Jump to content
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close

balthazar

In Hibernation
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    40,855

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    583

 Content Type 

Everything posted by balthazar

  1. balthazar
    Got the FOB for this for a few days :
  2. balthazar
  3. balthazar
    "Piping engine sound", IE: creating a sound electronically that's not actually there, IMO, is akin to there being 'nothing really wrong' with this 'wood' : or this 'scoop' : And there's not, technically, but MANY people have issues when things are obviously fake.
  4. balthazar
    • Put the horn back in the truck & hit the button & nothing. Took it back out & adjusted the points a teense and it bench-tested fine. Put it back in the truck, connected the wires & battery, pressed the button and the ENGINE CRANKED. No more than a quarter turn --wouldn't run anyway since the carb is still on the bench-- but it surprised the crap out of my buddy. Horn circuit goes thru the 'magnetic starter switch', but apparently was on the wrong terminal there. Swapped things around and the horn worked fine via the steering wheel button. Inadvertent test of the mag. starter switch shows 1 more 75-yr old component still works! • Dug out 2 rubber bumpers and cut/bent/drilled a spring steel clip and made the glove box latch, rather than the hideous twisted spring 'fix' that really did nothing.
  5. balthazar
    '67 Merc Cougar, med blue, sitting with eyes open, looked like a long term 'sit', in driveway.
  6. balthazar
    NONE of those are 'my type' of vehicle, which comes first above the means of propulsion. A '72 Datsun doing 11.8 in the quarter?? Not remotely interesting to me. It's a pretty gruesome 1-trick pony. If you are wondering if I would take an electric motor in a -say- '59 Buick coupe and go 11.8, I would still reply 'no', as I can do much better with a Buick 7.5L V8.
  7. balthazar
    Maybe, just maybe; Ferrari prefers the brand not follow the "everyone else" road. Wouldn't that be refreshing.
  8. balthazar
    Google is "leading the charge" on self-drivers, not MB. If spirited driving weren't popular/ a cornerstone for some brands, things like Mustangs, Corvettes, Camaros, Ferrari, Lambos, and 2 dozen other near & actual 'super' cars wouldn't be the aspiration of millions. Plus you have non-performance brands building non-SOP model hi performance cars, such as audi & the R8 (forget the nonexistent sales of the R8 for a moment). These brands who offer these vehicles, either as a main focus or as a sidebar, will then put themselves into a position where they will ask you to FORGET "all that go-fast nonsense" and M packaging…. and settle back & watch Netflix as you Pod to the office… in the exact same model except it'll only do 60 MPH top end.
  9. balthazar
    An "Enhanced Experience" : Used as sleep-inducing 'white noise' worldwide. - - - - - Seriously, none of those 3 scenarios (totally silent, 'natural' electric motor sound, or 'noise tuned' electric motor) sound remotely enticing in a sports car.
  10. balthazar
    "noise tuned" ????
  11. balthazar
    There already exists collision avoidance systems on driver-controlled cars. The problem, as you allude to, is that although those other systems are already in place, fatalities & accidents still happen. Self-drivers aren't going to eliminate that. My question is, what do all the brands who have built their reps largely on spirited driving & performance going to do when everything gets dumbed down to 60-MPH conveyance pods?? Say buh-by to 600 HP V-12s!
  12. balthazar
    If I decided to blow my money on an s-class, I'd hire a driver, not spend the extra 10s of thousand to get a driverless version. The ONLY way this makes sense is for the low tier vehicles; affordable conveyance for the elderly (retirement villages could have a small fleet of pods) or perhaps the disabled/ for some other reason no longer be permitted to drive persons. As an option on an uber expensive car, there's just no marketing reason for it. It's certainly not a luxury feature.
  13. balthazar
    How do you figure?? There is a incredible supply of engines to build, plus built aftermarket engines, plus OEM crate engines. One could weld new floors in a rotted Firebird in 2 days, vs. the months & months of trying to make a prius undercarriage fit into a hollowed out Firebird. It's fine if the goal is to spend countless hours 'making things fit' but beyond that, there's really no point to it. And a Pontiac should have a Pontiac (or GM at least) engine ONLY.
  14. balthazar
    Hydrogen cars are 'here' too, but there is a Grand Canyon-sized gap between 'here' and 'commonplace'. IMO, 'commonplace' needs to reach 10% of the market, and that's not going to happen in my lifetime. Still waiting for HEV's to hit 3%. This is a niche within a niche. Plus, might be advisable that all driverless cars look a LOT more like a car, and a lot less like a Pokemon.
  15. balthazar
    2020 is the future. Know what else is the future? 2120. The dawn of any measurable marketshare of the autonomous car will trail that of the hybrid / electric, which is to say; it will see the most glacial growth rate imaginable, especially in comparison to the hype. BMW can manufacture 250,000 autonomous 'riding machines' annually if they like… but they'll likely want buyers for them. 2014 marketshare for HEVs is the same as it was in 2007 : under 3 %, and HEVs have a 15 year head start. Da facts; dey be cold.
  16. balthazar
    Beyond moronic. Oh, you'll know when BMW is ready to market this 'smart' 'tech'; the ad slogan will (finally) change to "The Ultimate Disengaged Passenger Conveyance".
  17. balthazar
    Ran all over this morning, tapping sources / networking…. but apparently turning a brake drum is as common now as manufacturing buggy whip sockets. I thought the first guy who told me 'no one does that anymore' was off his cracker, but by the 3rd old timer, I must believe 'tis largely true. What a shame that the pervasiveness of the 'throw way society' has reached something with the longevity of a brake drum. No wonder modern rotors suck (WRT longevity) and warp so readily- they're 'engineered' to be thrown away. Still have a few feelers out there, maybe 4 possibilities, plus the first guy still has the machine, he just doesn't offer the service. Perhaps he'd allow me to set up/run the machine if I pleaded my case. No, the drum is not available new.
  18. balthazar
    '65 Skylark 2-dr hardtop, moldering away in backyard :
  19. balthazar
  20. balthazar
    You guys should've seen the low grade panic when I waltzed into the DMV with this ancient parchment, asking about titling it.
  21. balthazar
    Discussion always wilts under the weight of hyperbole.
  22. balthazar
    NJ Manufacturer's, only in Jersey. 100 yr old company, only takes in 'referred' new customers, and I get a dividend check every year (I think it was about $175 last year). This, in a state where most auto insurers wear bandanas over their lower face.
  23. balthazar
    '65 Plymouth Belvedere 2-dr hardtop, gold, real solid shape, for sale on lawn.
  24. balthazar
    No- to insure the COE for the year on it's own policy. His accident raised my initial quoted price tho. I have pretty good insurance rates in general- my 2500HD (with collision) is $830/yr.
  25. balthazar
    WIll you please stop trying to delay the Re-Roading!!??!! Pull & rebuild the engine?? I'm not immortal- who has that kind of time??? Just kidding. No- unless it grenades, no engine pulling. It ran in 2003, and it's not stuck as of now… so my thumb is getting itchy to hit that start button. - - - - - Left : Re-do the ignition, plugs & plug wires (have all parts), install the carb (already rebuilt), flush the cooling system & reinstall the (re-done) radiator & hoses (have), Gas. Also have to get one brake drum lightly turned, re-assemble the bearings/brakes there, Bleed the brakes, Tidy up the wiring, re-bush & replace the brake/clutch pedal assembly. Put the doghouse & seats (all re-done) in & go for a ride. Dealing with the insurance company right now, trying to set up my coverage. Quoted annual rate is $196 (my son had an accident in '14, or it would've been $136). Oh, got the horn working tonight! SQUONK SQUONK!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search