slngsht

No vid? :toetap: Congrats :thumbs:

Since the car is far away, I'm starting work on a bender for the dash tubes. These are big arches that go from the tunnel to the outside tubes, sort of like the CSR dash http://www.autocar.co.uk/Car/Caterham/CSR/171055115440.jpg So step 1 is to make the bender that makes the bend (since this type of bender is about $1000 + dies). Step 1a is to make the dies. I got the inspiration for this bender from JonW. He used some hard wood dies (And eventually an aluminum one) to bend 2.5" tubing. I only need to bend 1" 0.05 wall tubing, so I'm hoping wooden dies will do. Since I don't have a lathe, I had to get creative. With the help of my friend's drill press, made these dies: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2005434285_CIMG2200.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1610240855_CIMG2199.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/75237067_CIMG2198.JPG I still have to make a 3rd die, and if they don't work (they're pine), make them from oak. By next week I'll make the frame for the bender and give it a shot.

:hurray:

There are several S1 owners here. Actually a couple for sale in the For Sale section.

government waste is built into each one of those numbers.

I love the center exhaust. If my tranny wasn't so massive, I would have definitely pursued this option on my car.

congrats on the major milestone. as soon as i read oil leak at filter, I knew there'd be double O rings, or in your case, gaskets. you should never have to use a wrench to tighten an oil filter. well, you'll have your car on the road way before me.

Bob, I feel like the spending problem is so massive, that it is difficult to describe its scope to the average public. If it could be narrowed down to indisputable facts that could demonstrate the extent of the problem in a 5 minute presentation (sort of the old Ross Perot presentation), and shown over and over again, maybe it will piss people enough to make a shift in how .gov works.

With Jerry on this one - again right to bear arms, freedom of speech, protection against unreasonable searches, due process, trial by jury, etc... At many times in our history, it would have been more convenient to do away with one or more of them for "the greater good". If we had given in each time, we would not have any rights left. So as far as I'm concerned, if we as a nation think that one of these rights is no longer needed in our society, we should go towards the formal process of amending the constitution. Otherwise, themz teh rulz. Regarding legalization of drugs, personally I think it's a bad idea, but if our elected officials enacting legislation to do it, fine by me.

The local cops here don't pay speed camera fines. [getting on soap box]Where is the due process in these "fines", or should I say fees? In alot of instances, the equipment is owned and operated by a private company who gets a cut, and they can't even tell you who is driving [getting off soap box]

Thanks Jerry, my mind is at ease :thumbs: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1190375103_588_yard_dog_eddens.jpg

Yes, you can build a system completely based on angular acceleration of the driveshaft. Simply knowing that based on your tire type, track surface, weight distribution, and center of gravity height (affects weight transfer), your car will be able to accelerate at a known maximum rate. If your driveshaft is accelerating faster (faster than the max acceleration plus X% to allow for optimum slip), then you have wheel spin. Problem with this approach is tire temp, and surface condition (such as wetness) make a difference. So if you calibrate the system for your typical street, then go to a place that has a grippy surface, the system will kick in too early. An improvement would be to employ an accelerometer to determine rate of acceleration to rate of change of driveshaft speed. I think for a cheap system this might be the way to go. You'll have to deal with how to handle wheel spin when lateral acceleration is present, etc... An alternative would be to use an average signal from the front wheel rates. Speaking of simple... I partially built a REALLY simple traction control device back in the 80's. I was a mechanical engineering student, but thought I'd try it anyway. The idea was to build a super cheap device. It never made it on a car, but I did build a device that could detect wheel spin on the bench. Looking back now, the approach was slightly comical, and pretty crude. I used all analog circuits, basically converting the wheel pulse to analog voltage, getting avg for the rear, and the avg for the front, then comparing the two voltages to produce one final signal that represented wheel slip. The idea was to then use a simple controller to act on throttle / spark to do something about it, but that's where I stopped. I have no idea if it would have been any good in real life.

Very nice.

So I finally got a little bit of time to play with the new TIG. surprisingly, I had a pretty easy time welding steel (I've never touched a TIG, stick or oxy). Here's my 2nd attempt to weld: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1655906440_CIMG2197.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/993878401_CIMG2194.JPG These welds were the easiest possible... tight fit between surfaces, etc... After these, I tried Aluminum, and although I was able to make a weld without melting the pieces, they're ugly as hell... It's time to do alot more reading and practicing. I think pre-heating would have helped.

somebody makes an aftermarket unit - I don't remember who. In my case, if I really wanted it, all the sensors are already in place. i'll have to replace the camaro throttle body with the one from the vette (Drive by wire), and put in the stability control module, accelerometer, etc... Calibration of a system like this is no trivial task. You have to consider slip angles to get optimum traction. Also, need to compare wheel sensors (front and rear), input from accelerometer, as well as fault logic to disable the system when things don't make sense. I suppose a simplified version could simply control the throttle, as opposed to spark control and ABS activation, but the result will be less than optimal. I know at least for vettes, most people disable the system at the track, as it tends to cook the rear brakes. Also the system freaks out if the car goes airborne and lands.

:rofl::rofl::rofl: :thumbs: :flag:

That is precisely what's at the heart of the argument. Is it the right of the state or the right of the individual? I (in my unedumacated opinion) think it's an individual right. Without it, the other part (militia) is not possible - whether it is needed or not. I'm completely with you on the wiretapping without warrants mess. Another example of what happens when there is total disregard of the constitution. If that's not a violation of the 4th amendment, I don't know what is. The problem is that you cannot selectively say "well, this amendment is total BS, so let's pretend it's not there". the result is, another group will simply ignore some other amendment that the rest of the people really care about. If the 2nd amendment is no longer needed, opponents need to get the 2/3 vote needed to repeal it. Leaving it there, and ignoring it is not the solution.

Just imagine how much fun it would be to work on a project like that for a job :sigh: back to work

I agree with JohnK on the RHD comment and passing. These cars are low and narrow, and in a RHD position, it's even harder to see oncoming traffic.

My new TIG and Plasma machines came in today. So I headed over to the welding supply place, got some electrode, rod, better gloves, power plugs (both units just had wires with no plugs), gas bottle, etc... When I was buying the plugs, I took mental note that the connector had 2 straight blades and a round one. Later in the day I go to hook things up and realize my extension cord has 3 straight blades. I spent a couple of hours looking for the right plug with no luck. Finally gave up and came home. I looked like a kid with a really cool toy, but no batteries. So I go in the garage, and I notice the plug package also contained an extra straight plug :banghead:

Um, no :skep:

:ack:

not in the short term for driving around, but you shouldn't drive long distances without it. You do need something to plug the hole before you drive. I *believe* some spark plugs have the same thread... If you are totally dying to drive it in the rain tonight :lol: Anyhow, it wont hurt your engine, but if the base calibration is too rich, it can hurt your cat. what does the Caterham use for the O2 sensor? I imagine it would just be another ford part number.

:ack: :ack:

RA1's are fine in rain Had them for about a year / 5000 miles and still looked new when I sold them with the wheels. excellent tire. they made nice rooster tails in the rain with no fender