“Then, the next day, I got the van up to operating temperature, and let it cool down, noticing that the oil level had risen (and that the oil looked quite dark).”

....Townsends Garage?

Hell, I’d try it... because I’m 99.9% certain that it’ll just either rip the tire off the rim or tip over at walking speed where, y’know, just put a foot on the ground and stand up as it goes over....

This appears to be screaming for a fold-away bicycle seat.

You let it grow on chain lines that slowly get pulled into chopper feeds. It’s kudzu that marches itself to slaughter.....

Wow, just occurred to me that there’s possibly a “death’s bias” for smoked taillamps, because if they caused a death then the accident would destroy enough of the evidence to keep a healthy dose of doubt for root cause....

It’s easy to tell the difference, if the plate’s coming unbolted there’s a definite thunk, the bushings being shot are just freely loose, and the roll pin is kind of a squishy feeling because that motion is damped by the friction of the lever on the shaft.

The stock Chrysler cable end bushings are perforated and they…

Uh... dude, if you had broken both welds that could have sent the pointy end of the stay directly into the back of one or both thighs.

The brake lights are on the entire time; at 1:19 the reverse lights flash as it’s put in park, so it’s an automatic. Hand controls are a fact... so I wonder if the brake control is misadjusted or causes the foot control to lose travel? Was the thing accidentally kicked into low range, overpowering the brakes?

These are tensile engine mounts, there’s no puck solution *but* the go-to for racing the cars that use this subframe is to simply fill it with urethane windshield adhesive and let it cure. Some encase the rubber, some jig it out and go full poly. Expect a hell of a lot of extra NVH given this is a diesel though...

When…

And if those precautions don’t work, get thee to medical care without ANY delay and describe *exactly* what happened when you get there.

It’s an edge case situation with specific actions that need to be taken ASAP or within a few days you’ll find you’ve become a one-armed mechanic. Yes, you can literally rot your hand…

“The good news is that, per recommendations by numerous readers, I’ve ordered a “Booger” shifter bushing kit (see below).”

Be prepared to discover that it’ll feel better, but still have slop.

We live in a computer age. Databases are a thing and searches can be narrowed...

What I’m getting at is the reasons for hating front plates can be mitigated through a microtag... a decal the size of an index card with one letter and 4 numbers on it, large enough font to be read by cam. Color stripes serve for a year…

For passing away, yes.

Welcome to the paradox.

Introduce new regulations for all new vehicles to have a slew of guidance and control electronics that guarantee it can avoid/mitigate nearly any accident.

Now... nobody making less than $100,000 a year can afford a lower midrange vehicle without a “stupid loan” (i.e. iffy terms, trash loans,…

In the US it’s easy to regulate the f*ck out of businesses, especially large ones, because the constitution allows the federal government to regulate interstate commerce (arguments to the actual intent and subversion of that clause are a separate thread).

Once the corp’s done with the product and it’s in private…

Are you on a specific example, because fuzzy memory is telling me something’s backwards.... Euro/export having no door crash beams, which *is* something FMVSS mandated.

A buck tag though, doesn’t tell you which transmission definitively.
Remote mirrors though, fancy! Color codes for dark green with black/black interior, build date’s the first of December 1965.

The majority of the US operates under the principle of.... nothing.

It’s not the gaiter, it’s the polypropylene/polyester fleece. It’s hydrophobic and has millions of little droplet-gathering points where they’re expelled with a hard breath.