Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Bob Heine's Auto Emporium

[rixtrix1]

Is there anyone who's been married, who hasn't been given the stink eye? Just got it today.

Only once.... today? Kirk, you're not trying hard enough...

 

[rixtrix1]

Hi, Bob, that's a pretty cool, self-contained bead breaker you found. I made a "shoe" to fit on my press, but it's still a PITA to use.

As for your tire situation, I think you need to start, and end, every driving session with a long hard burnout. Then you will never have to worry about dry rot again( I know your vehicles are easily capable of this, after proper warm-up, of course )!

 

[Bob Heine]

Only once.... today? Kirk, you're not trying hard enough...

Hi, Bob, that's a pretty cool, self-contained bead breaker you found. I made a "shoe" to fit on my press, but it's still a PITA to use.

As for your tire situation, I think you need to start, and end, every driving session with a long hard burnout. Then you will never have to worry about dry rot again( I know your vehicles are easily capable of this, after proper warm-up, of course )!

Ric, I no longer keep track of the number. Sometimes I think it has become a permanent thing but that could be a result of all the eye surgeries Liane has endured. I missed my chance with her last surgery -- I could have asked the surgeon to cut the nerves to the stink part of the eye.

I'm real happy with the bead breaker. I should be able to find a place to store it and I'm going to consolidate all the tire tools and supplies in one place. At the moment there are bike tire bits in the shed and car tire bits in several places in the garage.

I like your idea on the tire treatment. I'll have to find a place besides the stretch of pavement in front of our house. With the Frat House across the street they don't need some old fool encouraging their macho machines' Don Garlits-style takeoffs.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Ha! I doubt a one of them young fellers even know a thing about Daddy Don's accomplishments.....so, you can commence with the burnouts Bob!

 

[Bob Heine]

Spent yesterday afternoon and a little bit of this morning at Tire Kingdom. Before I went I measured the tread on the old tires. According to Tire Rack they came with 9/32" (7 mm) deep tread and they are now worn down to 7/32" (5.41 mm)

Local tire dealers want to install factory size tires, which means 205/55-16 for our PT Cruiser. Cheapest tire in that size is $115 so I looked at other sizes. Ended up with wider and lower profile tires for the PT Cruiser from Tire Rack for $10 a tire less. I could have gotten even cheaper tires but didn't recognize the brands. I had them shipped to the Tire Kingdom three blocks from our house. Ordered the tires on Friday and UPS delivered them on Monday. Called tire Kingdom and they scheduled me for 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

I wasn't watching the time and arrived at 12:45 p.m. They handed the keys and wheel lock back to me at 4:00 p.m. I noticed the installer finish the right side tires and lean them up against the lift post. These Riken Raptor tires have directional tread and it looked to me like they were mounted backwards. Not being a professional tire mounter, I said nothing. On the drive home the right front tire spun on the wet pavement like it was on ice. Made it home safely and checked the two clamp-on valve stems they installed on the left side and one of the nuts was so loose it would have fallen off in a mile or two. The other stem nut was at least finger tight but nowhere near the 45 inch-pounds they are supposed to be. Checked pressure and they were at 37 psi.

As I suspected, the tires on the right side were mounted backwards. If they had done all four backwards I could have swapped the wheels from left to right side but he mounted all four tires with the arrows facing the same direction. Called this morning and they told me to bring the car back so they could re-mount and re-balance them for free. So many people ask me why I do so much of the maintenance and repair work myself and I'm at a loss for an answer.

i like the new tires and the subtle changes I've made to the car are hardly noticeable. OK, the conversion to electric power is noticeable and I'm not real happy with the 3-foot range.
~~December 7, 2004 ~~~~~ February 10, 2022 ~~

 

[don long]

I just found some spare time and opened your thread to read about your loss So Sorry
As you know we share the same love for the corvettes but I've stayed in the 50's and 60's and am planning to go out Saturday to a Cars and coffee event and I'll toast you and your buddy

 

[Grizz1963]

Regarding the tires/tyres and your changes, subtle is great.

ps. I did swear at the rest of your experience.

 

[xtremek]

So why do you do your own work, Bob?

 

[mybigwarwagon]

They are mounted correctly. Two of them are for going forward, two for reverse.

 

[Matias]

Not been impressed with the tire places even here where everything is expensive. I've done a lot of tires in the last couple of months, the only thing I can't do is balancing. Took the tires for balancing, it was a young chick who insisted the dots on the tires are a myth and don't meaning anything I was baffled by this wisdom and also at the cash register, as they wanted 52€/ $60 for it. Need to find another place.

That bead braker seems a lot of less hassle than the one I use currently:


I takes usually 3 times per side, then I push with the big arm on the tire changing tool. But these work on bike tires better.

I think your tool will make it a lot less hassle. I've also lowered the car down with a piece of wood between the car and tire, but it's a hassle also.

Nice work on the party ten... car port

 

[Bob Heine]

Ha! I doubt a one of them young fellers even know a thing about Daddy Don's accomplishments.....so, you can commence with the burnouts Bob!

Mr.zippy, you're right. They probably don't know the early dragsters put the driver behind the engine, on top of the differential with the clutch between their feet (craziest ones had the drivers' legs under the differential). When his unique 2-speed transmission blew up at Lions Drag Strip in 1970, it nearly killed him and took the toes off one foot. Big Daddy Don Garlits then designed the first successful rear-engined dragster. I was a spectator at the 1969 Smokers US Fuel and Gas Championship at Long Island’s New York National Speedway when Don won. That was the race where he decided he needed a 2-speed transmission.

Most people would have given up racing but Don actually got back in that machine after it was rebuilt. With his foot still leaking fluid in his bandages he attended an event where his substitute driver couldn't make it go fast, Don got in and showed him how it was done.

A few of the Florida GJ members went to a car show at Don Garlits' museum in Ocala, Florida in December 2015 where Don's collection is on display. Swamp Rat 13, completely restored, is on display there.

I just found some spare time and opened your thread to read about your loss So Sorry
As you know we share the same love for the corvettes but I've stayed in the 50's and 60's and am planning to go out Saturday to a Cars and coffee event and I'll toast you and your buddy

Don, you have the smallest 'spare time' bin I've ever heard of so thank you for stopping by. At my age there aren't as many happy surprise phone calls coming in. It's the downside of a lucky and long life. I too love the C2 and C3 Corvettes most of all but even back in the late '70s the driveable ones were out of my reach. Thanks for the toast and back atcha!

Regarding the tires/tyres and your changes, subtle is great.

ps. I did swear at the rest of your experience.

Rian, I like the PT Cruiser's upgraded performance and subtle changes. There are fewer and fewer still on the road.

I don't get upset by these experiences anymore because I expect poor service. You can make it worse by telling them how to do their job or making a fuss. When they surprise me with good service I rejoice, thank them profusely and recommend them to others. One time the hole-in-the-wall tire place did the job carefully, torqued the lug nuts by hand and scrubbed the blue off the white letters before returning the car. I rejoiced but sadly the shop closed before I needed more tires.

So why do you do your own work, Bob?

Kirk, it's a bad habit I picked up in my poverty-striken youth. The money I saved went for cigarettes and booze.

They are mounted correctly. Two of them are for going forward, two for reverse.

Uncle Willie, I thought it's a special setup for doing donuts.

Not been impressed with the tire places even here where everything is expensive. I've done a lot of tires in the last couple of months, the only thing I can't do is balancing. Took the tires for balancing, it was a young chick who insisted the dots on the tires are a myth and don't meaning anything I was baffled by this wisdom and also at the cash register, as they wanted 52€/ $60 for it. Need to find another place.

That bead braker seems a lot of less hassle than the one I use currently:


I takes usually 3 times per side, then I push with the big arm on the tire changing tool. But these work on bike tires better.

I think your tool will make it a lot less hassle. I've also lowered the car down with a piece of wood between the car and tire, but it's a hassle also.

Nice work on the party ten... car port

Matias, I used to think you get what you pay for but the tire business seems to be an exception. OK, maybe car salesmen are also an exception. I take my tire business to this place because they are walking distance from my house. Before I took the car in I was going to mark the rotation direction on each rim in hopes they would notice but Liane's doctor visit went long and I had to rush to get to the tire appointment on time. Not sure I would have made a difference but I do regret not marking the wheels.

When I checked the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires on the Cadillac I noticed they don't have an arrow to indicate rotation. The tire has "Outside" imprinted on the sidewall. I'm certain the tech that mounts my new tires for that car will not read English. This means I can rotate the tires from the left to the right. Not sure what good it will do because the front tires are a smaller size than the rear tires.

I'm glad I found the tool. Had I seen those two irons I might have ordered them. Trying to press two irons into the bead and squeeze them together at the same time with one hand would have been hilarious. This tool wasn't without its challenges but it does let you work on one issue at a time (get the wedge bottomed in the bead first and then apply pressure to the wedges).

I'm glad the new car port is up but my back is still complaining. I'm avoiding pain killers (easy to make it worse when it stops hurting) and trying steroid treatment with a Medrol Doespak. Sleeping on my side with a pillow between my knees or on my back with one under my knees is helping as well. Hardest part for me is taking it easy. My back rarely bothers me because I use leverage on everything. Didn't think to use one lifting the car port.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

My buddy has one that he restored and races.



Now, as for the one arm lifting and sore back problem. You need to complain every time you move for about a week or so. Make sure you let her know it was from lifting that carport.

Then suggest a solution.


Should work. Let me know if it does.

 

[jbmatth]

@Bob Heine , you might be surprised by how much some college age kids are into cars, not nearly what it was I'm sure though. I still go back to my college fraternity 1-2 times a year to visit with old friends and possibly a drink or two and every time there is a group of us old guys talking cars and some of the students will join in and just listen to our stories. I'd like to think we are the ones helping to get them hooked and when they get jobs they will be hunting to buy something so they can join the club. Keep burnouts alive!

@mybigwarwagon, we use one of those compact cranes at work, we call them mini-me lifts, and they are very handy in tight quarters.

JB

 

[RickP]

I'm glad the new car port is up but my back is still complaining.

I definitely feel your pain Bob! My cobbled-together carport just collapsed under a heavy, wet snow, and I'm not looking forward to fixing it or setting up a new one. Aren't you glad you "only" have to deal with hurricanes these days? I'm amazed that your carport lasted as long as it did with all the wind you get during storms.

 

[Bob Heine]

My buddy has one that he restored and races.



Now, as for the one arm lifting and sore back problem. You need to complain every time you move for about a week or so. Make sure you let her know it was from lifting that carport.

Then suggest a solution.


Should work. Let me know if it does.

Uncle Willie, ten days whining about my back and knee has not resulted in a dragster in my driveway. It didn't produce a crane either although it was suggested I capture a live one of these and train it to lift heavy stuff.

@Bob Heine , you might be surprised by how much some college age kids are into cars, not nearly what it was I'm sure though. I still go back to my college fraternity 1-2 times a year to visit with old friends and possibly a drink or two and every time there is a group of us old guys talking cars and some of the students will join in and just listen to our stories. I'd like to think we are the ones helping to get them hooked and when they get jobs they will be hunting to buy something so they can join the club. Keep burnouts alive!

@mybigwarwagon, we use one of those compact cranes at work, we call them mini-me lifts, and they are very handy in tight quarters.

JB

JB, a few of my grandchildren are into cars. Our daughter's two sons are participating in some autocross events driving their Subaru WRX (automatic). The younger one wants to buy a manual beater and fix it up for autocross so maybe he'll follow through (they've been talking about it for 5+ years). Our son's oldest built his Dodge RAM diesel to the point he was destroying everything in the drivetrain. Truck is now being de-tuned because he and his wife built their Subaru WRX into a monster (700hp on E85). He took me for a drive after I took him out in my Cadillac CTS-V. His Subie is too brutal even for me. I think he replaced all the poly bushings with steel. Our son's middle daughter has been buying and wrecking neat cars for most of a decade. She started with a series of Nissan 300ZXs and settled down to a Cadillac CTS Coupe and has now traded that for a Camaro V6 convertible. I don't think she makes enough money for insurance on a V8 Camaro.

All 9 of our grandchildren are drivers and they know Grandpa Bob is mental when it comes to cars.

I definitely feel your pain Bob! My cobbled-together carport just collapsed under a heavy, wet snow, and I'm not looking forward to fixing it or setting up a new one. Aren't you glad you "only" have to deal with hurricanes these days? I'm amazed that your carport lasted as long as it did with all the wind you get during storms.

Rick, I have taken the fabric roof off a couple of times in preparation for storms but the last couple were happily near misses. I finished putting the remains of Carport 1 on the storage rack behind the shed and all the pieces of Carport 2 in the storage locker on the side of the garage. I may need to erect it in the driveway to keep the sun off me when I need space to work on the cars.

The new carport came with steel feet and I've drilled 1/4" holes in the 12"x12" concrete squares. I'm not putting screws in the holes, just the straight locating pins they supplied. It should keep the legs from wandering in the breeze but will allow them to lift a few inches. They also supplied 8 ropes and sand anchors that I'm screwing into the ground. They'll stretch a bit but should keep the carport from moving to my neighbor's yard.

 

[casmurbax]

Hi Bob,

been awhile since I read through your thread. Glad to see that you still going strong. Funny your dog likes to grab lizards, mine liked to grab the moles, she was excellent at it.

I am going to try the Kink-Ease for the wife. Go ahead enter that in your search on amazon, see what you get. I don't see it on there but I see it on another website. Hopefully that will reduce her pain and maybe her stink eye too.

When you are out front working what are your neighbors reaction's? offer to help, sit back and watch or just go one about their business? One of mine comes over and talks and talks, I think they just come over to getter a better look to report back to others. I seen one watching a couple of times. Then the next time I see them they make some comment about wow I can't believe you did that. I feel like saying something disparaging but I bite my tongue why bother. I just ignore them, If I need help I have a couple of friends that I could call.

Thank you for keeping this going for 6 years, it sure has been interesting and inspiring read.

 

[Bob Heine]

Hi Bob,

been awhile since I read through your thread. Glad to see that you still going strong. Funny your dog likes to grab lizards, mine liked to grab the moles, she was excellent at it.

I am going to try the Kink-Ease for the wife. Go ahead enter that in your search on amazon, see what you get. I don't see it on there but I see it on another website. Hopefully that will reduce her pain and maybe her stink eye too.

When you are out front working what are your neighbors reaction's? offer to help, sit back and watch or just go one about their business? One of mine comes over and talks and talks, I think they just come over to getter a better look to report back to others. I seen one watching a couple of times. Then the next time I see them they make some comment about wow I can't believe you did that. I feel like saying something disparaging but I bite my tongue why bother. I just ignore them, If I need help I have a couple of friends that I could call.

Thank you for keeping this going for 6 years, it sure has been interesting and inspiring read.

Hi John,

I hope all is going well with you and yours. Our previous dogs, a Bichon and a Pug, were excited by and chased the tiny lizards in our yard but I don't recall either one actually catching one. The pug did catch a Dove that flew into the screened enclosure over the pool but didn't know what to do with it and it flew away when she dropped it.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the Kink-Ease, especially because it's effects last several days for me. I would recommend starting with the 8-ounce pump bottle first. If it doesn't work for your wife, at least she doesn't have a big bottle on the "Try This" shelf in the cabinet.

My two next door neighbors just shake their heads and come over to help. They chastise me for not asking for help so I respond with "neither do you" and we laugh. The house across the street is rented to an FAU (Florida Atlantic University) Fraternity so they completely ignore me unless I have one of the cars out on the driveway. Then they stop by and ask who works on them because their BMW or Jeep or pickup needs something. My "I do it all myself)" answer has meant they have never returned. The two neighbors on either side of the Frat House have spent a fortune on their homes with fancy vehicles. One has matching Mercedes sedan & SUV and the other has a Jeep and a Tesla (with entire house covered with solar panels. The wife at the $2.3M bunker waved to me once when I was in the neighbor's driveway. Most people project their own fears and insecurities on to people with challenges. It's hard to imagine living without a body part and I know that from my own experience. It's hard for them to believe it's not a big deal for the person missing the bits.

 

[xtremek]

Bob, you're right, it is incredibly hard to imagine not having a significant body part. But is also wicked cool to watch a motivated person with a disability work around it. Mr. Schubert dropped a chainsaw on his upper forearm long before I met him as a young boy. To watch him pound nails was something I still remember. Stab the board with a nail, grab the hammer out of the crook in the short arm, hit the nail once, drop the hammer back into the short arm, spit out a new nail. Dad was no little guy like me, but it still took him 3-5 blows to drive the nail. Not Al Schubert, one smack and it's in. Saddle, ride, groom his Tennessee Walkers (including cleaning the hooves), fix a tractor, no barriers.

 

[hewey]

Good to hear you're well Bob. Yup, those FED dragster drivers had massive cajones to straddle a diff while driving those monsters!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

…. I have been pleasantly surprised by the Kink-Ease, especially because it's effects last several days for me.

…. Most people project their own fears and insecurities on to people with challenges. It's hard to imagine living without a body part and I know that from my own experience. It's hard for them to believe it's not a big deal for the person missing the bits.

Hi Bob. I haven’t read EVERY entry on your thread but enough to know you’re an amazing guy. Not only because you’re without a body part - though that is impressive as hell - but because you’re still doing it at an age when many/most fully able guys don’t do a damn thing. I’m not QUITE in that category yet and your thread reminds me to get off my **** and do something!

I’ve wondered how you deal with it when people stare or make a comment - likely an insensitive/jackass one. I can’t imagine you ever get “used to it” but it has to be tiring.

This Kink Ease stuff you guys are talking about is in some way different than Aspercreme? I assume it’s not aspirin based? My 6 year older sister has talked me into trying Osteo Biflex. She and her husband swear by it. I’m not too keen on taking yet another thing but maybe it’s worth it(?)

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, you're right, it is incredibly hard to imagine not having a significant body part. But is also wicked cool to watch a motivated person with a disability work around it. Mr. Schubert dropped a chainsaw on his upper forearm long before I met him as a young boy. To watch him pound nails was something I still remember. Stab the board with a nail, grab the hammer out of the crook in the short arm, hit the nail once, drop the hammer back into the short arm, spit out a new nail. Dad was no little guy like me, but it still took him 3-5 blows to drive the nail. Not Al Schubert, one smack and it's in. Saddle, ride, groom his Tennessee Walkers (including cleaning the hooves), fix a tractor, no barriers.

Kirk, the Paralympics are the perfect example of how much we enjoy watching a motivated person with a disability. When we owned the Century Raven runabout I pulled a lot of skiers but rarely got a chance to ski myself. I really enjoyed water-skiing so I looked forward to vacationing at Club Med (all of their resorts in the Caribbean offered water skiing). My friends and family took my skiing for granted but the folks at Club Med thought it was medal-worthy.

Before battery powered drills I drove a lot of nails when framing walls and decks. I have a little driver for the finish nails to get them started but I 'stabbed' the nails with heads into the wood with the heel of my hand. It took a while to build a decent callous but a lot longer for it to go away after I adopted impact drivers and screws for construction projects. I have double vision that I overcome by closing my right eye but then I have no depth perception so I never got to the point of driving a nail with one blow. I have a framing hammer with a magnet for those times I feel the urge to drive nails -- it does a great job.

Good to hear you're well Bob. Yup, those FED dragster drivers had massive cajones to straddle a diff while driving those monsters!

Hewey, thanks for dropping by. I'm doing well with the usual ailments of an elderly person who forgets 77 is not 27.

 

[Bob Heine]

Hi Bob. I haven’t read EVERY entry on your thread but enough to know you’re an amazing guy. Not only because you’re without a body part - though that is impressive as hell - but because you’re still doing it at an age when many/most fully able guys don’t do a damn thing. I’m not QUITE in that category yet and your thread reminds me to get off my **** and do something!

I’ve wondered how you deal with it when people stare or make a comment - likely an insensitive/jackass one. I can’t imagine you ever get “used to it” but it has to be tiring.

This Kink Ease stuff you guys are talking about is in some way different than Aspercreme? I assume it’s not aspirin based? My 6 year older sister has talked me into trying Osteo Biflex. She and her husband swear by it. I’m not too keen on taking yet another thing but maybe it’s worth it(?)

Dan, in my recent visits to your thread I've not seen signs of you sitting on your ****. I haven't been tackling all the projects I should so your nudge is a help. Probably spent too much time recently sorting old photos and shredding documents that even I see no reason to store.

Most of the staring comes from children, whose parents usually shush them. I drop to their level and show them the stump. Their most common question is "does it hurt" and I rap it with my knuckles to prove it doesn't. On the rare occasion a jackass crosses my path I resort to my phantom hand -- they can't see the hand or which finger I'm holding up.

I don't know if the Kink-Ease is better than Aspercreme or Osteo Bi-Flex. I've used Aspercreme but didn't notice a huge difference in joint pain but something in it makes my skin tingle. I have ideopathic urtecria (hives with unknown cause) so tingly things worry me. Months of itchy welts all over my body is on my list of things to avoid. The Osteo Bi-Flex may be effective but the list of reasons to avoid its use has a couple of red flags for me:

"You should not use this product if you are allergic to Osteo Bi-Flex; or

• if you take warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven).

Ask a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider if it is safe for you to use this product if you have:

• asthma;
• an allergy to shellfish (oyster, crab, shrimp);
• diabetes;
• high blood pressure, high cholesterol;
• prostate cancer; or
• bleeding or blood clotting disorder such as hemophilia."

My blood pressure is under control and I no longer worry about my prostate or the cancer that went with it but that's not a confidence building warning list.

The active ingredient in Kink-Ease is Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). I occasionally take a half-teaspoon of MSM for joint pain and it's only warning is for those who have glaucoma. I see the eye doctor annually and after my most recent surgery, every two months. Eye pressure is normal. The vast majority of inactive ingredients in Kink-Ease are oils and emollients and none of it burns or tingles. I don't get instant relief but always notice an improvement soon after using it. Someday I should try timing the effect but for now I'm happy to use it whenever the joints in my hands get cranky.

 

[Geoff289]

Good to hear you're well Bob. Yup, those FED dragster drivers had massive cajones to straddle a diff while driving those monsters!

Good to see you've been over to Big Daddy's (Garlits) museum Bob. I am a big drag racing fan and this guy is in equal top place for the greatest drag racer of all time in my view (the other one is the late Bob Glildden). Garlits made a one off visit down here in 1975 to race his car at Castlereagh International Dragway out in the west of Sydney. I was there.

In the very early days of the sport some cars actually had the driver's legs under the diff. A pioneer car of the sport here, Ash Marshall's Vandal, had this configuration and is in the Garlits museum.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks for the response, Bob.
I'm glad you show children not to be frightened and that missing a limb is just a thing in life some people have to deal with. Taking away a person's fears - especially children's, helps everyone in the long run.

Hang in there, buddy. I always enjoy seeing what you're up to. Best, Dan

 

[PugetDude]

I had a roommate in college who lost his left leg below the knee. Didn't slow him down much, and he had a great sense of humor about it.
He'd probably be even more mobile today, prosthetics have come a long way in 40 years.

 

[Bob Heine]

Sorry for my delayed responses -- phone thing.

Good to see you've been over to Big Daddy's (Garlits) museum Bob. I am a big drag racing fan and this guy is in equal top place for the greatest drag racer of all time in my view (the other one is the late Bob Glildden). Garlits made a one off visit down here in 1975 to race his car at Castlereagh International Dragway out in the west of Sydney. I was there.

In the very early days of the sport some cars actually had the driver's legs under the diff. A pioneer car of the sport here, Ash Marshall's Vandal, had this configuration and is in the Garlits museum.

Geoff, I subscribed to Car Craft, Hot Rod, Popular Science and Rod&Custom magazines in my youth.I loved reading about Don and Bob in Hot Rod. They always broke new ground and tried new things, Don in the dragsters and Bob in the recognizable full body cars. I grew up when all the dragsters had the driver behind the engine. They didn't have slipper clutches so the tires just smoked for the entire quarter mile. If you like those dragsters, this is a fun video:

Not sure how many slingshot dragsters had the drivers' legs under the diff but it's the scariest looking setup I've ever seen.


My other hero was Smokey Yunick, who had a monthly column in Popular Science and did the craziest stuff to win races. In 1966 he lowered the roof and raised the floor in his 1966 Chevelle and outran everything else on the track. He once added an 11-foot coil of 2-inch diameter fuel line to add 1.5 gallons fuel capacity. He also put a basketball bladder in the gas tank that could be inflated for tech and deflated for the race to add capacity.

When NASCAR got too fussy with the rules, Smokey gave Indianapolis a try. I still remember reading about his Pod car at Indy. It put the driver in a pod on the right side of the car, next to the engine. His theory was the weight of the driver inboard would allow faster speeds in the turns It worked and looked like a great idea until you noticed how vulnerable the driver was if the car hit the wall going sideways (happened on the last day of qualifying in 1964).

I attended a few Daytona 500 races with a friend of mine and when Smokey died in 2001 we made a pilgrimage to his garage to celebrate his life at his shop. All of his treasures were auctioned off because he didn't want his family stuck with the problems Don Garlits had running his museum. We didn't bring enough money to buy anything but it was amazing to wander around and see all the famous stuff he developed.

Thanks for the response, Bob.
I'm glad you show children not to be frightened and that missing a limb is just a thing in life some people have to deal with. Taking away a person's fears - especially children's, helps everyone in the long run.

Hang in there, buddy. I always enjoy seeing what you're up to. Best, Dan

Dan, thanks for that. I know I had some weird ideas about people with missing limbs when I was a kid. OK, to be honest I had a lot of weird ideas about a lot of stuff.

I had a roommate in college who lost his left leg below the knee. Didn't slow him down much, and he had a great sense of humor about it.
He'd probably be even more mobile today, prosthetics have come a long way in 40 years.

Scott, I think a sense of humor has to be part of the recovery. I also appreciate the improvements they've made in prosthetics but they aren't for everyone. I use my old-fashioned Vietnam era arm way more than my 21st century electronic monstrosity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not much happening these days. Nursing a swollen knee while doing a few things outside. Managed to swap out three bent poles on the Wedding Chapel/carport. It was pretty simple once the fabric was disconnected.

Had to buy two new phones because Ting (service provider) will stop supporting CDMA phones on 3/31/2022. My collection of obsolete phones keeps growing. My new phone (Samsung Galaxy A12) is a bit bigger than the old one (Samsung J3 Achieve) and has more features. Liane's new phone (TCL FLIP) is almost identical to the old one (Alcatel GO FLIP), with three extra quick access keys. I was upset, having to pay $200 for the A12 and $100 for the TCL but noticed the cheapest iPhone 13 (mini) is $729. Because last month's Ting bill was $20.12 for two phones I'd be hard pressed to justify an $800 phone (after tax and shipping).


Setting up the two phones was so intuitive it only took me 8 hours. Some of that time was to customize the Lock and Home screens.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Bob, Smokey is one of my favorites to read content from and about. I keep hoping to find a copy of his autobiography in a used book store!

 

[driftpin]

"Best damn garage in town!" -painted on the side of his building. I used to ride past it during Bike Week.

 

[harley jim]

There are few people that I would like to just sit and talk to, Smokey would top the list. Talk about thinking outside of the box, he did. He is also responsible for the car silhouette that nascar uses now, because he massaged the roof on his 1967 car. What a guy.
Hey Bob

 

[RickP]

He is also responsible for the car silhouette that nascar uses now

...

I really miss the individuality of the old car bodies from the different manufacturers, but the new NASCAR bodies are definitely safer and certainly do level the playing field a bit. It's pretty cool that a 1967 car could influence 21st century designs.

A good friend of mine worked for NASCAR and was in charge of the team designing the new car bodies. His stories were really interesting about the inner workings of the decision making process within NASCAR management. The teams wanted more ability to customize their cars (to "bend" the rules), while management wanted more standardization and safety built into the design. Many of the decisions ended up focusing on what was best for "entertainment value" rather than engineering, because management ultimately defined NASCAR as an entertainment company over everything else. That surprised me at first, but not after thinking about it a little more.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob, Smokey is one of my favorites to read content from and about. I keep hoping to find a copy of his autobiography in a used book store!

Marc, I remember being so fascinated by his column in Popular Science. He explained his process of diagnosing a problem with amazing clarity and it was entertaining at the same time. I threw out most of my Hot Rod magazines but I do remember the article about Smokey's '84 Fiero Hot Vapor engine. I found an article:

Smokey Yunick’s Hot Vapor Fiero; 51 mpg and 0-60 in less than 6 Seconds! See and hear it run in our exclusive VIDEO! - Information on collecting cars - Legendary Collector Cars

Smokey Yunick Fiero Updated 1-17-2011 (Note: We have recently added some additional publications fro

www.legendarycollectorcars.com

Here's an excerpt: “…consider the Pontiac Fiero shown here. Equipped with Smokey’s “expander-cycle” exhaust and induction system, and requiring only a cam change inside the production 151-cubic-inch (2.5 liter) Iron Duke 4-cylinder, the car now gets more than 50 miles to the gallon, develops 250 hp and 230 ft.-lbs. of torque, runs more smoothly than any 4-cylinder you’ve ever experienced, starts and idles smoothly and cleanly, has no computer controls, passes federal emissions standards, an oh yes, it’ll accelerate from 0-60 mph in as little as 6 seconds flat! Here’s how it works.”

Good luck finding a copy of Smokey's 3-volume paperback autobiography. At around $500 for a used set you better hide the copy you find and not tell anyone about it.

"Best damn garage in town!" -painted on the side of his building. I used to ride past it during Bike Week.

Philip, we did the same every time we went to Daytona Speed Week. His garage was big but not impressive compared to the other 'operating room' NASCAR garages. It was a patchwork of buildings with dirty floors and stained walls. Then again, it was as nice as the motels we stayed in a few miles south of Daytona. Slept in my clothes because the beds were so funky. A nice room in Daytona was a couple of hundred a night.

There are few people that I would like to just sit and talk to, Smokey would top the list. Talk about thinking outside of the box, he did. He is also responsible for the car silhouette that nascar uses now, because he massaged the roof on his 1967 car. What a guy.
Hey Bob

Jim, I agree. He also designed a safer wall for NASCAR but they turned down the idea. His design was a plywood/tire sandwich. He also designed a reverse-rotating Offy engine that in theory helped plant one of his Indy cars better on the track. A friend in our Corvette club built a reverse-rotating small block for his '66 convertible track Corvette.

...

I really miss the individuality of the old car bodies from the different manufacturers, but the new NASCAR bodies are definitely safer and certainly do level the playing field a bit. It's pretty cool that a 1967 car could influence 21st century designs.

A good friend of mine worked for NASCAR and was in charge of the team designing the new car bodies. His stories were really interesting about the inner workings of the decision making process within NASCAR management. The teams wanted more ability to customize their cars (to "bend" the rules), while management wanted more standardization and safety built into the design. Many of the decisions ended up focusing on what was best for "entertainment value" rather than engineering, because management ultimately defined NASCAR as an entertainment company over everything else. That surprised me at first, but not after thinking about it a little more.

Rick, I also miss the days when the bodies on the NASCAR machines looked like the cars we saw on the street. Now it's just a Chevy, Ford or Toyota logo with a grill painted on the front.

I don't watch the races to see crashes but lately it is like watching footage of a traffic jam. Gone are the days of the intentional tap on the rear quarter in the final lap or the bump drafting down the straightaways. I enjoyed going to Daytona in the '80s and '90s. Now the idea of sitting on a steel bench for three and a half hours watching a fast traffic jam, followed by a three hour drive home in a slower traffic jam isn't all that appealing. Especially with the kids who believe they must drive on the highway like their heroes drove in the race.

 

[RADcustom]

Someday I should try timing the effect but for now I'm happy to use it whenever the joints in my hands get cranky.

Are you holding out on us Bob?

 

[zmotorsports]

Bob, my wife bought me a copy of one of Smokey Yunick's book entitled "Power Secrets" years ago as he was someone who I aspired to as well. Evidently I spoke about him on occasion because she purchased me his book based on my ramblings about him.

 

[Bob Heine]

I apologize for my absence from my thread. When I put up the wedding tent in early February, I tweaked something in my back. When the pain didn't go away with rest, I called our doctor, told him about it and he prescribed a Medrol Dosepack. Problem solved.

Went back to work on the wedding tent at the end of February. Drilled holes in the cement squares and installed locating pins in the bottom flanges. While down on my knees I screwed the ground stakes for tie-down ropes next to each leg. As I have done my whole life, I was kneeling on the ground to do these tasks. I didn't fall or kneel on anything hard so I was surprised the next morning to have a swollen right knee that didn't want to bend and provided a new pain to replace the thing in my back. Rather than whine to my doctor when it happened, I waited two weeks because we were already scheduled to see him. He looked at it and said I needed to see an orthopedic specialist and called mine to make an appointment. Because it doesn't have exposed bone, the specialist can't see me for 11 days (two days from today). Yesterday the swelling was down in the morning and the knee felt better than it has for a month. I was expecting to have a really stupid answer when the doctor asks "Why are you here?" on Tuesday. By the end of the day the swelling was back and because my appointment is for 3:30 PM there should be evidence something is wrong.

Liane tells me I've been cranky for the past two months.

Are you holding out on us Bob?

Russel, you got me. I often forget one is missing (it's been almost 57 years). It's a blessing when I forget because thinking about it wakes up the phantom hand, which is in a permanent tightly clenched fist. Ah $hit, it just woke up.

Bob, my wife bought me a copy of one of Smokey Yunick's book entitled "Power Secrets" years ago as he was someone who I aspired to as well. Evidently I spoke about him on occasion because she purchased me his book based on my ramblings about him.

Mike, I should have bought the 3-volume set when it came out in 2001 right after he died but it was one of those 'someday' purchases. Used but decent copies of most of his books are fetching hundreds and a hardcopy 3-volume set is "on sale" at Amazon for $1,015.10 plus $11.42 shipping.

 

[mybigwarwagon]

That $11.42 shipping seems high or I would buy it.

 

[xtremek]

I wanted to make some kind of sarcastic remark about your knee hurting, but I got nothing.

 

[Bob Heine]

It was a nice day yesterday, with temps in the mid-80s and a light breeze and no sign of rain. Moved the Corvette out in the driveway and set up the plain steel MIG welder in its place. Tacked a couple of spray can racks and two 3-ounce paint bottle caddies. They still need paint but that can wait for another nice day.

The spray can racks hold four cans and I can mount three racks with 12 cans on one 15"x30" cabinet door. The shelves in the shallow (7.5" deep) 30"Hx30"W cabinet can hold 10 cans on each shelf so I can store 54 spray cans with every label visible when the doors are open. I thought I could fit a 5-can rack on the doors but it's a bit too wide. I made and mounted one 5-can rack but I have to close that door first.
Turns out the shelf I put in that cabinet is just high enough for a quart can to fit. The shelf those came from is a bit taller so I'll be able to move those tall cans on the right and left of the upper shelf before I install the last shelf. Just have to make some financial adjustments before I drive over to the big box store and put a deposit on a piece of 1x8.

The two additional racks means I have a handy place to store more than 72 little 3-ounce paint containers. They are identical to the first.

 

[Bob Heine]

That $11.42 shipping seems high or I would buy it.

Uncle Willie, same here -- Amazon Prime has spoiled me. I also feel like those are the green bananas in my reading life. I would hate to have that set on my shelf go un-read. Maybe have it put in the cardboard box with me at the crematory (at that price I would absolutely have to take it with me).

I wanted to make some kind of sarcastic remark about your knee hurting, but I got nothing.

Kirk, did Kathy Bates in Misery come to mind?

 

[floridafarmer]

Uncle Willie, same here -- Amazon Prime has spoiled me. I also feel like those are the green bananas in my reading life. I would hate to have that set on my shelf go un-read. Maybe have it put in the cardboard box with me at the crematory (at that price I would absolutely have to take it with me).

Kirk, did Kathy Bates in Misery come to mind?

So funny you post this today - Just watched that movie last night for the first time in 20 or so years!

 

[xtremek]

Bob, I knew you'd have my back. Thanks for the chuckle.