The Car Thread

[gyre]

.... in the Lamborghini theme ....

[gyre]

Note the mirror

[media]

[tatonka]

did a 200 mile run with the camper on the truck testing out the new carbs gas mpg . Got 10 mpg ,well thats better than 8 . And it looks like Im going by myself this time so im going to get a canopy which will be lighter and maybe give me more mpg

[gyre]

That's quite an improvement!

There are some stick on aero aids that should work at the rear of a topper.
Not sure if I posted them on here.
Be sure to look at bellypanning.
Most trucks are wildly drag inducing underneath.
Air dams should help.
Lowering is better if you can do it.
Unfortunately fords are very costly to lower.

Have you looked at the dial in timing controls?
Amazing what that does.

[^Rhino!]

gyre, On my Toyota tundra, I just got an alignment, and will be getting new spark plugs prior to departure. The alignment is within 0.01 degree.Any other wasy you know of besides tires, alignment, filters, air dams, etc. to increase mileage?

[Captain Goddammit]

The only practical easy thing is tire inflation.
Put them at the top of the rating, maybe a little higher.
If you ever try pushing your truck on a level surface, then add 10 psi to the tires and try it again you'll feel the difference.

[Joeln]

The only practical easy thing is tire inflation.
Put them at the top of the rating, maybe a little higher.
If you ever try pushing your truck on a level surface, then add 10 psi to the tires and try it again you'll feel the difference.

Yup!
Been running my tires at max sidewall rating since '08.

[gyre]

I haven't mentioned most of those things, including alignment.
What difference would a filter make?
I did mention bellypanning, mostly overlooked.
Plenty of things to raise mileage, but most people don't want to spend money.
Not everyone is operating at the same level of sophistication.
What's your damage?
Don't think air drag or high compression can affect mileage?

[gyre]

If you want to be disingenuous, I recommend raising compression, improving the exhaust, changing the cam and using a mappable engine control, then carefully tuning it, both for load and no load.
Have RC tweak the injectors while you're at it.
Then you could look at an internally balanced engine, lighter parts and so on.
None of this is free, of course.

Advance timing controls can be under a hundred in some cases though.
Fast payoff if you use it.
Easy to add to carb vehicles.

[^Rhino!]

I haven't mentioned most of those things, including alignment.
What difference would a filter make?
I did mention bellypanning, mostly overlooked.
Plenty of things to raise mileage, but most people don't want to spend money.
Not everyone is operating at the same level of sophistication.
What's your damage?
Don't think air drag or high compression can affect mileage?

I ALWAYS bring an extra air filter, and put it in when I get to Ferley after I leave the playa. The first year I did this, I emptied out nearly half a cup of playa dust on the ground. Clean air filter = more air in the air/gas mix = better fuel mileage/engine efficiency.

I've got NO damage to the vehicle, a high engine and pan, and a LEER camper shell on it.

I also make sure I get the little felt anticorrosion rings and put them on the battery terminals to defeat the playa dust if it should get on them. No corrosive activity, in other words.

I usually get 15-16 mpg with a 6-cyl., and on the long drives I've had it to 17-18 mpg.

I won't spend any more money to SAVE money than the money it costs to do it. Sounds like air pressure in the tires is a freebie.

[gyre]

Maintaininng the factory minimum is a given.
The last car I took to the playa had such a well shrouded air intake, it inhaled no dust to the filter.
Unusually thorough design though.
I have a spare filter for the truck.

Same with plugs.
Every time I get a car, it has gaps twice the maximum.
I set them back to stock unless I've modified the ignition.
I went from platinum for the ranger to copper plugs for technical reasons.
I lean to setting gaps tighter than spec so they wear into spec.
I only index on modified engines.

[gyre]

I think aero is overly ignored on high drag vehicles.
Everything I've seen like a truck that has been lowered has gotten better mileage, even with tuning that should be worse.
It's the drag.
My vans were easy to bellypan.
The ranger is just sophistcated enough to make it a real pain in the ass.
I still want to do it.
Trying to recess the exhaust, they made it really hard though.
The ranger is several inches higher than it should be, set by the factory.

When I say airdam, I mean like a track dam.
I've even seen this on semis, though subtle.
I want to drop below the factory dam, then use a sacrficial lower section that could be removed for rough roads.
The lower section would be crude to make it replaceable cheaply.
I have no time for this now, but it's worth doing, if you do it yourself.

Panning a van can be done with flat sheet metal.
Same with a pickup I want to put on the road.
As long as it's better than it was, doesn't have to be formula one quality.
A simple coastdown test will tell you if you have it right.

And I'd like to get rid of ethanol.
That really hurts my truck.

[^Rhino!]

Maintaininng the factory minimum is a given.
The last car I took to the playa had such a well shrouded air intake, it inhaled no dust to the filter.
Unusually thorough design though.
I have a spare filter for the truck.

Same with plugs.
Every time I get a car, it has gaps twice the maximum.
I set them back to stock unless I've modified the ignition.
I went from platinum for the ranger to copper plugs for technical reasons.
I lean to setting gaps tighter than spec so they wear into spec.
I only index on modified engines.

I agree with you fully. Sounds like 'gyre' is pronounced 'gear' as in 'gearhead'. You know your shit. Thanks.

[gyre]

I appreciate it.
I know a few things.

In case it will encourage any beginners, I didn't grow up around anyone to teach me, so it's all hard won.
I actually paid mechanics to teach me the basics.
Anyone will answer advanced questions.
No one wants to talk basics.

If you want to learn this stuff, you can, at least enough to matter.

[gyre]

This is one type.
The principle is sound, but I haven't had anyone verify these specific units are good yet.
These seem specifically for end of surface mounting, so good for trucks.
Ran across them with someone considering using them in a ground effects tunnel.
The ones i've seen before were molded and much more expensive.
Those are good for any surface though, preventing separation and delamination.

http://aerotechcaps.com/vortexgenerator.html

[gyre]

James Garner has died.
He had an extensive racing career after filming Grand Prix.
When filming The Rockford Files, they tried persistently to replace him in the car with a stunt driver and couldn't find anyone that could do the same things.
That is truly a remarkable statement, as they have access to many highly skilled drivers.
James Garner was better.
In the end, they had to let him drive.



















Guldstrand shop prepping for 1968 Daytona




Sebring

[gyre]

A couple of comments about james Garner

I live in a small Utah town called Kanab where more than 250 movies and TV shows, i.e. Gunsmoke, were filmed.
Most were B Westerns, but movies kept food on the tables in our town until tourism took over and provided us with the opportunity to make beds in motel rooms or wash dishes at the local diner.
I came after the heyday of movies, but have heard all the stories.

Without a doubt, James Garner was the actor held in highest regard by the local folk.
It's not that he left a big tip or signed autographs on demand, though he did.
Rather, it was his willingness to become part of the community, to pick up a bat and glove to play a pickup game with the kids or to carry packages for old ladies.
Thanks for coming to Kanab, James.

From a friend in Santa Barbara -

When he filmed Grand Prix, he was told that he if ever wanted to retire from acting, he could easily have a profession as a driver. It was something that came natural to him.

My grandmother worked in Hollywood many moons ago. Of all the people that she came in contact with, she once told me James Garner was her favorite -- a true gentleman and an all-around nice guy.

[gyre]

A classic Lotus at Hethel

[gyre]

[^Rhino!]

gyre, that last pic set me to thinking, but not about James Garner (RIP, obviously a kind soul).

Ever notice the concrete pavement on turns like that? Up near the outer guardrail it appears warped. It's not the photo, it' s a measure of the difficulty of pouring pavement at an angle like that. I'm sure you've seen concrete paving machines at some time or another. They're not built to work on a curve with that kind of slope.

NASCAR got around that by using asphalt on new tracks. They actually have a mix formula which is super-secret. A buddy of mine was involved in the design and building of the track on the west side of Kansas City over in Johnson County, Kansas. The tough part is having to use the pavement rollers on the track, they have to go up and down and up and down. A normal highway crew can pour a couple thousand feet of paving in a day. A special crew like the one used on a NASCAR track takes about the same time except on the curves, which can take months to get just right.

[gyre]

It really must have been a hell of a job.
I think it must have been applied by hand, like ferrocement or plaster, in a thick mix, like they use on boats and concrete domes.

2003

[Malachite]

Here's one way to find me at Barbie Death Camp. My tow rig. A 1968 Ranchero GT. We'll be at 6:30 and E this year, on E just out from the main Barbie Death Camp corner. It's been my hauler for 25 years now. This photo is from SOAK, the Oregon Regional burn, where it's green and we need Foxfur to get it lit.

But my everyday driver is different; a '69 Mach 1 that I've driven 290,000 miles in the last 30 years. With a low buck road race suspension and 351 Windsor, it was the fastest vintage car for 5 years at Portland Intl Raceway during Shelby Club play days.
Road racing. As much fun as sex, but it lasts longer.

[Captain Goddammit]

Don't you dare bring that awesome Ranchero to the corrosive, car-rusting playa!!!

[Fan C]

Road racing. As much fun as sex, but it lasts longer.

It's also cheaper in the long run.

[Malachite]

Too late, captain. That cute couple was there last year. I taped it shut and taped cardboard all around the front and down to the ground. Eplaya turned me on to rinsing with Calgon after giving it a blow job. (Yes, we're in love.). One week after our exodus, it was at the Ranchero Roundup in Leavenworth, WA. No apparent harm done. I also change the air filter and oil. The oil tested high in silica.
BTW, it is one of six registered surviving GT 390 4spd the last time I checked. But rare doesn't mean desirable in this case.
And anyway, it's now running a 351W and C6.

[gyre]

Beautiful combo!
Love that year.

Steve and Juicy of Illville brought a vintage fifties car and trailer in pastel green out one year.
I think the car is named Billy.
Quite surreal to see it out there.

If you ever want to go manual again, the richmond 5 or 6 will take the abuse.

[VultureChow]

Cut me off Monday night as I was about to turn in to my driveway. Followed him for two blocks just to snap a pic.

[Captain Goddammit]

How "Jersey"!!
God I hate that place, and the people that embody the stereotype. Not ALL the people, just the Jerseyest ones.

[chuckularone]

just the Jerseyest ones.

The problem is that the "Jerseyest" ones are all from Staten Island!

[VultureChow]

just the Jerseyest ones.

The problem is that the "Jerseyest" ones are all from Staten Island!

Ain't that the truth. Though there is a certain flair to some of the North Jersey towns where I live. A new "restauranteur" a block from me gave an interview about how he loved all things Italian, like delivering free turkeys to the less fortunate in his white Maserati.

That said, as a lifelong Jersey Girl, it's really a nice state. Most people visiting fly into Newark Airport and frankly that area looks like a mining colony on a distant asteroid manned entirely by convicts.

Also, in my travels, I've found us to be some of the best drivers. I don't mean that we are great at following the law, speed limit or common human decency, but rather we are good at handling our cars at high speed and in close quarters.