SAmadei

There was some info in the comments... also, there was considerable info in the G8board threads... but a lot of that disappeared in the following hours, "for fear of police retaliation". The guy is a regular poster on G8Boards and there was considerable threads with his modding adventures.

Apparently, there are photos of his car sporting dark tinted taillights. He swapped them out a few weeks before he got the ticket. The tail lights he has he modified slightly, as well... he opened the unit and blacked out the chrome ring and then painted the top of the lens (the part that wraps over the top). I would like these modifications myself... I don't care for the plastic top on most lenses... Some would say they are still modified... but the taillight lens itself was not. In fact, when asked, the heavy lens tint would not have been an issue, as the taillights are still red, provided enough light makes it though the tint... in general, visibility from 50 feet. I think this is pretty ridiculous. He has modified the trim near the lights. Whats next? You can't put a sticker near your taillights? I guess painting your car or putting a bumper sticker on your car (assuming either does not cover your lights) is illegal, as well.

I'll take the former. Oh, wait. I have one of them... in that color... with the same roof rust... and fading woodgrain. Mine has wire wheels, though.

They look better... but overall it still looks like a design for a 2000 car, as seen through 1985 eyes.

I was actually more concerned with more devices and accessories than that. It would take a while for a lot of electrical accessories to trickle into the parts stream... and be implemented into current models... sensors, window motors, radios. Granted, some parts may run just fine at 12V or 37V, but we don't want to open ourselves to a another Ford ignition recall situation. Of course, even a step down transformer, which can handle more wattage than a cell phone, would be a somewhat pricey piece, as its got to run more than phone chargers. It needs to run air pumps, winches, inverters... there are even cig light "jumper cables" that attempt to push a lot of power through that plug. Then there are all the things people still wire into the fuse box... the huge car stereo market... sure, they will eventually benefit from a higher voltage, but they would be stuck with needing to provide products compatible with dual voltage for years. What about your trailer? Do you need to convert it to 37V? That may be easy for a simple trailer which might need different light bulbs... but could be a real problem for a travel trailer... or even a larger trailer with a rechargeable braking system. We've got so much electronics attached to cars that conversion could become a major headache. Its not 1954 (6V to 12V) anymore. Dwight, I was thinking about the losses incurred with the belt driven engine accessories... is this really that much more than the losses incurred with electrical accessories? As someone else noted, electric motors are heavy... and would increase car weight. Some accessories switching to electric make me nervous... water pumps, which could remain belt driven, are not as reliable in electric form... and tend to fail suddenly. I'd feel alot better if someone made a dual electric motor water pump that featured some sort of warning device should a motor fail.

Why 37 volts? I recall this coming up from time to time... either 24V or 48V, but I've been skeptical. 37V or 48V would deliver a pretty good zap. We probably should move to a higher voltage, but I imagine there will be a lot of resistance (no pun intended) and that a dual voltage (12V/37V) would be required for legacy devices and accessories.

Already been done, over a hundred years ago...

I don't use pot and wouldn't use it if it was legalized. However, I support its legalization, as it can be taxed and regulated... instead of profiting the gangs... and distribution and use would not fill our jails. Only way this would affect me is if I was to grow a crop for resell... but its too much of a security hassle, legal or not.

I doubt that. 100% humidity happens in most temperate places at least at some or another. 100% humidity means that the air is as saturated with water vapor as it can be... increasing the water vapor or lowering the temperature (and thus reducing the vapor carrying ability of the air) will result in dew or frost. KC, Jacksonville and Vietnam all experience one or the other. Sure, as it gets hotter during the day, the humidity goes down, but that humidity still stays somewhat high (compared to the desert) and impairs the body's ability to regulate its temperature. Its this impairment that we are referring to. I've been to the desert... 115 in the desert is no problem (assuming you are properly hydrated)... more so if you find some shade... compared to 90 degrees in the muggy areas in the east, which is virtually inescapable outdoors.

This is borderline pine barrens... so its generally pretty acidic. Usually Oaks thrive here... I have about 45 Oaks in the yard over 4" diameter (red, black, scarlet, white, chesnut, willow, pin) mostly planted by squirrels... ;-) Closest concrete is over 100 ft away... the road is 19 ft away, but has always been stone/tar or asphalt construction. I'll have to break down and get a PH set and double check that.

Camino, how well do you know tree problems? I have an young Red Oak I planted two years ago... its thriving, but barely. Both seasons a month after leaving out, the leaves have gone very pale green/yellow. I heard it might be chloritis due to a lack of iron, but this is a tree is in a line of other oaks, half of which are Red Oaks. Plus our area tends to be fairly iron rich. Plus the leafs are totally yellowish, not leaving the veins green like I've heard iron chloritis. Any thoughts on helping it out?

In the process of adding a silver 1999 Grand Prix GTP to the family collection... and it was sharing the driveway with a bright red '68 Charger with a 440, black stripes and a black vinyl roof. Seemed kinda discordant to me... Soon it will be a '68 Charger and '09 G8 GT.

Going even further back, I recommend Full Auto 2. Its a little dated, but can be found cheap. If you like cars with weapons, a la Death Race, its pretty fun.

GRiD was a big surprise. I had a lot of fun with it... its not GT5, but its close. Every NFS game I try anymore has NO shelf life. I use them a little bit and then they collect dust. Usually meh graphics while driving and awful vehicle dynamics. They are going to have to have some spectacular demos for me to even consider wasting my money on a NFS game in the future. I recommend Burnout Paradise. Should be able to find that cheap on eBay nowadays. I could toss all my PS3 games and live on GTA4, GRiD and Burnout Paradise only.

Back in April, The Daily Show had a classic interview with Wham-O as they have moved their production back here... Here This is a REALLY funny video.

Yeah, probably. You and I see them because there is a collector locally. IIRC, he used to have his collection near Mays Landing... but I think he may have moved. In any case, he used to drive them all over the Delaware Valley... used to sail it up the Great Egg Harbor River and the Delaware... and was featured in a bunch of newspapers... He toned it all down when he got one stuck on a rock/rapids in the Delaware somewhere north of Trenton about 10 years ago, IIRC. Unfortunately, that REALLY made the papers after the authorities had to rescue him. I literally used to see the cars at least once a week... but I haven't seen one in a while now.

Because I can cope with using a big wagon instead. And with the tow hitch, I can haul quite a bit with the trailer if I needed to. Granted, I won't be without a truck, but thats only because I have space to store them unregistered and selling them would not generate enough money to make it worth losing them (Plus the van and F450 were my fathers, and have sentimental value). However, _IF_ I didn't have the space, I would have the wagon and would rarely, if ever, think about having a truck. I'd need a truck with a tree spade attachment, a snow plow, a rollback or a bucket truck to really have a job I couldn't use the wagon for. Let me twist this slightly... right now the wagon, the van, the Blazer and F450 are not on the road for various reasons... and I have to move some of my sister's stuff. I regret not having the wagon ready more than the others, and I'm considering rushing it back into service over the others. In fact, I've been considering a FS pickup lately... but I just do not like the idea of climbing up into it, lifting things up into it... ugh, what a PITA. Then I think about an S10 or a Colorado... but the cabs are too cramped. And El Caminos are many times over priced and over worn. So the solution, seemingly, is to put the Caprice wagon back together. I just wish I had the time...

Detroit's Big Three automakers saw June sales drop between 12 and 13 percent as buyers pulled back from the previous month, suggesting that the hot May sales may have been an aberration. So automakers on Thursday were touting their year-over-year June sales numbers, which compared favorably with 2009's depressed figures. Hyundai was the world's only major automaker to buck the downward trend, reporting a 4 percent June sales increase from May and a 35 percent jump compared with June 2009. Autodata said the June numbers indicate that 11.1 million new vehicles will be sold this year, slightly ahead of last year's figure of 10.4 million new vehicles sold. Embattled Japanese giant Toyota saw June sales drop 14 percent from May, but edge up 7 percent compared with June 2009. General Motors' June sales dropped 13 percent compared with May, though sales were up 11 percent from one year ago. June sales of the company's four core brands that it is keeping -- Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac -- were up 36 percent over June 2009. The company, which is still 61 percent owned by the U.S. government, is working on its initial public offering, which is expected later this year or early next. GM is discarding or has already shed the Pontiac, Hummer, Saab and Saturn brands. Read more HERE.

After hinting at doing so for a couple of years, Gordon Murray has finally revealing his new T.25 city car at an event at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment in Oxford, England. The 1,212-pound car is just over four feet wide, less than eight feet long and seats three adults in a 1+2 layout. Like Murray's McLaren F1, the driver sits front and center and the passengers sit behind on either side. The whole front section of the body is hinged at the front and flips forward for access in a manner not dissimilar to BMW's Isetta microcar of the mid-Fifties. Power comes from a 51 horsepower, in-line three-cylinder engine mounted in the back to propel the T.25 to 62 mph in 16.2 seconds while achieving 61.9 miles per gallon. The diminutive size allows it to turn in just 19.7 feet and park perpendicular to the curb and the design's hinged cockpit and narrow width allow three T.25s to be parked in a single parallel parking space See more HERE.

TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday about 270,000 cars sold worldwide -- including luxury Lexus sedans -- have faulty engines, the latest quality lapse to hit the automaker following massive global recalls. Japan's top-selling daily Yomiuri said in its evening edition that Toyota will inform the transport ministry of a recall on Monday. The paper cited no sources. Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma said the company was evaluating measures to deal with the problem of defective engines that can stall while the vehicle is moving. He would not confirm a recall was being considered. The automaker has been working to patch up its reputation after recalling more than 8 million vehicles worldwide because of unintended acceleration and other defects. Of the 270,000 vehicles with engine problems, some 180,000 were sold overseas and the rest in Japan. They include the popular Crown and seven models of luxury Lexus sedans. Read more HERE.

I can't agree... but I feel the same about big station wagons. I've got three trucks... a Blazer, a FS Van and a F-450 dumpbody... I'd rather drive the Caprice. Its more comfortable, faster, better mileage, rides and handles better.

I think I might have seen this at a Brooklyn gas station a few weeks ago... its was real sweet. Only reason I say 'might' is that I can't remember if it was gray or light metallic blue... but how many clean '85ish Rivs do you see cruising Long Island?

I was having cramps and Charley horses after exertion, and since I eat Bananas and other things with Potassium, I found that the issue was actually Calcium... I don't have the link, but its closely related to Potassium and how its used by the body. The solution? I eat a Tums. I haven't had an issue since...

I had forgotten about this thread... and the forum software flaked out and swallowed the first time I posted this... So, Standard Catalog does note the '81 T1000 was a mid year addition... starting in Feb. Also, it appears no diesel T1000's or 1000's (renamed for '83) where ever created even though it was announced that the '83 would have a diesel option. As far as the Chevette goes... the stand catalog is odd... there is no mention of a diesel in '81... and it was first offered as a diesel in '82, but in the production section in '82, it notes that diesels were produced for the '81 model year. Production goes something like this... 1981 2dr 4252 4dr 8900 1982 2dr 4874 4dr 11819 1983 2dr 439 4dr 1501 1984 2dr 1000 4dr 3384 1985 (No Automatics available with diesel after '84) 2dr 203 4dr 462 1986 (No longer available in Cali) 2dr 124 4dr 200 Interestingly enough, someone had talked about a Chevette Scooter Diesel... Standard Catalog would cast doubt on its existence... The Scooter had a different Body/Style code... J08/J68 (2dr/4dr) from the regular Chevette (B08/B68)... diesels have either the standard Chevette code (B08/B68) or Z90. There are no production numbers for a Scooter with a Diesel. Also, for GM folks that are familiar with GM's body style coding system, a Z90 is kinda odd... I don't have any listing on it, anyway. In fact, I know of NO body style code that starts with a 9 or ends in a 0. Special order? Unfortunately, there is likely not enough interest in Chevettes for this tidbit to ever be explained. So, I wonder if a '85 Cali spec Diesel Chevette coupe is still floating around?