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RocketDude

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    Small Block Chevy in miniture.................

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I saw a display of minature engines at a Antique tractor show in Vista, California. The guy had several minatures that he had running.

    Rather than duplicate an existing engine, he picked several engines from long ago that never proved successful, and were never put into production.

    So he reproduced failures and make them a minature success.

    You have to admire all of these guys for their talent and patience. Amazing workmanship

    buying a car long distance question(s)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Someone here on the board may live in the area the car is located in. Have it inspected if at all possible. People and pictures can lie, have someone you trust look at the car.

    If nothing else, there are inspection services who have experts do an inspection. Better to pay someone a couple of hundred bucks than be taken for thousands...

    need an attorney to fight the city, Long Beach, Bellflower, L.A.

    in Buick - General

    Posted

    Something doesn't sound quite right here. To get a search warrant, there has to be probable cause that a crime has been, or is being perpetrated on the property. The police officer has to swear in front of a judge that there a strong reason they need to enter the property, and the judge must sign the order. Most judges wouldn't stick their necks out to sign such an order without strong evidence of a crime.

    From what you are saying, they definitely over stepped their bounds, I hope you did find a good lawyer by this time....

    Hydrogen generator dealers and news media coverage

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    In my never ending quest to play devils advocate, I have a couple of comments on the article. Reading the article makes me even more skeptical than before.

    First of all, it seems strange to be marketing , and giving instructional seminars for a product that is admittedly not yet proven. Maybe it's the $1250. dollars he charges for the course has something to do with it??

    The article is premature, at best, but newspapers will print anything they think may have some interest value, and with gas prices where they are, people want to read about miracles.. Until a proven model is on the market, it makes no sense to even discuss it. .

    I looked at Pascal Schreier web site.

    http://www.ecoganico.com/Company.swf

    In addition to this miracle devise, he sells a fuel enhancer to do the same thing, along with bridges, Real Estate, boat bumpers, electric cars, pretty much anything you want, he sells.

    If you google the name Pascal Schreier , it comes up to a guy in Florida with the same name, that is closely associated to the principal bad guys behind 911, as in teaching them to fly. I can't guarantee it the same Pascal Schreier, I couldn't definitely connect the two, but both live in Florida, and have strong backgrounds in aviation.

    Excerpt from the article..

    "Three of the addresses on the Terrorist Watch List for suspected terrorist pilot Mohammed Arara also lead back to a mysterious German national, who we have until now identified as Pascal Schreier, 32, and his wife, Sandra Hamouda, a French-Tunisian woman who took over a flight school at Charlotte County Airport when it went bankrupt in February 2001, stranding dozens of foreign flight students, most of them, curiously, Moroccan or Tunisian. Terror suspect Arara’s listed addresses include 514 El Vernona Ave in Sarasota FL; 1670 Via Bianca in Punta Gorda FL; and 117 Mooney Ave., also in Punta Gorda FL. "

    The whole article if you wish to read it. http://www.madcowprod.com/mc6412004.html

    It may not be the same guy at all, but would sure make me want to do a little more investigating before plunking down my dollars.....

    The google search for the "Engineer from California" mentioned in the article comes back to a guy who is selling a very expensive course to learn how to tune and operate this device which they admit isn't successful.

    As far as the last line "A request for comment from the Association of International Automakers was declined."

    Why would they comment on something they know to be complete folly..? Believe me, these stories are as old as the automobile, no one in the know will waste time commenting on them. Doing so got old years ago.

    What's With Hydrogen?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Looks like my City link didn't post correctly, lets try again......

    City of Barstow Takes the Lead on Alternative Fuels

    City Signs Memorandum of Understanding With Ultra-Clean Fuel Provider Hythane

    DENVER, April 20 -- Setting an example for other municipalities to follow, the City of Barstow, California has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hythane Company, LLC stating its intention to explore the use of Hythane® (a fuel blend consisting of 20% hydrogen and 80% natural gas) as a vehicle fuel for the city's fleet. Vehicles using Hythane® fuel enjoy even greater reduction of emissions than their already low-emission natural gas counterparts.

    "With our signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Hythane Company, the City of Barstow has propelled itself into the fast lane of the Hydrogen Highway," said Barstow Mayor Lawrence Dale. "With more than 60 million travelers per year driving through our city, we are proud to be an early adapter of this technology that provides a clean energy resource. These new technologies provided by businesses such as the Hythane Company will result in a better future for us all," added Dale.

    Barstow is located within the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District (MDAQMD), which has a regional plan to encourage all high desert cities to move forward with alternative fuel projects. Jeanette Hayhurst, who is leading the project for the City of Barstow, credits the MDAQMD for their recent success with alternative fuel projects. Commenting on the city's adoption of alternative fuels, Hayhurst remarked, "We think it is good for the environment and it is a good move for the economy. We want to be a leader in preserving the excellent balance between environment and economics."

    In 1999, the MDAQMD started the ball rolling by providing the initial funding for Barstow's liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied to compressed natural gas (LCNG) station. "The City of Barstow is going above and beyond," said Violette Roberts, spokesperson for the MDAQMD. "We helped fund a natural gas station and they are taking it a step further to a cleaner fuel (Hythane®). They have gone the extra step by paving the way to bring this ultra-clean 80/20 fuel to the region. We encourage other cities in the region to follow their lead."

    The proposed Hythane® System will convert the existing natural gas fueling station in Barstow into an "Energy Station" offering three types of clean fuel (natural gas, hydrogen and Hythane®) and integrate Hythane® into the existing natural gas vehicle fleet. "Hythane® is a tried and true technology for today that bridges us into the future," commented Roger Marmaro, Hythane Company President and co-founder. Due to fuel costs and lack of infrastructure, it is currently not feasible to deploy pure hydrogen technology. However, the creators of Hythane® technology believe that their fuel is an integral step toward the goal of increasing the use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel. "We are building a transitional infrastructure," said Marmaro. "Hythane® offers an attractive alternative and the best part is that it is ready today."

    The Hythane Company plans to continue the deployment of the system with projects currently underway in Colorado, Arizona, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey and internationally in China and India.

    About The Hythane Company, LLC

    Headquartered in Colorado, the Hythane Company, LLC, is working to bridge the gap between conventional fossil fuels and the clean future of a hydrogen economy. Vehicles that operate on Hythane®, a blend of 20% hydrogen and 80% natural gas, produce significantly lower emissions than those operating on diesel or natural gas. The company intends to deploy the Hythane® System, which completely integrates Hythane® technology into existing natural gas fueling stations and vehicles, in cities throughout the world. Hythane® can be used in all forms of vehicles and is especially suited for commuter buses, school buses, refuse trucks, and delivery trucks.

    Hythane® is a patented fuel and the trademark is the property of Brehon Energy. The Hythane Company, LLC is grouped globally with two leading energy companies, Ireland-based Brehon Energy and Australian-based Eden Energy. Additional information about Hythane® is available at www.hythane.com.

    What's With Hydrogen?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Rusty_OToole</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Neither hydrogen nor hybrids are an answer for anything.

    Hydrogen is not a source of energy. The hydrogen has to be made out of something else, at a cost of energy. The most economical source is to make it out of natural gas, but it would be more efficient to just burn the natural gas in a gas engine. </div></div>

    The hydrogen vehicles available today are on the road strictly as R&D vehicles. GM won't even sell their hydrogen vehicles, and will only lease them if you live close to a refueling station. It's costs over $100K to build one, and the fuel costs more to make than it sells for. The companies building the cars will tell you hydrogen is at least 10 years away.

    I spent years working on propane and NG powered vehicles, as well as gas and diesel. I oversaw the installation on a NGV fueling station for my last employer. When we built that station, the AQMD gave us extra free money to install infrastructure to handle hydrogen fueling, when and if it every became viable. That was five years ago, and hydrogen is still many years away.

    If they don't get hydrogen vehicles on the road, how are they going to improve them..?? Look where the automobile was in 1900. The horse was more practical, but they kept at it, and it wasn't to many decades before they made some pretty good cars. That is why hydrogen is on the road, so we can improve it and make it a viable alternative. It won't happen over night.

    I applaud all of the different attempts to build a better mouse trap. I, as much as anyone, hope someone comes up with a cheap gas/diesel alternative. I would like nothing more than to watch a starving Saudi King trying to figure out how to grow tomatoes in the sand over his worthless oil reserves.

    I'm willing to look at anything, but until someone proves me wrong, I'm not buying the perpetual motion water machine. I have been in the automotive industry for many decades, and have seen these claims made over and over again for longer than I have been around.

    Look at the condition our American auto manufactures are in today, all in terrible financial shape, cutting out models, cutting costs, giving free interest rates. If one of those manufactures would build a working model of Stanley Meyer's miracle machine, that company would own the earth. Yet none give it a glance. Do they prefer bankruptcy over swallowing their pride and giving good ol' Stanley a tumble? Can you imagine getting 100 mpg in your Hummer?

    I have to take the practical answer to that question, and believe that they aren't going to waste time and money on a pipe dream. The patents expires long ago, anyone with a machine shop could crank them out by the bucket load, at a very low cost. Where are they?

    I hope I'm wrong. I want them to prove me wrong. My grocery bill will drop to nothing, as I will live out my life on a diet of crow, and smile with every bite......

    Hydrogen Generators for Cars

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Automobile manufactures have been under the gun for years to increase mileage figures. If they don't meet CAFE averages, they get fined. Factory engineers, with all of the expertise available to them, could whip up a fantastic version of a Hydrogen generator in a few days. The patents have long since expired, so it would be a slam dunk to manufacture them. The cost of mass producing these units would be very small, probably dollars each.

    The factories choose to ignore this technology and spend millions of dollars for even a tiny gain in MPG. Perhaps the engineers aren't as smart as Joe Average, tinkering in his garage., or maybe they are just stubborn???

    I'm thinking they may have an even more diabolical reason behind their refusal to study this amazing invention. That reason being, there isn't a chance in Heck that there is anything to these claims. If there were, they would have been produced by someone long ago. Patents are expired, very cheap to build, built in market, would make you richer than Bill Gates could even imagine, yet no one has jumped on the band wagon. Kind of makes one wonder...???

    I have been wondering, since the first gas crunch of the seventies, when some genius would come up with an answer to the problem. I am as hopeful as anyone, and more than willing to look at anything that comes along, but having been in the industry for over 40 years, I have seen these claims come and go for ever. I believe the term is "Dog and Pony Show"..!

    This particular "invention" has been around for many years, and was disproved many years ago.

    Reprint from Times...

    "End of road for water powered car, 1 Dec. 1996.

    An Ohio court ruled against inventor Stanley Meyer, in a case brought against him by disgruntled investors recently.

    Meyer had sold "dealerships" and licensing rights in his Water Fuel Cell technology to interested investors, in anticipation of the day when it would power electric vehicles or even aircraft.

    That dream was shattered as Meyer was found guilty of fraud when his Water Fuel Cell failed to impress three "expert witnesses" who decided there was nothing revolutionary about it, rather that it was simply using conventional electrolysis.

    The Sunday Times article also stated that when one of the court experts went to examine the Water Fuel Cell driven car, it was impossible to evaluate because it was not working.

    It's nice to dream, but keep your money in your pocket until it's proven. So far, it never has been..!

    Brake drum stud swaging; 67 olds

    in Technical

    Posted

    During my days working in an automotive machine shop, I replaced many a front drum that had to be swaged. The press we used came with a complete set of "Furniture" to handle every different situation one would ever encounter. Since the press was there before I was, I can only assume the hardware came with it. I would call any place that has press' for sale, I'm sure they could help you out.

    Hydrogen Generators for Cars

    in General Discussion

    Hydrogen Generators for Cars

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Those ridiculous claims have been around since the advent of the automobile. I can't believe any reputable mechanic would ever endorse such a scam. He was either pulling your leg, or he is in the wrong profession.

    Every time fuel goes up, dozens of these claims pop up.

    You can get the same 22% increase in mileage by buying a pizza and a six pack, and go sit on your patio. It provide the same increase in MPG, but it's a lot more fun.

    Here are the plans to build your own generator, it only $1.54. Such a bargain.

    One big draw back to the hydrogen cars GM and some others are building, the system operates under 10,000 PSI. Difficult to find tanks strong enough, that would hold enough hydrogen to get you around the block. Don't fall for these claims that are now all over the inner net....

    A fool and his money, etc, etc......

    six ways drivers typically waste gas

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: rbl2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

    Bonus tip: Don't idle your engine to let it warm up before driving. It does your engine no good and it wastes gas. Instead, start driving right away, but drive gently until the engine is warm.

    </div></div>

    This is the procedure recommended by automotive engineers. It is a waste of money to warm up an engine by letting it idle, just drive slowly for the first couple of blocks.

    Matt, I agree with all you say, but I have a side note to add to the City crews letting their trucks idle while they work. I was Fleet Operations Manger for a local City government for many years, and we would get daily radio calls to go jump start the vehicles when the batteries went dead. The reason for the dead batteries, they are required to run their safety beacons any time they were parked at the curb, or any public right-of-way. Idling saved many service calls.

    What the policy is now, I don't know, since I retired two years ago when gas was still a bargain, so hopefully they have come up with a plan to solve both problems. One thing that helps is the new lights are all coming out with strobes and LED's, which use much less current than bulbs, but those are phased in slowly.

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