Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
There might be a little bit of a deluge of car stuff in these parts in the days ahead. We’re going to go ahead and try to save Bessie. It is out of the question for me to do the actual saving, but I have managed to find just a few gentlemen who feel up to the challenge of doing a transplant. The bad news is…and this is probably just an excuse on their part…they’re all gun-shy about the cost side of the equation, and the who-knows-how-long wait in line to get a working 4A-GE DOHC 1.6L EFI.
Excuse or not, that one factor has scuttled every deal so far. And who can blame them.
But my research has landed me on a few pages worth bookmarking. There’s this guy…and this guy…and then a slightly-related engine transplant project, not exactly the one for which I’m looking, that made me chuckle.
Check out the broomstick hood suspension device here. It’s real wood!
We love a good engine swap around these parts, and, ever since the very first Project Car Hell, I’ve been interested in the Toyota-engine-in-Sprite/Midget idea. Not that I’d ever do such a thing, mind you… well, actually, I might! This site is a very well-written and carefully documented account of just how a
total raving madmanresourceful gearhead goes about stuffing a 160-horsepower Toyota 4AGE into a microscopic British car designed for 65 horsepower. Lots of good stuff here, engine swap fans!
As for Bessie’s second life…I dunno…I just don’t know. As popular as the old 4A-GE has been, well, that works on the demand side as well as the supply side. And they aren’t exactly growing on trees. Looks like a custom rebuild, and honestly, I don’t have the first clue about what that actually entails.
I got the Carfax report. Thirteen records. Most of them “failed emissions test…passed emissions test…failed…passed.” They seem to be under the impression I had 111k on her before I moved to California. But I distinctly remember that night I clicked past 100 on Greenback, between Madison and Main. On the other hand, it was fifteen years ago.
Toyota Finance Corporation found my record. That’s good. I need to resolve this title stuff before I can do anything…the release-of-lien is headed here, should be in hand by Monday.
Then I get to argue with the DMV. The Kah-lee-FOH-nee-yah DMV. My good friends…oh…hello, boys and girls. We just get along like oil and water, me and the DMV folks.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
We just get along like oil and water, me and the DMV folks.
Do the DMV folks get along with anyone? Including their moms? I sincerely doubt it…
Good luck on the project, Morgan.
- Buck | 02/01/2008 @ 13:19Every time I see an old Geo Tracker — and I see a lot of them (which is a good sign) I get envious.
They stopped making them in the late 1990’s, though. And there are not a lot of them for sale (so I guess people really like them).
But one of the big things that stops me is the parts issue. I can imagine one needing an engine transplant.
Of course the other main issue is … because of the parts issue I wouldn’t want to use it as a primary vehicle and I have absolutely no place to put an extra vehicle.
If you REALLY like the car, I’m sure you can get someone to do a re-build. I know people who have done it to their cars, and I’ve seen parts of the process. I, for one, want nothing to do with the process. It’d be more like “Jere’s the car. Do what you need to do and tell me when you’re done.”
- philmon | 02/01/2008 @ 15:44Thanks, Buck.
Re the DMV, take a wild guess which photo in this collage came from the dee-em-vee. Hint: It’s the guy who looks like he’s having the least amount of fun.
Phil,
I take issue with my gearhead colleagues on this point. In my experience, the difficulty involved in acquiring a part has a lot less to do with the model for which one seeks, than the length of time for which one is willing to do one’s waiting. True story: Bessie had three hoods. The second one (1996) cost $1800, the third one (ten years later), $167. Shopping, it’s all in the shopping. And, one’s status in life as one does one’s work on the project…space to put the car…funds to purchase the parts…time to do the work…an understanding spouse to
- mkfreeberg | 02/02/2008 @ 14:19make the coffee & sandwicheser, you know, understand things .