Fueling Up

I know this will come as sort of a shock to you all, but I'm sort of a gearhead. I like to know how mechanical things work. I also like making things and putting things together with my own two hands. I've been working on a Jeep project for quite some time now, and this weekend I got to squeeze a lot of wrench time in. It's good for the soul. To get it roadworthy, I just have to finish the fuel system and the electrics. Everything else is bolted in and ready to go. The biggest reason it's taking so long is the fact that I'm putting in an engine that came from a 2001 Chevy Silverado. '82 Jeep CJ-7 with an '01 5.3 Vortec V8. Yeah. It will be a substantial drivetrain upgrade.

The top picture is the Dana 300 transfer case. This is what transfers power to the front wheels when I'm in four wheel drive. I rebuilt it completely and modified it with two shifters (twin stick) so that I can control whether I'm in four wheel drive, two wheel rear, or two wheel front drive at any point. Yeah, you read that right. I can make my Jeep a front wheel drive vehicle as easily as a rear wheel drive, just by shifting. It should be fun, and I can't wait.







This is the fuel tank and fuel line I spent the weekend on. There's just something beautiful about aluminum AN fittings on stainless steel braided fuel line. Extra abrasion protection is provided by the black fire resistant conduit wrapped around it in sections where the line may touch the frame and body. It should last as long as I'm alive and , in my opinion, overbuilt is always better.

This is where it feeds the engine. The return line is hooked up to the manifold, but I don't have the feed line hooked up yet. You see, with some fuel injection systems, there is a need for a return line back to the fuel tank for when your engine isn't using all the fuel being pumped to it at any given time. It all runs at about 50 psi, so braided line is almost a necessity. Look at those beautiful fittings. It makes me all warm and cozy inside. $24 just for the two blue fittings to adapt it to the Vortec manifold. Black corrosion resistant fittings (like the one connected) are $9 each, and worth every penny.
Last weekend I worked on getting the fuel tank mocked up to make sure everything would fit, and this weekend, I finished installing the pump assembly and sending unit. It's all set and ready to send the life juice to my sweet power plant under the hood. I'll spend next week installing it under the back end permanently.

These are my two beautiful Optima Red Top batteries. One for starting the engine, and the other is switched on once in a while for other things (like a winch in the future) and for emergency backup. The alternator charges both, and the microprocessor powered solenoid right above them switches between the two as needed. I flip a switch on the dash if I need emergency startup power. Yeah, I know, too cool.

So, I've gotta say my day was a good day. Not only did I not watch as the Dow Jones Industrial average had it's single worst point drop in history, I didn't have to do any yard work. It's starting to cool off here and the grass is finally slowing down a little. There for a bit I was mowing every five or six days. Not my idea of fun. My good friends have an awesome lawn of Zoysia, and the wife has commented about copying said greenery. Well, I checked out the cost involved in switching to Zoysia, and that may not be as high on the list of "things to do" as we first thought. We'll see. Maybe a little more research will uncover some better methods to a beautiful, low maintenance lawn next year. That will mean more time for playing in the Jeep and exploring cool places with my lovely wife.

More Rambling

Keeping my eyes open the past few days after crawling out of bed really hasn't been a problem. I've been sleeping really well of late, and I've been trying to get up early before going to work so that I have a couple of hours to do what I want. Eat a nice breakfast, maybe lounge out on the patio with something interesting to read, and drink a delicious cup of coffee. Autumn is here, and I really like this time of year, but I wish the sun would come up a little earlier. I guess I have to wait until daylight saving time comes in a month and a half or so.

I've been getting up around six, and the sun doesn't peek up over the backyard fence until seven or a little after. Dew on the grass, shining silver at first light. Gone is the oppressive, stifling humidity of August. I'm ready for cooler weather, but by the time Christmas is here, I'll be ready for Spring. I know. I can't have my cake and eat it, too. Looking at the latest in Rolling Stone has me wondering why I read this liberal rag. Every month, especially in this time of political tension, there is something negative about the Republican candidates. It's good writing, though, even though I often don't agree with the author. A well-written story exposes things about the author though, and oftentimes the ignorant adolescence shines through like a SWAT team spotlight in some articles. You can tell when a writer is jaded by years of experience and pessimism, or when the writer is so fresh from campus life they couldn't tell you a thing about what's really going on in the world outside of keggers and gossip. It's a great magazine, though, and I'm not sure if I can bring myself to stop getting it on a regular basis.

The wife is up and is propped up in my comfy chair, two hands holding her coffee, glued to the television so she can hear about what Robin is saying and see what she's wearing. Robin, for those that don't watch CNN Headline News in the morning, is the hottie of choice for CNN first thing in the morning. It's still a tossup in my mind as to which is more visually appealing-Robin Meade, or Christi Paul.
CNN often throws Christi in there when Robin is off or 'on assignment'. Both are very easy on the eyes, and thus, the reason they are on first thing in the morning. Their sole purpose is to pull you into the news that will be repeated every twenty minutes, three times an hour, all day long. 24 hour news is not my favorite thing, and is almost obsolete in this day and age with the internet instantly available at every waking moment.

The economy is on the precipice of complete collapse, and there seems to be an alarming number of people that are totally oblivious to it all. The results of the economic bailout currently being debated in Washington will affect every single person in this country. Some believe this is the end of days, and others just think it's another recession like we've seen before. Personally, I think the real answer is somewhere in the middle. I think this downturn will be much worse than anything my generation, or my parents' generation, has ever experienced, but I really do hope I'm wrong.

Day After Day

Here I am again, going a week without posting. Busy is relative. Some people work more in one month than others do in a year. I don't work like someone that say, is on a drilling rig, or someone that digs ditches for a living. I do work hard indoors, though. Dealing with the public in a retail (kind of) environment can be stressful and hectic at times, especially when in control of a department in a multimillion dollar business. The last few weeks have been just that because our shop is going through quite a few personnel changes. I also recently hired a replacement for one of my best guys that had been with the company for nine years.

There's nothing quite like training someone new with a clean slate to make you realize exactly how much needs to be done properly on any given day to make everything run like a fine Swiss watch. It's ridiculously overwhelming for the new guy, and I know because I was him eight years ago. Imparting the knowledge of everything in the operating system is daunting, but it just takes time and patience on everyone's part. Showing the basics and letting them feel their way is the best way. Everyone has to set their own process and pace to get comfortable and be proficient enough to do the job. The last time I had to train anyone was the summer of '07. That person is still at the shop with us, is advancing, and I couldn't be happier.

Seeing someone succeed because of what you have taught them is a rewarding experience. I've missed that feeling. It's been quite a while since I've had the experience, and I am enjoying it every day, even during the most trying of times.

Some have wondered why I've not discussed my thoughts on the financial debacle being experienced worldwide. It's really depressing, and I have to say, disappointing. We live in the greatest country in the world, and yet, I find that we the people have become too reliant as a society on someone always being there to bail us out. People no longer want to take responsibility for wrongdoing and failure, and it's going to be the downfall of this wonderful land in which we live.

It is said that all great civilizations in history sustained themselves for a period that averaged about two hundred years. Is our time up? I sure hope not, but people are going to have to change their way of thinking when it comes to being entitled to anything and everything without working for it. Big brother is stepping in to save Lehman Bros., Fannie, Freddie, AIG, and yet 70% of all businesses in the US are considered small businesses. The majority of them fail within a year. Where is their bailout? Come one, come all. Preferential treatment does not bode well for our economy, I fear. I hope I'm wrong. Either way, we as taxpayers are in for a long and bumpy ride. If this indeed is the bottom, or close to it, everyone needs to be on their toes and ready to pounce on the opportunities abound in an emerging market. Hand over fist, baby. I'm ready for it because I think being a pessimist is partly to blame for my thinning hair.

Big Government

There's a problem with cash flow in the United States right now, and it is hitting everyone. There is a web site that I frequent that I've passed on to a few friends. They see the world, for the most part, just as I do. The Cato Institute is a very informative collection of articles by authors who know what they are talking about. There was a very succinct article about Fannie, Freddie, and their respective failures. It's a shame what they've done, and it's a shame that big brother let them do it. Money makes the world go 'round, and do not ever forget that even our government appointees get paid. Talk is cheap. Especially talk of change.

CZ

Better Days

The rain was coming down in a steady drizzle. Not too much, but enough to make it a dreary afternoon. It was another busy and rough day at work, but I'm heading home, soon to be basking in the glory of a pint of Murphy's Irish Stout. Ahhh. I can almost taste it.

I still don't know why the guy caught my eye for too long. It was an odd gait, and his face, when I passed him, seemed to be angry. Weird. Walking in on a road not normally walked. I look up to see bright brake lights and the back of a little green Chevy Cavalier.

Too Close. She's stopped with a turn signal on.

Crap.

Brakes on, and wheel turned, but nothing. Nothing but the horrible noise of my tires screeching along the wet and slick concrete pavement on Free Ferry in a previously quiet neighborhood. Like sliding into home plate, the front of my nice little Tacoma was soon to be not-so-nice. I felt stupid. It seemed like forever that I stared at the back of her car, and it just kept getting closer.

CRASH!! Her bumper looks like hell, and the trunk lid is all curled up.

She pulled forward as I think about how mad at myself I am.

I look up to see her getting out and walking toward me.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, how about you?"

"Good, I'm fine. Let's pull up to get out of the street."

I agree and pull into the driveway in front of where the carnage just occurred.

I can't believe it's been nearly fifteen years since I've had the unfortunate misery of having to deal with an accident on my record. A ticket, too, to add insult to injury. Back then I was young and dumb. Now I'm married, have a mortgage, and a good job. Not young or stupid. I'm still in shock, and still angry at my carelessness. I'll get over it, but it may take a while. The bruise on my ego will take longer to heal, for sure.

I could have gone the entire time I have left on this earth without having another moving violation, but it wasn't meant to be. I've had better days and better weeks. I'm alive and unharmed, though, so things could be worse. I have a beautiful wife that didn't get angry or gripe at me. Chalk up another point on the good side. It's going to be like rubbing the wound with alcohol for a bit though, as I find out how much of a financial pinch this will put on us over the next few days. At least it was mild enough that my airbag didn't deploy. There's almost a grand saved right there. Suck it up. You're a big boy. CZ

Friday Night

“Wow, they’re awesome, aren’t they?”, said the woman down a row and over one seat.

“Yeah, they really do sound good.” , said the kid right in front of me.

“We’ve been playing the same songs for YEARS! It’s so refreshing to hear something progressive and innovative. I went to college at an all black school and it was just like that. The band was always so much fun.”

I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments of the attractive and gregarious woman that was interacting regularly with everyone around her. She was talking about the highlight of the night- the Pine Bluff marching band. They blew everyone away with their powerful performance at halftime. Their instruments were louder, their drum beats were felt in your chest, and the show put on by the dance crew was choreographic perfection. As much as I hate to say it, everything they brought to the showdown was head and shoulders above what was trotted out by Northside. The NSH band wasn’t bad at all, but they were just overshadowed and outclassed by a far more progressive unit from Pine Bluff.

The air was clean, crisp, and filled with something palpable, but indescribable. It was Friday night football, and it was grand. Unfortunately, my Alma Mater came out on the losing end, but the game was good to the end. Pine Bluff had made the trek to Northside to face our Grizzlies in a Friday night grudge match.

Donning red and white, supporting Fort Smith’s finest, Karen and I sat with her co-worker, and Scott joined us through the first quarter. It was a good time until the end when we came up short on a hail mary pass in the end zone. I hate disappointment.

Sixty yards to go with fifty-seven seconds remaining should have been a cake walk. I say should have been because for some reason, the Northside coach was reluctant to call a much-needed timeout when they failed to get a first down on the third play of the drive. We were only down six because the PB kicker had missed his valuable extra point.

“He’s savin’ ‘em. You know, for the next game.”, Said the same woman that was as enamored as I was about the Pine Bluff band, but not so much about the coaching on our side of the field. The coach had three timeouts to burn, yet didn’t call one until twelve seconds remained in the painful exercise in futility.

Nearly half of that precious minute was chewed up with overweight referees bumbling with the placement of the ball, and players scrambling because they couldn’t get a clear call from the sideline. These types of things are learned and adjustments made as the season progresses, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the small errors in a High School football game. I have to continually remind myself that this isn’t the NFL we’re watching.

K and I will be at all the other home games for NHS, and I’m hoping the end results in all of them will be victories. I know I won’t see a better band than I did last night, so it’s up to the football team not to disappoint.