Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole
- Thread starter jbmatth
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
It was certainly a load, but I don't think it was truly maxed, do I recommend others do that especially on the highway, no. I was on gravel roads and only crossed paths with 2 vehicles on the drive home. I did keep an eye on the temperatures, coolant never got off the middle line, trans never got above 196°F, it is typically the same on highway drives unloaded.
JB
Ive done wayyyyyyy worse. Sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do. I had a 2008 chevy 1/2 that I would tow a bumper pull toy hauler with. Too much trailer not enough truck. I would watch my Trans temp get to 240 and stay there.... The auto manuel said that it was fine. I knew that I was taking yrs off that motor/trans life by doing that. It took me a while before we upgraded to a 3/4ton. Heck theres times where im wayyyyy over loaded with my diesel... An I also dont recommend it.
I've certainly seen that before too, heck most of the truck manufacturers show videos of them towing incredibly heavy things. I can't remember all of them, but the space shuttle, a train, jumbo jets, and one from Chevy Cheyenne many years ago towing 187 tons of logs:
JB
Not a lot of shop time this weekend, mostly family time and yard work, mowed the pasture fence line, then used the string trimmer for a few hours and of course mowed the yard. Some of y'all remember I picked up a set of one off CNC valve covers for the cobra but the valve cover covers don't fit the LS coils. Photo of what it would looks like taken during the initial engine install:
I'm slowly working through installing them without the cover covers, this required me to get some different bolts, modify others, modify the coil mounting bracket, and eventually I was able to get both installed. I started to work on the PCV and catch can only to find out my initial plan isn't going to work, the covers have a 12 AN ORB ports on either end, on the passenger side it is fine and I can use the front with tons of room, on the drivers side the alternator is millimeters away from the cover so no chance there, on the back by the firewall I have more room but not enough for the AN fittings I had on hand:
I'm at least an inch short, I do have some more fittings on order, once they arrive I'll give it another try, I'm getting excited though.
JB
I'm slowly working through installing them without the cover covers, this required me to get some different bolts, modify others, modify the coil mounting bracket, and eventually I was able to get both installed. I started to work on the PCV and catch can only to find out my initial plan isn't going to work, the covers have a 12 AN ORB ports on either end, on the passenger side it is fine and I can use the front with tons of room, on the drivers side the alternator is millimeters away from the cover so no chance there, on the back by the firewall I have more room but not enough for the AN fittings I had on hand:
I'm at least an inch short, I do have some more fittings on order, once they arrive I'll give it another try, I'm getting excited though.
JB
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
JB, I'm a big fan of AN fittings but boy does the shopping cart get expensive when you need to buy options. Then again, my problem may be keeping the ones that don't work, for 'next time.'
Bob,JB, I'm a big fan of AN fittings but boy does the shopping cart get expensive when you need to buy options. Then again, my problem may be keeping the ones that don't work, for 'next time.'
I haven't added it up lately but am north of $1,000 just in AN fittings on the cobra, fuel lines, oil lines and now PCV. The ones I had to use on the oil side were around $45 for each fitting, the lines went from engine to pressure regulator, pressure regulator back to engine and one to the oil filter, then oil filter back to engine. As far as I know this is the last AN component I'll install so there is an end in sight. I have a little stash of extra fittings but not as many as you'd expect.
JB
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
JB, I think I have about $800 worth of AN fittings and braided hose on mine and most of them can't be seen. But at least they work and don't leak. Quality ain't cheap but worth the piece of mind.
I don't think I want to looks but believe I'm close to $2k, I have bought and driven entire cars for years for less than that, but they aren't as cool as AN fittings haha. You are very correct there, I tried to go with name brands any chance I could and that worked for a majority of them, but some odd sized fittings were required that I could only find "China" brands, so far so good.JB, I think I have about $800 worth of AN fittings and braided hose on mine and most of them can't be seen. But at least they work and don't leak. Quality ain't cheap but worth the piece of mind.
JB
Grizz1963
Well-known member
Watching.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
JB, I did most of mine a few pieces at a time and didn't keep track of how much I spent. Like Godzilla in the Cobra, the big block engine in a Corvette is a tight fit. Opened up some space for it by converting the power brakes from vacuum to hydraulic (hydroboost). It was going to be a simple job with very little bling, starting with a rebuilt hydroboost.
That quickly morphed into a paint and polish job, along with a bunch of special PTFE braided lines and fittings, including a filter. Snuck in some AN fittings for the PCV and evap stuff 'while I was at it'...
...and went a little nuts. All that free space meant I could replaced the stock rocker arms with aluminum rollers and replace the short valve covers with tall ones (I was dreaming of aluminum heads, roller cam and fuel injection). Seemed like a good time to put a PCV with a real AN connection and a pretty master cylinder...
Then I replaced the hydraulic cylinder assisted steering with a power rack & pinion, which required its own fancy AN fittings. Ended up adding a cooler and completely lost track of how many fittings were used. Did I mention billet hose separators instead of zip ties? Yeah, those showed up later. And yes, all the brake lines are stainless. The fugly control arms were also replaced when I converted to coilovers.
To be fair Bob, any one of us could have fallen down the same rabbit hole when upgrading to hydroboost.JB, I did most of mine a few pieces at a time and didn't keep track of how much I spent. Like Godzilla in the Cobra, the big block engine in a Corvette is a tight fit. Opened up some space for it by converting the power brakes from vacuum to hydraulic (hydroboost). It was going to be a simple job with very little bling, starting with a rebuilt hydroboost.
That quickly morphed into a paint and polish job, along with a bunch of special PTFE braided lines and fittings, including a filter. Snuck in some AN fittings for the PCV and evap stuff 'while I was at it'...
...and went a little nuts. All that free space meant I could replaced the stock rocker arms with aluminum rollers and replace the short valve covers with tall ones (I was dreaming of aluminum heads, roller cam and fuel injection). Seemed like a good time to put a PCV with a real AN connection and a pretty master cylinder...
Then I replaced the hydraulic cylinder assisted steering with a power rack & pinion, which required its own fancy AN fittings. Ended up adding a cooler and completely lost track of how many fittings were used. Did I mention billet hose separators instead of zip ties? Yeah, those showed up later. And yes, all the brake lines are stainless. The fugly control arms were also replaced when I converted to coilovers.
I don't think I will though, the steering and brakes on the cobra are both non-power assisted and with what I do I see no reason to change that at this time. I've only used AN on a few vehicles, the S10 got quite a few, then when I did the 600cc go cart I used some for the brake line, then they procreated like mad on the cobra. I could have picked up a small 3rd world mansion for the total sum. I do keep track of every part for each of the vehicles I do a lot of work on down to the smallest nut or bolt just in case I need one on a road trip years down the road.JB
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Bob, that's one helluva case of scope creep!
83VillageRepair
Well-known member
Are you using a spreadsheet to track? This is something I struggle with
Yes, that is the only way I could keep track, I wasn't great early on, but have tried to get better. The tough part is parts I buy locally which is usually pretty rare, but online is easy enough. I also try to keep electronic versions of manuals and installation instructions on hand as well as links to the product that end up breaking but at least get me in the right place.
JB
I mentioned it in another thread, but I'll post a little on it here as well. My younger brother and one of his sons came to visit and use my shooting range, I asked my daughters if they wanted to join and the younger one did, this is the first time she has shot anything more than a BB gun so very interested in how it would go. I started her off with a .22, she really seemed to enjoy it:
Later on she tried out a 9mm rifle and eventually a .223, but that was probably a little big for her for the time being:
My nephew was the first to shoot at the steel with the .223, we were at 50 yards and even being AR500 plates I "thought" they were rated for this, that was not the case unfortunately. He was very proud he hit it first shot and knocked it off the hanger, later we found the damage he'd done:
Well since it had a hole why not keep hitting it, .223 and 7.62x39 did some real damage to it after only a few shots:
Time to order a few more, luckily it was the smallest ones I had so no huge loss and a learning experience.
JB
Later on she tried out a 9mm rifle and eventually a .223, but that was probably a little big for her for the time being:
My nephew was the first to shoot at the steel with the .223, we were at 50 yards and even being AR500 plates I "thought" they were rated for this, that was not the case unfortunately. He was very proud he hit it first shot and knocked it off the hanger, later we found the damage he'd done:
Well since it had a hole why not keep hitting it, .223 and 7.62x39 did some real damage to it after only a few shots:
Time to order a few more, luckily it was the smallest ones I had so no huge loss and a learning experience.
JB
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
It's amazing what a properly loaded projectile at speed can do!
Are those 3/8" or 1/4" thick plates?
Are those 3/8" or 1/4" thick plates?
Grizz1963
Well-known member
Great day for all it seems.
And love the proud hole owner.
Did you send it home as a memento
And love the proud hole owner.
Did you send it home as a memento
@OutlawDrifter I thought they were 3/8" plates, but turns out they were only 1/4", I did remember (after the fact) that all I'd ever shot them with was .22 and 9mm. I'll have to get this situation remedied and get more better steel up there. He was so proud of himself for making the hole in it, I can't blame him though.
He was taking it very seriously and didn't do anything to make us nervous, well other than the couple of times he completely missed the dirt pile, luckily the only thing behind it was trees and many miles of farm land.
I didn't think to send it home with him, maybe a good idea the next time he comes out.
JB
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
This all makes sense now!
I took part of Friday and Saturday and joined a group of other Viper owners and headed to Wichita for a little meetup, 10 cars total joined but not all at one time. Friday night we ate at a little airport and we were allowed to park off of the runway:
There were 4 Spearman (from what I'm told) bi-planes that took off while we were eating and gave a little show to us:
Saturday morning the dew was just right where the Viper emplem from the inner hood insulation showed up on the hood:
Saturday at the cars and coffee event I got to see some pretty cool cars and possibly the first DeLorean DMC-12 I'd ever seen:
We had lunch at one of the other owners "garage" where he kept a 318 Challenger, 440 Charger, Hemi Charger, Hellcat Charger, and his 3 Vipers along with tons of cool memorabilia, no photos as I didn't get permission to share those.
Sadly on the way home my power steering pump pulley bit the dust flinging the belt with it:
Luckily it was only 106°F so I was pretty comfortable waiting on a friend to arrive to help me put the belt back on and drive it the mile to his house where he offered to store it until the new pulley arrives, it could have been much more inconvenient.
Sunday I got back on the Cobra where I've been doing a "quick" valve cover swap, I'm now 2 months in and have just gotten it running again. I upgraded the plug wires while I was at it and they added a bit more clearance than the previous ones:
That is one of the new valve covers buried in there, they didn't have the normal provisions for a breather so I had to install a catch can, the only place I could mount it was behind the passenger inner fender in front of the foot box. This meant I didn't have enough AN hose to route it like I wanted to so had to cross over like this:
Breather mounted, later the inner fender went in and tire back on:
I'll have to get some more photos of the drivers side valve cover, that was a big challenge due to the steering shaft, but I'm 99% done now.
Also in another note Cat really enjoyed shooting with me last time so I ordered the last of the parts I needed to build her an AR .22 sadly the scope rings that came with the scope weren't the right ones so we just test fired it a couple of times. More to come on that.
JB
There were 4 Spearman (from what I'm told) bi-planes that took off while we were eating and gave a little show to us:
Saturday morning the dew was just right where the Viper emplem from the inner hood insulation showed up on the hood:
Saturday at the cars and coffee event I got to see some pretty cool cars and possibly the first DeLorean DMC-12 I'd ever seen:
We had lunch at one of the other owners "garage" where he kept a 318 Challenger, 440 Charger, Hemi Charger, Hellcat Charger, and his 3 Vipers along with tons of cool memorabilia, no photos as I didn't get permission to share those.
Sadly on the way home my power steering pump pulley bit the dust flinging the belt with it:
Luckily it was only 106°F so I was pretty comfortable waiting on a friend to arrive to help me put the belt back on and drive it the mile to his house where he offered to store it until the new pulley arrives, it could have been much more inconvenient.
Sunday I got back on the Cobra where I've been doing a "quick" valve cover swap, I'm now 2 months in and have just gotten it running again. I upgraded the plug wires while I was at it and they added a bit more clearance than the previous ones:
That is one of the new valve covers buried in there, they didn't have the normal provisions for a breather so I had to install a catch can, the only place I could mount it was behind the passenger inner fender in front of the foot box. This meant I didn't have enough AN hose to route it like I wanted to so had to cross over like this:
Breather mounted, later the inner fender went in and tire back on:
I'll have to get some more photos of the drivers side valve cover, that was a big challenge due to the steering shaft, but I'm 99% done now.
Also in another note Cat really enjoyed shooting with me last time so I ordered the last of the parts I needed to build her an AR .22 sadly the scope rings that came with the scope weren't the right ones so we just test fired it a couple of times. More to come on that.
JB
Grizz1963
Well-known member
Pity about the small breakdown, but like you say…….. lucky help was nearby.
That Cobra is so part of your DNA.
That Cobra is so part of your DNA.
The new die I ordered arrived yesterday, my M6x1.0 just wasn't cutting it anymore. lol I finished threaded the last two bolts needed to hold the #3 coil on and now the car is all back together and drivable, it just needs a good cleaning then will be ready for my first day at the new job next Monday.
LS based truck round coils:
Vs the LT based (I think) coils the Godzilla came with:
I like the smaller footprint and the fact they fit better as well, now if only I could get the top covers to fit...
JB
LS based truck round coils:
Vs the LT based (I think) coils the Godzilla came with:
I like the smaller footprint and the fact they fit better as well, now if only I could get the top covers to fit...
JB
That is how life goes sometimes, the small tool kit I have in the car didn't have anything bigger than a 13mm socket and I needed a 15mm to move the belt tensioner, the 9/16" worked in a pinch but I had trouble doing both tension and belt at the same time.
You may be onto something there, the Cobra has been with me longer than my wife or children and they are part of my DNA so I guess that is correct.
JB
Seagoon
Well-known member
Did I see mention of a new job there? Tell us more please
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Did I see mention of a new job there? Tell us more please
Right?!...JB just casually drops a "ready for my first day at the new job" line and then doesn't elaborate.
Ooops did I let that slip...Did I see mention of a new job there? Tell us more please
I guess I didn't realize I hadn't mentioned it here. I'll do better next time...
Okay so to fill everyone in I have been overwhelmed and overworked for the past 10 months and my personal life has suffered, no energy to work on projects, and family time was hit too hard as well. So what happened was the company I work for, Phillips 66, went through what they called a transformation, there are a few news articles out there on the subject.
The short version is they cut ~1,100 jobs last year, about 10%, and just last week announced they are cutting another 275 this year. During this transformation my job which was usually 50 hours a week and closer to 95 during outages was combined with my counterpart who had the same schedule and responsibilities. This and no mention of any increased pay and my performance evaluations would be against others with 1/2 my areas of responsibilities.
Obviously this was not going to work for me long term, they did set up a central group to work some of our small projects shared between the 5 remaining area engineers doing what I do. Sadly in those 10 months they reassigned 2 projects from me and 1 outage scope development which was probably 60 hours of total work vs the 2,000 plus hours they added.
I was reached out to a few times for opportunities and seriously considered taking one of them but was informed by my wife should wouldn't move with me if I did due to some family responsibilities here I hadn't been told previously. The company that reached out last is down the road near Wichita, Ks., the job seemed interesting and a good fit given my previous experience so resumes and interviews happened and I took the offer.
I'll get a little pay bump and all else is pretty similar but with the promise of decreased workload. Time will tell but after 15 years with Phillips this Friday will be my last day. I likely won't be moving anytime soon, the offer does come with a full relocation package so I may buy/build a Shouse up there with a shop and apartment to stay in during the week if I don't want to make the trip home due to weather or a late night.
Keep Moving Forward,
JB
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
JB, sometimes the paper shufflers above you have no clue how valuable you are. I took a transfer once and my new boss got a call from my old one: "Boy, if we had known how many projects he was handling by himself we wouldn't have let him go." They did get four headcount to replace me so all crocodile tears to me. Same thing is going to happen to your ex-bosses. Best of luck on the new job -- my after-IBM job had a 1,000 mile commute but work from home every other week made it OK. Maybe you can work out a deal to arrive Monday afternoons and leave Friday noon (making up the time on the days you're on site).
Bob, I suspected you'd catch onto this one knowing how much you've shared of your past. I've done this same role for almost 12 years and suspect they will have a tough time finding someone internally to take over as it is now one of 2 engineering roles that has doubled in responsibility. I can barely keep up but can't make any forward progress, I suspect the learning curve will be too steep for my replacement. I'm also the company mechanical expert on the highest risk unit we have so that was a big selling point for my new company, but wasn't valued here, well at least not with money.
My commute is only 80 miles and 75 of that is interstate that has a 75 mph speed limit so commuting isn't out of the question. I do get every other Friday off so that will be nice. I just don't really want to spend that much time on the road year round and adding 40,000 miles a year to my daily driver.
JB
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
JB, it's probably not a good idea considering your chosen field but an EV sure sounds like a solution. No oil changes, way fewer brake jobs and one windmill behind the hay shed. A de-badged Lightning would not look out of place.
OutlawDrifter
Well-known member
Best of luck in the new endeavor JB! Hopefully the new company will appreciate your added value!
RickP
Well-known member
Definitely sounds like the right time for a move at work. It's too bad the new refinery is a little far "just down the road" but at least you can commute daily if you want. I'll bet the new job will suit you well, and I hope the dual house/apartment works okay. Good luck next week!
Honestly I think it could be overlooked because of my other fuel hog vehicles, but may be a bit tough to sell that to my peers on my first day. haha I have looked at a few hybrid options but I just can't get the math to work out as being that beneficial. The math gets much more cloudy when comparing a house there to commuting as the value of my time comes into the equation as well as the value of time with family during the evenings. That's not a fun equation.
Thank you Outlaw, I believe (well have to believe) they will, at least the value my time with a higher dollar value so there is that.
Rick, thank you as well, there were too many signs that this was the right move to make at a pretty decent time in my life to make it. I certainly will miss the people here but suspect the new refinery will have plenty of great people as well. Now to just find the perfect house, 500 ft^2 of living space and 2,500 ft^2 of shop space.
JB
4 FN 27
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Now to just find the perfect house, 500 ft^2 of living space and 2,500 ft^2 of shop space.
JB
Why only a half shop?
Wishing you well with the new employ.
Congratulations on the new job JB!
I just did the same thing 2 months ago after 6.5 years. Although I went from Automotive to Animal Feed Manufacturing and my drive went from 13 miles to 6. All this to say that it has been a great change for my mental health and my family overall. Best of luck on Monday!
I just did the same thing 2 months ago after 6.5 years. Although I went from Automotive to Animal Feed Manufacturing and my drive went from 13 miles to 6. All this to say that it has been a great change for my mental health and my family overall. Best of luck on Monday!
Johanfpa
Well-known member
Congrats with the new job and all the best on Monday!
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Congrats on the new job JB!! I wish you all the best.
Trapps
ALLIANCE MEMBER
All the best in the next chapter!
jon72vega
Well-known member
JB,
Congrats on the new job!
I hope it goes well for you!
Congrats on the new job!
I hope it goes well for you!
racer-john
Well-known member
All the best on the new job!