THE NEW CAR (2017 Mazda3)

The actual model name is:

2017 Mazda Mazda3 S Touring 5-door Hatchback

Yes, The Model name is actually Mazda 3, so its a Mazda Mazda3

Well, here it is ladies and gentlemen. The 2017 Mazda 3. Bought Certified Pre-Owned with 8,423 miles. 2.5 inline 4 with a 6 speed manual. The story goes like this...

I hate buying cars. I never feel like I truly get what I want (I also have what I call Automotive ADD, so that doesn't help). This time I around I decided I would make myself a check list of the bare minimum things I HAD to have. They consisted of the following.

• 2010+
• Manual Transmission
• 4 passenger doors
• Hatchback
• No turbo
• FWD
• Not a Ford
• Under $20,000
• Simple to work on
• If all else fails, look for a Dodge Ram Quad Cab

Secondary check list, but not a necessity  

• Volkswagen
• Multilink/Independant Rear Suspension
• Sporty to Sportyish aka "at least it looks sporty"
• As new as possible
• Decent gas mileage/4 cylinder
• Some sort of pre-established fan base
• Under $15,000

So many a night I set off on an internet journey looking for a vehicle. Many were found, but none felt quite right. I had been wanting a pickup for awhile, but every truck I found was either too expensive, or too worn out. So I crossed trucks off the list quick.

Next I wanted a Volkswagen (we've owned four, and I like them). I found a few manual MK6 TDI Golfs, that were actually quite affordable. I even found a manual B7 TDI Passat! (Thank you dieselgate). However, I had decided I did not want a turbo vehicle. While I personally have had no problem with the TDI I owned, or the Passat my wife has, a turbo is extra care and maintenance and an addition thing to eventually wear out down the road. I did not want this for my personal vehicle. With that decision, Volkswagen was out. Depressed, I searched on.

 

---

One day while driving home from work, a current model (3rd Gen) white Mazda3 Hatch pulled up next to me.

I like this.

The lines were clean. It was a hatchback. It was manual. I decided to look it up when I got home.

 

---



Patti and I had looked at Mazda 3 hatches before, and after some research, my list of requirements started to be filled. I ended up picking mine out of a narrowed down list of three. This was the one I wanted, and I am glad I got it.

The checklists

• 2010+ - Indeed!
• Manual Transmission - 6 forward gears!
• 4 passenger doors - YES!
• Hatchback - That's a big 10-4
• No turbo - Slow!
• FWD - Sure!
• Not a Ford - Thank you!
• Under $20,000 - Barely... but YES!
• Simple to work on - I've already pulled half the car apart and put it back together!
• If all else fails, look for a Dodge Ram Quad Cab - No dice this go around.
• Volkswagen - Nope :( (VW where is your manual VR6 Passat Wagon!)
• Multilink/Independant Rear Suspension - Check!
• Sporty to Sportyish aka "at least it looks sporty" - SPORTY SPICE!
• As new as possible - Made May of 2017!
• Decent gas mileage/4 cylinder - Not sure, but already better than my Rabbit!
• Some sort of pre-established fan base - No where near as big as VW, but their is one, and Mazda itself seems to be the biggest fan of itself. Also no Vapping.
• Under $15,000 - Nope (although you can get close with a 2015ish 2.0)

The 3rd generation Mazda 3 comes with two engines, a 2.0 and a 2.5, both naturally aspirated, and backed by either a 6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic.

I originally was going for a 2.0, but decided to go with the bigger engine as I did not have much plans on adding more power down the road. The two engines are completely different according to Mazda, sharing no parts. The 2.0 is very rev happy (I believe it's the same engine that's in the current Miata), but the larger amount of torque in the 2.5 appealed to me more in the end though. Stock redline is the same for both engines.

What really got me is that the 3rd generation Mazda 3 is brand new, from the ground up. 100% new (not shared) engine, transmission, and chassis. They no longer share a platform with Ford/Volvo. Some early Gen 3 Mazda 3s are actually 100% built in Japan, although later Mazdas (like mine) are assembled in Mexico. To be fair, so was my Rabbit and our Passat was made in Tennessee.

Mazda's "Skyactiv" is more than a blanket term. It is comprised of many unique/interesting things.
You can read about it here: Mazda's Skyactiv

In short, this is part of it

• Highest Compression Ratio of any massproduction car - 14.0:1 (US gets 13:1)
• Factory 4-2-1 Exhaust Header/Manifold (it looks bizzare)
• Increased Factory Caster Angle

If you have made it this far, thanks. Thats a lot of reading.

So here we are, one week in with the Mazda, and so far things are great. It rides very nice, and the suspension is very tight. Power wise, it is on par with the Rabbit, though I think the Rabbits 2.5 put down a little more grunt. I have yet to really put the car through it's paces. The chassis feels very solid, and it is extremely fun to drive. I do have a few plans for the car, but nothing to drastic.

At some point in the future, I'll go over the MY actual car in the future. The ins and outs, my likes and dislikes. For now, Ill leave you with this, and call it a day.

The 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

Mitsu-byebye

 

 

After the wreck of the Rabbit, I was given an allowance towards a rental car. I was given the choice between a Toyota Camry or this, a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. Being as how I do not think I have every driven a Mitsubishi in my life (strike that, an ex-girlfriend did have a sweet 5 speed 2 door Mirage that was lowered and had a super loud exhaust), I decided to take the new one for a ride.

Initial Impressions.

The 2018 Outlander Sport, at face value is a fairly nice ride. It is a compact crossover powered by Mitsubishis' 4B11 2.0 attached to a CVT transmission. The 4B11 makes 155HP and 146 lb ft of torque. Not thank much. This particular model had "4WD", but I never used it.

Exterior

I'm not a huge fan of colors on cars. White, Silver/Grey, and Black are what I prefer (in that order). However, the blue of this Outlander really grew on me. So much so, that I started looking for blue cars in my search for a new vehicle. The exterior looked every bit the part of "Sporty". It was edgy and aggressive so you wouldn't think it was just another dull cross over, at least at first glance. It had LED running lights, as well as fogs lights and rear amber turn signals (a favorite of mine). Over all, the outside of the Outlander impressed me, but it kind of felt like a consolation prize over all, a shiny wrapper on something absolutely average.

Interior

The interior, like the exterior, was decent. One could say adequate. Nothing to right home about, but nothing to complain about as well. Everything was laid out where you would expect it would be, and all you HVAC and Radio controls where in hands reach. Steering wheel controls covered pretty much everything you would need to touch, so you generally did not have to take your eyes off the road.

Room was good. Both car seats fit, without compromising driver or front passenger room. Still not as much room as our 2015 VW Passat, which has an uncomfortably large amount of rear leg room (seriously, 3 years later and it still blows my mind how much there is). The seats were supportive and nicely bolstered, and I liked the red stitching. The cargo area was large enough for a weeks worth of groceries, or a trip to the pool bringing all your floaties and toys.

Drivability

For what I take the Outlander Sport to be, it is perfect. a simple commuter car. The 2.0 is nothing special, but it is adequate. You put your foot on the gas pedal, and it goes. Not overly slow or overly fast, but at a "I'll get you there but I'm not in a hurry." pace. One thing the car has that took some getting use to was the CVT transmission. For those that do not know, a CVT is a type of automatic transmission that does not shift. It is a Continuously Variable Transmission aka single speed transmission. From a "Racecar guy" standpoint it is horrible, but for a simple commuter vehicle I think its great, even more so than the standard automatic transmission. There is no shifting, so there is no jerks or bumps or surging. You put your foot on the gas, and it ramps up to 5-6k RPM and stays there until you level off. It's very strange at first, but I adapted quickly.

Again, there was a "4WD" system offered, but I never used it. It offered two 4WD modes. A full time, and a locked center differential mode. The set up appeared to be a Haldex type set up, so I would imagine it to be more street/light rain and snow oriented. More "AWD" than "4WD"

Summary

That's pretty much it for the review. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is a perfect rental car. Take that how you will. Would I personally buy one? Probably not, but I would consider it with the manual 5 speed. While driving the Mitsubishi, I could see why they are failing while simultaneously seeing how they are trying to fix them selves.

I have an affinity for Mitsubishi, as well as most Japanese auto makers, that spawns from their glory years in the early 90's. They have seem to have lost their way for the most part, and have all become dull point A to B cars, no pizazz. There is the saying, "A rose by any other name, is still a rose.", and with that mentality I think you could also say, "A turd by any other name, is still a turd."

What I mean is, you can add all the Bluetooth, Infotainment, and flashy garbage you want, but at the end of the day, if it's all wrapped around a hunk of junk, I don't want it. Maybe that's the problem, maybe I am one of a dying breed. One who views cars as more than an appliance. I don't need to drive around in my cell phone. I need a reliable, peppy, fun to drive car. One that lets me know what the road is saying. So many cars today are built and sold on the premise that they will isolate you from the outside world. I don't want that. I want to hear the engine. The real one, note fake engine noise pumped through a speaker. I want to feel the road and hear the tires. I want to shift my own gears, and be allowed to make mistakes without electronic nannies cutting in.

I think that is the biggest down fall of many auto makers right now, that they are building cookie cutter vehicles, that are no longer viewed as "part of the family". There are some that still have that passion for a fun, connected vehicle, but they are slowly disappearing. On the flip side of that coin, I think the amount of people who want that type of vehicle are disappearing as well.

OK, I went a little off topic.

Sorry.


That's it for now... more latter. :)

She's dead, Jim.

Well. If you haven't heard, the Rabbit is dead. 

Sad Face.

That intake manifold though...

I decided to tap a guardrail at 55 miles per hour. Best decision ever.

Jake and I were on the way back from camp Friday night, when a possum* ran out infront of us. I decided not to hit it, and that action, plus other factors (rain and such) lead to a dead Rabbit. Now let me set something straight. I am full aware that the life of a possum is not as significant as the life of myself or child. Had the possum had been in the middle of the road, the possum would have died. I've hit other animals and not of thought twice about dodging them. This was not the case.

We were traveling up US 19, just south of Palatka, and it was around 9:30PM. Jake and I counted around 15-20 deer on our way home. These deer were getting progressively closer and closer to the road, some where in the road. We had successfully navigated through one herd of deer, and drove around another possum previously. With the mind set of deer jumping out in front of me, I guess I kind of started becoming paranoid.

Enter the Possum

This is not the possum, but I'm sure it reacted the same.

Little joker was waiting, hiding behind a guardrail. I'm sure he was sent by that Geico squirrel to wreck me. He popped out about 20 - 30 feet in front of me, and my mind said deer. Thats all it took.
I jerked left, car drifted left. Got it back in my lane, then momentum took over and we started toward the right guard rail. Over corrected and ended up facing back to the left and straight into the left side guard rail. It was awesome :(. We bounced of and spun. Jake asked me if I died.

We are both OK. No other cars were involved, and no injuries to either of us. Even the possum survived. So now I'm on the hunt for another car, and that's probably the worst part of this whole ordeal.

I got a boring but neat rental car, and I'll do a little review on that later.

Ok, that's it for now.










*yes I am aware it is called an Opossum. I am not going to call it that.

Well, here we are again.

The blog posts are slowing down... and I'm feeling a little lost again.
To be honest I've been lost for a bit, for reasons that there is no point in going into here.

There's really no point in making this long drawn out post regarding it, I just want to make a post I can look at down the road, some sort of form of self motivation.

I told my self one year ago, almost to the day, that I wasn't totally happy in life. I wanted to change. I was not (and still am not) entirely sure what this change is, but I'm trying to figure it out.

One thing I know for sure, I no longer want to change. I need to change. I know I can be a better husband, a better father, and a better person to my follow man.

So enough of this, it's gone on long enough.

I will say, to catch everyone up to speed, some things have transpired in the last month or two.

• I had a birthday
• I had an anniversary (9th)
• I've bought some GoPro camera stuff for an upcoming idea
• Some other things I can't remember.

BILBO TOOLBAGINS

Finally, he's getting to that tool bag post he's talked about...

Here it is. I finally decided to pull out my tool bags and take some pictures.
I have many tools, most located in my tool chest/drawers. However, I keep some of my tools in tool bags, ready to grab and go when and if the call is made. This all started with my time with Brethren Disaster Ministries, and has spiraled out of control.

The bags. I keep the Tool Box in my car, as it is my on the go auto repair box.

It all started with my tool belt, so we will start there.

I headed down to Lorida with just tool belt containing a hammer, and a cast paw. I picked up some tools down there, and added a pouch when I came back.

The belt will be replaced eventually, but it really suits me now.

The Hammer and Claw: Eastwing 16oz and Cast Paw

A general purpose hammer with a smooth face. I swung this hammer almost nonstop for 5 days from sun up to sun down. Never really fatigued me. The cats (cast) paw is invaluable for ripping nails out.

Tool Belt Accessories: Knife, Punch, Screw, and Tape

I added these when I picked up the pouch. It contains a basic screw driver with changeable bits, your standard Stanely 99e knife with extra blades (including roofing blades), finishing punches, and a tape measure I was given when I was down there.

Multipurpose Pliers: Linemans 369

Just a multipurpose pair of Lineman's pliers. I use them to pull nails and staples, snip wire and cords, and hold nails to hammer when I hit my thumb.

The Tool Bag: Cave of Wonders

This is where it starts to spiral out of control. I started buying these things as needed, for around the house, but always kept in mind the need for travel should I need too.

This guy is packed

The Power Tools: Milwaukee M12 Sawzall, Hammer Drill, Impact Driver, and Flashlight

Started with just the Impact driver and went on from there. I'm really impressed with the M12 line. the smaller sized tools are great for travel, and the power is just as good as the bigger M18's we use at work. The only reason I can see using the larger M18 would be for a portable 1/2 inch drive impact gun. The impact driver is a beast, and I have used it a ton.

Milwaukee Accessories

Just bits and pieces for the drill and driver. Those multi-step bits are the bomb. The drill bits dont do so well in the impact driver. Once the impact part kicks in, they chatter to much and stop drilling.

The Other Guys: Estwing 28 oz waffle, Ball Peen, and Wonder Bar, as well as a Nail Pouch, Files, and Air Shim.

The 28 ounce hammer has yet to be used, but was bought with the intention of framing and driving larger nails. The Ball Peen is for smaller trim work, as well as shaping and flattening tin when making roof patches. The wonder bar is for making those old shingles fly. Also used for shimming and adjusting. I picked up the nail pouch down in Lorida, and it was worn in conjunction with the basic tool belt.

The bar file is for reshaping the cast paw and hammer claws, as well as knocking down nail heads and other pokey bits of metal. The Rat Tail file has yet to find a purpose, but enlarging holes is probably what will happen. The Air Shim is awesome. Its a little air bladder that you can use to shim, adjust, and lift things. Comes in real handy when putting shelves on Ikea furniture.

Other Things: Wiss Aviation Shears and Torpedo Level

The first thing I bought when I got back from Lorida was the shears. We were installing metal roofing, and they would have really come in handy. I used some down there to make brackets out of scrap metal to rehang gutters as well as cut the metal roof pieces. The Torpedo level is just a level. I bought one with a magnet and pipe grove for setting fence posts. It also comes in handy with Ikea furniture.

Not pictured is my Ryobi laser level cube. I forgot to take a pic, but it's just a laser level. I use it for marking studs. Also not pictured is my Studdy Buddy. Its a hand held magnet that you use to locate studs in the wall.

Tape Measures

The Fat Max is and awesome tape measure, and the other is my cheater tape. It has the fractions written out on it.

THE SAW BAG: It's a bag with a circular saw in it.

Milwaukee M12 Circular Saw

All this bag has in it is the saw. It's a smaller saw, using a 5 3/8 inch blade, but it will cut a 2x4 in one pass. Very torquey, and the battery life is pretty decent with one of the larger M12 batteries.

The Plumbing Bag

There isn't too much in here. I am just starting to build it. I also use some of my work tools if I am around the house.

Slim Pickings: Just a pliers and a wrench

As of right now, this is it. A 14" Pipe Wrench and a set of Channel Locks. Again, when I am around the house, I use some of my work tools. I'll be ordering some offsets and speed wrenches here soon, as well as some other plumbing related things.

Well, there you have it. My tool bags. I hope to put them all in use soon, as the trip with BDM to Lorida was truly an amazing time. I would do it again in a heart beat.

I am going to make my tool box a separate post as it's not home related, more auto. It' will come soon enough.


Ok, enough is enough. This was a large post, and I am tired of typing.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Every once in a while, I get down in the dumps (for what ever reason). When it gets to be a little too much, I make lists. Lists of things that I like.

I take this list and use it for two reasons. First and foremost, to remind myself that things really aren't that bad and to snap out of it, and second, to use the list as sort of a snapshot of where I am in life. Something I can look back on and smile at.

I just make a list, with no description. Generally I keep them to myself, but I figured what the heck.

So, here is a list.

New socks
Canvas tool bags
Hammers
New Balance shoes
Old hardback books
Wooden pews
Blue ink pens
Worn hand tools
Old dogs
New dogs
All dogs
Laserdisc
North West North Carolina
A smile
Little kid's "Why?"
Box fans
A handshake
Ponytails
SeaQuest
Wintergreen Life Savers
Old kitchens
Obsolete technology
Shortbread cookies
9V Batteries
NASA
80s SciFi/Fantasy movies
Boston Terriers
Mint Chocolate chip ice cream
The Golden Girls
Summer Storms

YouTube Discovery

I enjoy YouTube

I watch it a lot. Ask my wife.


I think, at it's core, YouTube is a great place. As with anything there are goods and bads, but I want to focus on the good. There are a few channels I really enjoy, and I though I'd share a few of them.

Ill break them down into categories for you, however a few of the channels bleed into one another. There are other channels I watch, but these are my favorite.

Give them a look.

People/Life/Vlogs

Casey Neistat - I have followed him for years. Very creative person, who shares his daily life in New York, as a creator. Beautifully put together videos. Well filmed and edited. Almost daily uploads. Semi inspirational. Very random, and I like it.

AvE - A Canadian with a horrible mouth. He has an incredible amount of knowledge. He tears all kinds of things apart, tells you why they work (or don't), and then puts them back together and tests them to see if they can do what they say they can. Performs other tests as well. Very mechanical/shop oriented channel. Skookem.

Hamish Patterson - This guy is a wonder. Kind of an inspirational/good vibes guy. Californian who tries to stay with the high frequencies. Also can teach you proper bowl cut maintenance. Channel is more of a personal vlog.

Wranglerstar - Homesteading Vlog. I originally stated watching this guy for his review and usage of old tools. He does some woodworking, and other homestead like things. While he still does this, he has slowly turned his channel into a semi inspirational/life coachy/opinion vlog. He mimics Casey Neistat's form a lot, and it drives me crazy. He also has starting using click bait titles, which annoy me as well.

Makers/Repairs/Tinkerers

Cooking with Shotgun Red - Random cooking channel I stumbled across. I think I've seen this guy before, but cant place it. Cooks food you want to eat. Full recipes.

Jimmy Diresta - This guys is awesome. He makes things. All kinds of things.

Primitive Technology - Very interesting channel. Young man builds huts and homes, and all the things primitive man would. He does not use anything but what nature gives him. He has built forges, weapons, tools, all kinds of things. He only posts once or twice a month. Also, he never talks. Turn Closed Captions on because that's where he does his commentary. Real life Minecraft.

Project Farm - Just subscribed to this channel. This guys tests a lot of myths car/mechanical guys toss around. He test things like the effects of certain motor oils and additives, whether or not Seafoam works, and other things like that.

This Old House - It's This Old House. Lots of videos on home repair and home improvement.

Cars/Automotive/Motorsports

84hachi - Guys has an 1984 Toyota Corolla SR5 (Non 4AGE) He works on it. I like him because he did not go the typical 4AGE route, but instead decided to work with what he had. He is currently doing a side draft carb build. He kinda sounds like Strong Sad.

Cars and Cameras - a karting channel. "It'll be fine". Where I get a lot of inspiration from with my go karts.

Donut Media - Videos on the history of certain cars (Always funny and over the top). Also take the time to explain how certain things on cars work.

Jafromobile - This guy builds DSMs. While he sticks to the 4G63 engine, his approach to building and modding is amazing, and can be applied to any engine build. Very detail oriented. He hand builds all his engines, and has an old school way of doing them.

Mighty Car Mods - It's MCM. I have been with them since episode 1. An Australian car show, that originally started with basic DIY car mods, they have since moved to bigger builds. They still throw in a DIY episode here or there. They occasionally make short movies as well. I love them so much I have purchased DVDs of their free YouTube videos.

Regular Cars - an interesting car review show. As the title suggests, they review cars. Mostly regular cars. However, sometimes the episodes can get... perverted/weird. Think a "Ren and Stimpy" car review show.
 
Sloppy Mechanics - Take a 100+ k mile GM 6.0 out of a Van in a junkyard, reuse every part you can, and add a Chinese turbo. Get 1000 WHEEL horsepower. That's pretty much it. This guy takes the most homebrew DIY cheap methods he can to make as much HP as he can, and shows you how you can too.

Tom's Turbo Garage - another car building show. This guy's attention to detail is OCD like. It actually annoys me quite a bit. BUT. He builds some awesome cars. V8 Miata, Galant VR4, and others. He hasn't posted in awhile, but there are plenty of videos to watch.

Other/Entertainment

Air Force Proud 95 - a pilot in real life who plays Microsoft Flight Simulator. He messes with people. It's funny. Sometimes he vlogs while flying to local airports.

Bill Wurtz - he makes weird music videos. Very catchy, amazing, weird music videos.

First We Feast - Food oriented. They make other videos, but the main thing I watch is the "Hot Ones" videos. They make hot wings that range from mild to insane heat, and sit down with notable people and interview them while eating them. It's a pretty great show.

Hydraulic Press Channel - this channel takes things an squishes them with an industrial press. If you fold paper more than 7 times it EXPLODES.

Seth Everman - pretty funny guy that plays the piano.

Skippy62able (LA Beast) - a nonsense channel where the LA BEAST trys to eat  and drink things you shouldn't, or in quantities you shouldn't. Food challenges and other things. Pure gold entertainment.

Videogame Dunkey - hilarious reviews and opinions on videogames.

Musical Monday 2

COUNTRY (AND COUNTRY-ISH)

Not going to waste any time here. Here are some of my favorite country songs.
Don't hate. Country is good.

Here are some of my favorite county/fringe country songs

Junk Post?

Same old same.

It's that time again, oncall. (EDIT: I wrote this before I went oncall. It's over now, and I dont want to rewrite the whole thing.)
So far so good, but we are just 2 days into. Anything good happens I'll let you know.

Day to day life has been average, random at best.

Been tinkering around the garage. Going to use this week to tidy up my side, and start working on the go karts. I need to tighten down the Jegs kart, and get some wheels on it. The neighbor bought some weird looking off road kart, and now the oldest son really wants to get on a kart. KART BATTLE.

I'm going to start working on my second 212 engine, get all the "Stage 3" parts in it, and get that on the other kart frame.

Trying to keep the Passat clean now that its in the garage, and I'm remembering why I hate black cars. They only look good from 20 feet.

In preparation for next hurricane season, I purchased a generator from Harbor Freight. Their 8750/7500W Predator.

My in-laws let me borrow their generator last year, when the power was out for a day or two. It was a great help, so I figured we'd get one ourselves.  It's sized decently, and I think it will power pretty much what ever we need. I plan on hooking it up to the home through a interconnect breaker.

I need to do some electrical math and add up what I think the demand will be for us. I don't plan on having the generator run everything in the house, but all bedrooms and the refrigerator should be fine.
Eventually I am going to see if it can handle the HVAC system solo, but worst case I'll buy a window unit for one of the bedrooms, and we will hunker down in their as a family on hot nights.

Oncall Catch Up

Had a couple of main breaks, and a lot of little stuff. Nothing too bad. As I type it's 8PM on Sunday, just a few more hours to go.

Main break in Lake Asbury

This one was in OP. 

So... That's it. More to follow. I guess.

Musical Monday

Moday's, for the most part, are horrible.
Music, for the most part, is good.
Lets take the two, combine, and find out what happens.

Every Monday, Ill be sharing a play list of music. This playlist will be themed. A certain subject, style, genre, decade, whatever.

FAIR WARNING
I dont usually listen to overly explicit music, but there might be some. Coming from a listening stand point, I usually just focus on instruments and the over all sound, and bleeps and cut outs drive me crazy. Just letting you know, while most of the music is PGish, there might be some hard PG13/Rs


NO MORE. MUSIC NOW.

This week I'm going to share some bass. Famous or funky bass lines, or just bass lines I like.
All the songs here I listen to because the bass.



A small, playlist. There are obviously a ton more, but these are a recent favorite.

BRO. COME ON.

sorry.

i'll try harder.




it's been tough.




the aspen is gone.

Pulled her out, and sent her off. 

Well, I put up a post in an Apsen/Volare Facebook group, and in one hour, she was spoken for. Gentleman came out and hauled it away. He plans on making it a daily driver. He has a few at his house, and was glad to take in another.

This, of course lead to a CLEANish GARAGE!

Bro there is another car in there now!

Some much room for activities.

I've got most of the garage set up the way I want now. Just some tidying up to do.
Plenty of room to work in the garage now.


Well, that's it for right now. I have another post already typed out that I will release tomorrow. Trying to get back in the groove again.

Captains Log : Seven - Old Habits Die Hard.

So...

It's been a minute. (Like almost a month!?)



Life has been hectic these past couple of weeks. Nothing too serious, just a lot all at once. Really took a hit with that oncall week, and just haven't been able to keep up ever since. I lost a 30 year battle with my neighbor over a giant oak tree. I wouldn't say lost, more like gave in after we both came to an agreement that I might not have wanted to take in the first place. Long story short, the tree was cut down. That's gotten me down in the dumps. Other than that, not too much has changed. Ill just try to get you guys up to date.

Go Karts: Acquired another kart. Like a legit kart! Helped my buddy out with some things, and he paid me in a kart frame! He and his kids race dirt ovals, so it's set up for that. I haven't really had a chance to work on anything, but that leads me to my next thing.

Tires are wider on one side, for all the sweet turning action on a dirt oval.

The Aspen: Well, I've finally decided to let it go. My garage is at maximum capacity, and there is now zero room to do anything. I am heavily attached to the Aspen, as it was my Great Grandpa's, and the starting point for my automotive interests. However, the time has come to let it go. I was adamant to not just scrap it, as even though it's not worth anything from a money standpoint, it does mean a great deal to me. I found a guy local who wants it, and plans on using everything he can off of it before it goes to scrap. Once it's gone, I can start work on the garage.

The Duke will live on in our hearts and our minds.

The Garage: As mentioned before, the garage is full. At one point in time, two cars fit in the garage. I worked out of it as well, doing small auto repair for friends and family, as well as bike repair for the local kids. I can't do any thing in it now. The two kart frames, as well as four bikes and two lawn mowers and a plethora of other things has turned the garage into a waste land of stuff. Once the Aspen is gone, I hope to replace the space it leaves with a small go kart garage and repair space. That would allow me to move all my tool chests and repair items to one side, and allow the wife to park her Passat in the garage.





That's pretty much it. There are a few other things going on right now that we might get into later.

• Disaster Relief tool bag has grown! Tool Showcase and Review to come!
• Good bye VW Rabbit? Selling of the Rabbit and it's (possibly) blasphemous replacement!?
• Campground Prep. Getting ready for camping and possible VW Passat prep for light towing.
• Yard Improvement. Its no secret I hate yard work. However, summer is upon us, and I have ideas!

Well, that wraps up this post, I have a few more set up for this week, and there is always the chance of a leak at work!

Captain's Log: 6TH (Official Kart Post: 1)

I just wanna go fast daddy.

Where we had to play catch up with the work, we will also have to with the personal.

The thing that's been taking up most of my time recently is GOKARTS

No... not those kind (yet). I'm wanting to get my kids into something, and I think Karting might be it. The oldest does not seem to want to do any ball sports, and the youngest absolutely loves any thing car. So, I figured we would ease into the world of competitive racing with the simplest of forms. 

YARD KARTS

Introducing: The "Jegs" Kart

Glorious.

I've been wrenching on this kart off and on for about two weeks now. I keep getting deeper and deeper as I keep finding it's secrets. Biggest hurdle now is converting it back to a live axle. It's getting a torque converter but matching up sprockets for the jackshaft is where I am at now. I've broken in the engine and hooked up the throttle cable, and once I can get the jackshaft issue ironed out, wheels are next.

It's actually more quite at idle with the header pipe than the stock muffler.

I started working on building the engine, but realized that maybe I should just leave it alone for now, let the boys get used to it, then slowly step it up from there. As follows:

• Stage 0 - Stock Predator 212 (with header pipe) stock governor
• Stage 0.5 - remove governor, install cast aluminum flywheel and performance air cleaner.
• Stage 1 - Install Mikuni carb, wider gear.

Because I can't leave well enough alone, and I knew I would start messing with the engine, I bought another one. This one is getting the works. "Stage 3" kit, and who knows what from there. Currently looking for an old racing kart frame to put it on.

I don't know where this will take us in life, but out of the house is good. As I wrench, i'll be documenting what I can.

Something Else

I've started collecting watches. I know. That sounds awesome.
Mind you, I am a strange individual, so my watch collection should follow suit. I am only collecting watches that I can buy for under $100.

To be honest, $100 is pushing it.

After having two smart watches (a Pebble and a Fit Bit, both great smart watches, in my opinion), I have found I've missed the analog look and feel of a good plain old wrist watch. I want the time, maybe the date, and nothing more. While I originally just wanted one watch, I figured two wouldn't hurt. I had a dark watch, so getting a light one would only make sense. It has spiraled from there, and I now sit at a comfortable 6 watches.

My collection is mostly comprised of Timex watches, but I do have two Seikos. I dont think I've spent over $40 each on the Timex, and I think the Seiko's were $80 each.

Of course I had to get a box. Also, they all tick at the same time.

I find it an interesting thing to collect, and can see (yet am still confused by) how people collect watches that cost more than $1000 dollars. I fortunately like plain watches. The less shiny the better, and I prefer only three hands, none of that chronograph/extra mini watches on the face.

A few of my watches...

Seiko 5. The fanciest watch. It's automatic and has no battery. I also have a white one.

Timex Easy Reader. Old man watch. I dont like the metal stretch band. Pulls my arm hair.

Timex Expedition. The first watch I bought. Also my favorite. I have one in white.

We will see where the watch thing goes. just something to keep the mind at ease. I've already thought about hitting up the resale and 2nd hand stores to see what they have.

WELL. Thats about it. Another week is upon us. I hope that all goes well for you and yours. May the week go by smoothly, and any troubles that arise be dealt with appropriately, and with great thought and care.

LATER.