I had replaced the rotor and intermediate piece the other day when I tried the new coil. Never occurred to me the distributor might be defective. Pulled it out to find the roll pin missing from the gear (so it just turned on the shaft). Got a new pin, reset the distributor by popping the right side valve cover and getting the #1 valves closed, setting the timing mark to top dead center, and dropping the distributor back in. No start, ONE spark, again. Pulled the distributor out, and guess what? Broken gear!
I do have another bronze gear and roll pin, but I've got some questions, so I'll wait to reach Mr. Laur or some other authority tomorrow. He's at the Fire Barn right now, so I'm about to do that. He confirms my suspicions about the roll pin and distributor gear, that is it sheared off. So, tomorrow afternoon we'll get to that, and the next day return the unneeded MSD module.
In my call to him tonight Rob Anderson was gratified about his diligent approach ("things just come to me..."). So in the next few days I'll be seaching at Galpin Ford Parts Dept or Pick Your Part for a harness or connectors.

9/7/00
Guess what? I didn't use my bronze gear, as Randy Laur noted that the interior of my distributor was packed with metal shavings.
So off to AutoZone for a new one for $43 (rather than the PAW version for over $200).
Guess what?
It broke the new gear right off!
Guess what?
I can't get the @%$*#%!! thing out.
Two days of trying, crying, prying, schrying, humping, thumping, bumping the engine around, turning it backwards, etc. Nada, zip, sero, null, butkus.
Guess what?
I'm just pulling the damned engine out.
There is simply NO way to remove the frigging thing.
This indicates many things. On a karmic level, having Tanner touch the car was horrifically unsmart.
Metaphysically, I'm at a loss.
Fiscally, I'm screwed.
Emotionally, I'm crushed.
Time wise, I'm rushed.
Mechanically, the oil pump appears to have seized, and somehow the bottom of the distributor shaft is wedged on it, or something. Whatever. I can't replace the oil pump without lifting the motor about a foot to get the pan out. At this point, I don't trust anything on it now, so out it's coming. Took the radiator and fans out, removed some hoses, including the stupid Tanner/epoxy AN-fitting fiasco on the water pump (it just snapped off). I'll have GK Auto come over and evacuate the AC system (environmentally correct procedure).
Then, roll the sucker under the chain hoist and start tugging at it. Anyone got a real nice 408" Windsor built-up motor?
I'm intending to dyno this one BEFORE putting it back in the car, so I know what the hell is really going on.
The Gremlin had a bad U-joint all right: totally gone. It turns out the originator of the install used a Chevy joint at the rear, on a Ford 9" rear yoke. This was no yoke..... yuk yuk. The driveshaft is re-balanced, two new joints, clean and painted, and installed, ready for another Friday night at Cruisers.
I do need to re-level the pinion angle on the rear, as it is pointing a bit too down. It works, it's just not really ideal. It should be no big thing, once I get the proper shims.
On real FC stuff, I answered a Dragster ad for a spare Tbird body from Scott Cole. Real nice guy, VERY long on FC parts and cars, but he mis-dated his body, which is an 83-88 model, NOT what I want. He has LOTS of other stuff, just not what I need. I took Randy out there today, and he loved the place, but he, too, could find nothing appropriate to buy.
The window Dzus bolts are in at Economy, and will be retrieved tomorrow.

9/14/00
Got the window bolts, but haven't attended to the windows as yet. DID jerk the motor out of the Condor, and got it up to Kenny Duttweiler. Super nice fellow, very talkative, mucho friendly. Had I ever been able to get through on his phone for three years, I would have taken the motor up there years ago. As it is, the rotating (aka irritating) assembly is junk (there's $2K). The heads and block and manifold are pretty much all that is salvagable. It will run about $6K to redo this motor, AGAIN.
The Condor will get a slightly smaller stroke (4.100 down to 4.00), dropping it back to around 410", but letting it wear better. After reviewing dozens of dyno pulls on his computer, Duttweiler is certain that the combo should produce about 450 HP, as I had thought all along. He also pointed out why Fords make less power than Chevys of the same size. It has to do with longer stroke and shorter rods. The piston descends more quickly with a shorter rod (more rod angle), creating more vacuum on the down stroke. We're talking a 70 HP difference here. Fascinating. My engine will be configured about like a 406 Chevy, so should make good power. This will take two months.
Meanwhile, the Gremlin will be in the Van Nuys Street Show September 24th, and hopefully get enough exposure to get purchased soon.
Capt. Randy is down with a kidney stone-OUCH!!
The street clone Tbird is ALSO getting an engine transplant, as it has apparently lost a head gasket (favorite thing on these engines). I've had the original Condor motor sitting rebuilt for 7 years, and now it gets used.
One more thing out of the garage.
One of my LeTip networking comrades, Dr. Bob Patterson (chiropractor), came by the house today and casually mentioned he was into drag racing. He and I had lots to talk about once I opened the garage. I MAY have another crew member here.

The 420" Condor motor should be in the running for the Darwin award. I've been struggling with this thing for 7 years (and killing myself) to make power, and pretty much it's been a turd. Oh, it ran for nearly 50,000 miles, but in a powerless state.
Just have to share the latest real Darwin awards with you:

The 1999 nominees are:

NOMINEE No. 1: [San Jose Mercury News]: An unidentified man, using a shotgun like a club to break a former girlfriend's windshield, accidentally shot himself to death when the gun discharged, blowing a hole in his gut.

NOMINEE No. 2: [Kalamazoo Gazette] James Burns, 34, (a mechanic) of Alamo, Mich., was killed in March as he was trying to repair what police describe as a "farm type truck." Burns got a friend to drive the truck on a highway while Burns hung underneath so that he could ascertain the source of a troubling noise. Burns' clothes caught on something, however, and the other man found Burns "wrapped in the drive shaft."

NOMINEE No. 3: [Hickory Daily Record] Ken Charles Barger, 47,
accidentally shot himself to death in December in Newton, N.C. Awakening to the sound of a ringing telephone beside his bed, he reached for the phone but grabbed instead, a Smith & Wesson .38 Special, which discharged when he drew it to his ear.

NOMINEE No. 4: [UPI, Toronto] Police said a lawyer demonstrating thes safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was explaining the strength of the building's windows to visiting law students. Hoy previously has conducted demonstration of window strength according to police reports. Peter Lawyers, managing partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper that Hoy was one of the best and brightest" members of the 200-man association.

NOMINEE No. 5: [Bloomberg News Service] A terrible diet and a room with no ventilation are being blamed for the death of a man who was killed by his own gas. There was no mark on his body but an autopsy showed large amounts of methane gas in his system. His diet had consisted primarily of beans and cabbage (and a couple of other things). It was just the right combination of foods. It appears that the man died in his sleep from breathing the poisonous cloud that was hanging over his bed. Had he been outside or had his windows been opened, it wouldn't have been fatal. But the man was shut up in his near airtight bedroom. According to the article, "He was a big man with a huge capacity for creating "this deadly gas. "Three of the rescuers got sick and one was hospitalized.

NOMINEE No. 6: "The News of the Weird.] Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously. He had spent several years awaiting South Carolina's electric chair on a murder conviction before having his sentence reduced to life in prison. Whilst sitting on a metal toilet in his cell and attempting to fix his small TV set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted.

NOMINEE NO. 7: ["The Indianapolis Star"]. A cigarette lighter may have triggered fatal explosion in Dunkirk, Indiana. A Jay County man using a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a muzzle loader was killed Monday night when the weapon discharged in his face, sheriff's investigators
said. Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his parents' rural Dunkirk home about 11:30 p.m. Investigators said Pryor was cleaning a 54-caliber muzzleloader that had not been firing properly. He was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited.

NOMINEE No. 8: [Reuters, Mississauga, Ontario] A man cleaning a birdfeeder on the balcony of his condominium apartment in this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23 stories to his death. Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheeled chair when the accident occurred, said Inspector D'Arcy Honer of the Peel regional police. "It appears the chair moved and he went over the balcony."

AND FINALLY: NOMINEE 9: [Arkansas Democrat Gazette] Two local men were seriously injured when their pick-up truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday morning. Woodruff County Deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc and Billy Ray Wallis,38, of Little Rock Are listed in serious condition at Baptist Medical Center. The accident occurred as the two men were returning to Des Arc after a frog gigging trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Poole's pick-up truck headlights malfunctioned. The two men concluded that the headlight fuse on the older model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the .22 caliber bullet from his pistol fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering wheel column. Upon inserting the bullet, the headlights again began to operate properly and the two men proceeded on east-bound toward the White River bridge. After traveling approximately twenty miles and just before crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged and struck Poole in the right testicle. The vehicle swerved sharply right exiting the pavement and striking a tree. Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident, but will require surgery to repair the other wound. Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his balls off or we might both be dead" stated Wallis. "I've been a trooper for ten years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me.
I can't believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said Snyder. Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia, Poole's wife, asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck.

9/28/00
About the closest thing to racing has been driving the Gremlin to cruise nights and car shows. Did the Van Nuys Street show, and it was fun. The car gets TONS of attention. There are always 6-12 people crowding around it. Now just buy it!! I am MOST anxious to tow the FC out to these events, and REALLY get some gasps. For now, it's just been minute stuff, like continuing on the Dzus fasteners for the windshield and side windows. Had to heat up the pretty plated wires (ruining the finish) in order to open the eyelets up to receive reasonably-sized #10 stainless steel 1/2" long bolts and nylocks. It got VERY annoying taking apart hundreds of #4 allen head screws before. There is no appreciable weight savings with those micro bolts, and they are a major pain in the ass. They snap off with any torque, strip out the heads, etc.
The new tires are holding air just fine, in stark contrast to the old ones which leaked down every day.
Randy has made little progress on his rig as his recurrent kidney stone problem has hammered him. He is still struggling to get the Palmdale house on the market (VERY close now), is "plinking" away on the Newbury house, and has someone lined up ready to shoot the paint on his FC body.
The construction business has been very busy, with WAY too many bids being requested. I'm about a dozen behind right now, and I hate that.
I will be scheduling any further inquiries down the road for two weeks until I get caught up.
A few bids appear imminently job-able. We'll see.
Meanwhile, it's the usual cash-flow-crisis. In machining the latest trick is CNC, with me it's CFC.
Perhaps God will smile on my efforts, unlike the following story:

A country preacher decided to skip services one Sunday
and head to the hills to do some bear hunting. As he
rounded the corner on a perilous twist in the trail, he
and a bear collided, sending him and his rifle tumbling
down the mountainside. Before he knew it, his rifle
went one way and he went the other, landing on a rock
and breaking both legs. That was the good news. The bad
news was the ferocious bear was charging at him from a
distance, and he couldn't move. "Oh, Lord," the
preacher prayed, "I'm so sorry for skipping services
today to come out here and hunt. Please forgive me and
grant me just one wish...please make a Christian out of
that bear that's coming at me. Please, Lord!"

That very instant, the bear skidded to a halt, fell to
its knees, clasped its paws together and began to pray
aloud right at the preacher's feet. "Dear God, bless
this food I am about to receive...."




9/29/00
With Randy under the knife or laser to clear his kidney stone(s) as we write, I thought the following might be appropriate:

The following quotes were taken from actual medical
records as dictated by physicians:

*By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling better.

*Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

*On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it had completely disappeared.

*The patient has been depressed ever since she began seeing me in 1983.

*The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.

*Discharge status: Alive but without permission.

*Healthy-appearing decrepit sixty-nine-year-old male,
mentally alert but forgetful.

*The patient refused an autopsy.

*The patient has no past history of suicides.

*The patient expired on the floor uneventfully.

*Patient has left his white blood cells at another hospital.

*The patient's past medical history has been remarkably
insignificant, with only a forty-pound weight gain in the
past three days.

*She slipped on the ice and apparently her legs went in
separate directions in early December.

*Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this
lady pregnant.

*The patient was in his usual state of good health until his airplane ran out of gas and crashed.

*She is numb from her toes down.

*The skin was moist and dry.

*Patient was alert and unresponsive.

*When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the
room.

The last symptoms echo my sentiments exactly when dealing with subs who don't show, want more money, and complain.

9/30/00
Capt Randy has had his kidney stone crushed and cleared, came by to visit for a while today, and is approaching normalcy. REAL nice to see him back. Tomorrow should see son Mike here to continue on with the windshield and side window installation.
I do need a countersink tool for setting the recesses for the Dzus fasteners in the Lexan. I will NOT be jerry-rigging some method on that. We get only one shot at making that stuff pretty. Did invest in a brand new drill set (the umpteenth one), with super-good cobalt bits. This one will stay in the FC tool box, designated for ME.
The overload of crap (STUFF) needs attention. There is a plethora of construction materials and remnants crowding in from the fencing on the west. Gotta go. As you've noticed, this is an ongoing battle.
The street Bird is running OK with the new motor. I WISH it were the Condor I was describing. It will be at least 6 weeks before I see a motor for that. Duttweiler has (to be expected) had a few delays in getting around to flow-testing my heads. Hey, I'm just thrilled he's working on it at all. The Condor is becoming something of a parts car for the driver Bird. The brake system (ABS) is leaking substantial amounts of brake fluid out, apparently from the accumulator pump. So, I'm going to jerk the entire master/pump/nitrogen bottle from the Condor (easier when the motor is out) and throw it on the clone car. I'll have plenty of time to get the other one rebuilt and back on the Condor before it's actually needed.
Rob Anderson has been hired by a high-tech company (that didn't take long-like 2 weeks), so is gainfully employed again. Hopefully his interest in rewiring and glorifying the Condor engine compartment will survive his new job.

10/2/00
Mike showed, and after watching Topeka/NHRA finals on TNN (for the last time after 18 years, now for the next 5 years it's on ESPN), we got the remainder of the Dzus fasteners attached to the car, marked the windows for drilling, and put them away. As noted previously, we only get one shot at making the windows right. This morning I talked with a couple of machinists, and it turns out my trusty employee, "Tiny" Ed Anctil, was listening, and is a former machinist. He's on his way home right now to find a 120-degree countersink for the heads of the Dzus screws.
Just got through again on the phone to Duttweiler's, and predictably he hasn't done them yet (VERY busy guy). He is going to flow the heads in a couple hours. Hopefully they'll yield good #, as I really don't have the scoots to buy another set of heads at this point (we all know where this is going, don't we?).
Chris from NHRA is due here today to certify the chassis. I hope I can talk him into NOT putting the tag on it, since I'm going to be re-powder coating the chassis. We'll see.
All this uncertainty and delay is very stressful. Per that, here is the latest Anti-Stress Diet:

BREAKFAST
1/2 grapefruit
1 slice whole-wheat bread
8 oz. Skim milk

LUNCH
4 oz. Broiled chicken
1 cup zucchini
1 Oreo cookie
1 cup herb tea

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
Rest of the package Oreo cookies
1 quart Rocky Road Ice Cream
1 jar hot fudge

DINNER
2 loaves garlic bread
large pepperoni pizza
Pitcher of beer
3 Snickers candy bars
Entire frozen cheesecake

DIET TIPS:
1-If no one sees you eat it, it has no calories.
2-If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, they will cancel each other out.
3-Calories don't count if you eat with someone and you both eat the same amount.
4-Food taken for medicinal purposes doesn't count. This includes hot chocolate, brandy, toast, Sara Lee chocolate cake.
5-If you fatten up everyone around you, you'll look thinner.
6-Snacks consumed in a movie do not count as they are part of the entertainment. For example: Milk Duds, popcorn with butter, red licorice and M & M's.
7-Pieces of cookies contain no calories. The process of breaking causes a calorie leakage.
8-Late night snacks have no calories. The refrigerator light is not strong enough for the calories to see their way into the calorie counter.

Chris from NHRA just came and tagged the chassis. One more little step towards actually making a pass in the car.
Just got the following from Mike:

A group of archaeologists were exploring when they came upon a cave.
Written across the wall of the cave were the following symbols, in this order of appearance: A woman, a donkey, a shovel, a fish, and a Star of David. They decided that this was a unique find and the writings were at least three thousand years old. They chopped out the piece of stone and had it brought to the museum where archaeologists from all over the world came to study the ancient symbols.
They held a huge meeting after months of conferences to discuss the meaning of the markings. The president of the society stood up and pointed at the first drawing and said, "This looks like a woman. We can judge that this race was family oriented and held women in high esteem. You can also tell they were intelligent, as the next symbol resembles a donkey, so, they were smart enough to have animals help them till the soil. The next drawing looks like a shovel of some sort, which means
they even had tools to help them.
Even further proof of their high intelligence is the fish which
Means that if a famine had hit the earth, whereby the food didn't grow, they would take to the sea for food. The last symbol appears to be the Star of David which means they were evidently Hebrews."
The audience applauded enthusiastically.
Suddenly a little old Jewish man stood up in the back of the room and said,
"Idiots! Hebrew is read from right to left. It says, "Holy Mackerel, Dig the Ass on that Woman."

10/3/00
Speaking of digging, the prototype lifeguard tower was towed around Dockweiler Beach today, and set into service next to tower #49 (right where that KLM jet engine part fell). It did just fine. All personnel there realize now what an overkill the new tower is, and how it needs to be redesigned to be cost effective. As it is, I've spent about $34K building a $26K price tag. I just get to eat the cost overrun (for the thrill of being involved in the process, I guess). I meet tomorrow with the big boys to see what changes are proposed. From there, I need to evaluate whether I can build them for a profit. It MAY be the best deal to walk away from it. We'll see.
Predictably, the bad news at Duttweiler's is that my new supposedly fabulous aluminum Dart Windsor heads flow 240 CFM at .550" valve lift. That SUCKS!!!! A motor this big needs about 300 CFM. That 240 is barely better than a stock head. There are small block Chevy heads approaching 400 CFM, and for about a grand, complete!! In discussing this at length with Randy, he feels this motor has gotten WAY out of hand. He sees no reason why the original rotating assembly can't be freshened up, new rings, crank polished or turned. If the heads can't be made do much, then the rotating assembly money could go there.
I have alternatively thought of offing the entire engine as-is, fresh, and just, oh I don't know, maybe going with a Chevy. Then the Condor WOULD be exactly like the FC, big Chevy motor, blue oval body. Chevy offers a big block crate motor with computer, injection, etc. for $6-$8K, just add 12 volts and go. For the price of changing the motor mounts, getting an adapter for the bellhousing, and changing headers, I could be GONE. Actually, forget the trans adapter, a 700-R4 is a better deal anyway. Of course, Gene at Auto Rite has jumped on my AOD trans, and it is completely rebuilt and ready to go. Oops! That may seal the deal for staying with the Ford motor. More mental wrenching here.

10/4/00
Subject: Crossing the Jordan River
Bill Clinton, Al Gore and George Bush died and found themselves
standing on the other side of the Jordan River, looking across at
the promised land. The Archangel Michael was standing on the other side and shouted over to the three surprised Americans, "Contrary to what you have been taught, each of you will have to wade across the Jordan River."
As Michael saw their perplexed looks, he reassured them by saying, "Don't worry. You will only sink proportionally according to your sins on earth. The more you have sinned the more you will sink into the water."
The three American sages of political lore looked at one another,
trying to determine who shall be the first brave soul to cross
the Jordan River. Finally George Bush volunteered to go first.
Slowly He began to wade out into the river, and slowly the water began to get higher and higher, reaching to his waist. George began to sweat, thinking that all of his sins are coming back to haunt him. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever see the other side. Finally, after what seemed liked an eternity, he began to emerge on the river's bank.
As he ascended to the other side, he looked behind him to see
which one of the other brave souls was going next. A shock of
surprised registered on his face, as he saw Al Gore almost in the middle of the river and only his ankles barely touching the water. He turned to Michael and exclaimed, "I know Al Gore, Al Gore is a friend of mine, and he has sinned much, much more than that!"
Before the Archangel Michael could reply, Al Gore shouted back,
"I'm standing on Clinton's shoulders!"

10/8/00
Well, I've been trying to let others shoulder the many loads I have, and it's been working. One of which is the Condor. I made 4 phone calls yesterday getting tow prices from $245 down to $90 to run it up to Rob Anderson on a flatbed truck. The low guy had no flatbed, and was heading that direction anyway to pick up a car. That worked out great.
I've collected over $12,000 in the last 5 days, and I'm still broke!! This is leaving no funds for FUN on the FC. Notwithstanding that, Mikey will be here today to continue on with the windows, etc. We'll probably set the blower on, set the injectors back on, and get this thing closer to lighting up. The mag is still out, as I need to do a little more welding. Got the chassis certified, but I'd like to put the extra roll cage stiffeners in anyway.
Randy is up with Mike Kirby running his twin-6 dragster at the Reunion at Bakersfield. It runs CIFCA-like in Nostalgia Eliminator on the same 7.50 index. Mike also owns the original John Peters Freight Train twin small block Chevy dragster.
Son Mike is running late today, and may pass on FC work. As Millie is also out of town tonight, I may get some work done (ha!). I've been considering a somewhat bizarre setup on the Condor: TWO superchargers, using the same Eaton roots-type units with injectors as on my original 3.8 V-6 in the Super Coupe. I do have an extra blower from changing the motor in the clone car. I've made some inquiries, and I'll be looking around.

10/9/00
1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have your own fantasy fulfilled (but only pick between 2 and 9).
2. Multiply this number by 2.
3. Add 5.
4. Multiply it by 50. I'll wait while you get the calculator
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1750.
If you haven't, add 1749.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.
You should now have a three digit number.


The first digit is your original number (i.e., how many times
you want to have your fantasy fulfilled each week).
The second two digits are your age.
THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2000) IT WILL WORK.

Speaking of work (no joke), Randy, Ed, and I got a little done today on the Lexan (my fantasy). "Tiny" Ed Anctil is a former defense industry machinist. He mentioned a place today to get the needed 110º countersink for the Dzus fasteners (he didn't have the proper one at home after all). He picked it up on the way back from a job, and we did some testing. What is required are three holes per location: a very small pilot hole to keep the center where marked, a hole about.406" in diameter for the shaft of the fastener, and the .750" diameter 110º countersink critically deep (about .100") to recess the Dzus fasteners about .010" below the surface. While it took some time, we got the act together and Randy and I did the left side window. It works well, and is very secure. A few wires will need some slight tweaking, but the system works. There are MANY (18) holes for the windshield, and that piece has to be done one hole at a time, reset on the car, and the next hole marked and drilled. Once 5 or 6 critically placed fasteners are in, then we can run the rest out without that process. Can you believe it? Actual progress!!!!
This is definitely a two-man process, both lifting and resetting the Lexan, and holding it during drilling on the drill press.
With the Condor out of the driveway, and a dump run of much unneeded lumber, etc., a little more room is emerging in the Garage Mahal.
In the office, I FINALLY got the DSL working on all three computers, a monumental achievement requiring the services of one of my LeTip associates, Jason. I've been assiduously attentive to the jobs and the needed profit, ruthlessly banging out some profit margin to get (eventually) me back to a point of being able to put some dough into the Fun Car.
Randy is still feeling lousy, though MUCH better. He will have his ureter stint removed Friday, and then should be back to his normal, cheerful, energetic self.
The lifeguard towers may be a bust. Our prototype was perfectly constructed, and was immediately seen to be an absurd design, which we had warned the whole time. So the thing may be redesigned, and therefore may have to be rebid on the open market. There are some small hopes for keeping the project, particularly by the internal powers who see what a great job we did. They don't want to go through the low bidder fiasco again.
Why mention this in a race newsletter? Because that was RACE money coming from that gig!! As it is, I've spent over $6K MORE than I got for the privilege of building the prototype.
I hate this stuff...
Including LEAVING my "trusty" portable chairs at Cruisers about a month ago... What a dope!

10/11/00
Another dope is one of my framing guys (what a shock!!). For undisclosed reasons here (but I know), he has dropped out of sight for a while. This leaves me in a position of having to run to a couple of jobs and do drywall taping, concrete, etc. to cover the OTHER taper who is also unavailable (out of town) for a month. While actually doing construction work is OK, it's frustrating, as nothing I do fixes the big picture. Of course, sitting at the Mac doesn't really cure the whole thing, either, but I feel better about it. So I'm getting beat up on the work side, and the management side. Full spectrum fatigue and stress. The bright side is that things are getting done, as they always do when I'm actually on the jobs.
What's NOT getting done is the FC (oh, you hadn't guessed?). Capt Randy will be scooting to Cabo San Lucas for 10 days this weekend, so I'll have no inspiration or companion to move by butt to the tasks at hand there. I have managed (amazingly) in his absence to have actually created a running, winning operation, so I guess I can do it again. Given the amazing non-repeating this season, including Broome winning the championship, we stand a very good chance next year, presuming we're running, of course. I did get my license renewed, and with the chassis certified for another 3 years, we're pretty good to go.

10/13/00
Well, it's Friday the 13th of October, a (Gremlin) full moon, and I was on the way over to Cruisers to display the beautiful Gremlin when a fellow made an abrupt stop in the middle of a right turn in front of me. CRUNCHO!! Nearly nothing damaged on his truck, but mucho nacho to my right front fender and spoiler. PLUS, this guy wants $500 NOT to have me fix the very minor damage to his truck. AND, doesn't speak a word of English. You gotta love it. Particularly, as I paid.
So yet another setback to the FC progress, and more project diversion getting the Gremlin fixed. I'll send Tiny over to Pick your Part tomorrow (nah!) to find a fender and valance, and get the car post haste to Nick to get done. CRAP!!!
If I had tons of money, this would be annoying, As I'm broke (do you hear this strong echo?), it's just killing.

I hope you all will REALLY appreciate the enormity of the accomplishment once we're running a just reporting routine FC racing stuff. Every one of the teams has some trial by fire they endure to make it to the track. Mine is just a very lengthy and convoluted set of them.
Meanwhile, Randy's dad is doing pretty well, although weak, but now his mom is doing badly, but hopefully will recover from congestive heart problems (twice cardiac-arrested in two days!!) resulting from diverticulutis, and he, too, will be feeling better now that his stint has been removed. More ouch...

10/15/00
Paid the uninsured Mexican fellow his money, got a signed release, and have come back and disassembled the Gremlin front end, fender and valance. As Tiny was unreachable yesterday, it's a bit late today to go to Pick Your Part, so perhaps Monday or Tuesday I'll go there with Tiny and do the deed, then hump the stuff over to Nick for repair.
There are SO many unfinished projects here!!
The trailer is loaded with 12 boxes of organ pipes, the Condor is in process, the Gremlin is in process, the house is in seemingly perpetual halt, the work truck needs some attention, and oh yeah, the FC is undone as well.
I'm creating yet two more areas of storage here for the infinite trove of tools, etc., one along the front driveway, another out back off the office rear wall. Short of a second story, that pretty much exhausts virtually every nook and cranny on the 1/4-acre property.

As the election is next month, here's some sound political advice:

How To Be A Good Republican by Ann Richards

1. You have to believe that the nation's current 8-year
prosperity was due to the work of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, but yesterday's gasoline prices are all Clinton's fault.

2. You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own.

3. You have to be against all government programs, but expect
Social Security checks on time.

4. You have to believe that someone like Michelle Pfeiffer can really walk into an inner city classroom and accomplish miracles.

5. You have to believe AIDS victims deserve their disease, but smokers with lung cancer and overweight individuals with heart disease don't deserve theirs.

6. You have to appreciate the power rush that comes with sporting a gun.

7. You have to believe...everything Rush Limbaugh says.

8. You have to believe that the agricultural, restaurant, housing and hotel industries can survive without immigrant labor.

9. You have to believe God hates homosexuality, but loves the death penalty.

10. You have to believe society is color-blind and growing up black in America doesn't diminish your opportunities, but you still won't vote for Alan Keyes.

11. You have to believe that pollution is OK as long as it makes a profit.

12. You have to believe in prayer in schools, as long as you don't pray to Allah or Buddha.

13. You have to believe Newt Gingrich and Henry Hyde were really faithful husbands.

14. You have to believe speaking a few Spanish phrases makes you instantly popular in the barrio.

15. You have to believe that only your own teenagers are still virgins.

16. You have to be against government interference in business, until your oil company, corporation or Savings and Loan is about to go broke and you beg for a government bailout.

17. You love Jesus and Jesus loves you and, by the way, Jesus shares your hatred for AIDS victims, homosexuals, and President Clinton.

18. You have to believe government has nothing to do with providing police protection, national defense, and building roads.

19. You have to believe a poor, minority student with a disciplinary history and failing grades will be admitted into an elite private school with a $1,000 voucher.

20. You only wanted Elian Gonzalez to stay in order to peeve the President.

10/18/00
To say the very least, things have been going like shit for the last few months. But hey, shit is versatile:

Shit may just be the most powerful word in the English language.

You can be shit faced,
shit out of luck,
have shit for brains.

With a little effort you can
get your shit together,
find a place for your shit,
decide to shit or get off the pot.

You can smoke shit,
buy shit,
sell shit,
lose shit,
find shit,
forget shit,
and tell others to eat shit and die.

You can shit or go blind,
have a shit fit
just shit your life away.

Some people know their shit
while others can't tell the difference
between shit and shineola.

There are lucky shits,
dumb shits,
crazy shits,
and sweet shits.
There is bull shit,
horse shit,
chicken shit.

You can throw shit,
sling shit,
catch shit,
duck when shit hits the fan.
You can give a shit
serve shit on a shingle.
You can find yourself in deep shit,
be happier than a pig in shit.

Some days are colder than shit,
some days are hotter than shit,
and some days are just plain shitty.
Some music sounds like shit,
things can look like shit,
there are times when you feel shitty

You can have too much shit,
not enough shit,
the right shit,
the wrong shit,
a lot of weird shit.
You can carry shit,
have a mountain of shit,
find yourself up shit creek without a paddle.

Sometimes you really need this shit,
sometimes you don't want any shit at all.
Sometimes everything you touch turns to shit,
other times you swim in a lake of shit
and come out smelling like a rose.

When you stop to consider all the facts, it's the
basic building block of creation. And remember, once
you know your shit, you don't need to know anything else!

Speaking of shit, get a load of more incredible Bushisms:

"I mean, there needs to be a wholesale effort against racial profiling, which is illiterate children."-Second presidential debate, Oct. 11, 2000
(Thanks to Leonard Williams.)

"It's going to require numerous IRA agents."-On Gore's tax plan,
Greensboro, N.C., Oct. 10, 2000

"I think if you know what you believe, it makes it a lot easier to answer questions. I can't answer your question."-In response to a question about whether he wished he could take back any of his answers in the first debate.
Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Oct. 4, 2000 (Thanks to Peter Feld.)

"I would have my secretary of treasury be in touch with the financial centers, not only here but at home."-Boston, Oct. 3, 2000 (Thanks to M. Bateman.)

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."-Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

"I will have a foreign-handed foreign policy."-Redwood, Calif., Sept. 27, 2000

"One of the common denominators I have found is that expectations rise above that which is expected."-Los Angeles, Sept. 27, 2000

"It is clear our nation is reliant upon big foreign oil. More and more of our imports come from overseas."-Beaverton, Ore., Sep. 25, 2000

"Well, that's going to be up to the pundits and the people to make up their mind. I'll tell you what is a president for him, for example, talking about my record in the state of Texas. I
mean, he's willing to say anything in order to convince people that I haven't had a good record in Texas."-MSNBC, Sept.
20, 2000 (Thanks to Gregory H.Monberg.)

"I am a person who recognizes the fallacy of humans."-Oprah, Sept. 19, 2000

"A tax cut is really one of the anecdotes to coming out of an economic illness."-The Edge With Paula
Zahn, Sept. 18, 2000

"The woman who knew that I had dyslexia-I never interviewed
her."-Orange, Calif., Sept. 15, 2000

"The best way to relieve families from time is to let them keep some of their own money."-Westminster,
Calif., Sept. 13, 2000

"They have miscalculated me as a leader."-Ibid.

"I don't think we need to be subliminable about the differences between our views on prescription
drugs."-Orlando, Fla., Sept. 12, 2000

"This is what I'm good at. I like meeting people, my fellow citizens, I like interfacing with them."-Outside
Pittsburgh, Sept. 8, 2000

"That's Washington. That's the place where you find people getting ready to jump out of the foxholes before the first shot is fired."-Westland, Mich., Sept. 8, 2000

"Listen, Al Gore is a very tough opponent. He is the incumbent. He represents the incumbency. And a challenger is somebody who generally comes from the pack and wins, if you're going to win. And that's where I'm coming from."-Detroit,
Sept. 7, 2000 (Thanks to Michael Butler, Houston, Texas.)

"We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the great country called America will be the pacemakers."-Houston, Texas, Sept. 6, 2000

"We don't believe in planners and deciders making the decisions on behalf of Americans."-Scranton, Pa., Sept. 6, 2000

"I regret that a private comment I made to the vice presidential candidate made it through the public airways."-Allentown, Pa., Sept. 5, 2000.

"The point is, this is a way to help inoculate me about what has come and is coming."--on his anti-Gore ad,
in an interview with the New York Times, Sept. 2, 2000

"As governor of Texas, I have set high standards for our public schools, and I have met those standards."--CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000

"Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."--Ibid.

"I don't know whether I'm going to win or not. I think I am. I do know I'm ready for the job. And, if not, that's just the way it goes."-Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 21, 2000

''This campaign not only hears the voices of the entrepreneurs and the farmers and the entrepreneurs, we hear
the voices of those struggling to get ahead."-Ibid.

"We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.''-Ibid.

"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together."-Bartlett, Tenn., Aug. 18, 2000 (Thanks to Tarja Black.)

"I think he needs to stand up and say if he thought the president were wrong on policy and issues, he ought to say where."-Interview with the Associated Press, Aug. 11, 2000 (Thanks to
Ryan Rhodes.)

"I want you to know that farmers are not going to be secondary thoughts to a Bush administration. They will be in the forethought of our thinking."-Salinas, Calif., Aug. 10, 2000 (Thanks to Kris Sester.)

"And if he continues that, I'm going to tell the nation what I think about him as a human being and a person."-President George H.W. Bush, on the Today show, Aug. 1, 2000

"You might want to comment on that, Honorable."--To New Jersey's secretary of state, the Hon. DeForest Soaries Jr., as quoted by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, July 15, 2000

"This case has had full analyzation and has been looked at a lot. I understand the emotionality of death penalty cases."--Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 23, 2000 (Thanks to Johnny Green.)

"States should have the right to enact reasonable laws and restrictions particularly to end the inhumane practice of ending a life that otherwise could live."-Cleveland, June 29, 2000
(Thanks to Douglas Basford.)

"Unfairly but truthfully, our party has been tagged as being against things. Anti-immigrant, for example.
And we're not a party of anti-immigrants. Quite
the opposite. We're a party that welcomes people."-Cleveland, July 1, 2000 (Thanks to M. Bateman.)

"The fundamental question is, 'Will I be a successful president when it comes to foreign policy?' I will be, but until I'm the president, it's going to be hard for me to verify that I think I'll
be more effective."-In Wayne, Mich., as quoted by Katharine Q. Seelye in the New York Times, June 28, 2000

"The only things that I can tell you is that every case I have reviewed I have been comfortable with the innocence or guilt of the person that I've looked at. I do not believe we've put a
guilty ... I mean innocent person to death in the
state of Texas." All Things Considered, NPR, June 16, 2000 (Thanks to Andy Nouraee.)

"I'm gonna talk about the ideal world, Chris. I've read-I understand reality. If you're asking me as the president, would I understand reality, I do."-On abortion, Hardball, MSNBC; May 31, 2000

"There's not going to be enough people in the system to take advantage of people like me."-On the coming
Social Security crisis; Wilton, Conn.; June 9, 2000 (Thanks to Andy Mais.)

"I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating."-U.S. News & World Report, April 3, 2000 (Thanks to Alfred Stanley, Austin, Texas.)

Bush: "First of all, Cinco de Mayo is not the independence day. That's dieciséis de Septiembre, and ..."Matthews: "What's that in English?"
Bush: "Fifteenth of September." (Dieciséis de Septiembre = Sept. 16)-Hardball, MSNBC, May 31, 2000 (Thanks to numerous readers.)

"Actually, I-this may sound a little West Texan to you, but I like it. When I'm talking about-when I'm talking about myself, and when he's talking about myself, all of us are talking about me."-Ibid.

"This is a world that is much more uncertain than the past. In the past we were certain, we were certain it was us versus the Russians in the past. We were certain, and therefore we had huge nuclear arsenals aimed at each other to keep the peace. That's what we were certain of. ... You see, even though it's an uncertain world, we're certain of some things. We're certain that even though the 'evil empire' may have passed, evil still remains. We're certain there are people that can't stand what
America stands for. ... We're certain there are madmen in this world, and there's terror, and there's missiles and I'm certain of this, too: I'm certain to maintain the peace, we better have a military of high morale, and I'm certain that
under this administration, morale in the military is dangerously low."-Albuquerque, N.M., the Washington Post, May 31, 2000

"He has certainly earned a reputation as a fantastic mayor, because the results speak for themselves. I mean,
New York's a safer place for him to be."-On Rudy Giuliani, The Edge With Paula Zahn, May 18, 2000 (Thanks to Peter Goldman.)

"The fact that he relies on facts-says things that are not factual-are going to undermine his campaign."-New
York Times, March 4, 2000 (Thanks to Garry Trudeau.)

"I think we agree, the past is over."-On his meeting with John McCain, Dallas Morning News, May 10, 2000"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."--Reuters, May 5, 2000
(Thanks to Allison Fansler.)

GOV. BUSH: Because the picture
on the newspaper. It just seems so
un-American to me, the picture
of the guy storming the house with a scared
little boy there. I talked to
my little brother, Jeb-I haven't told this to many
people. But he's the governor
of-I shouldn't call him my little brother--my
brother, Jeb, the great
governor of Texas.
JIM LEHRER: Florida.
GOV. BUSH: Florida. The state
of the Florida.-The NewsHour With Jim
Lehrer, April 27, 2000

"I hope we get to the bottom of
the answer. It's what I'm interested to
know."-On what happened in
negotiations between the Justice Department
and Elián González's Miami
relatives, as quoted by the Associated Press,
April 26, 2000 (Thanks to Saul
Selzer.)

"Laura and I really don't
realize how bright our children is sometimes until we
get an objective
analysis."-Meet the Press, April 15, 2000

"You subscribe politics to it.
I subscribe freedom to it."-Responding to a
question about whether he and
Al Gore were making the Elián González case
a political issue. In Palm
Beach, Fla., as quoted by the Associated Press, April
6, 2000 (Thanks to Helen Kennedy.)

"I was raised in the West. The
west of Texas. It's pretty close to California. In
more ways than Washington,
D.C., is close to California."-In Los Angeles as
quoted by the Los Angeles
Times, April 8, 2000

"Reading is the basics for all
learning."-Announcing his "Reading First"
initiative in Reston, Va.,
March 28, 2000 (Thanks to Carl LaRocca.)

"We want our teachers to be
trained so they can meet the obligations, their
obligations as teachers. We
want them to know how to teach the science of
reading. In order to make sure
there's not this kind of federal-federal
cufflink."-At Fritsche Middle
School, Milwaukee, March 30, 2000

"Other Republican candidates
may retort to personal attacks and negative
ads."-Fund-raising letter from
George W. Bush, quoted in the Washington
Post, March 24, 2000

"I've got a reason for running.
I talk about a larger goal, which is to call upon
the best of America. It's part
of the renewal. It's reform and renewal. Part of
the renewal is a set of high
standards and to remind people that the greatness
of America really does depend
on neighbors helping neighbors and children
finding mentors. I worry. I'm
very worried about, you know, the kid who just
wonders whether America is
meant for him. I really worry about that. And
uh, so, I'm running for a
reason. I'm answering this question here and the
answer is, you cannot lead
America to a positive tomorrow with revenge on
one's mind. Revenge is so
incredibly negative. And so to answer your
question, I'm going to win
because people sense my heart, know my sense of
optimism and know where I want
to lead the country. And I tease people by
saying, 'A leader, you can't
say, follow me the world is going to be worse.' I'm
an optimistic person. I'm an
inherently content person. I've got a great sense
of where I want to lead and I'm
comfortable with why I'm running. And, you
know, the call on that speech
was, beware. This is going to be a tough
campaign."-Interview with the
Washington Post, March 23, 2000

"People make suggestions on
what to say all the time. I'll give you an example;
I don't read what's handed to
me. People say, 'Here, here's your speech, or
here's an idea for a speech.'
They're changed. Trust me."-Interview with the
New York Times, March 15, 2000

"It's evolutionary, going from
governor to president, and this is a significant
step, to be able to vote for
yourself on the ballot, and I'll be able to do so next
fall, I hope."-In an interview
with the Associated Press, March 8, 2000
(Thanks to Joshua Micah Marshall.)

"It is not Reaganesque to
support a tax plan that is Clinton in nature.''-Los
Angeles, Feb. 23, 2000

"I don't have to accept their
tenants. I was trying to convince those college
students to accept my tenants.
And I reject any labeling me because I
happened to go to the
university."-Today, Feb. 23, 2000

"I understand small business
growth. I was one."-New York Daily News,
Feb. 19, 2000

"The senator has got to
understand if he's going to have-he can't have it both
ways. He can't take the high
horse and then claim the low road."-To
reporters in Florence, S.C.,
Feb. 17, 2000

"Really proud of it. A great
campaign. And I'm really pleased with the
organization and the thousands
of South Carolinians that worked on my
behalf. And I'm very gracious
and humbled."-To Cokie Roberts, This Week,
Feb. 20, 2000

"I don't want to win? If that
were the case why the heck am I on the bus 16
hours a day, shaking thousands
of hands, giving hundreds of speeches, getting
pillared in the press and
cartoons and still staying on message to
win?"-Newsweek, Feb. 28, 2000

"I thought how proud I am to be
standing up beside my dad. Never did it
occur to me that he would
become the gist for cartoonists."-ibid.

"If you're sick and tired of
the politics of cynicism and polls and principles,
come and join this
campaign."-Hilton Head, S.C., Feb. 16, 2000

"How do you know if you don't
measure if you have a system that simply
suckles kids
through?"-Explaining the need for educational accountability in
Beaufort, S.C., Feb. 16, 2000

"We ought to make the pie
higher."-South Carolina Republican Debate, Feb.
15, 2000

"I do not agree with this
notion that somehow if I go to try to attract votes
and to lead people toward a
better tomorrow somehow I get subscribed to
some-some doctrine gets
subscribed to me."-Meet The Press, Feb. 13,
2000

"I've changed my style
somewhat, as you know. I'm less-I pontificate less,
although it may be hard to tell
it from this show. And I'm more interacting
with people."-ibid

"I think we need not only to
eliminate the tollbooth to the middle class, I
think we should knock down the
tollbooth."-Nashua, N.H., as quoted by
Gail Collins in the New York
Times, Feb. 1, 2000

"The most important job is not
to be governor, or first lady in my
case."-Pella, Iowa, as quoted
by the San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 30,
2000

"Will the highways on the
Internet become more few?"-Concord, N.H., Jan.
29, 2000

"This is Preservation Month. I
appreciate preservation. It's what you do
when you run for president. You
gotta preserve."-Speaking during
"Perseverance Month" at
Fairgrounds Elementary School in Nashua, N.H. As
quoted in the Los Angeles
Times, Jan. 28, 2000

"I know how hard it is for you
to put food on your family."-Greater
Nashua, N.H., Chamber of
Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000

"What I am against is quotas. I
am against hard quotas, quotas they basically
delineate based upon whatever.
However they delineate, quotas, I think
vulcanize society. So I don't
know how that fits into what everybody else is
saying, their relative
positions, but that's my position.''-Quoted by Molly
Ivins, the San Francisco
Chronicle, Jan. 21, 2000 (Thanks to Toni L.
Gould.)

"When I was coming up, it was a
dangerous world, and you knew exactly who
they were," he said. "It was us
vs. them, and it was clear who them was.
Today, we are not so sure who
the they are, but we know they're
there."-Iowa Western Community
College, Jan 21, 2000

"The administration I'll bring
is a group of men and women who are focused
on what's best for America,
honest men and women, decent men and women,
women who will see service to
our country as a great privilege and who will
not stain the house."-Des
Moines Register debate, Iowa, Jan. 15, 2000

"This is still a dangerous
world. It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and
potential mential losses."-At a
South Carolina oyster roast, as quoted in the
Financial Times, Jan. 14, 2000

"We must all hear the universal
call to like your neighbor just like you like to
be liked yourself."-ibid.

"Rarely is the question asked:
Is our children learning?"-Florence, S.C., Jan.
11, 2000

"Gov. Bush will not stand for the subsidation of failure."-ibid.

"There needs to be debates, like we're going through. There needs to be town-hall meetings. There needs to be travel. This is a huge country."-Larry King Live, Dec. 16,1999

"I read the newspaper."-In answer to a question about his reading habits, New Hampshire Republican
Debate, Dec. 2, 1999

"I think it's important for those of us in a position of responsibility to be firm in sharing our experiences, to
understand that the babies out of wedlock is a very difficult chore for mom and baby alike. ... I believe we ought to say there
is a different alternative than the culture that is proposed by people like Miss Wolf in society. ... And, you know, hopefully, condoms will work, but it hasn't worked."-Meet the Press,
Nov. 21, 1999

"The students at Yale came from all different backgrounds and all parts of the country. Within months, I knew many of them."-From A Charge To Keep, by George W. Bush, published
November 1999

"It is incredibly presumptive for somebody who has not yet earned his party's nomination to start speculating about vice presidents."-Keene, N.H., Oct. 22, 1999, quoted in the
New Republic, Nov. 15, 1999

"The important question is, How many hands have I shaked?"-Answering a question about why he hasn't spent more time in New Hampshire, in the New York Times, Oct. 23, 1999

"I don't remember debates. I don't think we spent a lot of time debating it. Maybe we did, but I don't remember."-On discussions of the Vietnam War when he was an undergraduate at Yale, Washington Post, July 27, 1999

"The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned first-hand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas."-To a Slovak journalist as quoted by Knight Ridder News Service,
June 22, 1999. Bush's meeting was with Janez Drnovsek, the prime minister of Slovenia.

"If the East Timorians decide to revolt, I'm sure I'll have a
statement."-Quoted by Maureen Dowd in the New York Times, June 16, 1999

"Keep good relations with the Grecians."-Quoted in the Economist, June 12, 1999

"Kosovians can move back in."-CNN Inside Politics, April 9, 1999

"It was just inebriating what Midland was all about then."-From a 1994 interview, as quoted in First
Son, by Bill Minutaglio

10/20/00
In Gremlin news, I jumped on the web after running out to Pick Your Part, U Pick Your part,, etc. and finding the 3 Gremlins had been picked apart. DAMN. The good news is that within an hour or so, I found an enormous trove of AMC sites. I got an e-mail back this morning from Arctic Boy giving me a huge number of leads, the first of which has everything I need, including a NEW fender. The supplier is also so sharp that he wants pix of the car because my descriptions make him wonder if there are some mixed parts on my Gremlin. So for about $400, I can have the stuff I need here in a couple of weeks.
In FC stuff, Butch Schrier has been tough to locate. He did call me a few days ago, was to call back in a few minutes, and did not.
He's had some real problems, including back surgery. He's long ago not with Edelbrock, and has several projects going.
Offhand, it looks like he'll not be of much help for some time to come. Reached Butch this morning, and he has started Brand X Nitrous Systems, and is a busy boy going to the SEMA show, etc. He wants to hook up next week for lunch.

10/26/00
The week has elapsed, I have NOT seen Butch, but did visit Duttweiler. Got my Dart Windsor heads, brought them back, and spent a few hours cleaning them up (removing gaskets and soot). For only running a half hour, they SURE were carboned up. Randy is in Vegas for the Nostalgia World Finals with Mike Kirby and Mike twin-six dragster, also running on a 7.50 ET dial. Mike is #2 in points, and is hoping to grab the championship over the weekend. I'm hoping Randy will off my heads and the Holley 600 carb. Anything I can do to get more $ to finish the Gremlin, Condor, and FC. Tomorrow I go to small claims court against the idiot Tanner (who most likely will not be there), who really made the Bird into the Condork. I'm so close to just selling it off and walking away.
On the FC a buddy, Charles, who did the security install here (after Tanner showed me the need), said he has connections to get Dzus fasteners. This would expedite finishing the windshield and side windows installation.

10/29/00
Mikey and I got the windshield and right side window done. We had to add another two Dzus fasteners, one at each side of the windshield near the top along the post, in order to get the thick Lexan to sit flat. We also tuned up a couple of springs which were a bit too deep, not allowing the standard length fastener to lock on. There are a couple of springs (the Dzus fastener wire onto which the system hooks) which will need some creativity, particularly the ones at the lower corners of the windshield, because these are mounted under the firewall tin. Both need some longer #10 bolts. All in all, a very productive day. It has continued to rain here, and my 3 sump pumps have shown some need of attention. Oh, they all work, but one was clogged with leaves which was holding the float on (a sure way to burn up the pump), and the front one has had three different connections pop loose (the glue has gone or was never there) in the last 24 hours. I need to just revamp the connections on that one, but I gotta wait for the rain to cease. When they're working, it is water control heaven.

A guy is at the pearly gates, waiting to be admitted, while
St. Peter is leafing through this Big Book to see if the guy is worthy of entering. Saint Peter goes through the books several times, furrows his brow, and says to the guy, "You know, I can't see that you did anything really good in your life but, you never did anything bad either. Tell you what, if you can tell me of one REALLY good deed that you did in your life, you're in."

The guy thinks for a moment and says, "Yeah, there was this one time when I was driving down the highway and I saw a giant group of KKK Biker Gang Rapists assaulting this poor girl. I slowed down my car to see what was going on, and sure enough, there they were, about 50 of 'em torturing this chick. Infuriated, I get out my car, grabbed a tire iron out of my trunk, and walked straight up to the leader of the gang, a huge guy with a studded leather jacket and a chain running from his nose to his ear. As I walked up to the leader, the KKK Biker Gang Rapists formed a circle around me.

So, I rip the leader's chain off his face and smash him over the head with the tire Iron. Then I turn around and yell to the rest of them, 'Leave this poor, innocent girl alone!
You're all a bunch of sick, deranged animals! Go home before
I teach you all a lesson in pain!'"

St. Peter, impressed, says "Really? When did this happen?"

"Oh, about two minutes ago."


And now for someone else who didn't get away with something:

The other night I was invited out for a night with "the boys". I told my wife that I would be home by midnight ... promise!
Well, the hours passed and the beer was going down way too easy.
At around 2:30 AM, drunk as a skunk, I headed for home.
Just as I got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the hall started up and cuckooed 3 times. Quickly, I realized she'd probably wake up, so I cuckooed another 9 times. I was really proud of myself, having a quick witty solution, even when smashed, to escape a possible conflict.
The next morning my wife asked me what time I got in, and I told her twelve o'clock. She didn't seem disturbed at all. Whew! Got away with that one! She then told me that we needed a new cuckoo clock. When I asked her why, she said "Well, last night our clock cuckooed three times, then said "oh fuck," cuckooed 4 more times, cleared its throat, cuckooed another 3 times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and then farted.

My younger sister, Jacki, is a teacher (for over 30 years!) at Victory Blvd Elementary School in North Hollywood. She was considering moving up to higher grades, but after reading the following LA City Schools Math Proficiency Exam, decided to stay with grades 1-4:

Little Jimmy has an AK 47 with a 30 round clip. He usually misses
6 out of every 10 shots and he uses 13 rounds per drive-by hooting.
How many drive-by shootings can Little Johnny attempt before he has to reload?

Jose has 2 ounces of cocaine. If he sells an 8 ball to Antonio for
$320 and 2 grams to Juan for $85 gram, what is the street value of the rest of his hold?

Rufus pimps 3 hos. If the price is $85 per trick, how many tricks per day must each ho turn to support Rufus's $800 per day rack
habit?

Jerome wants to cut the pound of cocaine he bought for 40,000 to make 20% profit. How many ounces will he need?

Willie gets $200 for a stolen BMW, $150 for stealing a Corvette, and $100 for a 4x4. If he steals 1 BMW, 2 Corvettes and 3 4x4's, how many more Corvettes must he steal to have $900?

Raoul got 6 years for murder. He also got $10,000 for the hit. If his common-law wife spends $100 per month, how much money will be left when he gets out?
Extra credit bonus: How much more time will he get for killing the ho that spent his money?

If an average can of spray paint covers 22 square feet and the average letter is 3 square feet, how many letters can be sprayed with 3 eight ounce cans of spray paint with 20% paint free?

Hector knocked up 3 girls in the gang. There are 27 girls in his gang. What is the exact percentage of girls Hector knocked up?

Bernie is a lookout for the gang. Bernie has a boa constrictor that eats 3 small rats per week at a cost of $5 per rat. If Bernie makes $700 a week as a lookout, how many weeks can he feed the boa on one week's income?

Billy steals Joe's skateboard. As Billy skates away at 35 mph,
Joe loads his 357 Magnum. If it takes Joe 20 seconds to load his magnum, how far away will Billy be when he gets whacked?

10/30/00
We're trying to re-create the FC and its operation here. There still remain numerous tasks: complete the trailer mods, clean that pesky underbody of the FC, get the trailer AC working with the new Coleman 220-Volt 7500-watt generator, get the Coleman generator repaired (!), finish the fire system plumbing, get that last brake line connected, re-connect the electrical and eliminate more useless stuff, etc....

Even God has had his hands full trying to tie up loose ends from HIS creation:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. And the
Earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And Satan said, "It doesn't get any better than this."
And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit," and God saw that it was good.
And Satan said, "There goes the neighborhood."
And God said, "Let us make Man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth." And so God created Man in his own image; male and female created he them. And God looked upon Man and Woman and saw that they were lean and fit.
And Satan said, "I know how I can get back in this game."
And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
And Satan created McDonald's. And McDonald's brought forth the 99-cent double cheeseburger.
And Satan said to Man, "You want fries with that?"
And Man said, "Supersize them." And Man gained 5 pounds.
And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair.
And Satan brought forth chocolate. And Woman gained 5 pounds.
And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."
And Satan brought forth Ben and Jerry's. And Woman gained 10 pounds.
And God said, "I have sent thee heart-healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."
And Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter.
And Man gained 10 pounds and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.
And God brought forth running shoes and Man resolved to lose those extra pounds.
And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2.
And Man gained another 20 pounds.
And God said, "You're running up the score, Devil."
And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.
And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy
Center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also.
And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol.
And Satan saw and said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.
And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.
And Satan created HMOs.

10/30/00
RandyMan got back from the Vegas Nostalgia Finals with Mike Kirby. They were #3 in points (CLOSE racing) going into qualifying, made it to #2, were in the semis, when a loose injector nozzle caused some fuel to spray on Mike at 1000 feet, while leading the race. He shut off, lost the race, and ended up #2 in points for the year. WOW! Talk about down to the wire. Interestingly, Pete Cristlieb, to whom I sold a BBC crank some time ago, was the Rookie of the Year and the Season Champion.
Randy DID sell the Condor Dart heads for a paltry $600 (hey it's CASH), so that's one more thing out of the way. I'm still debating between the AirFlow Research AFR 185 heads and the Edelbrock Victor, Jr's as recommended by Powered by Ford. I need to talk to Scott over at AFR once more to get his take on what he feels (think he'll say his are better?).

10/31/00
Of course, they feel AFR's are better at AFR. There have been glowing reports in MM&FF and other Ford mags lately on these heads, so I can't see it being a bad thing, particularly since they're VERY local. They recommend buying them in Arkansas from a guy who ports them to Stage 3 specs for about $300 more.
A bit of POSSIBLE good news on the Coleman generator: Coleman's rep says it has an ignition interlock tied to the oil level in the dual crankcases! If either are low, it appears to have a bad ignition, bad plug, etc. I'll check that tomorrow. Here's hoping!
My darling wife's mother had taken very ill near Pittsburgh (Steubenville, Ohio, hometown of Dean Martin). She is flying out there tomorrow to see what can be done. I will be a batchelor for a week or two. Think I'll starve??
On the Gremlin front, I have gotten perhaps a dozen replies to my e-inquiries. I'll certainly need to get a digital camera soon, as this would expedite this very thing right now (being able to e-mail jpeg digital pix to the vendors).
On a completely different, though positive note, I got a surprising $3000 from the attorney for a couple of slimes who had conned me out of the dough over an 8-month period. Suffice it to say that this experience of "helping" someone in need has changed my perspective on what "help" is. I am VERY lucky to have played hardball correctly and gotten the dough. Now, what to do with it? Well, it could be gone in an eyeblink on bills. However, I will be allocating half to the mortgage payment, the remainder to the Condor heads.

11/1/00
While I try to get going on the AFR heads for the Condor, we are making actual progress on the storage area beside the driveway for the saw and other bulky tools. "Tiny" Ed Anctil has been digging out there all day, moving surprising amounts of dirt out for there to make room for footings, strip drain, etc. We'll get it fairly well prepped tomorrow for some concrete, after which we'll probably just hand mix it. It's that maddening gray area of volume between a day of doing it in the wheelbarrow and eating the big minimum to have a truck and pump come out. But that remains to be seen once we get the block wall footing in and wet set the blocks. All of this storage enhancement is really just to make room in the garage to more easily work on the race car, and of course be able to park vehicles out of the weather.
Oh, yes, that's a garage.

11/3/00
In a moment of fortuitous co-incidence, our inspector called and wanted to see me, just as I was near my own property running bids. He said my permit had expired, and iif I didn:t renew today, the fees would triple. I also ran the storage area by him, and he confirmed I can't go higher than 42" with the wall. Whew! Carlos was set to be here today to run it up 6'!! So we'll have to let it sit for a while before we go there remaining height and put on the cover.

See you on the next update.

 

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