Inspiration - box of treasure pt 2

a couple more proofs

Drawn to Television - ipad

I finally got around to getting a decent drawing program and a stylus for the ipad.  It's pretty fun and really nice to be able to plop down anywhere and sketch.

Here's yesterday's drawing.  It's a riff on the Thrush/Mr Horsepower logo and could be a good graphic for the car.

before I picked up the stylus, drawing with the ipad was a bit of a challenge, thanks mainly to my extra stumpy calloused fingers.  Here a couple where I just grabbed some images and started playing.

Inspiration - box of treasure pt 1

The last time I was in Jamul my mom gave me a small box of Dad's racing memorabilia.  Patches, dash decals, pins and stickers.  Here's a small proof photo that was at the bottom of the box.

Manual Haiku 15 - Honda z50

Starting in Extreme Cold Weather

starting by cranking

the engine several times

with the ignition OFF.

bad idea? Rowher Flats

This morning I woke up with a mission.  I wanted to test a couple things I've done to the Land Cruiser and I wanted to get it into the dirt.  It would seem easy enough but I can't seem to find 100 yards of rough dirt road in my neighborhood.  I'm sure it's out there somewhere but this morning it was evading me.  So, I thought Rowher Flats.

Rowher Flats is an off road park which is only 15 miles from my house (about a 30 minute drive).   I'd read about it but wanted to plan a bit.  This morning I was alone, no maps, no water and a quarter tank of gas - not really prepared.  I got gas and a half gallon of water and headed up the Sierra Highway.  At the turn off I thought "this will be easy enough to walk out of if the car breaks down"  after about 3 miles of washboard road I thought "well, I'm sure other people will be there if anything goes wrong."  Then I got to the parking area and realized I was the only one there.  20 square miles of dead silence, not another car in sight, it was beautiful.  

I decided to not be too daring.  I played on a couple trails and around the rock crawling area and as the temperatures reached 100 I headed home.

  

The car felt great and really wanted to be in the dirt and go fast.  The exhaust rattled loose but the welds held and I do really need to address the springs but it was so much fun.

Thank you internet!

The car started making a horrible moaning sound while down shifting.  It was coming from the rear differential and that really worried me.  The problem with this car is it's 65% newish and 35% forty seven years old.  That 35% needs a lot of attention.

I started poking around on the web.  The drive shaft had a lot of play in it, which probably meant the rear differential was shot.  Rebuilding it was too big of a job for me.  I was getting ready to call the shop when a came across a post on IH8MUD.  It said to check the pinion nut and see if it had come loose.  Sure enough,  I pulled the drive shaft off and the pinion nut was extremely loose.  I tightened it up and added a cotter pin and it was good to go.

I think I'll change the differential oil just to give it a little treat.

Inspiration - Historic Races at Laguna Seca

As a kid I got to go to the Harrah's automobile collection, twice.  It was amazing.  At the time it was the largest collection in the world with building after building of incredible cars.

Last weekend was even more amazing, we took the kids to Laguna Seca.   

Static cars are beautiful, moving cars are awesome.  They come alive and walk a fine line between animal and machine.

And the aesthetics of racing are so different than collecting.  Duck tape over the lights and a simple leather strap to hold the hand crank to the side.

Oil leaks and suspensions made out of elastic straps.  So cool and so terrifying. 

I love the world of art but I feel like it's a bit stuck on the collecting side of things and I wish it was a bit more like racing,  lean and terrifying.

manual Haiku 15

Throttle Cable Play

there is excessive

play: the throttle valve can't be

opened all the way

Album of the Week 12 - The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Orange

I had a copy of Orange when it first came out, but at some point it disappeared.  Not to long ago I found "Bellbottoms" on youtube, the kids dug it and I missed it.  I was just about to order a vinyl copy on ebay when I checked out itunes.  Their version of "Orange" was impressive and well worth swallowing a bit of analogue pride.

I usually hate bonus tracks, but Orange has some of the best you can get and gives you an idea of why, in the 1990s,  Jon Spencer was so weirdly wonderful.  There are tons of remixes that are surprisingly good, my favorite being by Dub Narcotic.  There's also the 17+ minute tour diary.  I know that sounds painful but it's been mixed and edited down to be really funny and a nice view of what it's like on the road.

So eventually I'll get around to buying the vinyl but for now this is a perfectly good substitute.

Drawn to Television - Camping 2

I got an ipad and started using Jiffy-pack envelopes as a stealth holder.  You can leave it on the seat of your car and it screams junk mail! rather than ipad!

While camping it got drawn on.

What I'm working on - BlackFlag Ibuprofen

I've been continuing along with the folded silk screened canvas pieces.  I like this one but it's made me realize I'm moving in the wrong direction.

Manual Haiku 14 - Suzuki ts50

Suzuki CCI Lubrication System

troublesome pre-mix-

ing of gasoline and oil

was necessary.