new 5/11/03
Dispatched to V8SHO list members everywhere, it's The Non-Flammable Digest! ;)
Covering 4/18/03 to 4/27/03 (OK... it's a bit more than - maybe a LOT more than a week or so late... but that just makes it *better*!) Covering approximately 1000 posts, and in (almost) chronological order!
PLEASE NOTE: Due to our server being hacked Easter weekend, some posts apparently bounced and did not come through. This means that the Digest may be a *bit* weirder than normal. We beg your indulgence if you made a Post of Some Importance, and we missed it. We (OK, me) are happy to report that during all the madness with the server we switched from Plesk to Ensim. (Don't worry. This is a Good Thing, and it didn't hurt too much) Hopefully this will never happen again, as it made your reporter not only very cranky, but also messed with her schedule in a very serious fashion. Not a good thing, and not a happy thing, either. And now, back to your regular Digest:
- A discussion about the flag/symbolism and patriotism got a bit heated in places. (and a bit weird in a few other places. Who says Machismo is dead?) Ultimately, it morphed into talk about our educational system (and/or lack of one) and finally, at the end when we had lost all track of the original topic there were baby cows, animal rights activists, veal and Miracle Whip, and even a stray Rabbi. We even learned that Larry E. played the banjo <ducking and running!> and is an actual real-live musician type person. Same topic, now we have moved into cultural identities and ethnic dilution. <VBG> I'm gonna teach y'all yet how to the change the topic on a post...
- And now, a Public Service Message, on behalf of Tim Wright, and/or Buford T. Justice.
"Please mark all Off Topic posts as OT. Thank you."
Honestly, I don't remember who posted this a few weeks ago, but here is a great tip to remember: When marking a subject "OT" be sure to mark it "OT - " and not "OT: ". If you use the colon, (OT:) it will be replaced by "RE:" when it is replied to. (making it RE: instead of OT:) Using the hyphen will just bump it to the side and keep it in the subject line right after the "RE: (making it RE: OT -) and helping those of us who filter our email.
In other words, do it like this:
Subject: OT - Make a Million Dollars on the Internet Today!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled Digest...
- Michael T. wanted to disable the factory alarm. Check the pressure switch under the hood first to cure a malfunctioning alarm. Donrim graciously supplied us with the Ford part number: N8064575
- IMRC troubles made the list this week. Ryan D. advised John Breen to check the bolts that hold the cable bracket, and insure they are tightened; try opening/closing the butterflies by hand a few times. Later in the week, people starting talking about doing all sorts of other stuff to their IMRC's. Like, for example, disconnecting them entirely. Even more later in the week (Huh?) Lee Rogers had a whole buncha questions about the IRMC, and Scott K. answered him very nicely, thank you very much.
- If your ETAC test returns 888, then all is fine.
- Wind noise - window moldings a prime culprit. More accurately, the little plastic tabbies that hold the window molding in place. Check and repair as needed. Also, John Breen reminded us that often it's a passenger door that is not hanging quite straight. Check V8SHO for the TSB on this issue.
- Juan D. pointed us to a 153 mph Neon. Tim questioned exactly how it reached that speed... perhaps launched out the back end of a cargo plane at altitude... Larry E. wondered if that made the 'chute optional. Steve A. said something about 204 hp for the Neon SRT. The latest issue of Car & Driver has a comparison of the Neon SRT, a Ford Focus SVT, Mini Cooper S, and ??? another car...
- Hopefully, we are now bunny-free... ;) Somewhere there is a Mercedes owner list that we really should send a sympathy card to...
- Jason shared photos of his cam weld with the group - thanks Jason!
- Scott W. had headlamp trouble, and needed help. Jim M. jumped in, and helped him see the light... (hey, I'm allowed one bad pun a month, and I promise, this is it! :) Kenny K. says to always use "lightbulb goo" when replacing headlamps. I'm worried about Kenny... really I am...
- Jim/JMP (Who I have decided to rename JiMP. JiMP, of course, has no say in this, because it's my damn Digest, and I get to put what I want in it. ; ) took his car to the dealer, so of course it was perfectly well-behaved! <VBG> This just proves that Murphy's Law is alive and well, and living in California...
- The discussion about tires prompted Don M. and Clare and Steve A. to reminisce about cars of the past... I truly believe that they must have had waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much fun during their misspent youth... How do you all keep all that stuff in your head, but you can't remember to put the seat down when you are done? <ducking and running> Tire technology has come a long way in just the last 30 years. It should be noted that Ms. Pamela Lee (who is a teacher, which is a Fine and Honorable Thing, and too often a THANKLESS occupation) agrees with your reporter that the Yokohama tires are the best.
- Al Primm gave us a brief overview of his 2004 GTP he recently brought home, and a comparo to the '03 Taurus SEL. He also sadly reported the demise of "Old Blue", at 185k miles. :( It's always hard to lose a vehicle you have spent that much time with. Hopefully, Al will be comforted with the thought that Old Blue will live on in other vehicles - she can be the automotive equivalent of an "organ donor".
- Troy got to meet up with the now-vacationing Kirk. Kirk checked in briefly before heading out to the beach, and beverages.
- We found out who was a city kid, and who was a country kid. ;) Cow tipping, where eggs come from, chocolate milk cows, and other silliness. Clare can fix a tractor if you need him to. JiMP said that "Chocolate milk cows are of course a rare subspecies of the genus. More rare are the strawberry milk cows. Bet you never heard of hillside cows. They have one set of legs longer than the other so they can graze on the sides of hills. Some are right side, and some are left. They stay genetically pure because of course it is a physical impossibility for a right and a left hillside cow to procreate. They’d just be hamburger after they came rolling down the hill. Damn the instability." <VBG> We're gonna be sending people off on a Snipe hunt before too long...
- Tim passed along an article about a Giant Colon Replica that is currently touring Arkansas. We have been waiting with breathless anticipation for Carter's report about his tour of the Giant Colon. Having no personal experience with internal organs large enough to walk through, I for one have been both fascinated and mortified at the notion of taking a stroll through a Giant Colon Replica. Dennis L. reminded us to take our RL colon health seriously - he has lost several family members to colon cancer.
- Juan D. got Spring Fever, after an Easter Sunday run. <G> It's wonderful to own a car that you love to drive as much as we all do!
- Don M. urged everyone who is in the vicinity to get out and support SHOgun in the One Lap of America competition. From Don's post:
"...driver/owner Jack Hewitt during this year's One Lap of America. Run May 3rd through May 9th. I plan on being at Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP) May 4th (Sunday) starting at 8:30am through about 3:30pm or so to cheer on Jack in his blue Supercharged SHOgun.... He is shooting for a win in the "Econo Car" class with his Festiva Based SHOgun, and a top 20 overall placing. His car number is 113... Other tracks that will be visited include Watkins Glen (Sat 3rd), Road America Monday the 5th, Hallett and Tulsa Speedway on the 6th, Memphis Motorsports park on the 7th, Carolina Motorsports Park on the 8th and BeaveRun on the 9th."
Here's the coolest part (for me anyway) 'bout this whole SHOgun/Festiva bizness... our family is taking delivery soon of a shiny little red Festiva that needs an engine - and we just happen to have a spare Gen I V6 engine in the garage... Hmmm.... Nah. But if it does happen, you'll see it here first!
- Thanks to Larry E., "Le Woogie" made a brief (and startling) appearance around the 20th with an email card trick. For those who are still wondering... It doesn't matter *which* card you pick, because the second set of cards you see are *all* different! The trick relies upon the trickee being focused only on looking for their specific card...
- JiMP asked if anyone was running an Optima, rather than a traditional lead-acid battery. Paul Nimz is running a gel-cell, and recommended a Odyssey PC 925 for replacement. Don M. told us to keep a trickle charger on the Optima if it is in storage or unused for any amount of time, as they will last only two years at best unless kept fully charged.
- Ben Sprauge rejoined us, with freshly welded cams, and worries about coil packs. Paul Nimz does a "freezer test" to help isolate exactly which coil is bad, rather than replacing all eight at once. Look for cracks on the primary plug side of the coil. Kirk said that the new coils available at the dealer are all black, and appear to have a better heat-protection material on them. As Kirk said, we won't really know if the new ones are actually better until someone actually has 100k miles on them... And, he reminds us to rotate our coils whenever we get the chance. (If you could only see what I'm thinking... ;)
- JiMP used to hang with the low-rider crowd, and for a while he injected a bit of American culture into Japan in an effort to balance the trade deficit for all of us. Confession is good for the soul... ;)
I, of course, am as pure as the driven snow.... or, I was until I drifted... ;) (with thanks to Mae West :)
- Brakes were briefly a hot topic. Regardless of your opinion on brand... you're gonna need 'em, so take good care of them.
- Holly started going to the Chiropractor for her shoulder, and now she feels gooooooood all over ;) (For those who are wondering, I can happily report that she looks as good as she feels. Had a family dinner tonight, and she was adorable as always!)
- Buford found a way to translate the V8SHO.com pages to Spanish. Hola!
- Kenny K. wrote that he has a single, sharp clunk on hard rights. Kirk says strut mount or broken endlinks, check the end links and sway bar bushings. If they are good then its the mount. Rob Parker guessed subframe mounts. Kenny only had two weeks left on his warranty... hope he found it and got it fixed while it was still under warranty!
- Greg Brown asked about the Roush lowering springs. Eric got a set, and Bob was headed to the phone to see about a set for himself... George likes 'em. Kenny has 'em, but hasn't installed them. Scott Waters got a set; he loves the way they make the car look, but noted that you lose all the "cushy-ness" of the ride. Oh, the things we will do to be beautiful... ;) Bob reminded us that after installing the lowering springs, the upper strut plates will have to be drilled out and moved to allow proper camber alignment. Plan on it taking a little longer, and being more costly, than a regular alignment.
- Tim Dove reported on a reporter who reported that the Taurus is being discontinued. This discussion was really interesting to read, and I wish that there was room here to recap all of the opinions and information that were brought forward. We are a thoughtful and insightful little group of enthusiasts.
- Damon Koch got new tires: Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's at a great price at (of all places) Sears. At only 20 miles, he really likes them. Keep us posted on your experiences, Damon!
- Corey Wilkins is back, but with what seemed to be a tranny problem. Turns out that it could be several things, like just the a/c compressor switching on and off, or a cruise control issue. Then again, it could be the torque converter... A few days later, Corey told us that it was shifting hard, and the O/D light was flashing. Kirk recommends trying disconnecting the battery, which will reset the PCM. (:::ahem::: don't forget to reconnect the battery, otherwise we will see a frantic "MY CAR WON'T START" post...) Then, start saving your pennies, for as sure as the sun rises in the east... we will all ultimately need tranny work.
- Carter had some video of the supercharger, and finally got it small enough and compressed enough that those of us on a dial-up connection might be able to actually view it. Carter might have "link issues", but otherwise we like him enough to overlook the fact that it took him somewhere around a half a dozen tries to get the link right. <ducking and running> I also think it's because of the Giant Colon Replica. Carter hasn't been the same since it showed up in Arkansas...
- JiMP had trouble with the automatic lowering on his window (which works great for me, but I still want to know why they didn't give us "auto-up" also? NO, NOT that kind of auto-up. Geez...) Paul Nimz asked the question: "You are just touching, and letting go...?" referring to the switch, of course... I just love double-entendre'....
- It was Paul Fisher's turn to admit to CRS, as he found car parts in his garage that he forgot he had. Then my buddy Larry E. mixed up Corey and Winston. I'm thinking that at this rate, the hottest ticket at the next Convention will be the seminar entitled "Memory Tricks: How to find your car keys, AND your *ss with both hands". ;)
- During the AutoZone loaner torque wrench discussion, our friend Paul Fisher wrote this:
"I have the craftsman 1/2" one and it only goes to 150. There is only one set of nuts on my SHO that needs higher."
I almost broke something NOT replying to that... ;)
- Howls of mostly despair and a few of delight over the news that a list member was parting out a "perfectly good" SHO. He couldn't get what he felt was a fair trade-in on his '97, so he decided to part it out himself, since (in theory) the sum of the parts is worth more than the whole. To help prevent the sacrifice of a perfectly good working SHO, Troy Sours put forward his now-totaled 96 Rose Mist as an alternative.
- PATS key issues: Will a spare PATS key cause a "crank/no-start" condition? Will it work in your doors? Will it work in your trunk? Will it cause other problems? Is it just a piece of junk? For the answer to these, and other questions... stay tuned! :)
- Mike Gaunt reminded us why we love to drive our SHO's... and will buy your lunch if you SHO up in his neighborhood driving one!
- James Lyle went into a Ford showroom, and was amazed at the general incompetence and lack of knowledge of the sales staff. Unfortunately for James, he made a few statements about wimmens in a follow up post that may have landed him on my Short List, which, as the members of my household will tell you, is not a happy place to be. [From James post: "...menopausal woman needing a convertible Mustang. (I'm not being sexist. A corporate appraiser I deal with had to buy his wife this same car so that she would not leave him!! Call it a female mid-life crisis.)" and ended that post asking how many car people walk into a Ford Dealership today? He guesses only 1 in 100. James, James, James... you won't be walking anywhere when us wimmens get done with you, unless you learn to understand how the female of the species works her wiles... and why... ;) Seriously, you also have to remember that the great majority of people walking into *any* dealership (Ford, GM, Saturn, Toyota, pick one, any one) will not have done the research, will not have gotten out and talked with others who own the cars, will not have read any article they can find, will not have even looked under the hood. They go into the dealerships to buy a car because they saw one in the parking lot at the grocery store, and they liked the way it looked. They buy cars because "they are a pretty shade of green" (no kidding, this is how my neighbor picked her Ford truck) They buy cars because they saw a picture of it one time on the cover of "Car and Driver", or because they asked "the guy at the dealership" which car was safest. Probably 95% of the car-buying population actually buys the wrong car for the wrong reason. In a perfect world, you would have to demonstrate a certain level of driving ability just to be allowed to BUY a car, let alone drive it on the streets and highways. In a perfect world, *all* car sales people would be true enthusiasts, and the kiddies in the finance department would actually have a *conscious* and would not cut another notch in their calculators as soon as the customer left the office. I could go on, but I don't have to, because y'all are already there. :::end of rant, climbing down off of soapbox:::
Having said all that, I still need to give James 1000 bonus points for not being mean or belittling to the foolish car sales person.
- Our good friend David Deines is in the hospital, battling ALL. His wife Shannon, took the time to write the list, and let us know. (This is a Big Deal, because when you have a loved one in hospital, taking the time to do anything like writing an email to a bunch of car-crazed peoples is *not* high on your "to do" list.) Please remember to keep David and Shannon in your prayers.
- Megan wrote in looking for information about *why* her insurance is so high. Best advice is to keep looking - the folks here gave you a few good options, and remember that there are many, many factors that go into an insurance quote. (how far you drive to work/school, how many miles per year you drive, where you live, where you work, and (as discussed previously) even your credit score, depending on the insurance company, just to name a few.
- "Tips on Chips" was NOT (as I had hoped) about recipes for chips 'n salsa, but instead about repairing paint chips on cars. Go figure... ;)
- There was a joke about two nuns. From Jim Merriman. 'Nuff said right there. ;)
- Yellowing headlight lenses: Don & Tim tested a new product at the Illinois camfest, and were really impressed with it. Look for a full report at Don's website soon. Mark says to get the Novus (buy the kit with all three little bottles in it)
- If I counted correctly, TwistedNick now has *7* (one for each day of the week?) in his collection. SHO's that is. My question is: where do you put them all?
Once again, please continue to keep all of our men and women in active military service in your prayers. Also, continue to pray for David' Deines recovery. Because at the end of the day, it really is just a car - and cars can be replaced, but people can't. :)
And there ends the Digest.
Sarah :)
Sarah Locker
'97 Performance White 109k aka "SHO White"
w/ Solidly Welded Cams for my Driving Pleasure ;)
Have you seen a LockerSHO today?
AWA of Chuck Jr, '91 Mocha Frost
DIL of Chuck Sr, '99 Black
SIL of Holly Bailey, '96 Willow Green
SIL of Chris '98 Red
HS (Honorary Sister) of Kirk Doucette '97 White StormTrooper
Just a reminder, we still have several list members serving over seas, please keep them, others that serve our nation, and their loved ones in your prayers. May they all return soon and in excellent condition. - Buford