Car Enthusiast Club [Now Motorcycle friendly!] - First thread to 150k! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[terrytek]

2 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

I wish it wasn't so wide. It's a 90 degree V angle so it won't fit in a miata

at least not without SIGNIFICANT modification. Otherwise I would of bought his car from insurance and pulled the motor...

tubeframe front end no ballz

 

so why not just buy the car back and just take it apart just for the fun of it? also if you ever need to do anything to your other car you can tear down the totaled one so if you break something it doesn't render the car useless.

2 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

Highest mileage Audi 3.0L TFSI(I really should find the engine code)  I've heard of was at 250k miles in an A6. Still was going strong according to the owner too!

was that your dad? or close?

[bcredeur97]

11 minutes ago, terrytek said:

tubeframe front end no ballz

 

so why not just buy the car back and just take it apart just for the fun of it? also if you ever need to do anything to your other car you can tear down the totaled one so if you break something it doesn't render the car useless.

was that your dad? or close?

lol don't have any space to do that

 

no my dad was only at 110k miles lol

[terrytek]

3 minutes ago, bcredeur97 said:

lol don't have any space to do that

 

no my dad was only at 110k miles lol

so you'll just let the insurance scrap it?

[bcredeur97]

Witnessed an accident this afternoon:

On my way home from work I was on the death highway (literally see an accident on hwy 90 south of lafayette every other day) in the right lane, to my left was a silver saturn vue. We were both driving pretty normally, approaching some cars up ahead we both started slowing down. 

Then all of a sudden about the point when my coasting stops and the actual braking begins to stop behind the cars at the lights, the saturn vue just... stopped braking. It was at that moment I knew... welp hope everyone has their seatbelts on because this is a ~30mph crash about to happen, and immediately I moved over to the far right side of the road and slowed down so I could get a good view of it. (sounds long but this all happened in ~2 seconds lol)

Sure enough, the Saturn vue, slammed right into the back of the buick crossover thing, which then softly hit the Ford Explorer in front of it (he didn't even have any marks, dents or anything... good for him). He kinda hit the car at an angle and bounced to the right, and ended up stopping ~100 feet later dead in the middle of the road. 

I stayed in the right lane and decided I'd check on everyone and be a witness because I know no one else is gonna do it since everyone is a jerk... so I pulled off the road and got out, first checked on the vue driver. He was physically fine, which was surprising considering the 30mph incident and enough G to make his airbags go. But it immediately became clear -- he was not "there," he was having some kind of mental issue. DEFINITELY SHOULD HAVE NOT BEEN DRIVING.

 

The others I checked on were fine, no one had complaints, the Buick driver just had a quick checkup by the paramedics in the end which they suggested her to do. When I knew everyone was good I immediately moved to fixing the most aggravating thing ever -- cars blocking the road after an accident occurred and NO ONE MOVING ANYTHING OUT OF THE WAY. The Buick and the explorer were easy, just got them to move to the far left since their cars still worked. The Vue was ded... So i got everyone to help push it to the far left... I remember almost slipping on coolant. Man is coolant slippery... now I know why race cars don't use it lol

 

Surprisingly the driver of the Vue HELPED PUSH HIS CAR. Though because he was not in his full state of mind it took him literally a minute after I told him to put it back in park to figure out what I meant.... when the Officer showed up he then started complaining about being hurt... (figures lol..). But since I know he needed help anyway... I didn't say anything. It was just best for him to go to a hospital. and at least with my witness account on paper -- he was def in the wrong, there was no way of him getting around it.

In the end I filled out a report and resumed my way home. Hoping that Vue driver(who was being put on a stretcher and surrounded by paramedics) is never allowed back on the road again.... at least certainly not in his current form. Good Lord, why do we have to share roads filled with 2 ton machines with people like this?? 

[Monkey Dust]

21 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

you know what the big thing is that truly bothers me about CVT's? 


Response... 


Floor it in a CVT car and maybe 2 whole seconds later the car will do something...

The theory is good, to constantly keep the engine in it's power band. In practice they are horrid, even worse than torque converter automatics from a few years ago.

[bcredeur97]

27 minutes ago, terrytek said:

so you'll just let the insurance scrap it?

if you want it, come get it...

[bcredeur97]

Preformed a very quick visual inspection of the Miata’s front end.

 

Spoiler

Didn’t really see anything out of the ordinary, though I will say those upper control arm bushings look kinda sad. Can’t even see the lower ones, but I’m sure they are close to the same. 

 

Wheel bearings were good and there here wasn’t any obvious movement from anything underneath when grabbing and moving the wheels. 

 

Greased my slave cylinder where it meets the clutch fork since it was starting to squeak again. Then went around the car spraying different joints with some silicone spray. 

 

Checked fluids and all was good. Need to change oil this weekend as it’s at 5500 miles. About that time. and yes, Im gonna replace that nearly bald bridgestone tire.. lol i have a replacement for it sitting in the garage... I just need to wake up early on a Saturday to go get it dealt with

 

Just worried about how much im gonna have to spend on this thing in the near future. bushings, shocks, bumpstops, and probably the defective clutch I’ve talked about.. which I guess I’m gonna replace with the $400 flyin Miata “stage 1” kit everyone seems to get.... because I want to make sure it’s done right and I’m afraid to go stock again even tho this one was probably “just” a defective pressure plate judging by how "soft" it feels when it engages...

 

but yeah all that can easily be $1500 and a lot of work. Sigh

/cc @warmmilk

[chaozbandit]

@MEC-777

 

 

[AlwaysFSX]

33 minutes ago, bcredeur97 said:

Preformed a very quick visual inspection of the Miata’s front end.

dat lack of rust tho

 

[bcredeur97]

10 minutes ago, AlwaysFSX said:

dat lack of rust tho

Car stays outside too. See told you nothing rusts here. Not even Mazda’s lol

[terrytek]

3 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

if you want it, come get it...

Nah, see no use in keeping a wrecked A6 in my front yard nor are there parts I could use. Plus no way to trailer it back to cali. I could sell the parts off it if i was able to trailer it back.

[AlwaysFSX]

16 minutes ago, bcredeur97 said:

Car stays outside too. See told you nothing rusts here. Not even Mazda’s lol

Sweet. Thing will live on forever if it doesn't get hit.

[bcredeur97]

14 minutes ago, AlwaysFSX said:

Sweet. Thing will live on forever if it doesn't get hit.

With having to travel on death highway everyday I’m not sure what will happen

 

i stay off most of it and take the service road usually but there’s a small section I forced to drive on  

[Ms Mercedes - Trijet Girl]

I’m not ashamed to admit that I own three smarts, one of each generation! I also want to own more of them! The spotlights on the blue one are for an offroad project I haven’t yet finished. I still need a couple more parts.

 

I’m pretty sure when I’m 50, I’ll be like a crazy cat lady, only the cats are smarts.

 

I need to get a Manual one day though. I love rowing my own gears and none of my smarts can provide that.

[GlassBomb]

 

[AlwaysFSX]

16 minutes ago, bcredeur97 said:

With having to travel on death highway everyday I’m not sure what will happen

 

i stay off most of it and take the service road usually but there’s a small section I forced to drive on  

Stay safe!

10 minutes ago, Ms Mercedes - Trijet Girl said:

I’m not ashamed to admit that I own three smarts, one of each generation! I also want to own more of them! The spotlights on the blue one are for an offroad project I haven’t yet finished. I still need a couple more parts.

 

I’m pretty sure when I’m 50, I’ll be like a crazy cat lady, only the cats are smarts.

 

I need to get a Manual one day though. I love rowing my own gears and none of my smarts can provide that.

Neat. Collecting them like a bag of skittles?

[Ms Mercedes - Trijet Girl]

5 minutes ago, AlwaysFSX said:

Stay safe!

Neat. Collecting them like a bag of skittles?

Pretty much! I have to get the whole rainbow! A diesel, a convertible, maybe the roadster.

 

That is if I don’t give into temptation, break the curse, and get a Boxster or some other sporty-but-not-terribly-fast car.

[GlassBomb]

 

[patric_o]

I need some help. I own a 2004 Mustang GT convertible with a failing alternator. Given the fact that I’m 17 I am obviously young, relatively dumb, and just about broke. This being said I have no idea what to look for in an alternator. I’m seeing prices range from $70-400USD and as most people I want to spend as little as possible and still get a reliable product. Can anyone help me find a new(at least new to me) alternator?? 

 

2004 Ford Mustang GT 4.6L convertible

[bcredeur97]

thoughts on me getting used control arms /for now/ ?

http://treasurecoastmiata.com/i-11654992-nb-front-lower-control-arm-99-05.html

 

I mean I trust treasurecoast... they are pretty well known. I know it wont be bad out of the box, but how long will it last is the question?

[bcredeur97]

2 minutes ago, vinyldash303 said:

Why do you need new control arms?

because I'm not pressing in bushings on my own... been down that road before. it's just too much work without a press

 

and even then if you get one of those clamp-style ball joint presses either the stupid attachments end up being the wrong size or the area isn't big enough to fit the clamp in. I just rather not deal with it and just get replacement arms.

Concern is the clutch I now need to change... trying to find ways to save money since that's probably going to be $400...

[bcredeur97]

4 minutes ago, vinyldash303 said:

I wouldn't bother with used ones then. Wait til after the clutch to get some new ones. Either tubular or factory. Or see about having a shop press in some poly or delrin bushings

I dont see myself going with anything other than the OEM rubber bushings because I refuse to deal with the polyurethane squeaks I will inevitably get.

And the stiffer rubber ones from mazdaspeed are really expensive... so just no. The factory ones aren't bad anyway... when they aren't broken that is.

[bcredeur97]

still trying to decide if I just want to get the "better" excedy clutch (basically same thing just stiffer pressure plate). or get the $400-after-shipping flyin miata unit which I know will be great... it's just expensive.
 

http://treasurecoastmiata.com/i-23168975-exedy-1-8-stage-1-racing-clutch-kit.html

https://www.flyinmiata.com/fm-level-1-clutch.html

 

or get something oddly cheap like one of these: http://treasurecoastmiata.com/i-23790149-94-05-1-8-mcleod-racing-street-tuner-clutch-stage-1.html

[bcredeur97]

1 minute ago, vinyldash303 said:

Twin disk drag clutch. Duh. 

smh

[patric_o]

42 minutes ago, vinyldash303 said:

You can go to Autozone and get one with a lifetime warrenty. That way if it fails you can take it back and they'll give you a new one. 

When I looked at autozone online the cheapest one was $200. Is that typical for an alternator?