As we say around here:

To me there are two types of engineers:

Extremely rare? I’d call that extremely well done.

My first wife wanted a cute little VW Rabbit, but I crave wagons with a passion. We decided to buy a new car and started saving a nice down payment, but we never saw eye to eye about which car to buy. She the Rabbit, me the Taurus wagon that could help me haul gear to work. Unfortunately, she became gravely ill…

Trees are the reason behind all of this.

TIL: Raph hates dad jokes

I spoke with Ernest Hemingway’s son Patrick a few years ago and in the course of the conversation I mentioned that I had Series One Landies scattered about the property (he was a hunting guide/host in Africa for yonks) and he said; “Aren’t they the most gawdawful things?”. He then allowed as they always seemed to be…

I was wondering what exactly it could be. Micarta’s still around, very popular for knife and straight razor handles/scales. For that purpose its sheets of woven fabric, usually natural layered with resin or epoxy. And then compressed heavily as it cures. It cuts, shapes polishes like a block of plastic. But…

And... they are flat out sexy!

Well, the new ones start at a bit under $14K when they’re available. You can build a pretty good flathead with that and have plenty left over for all kinds of other stuff, much less slot in a hot nailhead Buick, SBC, or early Hemi. You basically have to want an Ardun to put one in your car - building one to produce…

You’re the second person I’ve seen so far today who believes the valves are in the head.

because it’s janky

Back in the ‘80s, my dad got a job with Digital Equipment Corporation, a corporate computing pioneer. He learned to service DAT systems, basically single-spool data tapes, very much like those in the movie.

I keep a bookmark on my phone whenever people complain about “scientists ruining cars” that shows the blunt front Fiat Panda has a better drag co-efficient than a Ferrari 360 of the same year, at 0.31 versus 0.34. If that doesn’t work I show them that wind tunnel video that shows that the supposedly smooth Dodge Viper…

Yeah, we can make just about any shape perform reasonably well, it’s just a matter of how many “bandaids” we need to apply to fix it. Things like wild underbody shields and tail light or D-pillar ridges can do wonders for a poorly shaped car. Also, the studio guys call it the “layered” look with all those extra…

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