Another car weekend. Saturday was spent cleaning rust off the camshafts, and since I had a spare and the work was more than halfway done already, I changed the headgasket.
So come Sunday the engine was together and ready to fit the transmission and reinstall. This would definitely need more bodies to manhandle. Tranny work always involves some muscle. Finally got that purdy clutch on. Last time we’ll see it like this. 
Tranny mated with minimal fuss and bolted together. Ckucky with his 1 ACP (Angry Chinese Power) output installs the starter, and strips out one of the holes. To be fair he was torquing with wrench set to spec. I think I might need a new wrench.
Author Archive for taro
Page 67 of 88
Doh, I should have looked at all the photos first. Yesterday at lunch, I found myself in the area of Sand Island so decided to go look for the new BMX track that is supposed to open. Not knowing much except general area, I drove as far into the Sand Island park as I could then parked and started walking in. I went in as far as I felt comfortable walking by myself, in aloha shirt. Found someone’s tent, quickly left that area. Found large loaders. And found killer nasty kiawe, that went straight through my shoe and poked the sole of my foot. After looking at the photos on the website, it looks like the track is way on the other side, much closer to the boats. AH well, we’ll check it out another time!
then it’s worth overdoing. This past friday I picked up my Exedy Hyper Single clutch kit, part #TH01SD (note that it is speced for later 4AGE so does not include the pilot bearing). Since I have the engine and tranny completely out of the red Corolla, figured might as well change out the clutch. And since this is supposed to be my weekend fun and race car, why not go for something a bit more uprated. I have what Exedy considers their “Stage 1” Sport clutch in the FX right now and with the lighter OEM last gen 20 valve flywheel it’s pretty nice and I kill the engine only a couple times a week. What the heck, skip Stage 2 and go right for “Stage 3”. A set with a lightweight chromoly flywheel, forged aluminum clutch cover, and 6 puck cerametalic friction pads. Flywheel is about 9 lbs compared to the original stock of 16. Cover, pressure pad assembly is a pound or so lighter. We shall see how dramatically different this feels. Continue reading ‘If It’s Worth Doing…’
The second BMX tuesday was shaping up and I dug out of work as soon as I could. Scat, Risu, Ckucky, and myself met up once again at Ckucky bicycle storage. I had my pieced together Chase, but in keeping with the theme, I borrowed Scat’s 20″ BMX. Jeff was also there with a freshly built up S&M. WOw, 20, 24, and 26″ BMX was all represented! We eventually cruised out to McBike since Risu had to go to work. Once there, we checked out some of the Redline BMX’s hanging on display. Dang, just how old are we? Talk about regressing! Isn’t this what we did as “kids”?
There is something to be said about cruising about on little single speed bikes. It is fun. We leave McB and head to Ala Wai to check on the little jump that used to be there. The palm trees there were totally gone, a crater where one of the stumps was. Not much fun there, we continued on the bike path, to find that it’s still closed off from the sewer work. Detour along Iolani and come out across from Kaimuki. Dead Guy track calls. Continue reading ‘BMX Tuesday’
The last of the Hitachino varieties that Maruka has brought in, the Real Ginger Brew. I popped this open tonight with a little trepidation. I know I like ginger ale, but this kind of ginger ale? Pours with a good head, semi-cloudy medium brown. Strong spice aroma. It would take me a while to identify if I didn’t know what it was, but if you know then the aroma is unmistakeably ginger. It’s actually an intriguing aroma, but unfortunately I don’t like the transition to the taste. What bothers me is that it is sweet, which then kind of masks the strong hops and bitter. Fairly alcohol high at 7%.
I have to say I really don’t care for this one, and I don’t think it’s so much the ginger as the other flavors. If I were offered this another round, I would pass on it and give it a 1 out of 4 hopped out monkeys.
Twas a strange evening in Kaimuki. Plans for an urban ride to shake out Ckucky’s 24″ BMX, and for Scat and I to just shake ourselves out with an urban ride got pushed back to tonight. I hustled from a training session in Aina Haina and managed to get to Ckucky’s house just before 5:30PM, and Scat was still stuck in his car somewhere on the freeway. He arrived, not specially happy, but pulling out a bling bling 26″ BMX SE OM Flyer, you can’t stay depressed for long. He also had a 20″ beater BMX. Plans for me to jump on it were aborted when we found the rear tire flat. Time was being lost, so I decided to just use my full suspension pig. Continue reading ‘Urban Kookage’
Once again, thanks go out to the boys, Fab and Scat cruised on by late afternoon to help me pull the engine out of the red Corolla. There wasn’t anything terribly wrong with it, except it’s not the correct block for the model, so techinically puts me into a different class for racing. It’s the supercharged block, without the supercharger. So in actuallity I’m makeing LESS power than stock since the pistons are lower compression. Anyway, previously we’d dropped the transmission and I’ve since rebuilt it with all new bearings and synchros. I decided to pull the engine since I have a spare original spec engine, and installing the transmission onto the engine should be easier. A few little snags, but it was relatively painless. Continue reading ‘Right Tool for the Job’
Stumbled across this at Foodland today and had to buy it. “Limited edition”, is this like the Beanie Baby tactics of the beer world? Anyway, I’m a sucker for a dark beer that promises to be good, since I like Guinness Stout. The draft widget one can’t be beat, except on tap. Anyway, on to this aniversary edition. Pours with a good head, opaque almost black, but doesn’t have the amazing inverted bubble action of the wiget or tap stout. Aroma is nowhere as intense as their usual stout. Taste is likewise. Hints of the classic smokiness. It’s pretty clean and dry, moderated bitterness that tapers nicely. The blurb on the label describes it well, “a refreshing taste, which underlies the complex flavor of stout.” I’d call it Guinness stout lite. It hints at stout, but lacks the originals intense flavor, creamyness. It is quite drinkable. I’m just about done with my first and contemplating another. No idea of the ABV percentage, stouts typically are low, I feel a good buzz hitting. But I also had about 3 shots of sake with dinner about an hour ago.
I’m not sure how to rate this. I’d take a draft Guiness over this any day, but it’s good. And as mentioned, quite drinkable. The normal Guiness stout tends to be a heavier slower drinking affair. And doesn’t always get along with food. I’d give it 3 out of 4 tipsy monkeys.
Guess this is a case for “Do as I say, not as I do.” Driving along a compact “SUV” with the Eh, Slow Down, this Ain’t the Mainland bumper sticker doing 65 in a 45 mph zone. Perhaps not entirely fair since no one actually does 45 on that stretch of ewa bound H-1 before University, but still excessive as it darted between lanes.
(0)OK, got the counter shaft bearings changed out on the transmission, but yikes…. Finally got a complete shop press together from Blue Sky Hawaii, the China special tools place. And this piece of equipment is particularly dodgy. Ok, I concede that it worked. Barely. One point wishing I had a Lexan shield to hide behind in case bits went exploding. The thing is pretty light gauge and is made to rack. There is no way to get it to work straight. To be honest, I’m not sure it was worth the 200 plus bucks. I suppose if I think of it as how much I would have paid a shop to do the same, then ok. But the crookedness bothers me, I think I did a straighter job with my home made extracto/instalo tools I made years ago, and pressing in these bearings crooked is not good.