Oh hey, there’s HFD Air 1 at Koko Crater. They must be having fun with the gusty winds, although it has died down from earlier this weekend.
Monthly Archive for November, 2016
Another dark from Sierra Nevada. Pours a extremely dark brown, medium strong head. Smokey aroma that definitely comes out as a dark roast initial flavor. Hops is more subdued than the stout and keeps the bitter note throughout not too strong but constant and lingering. You better like dark roast coffee. Medium thick mouthfeel, the carbonation getting quickly soft keeps the feel fairly heavy.
3 out 4 dark roast monkeys.
Okay, I know I’m not big on beers with funky flavoring, but I’m willing to bend. It’s fall, I figure this kinda goes with the season. Pours with a medium strong head, cloudy light yellow. Unmistakeable cherry aroma and initial flavor. Bright crisp tang, wheat finish. Medium mouthfeel.
I almost hate to admit, I’m enjoying this. 3 out 4 cherry monkeys.
Got a chance to see this anime film the the HIFF tonight, it was their closing film. This is currently a huge blockbuster in Japan. It’s been sitting at #1 at Japan theaters since it opened over 2 months ago, only briefly being knocked down the other week but back at #1. Last I looked it sits at #7 of all time grossing film at Japan theaters, foreign or domestic. And no, it’s not a Miyazaki film, who holds the #1 spot with Spirited Away, it’s a Maokoto Shinkai film. The man who started in video games and many of his works were one man shows, producer/director/animator/voice and done on his Mac. I’ve seen most of his other anime. Visually stunning, he’s king of deeply saturated atmospheric visuals.
It’s late and I’m tired, so for know lets say I give it 4 out 4 separation anxiety monkeys. It’s got its flaws, but its a gorgeous engaging film if you’re not looking for a action splitting kind of thing. I’ll write more later, it was worth the price of admission.
The saga of the FX. Was working on until midnight last night, the day before event. Last I wrote I think was the starter, which I bought replacement at oreilly and changed. The alignment seems off, it makes an awful grinding and screetch. It starts though. Then battery went out so bought a AGM at oreilly that was a hair too big. Fit! Car started, went for test drive, got a block down street and the charge and brake light flickered on, bad alternator. Fortunately had spare, which actually was the one off old engine. Got that changed and finally got on rode to attempt break in at about 10:00pm. Went to town, kalihi, turned around, did a bunch of on a off freeway loops in the kapiolani-kaimuki area, then the check engine light came on and the engine got boggy. Got home with 40 miles on odo, that would have to do for initial break in, did a oil change, swapped ECU, and went to sleep.
This morning car seems to be working good, skipped my usual stop at Foodland to pickup lunch sandwich. Ran morning heats nicely. First run of afternoon heats and after fast straight, powering out of sharp left suddenly lost power. Engine revving fine. Krap. Sounds like driveshaft, again. Towed back to put, looks like shaft might have just pulled out of transaxle. Pulled stuff apart and tried to pound shaft in, wasn’t moving past a certain point. Pulled it out and this is what we found.
If its any consolation, I’m not the only one. Counting mine we had a total of 4 broken drive shafts.
Now waiting for tow.
Damn rental Altima bit me which sealed the deal for me, I do not like. The rear trunk has no damping so sprung up when I lifted the edge, this wasn’t the problem. The problem was I bent down to retrieve box from trunk as the trunk cleared, but it bounced back and slammed my head. Curses! I didn’t realize at the time that it actually drew blood. The other thing that bugs me are the brakes are super grabby. I had one of these as a rental a couple times back and recall that too, heck maybe this is the exact same car? Keyless entry and start are a neat novelty.
So the trials of getting the rally FX going continue. Everything is in and hooked up with exception of a water temp sensor with broken connector. Filled everything up, changed the valve cover to my one bling thing, and in process munged the PCV valve grommet. Gonna need to try and find a new one, can prob find something. Anyway, I disconnected coil and did not install any spark plugs. I wanted to spin the engine without starting to prime some oil. But when I hit the start the first time lights, but no starter. Second time it clicked, then whirred. It seems like the motor is spinning but not engaging the flywheel. Sheesh, too late tonight to mess with.
wouldnt you know it, I go to put the last part on, the air intake, and the banjo bolt plops out. So now I have that original bolt, the shiny junkyard one installed, and a spare I also grabbed at the junkyard yesterday.
Oh, and I found the keys, they had fallen off shelf where I usually keep my keys, but instead of falling to ground where I searched, the got caught in some cords so were dangling midair. Hopefully tonight will be the big moment!
sheesh, one little banjo bolt. No one has it retail. I figured Ron’s would have it to go along with the fancy anodized fuel line fittings, no luck. If I knew I would have grabbed one at the junkyard, there must be piles of there.
bolt. The engine is all together and back in the FX (engine leveler good!), there’s a few things to tighten up, hook up the radiator, plug back in the electronics, fill everything up, except for one bolt. Unfortunately it’s a special bolt, a banjo bolt for the fuel rail. I don’t know where the heck it went. Oh yeah, I don’t know where the keys went too….
Aw crap, spoke too soon, looks like the clutch plate is in backwards! It seemed to go in only one way but I think it wrong, there’s no engagement of the drive wheels. Dammit, gotta take things all apart again!