Underground Lair of the Squankum
- Thread starter Squankum
- Start date
How? How do they do it? Other than it's a cult and they charge a lot of money.
P.S. OK, and I have another theory: if you try to make and sell only the best, eventually, your company might gain some prestige! Snap On and Michelin are two examples I can think of. My info is out of date but I remember when Goodyear was pretty close, they had but one or two cheapish tires, everything else was good but cost more. (Of course, Michelin seems to cost MORE.) FACOM is another example of a company that is not screwing around.
P.S. OK, and I have another theory: if you try to make and sell only the best, eventually, your company might gain some prestige! Snap On and Michelin are two examples I can think of. My info is out of date but I remember when Goodyear was pretty close, they had but one or two cheapish tires, everything else was good but cost more. (Of course, Michelin seems to cost MORE.) FACOM is another example of a company that is not screwing around.
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Mark Donohue setting the closed-course speed record at Talladega. 221 mph for the lap, 241 on the straights. The Porsche 917-30: 5.4 liters, 12 cylinders, two turbos, mechanical fuel injection. Around 1,100 hp.
Speaking of buttons, did you see the row of switches on a bar attached to both yokes? When the pilot pulls back on his yoke, the switches come towards him and more instrument panel is visible from the camera's point of view.
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There are things we think of as simple that had to be invented by somebody. It was the Wood Brothers' stock car racing team that invented the short pit stop. A Ford engineer had pointed out to them that it seemed a lot of critical time could be gained there. They started working on solutions. After their success with it in NASCAR, Ford asked them to be the pit crew for the Lotus team (powered by Ford, driven by Jim Clark) at the 1965 Indy 500. Clark won.
In one of the above videos about the Wood Brothers, one of their tricks was to put a spinner handle on the close end of a four-way lug wrench. Well, pneumatic impact guns came along soon enough. The guns were modified to go faster and faster, and run on nitrogen.
A look at a NASCAR pit stop impact gun from the recent past:
A look at a NASCAR pit stop impact gun from the recent past:
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Lug nuts are glued, traditionally with 3M Super Weatherstrip and Gasket Adhesive, to the wheels before race day. When a pit crewman jumps over the wall with a fresh tire under their arm, the lug nuts are already glued to that wheel.
No longer done in NASCAR in the top series (NASCAR Cup) as they have moved on to aluminum wheels and one big center-lock nut.) Still done in other series.
No longer done in NASCAR in the top series (NASCAR Cup) as they have moved on to aluminum wheels and one big center-lock nut.) Still done in other series.
Safety flops are installed.
Hey, wait a minute! Are you wearing safety sandals at work?
This was a lot more entertaining than I expected. The 1956 Southern 500 at Darlington, SC. 120 mph! Beauty queens! Purolator oil and air filters, endorsed by Smokey Yunick! Lots of other appearances by Smokey and crew here, too. There's a fire on the course! Yellow flag, please slow down some. Other, numerous safety changes since then, I leave up to you to spot.
Junior Johnson is not mentioned by the announcer but he came in 15th that day. Lee Petty also was there, Richard was either 18 or 19 by that point and did not enter.
en.wikipedia.org
Junior Johnson is not mentioned by the announcer but he came in 15th that day. Lee Petty also was there, Richard was either 18 or 19 by that point and did not enter.
1956 Southern 500 - Wikipedia
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Depending on the day my boss is either quite relaxed or quite the stickler. That day he apparently didn’t care.
Self employment has its advantages sometimes
BTW, based on my soccer camp summers as a yute many decades ago, I wanted a pair of Adidas sandals like the cool adults had back then. I finally got a pair about 15 years ago, and sure, they give a jolt of
(I forget why that's no bueno. Ms. Squankum, to my shock, going around the house barefoot? Or a problem for kitties?)
Self employment has its advantages sometimes
As the men from Winnipeg used to sing, being self-employed, you can take care of business?
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I take care of all kinds of business in flips. Skid loadering n flips while cleaning out the steer barn. It’s a crappy but needs to be done. Just don’t lose one in a sticky spot or you’ll end up with a stinky foot.
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I’ve been rocking this same pair for close to a year and no little nubbins have broken off. I usually get around a year of heavy use out of them before they start falling apart. One pair I had a few years ago lasted enough to wear the nubbies off. The last pair is currently in the shop with shoe goo drying to hold the sides back on.
(shrug)
Maybe I weigh too much? I know Europeans have trouble imagining the size 14 hombre -- now let's talk about what that size 14 EE guy weighs!
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jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
280lbs of steel and *** appeal
280lbs of steel and *** appeal
OK, maybe I need to weigh more and scare those nubbins into submission!
File under "People are weird" and "zero f*cks given"
Our most curious internet: a man who makes a living cleaning lint out of dryer vents also has a YouTube channel showing his exploits. This is a diplomatic way of saying, "You won't believe how screwed up some people's dryer ducts are!"
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NATURE'S RICH BOUNTY
There I was, driving down a city street, when somebody had some stuff out in their front yard with a "FREE" sign. There was some wood I am proud of myself for not grabbing (sold in stores, little storage room left) but PVC! Huzzah!
5+ feet of 3" pipe and 12+ feet of 1/2".
There I was, driving down a city street, when somebody had some stuff out in their front yard with a "FREE" sign. There was some wood I am proud of myself for not grabbing (sold in stores, little storage room left) but PVC! Huzzah!
5+ feet of 3" pipe and 12+ feet of 1/2".
PICAYUNE PROJECT
This one has been bouncing around in my noggin for years now. Never got around to finding a little cheap section of pipe. Pondered what kind of tubing a hobby/model shop might sell... but those are thin on the ground anymore! Saw some nice plastic and metal rod/bar/tube stock at an RC car shop in my fair city about a decade ago, but I think that store is gone now.
So, with new my 1/2" PVC... and a little rubber stopper that isn't really big enough but will do the job, with some duct tape on the bottom so it doesn't fall out ,and more duct tape, and...
Huzzah! A home for my Testors 1/4" wide paint brush, which is how I usually apply antiseize, accurately and in non-gloppy amounts.
Sitting on the couch typing this up I realize I had some wider diameter copper tubing that might have worked. too. Oh well. No biggie, and no expensive copper diverted to a picayune project.
I have no idea what else this 1/2" pipe will be good for, though! Maybe I'll drive back to that house...
As for the bigger pipe, will I build that Estes rocket mortar I dreamed of as a pyromaniac teen? Yeah, probably not. Might make some cordless power drill holders, though.
This one has been bouncing around in my noggin for years now. Never got around to finding a little cheap section of pipe. Pondered what kind of tubing a hobby/model shop might sell... but those are thin on the ground anymore! Saw some nice plastic and metal rod/bar/tube stock at an RC car shop in my fair city about a decade ago, but I think that store is gone now.
So, with new my 1/2" PVC... and a little rubber stopper that isn't really big enough but will do the job, with some duct tape on the bottom so it doesn't fall out ,and more duct tape, and...
Huzzah! A home for my Testors 1/4" wide paint brush, which is how I usually apply antiseize, accurately and in non-gloppy amounts.
Sitting on the couch typing this up I realize I had some wider diameter copper tubing that might have worked. too. Oh well. No biggie, and no expensive copper diverted to a picayune project.
I have no idea what else this 1/2" pipe will be good for, though! Maybe I'll drive back to that house...
As for the bigger pipe, will I build that Estes rocket mortar I dreamed of as a pyromaniac teen? Yeah, probably not. Might make some cordless power drill holders, though.
pima67
Well-known member
join PBS Passport and you can watch his shows.
Learned some things this morning. A friend sent me a used car from social media.
An unrestored 1963 Ford Falcon. Alleged to have under 100K miles. I don't know why they sent it to me, but I learned some things.
1) So that's why people started calling them shock towers!
2) 170 cubic inches? I didn't know Ford made straight 6's this small back then! In modern measurements, 2.8 liters.
Poking around the internet (Wikipedia) tells me this was a stroked version of the 144 c.i. model, and this 170 was sold until 1972. The Australian version of this Ford straight 6, however, had a more interesting lifespan!
3) I've heard Jay Leno talk about the Monte Carlo brace on these cars, a lesson learned from the Monte Carlo rally effort. But what this has between shock towers and firewall is called an "export brace", why they're called that, no idea. New stampings are available for well under $100 (before shipping.)
4) Original Ford upper radiator hose? Egads! Universal inadequate battery hold down? Ugh! But those would be easy fixes.
An unrestored 1963 Ford Falcon. Alleged to have under 100K miles. I don't know why they sent it to me, but I learned some things.
1) So that's why people started calling them shock towers!
2) 170 cubic inches? I didn't know Ford made straight 6's this small back then! In modern measurements, 2.8 liters.
Poking around the internet (Wikipedia) tells me this was a stroked version of the 144 c.i. model, and this 170 was sold until 1972. The Australian version of this Ford straight 6, however, had a more interesting lifespan!
3) I've heard Jay Leno talk about the Monte Carlo brace on these cars, a lesson learned from the Monte Carlo rally effort. But what this has between shock towers and firewall is called an "export brace", why they're called that, no idea. New stampings are available for well under $100 (before shipping.)
4) Original Ford upper radiator hose? Egads! Universal inadequate battery hold down? Ugh! But those would be easy fixes.
y'sguy
Well-known member
Cool!
Probably low mileage because, well, they didn't go much further.
Good little fixer-upper, commuter car.
Probably low mileage because, well, they didn't go much further.
Good little fixer-upper, commuter car.
Mr. Squankum... This is CNC_ RICK. I just finished reading all of your thoughts, episodes and every well done reviews on all of the tools that you've had the chance to purchase. I noticed that you mentioned my name, with a book in question, that you'd think that I would like. I will try to find that book on 100 year machine tools, as I probably own more than one of them, myself. That book would show pics of my very own machines, but I can also learn tons from that book. Somewhat like an owner's manual for a 100 year old machine, that I already own. Ha. If that makes sense. Keep doing what you are doing, and I'll keep in touch. I love everything you write about.
Ha, one must not drive a John Deere tractor with nothing except cowboy boots on. No exceptions... It does work quite well, and your toes do not get sunburned. You have an exception, with the cab on your tractor. Something we've not had. A cab? on a tractor? Unheard of on our smaller farm.Safety flops are installed.
We didn't even have a sun-brella on any of our tractors... We all got a sunburn, while making hay. Dad's largest tractor was a John Deere "A" it took us most of the month of July to make hay on about 30 acres. About 1200 (60 lb?) square bales of hay. Good times, I think nowadays. But kind of hated haying season back then.
Nowadays, I rent my fields out to a neighbor that makes hay on them. About 10 acres or so. More than once, I'd go across my field and catch a ride on the neighbor's tractor and go around my field a round or two, so we could visit. I've had several neighbors farm my fields over the years, all of them have had much larger tractors than my Dad had. So it was kind of neat to climb aboard a much larger tractor than I'm used to. I haven't had the chance to drive a big tractor, but there's still time. Someday, I'd like to ask the neighbor if I could take his tractor and make a few rounds with me driving his tractor. On my own fields. I wouldn't charge him for my labor, nothing like that. But think it would be a neat experience to run a big tractor in my small fields.
Nowadays, I rent my fields out to a neighbor that makes hay on them. About 10 acres or so. More than once, I'd go across my field and catch a ride on the neighbor's tractor and go around my field a round or two, so we could visit. I've had several neighbors farm my fields over the years, all of them have had much larger tractors than my Dad had. So it was kind of neat to climb aboard a much larger tractor than I'm used to. I haven't had the chance to drive a big tractor, but there's still time. Someday, I'd like to ask the neighbor if I could take his tractor and make a few rounds with me driving his tractor. On my own fields. I wouldn't charge him for my labor, nothing like that. But think it would be a neat experience to run a big tractor in my small fields.
That particular farmer/neighbor that makes hay in my fields also raises beef cattle and sells this meat. His claim to fame is that his cows are grass-fed. I somehow think, some of that hay came out of my fields.... His cows have never been on my property, but the hay (at least some of it) came from my property. I once had a neighbor that his cows got loose. Some of them ended up on my property without my knowledge. I did notice that there were cow tracks on my gravel driveway and this neighbor asked which way the cow tracks were headed. I said toward my house, but don't see any cows, now. In any case, that was many years ago. All of the cows returned safely at their home.
Behold! An early ducted fan airplane!
Thanks to Dennis Simanitis, former engineering editor of Road & Track magazine, who now blogs and flies airplanes in MS Flight Simulator:
simanaitissays.com
simanaitissays.com
simanaitissays.com
Obviously, this was The Future.
Okay, so it wasn't the future.
I realize this may have been a slow airliner, but having a chart room and radio room separate from the cockpit seems to assume a slower pace of life and flying decisions. On the other hand, the B-17 Fortress did have the navigator up front, ahead of the pilots, and the radioman in a room behind them, sitting at his own table. Hard to remember just how much work used to go into such things!
Thanks to Dennis Simanitis, former engineering editor of Road & Track magazine, who now blogs and flies airplanes in MS Flight Simulator:
DUCTED FAN AD EXTREMUS PART 1
SENSING MY PENCHANT for GMax modeling of odd aircraft, a reader recently asked me about doing a Stipa-Caproni “Flying Barrel.” Surely it’s one of the oddest things ever to take to the air, and I mu…
simanaitissays.com
DUCTED FAN AD EXTREMUS PART 2
LUIGI STIPA’S INTUBED PROPELLER concept may have been derided as the “flying barrel,” but Stipa had done his homework. Here in Part 2, we’ll see whether theory translated into practice. Briefly, it…
simanaitissays.com
FLIGHT-SIM STIPA-CAPRONI
A WISE YOUNG WOMAN taught me “Never say never.” Well, a fat lot of good that did, because as recently as October 13 of last year, I noted that the Stipa-Caproni aeroplane violated one of my GMax ru…
simanaitissays.com
Obviously, this was The Future.
Okay, so it wasn't the future.
I realize this may have been a slow airliner, but having a chart room and radio room separate from the cockpit seems to assume a slower pace of life and flying decisions. On the other hand, the B-17 Fortress did have the navigator up front, ahead of the pilots, and the radioman in a room behind them, sitting at his own table. Hard to remember just how much work used to go into such things!
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That being said, in modern times, you take away some pilots' GPS, they might fly in the dark into a mountainside in New Mexico:
www.wired.com
A Civilian Plane Crashed in New Mexico. Was the Military’s Tech to Blame?
Drone warfare is making the skies more dangerous, even for airplanes far from the battlefield.
Yes, I have finished reading your thread. This underground one and your new one, the above ground one, after you purchased your rental property. You did a great job, painting your step. That's something I need to do at my front door. My threshold is getting so bad that there's large holes in it, and mice are getting into the house.
Edit: I need to clarify that you bought your house that you previously rented. I think you made a great decision with buying that house.
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