Messages

  There was a post not long ago talking about this..I couldn't re-find it.

  I have a Ford Police Interceptor sedan..2016..Taurus type. Mine is a  *rated pursuit unit*, They are not all rated pursuit units. I don't know what the difference is. Need the vin go to then dealer.
Dealer says these have heavy duty suspension,heavy duty brakes. Like the regular pursuit units don't have heavy duty enough suspension and brakes?

   Anyway..EPAS system..speed sensitive. This is a very reactive car. What threw me was I was doing some Jeep stuff with it (has 4x4)((awd)).

   2.8.  Enough less than 3 turns lock to lock that you can see that this is no way 3 turns lock to lock.
   
    If you like yanking the wheel real quick back and forth at speed..you don't need no fancy gold chain car

   Seems to be like a lifetime ago when I was building crates out of osb to store parts in..
YA the price of osb for 7/16 sheets hit $80 here in Canada...S. Ontario. OSB. That lifetime on going project came to a halt. I NEEDED to frame a window in our barn. 2 sheets 4x8 PLY . Construction grade..but ok. 1-1/2,1-3/8. That hit over $200. 2 pieces of cheap plywood.
   
   I don't know about the ply price..but osb..
   
   The other day in HD..price down to $16

    Back to it.

 I still come here most days..VERY APPRECIATIVE! for the site..AND ALL the posts..

    Just seems to be..can't offer much to so many of the topics

     Keep up the good work!

 S. Ontario Canada..things got WAAAY outta hand here. The cops were finding cars with pails of various chemicals in their trunks to soften the asphalt. After 1 pretty ludicrous night..in their escape..they set fire to the road surface in various places/
   Cops hands were pretty tied..private property. All they could do was wait for them to leave the private property..then  nail them with equipment violations.
   Private property owners..probablly talking with their lawyers re liability..gave the cops permission to come onto private property.AND they started laying serious Highway Traffic Act (HTA) for offences on PRIVATE PROPERTY. I dunno if this will stand up in court or to any Charter (Of Rights) challenges.
   I guess there will have to be some serious discretion in laying charges. Private property..malls/parking lots..USED to be PRIVATE. Almost sacred. When the owner of the property KNOWS that it is just a matter of time  before some idjit wipes out innocent people on their property AND what was the owner doing about that? Lawsuit time.

    The cops up here say they have had enough of this nonsense..and pretty much ANYTHING you can't do on the road..you do it on private property where the owner has given the cops permission to deal with this....and they are coming in to lay the same charges (you get on the road)

 I've had vibrations..and some noises..that were eventually traced to excessive play in the front diff itself(fwd). 2 of these had WAAY too much play when the vehicle was in park and rocked back and forth'

Arnold, I agree with your statement. Several years ago, the Nissan Altima had a square place on the front bumper. It was a removable plastic panel that covered a tow hook. Some of my wife's cars have had a single round hole in the front crossmember that you might have gotten a portion of a hook in. I have cautioned her about where she goes that might not end well.

Kb..oh this topic came up today..amongst others who knew a fair bit about it. Seems that for a while more manufacturers started doing this..then some started..some others stopped. The most experienced said that the only way to tell what was behind the plastic plug..was to take it out and see. I have had cars with the plastic plugs..and behind them nothing. Reminds me of seeing a pretty new truck and noticing how far in the tow hook was on the front. NO regular.normal size hook etc was ever gonna go over this. Looked like the ONLY way to use those hooks was to loop a piece of thin cable there somehow. CLEARLY the manufacturer of this truck did not EVER intend on these things being used.  I have neighbour who has an awd Jag..in his Jag collection. The tow ring is a thing of beauty! BEAUTIFUL..comes in it's own beautiful bag. Has a threaded part that screws into EACH corner of the vehicle after you take the caps out. He is a good man..he PROUDLY states that it has been used on EVERY corner of his Jag..

  Speaking of these things and factory tow hooks..not long ago I read an article and talked to my garage owner buddy about people
doing extensive damage to their vehicles by using what they THOUGHT were tow hooks..well..they are really. NO..they are hooks put there by the manufacturer for one reason. ONE. For securing the cars to the loading levels on rail car carriers.

 I have had lots of vehicles with the single round hole in the front crossmember. Some like my 1994 GM 1 ton van..oh my..the meat around this hole..wow..WOW. This ain't never gonna fail..Other vehicles..ya..um..no..(even larger vehicles) the crossmember looked just too thin..weak..this was just going to be a bad idea pulling here. I had a truck with a factory skid plate..ya..the hole was there..tempting. The hole was there because that was pretty much the only way to drain the transfer case.

Carquest is selling Diehards now. I have no idea who makes them. Carquest takes bids every year on many product lines. When you go back to get something, it may be completely different than the year before. The warranty on their rebuilds is the best available to me, though.

 KB..our local Carquest..has them..they start at just over $200 (Cdn. of course)

Laying on my side..trying to dig..with my hands..UNDER a later model Dodge minivan..through packed in snow
Yes..it is -20C..blowing snow. About 1' of snow each day for days now.. I have ONE lol..of my big suits on. Yep..the snow is packed up quite a bit higher than the air dam
Just WHAT  :?: can I even FIND to hook on to pull this thing out. This model should come with J hooks..or whatever recovery hook works

  My,my,my just what kind of vehicles/life have we made The guy who comes with his big tractor to blow our lane..he knows shi*. He can drive tractors/equipment..fix stuff..spends a lot of time at the local garage..fixing stuff. He comes..as this mini van is stuck in our lane. He has NO idea what to hook on to. Oh..this is NOT good..if HE doesn't know..
 His dad and another neighbour  have given up on trying to pull stuck newer vehicles..
 2 guys here who work around farms. 3 of us and my better half.Sure..start to pull and I will be the guy who jumps on the tow chain to change the angle of pull..so it does not rip off the front 99% of this vehicle..plastic and tin underneath..

  Got it out no damage.

  I am GRATEFUL to still have the health AND Sanity to do this..

Thanks guys

I just want what I used to have..wanh.. :cry: I ain't pluggin' battery chargers/battery warmers/dual battery set-ups/isolators..ya,,No MORE of that stuff for me..charge the booster battery as I drive..NO..

Just what used to be..leave the booster battery in the battery box in the vehicle until I need it..
In 1996/1997 Walmart began selling Eveready car batteries..as an intro promo they were like $25..iirc..iirc if you bought 2 the 2nd was half price. Warranty was really great..free boost for years if yours went dead. I bought 2..1 sat in the trunk of my car in it's box for years and YEARS..well..after a few years I needed a boost..I BARELY rememberred I even had this
 Unbelievably it boosted my car..barely..charged right up..seemed ok..SOoo I took it back They charged it and tested ok and offered me a new battery. Unlike todays battery warranties..where after the battery is 5 minutes old..you end up FURTHER out of pocket if it quits. I actually declined the new battery offer..wasn't needed. Both those batteries lasted for years and years after.
 I had boats..stored them outside..for decades..put boat away in fall..winter it dropped to -40..spring..turned key another boating season. I NEVER charged a boat battery OR kept one on a tender
 We have small tractors..they get stored in the fall and left outside..come spring..fire right up back to work.

  Times have changed..everyone I talk to..and I mean pretty much EVERYONE..up here could not imagine their vehicle starting in bitter cold..if left for more than a week. I listen to a popular car show up here..last week their panels consenus..was up here..don't be leavin' nothin' for much more than a week..just asking for trouble.

 CK..I think there was a time for the conventional booster packs..I have had them..worked fine. I don't have one now..I have read to many really bad reviews and heard too many bad things...most disturbingly by people who have had good ones. Those little booster thinggies seem to have taken over. From my garage owner buddy.."ALL those booster packs less than $600..throw them out..other people throw those out here too..we have to pay $600 for those things now..they MUST stay inside now ALL the time..be charged often..and kept all toasty warm ready for use.."I might buy another one..but am in no hurry.

 IDJ..Ya..that's the ticket..just leave it running I was a railroad conductor and when train engines quit they had to be drained.
Because they did not run anti-freeze..because it they lost a head gasket the coolant would get in the oil. Talk about batteries..booster cables..boosting..train locomotives. Wailing on frozen drain cocks with huge pipe wrenches..under some train engine.


  I see that Diehard is back..(well it is here anyway)..wonder if they will be any good? Now. They sure were in their day..


  Conventional boosting is pretty much over anyways..took me a while to figure out why there was so much current loss in a newer 4 gauge copper booster cable.. :evil: cause it was aluminum..copper clad

I feel old I STILL have/keep a "booster" battery and some 30' long 1 gauge welding cable booster cables. Talk about OLD school. Have as in keep..in my trunk..in a battery box.
  "Having"/"keeping"..SEEMS to be the operative word here.
   One cannot keep a fully charged battery around left..in the un heated barn/shop/garage.outside..in the truck..trunk..
   any more..for any length of time really..
   I have bought 11 pretty good quality batteries for 8 vehicles over the last 12 years. From several different manufacturers. I can tell you which ones will still have life left in them after being left in my truck...or in my car trunk..in -30 weather for like 3 weeks.
  NONE OF THEM :evil:
  I did this FOREVER!!! like from the late 1960's to the mid 2000's. Kept batteries..booster batteries..around..I ALWAYSALWAYS had some..even one.
  Stored vehicles..over the winter..stored boats..came spring..charge up jack sh**..TURN KEY START.

  Them days all over :cry:
  I was remembering the good old days with a guy who runs an insanely busy 5 bay 5 mechanic garage and has a huge collection of stuff. He looked at me like I was on glue when I said I wanted to leave a "booster" battery fully charged in my trunk..just like I used to..for like..ANY length of time. 3 weeks came up. He said there was like almost NO chance that ANY battery would be ANY good after being left in my trunk for 3 weeks and it hit -30 and I needed a boost. He even cautioned me NOT to fall in to the trap of buying one of those $300-$400 batteries. He said these people are the WORST..he sees it all the time..for ranting that "their expensive battery" is dead..went dead.

  Off to the Interstate battery dealer I went.."You wanna do WHAT :?..ya..no..
  Then to a large farm equipment supplier..same answer.
  I ended up at a large HD truck place..they said MAYBE a new 1200 amp battery would have HALF of it's life..600 amps..if I left it in my trunk for 3 weeks,Hey..at least these places were HONEST

   That is what I did/purchased..I have not needed it/have not tested it..but it comes out often to be charged.

Voyage over. Mission complete. Sure was a long one. Nothing that surprising, I now have NO "loose" sockets. Only a few left to order.
 Buying sockets/clips/sets since the 1960's..break a few/lose a few..cheaper to buy another clip/set. I sure have enough sets,clips now ..and they are ALL complete I ALREADY had more than enough sockets/sets/clips.
 Sad that there was no replacing an awful lot of stuff :cry: Oh well..it was replace with something else. Not that different than anything else..well..I guess,,when one is buying sockets one tends to think that this will ALWAYS be available.
 Some stuff..raised my eyebrows..stuff like "that" size is NLA..'that"  size is ONLY available in a "set".

 Not going to be doing that again..what I have now should last me well into my next life..

Merry Christmas Happy Holidays..just whatever you,yours celebrate..it's all good..

200..or close. About 100 cars,50 trucks,30/40 motorcycles. I have driven,insured..usually about 3-4 at a time all year..constantly changing..for the last 50 years. Some I built pretty much from the VIN tag.The last 11 years I have had about 4 insured on the road all the time..purchased 8 and sold 6. Right now..I own and drive 2. No parts cars left. I have 3 garages full of parts. Pretty much every day I get to "live the life"..for several hours. "Live the Life" AS IN..spending time with my collection..sorting/organizing/getting rid of..etc.,
  I plan on having the bulk of it done..not far now..before it is too late. Quite a bit of it I still plan on keeping forever.
  My better half knows what to do. Call so and so..let him take whatever he wants..the rest to the dump.
  Other than out here on the RRT with the guys out here..I don't really know anyone anymore interested in this kind of stuff.
  I still do sell stuff..not much anymore. Advertise for what is a fair/reasonable price..if it sells good..if it doesn't I contact my buddy..who takes pretty much EVERYTHING I offer him. I am VERY FORTUNATE FOR THAT!. I don't give stuff away anymore..WAAY more trouble than it is worth. I also don't go looking for stuff for people anymore.

  I STILL ENJOY MY TIME WITH CARS/PARTS..AND I SURE HAVE Still do most of my own repairs/maintenance. STILL buying too many tools!

  An enormous percentage of my stuff was from about 1968 to about 1986. Just a mountain of mid 1970's mid size GM.s
  1968 to 1976 F100's..I used to buy,drive/sell these sight unseen. I had a lot of  them. Lots of later 1970's to mid 1980s Full size GM's.

   One has to be polite when encountering someone into "X". When one has had 1..or a LOT! of those..

   I NEVER paid attention to the numbers..and haven't really since this thread..I got the 150 figure from when a * was being too much of a * and bragging about how many he had..someone tired of this and piped up how many I had had. That was a long time ago..I did a rough count and added about 50 more

I have oft repeated one of Bob's jokes/remarks(out here).BECAUSE :!: it pretty much always gives whoever hears it a good laugh. I have ALWAYS given Bob..as one of us here RRT..credit.

 This is 100% true. Nothing added or taken away.


  One day I put a 3 Stooges dvd in my laptop.
  That was the END of that laptop.

  I posted it here.

  Bob responds.." Any Nyuk Nyuk sounds?"

 
  I do not think? I posted a follow up. I am pretty computer illiterate. The laptop goes in to see what happened. I tell the expert just what happened..he TOO OF COURSE laughs. Then he asks what really happened

   He has it for a bit and has NO IDEA what happened to it..
   I had to buy a new laptop.

What's up with Williams/Snap-On? Williams used to..still does? make some pretty fine tools. I have some Williams..albeit older stuff. I was in an ancient local hardware store..looking for some older Gray stuff..
 The owner of the store knows pretty much everything about everything..  ESPECIALLY tools He said he has little Gray left..not getting any more..just does not sell due to it's STOOPID price :evil: No kidding. He says he is selling Williams..now made by Snap-On..much,much cheaper :?: He shows me a Williams 1/2" socket set. Cardboard sleeve,nice case!,ratchet,extension,10 metric sockets. I drool,fawn,fondle. This is some beautiful tools! I can't even imagine how much this is. A Snap-On 1/2" ratchet runs $150 or so. He BAITS me into asking. Doesn't matter..I cannot buy it...even aquire it. I just do not need it.
 $44.50..FOR THE SET. WTF?
 He then shows me a current flyer that shows that Williams is now made by Snap-On in their "Industrial Tools Division"
 The flyer sbows this set as $38.50 CANADIAN.

 Somein' just ain't adding up

 I might just have to go and buy one of these sets. The "spiral" forging where your..MY..fingers go..on the ratchet handle is to die for. Who cares about the rest of the set